Richard Dawkins‘ ambition to transform the world into a haven of atheists appears to have fallen short. In a twist of irony, one of his closest collaborators, Josh Timonen, has embraced Christianity. He now critiques atheism as a “shallow worldview.”

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He set out to convert the world to atheism. He enlisted the help of a computer engineer. The computer engineer converted to Christianity.

In short, this is the latest ironic twist in the story of Richard Dawkins, the iconic leader of “new atheism”—a movement of scientistic crusaders who have long battled against Christianity, denouncing it as irrational and an obstacle to scientific and moral progress.

In 2006, his book The God Delusion sold 3 million copies, and many hailed it as a definitive blow to Christianity.

 

The implosion of Dawkins’ “new atheists”

Yet the movement eventually collapsed.

It faltered under the weakness and antagonism of its arguments, which alienated even many secular-minded Westerners.

The death of Christopher Hitchens (rumored to have considered conversion)—the group’s charismatic frontman—was a major blow, compounded by misogyny, sexual harassment at atheist events, and Dawkins’ clashes with feminists.

The most recent rupture is over gender issues, with Dawkins and other radical feminists defending the scientific basis of biological sex, while atheist groups like American Atheists branded them transphobic.

As early as 2008, Dawkins confessed, admitting: «I’ve failed. I haven’t shaken the faith of believers».

 

Josh Timonen: Dawkins’ right hand

Dawkins’ decade-long campaign also unraveled due to the frequent conversions of his key collaborators.

We previously discussed Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Dawkins’ former companion on U.S. atheist stages, who embraced Christianity in 2023.

But less publicized was the conversion of his right-hand man, Josh Timonen.

From 2006 to 2010, Timonen was one of Dawkins’ closest collaborators, captivated by the zoologist’s “intellectual” arguments against God, which aligned with his estrangement from the Church.

As a computer engineer, Timonen designed Dawkins’ websites, filmed and edited his videos, and even created atheism’s famous red “A” logo.

Timonen also designed the famous logo that remains an international symbol of atheism to this day: the red uppercase “A.”

Dawkins’ admiration for Timonen’s work was evident in 2009, when his book The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution included a dedication: “For Josh Timonen.”

Things began to take a turn in 2010 due to «people within Richard’s orbit who were a bit unstable», Timonen recounts today.

This led to Josh and his wife growing weary of such activities, prompting them to inform Dawkins of their decision to end the collaboration.

Suddenly, Timonen was accused of “embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds,” and Dawkins filed a lawsuit against him. Even in Italy, we reported the news.

However, the case was dismissed after Timonen and his legal team countersued for defamation, eventually reaching a settlement with Dawkins out of court.

 

Dawkins, the Conversion of His Protégé

This, however, did not shake Josh’s atheism, which ultimately collapsed a decade later.

He shared his story in a 2023 episode of The Living Waters Podcast.

Josh moved to Portland, Oregon, where the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic was soon followed by the riots and looting associated with Black Lives Matter.

These events deeply shook Timonen, especially the latter, as many of his friends participated in crimes carried out in the name of anti-racism. “I looked around and thought: ‘Who are these people? I thought we were on the same page, but I wasn’t with them,’” he recalls.

Seeking peace and safety, he and his family relocated to Waco, Texas.

In Waco, the Timonens looked for a place to connect with others and provide their daughter with social opportunities in a healthier environment than Portland. “We just wanted to build on solid ground,” Josh reflects.

“What if we tried a church?” they wondered, half-jokingly. They did attend, despite the oddity of it: “Honestly, I didn’t know what we were doing; we were ‘in a fog’”. However, they thought they could “borrow some of those social benefits that Christian communities offer.”

The experience was positive, and they met wonderful people.

“We just decided to keep going, see what it was like, and let my daughter join the Sunday school,” Josh shares. The positivity prompted him to reflect beyond pragmatism. “Okay, this is beneficial. Maybe I should give it a chance,” he mused.

Between 2020 and 2021, Josh became seriously involved with the Christian community, reevaluating his perspective on the Gospels and the figure of Jesus Christ.

His turning point came after reading the book The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel. The book convinced him that the Bible wasn’t a collection of mythical stories, that the Gospels were written close to Jesus’ lifetime, and that their credibility far surpassed the standards of ancient historical texts.

“I had to confront the fact that it was real—Jesus was real,” he recounts in the video.

Today, he acknowledges “that Jesus is who He says He is,” the Messiah who saves and gives purpose to anyone who opens their heart to Him.

In contrast, he realized that Dawkins wasn’t who he claimed to be.

And that atheism failed to deliver on its promises.

Speaking bluntly, even harshly, the former protégé of the world’s most famous atheist adds:

“Atheism is a worldview tailor-made for weak men. Outwardly, you go with the flow. You fit into secular culture. You conform. It’s a comfortable, herd-like, and very safe position to be in.”