1. Comment #27636 by Roland Deschain on March 25, 2007 at 9:46 pm

Happy Birthday.

PS: Love the picture of Pope Benedict reading The God Delusion.

Other Comments by Roland Deschain

2. Comment #27638 by citizen of earth on March 25, 2007 at 10:39 pm

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Richard Dawkins, may you have many more, we need you

Other Comments by citizen of earth

3. Comment #27639 by Janus on March 25, 2007 at 10:51 pm

Happy birthday, Professor!

Thank you for being an inspiration to us unbelievers for all these years.




- Janus

Other Comments by Janus

4. Comment #27640 by Planeswalker on March 25, 2007 at 11:08 pm

Happy Birthday! Thank you for your inspiration!

Other Comments by Planeswalker

5. Comment #27641 by Lh'owan on March 25, 2007 at 11:32 pm

Happy Birthday!

You're amazing Richard. Superlatives fail me.


Glad my message got through!

Other Comments by Lh'owan

6. Comment #27643 by James Carroll on March 25, 2007 at 11:42 pm

I sent a message, but it is worth it to thank you twice Mr. Dawkins for all that you have done and wish you a happy birthday.

You will continue to be a great inspiration to me and many others for years and years to come.

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7. Comment #27645 by Habalabam on March 26, 2007 at 1:05 am

Hoping for a happy birthday and that you will live to see the shifts to which you've dedicated so much of yourself.

This form of attention may remind you of the idolizing that you seek to avoid, but at least nobody here doubts that today we are celebrating a man. Nothing more than a great man.
We may be few, but speaking for myself I can tell you that my devotion does not come cheap.

Other Comments by Habalabam

8. Comment #27650 by Luthien on March 26, 2007 at 1:48 am

*to the tune of Happy Birthday*

Happy birthday to you,
You were born in a zoo,
With the monkeys,
All the monkeys,
Cause we're all monkeys too.

Happy Birthday to the most polite Atheist on the planet.

Other Comments by Luthien

9. Comment #27651 by dickoy on March 26, 2007 at 1:53 am

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!Thank you for being a great inspiration..
By the way,I am so proud that we share the same birthdate.

Other Comments by dickoy

10. Comment #27653 by toomanytribbles on March 26, 2007 at 2:04 am

happy birthday dr. dawkins!
http://tinyurl.com/3crzx8

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11. Comment #27654 by faouloki on March 26, 2007 at 2:20 am

Happy birthday Richard!
Have a great day.

Other Comments by faouloki

12. Comment #27659 by Reitstoen on March 26, 2007 at 3:00 am

Happy Birthday Richard!!

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13. Comment #27661 by Logicel on March 26, 2007 at 3:29 am

I am not big on birthdays--I hardly remember my own! Though it will be easier now, since mine is one day later than yours.

But I will make an exception for yours. A very sincere happiest of Happy Birthdays to you. Thank you, Richard Dawkins, for your generosity, hard work, and the ability to share and explain your exquisite grasp of science in a lucid, creative, and enjoyable manner. Like many others, I appreciate your brilliant books, your formidable debating, your enlightening lectures and interviews, and especially this wonderfully informative and friendly website which is a tremendous boon to the international atheistic community.

I look forward to seeing what else you will pull out of your creative hat. I also am looking forward to reading four of your books that my husband, who insists on remembering my birthday, bought me as birthday presents. (:-) Furthermore, it is heartwarming to witness all the positive outpouring of thanks and appreciation for you, and it makes all the more ridiculous the spurious claims that you encourage hatred and contempt.

Other Comments by Logicel

14. Comment #27666 by Will in Aus on March 26, 2007 at 3:51 am

Happy Birthday Richard. A few lines on this message board really isn't adequate to show the gratitude that I, and I'm sure many others, have for the work you do. Keep it up Richard!

Other Comments by Will in Aus

15. Comment #27669 by Janey on March 26, 2007 at 4:04 am

Happy Birthday Richard!

You will be in my THOUGHTS :)

Have a great day!

(HUGS)

Other Comments by Janey

16. Comment #27670 by Jared on March 26, 2007 at 4:14 am

A very happy birthday to Professor Dawkins!

It is my hope that you never get tired of hearing people say 'Your work has changed my life,' because that is precisely what I've come here to tell you.

