| | *Sir Denis Forman<ref>"The more significant was Granada's Adam Smith the following year, with Keir as a bereaved Church of Scotland minister seeking the meaning of life. Though written by Trevor Griffiths under a nom-de-plume, it owed much of its character to Sir Denis Forman, by this time Granada's chairman and himself a son of the manse – Adam was his father's first name. Sir Denis is also a convinced atheist, and the series, which at first went out on Sunday evenings as a religious offering, became so doubting that it had to be switched to an ordinary outlet." Philip Purser, 'Obituary: Andrew Keir', The Guardian, October 7, 1997, Pg. 14.</ref> | | *Sir Denis Forman<ref>"The more significant was Granada's Adam Smith the following year, with Keir as a bereaved Church of Scotland minister seeking the meaning of life. Though written by Trevor Griffiths under a nom-de-plume, it owed much of its character to Sir Denis Forman, by this time Granada's chairman and himself a son of the manse – Adam was his father's first name. Sir Denis is also a convinced atheist, and the series, which at first went out on Sunday evenings as a religious offering, became so doubting that it had to be switched to an ordinary outlet." Philip Purser, 'Obituary: Andrew Keir', The Guardian, October 7, 1997, Pg. 14.</ref> |
| | + | {{Cquote|Celebrity atheists such as Richard Dawkins appear to claim the moral high ground when it comes to violence. Dawkins, along with [[Sam Harris]] and the late [[Christopher Hitchens]], insist that because religion is intrinsically violent, then atheism is inherently more pacific. After all, if all the evils in the world can be blamed on religion, then arguably eliminating religion is not only desirable but a moral obligation for atheists who believe in peace. |
| | + | Their arguments are not new. But, unlike more ponderous academic atheist philosophers, they seemingly cultivated combative and acerbic, media-savvy personae. Their success at writing bestselling books, giving engaging public talks and cultivating a global following through social media, has made them minor celebrities. For example, Dawkins has been depicted in [[South Park]], [[Family Guy]] and [[The Simpsons]] – and even made a cameo appearance in [[Dr. Who]].<ref>[https://theconversation.com/why-the-arguments-of-the-new-atheists-are-often-just-as-violent-as-religion-95185 ''Why the arguments of the ‘New Atheists’ are often just as violent as religion'']</ref>}} |