Dogmatism
My critics are wrong to call me dogmatic, says Dawkins
I wondered if we might hear a response from Richard to Sir, Alister McGrath. It didn't take long. Others have presented a caricature of Richard to attack, Alister's version was as self serving and offensive as it was wrong.
Sir, Alister McGrath (Faith, Feb 10) has now published two books with my name in the title. If I seem “grumpy”, could it be because a professor of theology is building a career riding on my back? It is tempting to quote Yeats (“Was there ever dog that praised his fleas?”) and leave it at that. I will, however, dignify his article with a brief reply.
McGrath imagines that I would disagree with my hero Sir Peter Medawar on The Limits of Science. On the contrary. I never tire of emphasising how much we don’t know. The God Delusion ends in just such a theme. Where do the laws of physics come from? How did the universe begin? Scientists are working on these deep problems, honestly and patiently. Eventually they may be solved. Or they may be insoluble. We don’t know.
But whereas I and other scientists are humble enough to say we don’t know, what of theologians like McGrath? He knows. . .
Comments
McGrath isn't, as far as I'm aware, a knight. The "sir" is simply the beginning of Dawkins' letter to the Times' editor. All letters to the editor begin with "Sir."
I think that Dawkins’ real master piece is The Ancestor’s Tale which is like the atheist’s version of Genesis. I read the bible as part of my religious training growing up and it’s a miracle that I didn’t die of boredom. How much more interesting my childhood would have been had I been able to read Dawkins’ alternative to the religious fairy tales forced upon me by well-meaning parents. It seems that 300 years after the Enlightenment we may finally be realizing that religion is a man-made farce and needs to be cast aside.
This McGrath guy has such an incredibly anemic argument in favor of religion. Give your kids both ideas and let them decide.
Can you switch your videos to Adobe Flash Player please? You are locking out non-Windows and non-Mac users - Unices and Gnu/Linux users mostly, who cannot use Quicktime
Never going to happen, and your claim that non-windows and non-mac users cannot view the videos is bullshit. You want Flash go somewhere else, it's never going to happen.
hahah he called him a flea
Yes, no dog praises his fleas. I got a good chuckle from that and will remember it for future referrence. :)
Appropriate too. As McGrath seems to be making a career out of misinterpreting and criticising Dawkins. Uses his name in the titles to sell more books. A regular tool he is.
Dawkins' killer counterpose to his religious critics:
"...But whereas I [Dawkins] and other scientists are humble enough to say we don’t know, what of theologians like McGrath? He knows. He’s signed up to the Nicene Creed. The universe was created by a very particular supernatural intelligence who is actually three in one. Not four, not two, but three. Christian doctrine is remarkably specific: not only with cut-and-dried answers to the deep problems of the universe and life, but about the divinity of Jesus, about sin and redemption, heaven and hell, prayer and absolute morality. And yet McGrath has the almighty gall to accuse me of a “glossy”, “quick fix”, naive faith that science has all the answers..."
Anyone read the 2 article links embedded in the Dawkin's article.
Here's a disturbing one whioch highlights that the religious push against Dawkins may be part of a co-ordinated campaign.
Creationism gains foothold in schools. December 31, 2006. By Christopher Morgan and Abul Taher.
From The Sunday Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/britain/article1265412.ece
Thanks for the link Kes-t'is a sad thing to see.
It does occur to me that England might be the most firtile ground in Europe for this sort of foolishness.
I think Chris Hedges did a good job of describing the social and economic underpinnings for the conversion of many Americans to this weird version of Christianity.
England has fallen behind the rest of the EU in a number of important places. Child welfare and education being two, economic development and unemployment being two more.
To be clear, I am suggesting that joblessness, economic stagnation, and short cuts in education and social services, create create rich recruitment grounds for christian extremeists.
And, oddly enough, the same conditions create the recruiting grounds for Muslim extremeists.
While most of their big leaders were from wealthy families you will find that most of the Christian leaders of the far right in America, do not come from impoverished backgrounds either.
Nothing wrong with liking QT, and I know this is your site and all, but that came across as kind of harsh. Just sayin'.
Thomas,McCay, I do agree with what you say i.e. joblessness, economic stagnation, and short cuts in education and social services, create create rich recruitment grounds for christian extremists.
But that's the price UK has to pay for wanting to stay isolated from the economic and monetary policies of EU.
In many respects island UK is like Fortress US. Both thinks that they can insulate themselves from the world. But the world may never knocking on their doors.
But on the upside, you do have Dawkins in UK to hold the fort against Christian extremism.
Harsh, just calling it like I see it. I have little tolerance for ignorant annonymous commentors who never bother to say thanks for what I provide but think I ought to use their favorite format. It does push all my buttons.
I guess now's a good time to say Happy Valetines Day Norm!
...well, more like Singles Awareness Day for me :(
Yet another excellent comment from Dawkins. I think I'll remember the bit about the dogs and his fleas, too. Yaets -- is there anything he can't say?
Are people seriously that lazy these days?
http://libquicktime.sourceforge.net/
Fleas? Come to think on it, these God-Fleas ARE several links below the other so-called "Gad-flies" on the great chain of being.
God-Fleas.
Sir Alister Godfley.
I like it!
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