Richard Dawkins Admits He Doesn't 'Despise Individuals' but Young Earth Creationists Pass Those Limits; Says Humans Are African Apes
Atheist author and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has admitted that although in general he doesn't "despise individuals" and only their views, Young-Earth Creationists pass his "limits" on the issue. He also argued that humans are really African apes, and are descendants from ancestors that can be called "monkeys."
"I said I'd never despise individuals, just their views. But there are limits, and YE Creationists who refuse to look at evidence pass mine," Dawkins wrote on Thursday on Twitter.
The God Delusion author has spoken out many times against Creationism, or a literal interpretation of the Genesis story in the Bible. Young Earth Creationists, in particular, believe the Earth is not billions, but only several thousands of years old.
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Dawkins has also defended human evolution throughout his work, and in another post on Wednesday he wrote: "We are African apes and we are descended (as are chimpanzees) from extinct African apes."
He added: "Modern monkeys are our cousins. We're not descended from them. But we're descended from ancestors which you could properly call monkeys."
Dawkins regularly uses his Twitter account to engage in controversial social issues. In April he argued that while Christianity and Judaism have moved away from "Middle Ages" teachings, the Islamic world continues to uphold punishments such as stonings, and preaches about world domination.
"Yes, Christianity and Judaism are every bit as stupid as Islam. But they don't preach world domination, theocratically imposed law, stoning, etc.," the author posted back then.
"And yes, Christianity and Judaism USED TO preach equally terrible things. But we live NOW, not in the Middle Ages. That's kind of relevant."
Back in March, Dawkins was placed on a Block Bot list that hides people on Twitter deemed offensive or abusive, after some users accused him of being racist and a "rape-apologist."
The biologist said that he does not object to being blocked, but rejects to being libeled and "linked with spammers and harassers."
"People are confusing the act of blocking, with libelling those blocked. Blocking is fine. Block me and I won't miss you. Libelling is not," he said.
Dawkins has been criticized by prominent Creationists such as Answers in Genesis CEO and President Ken Ham. The founder of the Creation Museum in Kentucky said that Dawkins wants to impose his own "religion" of atheism at the exclusion of all others, after Dawkins argued that religious parents indoctrinate their own children.
"Dawkins believes that children should be taught evolutionary naturalism as fact. He wants his religion of naturalism imposed on them. So children shouldn't be taught religion by their parents — they should be taught the religion of atheism by their teachers," Ham said in March.
"All Dawkins is advocating is replacing one religion with another religion."
