I'm loving all the anonymous posters calling Dawkins a "coward", among other things.

[cleanhippie]

It takes some brass to call another person, who uses their real name to promote their ideas around the world, a coward while doing so anonymously.

[Trajan]

1. I'm late to this party ... Why is Dawkins a coward?

[cleanhippie]

5. Not sure, but a couple of keyboard warriors are acting tough.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1218&pid=71476

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1218&pid=71260


They probably look in a mirror to see where the real cowardice lies.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. Good point.

I also wish to emphasize that it takes a lot of guts to publicly announce that you are an atheist. Coward is not the term I would use for anyone who will be public on atheism.

[JNelson6563]

3. Yes, very good point.

[SwissTony]

9. To be fair, I think you meed to add a qualification.

"...it takes a lot of guts to publicly announce that you are an atheist in some parts of the world". I'm an Australian, living in Holland and, frankly, I couldn't get anyone interested in that fact if I tried. There's probably a few religious nuts in both countries, but for the vast majority of people in both countries, it's about as interesting as the colour of your socks. I'm aware that in (some parts of) the USA, this is not the case.

Dawson has the advantage of living in England where no-one really cares (religious nuts excepted). When he goes to the US, he does have the advantage of celebrity.

What irks me is how he is described as "militant, "rude", "arrogant", "coward" etc etc. I have watched many of Richard's videos on youtube and as far as I can see, he is always polite, friendly, listens to those who speak to him...he just doesn't roll over and accept someone's bullshit.

[Curmudgeoness]

10. Well, you know how it is....

If you don't roll over and accept bullshit, you are militant, rude, arrogant, and a coward. Go figure.

I will take your word for it regarding how some other countries think of atheists. In the USA, there are few places where it would be a total non-issue, and most places it will make for quite a stir-up. You are very lucky, thank god.

[SwissTony]

13. I was raised as a Catholic (was even an altar boy - just ONCE!!!)

I dropped in on my mother one day and found she was hosting a Catholic group meeting. One of the people attending was (whisper) a very attractive young nun. We got on wonderfully. I had some "major" event coming up in my life. She said "I'll pray for you". I told her that wasn't necessary as I was an atheist. Her reply was "Then, I'll pray for you twice". I thought that was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me. But she didn't pull out the cross, hold it in my face and scream "Be thee gone, spawn of Satan".

In fact, we were getting on so well together, the local priest came over and "suggested" she go and talk to Mrs Jones. She left the nunnery a year or two later. I wish she had asked my mother for my phone number. LOL

There was a discussion on A & A about "coming out" as an atheist some time ago. I found it quite enlightening to hear how difficult/impossible it was for some Americans. Very sad.

[Curmudgeoness]

15. I will admit that no one has scream "Be gone" to me either.

All I get is every person who knows I am an atheist will send every religious/spiritual email on the internet to me. They will also say that they don't believe me. But then again, I have a good idea of who I should never tell or I will get burned at the stake.

[SwissTony]

16. They don't believe you are an atheist????

Egads. My sister and her husband (BIL) are JWs. They used to try and convert me. They'd start off a normal conversation and somehow, it would turn into a "Don't you think God..." piece of shite. I love cricket (OK, you're probably American...so please stay with me) and one daymy BIL started a conversation with me about cricket. I was amazed and delighted because to the best of my knowledge, he absolutely zero interest in cricket. But before long, I was getting message about "God playing with a straight bat" (you may substitute parallel baseball garbage). My nephew (also a JW) annoys my wife (also an atheist) by posting JW rubbish on the Facebook page that she uses to keep in contact with friends and family in Australia.

[Curmudgeoness]

18. Yes, they say that they do not believe

that I REALLY REALLY REALLY do not believe that there is a god. I must believe in god. I mean, how did all of this come into existence without god? It never occurs to them that IF I had doubts, and if I thought that there probably was a god, I would not have the nerve to denounce him.....I mean, that would be foolhardy, knowing what I know about how god would feel about that.

Your wife will understand what trash I get on FB and in emails from all the people who want me to find the faith.

[nana sew dear]

22. Yes, in my conservative community

being openly atheist doesn't fly. In fact it seems that atheism is the "safe " go to for anyone who wants to be a bigot.

[Curmudgeoness]

23. Interestingly, here, also conservative area,

the biggest bigots are the fundies. The hate seems to ooze out of their pores while the love of Jesus pours out of their mouths.

