Dawkins Has It Right
Philosophy is comprised of questions that may never be answered, whereas religion is comprised of 'answers' that may never be questioned. Dawkins makes a very valid point - where does all of this undeserved respect for religion come from? And why the hell can't we get rid of it?
If I was to turn around tomorrow and preach that we should declare war on New Zealand because that's where The Lord of the Rings was filmed (stay with me) and that film was based upon a rather weighty tome by J.R.R. Tolkien - whose word I take as absolute truth, within the books the creation story should be taken as absolute fact, elves and hobbits exist and Gandalf is clearly a prophet. Then by proxy, New Zealand is my Holy Land, and I have the religious right to go and claim it. Do I not?
You see the parallel here - one book demands the utmost respect and the readers of it will not allow it to be questioned. The other is regarded as 'just a book' when in fact, they are both just books. Why does one command respect so much that blood has been spilled because of its words? That people are subject to discrimination? Where child molesters can hide behind the status it so wrongly provides? Why do people not see this?
I don't know the answer, and I'm never going to consider the explanation given to me as adequate. So I'll leave it there for now.
Good night all
If I was to turn around tomorrow and preach that we should declare war on New Zealand because that's where The Lord of the Rings was filmed (stay with me) and that film was based upon a rather weighty tome by J.R.R. Tolkien - whose word I take as absolute truth, within the books the creation story should be taken as absolute fact, elves and hobbits exist and Gandalf is clearly a prophet. Then by proxy, New Zealand is my Holy Land, and I have the religious right to go and claim it. Do I not?
You see the parallel here - one book demands the utmost respect and the readers of it will not allow it to be questioned. The other is regarded as 'just a book' when in fact, they are both just books. Why does one command respect so much that blood has been spilled because of its words? That people are subject to discrimination? Where child molesters can hide behind the status it so wrongly provides? Why do people not see this?
I don't know the answer, and I'm never going to consider the explanation given to me as adequate. So I'll leave it there for now.
Good night all
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Comment by Reggie on September 5, 2009 at 9:47pm -
Wait a minute.... Are you suggesting that the Lord of the Rings was fiction? You better watch yer mouth!
;)
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Comment by Fabian Kupferschmid on September 6, 2009 at 10:12am -
So you don't believe in the power of the RING? Just look in your heart and you'll see that the RING is real! If the RING doens't exist how do you explain the things which are described in the book?
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Comment by NameInVain on September 6, 2009 at 12:09pm -
Oh, I believe in the RING - I was just citing it as an example. I'm most definitely a Tolkienist!
:)
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Comment by Reggie on September 6, 2009 at 1:20pm
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A fellow Tolkienist? Well, then, I suppose we won't burning any heathens today.....shucks!
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Comment by Dave G on September 7, 2009 at 1:22am -
I wouldn't mind paying a visit (er, making a pilgrimage?) to New Zealand myself. There is some truly beautiful country there.
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Comment by David Curtis on September 8, 2009 at 1:59pm -
I agree with your title .... Dawkins HAS it right.
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