Atheists for Christianity (Richard Dawkins)

Washington Examiner ^ | 04 01 2024 | Conn Carroll

[yesthatjallen]

Evolutionary biologist and renowned atheist Richard Dawkins, author of the 2006 book The God Delusion, came out as a “cultural Christian” this past weekend on British radio.

“I do think that we are culturally a Christian country,” Dawkins told Leading Britain’s Conversation, a British talk-radio station. “I call myself a cultural Christian,” Dawkins continued, “I’m not a believer. But there is a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a cultural Christian. And so you know I love hymns and Christmas carols and I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos. I feel that we are a Christian country in that sense.”

Dawkins was not asked if he believes the United States is a Christian nation, but if he did, he would actually be in the minority. According to Pew, just 33% of adults consider the U.S. to be a Christian nation, although 45% say it should be. Meanwhile, 64% say the U.S. is not a Christian nation, and the majority, 51%, say it should not be one.

A solid majority, 60%, however, do believe that the founders intended the United States to be a Christian nation. That means that while 60% believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, 64% now believe it is not.

I would really love to ask those who believe our country was founded as a Christian nation, but who now believe it is not a Christian nation, when exactly that transformation took place. What year exactly did the United States stop being a Christian nation?

SNIP

[yesthatjallen]

3 min Richard Dawkins interview.

Aaron Bastani Twitter

[Gay State Conservative]

later

[\/\/ayne]

It started with the Scopes Monkey Trial, interestingly every “evolution” point they brought up later turned out to be a hoax, such as “Piltdown Man.”

[john drake]

Gee, I wonder if he’s getting nervous about muslims, given they don’t have much doubt about their religion and its tenets, i.e., kill the non-believers, and their growing ranks in Britain and elsewhere in the West. Sad and tragic really. But if history is any indication, it’s going to get ugly in the next few decades. If the West wants to survive with its Jewish and Christian tenets intact, that is.

[sauropod]

.

[Jamestown1630]

Our entire culture came out of Christian values. Even an ‘atheist’, if he has any education, realizes that.

[Heartlander]

Within the story of American secularization, there have been three distinct stages:

• Positive World (Pre-1994): Society at large retains a mostly positive view of Christianity. To be known as a good, churchgoing man remains part of being an upstanding citizen. Publicly being a Christian is a status-enhancer. Christian moral norms are the basic moral norms of society and violating them can bring negative consequences.
• Neutral World (1994–2014): Society takes a neutral stance toward Christianity. Christianity no longer has privileged status but is not disfavored. Being publicly known as a Christian has neither a positive nor a negative impact on one’s social status. Christianity is a valid option within a pluralistic public square. Christian moral norms retain some residual effect.
• Negative World (2014–Present): Society has come to have a negative view of Christianity. Being known as a Christian is a social negative, particularly in the elite domains of ­society. Christian morality is expressly repudiated and seen as a threat to the public good and the new public moral order. Subscribing to Christian moral views or violating the secular moral order brings negative consequences.

The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism

[EnderWiggin1970]

1st generation atheists tend to retain the moral order of the Bible (even while quibbling about their favorite vices); it’s the 2nd generation that questions why retain something if you disbelieve the foundation for it? That leads not only to rejection of morality but of beliefs in reason and science grounded in a rational lawgiver. We see this playing out all around us, and the 1st generation atheists are almost as alarmed about it as are theists.

[Fuzz]

🙄

[momincombatboots]

The scopes trial appears to be the birth of the lawfare complex and govmedia. To study it now is interesting but we will never regain what was lost.

[FlingWingFlyer]

One thing I can’t understand about atheists is, if God doesn’t exist why does mentioning his name worry the hell out of them.

[Dr. Sivana]

Faith is a gift from God. When He chooses to offer it is not our call. Perhaps, like Judge Bork, Mr. Dawkins will receive his at the 11th hour. Jordan Peterson thinks there is hope for him.

[ifinnegan]

He’s learning what being a cheeky boy gets him.

[Fuzz]

lol.

It isn’t worry or concern, it’s annoyance.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Oh, you poor thing.

[mikelets456]

We made the mistake of letting anti-God politicians convince us that our culture is bigoted and should accept all other beliefs. That is NOT at all what the founders envisioned.

This is our culture-—trying changing the culture in the Middle East, China, India and so forth-—you will be killed. We were founded on Christian values and tenants and the Church dropped the ball during FDR and his “Great depression”. The churches used to care for hurting families and teach them about Jesus when they brought food and comfort. Then the Church simply handed it over to the government. Sad-—we never recovered from that takeover. Now government helps those in need and spreads their lying propaganda in their presence.

[Fuzz]

Um, ok.

Thanks!

Bless your heart.

[Jamestown1630]

It seems to me that we have quite a few too many new ‘tenants’ of late...;-)

[ckilmer]

The final state is a return to religion only it is a premodern pagan religion. That’s what’s coming out of the universities these days.

[dadfly]

‘What year exactly did the United States stop being a Christian nation?’

it would be pretty close the year that liberal Christians and their denominations decided that other cultures and religions had cultural equivalence with ours. i’d put it around the middle of the last century. the currency was the end of the value of assimilation being first and then replaced with the so called ‘melting pot’ dogma. look for the appearance of the ‘melting pot’ narrative. also when we got the Statue of Liberty from France and the liberals put that stupid poem on it.