GaryCat

Channel 4, Monday at 8pm - a program close to the heart of NSR.

The Root of All Evil?

The God Delusion

Professor Richard Dawkins, Chair of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford and world-renowned evolutionary biologist, is no stranger to controversy. In this contentious two-part series, Dawkins decribes God as the most unpleasant fictional character of all and launches a wholehearted attack on religion as the cause for much of the pain and suffering in the world.

Ben v7

Yes looks like it's going to be very interesting. I'm looking forward to watching it. Channel 4 generally doesn't disappoint when it comes to controversy. Be interesting to see if he attacks all religions equally or chooses to focus more on one in particular.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Well, if there never was religion at all. Then the world would have been a much more peacful place.

God(s) and their assoicated religions has a lot to answer for in terms of the world's atrocities

Then again, knowing humans. They'd find some other reason to bicker about and drop bombs on other people.


Makes good population control though

Ben v7

Perhaps if there had been no religion people would of just done things in the name of something else? In essensce most religions preach peace and so on - it's when they are abused for man's own ends. Will probably change soon though. Religion isn't as important as oil these days for example - that will be the next issue wars are fought over I expect.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Very true Ben. Some would argue that this has already happened! 'Cough.. Iraq...Cough'

StickyMicky

agreed

religion is a load of **** IMO
i was stopping in a hotel last week and there was a bible, for a laugh ? i had a flick through, i was quite impressed with the way in which women were suposedly put on earth as helpers for the men

cant remember anything about that in school

The Rani

"God" got that wrong then

Johnny E

religion..........smeligion.........who cares?

if its not killing for one reason its another

2000TLondon

I won't be watching it, but would like to!

Religion seems to be the root of all evil to me, and has been the cause of every major conflict in History, in one way or another. However, generally it is used as an excuse by people to harm and maim which is generally done in the pursuit of wealth.

Even Bin Laden has a profit margin somewhere, and the crusades, educating the savages? Common theft more like!

People need something to believe in, though, and I'm sure in the days when people were less synical and scientific, religion was a great insurance policy!

Will be looking forward to the fall-out!

Chelspeed

And if Richard Dawkins gets struck down by lightning on Tusday for making the programme then you'll all change your tune very quickly....

But if he doesn't then that's proof positive that god doesn't exist and the brain dead who believe will all immediately realise religion is the worlds most successful and long running scam ever and and come round to your way of thinking. Hopefully.

Leslie

There is a great deal of good in religion and a lot of gross evil amonst the irreligious!

Les

trackman

I think this could be a hornets nest in the making!

Three subjects that are always guaranteed to cause an argument;

Religion
Politics
The royal family.

OllyK

Dig out the statistics for religious breakdown in US prisons and compare that to the general US population. That will be a nice bit of evidence to support your assertion - or not as the case may be.

Ben v7

Religion is a positive force in many people's lives. To brandish anyone who has such beliefs as stupid or not quite right in the head is very small minded. Many religious institutes do a lot of good in their communities - the Church's in Africa and America for example - helping to educate about HIV, steer people away from drugs and crime for example.

Regardless of your own personal view point, people who choose to follow a religion and live their lives accordingly should not be condemned in the way that some have done. Does something that encourages morality, compassion and consideration for other human beings really need to be strongly discouraged? Of course religion has been manipulated and abused by man for other means, but this is not the fault of the religion it's self.

I also think there is some confusion between being religious and believing in a higher power, creator, designer or 'God'.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

'Does something that encourages morality, compassion and consideration for other human beings '

Well said but what about religion ?

Seriously though, perhaps if someone came up with a creed that has all the good stuff about religion and took away all the crap, you know the having to believe all the mumbo humbo then that would be a positive force, personally I cant get involved in religion because I dont beleive it, might be more inclined to sign up if it wasnt so daft, sit down, stand up, sign a song about god and how great he is, put hands together, say 'Amen' a lot, say 'May the lord be with you' and have everybody say 'and also with you'.

GaryCat

Most religions have the concept of God, especially the 3 main ones, Christianity, Islam and Judaism so where is the confusion?

Many people who describe themselves as Christians only do so because they have a Christian-style morality, however they do not believe in God and therefore cannot be Christians the fundamental belief that Jesus was the son of God is the most important concept of Christianity so what these people actually are, is Humanist.

They already have. It's called Humanism. - http://humaniststudies.org/humphil.html

astraboy

I agree.
I am convinced there is a higher being that had a hand in the creation of things, however, I dont for one minute believe that any of the organised relegion's interpretation of him/her/it/them have even come close what is actually the case.
astraboy.