It's late and I should probably not try to make coherent statements concerning politics and religion after 4am.
I've had intelligent religious folks suggest to me that they are shocked I'm not a jerk, because so many of the prominent atheists in popular culture are jerks. Dawkins is a primary offender: he has a hard time answering any question without sounding smug and superior.
This is a problem for me because I believe that he's mostly correct in his assertions.
However: people don't remember what you say, they remember how they felt after you said it.
I wouldn't call him a "miserable" alcoholic. He was quite proud of his prodigious intake of alcohol and tobacco, to the extent of writing essays defending these habits and refusing to change his tune even in the face of death due to them.
He was more of a "celebratory" alcoholic and smoker.
I've had intelligent religious folks suggest to me that they are shocked I'm not a jerk, because so many of the prominent atheists in popular culture are jerks. Dawkins is a primary offender: he has a hard time answering any question without sounding smug and superior.
This is a problem for me because I believe that he's mostly correct in his assertions.
However: people don't remember what you say, they remember how they felt after you said it.