Monday, 14 December 2009

The hilarious Richard Dawkins needs your pennies....

Famous atheist campaigner Richard Dawkins (who doesn't actually exist) is a multi-millionaire who lives in a large house (itself worth at least a million pounds) in splendid North Oxford.

According to Wikipedia, his most successful book, "The God Delusion", had sold over 8.5 million copies in English alone by November 2009, having also been translated into 34 other languages. The follow-up debuted at number 1 on the Sunday Times bestseller list, having also hit number 1 in Ireland, Canada and Australia, and 3 months later remains high on the various Amazon country sales charts (90 in UK, 158 in US at time of checking - number 1 in the category " Books > Science > Evolution"), despite only being available so far in hardback. He has written nine other books, the first in 1976, all of which remain in print. He has produced 7 documentaries. His website (which, according to Alexa, ranks  in the top 3500 websites visited by UK Internet users and the top 11,000 for US users) has a store to sell you books, DVDs, audio books, t-shirts and other clothing, stickers, buttons, pins, tote bags and coffee mugs. A humble baseball cap will set you back $19.95 (about £13), and a coffee mug $9.95 (about £6.50).

Dr. Dawkins needs $100,000 (about £60,000) to fund his "Richard Dawkins Foundation For Reasons & Science". How do you think he might be able to do that? (This would equal 0.7 pence per copy from the sales of "The God Delusion" alone).

Yup.... by tapping up the users of his website for their spare cash! He's even launched (and presumably had to pay for) a new website with a promotional  video in order to promote it - http://fundraiser.richarddawkins.net/.

Wow! Here's the best bit - if you contribute $100, you'll get a "free" DVD! $200 gets you 2 DVDs and a book... all the way up to 10 books if you contribute $10,000. Oh - but not if you live outside the US, because apparently he can't afford the postage.

So - is RD broke, mean, or does he simply believe his audience of "rationalists" are credulous suckers? You decide... meanwhile, comment #2 on his website post introducing the fundraiser is an unemployed man who sent in his $5.

4 comments:

Jonathan Hunt said...

Unlike the 'seed sowing' of the Word Faith followers, this is a different kind of sowing which has a definite harvest: The Whirlwind...

Ned Kelly said...

Slightly off topic, but I wanted to both congratulate and thank you for your chapter "Creation, Redemption, and Eschatology" in the new (to me) book, Should Christians Embrace Evolution. The message needs to be spread far and wide, and quickly, as the evolution accepters continue to grow, ignorant of the implications for Christianity. I tried debating the subject of theistic evolution on the Yahoo Christians in Science thread, but was effectively laughed off by the scientists who were more inclined to accept the theology of Denis Alexander and Francis Collins, than Andy McIntosh. We can only pray that they will see the light through the efforts of contributors such as yourself.

Anonymous said...

This has got to be the most ridiculous posting i have seen in ages!!! You religious fundamendalists are such ignorant bigots, and just plain dumb--you have actually convinced yourselves Richard Dawkins does not exist!!!! Hahahaha..really?? This is just typical, God exists, but another human being doesnt, and without a philosophical, nor logical argument do you come to this conclusion....when it comes to Richard Dawkins existance, I havent met him in person, I have watched his videos, read his books and his postings, but as you say, it does not necessarily mean such a person exists,...all the same, i do not worship him, give him sarifices, or attribute everything in the world to him...
Attacking a person's wealth, after declaring his non-existance is completely...how do i put this kindly? Redundant, maybe?
Read a book, a sane book. not necessarily an atheist one, just grab a Shakespeare, or a philosophy one, or a science one....grow up from this religious nonesense....

Anonymous said...

I guess - if you believe that life is to be lived now, then why sow into nothingness by giving to an ultimately meaningless cause ?

Yes, perhaps atheism does make one tight fisted.

Seasons greetings David

Andrew Sibley
http://science-and-values.blogspot.com/