"A lifelong atheist, Phillip Adams started writing on the joys of disbelief, the merits of the meaningless universe and the sins of religion half a century ago. Many of his columns were collated in Adams Versus God, first published in the 1980s and republished as Adams Versus God: The Rematch by Melbourne University Publishing last year. As a broadcaster he has given a great deal of air time to atheist opinion - with an immense international guest list including Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins."
http://www.atheistconvention.org.au/phillip-adams/The atheist delusion
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/19/2850137.htmSnippits-
“I see some parallels here between atheism and homosexuality. 'The love that dare not speak its name' as Oscar Wilde pronounced it. Leading to millions living their life in the closet. Atheism was, and to a large extent remains, the view that dare not speak its name. And it's only recently that I've observed atheists coming out. Finally confident enough to be, to borrow a gay slogan, loud and proud (Incidentally, spare a thought for gay atheists).
But in becoming prouder and louder I want to argue that we should not be too loud. And that we should not overestimate our importance as the tectonic plates of religion move slowly, rubbing against each other to cause mental and social earthquakes. By all means let us congratulate each other - but let us not fall prey to hubris.”
“Yes, atheism is on the march in the US, according to statistics. But we're starting from a very, very low base. And we should look across the census figures at the equally dramatic growth of Islam in the US. It's not coming from immigration but from conversion. Conversion within the prison system! Malcolm X and Mohammed Ali certainly started something.
So beware of triumphalism. Over the last half century I've learnt that my euphoria about atheism's progress, inevitable to us, about the advance of science leading to the retreat of God, was wildly optimistic. Yet the triumph of science, even in the scientifically triumphant US, has failed to convince the vast majority of Americans that evolution is a fact rather than a blasphemy.”
“Most people who've abandoned religion have not embraced the thoughts and values we might try and articulate. They've taken up shopping. They are dulling the pain of existence in the mall, by buying things they don't need with the credit cards they can't afford. Or they're dulling the pain in alcohol or narcosis. Or they're just sitting in front of the telly or the computer screen bathing themselves in violent drama or hyper violent games. In pornography or the pornographies of violence.
Don't be fooled into thinking that we're at the edge of victory. That would be a delusion. It concerns me that by becoming too arrogant, too strident, too aggressive we will stultify rather than intensify debate. I've known Christopher Hitchens for decades and know how he operates. In any area, on no matter what he's tackling, he has two positions. On or off. And when he's on he can be absolutely exhilarating.”
“I propose, if you like, a third way while recognising how devalued that notion has become in politics. But a willingness to sit down and talk to these people who are not necessarily our enemies and who may, on a raft of issues, be our friends. Sometimes their efforts to be our friends are grotesque and ludicrous. I think of the Templeton prizewinners, the long list of scientists, almost all of whom I have either known or interviewed at length, cop a million dollars for building bridges of understanding - usually misunderstandings between science and Christian beliefs. But when it comes to human suffering, whilst I can see that much of it has been exacerbated by religion, we must accept the reality that we need 'em on our side if we are to effect social change.”
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“Broadcaster, filmmaker, author, archaeologist, controversialist, social commentator and satirist, Phillip Adams was elected one of Australia’s 100 National Living Treasures in the inaugural poll conducted by The National Trust. In October 2006 a poll conducted by Professor Richard Nyall of Curtin University among 200 senior academics to define ‘the top forty most influential Australian intellectuals’ had Adams equal third with Noel Pearson.
Adams is currently Chairman of the Centre for the Mind at the University of Sydney and the Australian National University in Canberra. His scores of board memberships have included Greenpeace, CARE Australia, The National Museum of Australia, Adelaide’s Festival of Ideas and Brisbane’s Ideas Festival.
As a broadcaster, Adams has interviewed over 15,000 of the world’s most prominent politicians, philosophers, economists, scientists, theologians, historians, archaeologists, novelists and scholars. His radio program, ‘Late Night Live’ is broadcast twice a day over the 250-station network of ABC’s Radio National and around the world on Radio Australia and the World Wide Web. Late Night Live is Australia’s most successful ‘podcast’ program, both in Australia and around the world. In 2007 there were 13 million downloads.
”
http://www.uq.edu.au/diversity-week/index.html?page=81693http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Adams
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