There doesn’t seem to be much editing going on at the National Times website, or how else to explain this cringeworthy piece from the dickless Gross godless Dick godless Gross over Alain de Botton’s recent book release. I saw that piece of rubbish at the airport last week, and steered clear of it. I just don’t get why Dick Gross felt the need to gush admiringly over this trainwreck, and embarrass us with the message that he envies this superficial superfluous flea his alleged rock star status. Alain de Botton to me is the Britney Spears of atheism, all sale and no substance, all confusion and no cohesion.
This whole crap about atheist churches and monuments was extremely embarrassing, and extremely wrong, de Botton’s accomodationism is nauseating, and who is this guy anyway to tell the New Atheists how to behave and who not to offend ?
Well, Dick Gross seems to be quite starstruck, and falling for de Botton’s strawmen :
He then took time to eviscerate the school now known as New Atheism that is represented by Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens. He describes their strident and uncompromising attacks of faith as childlike and atheists unfairly dismiss religious people ”because they’re so stupid”.
Actually, no, we dismiss religious assertions because they are not backed up by evidence. I may wish that Captain Picard really existed, but he just doesn’t. Too bad, so sad. And it’s not strident or uncompromising to point this out, it’s the truth. And we value the truth. While Alain de Botton values book sales. He may do so. But we may decide to not treat him seriously, or dismiss his childish requests for accomodationism and atheist temples. The same goes for gushing Gross. And I had just started to respect the guy a little.
‘Dick gushing all over de Bottom’ is an apt metaphor.
Seriously, this blog by Gross really annoyed me.
“the late Christopher Hitchens”
I still can’t get over that when I read it. Anyway, what better way to dismiss childish things than with childish mockery? It isn’t like faith/religion presents any kind of mature, adult-like view of reality. It’s not like we’re mocking mathematics or something with some real meat on its bones.
So believing in an imaginary, all-powerful, all-loving father figure isn’t considered childish, throwing a tantrum when that unsubstantiated belief is challenged isn’t considered childish, demanding special treatment and unearned respect isn’t considered childish, bullying and intimidating those who disagree with your irrational views isn’t considered childish. But when you make a valid, measured yet blunt criticism of religious beliefs, now that’s just childish.
De Botton wants all the trappings of religion with gods being optional. And us gnu atheists are big meanies for not electing de Botton as atheist pope.