The Atheists' Revolt?

Here's a thoughtful comment by a commenter with the handle CharlieMcMenamin, on a Guardian Comment is Free piece titled The atheists' revolt. I found it more interesting than the piece itself and largely agree with said comment.




By CharlieMcMenamin (CiF username):

I'm an atheist and deeply resentful at the way the Churches in this country have power over, for example, the education system - but I am really uneasy about this whole development of a head-on clash between 'science as atheism' and 'religion' per se.

I can remember when it was very, very clear where the religious radicals were: they stood alongside the secular and non believing radicals in places like CND, Amnesty and Third World Solidarity campaigns. In fact they still do. Religion was simply treated as a private matter, one of a possible number of personal motivations that brought people into radical activity.

Dawkins et al are largely fighting an American fight. I absolutely agree that Creationism and Intelligent Design must be mercilessly criticised and ridiculed for the non science that they so clearly are. But they are marginal forces in this country.

The intellectual conflict is now spilling over into a general religion v science debate which, to be frank, is of little help in buttressing the necessary practical alliances between religious people and atheists or agnostics which form the bedrock of quite a lot of liberal-leftish activity in this country.

If Dawkins wants to pick a important fight with religion in Britain- as opposed to elsewhere- he should highlight the absurdity of us having an Establish state Church or start majoring on the need for a complete secularisation of the education system. I think he might even find a number of believers who agreed with him...

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