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Richard Dawkins<\/mark><\/strong>‘ 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<\/strong>, has embraced Christianity. He now critiques atheism as a “shallow worldview.”<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He set out to convert the world to atheism. He enlisted the help of a computer engineer. The computer engineer converted to Christianity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In short, this is the latest ironic twist in the story of Richard Dawkins<\/mark><\/b>, the iconic leader of “new atheism”\u2014a movement of scientistic crusaders who have long battled<\/strong> against Christianity, denouncing it as irrational and an obstacle to scientific and moral progress.<\/p>\n In 2006, his book The God Delusion<\/strong><\/i> sold 3 million copies, and many hailed it as a definitive blow to Christianity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Yet the movement eventually collapsed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It faltered under the weakness and antagonism<\/strong> of its arguments, which alienated even many secular-minded Westerners.<\/p>\n The death of Christopher Hitchens<\/strong> (rumored to have considered conversion<\/a>)\u2014the group\u2019s charismatic frontman\u2014was a major blow, compounded by misogyny<\/a><\/strong>, sexual harassment<\/a><\/strong> at atheist events, and Dawkins\u2019 clashes with feminists<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n The most recent rupture is over gender issues<\/strong>, with Dawkins and other radical feminists defending the scientific basis of biological sex<\/strong>, while atheist groups like American Atheists<\/a><\/em> branded them transphobic.<\/p>\n As early as 2008, Dawkins confessed, admitting<\/a><\/strong><\/i>: \u00abI\u2019ve failed<\/strong>. I haven\u2019t shaken the faith of believers\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Dawkins\u2019 decade-long campaign also unraveled due to the frequent conversions<\/strong> of his key collaborators<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We previously discussed<\/a><\/strong> Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Dawkins\u2019 former companion on U.S. atheist stages, who embraced Christianity in 2023.<\/p>\n But less publicized was the conversion<\/strong> of his right-hand man, Josh Timonen<\/mark><\/strong>.<\/p>\n From 2006 to 2010, Timonen was one of Dawkins\u2019 closest collaborators<\/strong>, captivated by the zoologist\u2019s “intellectual” arguments against God, which aligned with his estrangement from the Church.<\/p>\n As a computer engineer<\/strong>, Timonen designed Dawkins\u2019 websites, filmed and edited his videos, and even created atheism\u2019s famous red “A” logo.<\/p>\n Timonen<\/strong> also designed the famous logo<\/strong> that remains an international symbol of atheism to this day: the red uppercase “A.”<\/p>\n Dawkins’ admiration for Timonen’s work was evident in 2009<\/strong>, when his book The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution<\/i> included a dedication<\/strong>: “For Josh Timonen.”<\/em><\/p>\n Things began to take a turn in 2010 due to \u00abpeople within Richard’s orbit who were a bit unstable<\/strong>\u00bb<\/i>, Timonen recounts<\/a><\/strong><\/em> today.<\/p>\n This led to Josh and his wife growing weary of such activities, prompting them to inform Dawkins of their decision to end the collaboration.<\/strong><\/p>\n Suddenly, Timonen was accused of “embezzling<\/strong> hundreds of thousands of pounds,” and Dawkins filed a lawsuit against him. Even in Italy, we reported the news<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n However, the case was dismissed<\/strong> after Timonen and his legal team countersued for defamation, eventually reaching a settlement with Dawkins out of court.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n This, however, did not shake Josh\u2019s atheism<\/strong>, which ultimately collapsed a decade later.<\/p>\n He shared his story in a 2023 episode<\/strong> of The Living Waters Podcast<\/a><\/i><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Josh moved to Portland<\/strong>, Oregon, where the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic was soon followed by the riots and looting associated with Black Lives Matter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n These events deeply shook Timonen, especially the latter, as many of his friends<\/strong> participated in crimes carried out in the name of anti-racism. \u201cI looked around and thought: \u2018Who are these people? I thought we were on the same page, but I wasn\u2019t with them<\/strong>,\u2019\u201d<\/i> he recalls.<\/p>\n Seeking peace and safety, he and his family relocated to Waco<\/strong>, Texas.<\/p>\n In Waco, the Timonens looked for a place to connect with others and provide their daughter with social opportunities<\/strong> in a healthier environment than Portland. \u201cWe just wanted to build on solid ground,\u201d<\/i> Josh reflects.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if we tried a church?\u201d<\/i> they wondered, half-jokingly. They did attend, despite the oddity of it: \u201cHonestly, I didn\u2019t know what we were doing; we were \u2018in a fog\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/i>. However, they thought they could \u201cborrow some of those social benefits<\/strong> that Christian communities offer.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n The experience was positive, and they met wonderful people<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just decided to keep going, see what it was like, and let my daughter join the Sunday school<\/strong>,\u201d<\/i> Josh shares. The positivity prompted him to reflect beyond pragmatism. \u201cOkay, this is beneficial. Maybe I should give it a chance,\u201d<\/i> he mused.<\/p>\n Between 2020 and 2021<\/strong>, Josh became seriously involved<\/strong> with the Christian community, reevaluating his perspective on the Gospels and the figure of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n His turning point<\/strong> came after reading the book The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus<\/a><\/i><\/strong> by Lee Strobel<\/strong>. The book convinced him that the Bible<\/strong> wasn\u2019t a collection of mythical stories, that the Gospels<\/strong> were written close to Jesus\u2019 lifetime, and that their credibility<\/strong> far surpassed the standards of ancient historical texts.<\/p>\n
\nThe implosion of Dawkins\u2019 “new atheists”<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Josh Timonen: Dawkins\u2019 right hand<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nDawkins, the Conversion of His Prot\u00e9g\u00e9<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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