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Global Prognosis
Puncturing Atheism
You would have to have been hitchhiking across Siberia to have missed a striking new phenomenon: The atheists are back. Not just back, mind you, but globally parading in triumph across tv, bookstores, and the Internet. But don't be tongue-tied; an unlikely God Squad (including the flamboyant Al Sharpton) is taking them on.
In the past 12 months, atheist authors, according to The Wall Street Journal, have created a publishing sensation, selling more than 1 million books worldwide. These include: 500,000 hardcover copies of Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion (2006); 296,000 in sales for Christopher Hitchens's God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (2007); 185,000 copies of Sam Harris's Letter to a Christian Nation (2006); 64,100 copies of Daniel C. Dennett's Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon (2006); and 60,000 copies of Victor J. Stenger's God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist (2007).
The leader of the atheist pack is Oxford evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, holder of the Charles Simonyi professorship for the public understanding of science at Oxford University. Simonyi is one of the Microsoft billionaires. An atheist, he insisted that Dawkins be the first holder of his professorship because, as he said, Dawkins would be "Darwin's rottweiler."
Dawkins sets the tone for the new atheist surge, describing the God of the Old Testament as "arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it … petty … unjust, [an] unforgiving control-freak … misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal. … "
Meanwhile, ex-Englishman Hitchens (who once provoked left-wing British mp George Galloway into calling him "a drink-sodden, ...
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Global Prognosis
David Aikman
David Aikman is professor of history and writer-in-residence at Patrick Henry College and wrote for Time magazine from 1971 to 1994. Among his books are Jesus in Beijing and A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush. His column, "Global Prognosis," ran from 2006 to 2007.
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Mike Willmore
I am really pleased that some of our molecular bilkologists are at last putting up evidence against atheists who believe that science has all the answers to creation which disproves the theists assertions of creation. Most of the young people I have come across who have had serious doubts thrown on their christian beliefs are on the grounds of scientific arguement starting with Darwins theoriy and progressing through to Relativity and the latest findings of astonomy, astro physics and microbiology ie DNA etc. It really important that we can face down counter arguements to christianity by showing how science is complementary to theological arguement and highlighting areas where we can reasonably refute propositions. Thanks , as always, Mike Wilmore
Marilyn LaCourt
Atheists have not declared war on religion. Religion has declared war on reason. Marilyn LaCourt
Ken
The problem with Dawkins is that he may bask in the sun for now and are full of intelectual knowledge in the highest degree. But he,like all of the rich and famous who deny the existance of God,will at the Great And Terrible day of the Lord tremble uncontrolaby when the anounce comes to them that they are so disgusting that God will spew them out of His mouth. Hell will come as a great surprise when the verdict is announced. Dawkins did accomplish what he intended to do from the beginning.He caused an upset in the religious community and lifted himself in pride and arogance.God is never scilent about people like him.His great admiration for the evolutionary "genious" charls Darwin, is as decptive as he himself. Yes,delusion about God dose exist,but only to those who are too ignorant to know it they are in fact living in a dulusion that he dose exist.My mesage to Dawkins and his kind:party in your prison and dance in your fetters.