Here’s an interesting video with Christopher Hitchens discussing his book ‘God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything’. It’s about an hour and 10 mins long with the first 25 mins being a defence of the subtitle. Following this there’s an interesting Q&A session. Well worth checking it out.
Not read it myself but after seeing this video I’ve placed my order. Get it from Amazon UK here, or Amazon US here.
why is reason 42 so anti-God and mocking of people who have lived good and honest lives?
if reason 42 is anywhere in the realm of trying to understand the meaning of life, would the website not have respect for those who seek honest answers that the editor does not intelectually agree with. Or is the editor in the game of following someone like Richard Dawkins who appears to have abandoned his professionalism and reliance on rational thinking in his latest rant against religion
Hello Mike,
Reason42 is for reason. With that, Reason42 is against the unreasoned. Or, to put this another way, Reason42 is about rationality and opposed to irrationality.
Further, I’ve not mocked anyone who has ‘lived good and honest lives’. I’m not in the business of mocking any individual unless there’s a bloody good reason to do so. If an individual comes out with ridiculous verbal diarrhoea, such as Stephen Green or the Bishop of Carlisle, like ‘“God†punishes those who do not please Him (and, quite unfairly those who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time)’, then my attack is justified. I do hope that you believe these preachers of hate are very much mistaken…?
With regards to Dawkins, you make the assumption that I follow him blindly. This is a mistake, for you may have misunderstood the raison d’être for this website. I critically analyse everything I read and witness, with the hope of picking out prejudice and irrationality. I will then put forward the justified and the reasoned ideas/arguments, where appropriate.
I disagree wholeheartedly with irrational ideas, such as there being a supernatural realm or a God, for I reason this to be a fundamental mistake. Sure, we are fallible creatures and we can make mistakes (or be mislead), and I take sympathy with those who are misled or deluded, but I do not accept that saying ‘there is no God’ is irrational (as you seem to be accusing Dawkins of). What is irrational is the belief that there is a God, for all you rely upon is hope and faith.
Please, be my guest. Show me that your belief in God is rational and that disbelief in God is irrational, without being superstitious.
Hi Adam
Sorry it was very late last night when I posted last comment so may have been a little techy! I was not intending my comments to be personal.
I am quite willing to show you that it is more reasonable to believe in an uncreated God than not to do so – based on probability. Give me some time and I will put pen to paper!
Afterall without putting much thought to it, would you not agree that to suppose the whole of the cosmos suddenly appeared from nothing at the advent of time and space (and further without any preprogramming life in all its complexity came to be) is rather unlikely? Does it not make you wonder how existence could come about from nothing??? Having read some excellent books analysing the content of Dawkins latest book, and having dipped into it myself, I find myself quite disillusioned with all the hype that surrounds the man (and I gather some very solid atheists are equally disillusioned with his output).
I fully accept that you do critically read and consider argument and am pleased that you confirm that, and I am a little surprised that you have not as yet read any solid explanation as to why belief in God can be quite rational.
Any way best regards
Mike
Hi Mike,
You say ‘Afterall without putting much thought to it, would you not agree that to suppose the whole of the cosmos suddenly appeared from nothing at the advent of time and space (and further without any preprogramming life in all its complexity came to be) is rather unlikely? Does it not make you wonder how existence could come about from nothing???â€
Unlikely doesn’t mean impossible! It only has to happen once…
Since you are a believer in REASON,then you know absolutely NOTHING about a believer in FAITH.Therefore,since you are totally ignorant concerning Faith how is it possible that a person with simple COMMON SENSE would trust anything you have to say?Futhermore,since you’ve never met God and do not have a RELATIONSHIP with him then what you may say about him is a complete FABRICATION!I for one could not convince you OTHERWISE,for A MAN CONVINCED AGAINST HIS WILL IS OF THE SAME OPINION STILL!As for me my faith is my STRONGHOLD and my FOUNDATION and as I have learned over the years by TRIAL AND ERROR,just because you do not believe in GOD,it won’t change a thing and your soul’s DESTINATION will remain the same.By the way,the world is full of all kinds of RELIGION,and GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION either!
Hi sandie,
Thank you for your comments. You have a lot to say and raise many interesting points. I’m going to respond to you properly very soon – I’m away at the moment so struggling for time.
I sure know the feeling about struggling for time.I am suppose to be in meetings 4 days a week and once or twice sometimes the same night.I try to keep up the pace but have insomnia, so if I’m to tired I miss a meeting and disappoint everyone so I can do all the other 782 things I must do the next day!But if you are being productive without hurting your health,then the ones who count will notice your effort.Trust me on that!
Sandie, here is a link to a specail post I have created in response your comments. Clike here
Seems to me, Sandie, that you’re living to work, not working to live!