Responding to Richard Dawkins & the New Atheists

My friends at Outreach Media have just launched a website called DoubtingDawkins.Com to respond to the Global Atheist's Convention in Melbourne this week. The site is based around 22 questions and statements that challenge Richard Dawkins' logic and manner. The 20,000 words of great content have been written by a talented and diverse team of philosophers, theologians and scientists. Why not check out what it has to say.


You can also watch this short video promoting the site (On Vimeo)


Doubting Dawkins from Nicholas Ryan on Vimeo.


Check it out at DoubtingDawkins.com

Atheism for the Incorrigibly Religious

Alain de Botton is a Swiss Philosopher currently in Australia promoting he latest book: On Religion for Atheists.  Dan (who is a philosophy graduate and studying for his Ph D as well as working in University student ministry) went to hear him speak at the Sydney Opera House.


Here is an excerpt from his reflections on the event:

The reason that religions have much to teach atheists, according to De Botton, begins with the insight that humans are basically ‘not ok’: the basic human condition is one of vulnerability, fragility, lostness. For De Botton, this is the fundamental truth behind the Christian doctrine of original sin. And it’s a truth that New Atheism, proclaimed from the High Tables of Oxbridge, abjectly fails to reckon with. The modernist humanistic project has been altogether too quick to leave us to our own devices and what is needed is a thoroughgoing reappraisal of our need for an education in the disciplines of living well. Religions understand this, they understand that education is not about skilling people for tasks, but a process of moral formation and guidance to help us navigate the twin uncertainties of our world and our hearts. The rationalist education produces better hairdressers; the religious, better people.

De Botton’s sampling at the bain-marie of religion is guided by his desire to introduce atheists into these effective practices of moral formation. . . .

Do check out his brilliant review here: Papermind/atheism-for-the-incorrigibly-religious/.

John Lennox on Science, the Bible and Belief in the 21st Century

John Lennox is currently in Australia. He is Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Oxford University. I went to hear him this week speak to a packed auditorium at a school in Southern Sydney. He particularly spoke about the arguments of the 'New Atheists' (who include Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Peter Singer - all of whom he has debated) and some of the flaws in their arguments.

It was a helpful talk that also presented clearly some of the arguments for Christianity and the basis of Lennox's own belief.  Unfortunately it was all-too-brief and has motivated me to continue reading his book (which I have just started): God's undertaker: Has Science Buried God (2009).

This interview from CPX was recorded on a previous visit to Australia, and discusses some of the issues in a helpful way:


Science, the Bible and belief in the 21st Century from CPX on Vimeo.


You can find more Lennox videos at:  http://www.publicchristianity.com/lennoxvids.html

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Richard Dawkins debates John Lennox on 'The God Delusion'

I have recently been thinking about the relationship between Science and Christianity in seeking to answer the question of 'hasn't science disproved Christianity?' (See http://www.godtalkatuws.blogspot.com/.) One of the most famous debates in recent times on the topic was between Professor Richard Dawkins (of Oxford) and Profesor John Lennox (also of Oxford). Held at the University of Alabama in Birmingham in 2008. The topic was specifically the title of Dawkins' book, The God Delusion.

The video can be found here.  The whole debate goes for an hour and 40 minutes (153 MB!). Let me know what you think.

You may be interested to have a look at some of the other work Dawkins is doing. Here is a report on Dawkins' crusade regarding Faith Schools. A series of videos called Faith Schools Menace was released on August 18th.

His own website is here, and his related founndation: "The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and human suffering."  Sounds like a crusade to me. No wonder people are calling him a 'fundamentalist'!