Protestantism & Richard Dawkins Have This in Common

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Prof. Richard #Dawkins has been getting pilloried on social media ever since an interview was released in which he described himself as a cultural #Christian and that he valued living in a Christian #culture.

But he also insisted that no one should misunderstand that he thinks it’s outrageous that anyone would actually believe the doctrines of #Christianity – like the virgin birth.

Dawkins wants the good effect of a cause without the cause itself. Christian culture is the embodiment of Christian faith. It’s the product of a society of people who genuinely believe and Dawkins wants to enjoy what they produce while denouncing them for the reason they produce it.

And the fact of that incoherence wasn’t lost on most people paying attention, especially Christians – and this includes Christians of all walks of life.

I don’t want to spoil that, but it’s just such a glaring opportunity to point out that a lot of Christians are operating under a theological system that employs this exact same fallacious logic.

#protestantism #solascriptura

[samburton]

Brian: thanks for this episode. I am a non denominational pastor. And was a missionary for 22 years. The two driving forces in my life have been the evangelism of the lost, and the unity of all believers in Christ. I have found many great believers across denominational lines, and met some scandalous pastors. But there are many countries in the world where Believers are such a small minority that you take fellowship through Christ rather than any denominational loyalties. Sadly, the two groups I have known the least about have been Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox. The priest in a village I used to live in in Scotland, was a delightful man, and his love for Christ was obvious. Sadly, most of the clergy i'd met were not. He opened my eyes. Then I started watching your videos and Pints with Aquinas. I've said this before, but you have greatly increased my understanding of, and appreciation for Roman Catholicism. Thank you. Sorry to be so wordy! 😁

[joanl.]

Dawkins' problem is that there is no foundation for any of the things he enjoys, including life itself, without the God he rejects.

[youtubeKathy]

People think the stories in the Bible are outrageous, with out ever stopping to think how weird it is that we even exist...

[noxvenit]

No, the Protestants' position to Rome is not as Dawkins's to Christianity.

And the more important question is not what kind of Father has children who don't get along. It's what kind of brother engages in the sorts of abuses that brought about the so-called Reformation and then demands continued recognition of his power, infallibility, and all the good things he supposedly gave those brothers of his (yes, including the Bible). The fact of the matter is, Rome deserved the Reformation, which was sparked by an obscure Augustinian monk who, caring for the souls of his flock, seeing them robbed by the abuse of indulgences, posted a challenge to debate the abuse and inadvertently stumbled across a wicked fund-raising scheme cooked up by a pope and an arch-bishop. Let us recall and give due consideration to the fact that is was Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, not his Ninety-Seven Theses, that made Leo wet himself. There is more of Protestant theology in the former, and none in the latter, something the infallible Church keeps missing even after five centuries. You can't abuse your authority and act like a victim when some of it is rejected.

If only Leo's sin was to insist on the library's rules of decorum.

[reinedire]

Auron MacIntyre said it quite well: Richard Dawkins is a child holding wilted flowers that he cut from their roots.

[andrewmiller]

Thanks for the video Brian. I’m a protestant and I didn’t really find your criticism of protestantism in this video persuasive.
Firstly, we do believe in the Church and we do believe that the church has authority. We have a different understanding than you do of what the Church actually is, and a different view of the extent of the church’s authority, but our understanding of these things is still compatible with the scriptural passages you quoted.

Also, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the church that compiled scripture must be equally authoritative and infallable as scripture, as it could be the case that the Holy Spirit was particularly active in the activity of compiling scripture, to a greater extant than He is in the Church’s other activities.

It also doesn’t follow that the modern Roman Catholic Church that claims to succeed the very early church is equal in authority to the early church. Protestants will readily acknowledge the authority of the early church due to the proximity to the Apostles, but believe that the Roman Catholic Church changed over the centuries as it was influenced by politics and corruption. And protestants don’t just believe this without evidence - aside from doctrinal arguments the *fruit* produced by the Roman Catholic Church hasn’t lived up to the authority it claims. And Jesus did say that judging someone by their fruit was a legitimate way to determine someone’s authority.

[Polones]

Croydon Mosque pictured at the beginning: used to pass it every week for years. Londonistan is a thing.

[jondgil]

There’s a massive difference between compiling a list of books and being an author. God is the author of the Scriptures. The church aught to be subordinate to the Word of God. If it’s binding the hearts of men to “infallible” beliefs which are not found anywhere in God’s Word then we should question the authority not the Author.

And stop comparing the reformation to atheists. It’s cheap and shallow.

[Llyrin]

Dawkins is a classic user. He takes from something for which he has no affinity, enjoying the benefits of the object of his acrimony, while trying to destroy it wherever possible. You could liken it to living in a penthouse apartment, but each night chopping away at the very foundations of your own home.

