Ritröð Guðfræðistofnunar - 01.09.2008, Page 22

Dawkins gives every impression of being in denial about the darker side
of atheism, making him a less than credible critic of religion. He has a
fervent, unquestioning faith in the universal goodness of atheism which he
refuses to subject to critical examination. Yes, there is much that is wrong
with contemporary religion, and much that needs to be reformed. Yet the
same is also true of atheism, which still needs to subject itself to the self-
searching intellectual and moral criticisms that religious systems are willing
to direct against themselves. Why is it that so many atheists apply moral
standards to their critique of religion which they seem reluctant to apply
to atheism itself?
The reality of the situation is that human beings are capable of both
violence and moral excellence - and that both these may be provoked by
worldviews, whether religious or otherwise. It is not a comfortable insight,
but one that alerts us to the shortcomings and dangers of identifying any
one people-group as the source of violence and the ills of humanity. It may
facilitate scapegoating; it hardly advances the cause of civilization.
Furthermore, Dawkins fails to appreciate that when a society rejects the
idea of God, it tends to transcendentalise alternatives - such as the ideals of
liberty or equality. These now become quasi-divine authorities, which none
are permitted to challenge. Perhaps the most familiar example of this dates
from the French Revolution, at a time when traditional notions of God were
discarded as obsolete, and replaced by transcendentalised human values.
Madame Rolande was brought to the guillotine to face execution on
trumped-up charges in 1792. As she prepared to die, she bowed mockingly
towards the statue of liberty in the Place de la Révolution, and uttered
the words for which she is now remembered: “liberty, what crimes are
committed in your name.” Her point is simple, and I believe it to be
irrefutable. All ideals - divine, transcendent, human, or invented - are
capable of being abused. That’s just the way human nature is. And knowing
this, we need to work out what to do about it, rather than lashing out
uncridcally at religion. The problem lies in human nature. The Christian
doctrine of original sin has a lot to say about this significant failure of
humanity to live up to its ideals.
This line of thought may be developed further. Suppose Dawkins’
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