Have you ever read Dawkins?

Zombrex · 14-10-2008 9:30am

PDN wrote: »

Really? Where would I find such people? I would be interested in talking to them, but I've never actually met anyone who held such a view.

why would you want to talk to someone is who is that uninteresting in the outside world?

why would anyone want to talk to Mariah Carey?

Zombrex · 14-10-2008 9:34am

CDfm wrote: »

Dawkins doesnt seem to be very popular - everybody seems to want to read something else- even Wicknight.

Rather strange logic

By that logic a popular book is one that a person keeps reading over and over, rather than reading once or twice or even a few times, and then wanting to read something else.

Why would I continuously read Dawkins' books over and over instead of reading something else?

PDN · 14-10-2008 9:38am

Wicknight wrote: »

why would you want to talk to someone is who is uninteresting in the outside world?

Because, strange as this may seem to you, I find it helpful to discover what people think and why they think it. Therefore, if all these people actually do exist who think reading anything but the Bible is a waste of time, I would find it interesting to meet them.

PDN · 14-10-2008 9:41am

studiorat wrote: »

And for others it would appear time of the old testament never ended either.

And yet we have no Judaism forum on boards.ie.

CDfm · 14-10-2008 10:10am

Wicknight wrote: »

Rather strange logic

By that logic a popular book is one that a person keeps reading over and over, rather than reading once or twice or even a few times, and then wanting to read something else.

Why would I continuously read Dawkins' books over and over instead of reading something else?

funny that

people keep returning to the bible and reading it over and over again

some reread Viz magazines

but Dicks books

Zombrex · 14-10-2008 1:06pm

PDN wrote: »

Therefore, if all these people actually do exist...

Ah right, I understand now. You are questioning what I said. You want me to fail to list off these people so you can go "See ha! No one thinks reading anything other than the Bible is a waste of time. Stop misrepresenting Christianity!! TROLL!!!" ... or some such :pac:

Well, as usual PDN, you slightly miss the point of my post.

Zombrex · 14-10-2008 1:07pm

CDfm wrote: »

people keep returning to the bible and reading it over and over again

True, though I'm not sure that is a good thing.

CDfm wrote: »

but Dicks books

Are you claiming that no one ever re-reads Richard Dawkins' books

Dades · 14-10-2008 2:18pm

marco_polo wrote: »

I'd like to meet this person too.

It would be really interesting to get Mariah Carey to read, for example, The God Delusion as well.

Then, having only read that and the bible, she would be in a unique position to comment on the validity of both. Kind of like putting a humidifier and a dehumidifier in the same room to battle it out.

A very thick room, admittedly.

PDN · 14-10-2008 2:33pm

Wicknight wrote: »

Ah right, I understand now. You are questioning what I said. You want me to fail to list off these people so you can go "See ha! No one thinks reading anything other than the Bible is a waste of time. Stop misrepresenting Christianity!! TROLL!!!" ... or some such :pac:

Well, as usual PDN, you slightly miss the point of my post.

Nobody mentioned trolls except you.

I wasn't saying anything about the point of your post. You made an assertion that sounded unusual to me, and I thought it would be interesting to find out who these people are.

As it is you seem to be saying that many such people don't actually exist, but that doesn't matter because you are making some other point. Therefore, I guess, it doesn't matter whether our statements are true or not - so long as they lead us to points that are true. Have you ever read Rudolf Bultmann? I think you'd like him.

Fanny Cradock · 14-10-2008 2:34pm

In fairness, I think she would also have to read one of the many God delusion rebuttals. That way there is a nice triangle of debate going on in her head.

PDN · 14-10-2008 2:44pm

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

In fairness, I think she would also have to read one of the many God delusion rebuttals. That way there is a nice triangle of debate going on in her head.

Three things at once in Miriah Carey's head?

Well, I suppose there is plenty of space.

Zombrex · 14-10-2008 2:46pm

PDN wrote: »

As it is you seem to be saying that many such people don't actually exist, but that doesn't matter because you are making some other point.

Define "many", and based on your definition of "many" I will re-evaluate my original throw away comment to see if it is in fact true. And if it is not true I will happily update it

PDN · 14-10-2008 3:00pm

Wicknight wrote: »

Define "many", and based on your definition of "many" I will re-evaluate my original throw away comment to see if it is in fact true. And if it is not true I will happily update it

It was your comment, not mine. I will be happy to accept your definition of many. After all, in a world where a retaining wall is classed as a building then Mariah Carey could be classed as 'many'.

All joking aside, if there are people who believe the Bible to be the only book worth reading then I would be interested in finding out about them. I've been writing a lot recently on the interaction between the Church and culture, so such a set of people would provide an interesting case study.

Zombrex · 14-10-2008 3:04pm

PDN wrote: »

All joking aside, if there are people who believe the Bible to be the only book worth reading then I would be interested in finding out about them. I've been writing a lot recently on the interaction between the Church and culture, so such a set of people would provide an interesting case study.

Ok, what do you want to know and I will ask the ones I personally know next time I see them. You will have to ask Mariah Carey yourself.

Dades · 14-10-2008 3:24pm

Wicknight wrote: »

You will have to ask Mariah Carey yourself.

And better do it before she gets the abridged audiobook version of The God Delusion I just emailed her.

