Richard Dawkins says there is a logical path from religion to violence, but not from atheism to violence. He comes stunningly close to the truth, while yet missing it altogether.
This comes from somewhere after minute 75 in a debate (video here) with John Lennox in Birmingham, Alabama on October 3, 2007. Dawkins said,
I think there is a logical path from religion to doing …
Richard Dawkins says there is a logical path from faith to violence, but not from atheism to violence. He comes stunningly close to the truth, while yet missing it altogether.
This comes from somewhere after minute 75 in a debate (video here) with John Lennox in Birmingham, Alabama on October 3, 2007. Dawkins said,
I think there is a logical path from religion to doing terrible things…. There’s a logical path that says, if you really, really, really believe that your God, …
“Stephen” commented on my introductory post, Finally–A Blog For You!,
Maybe this website should be renamed “the rationalizing Christian”. That’s not the same as the “thinking” Christian, but the name seems to fit based my first impression. When we talk about “thinking” we generally consider that our thinking falls out on a spectrum between good and bad thinking. Certain values come into play to make that evaluation. One important one (my evaluation) is that we don’t rationalize. I’m using rationalizing to mean defend our …
Some people think faith is unthinking, that it’s “rationalizing,” that it’s opposed to knowledge. More often than not, that opinion comes either from ignorance or from prejudice
Some people don’t know that the faith has a background of knowledge supporting it. They think it’s a set of beliefs chosen out of the air, or from our parents, or from our church. They don’t realize there are libraries upon libraries of books questioning, doubting, discussing, and frequently confirming our beliefs.
Other people view …
Have you ever heard that faith is just a way to rationalize what you were brought up to believe? Have you ever heard it's against thinking and rationality? What I've written to pastors and teachers today could be helpful to you next time you hear that, too.
Once in a while a New Atheist gets it right:
In fact, this attempt by scientists to convince the American public that evolution poses no threat to faith has largely fallen on deaf ears, perhaps because it is simply untrue, and believers can see this clearly enough.
[From Victor Stenger: Is Evolution Compatible With Religion?]
Read the article and you’ll catch the other message. Stenger doesn’t want scientists to think that faith poses no threat to naturalistic evolution. He’s right there, …
My debate with Phil Torres on the meaning of faith is moving forward:
Phil: What Exactly is This Thing in Crisis? On the Meaning and (Epistemological) Significance of Faith
Me: What Is the Relevant Definition of Faith?
Phil: The Relevant Definition of Faith Is…
Me: Still In Quest of the Relevant Definition of Faith
Maybe it’s clear enough from that what we’re tussling over there. He says faith is necessarily unreasonable. I think he’s relying on tendentious and fallacious arguments, largely …
Phil Torres and I are debating “Faith,” beginning today, at Discussion Grounds. Come on over!
He and I agree that the meaning of “faith” is crucial to questions of religion, Christianity, theism, and of course atheism, skepticism, and so on. We’ve also recognized the obvious: a blog isn’t always the greatest venue for working through difficult issues. Discussion Grounds is a unique forum for back-and-forth debate between two persons, with comments open on the sideline, as it were. The “grounds rules” are laid …
I just finished reading Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before It’s Too Late by James Robison and Jay W. Richards. It’s a survey of current pressing social issues, excellent for its clarity, good sense, and what-do-I-do-now? recommendations.You can get a preview at BreakPoint This Week, where the authors had a 25-minute conversation with my friend John Stonestreet.
"The New Atheists claim to be the party of reason.... The problem is, they're not very good at it." — Discover the provocative ebook True Reason: Christian Responses to the Challenge of Atheism.