I had a discussion some months back regarding atheism and its potential for violence. This discussion arose out of the Intelligence Squared debate “Atheism the New Fundalementalism.” The original debate can be found here. Below is a summary of my point of view on whether or not atheism can lead to violence. Admittedly, this is more geared towards an atheist audience as a theist would most likely disagree with many of my premises. The post also uses terminology drawn from the Intelligence Squared debate, resonating from the points that Dawkins makes. Continue reading…
Archived entries for debate
For your winter holiday pleasures, Tom, Robin, Sam, Dalton and Chris discuss:
- “Naughty or Nice” - ‘Un-Christian’ Holiday Retailers & the “War on Christmas”
- NASA Announces Arsenic-Based Life in Mono Lake, California
- The Blair v. Hitchens Debate
- Bumper Sticker Wars
If you have any comments or questions, or have ideas for stories for the show, please feel free to drop us a comment, and thanks for listening!
Hosts: Chris Thielen, Tom Beasley, Robin Marie, Sam Won, Dalton McGee
Episode 31: 'Un-Christian' Holidays, NASA & the Search for Life, Bumper Sticker Wars [53:44] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1453)AronRa, an occasional co-host on The Atheist Experience, recently posted a great commentary on the Hitchens-Dembski debate. The debate was on the topic of whether or not ‘a good God exists’. You can find the commentary of AronRa, who you should familiarize yourself with, as he is quite knowledgeable and articulate on the subject of religious criticism, here. AronRa’s commentary points, however, to a significantly more thorough overview by GreatBigBore. You can watch his series of commentary, which I highly recommend, here. Some information that BigBore points out is also poignant; below is a table of lack of religious belief and country:
He juxtaposes the graph with the following of something called a “global peace index”:
Notice that Sweden, Japan, etc. appear at the top on both lists, and the US appears very low on both. These are not outliers or exceptions, either. Check out both graphs (source 1, source 2) if you want further evidence of the correlation between religious belief in society and “global peace.”
You can watch the entire Hitchens debate with Dembski here.
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens had a debate over the weekend over whether or not religion is a ‘force for good in the world’. The rhetorical flourish of both sides was something indeed, but you can see for yourself what you think of the debate. At times, the two combatants start to address the other’s points before going back to their main mantras during the debate. Hitchens says very little new to those of you who follow Hitchens, but the gravitas seems so much greater given his health and the status of his stage companion.
See Also:
Tony Blair, Christopher Hitchens debate religion
Blair, Hitchens Debate: Religion Force for Good?
The great faith debate: Blair takes on ailing Hitchens in Canada
