The atheist

[kskiska]

Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins explains why God is a delusion, religion is a virus, and America has slipped back into the Dark Ages.

(snip)

Still, so many people resist believing in evolution. Where does the resistance come from?

It comes, I'm sorry to say, from religion. And from bad religion. You won't find any opposition to the idea of evolution among sophisticated, educated theologians. It comes from an exceedingly retarded, primitive version of religion, which unfortunately is at present undergoing an epidemic in the United States. Not in Europe, not in Britain, but in the United States.

My American friends tell me that you are slipping towards a theocratic Dark Age. Which is very disagreeable for the very large number of educated, intelligent and right-thinking people in America. Unfortunately, at present, it's slightly outnumbered by the ignorant, uneducated people who voted Bush in.

But the broad direction of history is toward enlightenment, and so I think that what America is going through at the moment will prove to be a temporary reverse. I think there is great hope for the future. My advice would be, Don't despair, these things pass.

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2005/04/30/dawkins/index.html

[onager]

1. Hey! Bad Religion is a great band!

:hi:

Just kidding. Thanks a lot for this, it was interesting. And as usual with Dawkins, spot on.

If Dawkins had done nothing else, we would owe him big-time for his description of $hrub:

"...a deeply stupid little oil-spiv..."

[Submariner]

2. Dawkins for president

Finally someone with a head on his shoulders laying it on the line about this foolish fairy tale god shit.

[billbuckhead]

4. Thanx to you for the link

and to Salon, an underrated media portal.

[DavidDvorkin]

8. Dawkins is British

So he can't be President of the U.S.

He could be Prime Minister, though!

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. "A retarded, primitive version of religion" - best description of fundy

fuck assholes I've ever read!

Too bad it's the retarded, primitive asswipes who are in charge.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. Rabrrrrr, I've been reading your posts for quite a while now.......

And it really bugs me when you mince your words!

Just say what you think, for crying out loud!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. I'm sure my subtly must be annoying

but I have a hard time expressing my true feelings.

:-)

[Freedom_from_Chains]

6. I'm not so sure how temporary this may be. n/t

[Maple]

7. I wish he'd lay off

the constant stress on only 2 choices. God or Evolution.

I'm an atheist, but I don't see evolution as any answer either.

I don't think we have enough information yet to draw any definitive conclusions.

Of course we know evolution took place...still is. But it doesn't answer everything, nor is it meant to.

And if it turns out another factor is involved...no not a Deity...it badly dents his whole position...and everyone elses.

[struggle4progress]

12. I agree. Science, by definition, deals with phenomena which ...

... can be subject of measurement, theory, and experiment.

It's logically incoherent to expect the scientific method to shed light on the existence, history, powers, or motives of supernatural beings.

And if religious belief is based on philosophical or theological arguments, it's ridiculous to expect such beliefs to shed light on science.

There's nothing wrong with challenging evolution: the proper challenges, of course, would involve careful investigation of the age and history of the earth and of its rocks, consideration of the fossil record, application of known physics, chemistry, and biochemistry ... and there's a place in the scientific world for anybody who wants to pick a small piece of this puzzle and investigate it fully and dispassionately, without an ideological axe to grind, and with an eye to producing the best descriptions available with current tools.

Similarly, there's nothing wrong with disputing the content of religious beliefs, using appropriate philosophical methods.

But the inability to distinguish between religious and scientific ideas is a serious problem, which causing some serious political psychoses in this country.

[Finder]

13. Lay off?

I disagree, I think the great minds of this era NEED to keep speaking out or this country in particular is in grave danger. The two choices are not "God vs Evolution" they are religion vs science or fiction vs fact.

Since a number of sheeple are sheeple because they are looking for acceptance(a social psychological issue), ridiculing the creationists(or just calling a spade a spade) will earn many to the side of reason. Those who are creationists due to a victim complex will remain in the creationist camp however.

Tolerance of other peoples beliefs stops when it affects other people, the educational system, government, healthcare, etc.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. He doesn't say that

"You won't find any opposition to the idea of evolution among sophisticated, educated theologians. It comes from an exceedingly retarded, primitive version of religion, which unfortunately is at present undergoing an epidemic in the United States."

What he does say is that "Intelligent Design" can't be used as an argument for religion - the scientific explanation for evolution is all that's needed to understand the variety of life we have today. He then says he doesn't see any evidence for a god at all, and that he thinks religion has many bad effects that he'd like to see gone.

[libodem]

9. History is going to judge

this era very harshly as a decline in Enlightenment. Several years ago some book I was reading claimed that this is a backlash of a desperate attempt to halt the inevitable progress of humanity toward a paradigm shift in the old white male system. Almost all of our institutions are outdated and ready to expire from degeneration. Think legal, medical, education, government as well as religious. We are in a very, very, dark age, indeed.

[Maple]

10. I prefer

Alvin Toffler's 'Future Shock' explanation. :D