Penn Jillette is a very talented magician, the more statuesque half of Penn and Teller. He is also an outspoken atheist. Yet he remains one of the, if not nicest, then honest, ones and
often has good things to say about sincere believers, even if he believes them sincerely wrong. Here's an example:
"One of the reasons I get along so much better with fundamentalist Christians than I do with liberal Christians, is that fundamentalist Christians, I can look them in the eye and say, 'You are wrong.' They also know that I will always fight for their right to say that. And I will celebrate their right to say that. But I will look them in the eye and say, "You're wrong." And the fundamentalist will look me in the eye and say, 'You're wrong.' And that, to me, is respect.
"The more liberal religious people who go, 'There are many paths to truth, you just go on, and maybe you'll find your way' --[this] is the way you talk to a child, and I bristle at that."
Here is the video which includes the comment. Warning: Not all of it is as polite.
Isn't it true that in our postmodern world tolerance has a higher and more distinguished place in thinking than does truth. And so it's often the Christians that get the bad rap because they are seen as intolerant. Everyone wants to be tolerant of everyone... except tolerant of Christians. Many seem to be intolerate them. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteSo it's nice to find a thinking atheist who is tolerant of something other than tolerance itself.