Christopher Hitchens, a controversial atheist author, recently proposed genocide – executing Muslims!
Fellow atheist PZ Myers has written a scathing account:
Basically, what Hitchens was proposing is genocide. Or, at least, wholesale execution of the population of the Moslem world until they are sufficiently cowed and frightened and depleted that they are unable to resist us in any way, ever again.
…
This whole last third of his talk had me concerned about the first part. He had just told us in strong terms about the failures of religion and its detrimental effect on our culture, and now he was explaining to us how the solution in the Middle East was to simply kill everyone who disagreed with you.
Read the rest of his summary here (or the entire blog entry here).
My thoughts:
Richard Dawkins asks, on page 278 of The Dawkins Delusion:
“By contrast, why would anyone go to war for the sake of an absense of belief?”
Earlier on the same page, I think he may have answered his own question. You decide:
“Even more plausible as a motive for war is an unshakeable faith that one’s own religion is the only true one…”
Or an unshakeable faith that, say, atheism is the only true one, perhaps?
Finally, one of my reactions is this: at least he is consistent. If there is no absolute moral law, what is wrong with his suggestion?
(h/t Craig)
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