Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins. I've been avoiding this man for far too long, and I think its time I took a look. So I started watching his video:

http://www.postmormon.org/exp_e/index.php/sound_thinking/comments/the_enemies_of_reason_richard_dawkins/

His thought is that our unfounded spiritual pursuits detract from scientific achievement.

This line of of thinking moved me to think on the amount of hours spent in Churches and spritual centers, listening to and studying superstitious beliefs. Imagine if that time could have been spent in service of others, or in studying to irradicate some of our diseases, or at least our diseased economy.

The final line Mr. Dawkins says rings true for me. We must favor verifiable evidence, over private feelings, otherwise, we leave ourselves open to those who would obscure the truth.

I think of all those that would have interest in obscuring the truth. There could be those who deliberately obscure the truth, as well as there could be those who obscure the truth through well intentioned gap filling. I.e. in the absence of a complete picture, there are those who will fill in the gaps with well intentioned superstition or anecdotal evidence.

I can't believe that religion has anything more than this unverifiable private feeling. There is no proof of any of the bodies that have died in our past as coming back to life. In fact, we have found most of them right where we left them, what is left of them anyways.

I am brought to consider how I would be received were I to attend my local church and ask folks which they preferred, religious belief, or verifiable evidence. I'm afraid I might get run out of town with pitch forks.