Yeah, maybe calling myself a Christian is a little misleading. I love Richard Dawkins. He's bright and funny and such an excellent communicator. And I love Stephen Colbert, that good lil' Catholic boy, for having him on his show.
I'm sorry this youtube cuts off Colbert's opening joke: "My next guest says there is no God. Well, you know what? He'll have an eternity in hell to prove it."
I won't get into what yours truly, who still considers herself a believer, thinks about what "God" thinks of these two men. Suffice it to say Deity doesn't suffer fools, and appreciates intelligence. Going to hell? Feh. Divine Love won't let these two boys that far from her kitchen table. They're just too interesting.
Update: The wiki page on Dawkins has lots of links, including on-line essays by Dawkins. BG is looking forward to reading The God Delusion. Oh, and if you don't think he's cool yet, he's married to Romana from Doctor Who. There ya go.
Blue Gal - that was really delightful. I've never before heard of Richard Dawkins, and now I am a fan. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteOh tengrain, you'll have to read him. I discovered Dawkins through the late Douglas Adams of Hitchhikers fame. They were friends, apparently, and Adams wrote very glowingly of Dawkins in some posthumously published writings.
ReplyDeleteI think Dawkins is very brave to take on the fundies and be the voice of science at the other end. There is a middle ground which allows both faith and science and I try to sit there. But I sit with Dawkins when it comes to evolution and what we need to teach in our schools. Gratitude, love, all those spiritual sentiments (and yeah, I admit sentimentality is a large part of faith yadda) can be expressed without chucking your brain cells out the stained glass window.
Hi Frannie. I'm a big Dawkins fan but I had no idea we was connected to Douglas Adams. It's hilarious that Colbert would even attempt to bring a man of his intellect on a show that intentially simplifies everything to a tongue in cheek sound bite. I believe many viewers will be intrigued and chek out his books. When is the last time an atheist was interviewed on TV (as an atheist)? IS the public ready for an Atheism cable channel? Dobson would say that the 3 networks already have that covered.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link!
I must be too far from the ritual that is American TV viewing to be able to understand this.
ReplyDeleteWhy, exactly, is Dawkins made to do the circus tricks?
Shunra, my dear, it's not circus hoops. It's called a book tour. Stephen Colbert held up Hawkin's book and viewed his reflection in it. That oughtta be good for flying a thousand books off the shelves.
ReplyDeleteHe was on COLBERT. That is the point. Would that he could just discuss Darwin at the next Mensa SIG meeting, but there ya go.
Now, Ariadne, agreeing with a charming intelligent Brit and denying God are two different spheres of thought and do not have to be mutually inclusive, as you can see.
There's probably another post here, but I seriously think the greatest threat to religion, the greatest secularizer if you will, is the decline in infant mortality in the modern age. The death of a child is the most heart wrenching event anyone can face. Knowing that there is a loving parent who still holds your child in life is a necessary comfort. If there is little likelihood that your child will pre-decease you, you have less reason to believe. Anyway, that's probably another post.
I don't think calling yourself a Christian is misleading at all. I think the fundies calling themselves Christian is misleading. I think calling Constantine the Great and Clement of Alexandria Christians is misleading. I even think calling the Pharisee St. Paul a Christian is misleading, but I am a heretic of the historical-accuracy persuasion. Heck, I even call myself a Christian (ethically) on occasion, even though I am an avowed atheist.
ReplyDeleteFor a man like Jesus who was unremittingly against authoritarian hierarchies to have been represented for two millennia by unremittingly authoritarian hierarchies is grotesquely misleading.