Young Australian Christians reading Dawkins and Hitchens: A qualitative study

Abstract

The method of interpretive phenomenology was used to investigate the responses of twelve young Australian Christian University students to selected writings by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. In analysing the interview data, the following six themes emerged: the style is entertaining and humorous; the style is disrespectful and mocking; many of the arguments are perceived as lacking depth and philosophical sophistication; constructive engagement with ‘the other side’ was found to be lacking; the ‘religion poisons everything’ argument cannot be sustained (it’s a human rather than a specifically religious failing); and, finally, the arguments that cast doubt on the historicity and reliability of the biblical accounts are troubling. Though the capacity for critical analysis is variable in the cohort, all of the participants were able to point up serious flaws in the arguments. No one found her- or himself ‘falling under the spell’ of the authors.