Apr 10
20
Dawkins vs. the Pope – Atheism barely treading water
A lot has been said about Richard Dawkins’ and Christopher Hitchens’ interest in arresting the Pope and having him charged. What’s most interesting about this, in my view, is D&H’s implicit endorsement of Christianity. It’s become a well established statement of principle that atheists have no philosophical way to account for their moral positions. There can be no absolute moral declarations from a relativistic faith. Their moral outrage at the Pope implies a standard against which he can be judged. But atheism has no rational basis for such a standard, least of all a standard that sounds Christian with concern for vulnerable children. D&H have to climb up into the lap of God in order to slap Him in the face. (No, I don’t mean the Pope when I say God.) That’s the essence of D&H’s hillarious and irrational atheistic worldview – they have to use the moral and epistemological tools that God has given us in order to launch their battle against Christianity.
Yes, we feel sad for them, but we can’t help but laugh at them too in view of how incompatible their behaviour and arguments are with the atheistic ideology they claim to champion. Maybe they’re just wayward Christians!!! They would probably gag to be called a wayward Christian. Maybe we should keep calling them that until they calm down and start acting like philosophically disinterested atheists!