Speaker A
Professor Dawkins, it's very good to have you join us to discuss whether it matters that Christianity is playing a diminishing role in national life. Uh, welcome to LBC.
Richard Dawkins discusses being a cultural Christian, the decline of Christianity, and concerns about Islam's growth in the UK on LBC.
Key Takeaways
- Dawkins distinguishes between cultural Christianity and religious belief.
- He is concerned about the rise of Islam in Europe and its social implications.
- Christianity's cultural heritage remains important despite declining belief.
- Fundamentalist religious views, both Christian and Islamic, pose challenges.
- The UK's Christian foundation is seen as a positive societal force by Dawkins.
What the video covers
- Richard Dawkins identifies as a cultural Christian, appreciating Christian traditions despite not believing in the faith.
- He expresses concern over the promotion of Ramadan and the rise of mosque construction in Europe.
- Dawkins contrasts Christianity and Islam, criticizing Islam's treatment of women and LGBTQ+ people based on religious texts.
- He acknowledges problems within Christianity, including fundamentalist opposition to evolution and women's rights issues.
- Dawkins supports the UK's Christian foundation and the role of the monarchy as head of church and state.
- He emphasizes that Christian beliefs are 'nonsense' but values the cultural and societal role of Christianity.
- Dawkins prefers Christianity over Islam as a bulwark against extremism, especially in contexts like Africa.
- The discussion touches on the decline in church attendance and the potential impact of a Muslim majority in the UK.
- Dawkins reflects on the emotional and cultural significance of Christian holy sites like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
- The interview highlights tensions between secularism, religious identity, and multiculturalism in modern Britain.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Easter Message
- 00:30Cultural Christianity and National Identity
- 01:29Decline of Christian Belief
- 01:59Dawkins' Views on Islam vs Christianity
- 03:29Treatment of Women and LGBTQ+ in Islam and Christianity
- 04:15Fundamentalist Christianity and Social Issues
- 05:08Christianity in America and Evolution Debate
- 06:03Christianity as a Bulwark Against Islam
- 06:33Dawkins' Critique of Christian Beliefs
- 06:59Reflection on Christian Holy Sites
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Thank you. And what would be your Easter message? I, I mean, I've, I've said a few things. Uh, what would be, what would you tell the nation?
Speaker A
Well, I must say I was slightly horrified to hear that Ramadan is being promoted instead. I do think that we, we are culturally a Christian country. I'm, I
Speaker A
call myself a cultural Christian. I'm not a believer, but there's a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a cultural Christian. And so, you know, I, I love hymns and Christmas carols and, um, I, I sort of feel at home in the
Speaker A
Christian ethos. I feel that we are a Christian country in that sense. Uh, it's true that statistically the number of people who actually believe in Christianity is going down. Uh, and I, I'm happy with that, but I would not be happy
Speaker A
if, um, for example, we lost all our cathedrals and our beautiful parish churches. Um, so I, I've count myself a cultural Christian. I think it would matter if we, certainly if we substituted any alternative religion that would be
Speaker A
truly dreadful. Well, which brings me to, to my supplementary point, which is that as we know, church attendance is plummeting, but the building, the erection of mosques across Europe, I think 6,000 are under construction and there are many
Speaker A
more, I mean, are being planned. So do you think, do you regard that as a problem? Do you think that matters?
Speaker A
Yes, I do really. I mean, I, I, I, I don't, I choose my words carefully. I mean,
Speaker A
if I had to choose between Christianity and Islam, I choose Christianity every single time. I mean, it seems to me to be a fundamentally decent religion, um, in a way that I think Islam is not. I think you're going to have to
Speaker A
explain why you say that, Professor Dawkins. Why is Islam, Prof, the way fundamentally not decent like Christianity?
Speaker A
Yes, I mean the, the, the, the way women are treated. I mean, Christianity is not great about that. It's had its problems with female vicar
Speaker A
and female bishops and things, but there's an active hostility to women which is promoted, I think, by the holy books of Islam. I'm not talking about individual Muslims who, of course, are quite, quite different, but the, but the
Speaker A
doctrines of Islam, the Hadith and the, and the Quran, it's fundamentally, um, hostile to women, hostile to gays, um, and, uh, I find that I like to live in a culturally Christian country, although I do not believe a single word of the
Speaker A
Christian faith. Just for balance, should we, should we say something about fundamentalist Christians who, you know, we can see abortion rights, reproductive rights being rolled back, um, in, in, you know, Republican states in America? So Christianity is still not without its
Speaker A
problems when it comes, uh, to women and their rights.
Speaker A
Well, you didn't ask me about, about Christianity in, in America. That's a different matter entirely.
Speaker A
All right, well, I'm sure we got some fundamentalist Christians here too, but, uh, not, not as public.
Speaker A
Well, insofar as fundamentalist Christians oppose evolution and think that the world was created 6,000 years ago, I mean, that, that is pernicious nonsense, of course.
Speaker A
Um, right, well, so I think I see where you come from. I like the phrase you're a cultural Christian. I think I'm a bit more than a cultural Christian, although, you know, it does, my, my, my belief, uh, waxes and wanes. Um, would it be a good thing or a bad thing if we became a less
Speaker A
Christian country? And just on the, you know, the, the foundation of this nation with the King, uh, being the head of church and state, um, do you think it provides a solid foundation that we, and we would lose something if, let's say,
Speaker A
there was a Muslim majority?
Speaker A
Well, yes, uh, um, I think the King, when he was Prince of Wales, was actually rather sympathetic towards Islam. And one of the problems I felt, um, no, I think it would be a terrible thing, uh, and insofar as Christianity can be seen as a bulwark against Islam, I think it's, it's a very good thing in Africa, for example,
Speaker A
where you have missionaries of both faiths operating. Um, I'm, I'm, I'm on team Christian side as far as that's
Speaker A
concerned. It's interesting because I sort of thought that you would be more of a Hitchendite God Is Not Great, uh, advocate, but it's interesting to me that you see the value and the force for good of the United Kingdom
Speaker A
having a Christian foundation.
Speaker A
Yes, but I, I, I must emphasize that, that I think that, that the things that Christians believe are actually nonsense. I mean, I think that, um, when you, when you say you, you, you, you,
Speaker A
you waver, I wanted to ask you, and do you actually believe that Jesus had a, a virgin for a mother? Do you actually believe he rose from the dead?
Speaker A
I, I suspect since you ask, since you asked, Richard, if I may, because we, I was at New
Speaker A
College when you were, you were, I think, are you still a Don at New College?
Speaker A
Yes.
Speaker A
Well, I'm retired. You're retired? You don't look, anyway. Um, weirdly, I was just three weeks ago at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem,
Speaker A
where the Christians believe that Christ was crucified, or there was the tomb on the Gethsemane was just there and Golgotha was there. And I have to admit that there is a real force. I mean, it feels like the
Topics:Richard Dawkinscultural ChristianChristianity declineIslam in Europereligion UKLBC interviewChristian traditionsmosque constructionreligious tolerancesecularism
