Richard Dawkins in New York City

Originally Posted to firesofcreation.gaia.com on March 15th, 2008

I went to hear Richard Dawkins speak at Barnes and Noble last night in New York City. He gave an interesting talk and I recorded it with my portable Mic. You can hear it by clicking on this link here. The first ten minutes has some bad feedback from my cell phone, but the rest is pretty clear.  

I don't agree with the aim of destroying religion because this can only be achieved through fascist means. I think peace between atheists and theists can be achieved through secular government dedicated to freedom of religion. Instead of focussing on aspects of religions I don't agree with, I've tried to find common ground and this is the only way I can see the warring secular and religious dualities coming to any kind of peaceful understanding. This isn't to say there isn't any reason to get upset with fundamentalists. I applaud Richard Dawkins for having the courage to speak out and challenge some of society's most extreme religious fanatics.

One of the ironic things about my trip down was that after the talk, I looked around for a place to get dinner. Passed by at least 8 or 9 different restaurants until I found a quiet Japanese place with hardly anyone inside. When I walked in and was seated, I couldn't help but become aware of the music playing over the speakers with great significance to the evening. The song "When You Believe" from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack was playing. The lyrics go like this  :-)

I of course would love to believe in miracles, especially in a world of many crushed hopes and dreams. I'm sure Dawkins would be open to miracles too if they could be explained scientifically. Perhaps miracles are miracles when they are beyond the reach of reason. But as Dawkins pointed out in his talk, a Boeing 747 would be a miracle to someone living in the dark ages just as an advanced alien being who comes to Earth today may be perceived by us as a God.