tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19216099.post268075551865629454..comments2024-02-16T06:03:12.489-06:00Comments on BrummellBlog: Book Club: The GOD DelusionTheBrummellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08973380652057861796noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19216099.post-58320466963531225962006-12-09T23:28:00.000-06:002006-12-09T23:28:00.000-06:00...the atheist faith...
As soon as you start spou...<I>...the atheist faith...</I><br /><br />As soon as you start spouting oxymorons, I ignore you. Actually, I'll give you one freebie, since you didn't dive into the <I>ad hominem</I> attacks right away.<br /><br />Please back up your claims - there's no upper limit on comment length here.<br /><br />a) the French Revolution<br />Self destructed? Tried to destroy religion?<br /><br />b) Leon Trotsky's campaign against religion in the Soviet Union<br />Just Trotsky? Yes, the USSR can be said to have tried to destroy religion, and a valid argument could be made that it self-destructed - but neither indicates that either 1) atheism is factually incorrect or 2) atheism was the cause of the failure of Soviet Communism<br /><br />c) Mao's China and the attempts to enforce atheism in Tibet<br /><br />Um, that's not finished yet - China has not, to my knowledge, self-destructed yet. Even if it had, the same arguments apply here as to the USSR, with the addition of the complex differences in popular faiths and religious activities in China over the past 1000, 100, 50 or 20 years.<br /><br />Certainly, it can be argued that Dr. Dawkins is not particularly effective in his arguing, or that you, personally, remain unconvinced (how can I argue against that point?), but your rantings do nothing to refute any of the claims against religion, irrationality, and faith made by Dr. Dawkins in <I>The GOD Delusion</I>. <br /><br />I invite you to continue to try, however. Read chapter 1 to find out why Dr. Dawkins' particular brand of atheism is not equivalent to a religion.TheBrummellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08973380652057861796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19216099.post-87459259091249079092006-12-09T22:09:00.000-06:002006-12-09T22:09:00.000-06:00"Many men... more talented intellectually and poli...<i>"Many men... more talented intellectually and politically, from the French Revolution, through Leon Trotsky's campaign against religion in the Soviet Union, to Mao's China and the attempts to enforce atheism in Tibet in our own time..."</i><br /><br />Maybe you've failed to realize that authors such as Dawkins, Harris or Dennett are advocating against <i>dogmatism</i> of any kind. Maoist China and scientific rationality are not the same. "Scientism" is bullshit made up by folks like the Templeton foundation. And finally, I don't really see how the French Revolution a) self-destructed or b) tried to 'destroy' religion. It was actually more about removing the catholic church's economic and political power over France (it owned most of France's land). I don't remember the French government banning religion or anything. <br /><br />Give some sources for your claims or alternatively, if you're just going to spout nonsense, you may as well do it with people who may actually buy it...Carlohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00153076425887492166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19216099.post-11069642128692329012006-12-09T04:53:00.000-06:002006-12-09T04:53:00.000-06:00Dawkins goes way beyond what science is capable of...Dawkins goes way beyond what science is capable of in making his political and religious pronouncements.<br /><br />This is not science education, it is propaganda for Scientism.<br /><br />His book is as fine a statement of the atheist faith, and what they would like to do to the believers, as I have seen.<br /><br />Many men... more talented intellectually and politically, from the French Revolution, through Leon Trotsky's campaign against religion in the Soviet Union, to Mao's China and the attempts to enforce atheism in Tibet in our own time...have attempted to destroy religon.<br /><br />All have self destructed.<br /><br />And reading Dawkins, I see no reason to believe any thing is going to be different this time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19216099.post-2917126991521973582006-12-07T15:59:00.000-06:002006-12-07T15:59:00.000-06:00I agree completely (especially about the meaning o...I agree completely (especially about the meaning of the asterix). <br /><br />1. More than 95% of the time, but less than 100% of the time, Dawkins says great stuff in the form of devastating, well-thought-out arguments. But he is human, so he occasionally makes mistakes. Fair enough.<br /><br />2. Even when I don't like what he's saying, I usually don't disagree - except the little error stuff, like getting confused about waterboatmen and water striders.TheBrummellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08973380652057861796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19216099.post-34419891044211345482006-12-07T15:29:00.000-06:002006-12-07T15:29:00.000-06:00*This asterisk has no meaning...*This asterisk has no meaning...Carlohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00153076425887492166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19216099.post-59580695952229407502006-12-07T15:28:00.000-06:002006-12-07T15:28:00.000-06:00This is a book that I really want to read (and now...This is a book that I really want to read (and now I have time to do so).<br /><br />Dawkins is a guy who I respect like 95% of the time. Once in a while though, the guy just flies of the handle and starts talking about stuff that probably should have been thought out a little better.<br /><br />The first time I heard Dawkins talk about religion, I thought he was a bit over the top, but then someone asked me, "Do you disagree with anything he actually said?" And when I thought about it, the answer was no.<br /><br />Dawkins made me realize the useless degree of respect I still held for religion (especially in the elderly). Now I have absolutely no respect for superstitious cultures/religons at all*; Thanks Dawkins!Carlohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00153076425887492166noreply@blogger.com