Richard Dawkins in Manchester

This is actually something I wrote about a year ago and put up on my Facebook page, but I think it's more deserving place is on here :)

About a year ago, I met up with some close friends of mine at the Grand Central pub in Manchester, which is our favourite pub (due to the amount of heavy metal they play!). I arrived just after 5 and the event would commence at 7. Usually we meet there before we go to a gig just down the road at the Manchester Uni Academy or elsewhere, but this was like no other gig! It was Richard Dawkins! But before I go into the Dawkins Talk I must put this across.

I cannot overstate what impact Dawkins has had on me. Years ago, before I knew about him, I turned the TV on one day and flicked over to a random channel, which had a debate/discussion programme where the topic was ''Does God exist?'. I can't recall at the time whether I regarded myself an atheist back then. I was probably very sceptical, but on the programme there was a man with grey hair (its gone completely white now lol) wearing a suit and glasses, and his answers were spot on.

Every answer he gave was *exactly* how I was feeling, with the thoughts going through my head. Mind you, at the time, I had never discussed my thoughts with anyone so I was unaware that there was someone else, just someone, who thought as I do. It was, in a very poetic way, like a 'lease of life' because until then I had felt very isolated in my thoughts, but now I could put them into constructive and concise arguments. It was a profound moment and I later learned that his name was Richard Dawkins. How great science is eh? Making television sets n all!

So anyway, as I was sitting there in the pub, it finally hit me. This wasn't just 'another' gig. It was Richard Dawkins, also giving a talk on an issue that interests me greatly; evolutionary biology. Dawkins has published his new book titled 'The Greatest Show On Earth: The evidence for evolution' where he outlines the evidence for it. I don't only admire Dawkins for his outspoken 'atheism', never being told to 'keep quiet' but for his work on biology and evolution, which I am also passionate about.

The talk was held at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and we took our seats. The talk began with Dawkins reading a short passage from his new book, and then after Anjana Ahuja from The Times newspaper, who had written a review of Dawkins' new book, asked questions to Dawkins on matters of evolution and the abundance of evidence for it. He made jokes but with a strong sense of seriousness about the ignorance of creationists. Everyone laughed. I've never been in a room of so many freethinkers and sceptics before, so it was a very pleasing experience. Dawkins made the comparison to creationists as like a History teacher having to handle well-supported and well-financed conspiracy theorists claiming the Romans or the empire of Rome never existed. It sounds just plain old rubbish, doesn't it? But we're talking here about a conspiracy on a much grander scale! Once again, Dawkins was spot on just as I saw him on TV for the first time.

So the talk ended just after an hour and we queued up to have our book signed. I had brought with me my paperback copies of 'River Out Of Eden' (1995), 'A Devil's Chaplain' (2003), 'The God Delusion' (2006), and my new hardback copy I picked up there 'The Greatest Show On Earth' (2009). The queue didn't take as long as I thought it would, but when I met him, I was rather speechless. He signed all my books, but I forgotten to bring with me my copy of 'The Selfish Gene' (1976) because I was in a rush and had picked the books off from my bookshelf but was reading 'The Selfish Gene' so it was on my bedside table. I'm a dumbass, lol!

It felt so strange. Here was one of the most well-known, outspoken, and influential atheists who had helped me understand my own thoughts, but also a fantastic scientist on the topic that takes my interest the most. Dawkins is such a nice guy though. A true gentleman, and should be an inspiration to us all.

Peace.

Acidic Sceptic.

Dear Fundamentalist Muslim

Dear Fundamentalist Muslim,

Do you really want to take on the West? Do you really want to bring a fight against the United States and Her Allies? Is violence and hate-speech your only language? Because if so, then I will speak to you in the language you understand. Let me tell you something that hopefully will sink into that thick skull of yours. You will lose!! Utterly.

If the United States and Her Allies felt remotely inclined to take up your challenge, She will put you back into the Stone Age. The US will destroy you and eat you for breakfast even during Ramadan. You are merely a midget throwing your fists aimlessly against an 8ft giant with one of his hands on your head keeping you at arm’s length. Even if you get in a punch, the retaliation against you will be ten fold.

Now, I’m not saying that Western society is perfect. Far from it. But what makes it superior to yours, is that it NOT based on Sharia Law. Where Human Rights (to an extent?) are protected. Where Freedom of Speech is sacred and NOT Bronze Aged tribalism. Where women’s rights are equal to that of a man’s, and scripture is not the absolute source of moral guidance. Yes, we have problems with this way of thinking in our own society, but the majority of our citizens, even the self-professed devoutly religious, have looked beyond these ideals.

Let me reiterate. You are up against a giant you cannot possibly win. If the US felt like it needed to retaliate with full force, you will die. Your actions and words will only provoke this, and give the US reason to come at you with its fullest and most powerful arsenal.

The alternative however, is to reconcile, to compromise, and to recognise that we all share this beautiful planet together and must learn to live with one another, love one another, and respect one another. I’d expect these kinds of values to be universal and values that we can all share. All your words and actions will provide, is your own doom.

Yours truly,

Acidic Skeptic.

It OFFENDS me that...

