I find him irritating, but b/c he's such a perfect target for Pat Robertson et al. in the sense of an emotional appeal- show an interview clip of Dawkins, and ask your average audience if they think he's an ivory-tower intellectual w/ no understanding of John and Jane Doe's daily concerns; most people just ask themselves "Why should I care what this guy thinks?"
Both sides tend to act as though what they say is so obvious, it's impossible to understand how anyone could think otherwise.
Maybe some are passionate defenders of their worldview, but there's plenty of folks who love seeing themselves on TV, too..
idk, i just get tired of perpetual "is not! is too!", people usually have their minds made up already, and no amount of effort will sway them. It's like marketing or politics, everyone's chasing the "undecideds".
eh, i'm sleepy, idk if i'm making any sense, early bedtime for me...

I'm still trying to get Dawkins to prove to me that there isn't a teapot floating around in outer space...

Bryan

LOL! I think I could believe in that teapot...

Well, the Flying Spaghetti Monster made the front of msn.com a couple of days ago... apparently this thread's ahead of the national-discussion curve

Bryan,



How dare you! I mean...really...how DARE you! The teapot is only the prophet of the ethereal espresso machine.

Much love,
Larry

Ethereal espresso machine? I'll take a double shot when we find the teapot. The teapot is the "only true way" to reach the ethereal espresso machine.
Rick

When a group decides that they are right in their beliefs and all else are wrong that group has crossed a line once that line has been crossed the group can and will abuse its power and do bad things.

when people follow the blind ideologies of an atheist they are doing the same thing as following the ideologies of a religious person.

but it is a mistake to say that atheism is a religion. it is an idea an idea that can have good and bad things come from it. and idea that can be distorted so that people can control but it is the people who twist the idea that form the religion not the idea itself.

although i am not a Christian and i certainly do not agree with many things that a majority of christians believe in. i can still see the good that a true Christian can offer to the world. i think the same should apply to all peoples beliefs.

You make some good points, Chris, but at the same time, I can see the good that atheism has brought to the world as well. At least, I know that atheist ideology has saved my life.

Of course, I have evoloved into an agnostic, but the time I spent as an atheist, giving up any belief in the possibility of an afterlife, was time well spent.

Bryan

sorry i'm late to this party. good comments by all.

bryan said "The trigger warning here is because I am an agnostic who is vehemently opposed to organized religion."

for me, i would modify it to say "I am an agnostic who is vehemently opposed to all the religions/sects that preach organized, systematic, covert hate and intolerance."

disclosure: i was sexually abused by my father, a man of the cloth.

i wonder if anyone here has some thoughts on their personal spirituality from a non-religious perspective. although the word spirituality is a bit off-putting for me; i mean that sense of inner self worth/purpose or whatever. i know my sense of self was shattered a long time ago and i'm still trying to find the pieces to put my puzzle together.

from another thread on this site, don't remember who posted this, but thanks whoever you are: http://www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness/

i've been looking at some of the buddhist practices. so far, all i can really relate to is that it's a non-deist belief.