Categories

Tags

Archives


Atheist carol-singing


This post was published on Sunday 23 December 2007.

I was preparing to blog on an article I read in The Times the other day, and this morning discovered a friend had done just that! His blog post is (edit: the blog has now been closed down), the original article is here and some letters sent to the editor in response are here.

Apparently Richard Dawkins, outspoken and well-known atheist, enjoys singing carols at Christmas. Libby Purves writes:

How can his famous, well-modulated voice choke out the word ‘adore’, apropos a God he calls a ‘misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully’?

diagacht argues that one can appreciate the ‘culturally significant pieces of music’ without making any statement of belief by singing them. I’m not sure that is the case. I think there is a difference between observing (e.g. appreciating some Bach at a music concert) and participating (e.g. singing Christian carols at Christmas).

Given the strength of Dawkins’ antipathy towards God and religion in general (particularly the bit Libby Purves quotes above), I do find it amusing that he enjoys singing carols so much.