[Phillip McCleod]

32. in the u.s. i haven't been to that place and i'm not convinced it exists.

sure.. pockets.. neighborhoods.. but you gotta go to the hardware store someday.

[mr blur]

12. Absolutely!

In my whole life (50+ years) no-one has ever cared that I'm an atheist, or even asked. In fact, I can't think of more than two people that I know who even go to a church or profess to believe in a god. They never talk about it - if they did there'd be an embarrassed, kind-of-shuffling silence and they'd be the weirdos.

[SwissTony]

14. Thanks for that. Are you from the UK? (n/t)

[mr blur]

20. Yep, so much so that,

on DU I often feel like a stranger in a strange land!

[AlbertCat]

25. it takes a lot of guts to publicly announce that you are an atheist.

Not in England.

[Curmudgeoness]

26. All you people in England

are really making me envious.

So, I give up......It takes a lot of guts in most of the United States.

[AlbertCat]

27. I live in NC

But, y'know....it's also easy in Denmark and Finland.

[trotsky]

4. The thing you will always see with Dawkins is, religious people...

will viciously attack him, call him bigoted, stupid, a coward, a misogynist, a fundie atheist, yada yada, but there is one thing they never do.

They never prove him wrong. Of course, that's because they can't. And that drives them so damn crazy, all they can do is attack him.

I've never even seen a Dawkins-hating religionist even be able quote the guy accurately. LOL!

[onager]

19. The classic example: Ted Haggard

Who appeared in Dawkins' video "The God Delusion" - shortly before Brother Ted's penchant for meth and rentboys came out (no pun intended).

To see Haggard accuse Dawkins of...ROFL..."intellectual arrogance," skip ahead to about 8:30 in the vid. But then you'll miss Haggard's blank look when Dawkins compares Ted's megachurch service to the Nuremberg Rallies.

(The whole "God Delusion" video is available at Richard Dawkins' site.)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xemnvt_richard-dawkins-vs-ted-haggard_news

[AlbertCat]

28. They never prove him wrong.

Or seem to know he wrote lots of science books and only one book about the god delusion.

He's a scientist and a biologist.... not just an atheist.


What they hate the most about him is he just simply will to not take absurd ancient guesses seriously....at all. Which is how they should be taken. And he hates the cruel child abuse of scaring children into not questioning these guesses that should not be taken seriously. This is why he's "rabid" and "rude!"..... when he's really just a quiet mild mannered nerdy Brit.

[mr blur]

6. The usual weirdos.

Minus 1, of course.

[Curmudgeoness]

11. When we talk of weirdos along this line,

we are not talking those weirdo types who want to light their farts or mud wrestle.

[mr blur]

17. This is true -

they're much more ridiculous than that.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. The stupid thing is that he was wisely avoiding a "give me the Koranic quotes" argument

Since he had given examples of God ordering genocide etc. in the Old Testament for why he called him a monster, the Muslim interviewer asked if he'd say the same about the god of the Koran. Now, unless you can come up with the correct quotes from memory, you're better off saying "I don't know" rather than making vague claims and having a knowledgeable Muslim show any inaccuracies. But this apparently makes him a 'coward'. I'm trying to get someone to give the quotes they think Dawkins should have, but no luck, so far (I've got closest, pointing out it has the Noah flood story too). As others have pointed out, he's attacked Islam more than once before that interview.

[skepticscott]

8. If he were a coward

he would have given up being an outspoken atheist and anti-theist the first time he got a death threat..or the tenth..or the hundredth. But here he still is speaking his mind, and I'm guessing he's lost count of the times people have threatened his life in the name of their loving "god"

[Apophis]

21. How is Dawkins a coward for pointing out the truth?

[backscatter712]

24. I may need some backup soon...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1218&pid=72197

The reason the theists are harping on Dawkins' "ignorance and bigotry" is because of an incident when Dawkins said "being raised Catholic is worse than child abuse". I did a little bit of research, and gave them my response.

What can I say? Dawkins is right!

Let me know how the alert goes!

[Gore1FL]

29. I posted the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rRd-jlV82BI#t=202s

I am guessing they'll all come forward for a public apology to him now....

[cleanhippie]

30. Nah, there will be no apologies from them, that would be a brave act, and they are cowards.

The real cowards, hiding behind a keyboard and an anonymous message board, spewing hatred and ignorance.

[Gore1FL]

31. My comment was meant as sarcasm. I know noe apologies with be forthcoming.

I called someone else out on another Dawkins thread as well using the same clip.