Richard Dawkins: The Atheist Apostle

13 Apr 2010

Richard Dawkins is the world’s most famous proponent of atheism. Spanky Moore headed to his recent lecture in Christchurch and managed to leave with his faith intact.

When, out of the blue, a friend offered me a ticket to the sold-out show on the eve of Richard Dawkins' lecture at the Christchurch Town Hall, I figured it was divine intervention. For the most part Dawkins' lecture was pure science, covering his theories of evolution from his latest book The Greatest Show on Earth. Some people might have enjoyed this side of things, but it’s certain that most of the 2500 present didn’t come to see the world’s most outspoken atheist talk about protein sequences and chromosomes. Forty minutes in feet started shuffling, watches were checked, I nodded off once – “Surely we’re going to get more bang than this?”

Don’t fret. In the last quarter the fireworks began, and people perked up as he tried to explain our strange human compulsion to give thanks to a higher being for our “very lucky” evolutionary existence. Needless to say – Dawkins thinks this impulse is merely a lingering evolutionary mistake perpetuated by deluded religious “wingnuts” like myself.

All philosophical arguments aside, I think the woe of Dawkins' ways is his inconsistency. A trained biological scientist, he carefully sifts through the biological facts with a qualified and nuanced approach. But when it comes to matters of God and faith, an area he’s not such an expert in, his tool kit suddenly consists of generalisations, name calling, and bizarre theories. Dawkins is guilty of using an intellectual scalpel for one job, and then switching suddenly to a bulldozer for another.

Come the question and answer session, it became evident I was in the midst of an atheist’s southern-style church service. There was clapping and cheering, hanging off his every word, even a standing ovation at the end, and he naturally finished off with a book signing. Perhaps atheist equivalent of laying on of hands?

Sadly, whenever the discussion around Atheism rears its head, it tends to bring the worst out in some Christians – often giving embarrassing credence to Dawkins' Christian caricatures. But we should thank him for one thing at least. Dawkins has helped jerk a large chunk of society into discussing and debating this curious preset humans have towards God and religion. Just don’t expect Dawkins to get out of his bulldozer to participate in this debate beyond clichés anytime soon. He’s much too busy with book signings.

WORDS: Spanky Moore