I had no idea how powerful this book really is. I read it a few years ago along with several other atheist books but never realized what an impact it had on so many people.
Check out the Converts Corner. Awesome stories of rationality. It gives me hope that so many are finding their way out of superstition and ignorance.
"The most valuable thing you have taught me is that there are people in the world who think rationally, reason justly and don't live in subjugation to superstition. That knowledge alone makes me feel, at times, quite a bit better."
-Stephen "the onus of proof is not on me" H
http://richarddawkins.net/convertsCorner
24 comments:
Great, people read the book and believe it, so thats enough evidence to make it true. I guess Hitler was correct because he said he was correct and people believed him. Rick b
I don't think people read it and BELIEVE it bucause it isn't that kind of book. People read it and gain an understanding of the world around us; the questions that have plagued them throughout their lives take shape and they are able to feret out the truth for themselves.
Rick read this logically written paper on proving a negative.
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/theory.html
Interested:
My name is Nicole. I have a quote from a book I'd like to share with you:
"Evolution is presented in school textbooks as if it were a proven fact with no problems and no controversy surrounding it. As a result, many students are left with the impression that evolution cannot be questioned or debated. Honest science would reveal the enormous problems surrounding the theory of evolution and challenge young minds to look for answers to these problems. For instance:
more to come...
not a lot of space here!
"If one type of animal slowly and step by step turned into a completely different type of animal, where are the enormous number of traditional fossils as one animal is changed into another?
How could random changed add information to the DNA molecule?There is no other branch of science where it is assumed that random changed could add useful information to a system.
"Why are nine out of ten possible ways to date the earth yield results much younger than the accepted date? Why aren't these methods and the problems with radiometric dating shared with students?
Why did highly advanced civilizations suddenly appear all over the earth approx 4500 years ago?
"If these and many other unsolved mysteries were honestly presented to students, they would be challenged to look at all of the evidence and see there is still much to discover and contribute in finding solutions."
From Bruce Malone
Nicole,
I spent many years in the classroom with students. I was the chair of the science & math department as well as a librarian later. In all my years working with science teachers I never met one who did not state that "there is still much to discover and contribute in finding solutions."
Many science teachers are religious and naturally question and raise questions with students and those who are not are science minded and know that there is much to learn. Human knowledge doubles about every 5 years and quicker in some areas like medicine and physics. As teachers it is our responsibility to teach kids to learn, to discover, to test and to conclude for themselves.
Then you should know that by studying an ordinary high school astronomy text book one can see problems with the big bang theory. For example:
Where did everything come from that supposedly expanded to form the entire universe?
How can en explosion have created the incredible order which we find in the universe?
We see stars periodically exploding, but have never seen a new one form. Why aren't stars coming into existence?
...and the answer is: Thank goodness we have scientist who are studying that very question. I would say to students "Maybe you will be the one to discover it, so never, never stop asking questions."
Interested said As teachers it is our responsibility to teach kids to learn, to discover, to test and to conclude for themsleves
If I did not know any better I would say that statement is a lie. I say that because as I have said before, you guys only want one side taught, your side, evolution. You guys take us to court and fight to not allow creation to be taught.
It would be fair to allow both sides, but you guys dont allow that to happen. Rick b
Even more intriguing, why is there so much diversity in the various structures we see in the universe? one would logically expect that the matter in space would be of relatively similarly random composition if formed by the big bang. This is not the case.
Comets, meteoroids and asteroids, are all different substances as are each one of are planets in our solar system.
The moons which orbit our planets present a problem to evolutionary scientists, as well.
Their composition is not only different from each other, but also from the very planets they orbit. Where did this diversity come from? All of the beauty complexity and diversity of the universe point to our Creator God.
Nicole,
Glad your here. One thing you will find with interested is, she will not be able to answer the tough questions, so she will fall back on, science might prove me correct someday.
If you go back and read a lot of what we wrote, you will find interested believes we Christians have blind faith, yet she does not have blind faith. Yet she admits she is not 100 percent sure how we got here, and she is not 100 percent sure of what she believes, yet she is 100 percent sure we are wrong, and our belief has brought much trouble to society.
Interested has also said, She does not care what we believe as long as it does not interfere with her life. Yet she cannot explain why her belief can interfere with what I believe and thats ok.
Like Teachers can teach evolution, but not creation. Interested will say, we atheists have no agenda, yet teaching one side is an agenda.
Not trying to discourage you speaking to interested, so please stay and post stuff, at least lurkers can see and decide for themselves since she will only give one side and no real answers. Rick b
Thanks Rick.
Interested: It bothers me that I must call you a verb as your name. My prob, not yours. I'd like to know your name if you'd agree to divulge...TTFN.
Nic
interested, Russ sent me this, I thought you might find it interesting.
For years, Antony Flew has been a figurehead for atheists. Now, though, he has abandoned his atheism and accepted the existence of God. In a recent interview for Philosophia Christi with Gary Habermas, Flew explained his new beliefs. Though Flew has not embraced Christianity, he now accepts the existence of God, saying that he “had to go where the evidence leads”.
http://www.existence-of-god.com/flew-abandons-atheism.html
Although this has nothing to do with Richard Dawkins (though it does have something to do with God), here is an educational and very enlightening article that you might find interesting to read, regarding the history of slavery:
The Scourge of Slavery
Though I have not read "The God Delusion," I wanted to at least make an attempted contribution to stay somewhat more on-topic by offering these links which have to do with the book:
The God Delusion Talk
The God Delusion Handout (companion to the talk)
Blog article on The God Delusion
I hope that you will listen to the entire "God Delusion Talk" audio, and follow along with the linked Handout .pdf. It is a good, fair, challenging and humble critique of the book. He does start off, briefly, with sharp criticism, but then uses very good logic, as well as intellectual insight, and becomes very humble at the end, with an interesting challenge to Christians, and even giving some interesting credit to Dawkins. I regret that the static in the recording (I'm guessing that someone else recorded it as he taught the class) is admittedly less than pleasant, but it will nevertheless be well worth your while to listen to the entire audio---for both Christians and Atheists.
Jeff I have read and heard some of the critisim about Dawkins and some is valid...he is arrogant. However, I am very glad that he is because without him and others the fallacy of religion would still be in the closet. I want everyone to read...both sides. You admitedly have not read his book but have read the critics. I think it is iportant to explore the value in all sides of an argument. Read it and I will listen and read what you sent...then we will talk again.
Interested,
Thank you for your reply. I just want to leave one more link, which is somewhat satirical:
Richard Dawkins versus Richard Dawson, sort of
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