Exposing the Intellectual Bankruptcy of Atheists Criticizing Religion

[abaris]

There are times that Dawkins in particular makes clumsy arguments. But I was an atheist long before any of these so-called New Atheists came out, and their writings had very little effect on my lack of faith.

I also had to laugh at the idea of using Aquinas's Five Ways to support the idea of a Roman Catholic god. Firstly, the refutations are almost as old as the arguments themselves -- if not older; and secondly, none of those ways but the fourth can conceivably support a Christian god, and the fourth is torpedoed by the assumption that if one can conceive of perfection, then it must exist.

First, same as you. I didn't need any of the atheist posterheads to become an atheist. Just common sense and school knowledge on biology and geology. Secondly, even now I'm not interested in what they have to say or, in the case of Hitchens, had to say. I don't need and don't suck up to any authority in any field. Least of all atheism, since I don't consider it a field at all. As I have said ad nauseum, it's only my absence of belief and certainly not what makes me, even less, what makes me part of any movement. To put it bluntly, outisde of this board, I don't give a single shit about my atheism.

And last, Aquinas lived in the 13th century. However liberal he may have been in his line of thought, he still was a 13th century clergyman. Part of a period, that is considered the least educated and ignorant of history.