Stumpjumper

Do you suppose that if everyone held the same metaphysical beliefs all evil would be eradicated?

I do not believe that attempting to eradicate religious belief is the best way to bring about a positive future. Regardless of whether or not I held a belief in God, I am quite sure that tolerance is always a better option as long as those that we tolerate do not use their beliefs to brainwash or hurt others.

I can certainly tolerate and even respect Muslims ( I have a copy of and have read the Qur'an).

I do not tolerate or respect Muslim terrorists. I do not tolerate terrorism of any sort; yet, I realize that it is not always (or even often) that god beliefs cause evil.

Be careful what beliefs you wish to eradicate because yours could always be next

Clete

Well, since I don't think it's possible (nor would it be desirable) to "dispose" of the beliefs of people that I disagree with, I prefer to have an open dialogue with them.

Adora

Dawkins seems to be believing in his own publicity, these days. Which is sad, because most of it was overblown in the first place. I will definitely be avoiding this load of drivel.

Xrikcus

I have made a note to watch it tonight and I will leave judgement until then. Dawkins' self publicity is getting a bit much though.

Having said that, he gave a talk at the university here before Christmas and it was a purely evolutionary talk, none of the forcing of religion issues - until one question someone asked from the audience at the end which couldn't be answered any other way.

Xrikcus

hmm, nothing terribly new, but then we are not the kind of people who would find it new, I suppose. He courted fundamentalist types a little... got kicked out of a fundy uberchurch, nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it will make a few people think a little though...

Minnesota Joe

Hmm, I'm a 'Merican and I think Dawkins is a breath of fresh air.:Cheeky:

Yahzi

I live in a country where the President has been known to publicly disavow the citzenship of athiests.

But if Dawkins tells people they are believing in childish fairy tales, he's the miltiant, aggressive, pushy one.

I think I know what all the homosexuals feel like when they get told, "It's ok to be gay, just keep it to yourself." While the Army is throwing people out for being gay, Matthew Shepard is being buried, and Texas is arresting them for having sex in their own homes.

fatpie42

Some have claimed that fundamentalism is actually a result of our secular society which prevents religious expression in the interest of diversity. In their desperation to assert their identity it is the 'loudest shouters' who seem to gain the most support.

Fundamentalism comes from any place where someone is unwilling to take all sides of the debate seriously. I can understand that Dawkins gets frustrated with creationism, but the evolution/creationism debate is not representative of the atheism/theism debate. Creationists are a VERY small minority amongst theists. If Dawkins makes such generalisations as "religions are delusions which cause violence" as if a naturalist wouldn't dream of hurting anyone, then he is not being fair to both sides. (Remember the oppression of buddhists by the atheist occupying force in Chinese-occupied Tibet).

Even Freud insisted on calling religion an illusion rather than a delusion. A girl who expects to be married to a prince is creating an illusion, since she could still turn out to be right. A delusion, by contrast, is definitely wrong.

fatpie42

I'm not saying that Christian fundamentalism in America isn't bad. I am saying that if you fight fire with fire we all get burnt.

Adora

What fatpie meant to say was:
"Most historians who have tackled the roots of modern fundamentalism suggest that it exists as a reactionary movement against modernisation and specifically secularisation of society."

It's not necessarily the repression of religious expression that causes fundamentalism to increase, but the failings of modernity and secularisation to create opportunities for everyone in all aspects of life - employment, family, politics, whatever. So in times when you have many individuals unhappy with wider society for whatever reason, such as during the US depression, or the current state of my own Australian country, you're going to have increasing numbers of potential fundamentalists looking for an attractive alternative to the system that has failed them. Sadly, in the same vein as the communist/socialist/white supremist/cultist/whatever issues, you'll have people ending up with the fundamentalists because nobody else tries as hard to get them in with attractive promises of life-fufilment.