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December 17, 2006
The NY Times Catches Up to TBND, A Year Later
The Gray Lady has noticed that atheists celebrate Christmas, which you may recall we discussed here this time last year. I still think it's an interesting subject, though, and they have the power to add to the discussion the thoughts of folks like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, who says:
"Presumably your reason for asking me is that ‘The God Delusion’ is an atheistic book, and you still think of Christmas as a religious festival. But of course it has long since ceased to be a religious festival. I participate for family reasons, with a reluctance that owes more to aesthetics than atheistics. I detest Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and the obscene spending bonanza that nowadays seems to occupy not just December, but November and much of October, too."
Wait, you hate "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas"? I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculous.
Also, is anyone else starting to regret the fact that every story in the media which includes the word "atheist" must also include a quote from Dawkins or Harris? The guys are smart and all, but there are more than two atheists in the world.
Posted by todd at December 17, 2006 4:35 PM
Comments
Don't forget Dennett. But true, Dawkins and Harris do get the most face time and it has in large part to do with the press behind Dawkins' latest book -- not to mention his adorable accent.
It would be nice to hear from someone other than the typical trio in articles about atheism though. Of course if it's variety and new ideas you want, journalism isn't typically where you're going to find it.
I've always appreciated Penn Jillette's brand of atheism which he wrote about for NPR last year: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5015557. It covers some of the same ground as the we've heard lately from the main three, but in a more laid back fashion, which is always a plus.
Posted by: len at December 19, 2006 1:11 AM
That's a good essay. Penn's pretty cool, when he's not off being kind of a crazy libertarian.
Posted by: todd. at December 20, 2006 8:33 AM
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