I think we certainly benefit from social institutions which encourage us towards moral behavior. It's very important to have law. It's very important to have a moral education. Richard Dawkins More Quotes by Richard Dawkins More Quotes From Richard Dawkins I might respect you as a brilliant intellect, runner, musician or juggler. But respect your BELIEFS? Only if they're supported by evidence. Richard Dawkins musician belief might Having a debate with a modern Christian is like punching a sponge. Richard Dawkins punching christian religion To fill a world with ... religions of the Abrahamic kind, is like littering the streets with loaded guns. Do not be surprised if they are used. Richard Dawkins littering atheism gun Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and they are good ones, which would probably end up persuading me. But hasn't the time come when we should stop being frightened even to put the question? Richard Dawkins eugenics answers thinking A child is not a Christian child, not a Muslim child, but a child of Christian parents or a child of Muslim parents. This latter nomenclature, by the way, would be an excellent piece of consciousness-raising for the children themselves. A child who is told she is a 'child of Muslim parents' will immediately realize that religion is something for her to choose -or reject- when she becomes old enough to do so. Richard Dawkins parent christian children The true scientific understanding of the nature of existence is so utterly fascinating; how could you not want people to share it? Carl Sagan, I think, said 'when you're in love, you want to tell the world.' And who, on understanding a scientific view of reality, would not, as it were, fall in love and want to tell the world. Richard Dawkins falling-in-love love-you reality The universe doesn't owe us condolence or consolation; it doesn't owe us a nice warm feeling inside. Richard Dawkins nice condolences feelings It sounds superficially fair. But it presupposes that that there is something in Christian theology to be ignorant about. The entire thrust of my position is that Christian theology is a non-subject. It is empty. Vacuous. Devoid of coherence or content. I imagine that McGrath would join me in expressing disbelief in fairies, astrology and Thor's hammer. How would he respond if a fairyologist, astrologer or Viking accused him of ignorance of their respective subjects? Richard Dawkins astrology ignorance christian [It] is capable of driving people to such dangerous folly that faith seems to me to qualify as a kind of mental illness. Richard Dawkins atheism people religion All religious beliefs seem weird to people not brought up in them. Richard Dawkins religious people religion Scientific truth is too beautiful to be sacrificed for the sake of light entertainment or money. Astrology is an aesthetic affront. It cheapens astronomy, like using Beethoven for commercial jingles. Richard Dawkins astrology light beautiful So Occam's razor - Occam says you should choose the explanation that is most simple and straightforward - leads me more to believe in God than in the multiverse, which seems quite a stretch of the imagination. Richard Dawkins imagination simple believe In a way, I think religion is to be admired for asking the right questions. I just think it's got the wrong answers. Richard Dawkins wrong-answers asking thinking It is fashionable to wax apocalyptic about the threat to humanity posed by the AIDS virus, "mad cow" disease, and many others, but I think a case can be made that faith is one of the world's great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate. Richard Dawkins mad-cow-disease evil thinking Even those who do not, or cannot, avail themselves of a scientific education, choose to benefit from the technology that is made possible by the scientific education of others. Richard Dawkins benefits technology made One of the possible reasons why we might be good is that we're frightened, frightened of God. We want the reward in Heaven, we don't want to go to Hell. That would be an ignoble, ignominious reason for being good, and I think that if anybody was good to you just because they hoped for a heavenly reward, you wouldn't respect them, you'd probably give them a wide berth. Richard Dawkins giving heaven thinking I would like to find a way in which people in Saudi Arabia could learn that they can be something other than a Muslim. Some people may not realize this. Of course, there is the problem that you can get in trouble or get stoned. Richard Dawkins arabia may people The machine code of the genes is uncannily computer-like. Apart from differences in jargon, the pages of a molecular biology journal might be interchanged with those of a computer engineering journal. Richard Dawkins molecular-biology engineering differences Offense is what people take when they can't take argument. Richard Dawkins offense argument people The world and the universe is an extremely beautiful place, and the more we understand about it the more beautiful does it appear. Richard Dawkins doe beautiful world
