Dawkins and Determinism

[justin]

Pointless? So only some people are worth his time? Who exactly are you talking about and why? Was there ever a criteria someone must meet to be good enough to discuss religion with? If not why would anyone he talks or debates with be pointless?
nd cruel? Oh boo freaking hoo. Some people got their feelings hurt. Their adults they should be able to deal with a dialogue with disagreements. But exactly how would he be being cruel? What has he done to someone that's so cruel?

No, it is pointless approaching everyone with the view that religion has oppressed them and that they are capable of comprehending what he refers to as atheism and evolution.[/quote]

you can not be serious in thinking this. why would people not be able to comprehend what he refers to as atheism and evolution? he didn`t make up some special definitions for it and it is complex concept to understand as a matter of fact it is probably the easiest concept to understand. same thing with evolution except it is actually more complex but what is wrong with teaching evidence based theories? if someone is a theist and goes to school is the teachers efforts pointless to teach evolution?

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You wouldn't taunt a mentally ill person or a drug addict in the same way, which is what I would equate some aspects of theism to. Quite frankly, approaching any other human being with a lack of empathy to their condition isn't the best place to start.[/quote]

theists are not for the most part mentally ill or drug addicts. your analogy sucks. you just saying he is being mean. he isn`t taunting any one. he is holding them accountable for their beliefs and choices and saying that it is destructive to truth to accept these huge claims on faith and then make the choices that are influenced from THEIR faith. choices that affect other people.

So what? It's called rational thought and anyone can start using it at anytime. Shouldn't that be even more reason to discuss these things so as to educate the people who haven't grown up in a
Free inquiry environment? So as they can break free from the oppression that their religion have inflicted on their mind?

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Not everyone has the same capabilities of rational thought. You do not give someone that cannot even add or subtract a long multiplication question.[/quote]

i`m starting to think you think theists are the same as mentally retarted. theists CAN do long multiplication questions among other amazing things. just the religion is the irrational beliefs that influnces them. it doesn`t make them actually handicap just distorts the truth which leads to distorted actions.

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Yes, education is important, and ideally people would be educated objectively from birth. However, we do not live in an ideal world. A lot of parents need the devil as a babysitting technique, etc., and it can have long lasting effects.[/quote]

do you have no hope for humanity?

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But again, not everyone is oppressed by religion,[/quote]

name one thing that religion doesn`t put it`s dirty little hand into?

[/quote] and there are people who have significant numinous experiences that Dawkins has not had. So while it is true they may be uneducated in approaching logical thought, Dawkins also appears uneducated in approaching some of their thoughts with compassion.[/quote]

what has he done that is so uncompassionate?

No one said there wasn't. Not all scientist are atheist. And no science focuses on science not theology until t!hey are forced into courts usually by the religious nut jobs trying to stir up trouble due to their wacky beliefs. And glad to know you realise the harm that organised religion causes. But now who is TAKING people out of theists beliefs? Discussing the flaw in logical sense that religion has isn't forcing people out of their theist beliefs. That is up to them if they want to hold on to stone age mentality but they can keep it to their selfs. Blaming them for having them? He is blaming them for making irrational decisions in politics, morals, laws, oppression on others etc. Based off of them. Think all you want the crazy crap that religion teachs but it's history has destroyed so much in human history based from those irrational beliefs. It should ridiculed because it is ridiculous.

I don't feel the ridicule actually helps the world in any significant way. In fact it can make many people more fundamentalist.
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so when people ridiculed slavery and the fundamentalist who supported it di that not help in any significant way?