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This comment section is really going to end up with a lot of bickering and very little progress made... I will note that Dawkins has certainly succeeded in pro

by kirse 18y ago

This comment section is really going to end up with a lot of bickering and very little progress made... I will note that Dawkins has certainly succeeded in producing his own "virus of the mind" cult of religion-fearing individuals primarily fed by his vitriolic and scathing intellectual attacks against religion. For every few Bible-believing Christians you find an atheist pseudo-intellectual clutching his hardbound copy of "The God Delusion". So much for free thinking there.

rjprins 18y ago
I am one of those pseudo-intellectual book-clutching atheists and I must point out that your idea of free thinking is wrong. Free thinking means you're free to make up your own mind, not free to be brainwashed by your parents. Also, I did not know intellectual attacks could be vitriolic and scathing. They can be hard and cold, though.
xsmasher 18y ago
In order to be a "good" atheist, is it necessary to be an expert in genetics and evolution? In order to be a "good" Christian, is it necessary to be a expert historian and biblical scholar? In order to be a a free mind, do you have to write your own book? I don't think "The God Delusion" is going to convert anyone with strongly held beliefs, although it might move some fence-sitters. Like most apologetics, it's not written for the other side. If it were, it would need a less shocking title. But as an long-time Atheist in America(tm), it's nice to see books about atheism in the front shelf in bookstores, and discussion of the topic on television. Finally, it doesn't have to be "my secret shame!"