Richard Dawkins: Churchgoers enable fundamentalists by being 'nice'

[hrmjustin]

Interfaith post.



Dawkins says ordinary believers had inadvertently paved the way for extremists (Photo: Jay Williams)

Because moderate Christians and Muslims are so pleasant people believe that religion is good, Dawkins says

9:47PM BST 13 Aug 2014
By Hannah Furness, Arts Correspondent

Decent, ordinary churchgoers have helped enable religious fundamentalists to become suicide bombers by being "so nice" that people do not question their faiths, Richard Dawkins has argued.

Dawkins, the evolutionary scientist and outspoken atheist, said moderate Christian and Muslim believers had inadvertently paved the way for extremists.

Saying they had made non-evidence-based belief a "legitimate reason" for their behaviour, he claimed they have now helped "make the world safe" for fundamentalists to exist.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, he told an audience that moderate believers were "so nice" they had made it difficult for society to question their faith.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11032654/Richard-Dawkins-Churchgoers-enable-fundamentalists-by-being-nice.html

[hrmjustin]

1. Moderates are not saying you can't question on faith.

He leaves a lot to be desired.

[ColesCountyDem]

2. Indeed he does. n/t

[hrmjustin]

3. He just wants people to give up their faiths in the end and the answer is a big...

NO!

[okasha]

6. Actually, what he wants people to give up is money.

The price of a book, a ticket to one of his speeches. He's playing to an audience, and he needs to continue to up the ante to retain interest and keep those $$ rolling in.

[hrmjustin]

7. I agree with your comment in religion that he should go back to science.

[Leontius]

4. The more I hear from him it makes me begin to doubt evolution.

[hrmjustin]

5. I think he is a big kid at times and forgets people have feelings.

[el_bryanto]

8. It's a common enough argument - not surprising

And given the logic of ant-theism it makes sense.

It's comparable to the articles you read sometimes condemning companies for treating their employees fairly because by doing so they put off the overthrow of capitalism. Those corporations who behave well are providing cover for those corporations who behave badly. Or articles criticizing improvements in energy efficiency because such improvements keep us from doing what we really need to do (i.e. stop expecting to have so much energy).

If you see religion as a problem in and of itself, than yes, nice religious folk are part of that problem. In the same sense if you see capitalism as a problem in and of itself, than nice corporations are part of the problem.

Bryant

[cbayer]

9. This argument is obvious a huge fail.

Dawkins has made his position very clear. He thinks that all religion is bad, that it poisons everything and that religious people are diseased and in need of a cure.

He is unable to make any distinctions within this enormous group that accounts for 84% of the people on this planet. Because there are clearly distinctions that can't be rationally denied, he has to find a way to condemn all for the behavior of a few.

His kind of atheism is ugly. It's a good thing that no one is saying that all atheists, including the nice ones, are responsible for his outrageous statements and bigotry.

[el_bryanto]

10. I obviously don't agree with the argument

I just think it's logical once you accept the premise that religion is a bad thing that causes a lot of trouble.

Bryant

[cbayer]

11. I here what you are saying. It's the case for all kinds of bigotry.

A racist will say that "good" black people are enabling "bad" black people because they are somehow a part of the same group.

It's a ridiculous argument, and, of course the only solution to the situation he describes is for all people to abandon religion.

On top of the fact that that just isn't going to happen, it wouldn't solve a single problem if it did.

[wryter2000]

12. I hope he uses more logical thinking in his science

Another example of why people should stick to their own disciplines. And I'm referring to the UC Berkeley law professor/creationist who thinks he understands science because he's read some of it.

[cbayer]

13. Hello you! How the heck are you?

How's the writing going?

[wryter2000]

14. I'll PM you

I will mention publicly that my church is going to sing my third hymn in September

[cbayer]

15. I look forward to hearing from you.

Congratulations on you hymn. I hope you will have a video.

[hrmjustin]

16. I agree. He seems to just say things to appeal to his audience.