BBC goes after atheism tonight Why Evolution Is True

canada goose factory sale Brother Blackford Co. defeat the goddiesToday at 8:50 pm London time (rebroadcast Sunday at 8:50 am), BBC Radio 4 (FM) will broadcast what looks to be an accommodationist show taking the line Brother Blackford decries in the post below: who cares whether God exists http://www.canadagoosesalesus.com religion is a good thing. canada goose factory sale

Canada Goose Jackets The show, in belief, by John Gray, can be heard here (but probably only for those in the UK), and it sounds dire. If there a podcast available thereafter, especially for those outside Old Blighty, I let you know if you really want to listen to stuff like this: Canada Goose Jackets

canada goose uk outlet John Gray argues that the scientific and rationalist attack on religion is misguided. Extreme atheists do not realise that for most people across the globe, religion is not generally about personal belief. Instead, ritual, meditation, a way of life is what counts. Central to religion is the power of myth, which still speaks to the canada goose outlet online contemporary mind. idea that science can enable us to canada goose vest outlet live without myths is one of these silly modern stories. In fact, he argues, science has created its own myth, among them the myth of salvation through science idea that humans will rise from the dead may be incredible he says, no more so than the notion that humanity can canada goose outlet store near me use science to remake the world said that science will enable us to live without (he probably means of purpose, value, and meaning is absurd. canada goose kensington parka uk Humans need those things, but they don need religion to get them. Note also the implicit slur on the truth claims of religion ( idea that humans will rise from the dead may be incredible but the concomitant claim that religions based on falsehoods are essential for humanity well being. canada goose uk outlet

Canada Goose Online And as for canada goose factory outlet toronto location the stupidity of the notion that science can remake the world, compare the world of 1700 with the canada goose outlet new york city world of today. Note the differences. How many of those are due to science, and how many to religion? Let see: on the one side we have antibiotics and all other medicine, airplanes, computers, Moon landings, our understanding of evolution, lasers, and all the knowledge garnered by biology, chemistry, and physics. On the other side we have… a few new cathedrals. Canada Goose Online

UK readers: report how it went.

UPDATE: Commenter Sigmund says this: You should be able to hear it live in other countries by clicking on the link on the top right of this page.

cheap canada goose uk The idea that science can enable us to live without myths is one canada goose womens outlet of these silly modern stories. cheap canada goose uk

Who thinks that? Seriously, who? As far as I can see, atheists love stories and myths. Go to any comic or sci fi convention and you find atheists left, right and center.

canada goose Religion isn just the idea that myths and stories are important. It the idea that specific myths and stories are more important than all others. Atheists just don think that the Christian myths are any more special than Star Trek, Star Wars or Superman. canada goose

buy canada goose jacket Finally, I don think many Christians really buy the argument that they are no more than people who enjoy a particular brand of fiction. They don behave as if their theology is no more important than the Kirk vs. Picard debate. I think atheists would be more than happy to leave them alone if they did. You won see Trekkies arguing for policies based on their favorite stories. You won see Star Wars fan clubs trying to get the Force be with you on any dollar bills. buy canada goose jacket

Gray wrote a book called Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of canada goose outlet paypal Utopia four years ago. Grayling found in the work of leading philosopher John Gray, everything is the wrong way round and upside down Through the looking glass

Canada Goose online A sample paragraph, by no means the best one, gives a flavour of Gray muddled mind: Canada Goose online

In order to establish that secular Whiggish canada goose outlet seattle Enlightenment derived aspirations are canada goose outlet vancouver the child of Christianity, Gray begins by calling any view or outlook a “religion”. Everything is a religion: Torquemada’s Catholicism, the canada goose outlet winnipeg pluralism and empiricism of 18th century philosophers, liberalism, Stalinism. He speaks of “secular religion” and “political religion”. This empties the word “religion” of any meaning, making it a neutral portmanteau expression like “view” or “outlook”. He can therefore premise a gigantic fallacy of equivocation, and assimilate secular Enlightenment values to the Christian “narrative” of reformation aimed at bringing about a golden canada goose outlet in chicago age

