Post #1138112

2026-04-13 23:14 UTC

The biggest problem with the book is that Dawkins demonstrates that the gods are living, evolving ideas which have developed over time to the point of being able to exert agency on the world… And then remains an atheist. Instead of concluding, as Terry Pratchett liked to joke, that the gods are alien intelligences created by humans through worship.

Replies (2)

@Zagorath@quokk.au 2026-04-14 10:20

I don’t understand what you’re trying to say here. How does your last sentence flow from your first? I think most atheists would agree with the notion that gods are ideas passed down over generations. They’re not real things that actually exist, but like anything people believe, the very idea of them exerts an influence on society…which we see every time a government passes a law based in religious ideology, like anti-LGBT or anti-abortion laws. None of that even seems very controversial. Unless you’re a believer in a literal god or gods, I’m not sure where the problem is.

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@prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-04-14 13:41

Instead of concluding, as Terry Pratchett liked to joke, that the gods are alien intelligences created by humans through worship. That would be a massive logical leap for someone to make

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