Many people want to send their children to faith schools because they get good exam results, but they're not foolish enough to believe that it's because of faith that they get good exam results. Richard Dawkins More Quotes by Richard Dawkins More Quotes From Richard Dawkins The God of the Old testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction. Richard Dawkins atheist religious god In medieval times, the Church used to sell 'indulgences' for money. This amounted to paying for some number of days' remission from purgatory, and the Church literally (and with breathtaking presumption) issued signed certificates specifying the number of days off that had been purchased. . . . And of all its money-making rip-offs, the selling of indulgences must surely rank among the greatest con tricks in history. . . . Richard Dawkins rip numbers religion The other way is the multiverse way. That says that maybe the universe we are in is one of a very large number of universes. The vast majority will not contain life because they have the wrong gravitational constant or the wrong this constant or that constant. But as the number of universes climbs, the odds mount that a tiny minority of universes will have the right fine-tuning. Richard Dawkins tuning odds numbers After sleeping through a hundred million centuries, we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Richard Dawkins color eye sleep Public sharing is an important part of science. Richard Dawkins important Religious people are atheists about all other gods, atheists only take it one god further. Richard Dawkins atheist religious people I am very comfortable with the idea that we can override biology with free will. Richard Dawkins biology free-will ideas We are built as gene machines and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against our creators. We, alone on earth, can rebel against the tyranny of the selfish replicators. Richard Dawkins rebel machines selfish If God wanted to forgive our sins, why not just forgive them, without having himself tortured and executed in payment-thereby, incidentally, condemning remote future generations of Jews to pogroms and persecution as 'Christ-killers': did that hereditary sin pass down in the semen too? Richard Dawkins why-not forgiving generations Most thoughtful people would agree that morality in the absence of policing is somehow more truly moral than the kind of false morality that vanishes as soon as the police go on strike or the spy camera is switched off, whether the spy camera is a real one monitored in the police station or an imaginary one in heaven. Richard Dawkins thoughtful real people Why, I can't help wondering, is God thought to need such ferocious defence? One might have supposed him amply capable of looking after himself. Richard Dawkins helping might needs It would be intolerant if I advocated the banning of religion, but of course I never have. Richard Dawkins courses ifs would-be Why would anybody be intimidated by mere words? I mean, neither I nor any other athiest that I know ever threatens violence. We never threaten to fly planes into skyscrapers. We never threaten suicide bombs. We are very gentle people. All we do is use words to talk about things like the cosmos, the origin of the universe, evolution, the origin of life. What's there to be frightened of? It's just an opinion. Richard Dawkins origin-of-life suicide mean If you don't understand how something works, never mind: just give up and say God did it. You don't know how the nerve impulse works? Good! You don't understand how memories are laid down in the brain? Excellent! Is photosynthesis a bafflingly complex process? Wonderful! Please don't go to work on the problem, just give up, and appeal to God. Richard Dawkins giving-up brain memories The illusion of design is so successful that to this day most Americans (including, significantly, many influential and rich Americans) stubbornly refuse to believe it is an illusion. Richard Dawkins design successful believe You cannot be both sane and well educated and disbelieve in evolution. The evidence is so strong that any sane, educated person has got to believe in evolution. Richard Dawkins strong believe religion I am thrilled to be alive at time when humanity is pushing against the limits of understanding. Even better, we may eventually discover that there are no limits. Richard Dawkins alive understanding humanity Everybody is an atheist in saying that there is a god - from Ra to Shiva - in which he does not believe. All that the serious and objective atheist does is to take the next step and to say that there is just one more god to disbelieve in. Richard Dawkins atheist believe religion Discrimination is not liberal. Arguing against discrimination is not intolerance. Richard Dawkins intolerance discrimination arguing The Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, the raising of Lazarus, even the Old Testament miracles, all are freely used for religious propaganda, and they are very effective with an audience of unsophisticates and children Richard Dawkins miracle religious children
