Richard Dawkins vs The Pope

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I just got back. Had to post this for you guys. Anyone else think this is funny?

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No, not at all. I think it's a very bad thing for Dawkins to do. It will show all Christians that he has become a crusader against religion in all its forms. They will then be able to write him off as a scientist.I can't believe he would be so stupid. I think he has lost perspective here. Best to leave this to purely political campaigners such as Hitchens.

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Anyway, I see no reason at all why he shouldn't be free to campaign on whatever issues he likes, whether or not he is retired. What has it got to do with anything that he is or was a scientist?

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Well of course he's free to do whatever he likes! But if one of his aims is to defend science and defeat creationism this won't help. It will alienate a lot of people, some of whom up to now have been his allies. But maybe defending evolution isn't his main aim anymore.The fact that he is/was a scientist gives him great credibility in the evolution debate. Much more than Hitchens say. If he acts in a way that makes him look like a student politician then he weakens that credibility.

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The implication of what you are saying is that someone who campaigns for bringing to justice perpetrators of a foul crime is bringing disrepute upon themselves and therefore any other cause they may support. I can't see how that makes any sense. If I was undecided about the Evolution/Creation debate, and I heard that the supporters of Evolution Theory were also campaigning against paedophiles, whereas supporters of Creation Theory were campaigning in support of protecting paedophiles, it would only make me think that the Evolutionists were more capable of thinking the right way. If it affected my opinion in the Evolution/Creation debate, it could only be in favour of Evolution.

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Ah - I understand your thinking. I'm coming at it from a different perspective. This is a terrible thing and those responsible for it must be brought to justice - we agree about that.However, Richard Dawkins is going to be perceived as doing this for ulterior motives, ie driven by his previous deep hostility to the church and not motivated primarily by the need to protect children. I'm not saying what his motives are here, I'm saying how they are going to be perceived.This perception will weaken his credibility as an advocate of evolution, in my view.