Since I first read 'The Selfish Gene' some years back, my way of looking at life on Earth has been fundamentally altered. It is strange to think of a gene survival machine, such as myself, taking pleasure from reading about its own true nature, but there you have it.

So again, happy birthday to YOUR survival machine, Professor, and may there be many more birthdays (and many more books and documentaries) to come!

Other Comments by Jared

17. Comment #27671 by Nikki on March 26, 2007 at 4:38 am

I am an Aussie student of Botany/Molecular Biology and a passionate practicing Pastafarian. I've found Richard Dawkins, and this website, to be an invaluable resource and a source of constant inspiration. I still have very dear memories of Mr McIntosh and the BBC (TSLOT) blogs over the xmas :p
I look forward to enjoying more of the same in the future.

Happy Birthday Richard :)))))

No doubt a very special place is reserved for you in the Pastafarian afterlife ;)
RAmen

Other Comments by Nikki

18. Comment #27674 by Vadjong on March 26, 2007 at 4:43 am

Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins !

Even against better judgement, I'll
always keep faith in human intelligence.
Thank you for proving me right !

Other Comments by Vadjong

19. Comment #27680 by MIND_REBEL on March 26, 2007 at 5:46 am

Dear Richard,

Two words; Thank you. You gave to me a love i thought i'd never have. You made it possible to see the world as it actually was, not as I wanted-it-to-be. In fifty years you'll be held in the same regard as Socrates, Einstien, and Newton.

Other Comments by MIND_REBEL

20. Comment #27681 by MartinSGill on March 26, 2007 at 5:49 am

Happy Birthday Richard.

And many more.

Other Comments by MartinSGill

21. Comment #27685 by tuibguy on March 26, 2007 at 6:17 am

May your day be filled with discovery. Thanks for sharing so many of your discoveries with the rest of us!

Mike Haubrich
Minnesota

Other Comments by tuibguy

22. Comment #27686 by MiloC on March 26, 2007 at 6:20 am

Happy Birthday and Thank You Richard Dawkins. I have learned so much from you. You have been and continue to be a great inspiration to me.

Other Comments by MiloC

23. Comment #27687 by quork on March 26, 2007 at 6:24 am

Happy 666th birthday!

Wait, that doesn't look right...

Other Comments by quork

24. Comment #27688 by youngish2007 on March 26, 2007 at 6:26 am

Happy Birthday Richard
Would you like to join our band?
Paul and Sam "science is interesting" song.

Other Comments by youngish2007

25. Comment #27689 by Greg Laden on March 26, 2007 at 6:30 am

Richard,

Happy Birthday. I've written you a short song and a long limerick Well, OK, there is no such thing as a long limerick ... so it's actually a perfectl-length limerick ..

Here: http://gregladen.com/wordpress/?p=559


May you always enlighten the open-minded and annoy the benighted!

Other Comments by Greg Laden

26. Comment #27690 by Vic on March 26, 2007 at 6:37 am

New registree here, and first post. Happy Birthday Dr. Dawkins. I really enjoyed "The God Delusion" and am currently enjoying "The Blind Watchmaker". Very good and informative stuff...

Other Comments by Vic

27. Comment #27691 by Gene Goldring on March 26, 2007 at 6:38 am

Salvation of the human race had its beginnings, 66 years ago today.

Happy Birthday Prof. Dawkins

B.C., Canada

Other Comments by Gene Goldring

28. Comment #27700 by br0k3nglass on March 26, 2007 at 7:26 am

Happy Birthday Richard!

Wishing you many more,
Justin

SK, Canada

Other Comments by br0k3nglass

29. Comment #27702 by mikkala on March 26, 2007 at 7:40 am

Happy Happy B-day RD!

I lauged my anus off at the Teddy Hagard 10 point buck pic. He is a real prize.
I wonder If RD could get something like that to hang on his library wall?
It would look nice hanging there with all his credentials.

Other Comments by mikkala

30. Comment #27710 by Richard Dawkins on March 26, 2007 at 8:48 am

When you reach two thirds of a century, you are not supposed to cry like a baby, especially if you are a stiff-upper-lipped child of Empire. But who would not weep with emotion and joy at such a truly fantastic, amazing, splendid gesture as you have put together? Thank you Josh, thank you to all your loyal helpers, thank you to the more than 3000 who wrote messages, made videos, made audios, made pictures, and who, amazingly, kept the whole thing a complete secret from me during the whole time that it took to plan and organize (and any fool can see what a huge amount of planning and organization must have gone into it). Thank you, all of you. Your encouragement has given me a new lease of life. You make it all worthwhile. Thank you all very very much indeed.
Richard

Other Comments by Richard Dawkins

31. Comment #27712 by BaronOchs on March 26, 2007 at 9:32 am

Nothing wrong with crying once in a while!

