Posted on 04/12/2007 1:27:09 PM PDT by freedomdefender
Crusading pro-evolution scientist Richard Dawkins has had his anti-religious claims ridiculed during an Oxford debate with a theologian who once was an atheist like the evolutionist, who is devout in his public denunciations of religion. "Having been an atheist, I discovered religion was in fact an enormously powerful, transformative power for good," said Alister McGrath, Oxford University's professor of Historical Theology.
"The claim that the scientific explanation ends everything, ignores fundamental realities. There's a whole range of human experiences, often involving a longing for something beyond us which brings legitimacy to our core notions and philosophical ideas."
The 54-year-old Anglican priest was debating with Dawkins during Oxford 's Literary Festival in March. Dawkins' post as professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford is funded by Hungarian-born Microsoft millionaire Charles Simonyi. His attacks on religion are frequent, and he set up a foundation in December to send atheist books and DVDs to schools in Britain and the United States.
"Far from being enriching, religion is stultifying, impoverishing and limiting," said Dawkins, whose book, "The God Delusion", has sold a million copies since publication in 2006. "Science and religion both attempt to answer the same questions - the difference is that religion gets the answers wrong," the atheist campaigner asserted.
McGrath said, however, science was unable to provide a "guiding moral vision". He noted that non-believers such as the writer Iris Murdoch had agreed on the necessity of a transcendent basis for ethical decisions.
"Although I can't prove Christianity, as I can prove the structure of DNA is a double helix, it is a hypothesis which makes perfect sense, and which gives direction and animation to life," said McGrath, who became a Christian after studying chemistry and molecular biophysics. McGrath recently published "The Dawkins Delusion" as a riposte to the scientist's book.
"Belief in God creates an explanatory framework, which enables you to appreciate and value the sciences while also seeing beyond the beauty and glory of the world to something enriching and ennobling," contended McGrath.
Describing his book as a "consciousness-raising exercise", Dawkins belongs to the London-based National Secular Society, which has since the 19th century campaigned to make Britain atheist. In his speech Dawkins said he had "disposed one by one" of arguments for God's existence, and believed it was "a form of child abuse" to assume children inherited their parents' religion "without consent".
McGrath, however, rejected this, arguing Dawkins had ignored "the dialectic between proving and giving reasons for something," and had falsely assumed science eliminated "the conceptual space for God". "Religion has the capacity to go seriously wrong - it can be dogmatic, intolerant and aggressive, as can other worldviews," said McGrath. "But it can also provide a moral stimulus and raise our imaginative capacities to new heights. For every grand tragedy involving religion, there've been ten thousand acts of personal kindness and social good."
I do not have any problems in that department. Not a cent.
“Anyone ever seen or experienced a perpetual motion machine?”
Sure.
The earth around the sun.
The sun around the Milky Way.
The atoms in their perpetual cycles and bouncing off each other to and fro.
Being ridiculed by an Anglican is pretty much hitting rock bottom.
It is usually unwise to debate a reformed person, regardless if it is theological reform, or political. They are usually very informed, and have thought about their positions in an honest and critical manner.
Was a Democrat...never again. Thank God I saw the light!
So what?
"Today" doesn't enter into it. The large majority of atheists/agnostics simply lack faith. Some think believers are deluded or dumb, but most don't care. And only a militant few try to win others over to atheism. Pretty much as it has always been.
Richard Dawkins is a brilliant biologist. But like so many scientists, he's so used to being the smartest person in the room that he can't imagine someone else knowing more than he does. That's why he somehow thought it was a good idea to debate theology with a theologian.
For what it is worth, sometimes I would consider that a blessing and not a curse. ;0)
Exactely.. Thats why I say the TOE(of DNA) is a direct assault on the (Christian) Holy Spirit.. and the (Judeo) Spirit of God.. What is spirit/Spirit (materially)?... Who knows.. maybe spirit is not material at all.. and as mysterious as Dark Energy/material.. At least material in the sense of what this human body can sense or even concieve of..
There was a time when men didn't know what "air" was (not too long ago).. it was mysterious but could not be denied.. Could be the spirit is just so.. and that soon all will know what "spirit" is.. YES, even Dawkins..
Thanks for the ping.
Intelligence always happens by accident.....@#$%^&
It depends on the priest.
There is a story told of a priest in Old Russia, who was approached by a man who professed that he wished to believe in God, but couldn't--the intelligentsia in the 19th century was quite familiar with the refutations of the rationalistic proofs of God's existence. The priest did not present an argument, but gave him an icon of Christ, and told him to do 100 prostrations before the icon each day, and return in a year.
When the man returned after following the instructions, he was a believing Christian.
I tell the story because it is an error shared by Western Christians and atheists alike to fancy that theology is a synthetic science like mathematics, rather than a positive science like physics or biology. Noetic experience of God in prayer--even the wordless prayer of a prostration before an icon of Christ by one who doesn't yet believe--is the basis of the knowledge of God, not 'proofs' from 'necessary' hypotheses.
I am, however, charmed by the 'seventh proof' of the existence of God offered by the Devil during his visit to Bolshevik Moscow in Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margurite.
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!
It's not chance, although chance is an element.
LOLOL! Well said, dear brother in Christ!
In short, Dawkins is deaf, dumb, and blind to the "spirit" that matter needs in order to form any kind of intelligence, or to be any kind of life.
Well said.
Thanks.
Yeah, aside from the rich heritage of music, art, philosophy, moral foundation, and freedom it's brought us, that's exactly what religion is.
You’re not a very deep thinker, are you? Or perhaps you’re just acting stupid to make a point?
Science once thought leaches were a great cure all.
Just as we look into the past and heckel their science, so future generations will view our science the same way.
I sure hope so. That's how science is supposed to work -- one generation's finish line is the starting line for the next.
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