What are the new atheists on about?
Richard Dawkins at the 34th American Atheists Conference in Minneapolis. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Many of the New Atheists — Richard Dawkins , Sam Harris , Daniel Dennett , and Christopher Hitchens . These authors have been causing quite a stir in recent years, both inspiring fellow atheists and shaking up the faith of believers. Unlike more substantive atheists in the academy, this new wave of atheism typically engages in emotional argumentation and rhetorical bluster—often with little substance and plenty of distortion. God is “not good” and is “a moral monster.” Religion is the chief source of humanity’s problems—“the root of all evil.” One particular point of attack is Old Testament ethical issues, including claims like these: “the Bible promotes owning other human beings,” “the Old Testament demeans women,” or “God commands genocide.” Q. Some people claim that the Old Testament allows polygamy. What do you say? A. For one thing, the Old Testament makes c