Keith Ward is a Professor of Philosophy and the author of many books. Several of these set out to debunk the arguments of the New Atheists — in particular, Is religion dangerous? and Is religion irrational?, both published by Lion Hudson. Who is he aiming his writing at, and what are their main arguments?
‘The “New Atheists” — Dawkins, Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens, to whom we can add Francis Crick, Peter Atkins and others — are vocally opposed to God and to Christian religion.
‘They argue that religious faith is irrational, not based on good evidence, and rendered obsolete by modern science.’ And, he goes on, they believe religious faith ‘is a major cause of violence and intolerance. It believes in “spooky entities” like God and souls. It rejects evolution. Biblical morality is archaic and perverse — commending genocide, stoning to death, and slavery, for example. God is portrayed in the Old Testament as a racist tyrant who murders large numbers of people in earthquakes and battles. Religion causes mental disturbances and social unrest. This is quite a catalogue!’ Nor does it end there: according to the New Atheists, Professor Ward says, ‘the existence of evil is incompatible with a good God; life shows no signs of intelligent design; the idea of God is incoherent; there is no way of deciding what the true revelation is; and Christians are always fighting one another over obscure points that nobody else cares about’.
Why does he think the New Atheists are so much more aggressive and strident than their predecessors? ‘I think there are three main causes — one is the battle raging in parts of the world about creationism versus evolution, which draws up battle lines, science versus religion. Another is the rise of religious terrorism in the world (especially, of course, Islamic terrorism, but it raises the spectre of the Crusades and the Inquisition in the past). Then there is a widespread rejection of traditional Christian morality, and the rejection of a religious basis for morality. The question is whether the New Atheist diagnosis of these problems is too over-simple, working on stereotypes rather than realities.’
How does he set about disagreeing without being disagreeable? ‘We Christians need to establish a reputation for facing up to criticism, being fair and sympathetic to objections, but having a reason for the faith that is in us. Patience and charity are the great virtues. But, in the end, it is a battle; we just need to know exactly where and why we disagree.’
Popularity
Why does he think the New Atheists have been so popular? ‘People like being shocked. Also many would like to feel that their rejection of God can actually be justified. But there is also the capitulation of many people to a materialist worldview, which is in fact contrary to much thinking in modern physics.’
Professor Ward says, of his own faith: ‘I was fortunate to have a personal experience of Jesus Christ. Since I believe Christ is the Truth, this has never been incompatible with a ruthlessly critical search for truth, which means facing up to the strongest objections and trying to see what underlies them’.
What led him to philosophy? ‘I have always asked stupid questions and never been satisfied with easy answers. When I got to college, I found this was called “philosophy”. I was then very lucky and got a job as a professional philosopher at Glasgow University, and have been one ever since. I embraced the Christian faith later in my career, when I found atheistic philosophy curiously empty and unconvincing.’
Professor Ward will be tackling the arguments put forward by the New Atheists at a conference to be held at Lee Abbey in Devon in May. How will he go about this task? ‘We will try to address these one by one in a careful way. That will probably show that they are based on ignorance, prejudice, and distortion of the facts, as well as an ignorance of the history of philosophical and religious thought. But discussions will be open-ended and honest. We shall try to avoid crude caricatures and over-defensive reactions, and get a reasonable overview. We will also need to know the responses Christians have made throughout history to similar accusations; and seeing what reasons Christians actually have for their faith. I hope those who attend the conference — and we cannot do everything in a week — will come away with a renewed confidence in the reasonableness and importance of Christian faith.’
Ali Hull
For further details on the conference (which will run from May 23 to 27, please go to http://www.leeabbey.org.uk
