This looked like an interesting progamme on C4 - and I missed part I - "the God delusion!" Never mind part II - "the virus of faith" is on next week and I'll try to be tuning in...
Now Richard Dawkins does seem to be asking a good question that lots of folks might be thinking - if I follow God will I end up some sort of a religious right wing judgemental biggot type - spreading hate rather than love...
...and who wants to be one of those?
Ok, now that seems a little unfair, it's not only religion that seems to turn some folk into aggressive repressers - history is littered with as many athiest as religious inspired examples...
If logic is your kind of thing when it comes down to questions about whether there is a God, you might like to check out the Damaris article on this programme which sets out the moral arguement for God existing...
Another question to consider is why does the title of the show touch a root in us, bring such a fear in us to the surface? I came across this Brian MacLaren quote today in "the emerging church" which offers this response to such questions...
"Scratch the paint and what (we) really mean underneath is this: 'I am desperately afraid of what happens when people become millitant and arrogant about their beliefs and values, because there is only a very fine line between militant and arrogant...and violent.' Living in a world of terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and racial-ethnic-religious hatred, (we) feel that strong beliefs and values are dangerous.
Rather than arguing... we would be wise to affirm (our) desire for peace and to encourage (us) to hold this belief or value in peace... strongly!
Jesus took this very course in the religious world of his day, and the cross is a message to the world, saying, 'It is better to suffer violence for your beliefs than to inflict violence. This is the way of God's kingdom.'"
Firstly, since when has scientific understanding been infallible Mr Dawkins? Why does he elevate it to some lofty position of absolute, rather than where it works best, as a system of enquiry for people trying to make sense of the world around them (which is why I believe in God)? Secondly, why did he judge all Christians by the actions of Catholics and American evangelicals? And that’s just to name a few disagreements with the programme. The man should stick to zoology and not philosophy.
He is though prepared to admit that he has no conclusion about some theories (e.g. as in the Gay gene), but his refusal to admit the existence of a supreme creator (of any type I hasten to add) seems to be a bit of fault in his character, rather than his thought. Surely as a scientist you must keep all possibilities open until you have your undeniable evidence. So Mr Dawkins, show me your undeniable evidence that God (in a Judeo/Christian sense) doesn’t exist, and I’ll be prepared to rethink my worldview.
Posted by: Tim | 13 January 2006 at 02:58 PM
In reply to Tim:
He (Dawkins) doesn't 'refuse to admit' the existence of a magical creator he just points out that there's no reason to think that there is such a thing.
There's lots of evidence to different potential physical routes to the emergence of our universe from the void but no evidence to point to a deity with a magic wand.
So, what is the rational conclusion from those statements? Admittedly it's not 'there is no magical creator' but equally, it's certainly not 'there must be a magical creator'.
This is the thing about science, the thing that separates it from 'faith' a scientist will say 'as far as we can tell this is how it works' and if new evidence arises that same scientist will then say 'we were wrong about that, and it now seems...' On the other hand a faithologist will say 'this is how it is, because this is how it must be, because this is how our book says it is. It can never be different and we don't care what else you learn'
Guess which one I think has the more chance of ending up closest to a genuine understanding of things, as they genuinely are.
Dave J.
Posted by: Apps 55753818692 100002347528217 F4b53163cd88bf09c46c2410f06238fc | 06 May 2011 at 04:24 PM