You want to talk to me about being offensive? Fine. Here's my top ten reasons to find religion offensive in no particular order.

It OFFENDS me that…

1. Children are brought up to share the same (religious) beliefs as their parents and not given the chance or choice to think for themselves on matters concerning human existence and the natural world that we all share.

2. The idea that faith is used (and arguably quite rightly according to scripture) as a means against scientific, rational, and logical thinking.

3. Millions upon millions of women in Islamic countries are still forced by their husbands and families to disguise themselves in public.

4. As research polls show, Atheists and non-believers are still regarded as the least-trusted (and sometimes ‘evil’ and ‘amoral’) group in society.

5. Gay marriage and other civil liberties have to be ‘voted on’ because of other peoples' sincerely held religious beliefs.

6. Faith schools receive endorsements and financial support from the government, straight out of the taxpayer’s pocket, also meaning that non-believer parents are forced to send their children to such schools because they’re financially and hence resourcefully better. Where are THEIR rights to bring up their children how they want to?

7. The Theory of Evolution is still regarded as a legitimate topic for debate when it has been demonstrated, observed, predictions been made, tested through countless papers of peer reviewed journals and studies BECAUSE the majority of religious people cannot square it with their religious convictions. (However, I believe that they’re right to do this, based on what scripture tells them.)

8. The Bible and other religious scripture is regarded as a legitimate moral instruction manual and framework to base one’s life upon, when the ‘message’ and 'God's Word' is ambiguous at its best.

9. Religion still hasn’t (and probably will never) pluck out the courage to be criticised, often citing such acts as ‘offensive’ because it has nowhere else to run and hide.

10. People in a free democratic society leap to defend ideologies that were used for totalitarian theocracies, and often accuse me and people like me, as being the monster.

Why Criticise Religion? (Part 2)

I was never convinced by any of it. I reached the age of reason at about 8, and was never brought up religiously. But I had a brief month of believing when my grandmother died, who had been a rock in my life. That's not to say that I'm 'angry at God' or what have you. Its just that I really don't think a god exists. I have tried believing and given the state of the world, it cannot be the work of a supreme being who is both all-powerful (not restrained by anything) and all-loving (takes a keen interest in human affairs). The concept is self-refuting.

But more specifically I oppose religion because I accept science. I see religious claims contradictory to science, and anyone who doesn't agree is a fool or a liar. Quite often both.

'The Wise Man knows what he doesn't know.' and this is a principle that science works with. Scientists KNOW they don't know everything, and they admit that. It's a good way to look at the world, being humble and a continuing search for exploration and truth. There is a reason why science hasn't answered a lot of big questions. You want to know why?

Because those questions are bigger questions than religion can ever imagine or could imagine. There are scientists (probably as you are reading this) who have been up all night and fell asleep on their desks or in their labs trying to work out a particular equation or problem. If they took a religious approach, then why bother?

Religion does the exact opposite. It asserts things for which there is no evidence whatsoever and furthermore, red-stamps them as 'sacred truths'. I see this as the highest form of ignorance. Anyone with the smallest sense of reason and logic, will agree with me.

Also, given that the only reason I was taught about Christianity in school was because I was born in a predominantly Christian country. If was born in Afghanistan I'd be taught about Islam. If was born in India, I'd be taught about Hinduism, etc. There is absolutely no reason to accept the religion you were brought up in, which is by the sheerest accident, and then call it 'True'.

From an early age, even children can see through the bullshit, unless they are brainwashed by it early on, which is another reason to loathe religion.

"The only true thing about religion is that it is false." - Pat Condell.

Atheism and Purpose.

People often ask, “What does Atheism have to offer?” and the response is rather simple really. And that is that the question is stupid. The question presupposes that you or people generally are entitled to gain something from a particular worldview. You’re not. I find such an attitude to be a rather self-centred thing to assume.

This is an important point that I’d like to make regarding 'meaning' and 'purpose'. They are values, which I believe we come to ourselves. It can be a long and sometimes difficult process. But not by some packaged and ready-to-ship product like 'religion' that has already set instructions on what 'meaning' and 'purpose' are.

This is a fundamental pet peeve that I've always had about religion. It's so easy. It's a bit like answering 'yes' or 'no' to an essay question. Purpose and meaning are huge undertakings that we, as humans, search within ourselves. And then most people are perfectly happy for religion to come along by thinking it can solve these big underlining issues as if it's 'cracked the puzzle'. And furthermore, it did it centuries or thousands of years ago, even before you were born.

I genuinely think religious people are weak. It's for weak individuals who refuse to admit that they're weak. And what’s more, it KEEPS them weak. Why else would they need an imagined father figure such as the 'Almighty'? They like to compensate. What they need to do is look beyond that.

It's a bit like buying a supermarket ready-meal instead of cooking a meal from scratch, examining all the ingredients and selecting them carefully. The result is a better dish, and what is more, YOU made it yourself and being proud that you did so rather than grabbing a quick-fix ready-to-serve but tasteless meal from a supermarket shelf.

No. Atheism doesn't give us 'purpose', but it sure does open the gates for bigger challenges and a wider worldview, passed way beyond the narrow scope of scripture, which is neatly parcelled up for minds of faith and blindness.