Criticism of the Gnu Atheists (Dawkins, Hitchens, et al) for supposedly being strident and shrill is easy to come by. "You'll only hurt your own cause with your trenchant polemics!" the critics cry. For these people, which includes believers and non-believers alike, the non-religious just don't understand religion and/or Richard Dawkins is just a big meanie.
Well, apparently Dawkins really isn't just an ignorant brute after all. The son of Catholic biochemist and "Intelligent Design" proponent Michael Behe has gone public with his atheism and he gives Dawkins some credit.
The first book I read against religion was Dawkins' "The God Delusion". While I didn't (and still don't) agree with everything he said, I tried to empty my mind of assumptions and reformed opinions as much as possible. I read through the whole book in two days, and the result was quite shocking to me. It was like taking off rose-colored glasses for the first time. I realized how questionable religion might sound to some who had not grown up around it. And that was the foundation of my change- it took quite a while to accept, I'd say about six months, but the more I read, the more I realized that religion's claims were simply unfounded.
Will you look at that. Richard Dawkins - the biologist who has 18/00 stridency and a +4 shrill bonus - managed to appeal some someone's reason, managed to get someone with an open mind to contemplate their beliefs in a critical manner.
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Along these same lines, three cheers to Nate Phelps, the estranged son of loony toon Fred Phelps. He's out there speaking against the abuses of his father and in support of gay people.
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