1. The new preface to The God Delusion paperback and Q&A

Comment #51702 by gaijin51 on June 24, 2007 at 7:27 am

I just picked up The God Delusion paperback edition (I'm poor and I also like to read on the train).

Keep fighting the good fight Dr Dawkins!

2. Gimme That Old Time Religion (Bashing)

Comment #27769 by gaijin51 on March 26, 2007 at 3:49 pm

Jonathan Dore:

That's an interesting point, gaijin51. Can you give us an example of the kind of approach you mean please? Humour? Indignation?

It seems like you would almost have to offer an alternative to the church and its all the social, community and emotional support that the church provides.

To take just one example, the hymn "Amazing Grace" is an extremely powerful emotional argument for religion. Rationality is not really a necessary part of the argument.

In another realm, look at advertising: in the early days of advertising, most advertisers tried to make a pitch that appealed to reason in some way, but nowadays, they rarely bother to list rational reasons for buying a product. Most advertising is purely an emotional appeal.
Kingasauraus:

Why are large numbers of Europeans essentially secular if not outright atheistic in their outlook? Were they "appealed to on an emotional level" to give up religion themselves or not teach it with seriousness to their children?

How did that work, exactly? I'm leery of blanket proscriptive statements like "the application of reason/ridicule won't work in this situation."

Reason alone works for some people, like us, but not all. Perhaps Europeans also have more substitutes for Church? You are welcome to try reason; I have tried, but it has not been effective in my experience.

3. Gimme That Old Time Religion (Bashing)

Comment #27704 by gaijin51 on March 26, 2007 at 8:10 am

First time post.

I am an unbeliever and have been for a long time, but I think Mr. Clarkson has a point.

Rational arguments against religion, no matter how well constructed, are not very helpful, because such arguments don't seem to actually move religious people, except to annoy them. People don't convert to a religion for rational reasons, so why would they be dissuaded by rational arguments? To move such people you have to appeal to them on an emotional level. If we are rational, we must face reality and accept human nature.