In part two, "The Virus of Faith," Dawkins attacks the teaching of religion to children, calling it child abuse.
"Innocent children are being saddled with demonstrable falsehoods," he says. "It's time to question the abuse of childhood innocence with superstitious ideas of hellfire and damnation. Isn't it weird the way we automatically label a tiny child with its parents' religion?"
"Sectarian religious schools," Dawkins asserts, have been "deeply damaging" to generations of children.
Dawkins, who makes no effort to disguise his atheism and contempt for religion, focuses on the Bible, too.
"The God of the Old Testament has got to be the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous, and proud of it, petty, vindictive, unjust, unforgiving, racist," he says. Dawkins then criticizes Abraham, compares Moses to Hitler and Saddam Hussein, and calls the New Testament "St Paul's nasty, sado-masochistic doctrine of atonement for original sin."
2006-10-27 11:41:04 · 6 answers · asked by trouthunter 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Keep voting for Democrats, and this will be public policy.
2006-10-27 12:08:39 · answer #1 · answered by Kevin 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Children are brought up by their parents and as a result generally pick up the same religous beliefs as them. I do think it is terrible when children are indoctrinated before they can formulate their own opinions.
Taken as literally true the Old Testament would be a terrible example for morality.
2006-10-27 11:52:38 · answer #2 · answered by kano7_1985 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think that this man has issues that he needs to deal with and that he is trying to blame religion for his hostile reaction to the message of God as given in the Bible.
He reminds me of a political spin artist who carefully selects extreme examples and recasts truth in a different light and chooses words designed to evoke an emotional rather than an intellectual reaction so that people will get all riled up like he is without carefully examining the issues.
He really needs prayer, that's what I think.
2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
2006-10-27 12:05:34 · answer #3 · answered by Martin S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am Born-Again.
They are Lies all Lies.
Light will Turn out the Darkness.
A Dark Mind wrote this Tripe (Crap).
Do you know what Tripe Really is?
Cows Stomache.
Yuuuuuuccccckkkkk!!!
I love it, Tastes Good.
Especially when rolled in Flour, salt and pepper and Fried in Grease.
Yuuuummmmmmyyy.
Yeah, I know what your Thinking!
Not for everyone.
Thanky Jesus.
2006-10-27 11:50:21 · answer #4 · answered by maguyver727 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sadly enough, he is lost.
He has also bought the lies from the "father of lies."
I completely disagree with him. He has a right to his opinion, even when he's wrong.
2006-10-27 11:51:16 · answer #5 · answered by Salvation is a gift, Eph 2:8-9 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is obvious D. is filled with hate. Do you think we should listen to one such as this?
2006-10-27 11:46:06 · answer #6 · answered by child_of_the_lion 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