Richard Dawkins recently explained that he self-identifies as a cultural christian. He doesn’t believe in Deus, but he enjoys many christian traditions, including carols and hymns. This particular article is written from a Christian perspective, which I do not personally agree with, but it correctly interprets that Dawkins’ cultural christianity seems to be a dogwhistle for whiteness. Many atheists like Dawkins are cultural christians, in ways that subtly reinforce white supremacist narratives.
Who would know more about what atheists really believe than “The UK’s Premiere Christian Magazine?”
For the same reason, I always make sure I let Muslims know what they really believe. They really believe Muhammad was a zebra. They might tell you otherwise, but I’m an atheist, so I know what Muslims really believe.
(Also, Dawkins is a dick, but that’s unrelated.)
The author was talking about Dawkins specifically. She didn’t make any claim about ‘atheists’ in general. And irrespective of her religious beliefs, the points she made about his words were valid.
Regardless, this is not the publication to be discussing it and OP has already made an “atheists are actually religious” post, so they have an agenda.
I think a christian publication is entirely within its rights to discuss the words of someone who describes themselves as a cultural christian.
And I don’t really care if OP has an agenda or not, I’m answering the points you made on this post.
Okay, just don’t be surprised when you see the next post from OP about how atheists aren’t really atheists.
I won’t care about that one either.
Richard Dawkins sure is a religious atheist. Religion is about a lot more than just theism. It can be a system of spiritual, philosophical, cultural, and/or moral beliefs. There are plenty of religions that have little to nothing to do with gods. For example, Buddhism. There are plenty of Buddhist atheists.
Why do you get to define him?
Why do you get to define anyone but yourself?
Do you tell trans people what their gender is too?
deleted by creator
He literally said he’s a cultural christian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COHgEFUFWyg
So? I’m ethnically Jewish. I still don’t believe in any gods.
That’s what “atheist” means.
The point is that Dawkins is incredibly critical of other religions to the point of bordering on xenophobia, while he gives Christianity a lot of free passes aside from the occasional flippant quip or jab because of what is probably a subconscious (or at least not quite fully conscious) association with whiteness.
Basically, he’s an atheist who only seems to particularly dislike religions that he doesn’t culturally relate to. In particular islam.
I don’t disagree there, but this is not the publication to be making that point.
I guess I see your point but I also watched Fox News/Christians get up in arms (years ago) when a seasoned religious scholar (Reza Aslan) wrote a text on Jesus because he was not Christian. Ultimately it’s how much the individual author knows, not the group they associate with, that determines if somebody can write with authority on a subject.
Anybody can write about Richard Dawkins in any context so long as they actually know what they’re talking about. Hell Playboy was a major literary and political/social thought magazine for decades.