1. Do stop behaving as if you are God, Professor Dawkins

Comment #20917 by ChocolatePocket on February 7, 2007 at 2:48 am

For a start, I was alarmed by some atheist writings, which seemed more preoccupied with rubbishing religion than seeking the truth.

Of course you would be alarmed; understanding the reasons and arguments for atheism can be unsettling at first. And besides, who says that religion doesn't need rubbishing?

First, Christianity made a lot of sense. It gave me a new way of seeing and understanding the world, above all, the natural sciences. Second, I discovered Christianity actually worked: it brought purpose and dignity to life.

Correction - some of Christianity makes a lot of sense. The vast majority of what we're told in the bible does not. Christianity works in the same way that following your natural and instinctual morals works. And theres a great deal of growing evidence and theory that suggests that our existing morals make sense!

Dawkins often compares belief in God to an infantile belief in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, saying it is something we should all outgrow. But the analogy is flawed. How many people do you know who started to believe in Santa Claus in adulthood?

Alright then, what about belief in Tarot cards and water divining? Please do not forget that a person can just as easily delude themselves as another person can, not least in the absense of any evidence.

Many people discover God decades after they have ceased believing in the Tooth Fairy. Dawkins, of course, would just respond that people such as this are senile or mad

I have to disagree with this. There are numerous occasions in TGD alone where Dawkins offers respect and admiration for leading church figures (even though he admits to suspecting they might be 'closet atheists').

Most of us are aware that we hold many beliefs we cannot prove to be true.

This statement is true. However, how many of those beliefs are held in the absense of a reasoned argument?

I really am fed up of articles and statements in the press which can be picked apart so easily that all you're left with is a pathetic, whining meandering collection of oppinionated thoughts.

Edit: appologies for the unecessary spacing: this is my first post :)