Dawkins is Half-right
"And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace... Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth... The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months." (Revelation 9)The thing about Dawkins is that, like many men, part of what he says is true. Dawkins says that religion causes war and all manner of suffering. This is partially true. False religion does cause war and suffering, but so do all false belief systems, including Atheism.
Conveniently he forgets that Atheism is a belief system, and what it has historically led to. Think of the French Revolution (2 million dead), Stalin (60 million dead), Mao (more than 40 to 72 million dead), the Khmer Rouge (2 million dead), and Communism in general. We may even include Nazism as basically an Atheistic belief system (55 million dead). I doubt that even the medieval Roman Catholic Church and Islam can beat these numbers.
What shall we say of the millions of abortions that have taken place as a result of humanism (527 to 836 million dead)? What a utopia Atheism brings in!
(You can see that I interpret Revelation in a symbolic/ spiritual way, and that I believe that Chapter 9 teaches that various false belief systems arise from the Devil's bottomless pit to deceive men, leading to suffering, and war in particular.)
Continued...
Labels: Atheism
posted by Timothy Davis | 3:57 pm
5 Comments:
It is also true that false uses of true belief systems lead to conflict.
McGrath tends to ask the helpful question as to what topic is most likely to start a riot in modern Oxford. The answer is almost certainly animal rights - there is a permanent group of protesters outside the construction site for a new primate research building.
People cause violence, as incited by the Devil. And whatever people care about, whether true or not, is frequently used as an excuse.
Useful comment, Custard. I would say that false uses of true belief systems are in themselves false beliefs. One usually practices what one believes to be true, i.e. you believe that the practice is true. Practice and belief are inseparable.
Another major thing, of course, which causes conflict is straight sin - murder, adultery, etc. There would be false beliefs behind these, of course, such as the belief that individual man is autonomous, free to do as he pleases, etc.
As James 4:1-2 says, "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?
"You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask."
Another thing which Dawkins conveniently overlooks is that most Christians are generally more peaceable than non-Christians, promoting a stable society.
The UK and America have prospered largely because of their Christian heritage. Now chaos and breakdown of law and order, deliquency in children, etc. are increasingly common because this heritage is being eroded away as society becomes increasingly atheistic.
It is no coincidence that these things have occurred as Christianity is rejected. The truth is staring people in the face and yet they will not see it.
Mary made a good point. I do believe our prosperity is based upon God's blessing of our two countries because we were looking to Him in the beginning. Now, it seems, we are looking to the prosperity and there never seems to be enough "stuff." Our depravity has taken over and runs with materialism...
Blessings
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