Is Richard Dawkins a Raelian?
This is rich: Richard Dawkins--whose official website claims modestly to be "a clear thinking oasis"--made an incredible statement in the new movie Expelled, asserting that it is "an intriguing possibility" that space aliens "seeded" life here on Planet Earth. (I haven't seen the movie, but did obtain this partial transcript. The emphasis is mine.) Moderator Ben Stein asks Dawkins how life began:
DAWKINS:Nobody knows how it got started. We know the kind of event that it must have been. We know the sort of event that must have happened for the origin of life.Ho, ho! That is precisely what the Raelians say:
BEN STEIN:And what was that?
DAWKINS:It was the origin of the first self-replicating molecule.
BEN STEIN:Right, and how did that happen?
DAWKINS:I told you, we don't know
...
BEN STEIN:What do you think is the possibility that Intelligent Design might turn out to be the answer to some issues in genetics or in evolution.
DAWKINS:Well, it could come about in the following way. It could be that at some earlier time, somewhere in the universe, a civilization evolved, probably by some kind of Darwinian means, probably to a very high level of technology, and designed a form of life that they seeded onto perhaps this planet. Now, um, now that is a possibility, and an intriguing possibility. And I suppose it's possible that you might find evidence for that if you look at the details of biochemistry, molecular biology, you might find a signature of some sort of designer
Years ago, everybody knew that the earth was flat. Everybody knew that the sun revolved around the earth. Today, everybody knows that life on earth is either the result of random evolution or the work of a supernatural God. Or is it? In "Message from the Designers", Rael presents us with a third option: that all life on earth was created by advanced scientists from another worldRichard Dawkins and Rael; "clear thinking" kindred spirits!
Labels: Richard Dawkins
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 6:23 PM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
Lol he was just playing around with ideas =P funny to see him admit that inteligent design research could wield results? huh?
Man i think scientologists have it right... hail Xenu!!!! hahahaha!
Wesley, I've been posting some thoughts from a Mormon perspective in reaction to Dawkins' book, "The God Delusion". You might find this interesting or entertaining:
http://transfigurism.org/community/blogs/lincoln_cannon/archive/2007/10/30/3670.aspx
http://transfigurism.org/community/blogs/lincoln_cannon/archive/2007/11/03/3693.aspx
http://transfigurism.org/community/blogs/lincoln_cannon/archive/2007/11/08/3728.aspx
http://transfigurism.org/community/blogs/lincoln_cannon/archive/2008/02/11/4120.aspx
I checked it out. You're a good writer, Lincoln. It raised some questions in my mind about Mormonism, but I don't want to get into that kind of discussion here. Thanks.
a very high level of technology... designed a form of life that they seeded onto perhaps this planet.
Ho, ho! That is precisely what the Raelians say:
seems ive heard that idea somewhere else as well. hmm...Jeez I wish I could remember.
=)
Dawkins' point is that if an alien race was the designer of life on earth there would have had to be a designer of that alien race and a designer for that designer etc. The same goes for the god designer hypothesis.
Of course this point was most likely edited from the film. The makers of Crossroads...err...Expelled haven't been very honest from the beginning of the project.
I think the point is that Dawkins attempt to disprove ID only showed he believed in it and his belief-statement (even if it is merely that such a thing is possible)is no more "ridiculous" than believeing that God (as taught by Christians and Jews) created life or the cosmos.
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