Perhaps Richard Dawkins should don some Angry Birds eyebrows for his next video? He is pissed at religion, at faith not because it is ALWAYS used for bad purposes but because it CAN BE and has been. It is a toxin for children. Whereas REASON would never ever do the things religion is accused of doing. Can REASON be misused? Let’s contrast the irreligion of Stalin, Hitler with Pius XII or Billy Graham. Graham, who has reached more people for the name of Christ than anyone else, is responsible for so much violence? This clever little video with the soothing peaceful piano background essentially equates Al-Qaeda with Quakers, suicide-bombers with saintly ascetics, and Westboro Baptist nut-cases with true religion. If there is no God, Richard, what right do you have to be angry? There is no right or wrong, period. I love this guy. He is so transparently purposeful, determined, and intelligent. I have to believe it really comes from somewhere, not just a chemical process, even if he is wrong–and angry.
I think you hit the nail right on the head. I think even more directly to his point is the issue of eugenics, which is a direct application (though he would say misapplication) of Darwinism.
It is interesting what things are brought to light simply by taking ideologies to their logical end. Hopefully there will be many prayers for Dawkins’ soul. When Christopher Hitchens passed away I was prompted to pray with more fervor for the anti-theists.
For a man who claims he follows the evidence, Dawkins is very selective about the evidence chosen. That’s unfortunate, but understandable. His tribalism is evident. He is prima facie evidence in favor of the idea of original sin. In sum, he is one of us, a fellow fallen human.