Saturday, May 31, 2008

Take Me To The River

I am reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion.

"What's the point?" you may ask. "Isn't it preaching to the converted?"

Well, I suppose it is, though I never had to be converted. But so what, anyway? I will read it then I will forget about it. I won't become any more of an atheist for reading it. I won't start arguing with the religious people I meet, asking them for evidence of their God.

I will not wear one of Dawkins' hoodies...




or stick a Darwin fish on my car...



...to proclaim my atheism to the world. I don't take pride in my disbelief. I have never believed in the supernatural. So what?

I'm enjoying the book, especially the arguments for God's existence. There really are some hilarious ones, such as Pascal's wager and Stephen Unwin's Bayesian argument. Why try to justify faith?

Dawkins comes unstuck, though, with his knowledge of popular culture. He asks the question why is the Cluedo character known as the "Reverend Green" in all English speaking areas other than North America, where he is known as plain "Mr Green"?

The answer is, of course, that the Reverend Al Green would sue, not wishing to be associated with a character who bludgeons posh English twats to death with a length of lead piping in the conservatory.

12 comments:

  1. Are you finished Booky Wook?

    Will there be a review?

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  2. I haven't got it yet as I'm waiting for the paperback to come out.

    It's going to be a long summer.

    I'll try and find something to say about it.

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  3. Very good Geoff!

    Professor Plum with the Revolver! God forbid!

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  4. Two other fascinating Cluedo facts.

    It was invented by A Pratt.

    And the spanner is known as the wrench in North America.

    Professor Plumber did it!

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  5. Obviously Richard Dawkins has never read any Agatha Christie. Stuffed with vicars she is.

    Wouldn't the Rev Al Green, were he actually a murderer, kill people by "dipping them in the water"?

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  6. He'd burn them alive in a baptism of fire.

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  7. Now you know why Colonel Mustard is so named after being found hiding in a bargain family bucket pretending to be none other than Colonel Sanders.

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  8. When he killed Dr Black, the doctor tried in vain to retaliate with a kitchen knife.

    Trouble is, you can't cut the Mustard.

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  9. "he couldn't cut the Mustard", of course.

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  10. I think it was in the library not the conservatory

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  11. I can appreciate what Dawkins is trying to undo and a spoonful of sugar would help the medicine go down.

    We might be getting tired of hearing about it but the vast majority seem to be uncomfortable entertaining such notions.

    Another 50 or so generations down the line and it will be meh whatEVER!?

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