Originally posted by TheFallibleFiend:
OTOH, I don't anticipate that Dawkins' argument will be so much a scientific conclusion as a logical and philsophical one.
You're not wrong TFF. But science refutes at least one of his arguments regarding Suicide Bombers.
"Dawkins repeats the theory that suicide bombs are caused by religious schools: "If children were taught to question and think through their beliefs, instead of being taught the superior value of faith without question, it is a good bet that there would be no suicide bombers. Suicide bombers do what they do because they really believe what they were taught in their religious schools." Evidence? As it happens, the definitive scientific study of suicide bombers, Dying to Win, has just been published by Robert Pape, a Chicago professor who has a database containing every known suicide attack since 1980. This shows, as clearly as evidence can, that religious zealotry is not on its own sufficient to produce suicide bombers; in fact, it's not even necessary: the practice was widely used by Marxist guerrillas in Sri Lanka."
Robert Pape found that under half of all recorded suicide attacks were carried out by religious types.
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I'm interested in and have time for well formed critiques of religion, but to me, Dawkins is so consumed with his contempt of Theism that his judgement is somewhat clouded.
Blacknad.
