Amazing!

[soul_harvester]

I'm no Patrick, but when I came across an article that makes sense in SMH, I felt moved to post about it here on my blag. If that weren't amazing enough in itself, it was penned by none other than Joe Hockey, someone I normally take a certain satisfaction from disagreeing with

Comments

[bastard_king]

It is, no doubt, a very lucid article. However, I think arguing for the "good parts" and the general subtlety of religious expression as a counterpoint to focusing on violent and prejudiced literalism is something any atheist who reads Dennett would be well versed in. It's also a moot point, and glosses over what both Dawkins and Hitchens actually say - which is that they have no problem at all getting along with milder types, love churches and traditions, and that they (Hitchens at least) believe belief will be with us forever no matter the advance of secularism. The dream is to eradicate all religion, but the realistic goal is to domesticate it, as we have Anglicanism

[soul_harvester]

Though Hitchens is motivated more out of neo-conservative racism than anti-theism, the other Amazing Atheists are very cavalier in their dismissal of "domesticated religion"...if they allow for it at all, which Dawkins doesn't at the very least, with his pointing the finger at moderates for doing nothing helpful in addition to sheltering and giving credence to the beliefs of extremists.

As a biologist, I can see why Dawkins spends so much time on the idiotic beliefs of the science-denying creationist movement, but their existence only stands to demonstrate that some people need a childish, idiotic filter through which they can be taught moral values. I could spout John Stuart Mill and John Locke to these remtards all day, the very founders of the liberal tradition Americans love so much, and they'd just look at me irritably.

Tell them a magical man in the sky said it, though, and suddenly they develop family values? I don't know what to think.

[bastard_king]

I completely disagree. It's Sam Harris that most forcefully makes the point about moderates "providing cover" for fundamentalists, which Dawkins has agreed with, but he has frequently made common cause with the Anglican Archbishop of England, who supports evolution, advocated Bible study (as Hitchens does), protecting churches for their architecture, and "grand old England" type Christian traditions. At the end of the day, Dawkins is a sentimental old man brought up in boarding schools and taught at Oxford, and he is thoroughly steeped and self-admittedly fond of of domesticated Christianity - Christianity which has simply faded into the completely benign, cultural traditions of his country.

[sweet_sweetback]

Harris is full of shit. His view is no better than the conservative caricature that ordinary, decent progressivism in the '60s and '70s was interchangeable with Baader-Meinhof and Weather Underground terrorism - or, worse, with Stalinism and Maoism. It's a brush that is still used to tar social democrats and democratic socialists now, decades later.

[bastard_king]

(hint) they will have no substance, and evaporate into a cloud of adorable, harmless traditions that don't cause me any distress.

[sweet_sweetback]

Great justice.

That speech seemed like the beginning of a 'Better Know Joe' campaign in preparation for his assumption of the Liberal leadership next year.

[aussietiger]

Exactly how the Q&A host described it a week or two ago when Hoe Jockey was on it.

At least he doesn't annoy me as much as Turnbull.

[sweet_sweetback]

Really? 'Better Know Joe'? Not being a viewer of Q&A, I didn't know that.

[aussietiger]

Well, I'm not entirely sure he said 'Better Know Joe' exactly, but he was saying it was the beginning of a 'like me now so I can be your leedar!' campaign.

[au_armageddon]

The article is step six in the thousand step recovery program he's taking to reposition himself as reasonable, charitable, and electable - to take the reigns following Turnball's unfortunate and inevitable losses to come.

Beyond that respectable (and apparently succeeding) purpose, it is ignorant and childish at best. I'm frankly a little embarrassed for you myself :P

[soul_harvester]

Ah, that's the kind of empty, point-less commentary that makes me love and largely ignore you, Arma.

[au_armageddon]

Well of course a Hockey fan is going to find that point-less. Take off your Stupid mask Voorhees.

[soul_harvester]

I think this went well.

[soul_harvester]

Don't start that again!

*canned laughter*