Race, Science, Religion & Evolution - Richard Dawkins

What do you make of this recent rise of cultural Christianity, given that you were a big part of popularizing atheism over the last few decades? It seems like, uh, have we already forgotten that? Is this sort of coming back around?

Cultural Christianity means nothing. Um, we're all cultural Christians if we were brought up in a Christian culture. And, and I was, and you, you probably were as well. Um, it doesn't mean anything at all. It doesn't mean we believe it. That's what's important, is whether you believe it or not. And I don't believe a word of it, but it is a simple matter of fact that I'm brought up in a Christian culture, so I'm a cultural, cultural Christian.

It seems that there are, uh, gradations of belief now. I think, uh, people that you might not have expected to have, uh, used it so much, Jordan Petersons of the world, the Russell Brands of the world, the Andrew Tates of the world. Uh, uh, uh, I think is it Latin Mass that is one of the quickest growing, um, denominations, especially for young people? And it's an en- an entire, uh, ceremony that no one, unless you're educated in Latin, that nobody can understand. So, beyond just the moniker of cultural Christianity, it seems like some kind of religious belief is increasing.

Of course, it's, uh, an advantage to be in Latin that nobody can understand, 'cause if you can understand it, you realize what nonsense it is. (laughs)

Uh, th- some people would say that the reason that they like it is that it's got this sort of, uh, uh, like a pomp and s- and, and ceremony and, uh, it makes them feel connected to sort of the roots of what's going on.

Yes, I get that.

Mm.

I can imagine that.

Mm. But it does seem, it's interesting to me that what was rebellious and sort of revolutionary and a, a bit kind of, uh, cutting edge was the atheism, uh, conversation only not so long ago. And there has been, uh, some rebranding, whether it's, uh, uh, men getting their passports and, and talking about wanting to convert to Islam, which I think would've been a very surprising thing to have heard, or, uh, Christianity too. It seems like that's the, uh, on-trend, du jour way to live your life.

You follow trends in society. I'm not that interested in trends in society. I'm interested in what's true. And if there are trends this way, trends that way, that'll be different in, in a few years' time anyway.

Mm-hmm. I do think that they are leading indicators of what we may see, uh, in future.

That is possible, or, or the reverse.

Also true as well. I think, uh, we spoke about this last night, and obviously, uh, I do need to call it out. We had a great conversation on stage for 60 minutes and then another 30, uh, so some-