Richard Dawkins vs Bill O'Reilly

New Atheism in decline?

The Guardian reports:

The high tide of "new atheism" may have passed, the archbishop of Canterbury has said in his Easter sermon. Rowan Williams said the atheism v religion debate appeared to be moving on from what he called "a pointless stalemate".

Unfortunately for the Archbishop the high tide of New Atheism is nowhere in sight, let alone having passed. While the church he leads still advocates insane positions on women's rights, marriage and adoption Atheism will continue to grow. While Christianity continues to insist on a privileged position within society for which there is no basis, Atheism will continue to grow and the criticisms will grow stronger.

What sort of Humanist are you?

New Humanist magazine has a quiz you can take to check out what sort of humanist you are.

I am a Hedonistic Humanist:

You are one of life’s enjoyers, determined to get the most you can out of your brief spell on this glorious planet. What first attracted you to atheism was the prospect of liberation from the Ten Commandments, few of which are compatible with a life of pleasure. You play hard and work quite hard, have a strong sense of loyalty and a relaxed but consistent approach to your philosophy. You can’t see the point of abstract principles and probably wouldn’t lay down your life for a concept, though you might for a friend. Something of a champagne humanist, you admire George Bernard Shaw for his cheerful agnosticism and pursuit of sensual rewards, and your Hollywood hero is Marlon Brando, who was beautiful (for a while), irascible and aimed for goodness in his own tortured way. You adored the humanist London bus slogan (“There’s probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life”) and are delighted that wild young comedians like Stewart Lee, Christina Martin and Ricky Gervais share your full-blooded rejection of religion. Sometimes you might be tempted to allow your own pleasures to take precedence over your ethics. But everyone is striving for that elusive balance between the good and the happy life. You’d probably better open another bottle and agree that for you there’s no contest.

Is religion under threat?

Another great article on the The Guardian website (click here) about secularism versus religion in the UK.

As a committed atheist living in one of the most secular countries on earth I find the collision between religion and the rise of the non-religious fascinating.

As the number of atheists and agnostics continues to grow around the world we are increasingly speaking out against practices and rituals that are now out of place in a secular society. Unfortunately many religious people take this as an attack on their faith, when it is actually questioning the appropriateness of the faith in a public situation where a range of belief systems may be present.

Julian Baggini makes an interesting point when he says:

"Where tradition flies in the face of reason and justice, it should be dismantled. But when it merely teases it, it is often better to allow the passage to time to erode those anachronistic remnants than try to demolish them."

I have to wonder though if the passage of time will erode those anachronistic remnants. Surely people of faith will always argue against their removal and the erosion will in effect be a series of battle, the Bideford council decision merely being the first.

I will leave you with my favourite quote of the day, which also comes from The Guardian website. Courtesy of Hadley Freeman:

"As America battles with a struggling economy and high unemployment, the Republican primaries continue to focus on the real threat to national wellbeing: the vagina."