Fanny Cradock · 14-10-2008 3:56pm

Dades wrote: »

And better do it before she gets the abridged audiobook version of The God Delusion I just emailed her.

Ah, the abridged version...

Chapter 1 of 1

"Hello, I'm Richard Dawkins. There is no God. Good day."

mountainyman · 14-10-2008 4:14pm

studiorat wrote: »

^^^

Well no. 'Cause there's lots of people who will have read some of his arguments for the first time.

Like I said before it's a good introduction to the subject, it introduced me to a few authors and topics I hadn't considered before.

My father listened to an audiobook of The Ancestor's Tale after reading a bit of the The God Delusion.

mountainyman · 14-10-2008 4:20pm

Actually the Selfish Gene is a probative of God (not that God needs proof).

Surely a mechanism for evolution so simple must have been defined. Of course this is mischievious but I like the idea of using dawkins' writings as part of a teleological argument.

God is not in the gaps he is everywhere.

mountainyman · 14-10-2008 4:24pm

Wicknight wrote: »

Rather strange logic

By that logic a popular book is one that a person keeps reading over and over, rather than reading once or twice or even a few times, and then wanting to read something else.

Why would I continuously read Dawkins' books over and over instead of reading something else?

Because those are my instructions!!!!!!!!

PDN · 14-10-2008 4:35pm

I found it interesting that Dawkins argues for the concept of Intelligent Design in River Out of Eden.

Richard Dawkins wrote:

The following science-fiction plot is feasible, given a technology that differs from today's only in being a little speeded up. Professor Jim Crickson has been kidnapped by an evil foreign power and forced to work in its biological-warfare labs. To save civilisation it is vitally important that he should communicate some top-secret information to the outside world, but all normal channels of communication are denied him. Except one.

"The DNA code consists of sixty-four triplet "codons," enough for a complete upper- and lower-case English alphabet plus ten numerals, a space character and a full stop or period. Professor Crickson takes a virulent influenza virus off the laboratory shelf and engineers into its genome the complete text of his message to the outside world, in perfectly formed English sentences. He repeats his message over and over again in the engineered genome, adding an easily recognisable "flag" sequence -- say, the first ten prime numbers. He then infects himself with the virus and sneezes in a room full of people.

"A wave of flu sweeps the world, and medical labs in distant lands set to work to sequence its genome in an attempt to design a vaccine. It soon becomes apparent that there is a strange repeated pattern in the genome. Alerted by the prime numbers - which cannot have arisen spontaneously - somebody tumbles to the idea of employing code-breaking techniques. From there it would be short work to read the full English text of Professor Crickson's message, sneezed around the world.

The idea is that, in studying an apparently natural phenomenon, it becomes apparent that a complex pattern occurs. It stretches the bounds of credibility to suggest that such a pattern could occur without a Designer. Therefore, by positing a Dr Crickson of the gaps, it is assumed that the good doctor has been kidnapped.

Dades · 14-10-2008 5:10pm

Interesting indeed, PDN.

I've no problem with the concept of a designer. In fact the ID contingent annoy me for having ruined a perfectly workable phrase. Nowadays you can't really broach the subject without that association.

But it's the jump from speculating about a conceptual designer to crediting a fully-realised, benevolent human-interferer that bemuses me.

DeVore · 14-10-2008 6:43pm

PDN wrote: »

Really? Where would I find such people? I would be interested in talking to them, but I've never actually met anyone who held such a view.

America.

DeV.

PDN · 14-10-2008 6:59pm

DeVore wrote: »

America.

Could you be a wee bit more specific. I spend 6-8 weeks each year in the Southern United States, mostly interacting with Evangelical Christians. I've never met anyone who claimed that the Bible was the only thing worth reading.

I'm quite open to the fact that such people may exist - but where might I find them?

CDfm · 14-10-2008 7:22pm

Wicknight wrote: »

Ok, what do you want to know and I will ask the ones I personally know next time I see them. You will have to ask Mariah Carey yourself.

what it is that makes Mariah Carey acceptable and Jade Goody not?

CDfm · 14-10-2008 7:27pm

Wicknight wrote: »

True, though I'm not sure that is a good thing.

Are you claiming that no one ever re-reads Richard Dawkins' books

I dunno- are they available in large print?

PDN · 14-10-2008 7:52pm

CDfm wrote: »

what it is that makes Mariah Carey acceptable and Jade Goody not?

Attractive & stupid = Acceptable
Ugly & stupid = Unacceptable

Not very fair, but life sucks sometimes.

Zombrex · 14-10-2008 9:43pm

CDfm wrote: »

what it is that makes Mariah Carey acceptable and Jade Goody not?

Acceptable for what exactly ... ? :eek:

CDfm · 14-10-2008 10:51pm

Wicknight wrote: »

Acceptable for what exactly ... ? :eek:

whatever it is Atheists do together.

Jade Goody is an Atheist

studiorat · 14-10-2008 11:25pm

PDN wrote: »

And yet we have no Judaism forum on boards.ie.

10/10!

There wouldn't be the bandwidth if those guys got discussin' theology up on here!

CDfm · 14-10-2008 11:51pm

studiorat wrote: »

10/10!

There wouldn't be the bandwidth if those guys got discussin' theology up on here!

wicknight has strange objections to rasher sandwichs ands posting long answers

Have you ever read Dawkins?

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