Christopher Hitchens: "I think religion should be treated with ridicule, hatred, and contempt, and I claim that right." [2]
Frank Turek: "...why resort to ridicule, hatred, and contempt when atheists claim that reason soundly refutes what a religious person believes? Could it be that atheists arguments don't succeed? Could it be that since they don't succeed, atheists often resort to emotion in order to cover their deficiency in reason?
If atheists declare themselves about reason, then they should use it. They should present their arguments without ridicule, hatred, or contempt, and then we can evaluate them on the merits. After all, don't they believe their own press releases-the ones where they bestow on themselves flattering nicknames such as 'brights' and 'freethinkers'?" [3]
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Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Footnotes:
1. Richard Dawkins, "Reason Rally" Speech, 2012, Transcript here.
2. Christopher Hitches from a speech in Toronto as quoted by Frank Turek in Stealing from God, p. 38.
3. Frank Turek, Stealing from God, p. 39.
Comments
When atheists use emotional appeals full of ridicule and contempt, they're trying to wake up the irrational people and motivate them to pay attention. That's their strategy.
Of course it looks the same as frustrated desperation, as Frank Turek points out. I wonder how we can tell who's right.
I hope all is well in Tokyo!
"I wonder how we can tell who's right."
It is my conviction that one must first be sure they want to know who is right.
Godspeed