For those not in Australia and those in Australia who dont watch the ABC Q&A is an ABC program where there is a pannel of people including pollies, a moderator and a live audiance (both in the studio and on the internet) who can ask the pannel questions. It tends to be set around a central theame but can wander off topic a bit. Anyway i was watching todays episode and i found it facinating. The panel was : Richard Dawkins - evolutionary biologist and prominent athiest Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio - progressive Rabbi, Emanuel Synagogue Professor Patrick McGorry - Australian of the Year Steve Fielding - Leader of Family First Julie Bishop - Deputy Leader of the Opposition There is one more missing from that list (taken off the website linked below) who is Labor's Agriculture minster (Tony Burke) The 3rd and 4th do require a little more explination though. Patrick McGorry is a leading advocate for mental health who has been highly critical of both party on the treatment of asylem seekers and Fielding is a religious nutjob who hopefully will be gone from the senate after the next election (this gives a full bio of all of the pannelests) Now to give some of the highlights: Fielding confessed that he belives in creationisum AND that the world is 10000 years old (you should have seen Dawkin's face at this point) which should end his political career right here and now Tony Burke called down dawkins for his rabid atacks on tolerance as being as bad for the world as any atacks on tolerance comming from the other side (actually i was VERY impressed with Burke and if he performs in cabinate as well as he did on the pannel its a pitty to see him in such a modest portfolio) and lastly Professor Patrick McGorry is my new hero, i have hardly ever seen anyone as eiquent or as intelligent and caring as he showed himself to be. Anyway this episode is worth watching and the link to it is here http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/
Asguard: I watched it. He would never have been elected in the first place had it not been for a dodgy preference deal between the major parties. That's what voters get when they number above the line in Senate elections. Surely this mistake will correct itself at the coming election. Where were those rabid attacks you refer to? I must have missed them.
james, you know i have no belief in anything. however im firmly with proffessor McGorry on the benifits to some peoples mental health from religion. further more putting science in direct conflict with religion is stupid and if he wasnt so rabid on athisium he should see that (just because hes a brillant scientist doest make him smart in other areas BTW) not only does it alow avinues for atack on science which should never be there but it just increases the tentions around the world. our country was surposedly built on religious tolerance which is something he is in direct conflict with.
Asguard, What Dawkins said is that when religion makes scientific claims it opens itself to challenge by scientists. Dawkins also went out of his way on the programme to say that people are free to believe whatever they like.
