By - - INDIAN EXPRESS.COM
Added: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:37:30 UTC

Eminent British biologist and author Richard Dawkins was one of the most vociferously spoken writers to defend Salman Rushdie’s right to express his views while demolishing the idea of faith and religion. An ardent proponent of atheism, professor Dawkins, who wrote The God Delusion, called Rushdie’s absence a “lamentful disgrace” and “deplorable”, a day before the Midnight’s Children author’s video link at the Jaipur Literature Festival was canceled due to protests outside the venue.

“ Religious faith is a state of mind, that leads people to believe in something, without a whisper of doubt. It is so strong in some cases that they are prepared to kill and die for it. This is the terrifying thing about faith; wherein those taken over by it, are not open to reason, argument or persuasion. Faith is powerful enough to unite people against pity, forgiveness and decent human feeling,” said Dawkins, lashing out at the idea of faith with precision taking over every word he uttered in his packed session.
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TAGGED: RELIGION, RICHARD DAWKINS