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Richard Dawkins the arch-atheist backs Michael Gove's free Bible plan


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Old 21-05-2012, 11:33   #1
Nard Dog
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Richard Dawkins the arch-atheist backs Michael Gove's free Bible plan

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...cks-free-bible

Just from a literature pov but not moral (as MP Gove seems to think is imperative)

"While Gove believes the Bible is a guide to morality, Dawkins is sure it is not. "I have heard the cynically misanthropic opinion that without the Bible as a moral compass people would show no restraint against murder, theft and mayhem. The surest way to disabuse yourself of this pernicious falsehood is to read the Bible itself," he says.

In fact, its pages are riddled with the advocacy of murder, slavery and theft. Hence his support for Gove's plan: opening the Bible is the surest way to put young minds off its contents. From this perspective, the Dawkins-Gove alliance looks dead before it started."

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Is this a good plan and should children seek moral guidance from the bible?
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:36   #2
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No they should seek moral guidance from their parents. I have no problem with everyone reading the bible - its a work of fiction though so as a guide to how you should live is worse than useless. ESPECIALLY as no-one can agree HOW it actually says you SHOULD live.

I am a strong advocate of children being brought up by their parents - the ones who SHOULD be responsible for their moral and physical wellbeing.

As to the bible, I found it rather dull. Apart from Leviticus which is always good for a laugh, and revelations which is even funnier - AND has spawned some silly but enjoyable movies.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:38   #3
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I seek moral guidance from my parents who seek theirs from the Bible.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:39   #4
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I remember my entire school recieving a free gideon bible, they all ended up in the lake in the park opposite the school. Kids have zero interest in reading the bible.
As an aside, I don't know who I loathe more, Dawkins or Gove.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:39   #5
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I can see Dawkins rubbing his hands with glee at this. And if it turns Atheists into religionists I've got a mental picture in my head of him scrunching up the paper in the bin and going "Oh Bugger!!"
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:40   #6
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I remember my entire school recieving a free gideon bible, they all ended up in the lake in the park opposite the school. Kids have zero interest in reading the bible.
As an aside, I don't know who I loathe more, Dawkins or Gove.
Perhaps they could have gone to someone who wanted to read them rather than thrown away to waste.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:40   #7
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I can see Dawkins rubbing his hands with glee at this. And if it turns Atheists into religionists I've got a mental picture in my head of him scrunching up the paper in the bin and going "Og Bugger!!"
I think its unlikely to turn athiests into religionists. I doubt it will do much at all to be honest. How many people who get these free bibles will actually read them I wonder?

And how many will end up in a lake
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:41   #8
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The King James Bible is pretty much co-temporaneous with the works of Shakespeare and together form a pinnacle of English literature and language.............
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:42   #9
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I think its unlikely to turn athiests into religionists. I doubt it will do much at all to be honest. How many people who get these free bibles will actually read them I wonder?

And how many will end up in a lake
See I don't particularly mind what people make of it because people will inevitibaly make up their own minds but when people don't have enough respect to not throw them in lakes or not even burn them... that's what gets me.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:42   #10
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Perhaps they could have gone to someone who wanted to read them rather than thrown away to waste.
That's young teenagers for you, one throws their bible into the lake and before you know it, there's 500 of them floating along.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:43   #11
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The KJV is badly laid out, archaic in language and a nightmare to read.

No children will read it.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:44   #12
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The KJV is badly laid out, archaic in language and a nightmare to read.

No children will read it.
Shakespeare is a much better read.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:44   #13
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See I don't particularly mind what people make of it because people will inevitibaly make up their own minds but when people don't have enough respect to not throw them in lakes or not even burn them... that's what gets me.
Well I would never burn the Bible. Not because its the bible but because I'm against the burning of books in general.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:45   #14
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Shakespeare is a much better read.
Again, unreadable for children
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:45   #15
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That's young teenagers for you, one throws their bible into the lake and before you know it, there's 500 of them floating along.
I guess it was the inthing to do in those days.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:46   #16
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No-one should be living their lives according to texts from another continent and hundreds or thousands of years ago. It's nuts.

Children should be taught to think for themselves. I don't mind my kids playing Grand Theft Auto, or Red Dead Redemption but I would object to them having the endless rapes, murders, misogynism, cruelty to animals, and violence of the bible thrust down their throats.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:46   #17
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The bible is rubbish and not all parents are good people
For example my parents are assholes
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:47   #18
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No-one should be living their lives according to texts from another continent and hundreds or thousands of years ago. It's nuts.

Children should be taught to think for themselves. I don't mind my kids playing Grand Theft Auto, or Red Dead Redemption but I would object to them having the endless rapes, murders, misogynism, cruelty to animals, and violence of the bible thrust down their throats.
Nuts.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:48   #19
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Again, unreadable for children
Not really, I started reading Shakespeare at 11, you don't have to understand every word to get the general gist. If you don't read something challenging you'll get bored. I remember the first time I read A Clockwork Orange, I was wtf until I read it a couple more times.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:48   #20
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The bible is rubbish and not all parents are good people
For example my parents are assholes
My mother is. My dad died a long time ago sadly, he was the only one who made her "normal".

Me, I would consider myself a reasonable parent. No parent is perfect. Well, actually their dad is pretty perfect. Its why I married him.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:49   #21
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Nuts.
You read nuts?
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:49   #22
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I guess it was the inthing to do in those days.
We paid the price and had to endure a very long assembly the following morning!
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:49   #23
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I think its unlikely to turn athiests into religionists. I doubt it will do much at all to be honest. How many people who get these free bibles will actually read them I wonder?

And how many will end up in a lake
If there were no bibles they'd be virtually no Christians. Word of mouth can only go so far.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:50   #24
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We paid the price and had to endure a very long assembly the following morning!


But I bet you didn't have to pay for them.
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Old 21-05-2012, 11:53   #25
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moral guidance. from yoda i seek.
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