Atheists & ‘competence extrapolation’

John Dickson pleads for an informed atheism. He comments on the tendency of atheist commentators in their critique of the Christian faith to stray well beyond their areas of expertise: in Dickson’s apt words “competence extrapolation“.

He notes these concerns in addressing arguments put against the teaching of religios education in state schools:

Tamas Pataki, a trained philosopher and well-known figure on the atheist circuit, recently put up four arguments against state schools offering Special Religious Education (SRE). It leads to divisiveness, strengthens group identity (a bad thing because of the first), is factually untrue and, unlike Graeco-Roman wisdom, argues from parable and dogma instead of by reasoning. Pataki is wrong on all four counts.

This is an article to read and ponder when you have a cuppa and 30 minutes (well for me, anyway!).

Article on yesterday’s ABC Online Religion and Ethics, Pitting historical facts against atheist schoolyard delusions.