CNN has caved in. Richard Dawkins is going to be on Paula Zahn tonight!

[Idioteque]

For those of you who haven't been following, a few days ago CNN ran an anti-atheist hit piece called "Why do atheists inspire such hatred?"

It included a panel to discuss anti atheist discrimination that did not consist of a single atheist. The only voice of reason was ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

I could explain it but you're better off watching for yourself.

Part 1
Part 2

(Warning, you may want to smash your screen!)

Anyway, after these videos were posted on digg, a bunch of folks sent CNN letters of disgust. They have finally caved in. Tonight they are going to rerun the segment and bring in Richard Dawkins to comment.

The show starts at 8 but I'm not sure what time Professor Dawkins is going to be on.

[LeftyMom]

1. Do they stream?

I don't have cable, but I'd be interested in hearing Richard Dawkins if I can.

[Idioteque]

2. I don't think they stream but I'm sure it will be on YouTube by tomorrow. n/t

[LeftyMom]

3. Sounds like a safe bet.

:)

[Vexatious Ape]

4. Thanks for the heads up.

[theoldman]

5. I just finished reading Richard Dawkins book "The God

Delusion". It did not change my opinion at all. It was interesting from a scientific viewpoint and did not shed any new light about Atheists. I am sure that it upset a lot of the religious nuts many of whom do not understand the Bible.

[Buzz Clik]

6. I'm sure if you're an atheist that Dawkins comes across as a genius.

For me, a semi-agnostic, I find his obsession against religion to be tiring (and a touch thin).

[theoldman]

7. I am also an agnostic and I think that Dawkins is very intelligent.

I don't think that he is considered a genius by anyone.

[Buzz Clik]

8. Dawkins is highly intelligent, no question.

My comment was strictly in the context of his anti-religion kick.

[Idioteque]

9. There is a reason he is anti religion...

It's because religion is inherently ridiculous. I will certainly stand up for religious freedom and your right to believe what ever you want. That doesn't mean that the idea of religion isn't crazy. Richard Dawkins is absolutely correct.

[Buzz Clik]

23. Well, everyone has their opinion...

[midnight]

32. Well. One can barely blame anyone who questions the

sanity of the religious. It has been mostly the religious who find this war justified. How they feel that Bush got a nod from God, I will never understand. Those of us who are religious will probably be coming up against explaining this crazy murdering bunch in the White House who use the shield of God for their dirty deeds.

[slowry]

14. The world needs an anti-religion kick. or five. n/t

[kath]

20. or five thousand.

[hyphenate]

22. For many people who don't believe

in the Christian god, Dawkins and others like him are like candles in the dark heralding an alternate belief system against the radical religious right. While I know, and hope most rational people know, that the radical religious right is a lot smaller than it pretends to be, they are in everyone's face and make themselves look like the favored side.

Until recently, those of us who prefer to keep our beliefs to ourselves, and whether we are atheistic or agnostic, did not have anyone to serve our cause celebre; now, at least, there are some who are not afraid to say that they don't believe in the Christian god, and it's about time that we are given some equal time!

While some of our "heroes" are anything but perfect, I would say that they are at LEAST as perfect as the assholes on the religious right who make the world believe that they are more perfect than others.

[cui bono]

26. Dawkins is fabulous! His explanation of why atheists are as moral or more

than religious people who follow the bible is great. Paraphrasing what I heard him say on a radio show... he said religious people don't follow the bible word for word, they pick and choose what they want to follow. What they believe is right and just and moral. Atheists do the same thing, but rather than choosing from something that was written down by other people they choose from what they experience and learn from life. And presumably both are doing it in order to be a better human being, but atheists do it out of simply wanting to be a good person and do right by humanity, where as a lot of religious people do it out of fear of going to hell. I just thought that was a perfect way to describe why being an atheist doesn't rule out being moral, and in fact an atheist can be thought of as being more altruistic.

Looking forward to watching those clips tomorrow.

[LeftishBrit]

37. I'm an atheist, and I find him very intelligent but sometimes tiringly obsessive

He sometimes strikes me as the atheist version of an intense Christian evangelist; and a bit too much of an advertising man.

However, I (and he) don't live in a country where religious fundamentalists keep electing the far-right and trying to control every aspect of my behaviour and marginalizing me for not sharing their beliefs. If I lived in an American red state, I would no doubt find his message very refreshing.

[Idioteque]

10. Dawkins was bumped because of Anna Nicole Smith

Lame.

[Marnieworld]

12. Are you sure? Did they said that?

I'm hoping they'll get to him and I am Tivo-ing it. I am watching this right now and it is OUTRAGEOUS!

Shut up? OMG!

[Idioteque]

15. He's going to be on tomorrow but get this...

...they are cutting down his 20 minute interview to like 4 minutes. Then they are going to have a panel discussing it with Christopher Hitchens. Should be really funny. Hitchens is nuts on the war but when it comes to religion he is dead right.

