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Ted... I am sorry but we do not act this way with people otside ET.

We say the most vile things about Bush, Blair and everybody outside here.

I do not see why Bush should be different than Hitchens or Dawkins.

I did not realized I had hit a soft spot and that by attacking Dawkins I was attacking you, and your perecpetion of him. The moment I saw that you were attached to him I apologized.

But this does not change my point of view. I think BVvush is a bastard, adn I do think Hitchens is a bastard and I do think Dawkins is wrong on this fight back agaisnt religion but I think he should be doing what he thinks is better and commend him for it.. and I also think he is a very very bad scientist.

It is just my humble opinion. But please, please, in no way take it personal, actually if you think he is right about his approach to religion, great, we can discuss it. And if you think he is a very good scientists..w ell I doubt anything or quote I can bring here will convince you otherwise.

But please, please, do not take it personal. he is not here in ET.. adn we deserve respect to people here always and to epople outside ET that we think they deserve it. And while Dawkins as a social commentator deserves my respect (though not my agreement) Dawkins as a scientist does not.

Huge hug ted.

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Fri Jan 11th, 2008 at 09:37:35 AM EST
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I would appreciate it you would accept what I say about my own approach and feelings. I have told you that I don't take it personally, and have no particular attachment to Dawkins apart from considerable respect. So I don't really appreciate your suggestion that I'm just getting emotional about this. The general emotion is one of disgust/exasperation at the way Dawkins was dealt with in TBG's diary and worse in some of the comments - which I cited. It's a British tradition (but not confined to us of course) to want to see "fair play" and to deplore attacking someone in an uninformed and/or malicious way and repeatedly, in TBG's case, misrepresenting what Dawkins is doing - YET AGAIN - he's NOT  trying to convert fundamentalists. If that happens it's a bonus - and it can happen, see for example:

This Blog has been created for the purpose of debunking Evangelical Christianity. We are ex-Christians, ex-ministers, and even ex-apologists for the Christian faith. We are now freethinkers, skeptics, agnostics, and atheists. With the diversity of our combined strengths we seek to debunk Christianity.

http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/

But that isn't basically what he's trying to do - I made clear in the diary what he IS trying to do.

So, criticism based on the idea that he's mainly trying to convert fundamentalist or even very committed moderate Christians is entirely irrelevant - see the damned diary.

As I've said I have no problem with reasoned criticism, with argument and evidence, which takes the trouble to be accurate about what Dawkins actually says, and particularly what he says in "The God Delusion" and what he has said in videos of readings, Q&A sessions and interviews. I have yet to see any which does this and makes valid criticisms.

We say the most vile things about Bush, Blair and everybody outside here.

I don't think this is one of the more attractive aspects of ET - while confessing that I have been guilty of it myself - but generally I try to back up any strong criticism with some reasons and evidence.

I would even defend Bush if he was blatantly misrepresented - there is plenty of scope for attack without sinking to that.

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri Jan 11th, 2008 at 01:27:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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