– “heavy irony” on –
Via ERV and PZ Myers this quote from Dawkins’, quite disturbing:
We who doubt that “theology” is a subject at all, or who compare it with the study of leprechauns, are eagerly hoping to be proved wrong. Of course, university departments of theology house many excellent scholars of history, linguistics, literature, ecclesiastical art and music, archaeology, psychology, anthropology, sociology, iconology, and other worthwhile and important subjects. These academics would be welcomed into appropriate departments elsewhere in the university. But as for theology itself, defined as “the organised body of knowledge dealing with the nature, attributes, and governance of God”, a positive case now needs to be made that it has any real content at all, and that it has any place in today’s universities.
Now, come on people, what would be the next step? Dismantle psychology and psychiatry departments as they deal with or with pathologies of psyché [that's greek for soul]? Asking for a positive case that there is a real content? And let the fools around?
Or ask to change SOS to SOM (save our souls – save our minds)? [update: Coturnix is on the way 
]
Theology departments are the only multidisciplinary ones dealing directly with mythology! If you take them down, you will disperse the effort made to understand why Homo sapiens is prone to believe without evidence. You can’t just dismantle the most integrated interdisciplinary effort ever made in academia just because there is no real content. The only one able to have results without even real content!
You are just jealous because you have to go through wet biology to collect data instead to just pray for inspiration or meditate quietly to reach enlightenment. Because you are unable to understand how rewarding it is to have a god (as many names as you want there, including Intelligent Designer) as universal explanation to every problem you will ever encounter.
The perfect model, able to predict that it will be able to answer any question! hah! With a single word. Don’t have that in biology isn’t it? Jealous, aren’t you? I’m jealous, anyway.
And comparing theology with leprechauns! How dare you? Leprechauns is just Irish folklore. Theology is a world-wide folklore! It’s like comparing Guinness (in other words, serious stuff) with beer (in other words… well, serious stuff also, but certainly not as serious as Guinness). This analogy may not be pertinent. I’ll have to check that and I’ll be back. It will take a few pints. Wonder if I should ask for financial support from the Templeton Fondation, or Discovery Institute, or Vatican… Or Guinness by the way, that’s more realistic.
This post dedicated to my favorite neocreationist: Jean Staune. I love this guy. (I did warned about “heavy irony”, didn’t I? yep, it’ OK) Jean, you are the best — “heavy irony” off – crap detector.
