Christian Civilization Without Christian Faith?

Richard Dawkins Is Pointing in the Right Direction—but Still Sawing Off the Branch He Sits On

József Antall, Hungary’s first post-communist prime minister, once remarked: “In Europe, even the atheist is a Christian.” He likely never imagined that Richard Dawkins – the world-famous evolutionary biologist, author of The God Delusion, and a leading voice of New Atheism – would one day prove him right. Yet that is exactly what happened.

In an Easter Monday interview with LBC, Dawkins described himself as a “cultural Christian.”

What does that mean? A cultural Christian acknowledges the civilizational achievements of Christianity, may even observe some of its traditions, but rejects its teachings and maintains no personal relationship with God.

Why Dawkins Changed His Tune

For years, Dawkins was known for urging atheists to mock Christians publicly. Now, however, he says he feels at home in a Christian cultural environment, loves old hymns and Christmas carols, and considers Britain a culturally Christian nation. This shift likely stems from several factors.

First, he is alarmed by the spread of Islam in Europe. When told that 6,000 mosques are currently under construction across the continent, Dawkins responded that, if forced to choose, he would always pick Christianity over Islam. He described Islamic doctrine as “anti-women and anti-gay” and lamented that Ramadan receives more public recognition in Britain today than Easter.

Second, Dawkins has also fallen out with progressive liberalism. In 2021, the American Psychological Association rescinded his 1996 “Humanist of the Year” award after he criticized aspects of the transgender movement – an unforgivable offense in the eyes of ideological activists.

Third, the example of other public figures may have influenced him. Last year, Ayaan Hirsi Ali -herself once a face of New Atheism – announced she had become a Christian. Dawkins, responding on X, admitted: “Maybe I still have something to learn about religion. My dear friend Ayaan Hirsi Ali has become a Christian.”

In short, Dawkins has begun to recognize what happens when rival worldviews – whether Islam or woke ideology – fill the vacuum left by a retreating Christianity.

The Problem of “Fruit Without Roots”

But recognition alone does not make someone a Christian. As Dawkins himself underlined in the same interview, he does not believe “a single word” of Christian teaching, calling it “nonsense.” He even welcomed the decline of Christianity in Britain.

This contradiction has not gone unnoticed. Writer Rod Dreher quipped: “The man who thinks he is intelligent says that he loves eating very much, but is glad that in his country farms are being shut down and no new gardens are being planted.” Jordan Peterson was blunter: “What happens to a plant when its roots die, sir?”

The truth is that the greatness of Western civilization was not built on Christian “values” in the abstract but on Christian faith itself. The scientific method, equality between the sexes, and the dignity of the human person are all fruits of a biblical worldview. Equality rests on the belief that every person is made in the image of God. Science rests on the conviction that the universe operates according to discoverable laws.

Historian Tom Holland, author of Dominion, made the same point in his reply to Dawkins on X: the biologist is still sawing off the branch on which he sits, celebrating the very worldview he has spent decades attacking. “The Nietzschean question – whether the Christian moral system can survive after the Christian God has been killed – will haunt anyone who identifies as a cultural Christian,” Holland observed.

One Step Further

To his credit, Dawkins distinguishes between Christian culture and Christian faith – a distinction even some conservatives fail to make. And it is notable, even encouraging, that he now defends cultural Christianity against its progressive detractors.

But unless he takes the next step – opening himself, at least intellectually, to Christian faith – his biggest concern won’t be the disappearance of cathedrals. It will be the collapse of the very roots that made Western civilization flourish in the first place.