[janetdefreitas]

Brian, I could not agree with you more!! I pray daily for Christian unity. I believe our lack of unity pierces our Lord's pure heart. If only we knew how He suffers by our tenacity to remain separated. May the Lord forgive us and help us to live the unity for which he prayed. John 17: 11b, 17. Thank you for articulating your point so well.

[k.bernard]

An observation: Whether we admit/recognize it or not, all people from every walk of life are on a spiritual journey. This includes those who denounce the existence of metaphysics. For militant atheists - those I have heard - aside from a fundamentalist understanding of religion, another aspect shared with believers of a certain mind st is the question of who has authority. Human beings generally have a hard time accepting the authority of God when we are focused on our own being dominant. This is a human failing, not an accusation towards certain believers and non believers. I see this as due to stressing of the physical over the metaphysical. As opposed to this "either/or" approach, it is actually a "both/and" situation. People in general desire the benefit of the metaphysical in the physical world but deny the existence of it. It is not an easy task to grasp the relationship of the physical to the underpinnings of the metaphysical. Possibly because the metaphysical cannot be measured (or exploited) with tools of the physical so many decide to deny its existence. - As to thinkers like Mr. Dawkins, the conflict with a competing militant world view conquering their lives after campaigning to eliminate another they find reprehensible, had not entered their thoughts. At least Mr. Dawkins has come to the realization he is in peril along with everyone else. He can continue the tactics he has used in his previous campaign, but the major difference is that this combative, competing world view has adherents who will put an end to him in a way Christianity would not, and that worries him. Perhaps he and like minded compatriots will draw closer to God as a result. Only God knows how this all plays out.

[nathankarn]

The issue with claiming that the Catholic Church has absolute authority because it compiled the Canon is that it seems the Catholic Church did not do so by Revelation but by discernment. If the Catholic church had to research and discern if this book or that was Canon, they determined that upon their own judgement rather than God. If God gave them a divine Revelation of what the Canon was, then that would cement the infallibility and authority of the Church. Since it appears that the Canon was determined through a series of Councils rather than one declaration from God, the Catholic Church's Canon bears no authority. God is the reason we have the Bible. God did not need the Catholic Church to compile the Bible. God gave us enough to prove the validity of His word without an authoratative body.

[walesruels]

I'm a non-Roman-Catholic Christian, and I like your videos. I reject this idea you're putting forward here, though, because I (and, I believe, the vast majority of my co-religionists) believe that the Church universal did, indeed, compose the Bible. Just as She can act in unity today if She so chooses.

[kreigormoorkus]

"Sorry if this feels like a cheap shot"
*Proceeds to take said cheap shot*.
I mean, I agreed with Brian to a largw extent on this but man, I think there are better ways of setting that up

[ethanj.]

I really enjoy Brian's videos, but this is a woeful misunderstanding and in fact a straw man of the Protestant position, and even of the conception of the Word (which clearly precedes the church). Protestants do not necessarily split the communicable word of God via the incarnation (Jesus as the Word), the preaching ministry of Jesus and the disciples, and the Old Testament canonical witness from the eventual inscribing and collecting of the New Testament Canon. In other words, the Word itself precedes the church whether it was spoken through prophets in the Old Testament, or incarnated in Christ, or later spoken by Christ -- it is clearly the Word, spoken or written, that precedes and creates the church. In fact, it creates the Lord's supper. Jesus, the incarnate Word, spoke it into being, and later it was written down, and even later recognized. The word has precedence. Later of course, the church acknowledged that word, but the church itself does not denote upon it special authority that it would not have had otherwise. Instead, again, the church recognizes inherent, pre-existant authority within those texts.

[Adam-ueig]

You say the church comes before Scripture and the church gives the Scripture while the council of Rome says precisely the opposite after giving a canon list and I quote "Scriptures on which by the grace of God the Catholic church is founded".

[ralphbrookens]

If Anthony Flew could come to at least acknowledge the likelihood of God before he died after living a life dismissing him so can Dawkins. Pray for him. He too needs our love

[jpayne]

What is the beautiful music in the background at the end of your video? And may I ask also what your intro music is? Thanks!

[friedawells]

The word 'bible' actually comes from the Latin word 'bibliotheca, ' which means library. So the bible is a library of sacred books compiled and cataloged by the Church 😁

[jamesfischer]

With all due respect and heart of love I'm offering to you I felt compelled to honestly let you know how I feel and what I think. You claim to be a great communicator which you are. Although if you need to explain your thought in three ( you might of had more but I stopped after 6 min. of watching) different angles then I'm lost on you convincing us or you trying to validate to yourself. Im a Christian that doesn't belong to any church because its the church that seems to pull me away from the very thing it exists in the first The love of God and his son Jesus. My journey still continues to find my family a church home but I firmly stand to say its definitely not the Catholic Church. Thank you... And may you continue to be blessed .