Reading materialist atheist like chewing glass?

Friend Edward Sisson writes to say, “While researching an entirely different subject, I came across this post by blogger "Shannon Love" of "Chicago Boyz" in 2006, tearing into a Richard Dawkins book. His treatment of the practical effects of atheism, and comparison of religion to atheism, is all the more effective because he declares himself to be an atheist.”

As in:

I keep losing my personal heroes.

Richard Dawkins is one of the century’s great evolutionary theorists and someone whose work I really admire. His work revolutionized the way scientists thought about evolutionary theory. I think I can safely say that I have read everything that the man has written in every major forum. So, as an atheist myself, I looked forward to Dawkins weighing in on the subject of religion, from the perspective of an evolutionary theorist, in his new book, “The God Delusion”.

This weekend I made it to my local bookstore, grabbed a copy of the “The God Delusion” and sat down with a cup of coffee to read it immediately — even before buying it. Imagine my shock and even horror to discover that Dawkins’ book is trite, facile and just plain, well, dumb.

[Shocka! How so?]

Atheists reflexively repeat the mantra that religion causes oppression, war and general cruelty of all kinds, while asserting or implying that atheism does not. Dawkins falls right into this mindless argument in the opening paragraphs of the book and never lets up. (Reading someone like Dawkins making such a pompous, counterfactual argument is like chewing glass.)

Kid this smart wasted on atheism.

He adds,

“The God Delusion” is a trite, shallow unimaginative book. It is not intended to evangelize to non-atheists, but instead preaches to the choir by vomiting out all of the conceits and prejudices that atheists hold in common. As a defense of the atheistic world view it is a pathetic failure. Coming from one of the century’s great scientific minds, it’s just sad.

News, Shannon: He isn’t one of the last century’s great scientific minds, just a Darwin dogmatist with a good writing style. Glad you are not making anything depend on him.