Happy Birthday! And keep up the good work, the world needs a few sane voices!

Other Comments by BaronOchs

32. Comment #27730 by Graham on March 26, 2007 at 11:23 am

I read the story by Michael Shermer about how being at the Mt Wilson telescope brought a tear to your eye Richard and it reminded me how a tear has come to my eyes at moments when I am overwhelmed by science and nature: seeing Kilimanjaro for the first time; standing next to an Apollo rocket at Cape Canaveral; watching a group of transient orcas glide within a few feet of my kayak; watching the explanations of life fall effortlessly into place when reading The Selfish Gene.

Looking through the many tributes this morning I was struck by how positive they are. The majority say thank you for supporting science, evolution and rationality. At times this movement can seem to be focussed on attacking the other side, but our real strength is in the values we share, rather than the values we do not share with others.

It's good to know that "the grass roots" can offer a tribute as meaningful, if not more so, than any honoury degree ceremony.

Thank YOU.

Other Comments by Graham

33. Comment #27732 by VanYoungman on March 26, 2007 at 11:47 am

Aw Shucks, Now we're all crying.

I'm off to Dirty Franks to raise a Guinness to you Richard. May the gods o' the barley bless yee.

Other Comments by VanYoungman

34. Comment #27736 by Ribozyme on March 26, 2007 at 12:03 pm

A few months ago we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the death of Carl Sagan. Now we have the chance to celebrate another great man of science, that has been with us for 65 years and hopefully will be for many more, working to improve human knowledge and maybe to prove Schiller wrong (when he wrote, in The Maiden of Orleans "Against stupidity, even the gods themselves have fought in vain"). Happy birthday, Prof Dawkins! We are happy that you exist.

Other Comments by Ribozyme

35. Comment #27740 by bernarda on March 26, 2007 at 12:58 pm

All I can say is happy birthday and many more to come.

The Pope also, indirectly, sends his greetings to us European apostates. Goddamn, he even revives the word.


"The pope, who like his predecessor John Paul II has often called for a mention of God and Christianity in the European Constitution, said leaders could not exclude values that helped forge the "very soul" of the continent.

"If on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome the governments of the Union want to get closer to their citizens, how can they exclude an element as essential to the identity of Europe as Christianity, in which the vast majority of its people continue to identify," he said.

"It is no surprise that today's Europe, while it purports to be a community of values, seems to increasingly contest the existence of absolute and universal values," he said.

"Does not this unique form of apostasy of itself, even before God, lead it (Europe) to doubt its very identity?""

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17769692/#storyContinued

The apostate club is one we can be happy to join.

Other Comments by bernarda

36. Comment #27745 by FXR on March 26, 2007 at 1:27 pm

Happy birthday from Ireland.

Thank you for shedding a light on the great darkness of organised religionism. Every day I hear the clamour of alarm bells from dome to minaret and hope one day we will all recognise our shared identity as humans living in the only home we know.

If that day ever comes it will be due in no small way to your courage and effort.

Thank you.

And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight comes, comes in the light,
In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
But westward, look, the land is bright.*

*Say Not the Struggle Nought Availeth
Arthur Hugh Clough

Other Comments by FXR

37. Comment #27752 by Joe_OD on March 26, 2007 at 2:20 pm

Happy Birthday, Richard. This world is a better place because of you. -Joe

Other Comments by Joe_OD

38. Comment #27755 by kaiserkriss on March 26, 2007 at 2:35 pm

Richard, (Please excuse the informality..) On the occasion of your Birthday, may I wish you what I wish all my friends, HEALTH, HAPPINESS and WEALTH.
May all your hopes and wishes, which I suspect most others on this board share, and you work very hard for, come true.

You have been a true inspiration to "come out of the closet" and allowed us to express our beliefs with clarity, logic and without fear of being ridiculed. In this increasingly radical theist world, you have shown courage to lead the way. Please continue to do so. The world would be a much better place if there were more people as open and honest as yourself… JCW, Calgary, Alberta

Other Comments by kaiserkriss

39. Comment #27759 by Underworld on March 26, 2007 at 3:16 pm

Happy Birthday Richard!

