In “Melvyn Bragg attacks Richard Dawkins’ ‘atheist fundamentalism’” (Telegraph, 14 Mar 2012), Victoria Ward reports that “Melvyn Bragg, the broadcaster, has launched a withering attack on Professor Richard Dawkins, accusing him of “ignorance” and of showing “no respect” for religion.”:
“Ever since civilisation began people have believed in many gods, one god or none,” he said. “There have also been atheists, people who say that this is unprovable, that there could not be resurrections and reincarnations and miracles. These are all respectable traditions.
“What’s changed recently is the animus and the ignorance that has entered into the atheist argument, led by Richard Dawkins, most improbably a fine zoologist, a good scholar, Oxford trained, who seems to have thrown everything off in this odd pursuit, particularly of Christianity.”
Bragg argued that reason was not “the primary source of knowledge”.
Reason isn’t a source of knowledge at all. Knowledge comes from observation, reason enables us to think about what we observe. Also, why do people think that they can “put down” Dawkins just by pointing out that he is ignorant and bigoted?
Ignorant bigots gain large followings, especially among the lazy and badly motivated. It’s no accident that people like Dawkins get plenty of air time in the media and a fine (atheist) scholar who deplores the spectacle only gets occasional time, inadvertently joining Dawkins’ circus.
Predictably, when William Lane Craig offered to debate Dawkins, the latter refused, knowing he did not have to. Where he is now, he can’t lose.
Besides which: Because the new atheist spectacle is guaranteed to be challenge-free, intellectually and emotionally, most non-atheists do not convert. So the circus never finally leaves town.
Anyway, there’s a vid at the link (it doesn’t embed here):