Atheists: Have you been waiting all your life for someone like Dawkins to "tell it like it is"?

Question

I just can't say enough about this guy's intellect and intestinal fortitude!

I agree. I deify no one. But I admire Dawkins

Answer 1

I would saint the guy except, well, I don't believe in all that.

Answer 2

Yes, I have. I'm so sick of all of the "political correctness", and I'm very encouraged to see the recent wave of honest critique of religion. It gives me hope for the future. Let's hope it winds up as the long-term legacy of the 9/11 attacks.
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Ah, interesting responses. I agree that it's important not to deify Dawkins, or any of the other voices in this, and I agree that Dawkins isn't really saying anything new. What's impressive is that we now have enough of this kind of work to constitute a "genre", with the books from Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett, among others.

What I'd really like to hear would be Obama make an effort to represent free-thinkers, atheists, Brights, and the like as much as he represents the religious. The media goes on and on about how there are finally Democrats speaking to religious people. Well, sure, that's the easy part. How about seeing some politicians make an effort to represent the rest of us? After all, it's not the religious who lack political representation.

Answer 3

There have been many other atheists who have spoken out. George Carlin comes to mind, and Ron Reagan, Jr. In the 19th century, Robert Ingersoll lectured widely as an atheist.

Yip Harburg, the lyricist for "The Wizard of Oz," was widely known as an atheist and wrote a song entitled "Ain't it the truth." Here's a verse from it, which was set ironically as a gospel song by Harold Arlen:

Get that new religion
(Ain't it the truth!)
'Fore you is dead pigeon
(Ain't it the truth!)
'Cause when you layin' horizontal
In that telephone booth,
There'll be no breathin' spell,
That's only naturell,
Ain't it the gos-a-pel truth!

Dawkins & Sam Harris are writing in a time of greater openness to atheistic ideas. In the 1950s & 60s, Madeline Murray O'Hare was every bit as vocal as Dr. Dawkins, but the country (USA) was much less receptive.

With the rise in awareness of Islam and its enthusiastic adherents, it has become difficult to see Christianity as holding anything any more or less special. This has cracked open the veneer and allowed an atheistic subculture to connect.

And the internet, also, has allowed us to find our way to a mutually supportive community, often on opposite sides of the globe. (The non-believers yahoo group has members on at least 3 continents.)

So Dawkins is great, but both a contributor to and a product of his times.

Answer 4

As much as I appreciate what Dawkins is doing, he hasn't said anything that hasn't been said before. This book is just getting more publicity than atheist books of the past. Several people have written books on atheism before when atheism was very unpopular. They showed even greater intestinal fortitude.

Answer 5

I don't think it is surprising that he is British. In the US too many people of his caliber might fear for their personal safety. One only needs to remember the Madeline Murray Ohare murder or the many death threats against Michael Newdow to realise just what a risk is involved with an atheist becoming well known in the US.

Answer 6

Hmmm... I really enjoyed 'the god delusion' it put down things I'd spent years thinking about but it didnt have anything qualitatively new.

It just sort of brought it all together. I think with the rise of extremist groups and fundamentalists preaching that their bronze-age mythologies are factually true the atheists of the world need to make their voices heard.

Deke has a good point - We need to be careful (this is more so for younger atheists) that they dont become 'authorities' on the subject - atheism embraces a scientific way of thinking and we can't accept authorities, we accept a path that leads to a more reliable form of truth - but to keep it reliable we need to challenge everything and think for ourselves.

Answer 7

i think i read one of his books many years ago... i don't want to say it was unremarkable, as i don't really remember for sure.

i'm really glad stuff like that is getting popular... what's up with that? that's what really impresses me. maybe it's cause he went on the Daily Show? (the new one, with Jon Stewart)

i've been waiting all my life for an open discussion about religion to develop in the media

Answer 8

It is definitely nice to have people like Harris, Dawkins, and others speaking for "the rest of us". I just hope we don't begin to shift focus to them as if they are deities themselves. I've already seen a little of that.

Answer 9

Personally I prefer the Buddha's take on the lack of logic of an omnipotent creator being.

_()_

Answer 10

Religious belief requires to be disrespected at every opportunity, blind faith is not something that anyone who uses their intellect and reason can be expected to respect, blind faith is an abomination.

Answer 11

No. I wasn't waiting. Saying that, I've just read one of his books and intend to read more.