Thank you for helping me to crystalise thoughts that I have long held but been unable to express easily until reading The God Delusion.

Long may your good work continue!

Other Comments by Underworld

40. Comment #27764 by pauliej on March 26, 2007 at 3:33 pm

Happy birthday, Prof. Dawkins. Thank you for your role in bringing the wonder and power of science alive to non-scientists such as myself, and for your powerful advocacy of reason in the battle against superstition and irrationality.

Other Comments by pauliej

41. Comment #27765 by Sean Mc on March 26, 2007 at 3:34 pm

Only half an hour left and your chances of reading this are vanishingly small anyway, but still...

Professor, I study Earth Sciences at Teddy Hall. It's an amazing experience and I am constantly stunned by the power of science to solve the most complex and beautiful problems. Quite honestly, I wouldn't have made it there without your influence. I owe you one. Happy birthday.

Other Comments by Sean Mc

42. Comment #27770 by Flygare on March 26, 2007 at 3:51 pm

Richard,

Happy birthday! From "The Selfish Gene" to "The God Delusion" I have been an avid reader. Thank you for taking such a principled and articulate stand against superstition and ignorance – and for popularizing much of the science behind the unifying theory of biology – evolution.

Health, happiness, and continued success in all of your endeavors…

Other Comments by Flygare

43. Comment #27779 by Monsterbeach on March 26, 2007 at 4:50 pm

Happy Birthday Prof. Dawkins

Other Comments by Monsterbeach

44. Comment #27794 by simon009988 on March 26, 2007 at 6:25 pm

Happy Birthday Dr. Dawkins

Other Comments by simon009988

45. Comment #27796 by Russell Blackford on March 26, 2007 at 6:30 pm

Like thousands of others, I left a message, but here's the little poem that went with it, again (I also couldn't resist making a couple of little authorial changes):

======


Richard, you've reached the age of 66,
The number of 9.9 per cent of a Beast.
So, celebrate! The treacheries and tricks
Of priests and critics won't disturb your Feast.

Tomorrow, yes, there's more work to be done:
Delusions to be combatted, and all.
Today, for once, forget it ... and just have fun:
It's only once a year, so have a ball.

Your plethora of parasites - your curse -
Won't go away. Like fleas upon a hound,
They know they're on a good thing. Then there's worse:
Appeasers, pleased to flee the dangerous ground.

So, take a break - there's soon another year,
Defying darkness, misery and fear.

Other Comments by Russell Blackford

46. Comment #27805 by Aurorum on March 26, 2007 at 8:06 pm

Happy Birthday, Professor!

- Science, Cosmos, Energy -

Other Comments by Aurorum

47. Comment #27825 by neander on March 27, 2007 at 1:36 am

Happy Birthday Professor, you are an inspiration to all of us. Thank you.

Other Comments by neander

48. Comment #28065 by DRWN FSH on March 27, 2007 at 7:31 pm

Have a great birthday Prof. Dawkins.

Just finished The God Delusion, it's great!
Another great one is Monkey Girl, everyone, check it out.

Other Comments by DRWN FSH

49. Comment #28116 by maryhelena on March 28, 2007 at 4:18 am

A belated Happy Birthday Richard - I hope your day was filled with many joys and pleasures.
I wish you well in the years ahead - and if the past years are anything to go by - the future for Richard Dawkins - and I will add for all of us who value your special gifts as a great intellect - will be years filled with a certain kind of contentment. Contentment not the result of a predisposed disposition - but a contentment born from a lifetime of striving for answers to life's complexities. Great minds, methinks, are great not because of their intellectual potential to deliver ideas and theories - they are great because they feed the soul, they feed the spirit within - they feed our sense of life and make us stand proud for being truly human. It is perhaps this - that you have not just provided intellectual stimulation through your work - but now, with The God Delusion, you have touched something more powerful than 'just another god damn idea' could possibly do - you have impacted, you have touched upon your readers sense of life - that sense of life that each of us need to nourish if we are to function with dignity for ourselves and respect for others. That is one great achievement!!

Other Comments by maryhelena

50. Comment #28412 by 42nd on March 29, 2007 at 5:23 am

Happy Birthday and thank you.

Other Comments by 42nd