Richard Dawkins, the champion of atheists everywhere, has always ridiculed any notion of God. He claims everything that exists has come about only through evolutionary processes. In other words, nothing produced everything. (Although he is willing to entertain the idea that the human race was “seeded” here by a higher alien life form. Go figure! He can’t stand the thought that an almighty Creator God gave us life, but being related to apes or E.T. is fine. See Romans 1:18-22)
So, in his view, we are merely another evolved species, no different from animals except perhaps in degree of evolved intelligence. There is no great Creator to whom we are responsible and must give an account. So he says … loudly and often.
But has he just tipped his hand?
Over the past few weeks he has had a little bit of a run in with some of his atheist admirers. On his website, RichardDawkins.net, he has had a very active forum which has been frequented by atheists from all over the world, chatting together about what they DON’T believe in. (Strange pastime. A case of “Methinks thou protesteth too much”?)
Well, Mr. Dawkins decided it was time for a few changes in Shangri La. He wanted to change his site with some new ideas, and part of his plan included shutting down the forum in its present format. He duly informed his audience of what he was going to do, and lo and behold he had a number of his atheist admirers suddenly turn on him. It got nasty indeed, with many calling him some very foul names.
In response, an understandably angry Dawkins shut down the forum and wrote an open letter denouncing his detractors appalling behavior. (After all, he is the Creator and Owner of the site, doesn’t he have a right to do with it as he pleases? Hmm. Might want to stop and think about that one Richard!)
You can read his open letter, entitled “Outrage” HERE (as long as it is allowed to remain on the site). [NOTE: it has now been taken down, so the link has been disabled.]
Mr. Dawkins, why on earth would you be outraged? What has given you any sense at all that there is such a thing as “good” or (in this instance) “bad” behavior? If we are merely more highly evolved animals, who SAYS anything is right or wrong?
Clearly Richard Dawkins does have a sense of things that violate what is RIGHT and proper. He admits that there is a standard. Where did that come from? Evolved gloop out of the primordial slime could not have constructed such a uniform and universal ethical code, engrained in a living “conscience” as part of our human makeup. Moral law makes no sense without a moral law Giver.
“… for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” (Romans 2:14-16)
Mr. Dawkins, thank you for demonstrating again the obvious. That there is a good and just God who has written His laws on our hearts.
Phil
“You can read his open letter, entitled “Outrage” HERE”
And you read his subsequent apology for that http://richarddawkins.net/articles/5165. Oh sorry. Did that not fit your narrative or something? What a shame.
Thanks for posting that link Simon. It’s not something that I withheld intentionally. There’s nothing in the apology that changes one word of what I’ve written in my post. In fact, in the apology Mr.Dawkins AGAIN talks about “appalling personal abuse” and “vile comments”. Who says it’s appalling? Who says they’re vile? We ALL do! Why? Because we share a clear sense of right and wrong. Where ever did we get such a thing?
Your very first paragraph sets the scene perfectly:-
He claims everything that exists has come about only through evolutionary processes. In other words, nothing produced everything.
Clearly you don’t understand the concept of natural selection as it relates to the evolution of species or simply choose to ignore the evidence.
Perhaps your hangup is the ultimate question of how did life first come into being and ridicule the idea that it could have been seeded by an alien lifeform.
We know that space travel is possible as a number of good christian like yourself have made some of these journeys but where is the support for the idea that a super being just did it all.
Incidently what would a super being be then if not an alien (but that’s another question)?
The difference between us is that I can admit I don’t know the answer, yet, but you seem to have another need manifested in your blind adherence to your faith.
As far as right and wrong, good and bad, your assertion that only the belief in a god has an explanation again displays your ignorance of evoltion.
Evolved gloop out of the primordial slime it certainly is not but certainly is an evolved trait that in some of the higher primates is also observed even without their stated belief in a god.
Do you think they do but just can’t verbalise it; from your perspective they are all god’s creatures. All things bright and beautiful as the hymn goes, after all!