Lectora
1st November 2011, 09:26 AM
Two years ago, Alister Mcgrath, scientist turned theologian, moved from his post as Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford to to be a Professor of Theology at King's College London and director of its Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture. Why God won't go away is his latest book (pbk SPCK,pub 2011) and was a runner up for the Michael Ramsay Book Prize this year.
The book's sub title Engaging with the New Atheism tells you what it is all about. It opens with a survey of the main ideas of New Atheism as expressed in the work of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. McGrath then examines and discusses the core views of the movement closely. His examination also makes due mention of the online New Atheist communities with their web sites and blogs.
As I discovered when I joined a Religion/Ethics Forum, one of the New Atheist obsessions in exchanges with Christians is to throw up ad nausam all the evils perpetrated by Christians throughout the ages, none of the good ever mentioned. We do not deny the horrors perpetrated in the name of religion and niether does Alister McGrath. There is much of which to be ashamed but there is also much for which to to be thankful.
After quoting Richard Dawkins that "there is not the smallest evidence that atheism systematically influences people to do bad things", McGrath launches into a most interesting and detailed account of atheism's profound and long association with Soviet Communism. He has references for every statement and assertion he makes like "From 1925 onwards the League of Militant Atheists urged the burning and dynamiting of huge numbers of churches, including some of great cultural importance..." When I mentioned this on the Forum I was abused and sworn at by New Atheist members (forum badly moderated).
Alister McGrath's latest book is a fascinating read. If you are going to read Dawkins and co. is it not fair to read the arguments on the other side too?
The book's sub title Engaging with the New Atheism tells you what it is all about. It opens with a survey of the main ideas of New Atheism as expressed in the work of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. McGrath then examines and discusses the core views of the movement closely. His examination also makes due mention of the online New Atheist communities with their web sites and blogs.
As I discovered when I joined a Religion/Ethics Forum, one of the New Atheist obsessions in exchanges with Christians is to throw up ad nausam all the evils perpetrated by Christians throughout the ages, none of the good ever mentioned. We do not deny the horrors perpetrated in the name of religion and niether does Alister McGrath. There is much of which to be ashamed but there is also much for which to to be thankful.
After quoting Richard Dawkins that "there is not the smallest evidence that atheism systematically influences people to do bad things", McGrath launches into a most interesting and detailed account of atheism's profound and long association with Soviet Communism. He has references for every statement and assertion he makes like "From 1925 onwards the League of Militant Atheists urged the burning and dynamiting of huge numbers of churches, including some of great cultural importance..." When I mentioned this on the Forum I was abused and sworn at by New Atheist members (forum badly moderated).
Alister McGrath's latest book is a fascinating read. If you are going to read Dawkins and co. is it not fair to read the arguments on the other side too?