It’s only when religion is brought into the workings of government and state that we should be worried. The distinction indignant atheists are failing to make is between a Christian country and a Christian state. Our laws and public institutions should indeed be independent of any faith or belief group, but this is entirely compatible with society being dominantly Christian.
ReadWe can’t just choose what to believe because it would be convenient to do so. Of course, people do sometimes deceive themselves to avoid uncomfortable truths but that usually happens unconsciously. Believing by mere force of effort is nigh on impossible.
ReadTWO EVENTS IN FOLKESTONE – 17 NOVEMBER. I’m taking part in two events in this year’s Folkestone Book Festival. At 10:30 I’m doing a Cafe Philo on “What Use are the Arts?” and at 2:30 debating “Can Atheists learn anything from Religion?” with Richard Norman and John Butler.
ReadDiscovering that your childhood idols are now virtually ancient is usually a disturbing reminder of your own mortality. But for me, realising that 5th May 2013 marks the 200th anniversary of Søren Kierkegaard’s birth was more of a reminder of his immortality. Kierkegaard is not so much a thinker for our time but a timeless thinker, whose work is pertinent for all ages yet destined to be fully attuned to none.
ReadIt’s hard to resist the pull of military metaphors when talking about the recent battles between religion and the so called new-atheists: Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchins, Sam Harris et al. Fighting talk is only natural when combatants on both sides have often been vicious in their attacks. And like the western front in World War I, for all the blasts and flashes, neither side ever manages to advance its trenches. Yet in the very definition of madness, both forces persist in trying the same tactics that have never worked before as though they might suddenly prove efficacious….
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