Canada Goose Parka The only philosophers that makes sense to me are Singer some of Dennett outside of those guys I end up wanting to canada goose outlet break stuff Canada Goose Parka

Canada Goose Outlet You have a hard time finding a better response to those who espouse belief in belief than Seneca famous quote on the matter: Canada Goose Outlet

canada goose uk black friday Religion is regarded canada goose outlet toronto location by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and canada goose outlet online store by the rulers as useful. canada goose uk black friday

canada goose uk shop It also worth noting that Seneca was born about the same time as Jesus is said to have been born and died a few decades after Jesus is said to canada goose outlet toronto address have been crucified, yet he never gave any indication that he had heard of Jesus, any of the remarkable events surrounding him, or even of the Roman Christians Paul addressed his epistles to. canada goose uk shop

John Gray argues that the scientific and rationalist attack on religion is misguided. Extreme atheists do not canada goose outlet in vancouver realise that for most people across the globe, religion is not generally about personal belief.

uk canada goose Philosopher Stephen Law uses the phrase nuclear to refer to the tactic of defending an unjustified belief by trying to undermine the possibility of any sort of justification for any sort of knowledge whatsoever. my belief is mostly based on faith but all beliefs are based on faith! Science is a faith, too! Empiricism can provide evidence for itself. For all we know we are in the Matrix and nothing we see exists at all! Ka boom! Everything is reduced to an undifferentiated level of mush and thus we only what to believe based on nonrational factors. God wins. uk canada goose

canada goose coats There should be a similar term for the tactic John Gray is apparently using canada goose outlet kokemuksia here. I will suggest theological suicide. canada goose coats

know what wrong about atheism? They think theists really believe the shit we spout. But we don It all just poetic metaphor and myth! We playacting and going through the motions! God? Who the hell knows or cares what it is buy canada goose uk or even if it is? Atheists are missing the point. It a story. It not factually true, it psychologically true. It speaks to us and the human condition. canada goose outlet authentic Atheists just don understand stories.

Oh, look. The apologist just committed theological suicide. God is a myth. People just like the pretty music and candles and ceremonies and food. Hm. The apologist doesn appear to be moving. Oh, ok. Looks like there nothing to see canada goose outlet official here. We atheists will have to slink off now move along, move canada goose outlet boston along.

cheap Canada Goose And then they spring up canada goose factory outlet vancouver for a different audience. Ta da! God lives! Another miracle! cheap Canada Goose

Gray presented a series of straw men and non sequiturs. He constantly makes a false equivalence between science and religion, and tells us how atheists want to do things that only exist in his imagination, as far as I can tell. He loves myths and thinks they useful, but not necessarily true, like science is useful, but not necessarily true.

canada goose clearance sale The mistake he makes is that myths can only tell us canada goose outlet washington dc truths about human story telling and our mindsets, whereas science tells us truths about reality. Until he grasps this simple truth he will wallow in a miasma of his own febrile imaginings. canada goose clearance sale

buy canada goose jacket cheap It is simply a nonsense to suggest that for most people religion is not about personal belief. It not just about living in the myths. Most people have very specific beliefs. You can tell as soon as you contradict one, or say something that is out of tune with what they believe. Gray must provide evidence for the claim he is making. Most religious rituals do not make sense without the beliefs, although it is just possible for people to use them without the canada goose outlet michigan accompanying beliefs. People like members of the Sea of Faith. But, in general, I believe, most religious people do share the fundamental beliefs of their religions, as beliefs. The claim that Gray is making and canada goose jacket uk many other religious apologists make it too needs empirical support, and I not sure that anyone got that. It a convenient way of saying nothing by appearing to say something, canada goose parka outlet and Gray is past master at this particular art buy canada goose jacket cheap.