Richard Dawkins

[wendigo100]

Religion has been a comfort to many through the ages.

It has also started more wars, caused more death, torture and mutilation than any other cause in history.

Are you sure?

Neither World War I or the sequel were much to do with religion. I'm no expert but I don't think Cambodia was either, or Vietnam, Korea, the Chinese revolution, the Russian revolution, England versus France, Scotland and Spain down the ages, the conquests by Alexander the Great and Ghengis Khan...

I'd say lust for power, territory or both has caused more grief than religion, especially in pre-Christian and Muslim times. Greeks v Persians - now that was a proper war!

[wendigo100]

On the scales, The weight of bad would severely outweigh the good that religion has brought to humanity.

Sorry Diver, I'm not picking on you, honest!

But what evidence have you got to back that up?

BTW I might not agree but I'm not knocking you for holding that opinion.

[Diver]

Are you sure?

Neither World War I or the sequel were much to do with religion. I'm no expert but I don't think Cambodia was either, or Vietnam, Korea, the Chinese revolution, the Russian revolution, England versus France, Scotland and Spain down the ages, the conquests by Alexander the Great and Ghengis Khan...

I'd say lust for power, territory or both has caused more grief than religion, especially in pre-Christian and Muslim times. Greeks v Persians - now that was a proper war!

According to University of Hawaii
political scientist Rudolph J. Rummel,1 the total number killed in all of human history is estimated to be about 284,638,000. Of that number, 151,491,000 were killed during the past 100 years. The single largest killer in all of human history is, by far, atheistic

Communism with a total of 110,000,000 … over 1/3 of all people ever killed! If we add to that number just two other regimes where religion of any sort was strongly discouraged, Nazi Germany and Nationalist China, the number rises to 141,160,000.

Almost 50% of all the killings in human history were committed in the past 100 years by regimes that either actively promoted atheism or strongly discouraged religion. We have not considered the over one billion abortions, where Christianity seems to be particularly unwelcome. When the murders of history are tallied up, it is very clear that atheism is the most dangerous philosophy ever embraced by humanity.

I stand corrected (After a quick Google)

[shoes]

Almost 50% of all the killings in human history were committed in the past 100 years by regimes that either actively promoted atheism or strongly discouraged religion.

And there's still a load of loonies left! C'mon lets up the tally, that was clearly not enough!

[barely_pointless]

Dawkins is just superb, he could do with tempering his polemic style though, as he seems (rightly so) to get frustrated with the evangelical clowns he interviews, a case in point was Ted Haggard aka Pastor Ted who decried Homosexuality as deviant satanic behaviour whilst being interviewed in the Virus of Faith (I think)....... a year or two later I read with supreme relish that Pastor Ted had all the while been secretly taking it up the gary glitter from a rent boy.



I recall Dawkins lost patience with this clown, which is fair enough, but it did not reflect well on Dawkins media persona, he needs a little coaching to be more sublte and effective. It is important how you stick the knife in.

Dawkins is no fundamentalist, what he is though, is an articulate , intelligent, persuasive academid who has zeroed in on the "Big Business" that Religion is........ and it's about time too we decided to take all religions for what they are............. Stories.............

all organised religions deserve contempt.

[Euro-commuter]

If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it.
-- Richard Dawkins

God... a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man's power to conceive.

[sasguru]

According to University of Hawaii
political scientist Rudolph J. Rummel,1 the total number killed in all of human history is estimated to be about 284,638,000. Of that number, 151,491,000 were killed during the past 100 years. The single largest killer in all of human history is, by far, atheistic

Communism with a total of 110,000,000 … over 1/3 of all people ever killed! If we add to that number just two other regimes where religion of any sort was strongly discouraged, Nazi Germany and Nationalist China, the number rises to 141,160,000.

Almost 50% of all the killings in human history were committed in the past 100 years by regimes that either actively promoted atheism or strongly discouraged religion. We have not considered the over one billion abortions, where Christianity seems to be particularly unwelcome. When the murders of history are tallied up, it is very clear that atheism is the most dangerous philosophy ever embraced by humanity.

I stand corrected (After a quick Google)

One could however say that communism, national socialism, Maoism etc are secular versions of a religion in that they require blind faith in a set of doctrines that are not rational or scientific

[dang65]

Dawkins is no fundamentalist, what he is though, is an articulate, intelligent, persuasive academid who has zeroed in on the "Big Business" that Religion is...

Isn't that akin to telling people they shouldn't like music because it's a big business?

[Euro-commuter]

One could however say that communism, national socialism, Maoism etc are secular versions of a religion in that they require blind faith in a set of doctrines that are not rational or scientific

One could but seriously, I'd prefer that one didn't, because they are not. Just as I don't like classifying an effort as a "war" when it is not.

[sasguru]

One could but seriously, I'd prefer that one didn't, because they are not. Just as I don't like classifying an effort as a "war" when it is not.

Why not - they have all the characteristics of religions: blind faith, blinkered viewpoints, the certainty that only they are right and there is only one way, charismatic "messiahs" etc.