Re: The root of all evil? - Dawkins Documentary

I have great respect for Dawkins, Dennet, and men like them who
scientifically investigate the origin/evolution of religion. But
freedom of belief is paramount; throughout history there have been
those who judged the beliefs of others, and tried to deny them those
rights. Once upon a time a man was nearly burned at the stake for
saying the Earth was round, and another man in fact was burned at the
stake for suggesting the possibility of life on another planet. If
there is one thing I cannot stand, it is to see the rise of an equally
prejudicial viewpoint within atheism. With an infinite universe, and
by all indications infinite UNIVERSES, there can be no possibility
absolutely ruled out. Besides, scientists have also been guilty of
accepting things for which there is no proof or explanation, and
sometimes they have been right and often wrong, but the right cases
justify the wrong ones to prove that freedom of belief is invaluable.
Besides, I don't even care if someone believes something as absurd as
that the world was created five thousand years ago, just don't try to
pretend it is supported by science, don't try to force anyone else to
agree with you, and especially don't try to force that belief on your
kids. For that matter an adult Jehovah's Witness has every right to
believe that vaccines are a sin, and even to teach their kids that, but
they do not have a right to deny their kids access to vaccinations.
Same with science; you can teach your kids that any scientific belief
is wrong that you don't want to believe in, but not the right to deny
them a proper education in all areas of scientific knowledge. No two
people have ever agreed on anything, and each side of an argument has a
right to their side, just not to force their side on others in the face
of overwhelming evidence to their contrary. Remember that many
scientists believed in frenology, social darwinism, and many other
bizarre notions that have since been debunked, and other scientists
treated stories of gorillas and meteorites the same way many scientists
now treat stories of bigfoot and UFOs. We can draw conclusions, and
even have beliefs, but we should never rule out any possibility a
priori; willingness to critically analyze EVERYTHING that we regard as
factual is, IMO, probably the most important part of science, and this
critical analysis must be at least as thorough and constant within
science itself as between science and popular belief.

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