Dawkins

• what is meant by infantilism?

  need for God like a child in their life needs a parent
• what did Dawkins view religion as

  • religion was oppressive inwardly and outwardly - it was barrier to understand things the way they are
  • it narrowed people's ability to understand the world around us
• what did Dawkin believe religion caused

  conflict as seen in Catholic vs Protestants and Sunni vs Shias
• why did Dawkins particularly focus on the influence religion has on children

  he believed that children are the part of the chain that needs to be tackled. their mind is "hijacked by religious faith" - treats non-consenting children as one religion or another (metaphysical claim)
• what evidence did Dawkins provide to support his view?

  • Role of the state which allows private households to raise children in a religious way, especially given the evidence of the negative consequences
  • psychological abuse- fear of hell etc
  • Christianity has many extreme beliefs
  • religion belief is genuinely harmful and is not a 'private matter'