[Marnieworld]

17. It's absurd when you think about it

The whole piece and panel discussion was presented as an exploration as to whether atheists are marginalized. The entire segment production, the way the atheists were shamefully lit, the panel afterwards without atheists, everything served to do just that, marginalize atheists. It was done so completely as if to reveal an agenda to do that. Now you tell me that they are cutting 20 minutes to 4 to discuss whether the very thing they are doing actually exists? :banghead:

It's so obvious too because since when is this news? Atheists are in the minority forever. That poll about most hated group has been around for a while. Did you notice that Paula kept stating that it's only 1-3% of the US Population? That's so not true. Everything I've ever seen states that it's at least 10% and that's the group who respond that they are atheists, not including the one who lie to avoid the very backlash they are determining doesn't exist. So it's 30 million vs. 3 million but no one is being marginalized?

I don't watch anything other than The Daily Show and Keith Olbermann. My mother is addicted to Fox News and calls CNN the "Communist News Network" I am ashamed to say. I don't even know how to begin to explain to her how they are one and the same and as equally useless and RW. This little Zahn episode reminds me why CNN is not anything I ever watch.

[progressoid]

25. I don't normally watch cable news. When is he scheduled to appear?

Would love to see how they treat him.

[Idioteque]

31. Paula Zahn starts at 8pm

I'm sure exactly when his segment will be though.

[progressoid]

34. Thanks!

[manic expression]

13. That's pathetic

CNN deserves not an inch of respect.

[manic expression]

11. Good

I saw that piece, and it was patently disgusting. CNN is showing us what they really are: a bunch of ignorant cretins no better than FOX News.

I hope Dawkins rips them apart.

[Hamlette]

16. I LOVED the piece!!!! Bravo CNN!!!!

What a wonderful bunch of people those Christians are! Tell anyone who doesn't agree with your BELIEF system (not based on ANY FACTS) to shut up.

And say Europe is being overrun by those nasty Muslims and is becoming intolerant as a result? Gee lady, who exactly is intolerant here? (And are they intolerant because of all the Muslims? I'm not sure what the point was.)

The more air time nut cases like that get, the better it is for me (an atheist).

They PERFECTLY made the point of the atheists.

(BTW, you can pray in school all you want and you can say the pledge in school all you want. You just can't make my kid do it. Do it in private. What's wrong with that?)

Surprising we don't have more 9-11s in the world with wonderful believers like these. (The ESPN guy was great. I'm excepting him from this.)

The problem with religion is: you can't talk about it! You say maybe we shouldn't make decisions based on a belief in a supernatural being and you are treated like a monster while the real monsters blow up buildings because their god told them to. It is not helpful to not be able to talk about it. That's Dawkins' point. I'm not surprised by those who find him shrill. Guess what? That's how we find all of you. Just sayin. . .

[manic expression]

18. Yeah, I guess that's true

If you look at it that way, which most people will miss. That being said, the way you saw it is spot on. However, I resent blatant disrespect towards people for their valid and reasonable beliefs/opinions/views/convictions. I'm not an atheist, but I hate that kind of self-pleasuring tripe that we see far too much.

[Hamlette]

21. my point entirely!

You said: "I resent blatant disrespect towards people for their valid and reasonable beliefs/opinions/views/convictions"

....there is nothing valid or reasonable about a belief in a supernatural being.

Of course, I can't say that because somehow it makes me intolerant if I say decisions based on religion are subject (or should be) to the same scrutiny as decisions based on anything else. When its none of my business, I don't care but it is no longer none of my business when people fly planes into buildings and my country attacks other countries because god told Bush to do so.

[manic expression]

27. It isn't any of our business

religious beliefs and opinions on the subject of divinity should be kept private. It has nothing to do with the community, and so it should not be permitted in the public sphere.

And religious beliefs are very valid and reasonable, although that's beside the point.

[Hamlette]

29. the problem is they are not kept private

and if 9-11 did not convince you of the danger of religious beliefs nothing I can say will.

[manic expression]

30. They should be

And fanatics have as much to do with other religious people as atheists do to violent Nihilists.

[rockymountaindem]

38. Manic, what's that painting in your sig line?

I'd be interested in checking it out on a larger scale.

[johnfunk]

19. Remember that ginned-up Toys for Tots "Talking Jesus" flap last year?

I need to find a manufacturer so we can make this toy for kids:



The "Talkin' Dawkins" Doll -- instead of Bible quotes, he encourages kids to embrace science and reason.

Let's send a thousand of these to Toys for Tots and see what the Rapture-cult Christianists think...

[progressoid]

24. Who is Karen Hunter? What a gas bag.

It's the Bill O'reilly school of debate. "Just shut up!"

:eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes:

I didn't know they gave Pulitzers for best impersonation of a seventh grader.

[Coexist]

28. Any video on the interview with Dawkins?

Anyone?

[progressoid]

33. Supposed to be aired tonight. 8-9 EST.

[Coexist]

35. thanks for the heads up.

[Idioteque]

36. OK the interview has been bumped again to Monday. n/t