LONDON (RNS) A controversial Oxford University professor billed by
many as the world's "most famous atheist" now says he is not 100 percent
sure that God doesn't exist -- but just barely.
In a 100-minute debate with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams,
Richard Dawkins surprised his online and theater audiences by conceding a
personal chink of doubt about his conviction that there is no such
thing as a creator.
But, to the amusement of the archbishop and others, the evolutionary
biologist swiftly added that he was "6.9 out of seven" certain of his
long-standing atheist beliefs.
Replying to moderator Anthony Kenny, a noted English philosopher, Dawkins said, "I think the probability of a supernatural creator existing (is) very, very low."
Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion" and other best-sellers, is a
leader of the "New Atheist" movement that aggressively challenges belief
in God and criticizes harm done in the name of religion.
"What I can't understand is why you can't see (that life started from
nothing and) is such a staggering, elegant, beautiful thing, why would
you want to clutter it up with something so messy as a God," Dawkins
told Williams, according to The Daily Telegraph account.
The
archbishop, who heads both the Church of England and the worldwide
Anglican Communion, replied that he "entirely agreed" with the "beauty"
part of Dawkins' statement -- but said "I'm not talking about God as an
extra who you can shoehorn onto that."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment