"...Science is advancing all time and religion is not, and religion is slowly dying," Dawkins told TV3 show The Nation on Saturday.

"It's dying much faster in some countries than others. It's dying very fast in western and northern Europe, I suspect in New Zealand as well."

Dawkins said on Twitter last week he was considering a visit to New Zealand soon.

Dawkins holds the belief that the supernatural does not exist, and he rejects mysticism.

The interviewer on The Nation, Lisa Owen, asked how he explained his acceptance things like poetry, music and love, things she said that "arguably are irrational."

Dawkins replied,"Oh, well, no. I mean, I think they're rational. "I mean, they have a rational explanation. Things like love, poetic sensibility, music, these are very, very real, very important human experiences..."

"So although we may not yet have a scientific explanation for what goes on in the brain, we do know that - well, I think we know - that it's things that are going on in the brain when you do fall in love or when you swoon at a piece of Schubert or something like that."

When asked if religion worked in the same way he replied, "Very probably it does, but, of course, that doesn't make it true, because religion is not just an emotion."

"I mean, religion actually does make factual claims about the universe, which, in my view, are false, and the mere fact that people have emotional reactions to them doesn't make them true."

Dawkins opposes all forms of religion, but he says at present Islam is the most dangerous

He said 500 years ago, Christianity was similarly dangerous but today its "teeth have been drawn".

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• 3news.co.nz
• Image: scienceblogs.com

You need only consider the position the ghastly Kardashians occupy in the hearts and minds of millions of television viewers for evidence of that.

We wreck the world through overpopulation, squander resources and exterminate species far lovelier than ourselves. Climate change looks to be fiercely upon us. We're choking with plastic that nobody needs, yet everything we did to cause this situation was considered entirely reasonable. It still is, some would argue, on the basis of the profit motive. What could be less rational than that?

Just as Pope Francis takes over at the Vatican, hoping to anchor Catholicism firmly, overcome its scandals and demonstrate its values convincingly, the forces of darkness are planning to come here in the person of Sean Faircloth, whose surname I find amusing, all things considered.

Mr Faircloth is the American director of strategy and policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, or what, in the Pope's terms, might be called propagation of the faith. He is a devotee of the cult of Dawkinism, then, which argues that there is no God and therefore religion is absurd.

Why you need to join a club to believe that I don't know, since the world is crammed with busy atheists, but Mr Dawkins has had a revelation of the truth that requires followers, and the more the merrier. He deeply dislikes the evangelical Christian movement, a similar scenario to his own, in some ways, although with hymns.

"I'm looking for people from Down Under to be a voice for an international secular movement and to preach the gospel of rationality," Mr Faircloth says, apparently without irony. I think this man of the cloth protests too much.

As for me, I struggle to think of much in human endeavour that is more than slightly rational, and what I can think of has a track record every bit as unfortunate as religion's. For every war caused by religion, there has been an equally appalling one based on reason, or so the protagonists have thought. Continue reading

Sources

• Rosemary McLeod in The Dominion Post
• Image: The Northern Advocate

Rosemary McLeod is a New Zealand journalist

"I think there's something very evil about faith … it justifies essentially anything. If you're taught in your holy book or by your priest that blasphemers should die or apostates should die - anybody who once believed in the religion and no longer does needs to be killed - that clearly is evil. And people don't have to justify it because it's their faith."

In the caricaturing of "faith" as murderous fundamentalism, one hears echoes of the bloody and interminable Reformation squabbles between Protestants and Catholics. It is also of course to give help to the real enemy, those who turn their back fully on science as they follow their religion. Read more

Sources

• Michael Ruse in The Guardian
• See Aeon for a longer version of this article
• Image: Zoonomian

Michael Ruse is professor of philosophy and zoology at Florida State University.

In a debate that the Sydney Morning Herald says bordered on barely concealed mutual disdain, boiled over more than once and the Science v God, Atheist v Belief, Logic v Faith debate left all parties bruised.

Pell was given the early lead in terms of points by the audience when he highlighted that science could not answer some of life's most profound questions, such as why we are here.

"The question why is not necessarily a question that deserves to be answered," Dawkins fired back. "'What is the purpose of the universe?' is a silly question."

Reportedly he however lost points on his understanding of science.

Pell remained constant on gay marriage and his personal perspective on climate change, but seemed to win some unexpected support when he agreed evolution was probably right and that atheists could certainly go to heaven.

The debate highlighted many unanswered questions and the fact that the two would never agree because they were arguing from different premises.

Dawkins is in Australia for the commencement of the Global Atheist Convention, "A Celebration of Reason", being held in Melbourne. At a "Reason Rally" held in Washington DC in March, as reported in CathNews, Dawkins called for atheists to target and mock religious people.

"Mock them, ridicule them in public. Don't fall for the convention that we're all to polite to talk about religion," Dawkins said.

Speaking independently with "The Australian" Cardinal Pell defended his role in the public life, and by way of example he compared the prominent public role of the Australian Church with the implied public silence in New Zealand.

Saying that people should not be surprised by his involvement in public life, Pell observed that "New Zealanders when they come here (Australia) will often comment on the visibility of the Christian Churches and particularly the Catholic Church, and figures of the Catholic Church in public life."

Sources

• SMH
• CathNews
• The Australian
• Image: SMH

Prominent atheist, Richard Dawkins told the rally not to despise religious people, rather despise what they stand for.

He called on the crowd to challenge religious people and to "ridicule and show contempt" for their doctrines and sacraments, including the Eucharist.

Craig Lowery, a Dawkins fan thought Dawkins had gone a bit too far. He said he applauded but admitted he's not a confrontational atheist.

"I might make fun of them in my head but I wouldn't say it. Most people, religious or otherwise, are good people."

Dawkins views though were supported by Reason Rally organiser, and American Athiests President, David Silerman who reveled in the group's reputation as the 'marines of atheism,' as the people who storm the faith barricades and bring 'unpopular but necessary' lawsuits.

While to the point, other speakers were a little less aggressive.

• Atheist blogger Hemant Mehta urged people to run for office, any post from school board to Congress to dogcatcher.
• Greta Christina, author of Why Are You Atheists So Angry?, delivered a long litany of what makes her angry, including that Rick Santorum is a viable candidate for the presidency of the United States. In the process of her speech she attacked every major faith.
• Adam Savage, co-host of Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel, said there really is someone who loves and protects him and watches over his actions - "It's me!"

The Reason Rally was billed as the largest-ever gathering of nonbelievers in one place and a sharp increase over the numbers involved in the Godless March on Washington 10 years ago.

Another significant visible differenence was the composition of the crowd, which was largely under the age of 30, at least half female and included many people of color. Ten years ago, the crowd was mostly white, over 40 and predominantly male.

Sources

• Gama News
• USA Today
• Huffington Post
• Religion News Service
• Image: Reason Rally