In a recent interview with the Times magazine, Richard Dawkins attempted to defend what he called "mild pedophilia," which, he says, he personally experienced as a young child and does not believe causes "lasting harm."
Dawkins went on to say that one of his former school masters "pulled me on his knee and put his hand inside my shorts," and that to condemn this "mild touching up" as sexual abuse today would somehow be unfair.
"I am very conscious that you can't condemn people of an earlier era by the standards of ours. Just as we don't look back at the 18th and 19th centuries and condemn people for racism in the same way as we would condemn a modern person for racism, I look back a few decades to my childhood and see things like caning, like mild pedophilia, and can't find it in me to condemn it by the same standards as I or anyone would today," he said.
Plus, he added, though his other classmates also experienced abuse at the hands of this teacher, "I don't think he did any of us lasting harm."
https://www.salon.com/2013/09/10/richard_dawkins_defends_mild_pedophilia_says_it_does_not_cause_lasting_harm/
This is not the first time. Multiple times he has tried to normalize pedophilia.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/richard-dawkins-defends-mild-pedophilia-again-and-again/311230/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1iSxEtgEGs
What the hell is wrong with this man?
Wikipedia on him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins
Dawkins has been awarded many prestigious academic and writing awards and he makes regular television, radio and Internet appearances, predominantly discussing his books, his atheism, and his ideas and opinions as a public intellectual.
He has won numerous awards and is known as one of the world's top scientists. Seriously.
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crashing_this_thread ago
I was so disappointed when I realized Dawkins was one of them.
I have no heroes left. All my heroes have been monsters.
Enigmatic_Continuum ago
I feel you. As long as George Orwell isn't found to be a pedo, I'll still have a hero.
Cc1914 ago
Maybe it's time to realize that maybe there is in fact a creator?
Enigmatic_Continuum ago
Never doubted it, but I'm just not sure what kind of reality or plane of existence we're currently residing.
Cc1914 ago
Sure feels like the twighlight zone to me 🤔 .. some days I wake up and think .. " where am I " Everything I thought I knew , I had no clue about what really goes on in our society until 16 months ago ..
Enigmatic_Continuum ago
Oh, wow. So, you've still got some sand in your eyes from being asleep. It gets a little bit better, but not much. I woke up in 2004 when I was at a flea market and approached a book dealer who handed me Bill Cooper's Behold a Pale Horse and said I'd like it. Never met the dude before, and wish I could shake his hand now. Been a wild trip ever since.
Cc1914 ago
I always knew the " powers that be " were corrupt , but had no idea how deep it all went. I also knew that " Religion " for the most part , was a racket . After 911 I started to wake up , but I never even imagined just how bad it really was . I stopped going to church because of the hypocrisy. One of my best friends proved that to me . She was a Sunday school teacher on sundays , after a night out drinking and slutting around the night before ! It made no sense to me as a young adult . Then when I decide to leave a certain church and tell the pastor that he was not preaching Gods word , but his own idealologies , he then told me " child the Bible wasn't meant for us to understand " ! That was enough for me to go running fast !
scarlettm512 ago
I felt the same way for a while about Christianity. So many Christians don't even know what Jesus actually preached and certainly can't be bothered to practice any of it. However, my mother said something to me which changed my mind about God (though not about organized religion). She told me not to let the hypocrites keep me from God. Just because there are those who call themselves Christians yet do not live as Christians -- you shouldn't let that turn you away from the message of Christ. My parents weren't really religious. My dad is more of an atheist (agnostic on his better days, I guess, lol), so we never went to church. I don't need church to have a relationship with God, though, and I don't need a pastor or priest to interpret God's word for me. I don't really have mainstream Christian beliefs. I'm a red-letter Christian type myself (though that term has now been co-opted by white nationalists/neo-Nazis in an effort to deter people from Christ's message, I think). I follow only the teaching of Christ. No old testament for me. You don't have to accept someone else's definition of faith. You can find your own path. I personally think that there are many paths that lead to the truth and it doesn't really matter which one you take as long as you eventually end up at the right destination.
Cc1914 ago
Thank you for your input too ! 🙂 When I have more time, I will put more thought into my reply to your comments . I'm in a rush right now ..
Enigmatic_Continuum ago
I hear you, my friend! Everything's a lie and perception is everything. I knew in 4th grade that the church was mainly concerned with money. My family moved to a new state when I was half way through 4th grade, and the church of the Sunday school I attended confirmed at the end of the 4th grade, yet when we moved and joined a new church's Sunday school, they didn't confirm you until the end of the 11th grade! I was so upset. By the time I got to 11th grade, I was already questioning everything, got confirmed to make my parents happy, and never went back to church again.
Cc1914 ago
When 911 happened , I was so angry! To think that someone might have the power to prevent human suffering but was not prepared to use it just boggled my mind ! I believe in a creator now , and the truth about who he really is has set me free , just like it says At John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. And I didn't learn that at church , I learned it sitting in my living room studying the Bible with a friend .
Enigmatic_Continuum ago
Absolutely! I believe there is a creator, but I don't believe in going to church. I feel much more spiritually in-tune when in nature and far away from mechanical, man-made sounds.
Cc1914 ago
So many really good people feel this way 😊
TrishaUK ago
hope you don't mind me chipping in. I grew up not going to church, then when I was 19 my boss, who I thought was great, died at the age of 42, he had 2 little girls, a lovely wife and a nice job and home. I had just got married, so basically everything I was hoping for. It shook me, I thought what on earth is 'life' all about, if you get what you want and you die before you enjoy it? This made me think 'beyond this life'. (My mom was a prayer kind of woman who loved Jesus, but not a church goer, she did not like Catholicism as she saw them as hypocrites, this I assume is because my dad was a great Catholic when she married him, however, soon after he become an aggressive alcoholic wife beater). Anyhooo... I decided to ask God what life was about. My life took an immediate turn of events, I was transferred within the Bank where I worked to another department because of my bosses death. It was into the Accounts Dept to work next to 3 lovely Christian Accountants. I thought them quite weird because they used their lunch break to sit in the staff room and quietly pray and discuss the bible. I used to ask hundreds of questions, why dont you drink alcohol etc., the usual. After months of my questions I was asked if I wanted to go to the Salvation Army, one of the churches my now friend Ian went too. He was leaving the Bank to go and become a Pastor in the SA, I could not believe he would give up such a good job to go and work for next to nothing, for God. haha Anyway, this is getting too long, I went to the SA and gave my life to Jesus, years after I went to the Baptist Church and got Baptised in water....years later something still missing....I went to an Elim Church and received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit....that was 30 years ago and I have never looked back. I love my life since becoming a Christian, I see things, especially motivations of other in a way most dont. I have not had alcohol since I was 19, always worked in schools colleges, voluntary work in Sunday Schools and Churches - I would say, I am not religious, as I see religion as rules made by man, but I am definitly in a relationship with God and I do not have to go via any Priest etc., He has made Himself available to me when I asked him. There are 100s of ways He has answered me and 100s of ways He has provided for me. I would not be the same person today without Him. - That was long winded but if you got this far thank you for reading. :) We are aware even more these days that evil exists, but lets not forget, we can draw strength and wisdom from God, if we care to ask.
Cc1914 ago
Awe Trisha ❤️ What a truly amazing experience you had ! I would love to hear more ! I too have a relationship with our creator and his son Jesus Christ. I would love to share with you sometime how that all came to be , maybe we can start another sub where we can all talk about our journeys ? 🙂