Dawkins Tells Fox News It's 'Disgraceful' That GOP Presidential Candidates Believe In Creationism

[cleanhippie]

Richard Dawkins gave a full-throated interview to Fox News Radio this week, calling it “disgraceful” that Republican presidential candidates believe in creationism. The renowned biologist and author, in the US to peddle his latest tome ‘Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science,’ told host Alan Colmes evolution was a “fact” that cannot be "seriously" disbelieved.

During the exchange, Dawkins was asked if he thought religious people were “mentally ill.”
“It’s hard to use the word ‘mentally ill’ when there are so many of them,” the Briton responded. “If they believed what they did and they were the only ones they would undoubtedly be called mentally ill.”

--snip--

“They’re all creationists, which really is disgraceful," said Dawkins. "The fact that one of the two major political parties, every single candidate except one says they don’t believe in evolution, they don’t even believe in the fundamental principle of biology, which is a fact.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/10/16/richard-dawkins-fox-news-radio-creationism_n_8313640.html

[ladjf]

1. If they actually believe in "creationism" they are ignorant morons.

If they are claiming to believe in it for political expediency, they are disingenuous hypocrites.

[DreamGypsy]

4. Good chacterization of creationist motivations...

.... though the two classifications are not mutually exclusive.

I suspect the most proponents of creationism, be they religious, lay, or political, blend some form of hypocrisy with their beliefs.

[ladjf]

6. Most Americans have access to scientific data undreamed of 100 years ago.

There is no excuse for not understanding more basic science than they appear to know. One would have to "work at it" to remain that uninformed.

[Scuba]

2. They've been brainwashed since they were in diapers. Is that "mental illness"?

[cleanhippie]

5. Some think so.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200312/the-brainwashing-defense

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/31/kathleen-taylor-religious-fundamentalism-mental-illness_n_3365896.html


I'm unconvinced. The APA says no, so I'll go with that for now.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. It is a form of mental illness.

We all seem to recognize that when the group is an outlier or does something astoundingly awful, like Jonestown or ISIS. When the group is instead evangelical christians we get all antsy about the implication.

[Goblinmonger]

3. And also disgraceful that the good Dr didn't call out Trump

and his anti-vaxer bullshit.

They are all a bunch of pandering assholes. But, then, there are plenty of pandering assholes on the other side of the aisle that change their positions because it is polling well. Part of the game.

But religious pandering is an American tradition.

[Yorktown]

7. But the sad truth is that no politician salvages them for it

Creationism? That alone should be a reason to be ineligible.

Can't have a Commander in Chief who disregards facts.

[trotsky]

8. "If they believed what they did...

... and they were the only ones they would undoubtedly be called mentally ill.”

Hard to imagine being able to dispute that. If Christianity as a religion didn't exist, and there was one guy walking around telling people about a man who lived 2000 years ago who died and came back to life and we must worship him or suffer for our sins, I just can't imagine everyone else NOT thinking he was mentally ill.

[cleanhippie]

9. Exactly. It's like the difference btween a cult and a religion...

Is merely the size of the congregation?

[trotsky]

10. Again let's compare to Christianity.

Imagine if Christianity were just getting started today, and you had a group of around 50-100 people preaching its story. Engaging in ritual cannibalism, if only symbolic. Etc. Hard to see why it wouldn't be labeled a cult.