David Turell has died (General)

by dhw, Sunday, August 31, 2025, 08:24 (1 day, 5 hours, 16 min. ago) @ George Jelliss

My Dear DHW,
It occurred to me tonight for no discernible reason to look at the Agnostic Web,
just to see if it was still going.
Only to find that your long-term colleague David Turell has died last month.
My sympathies for the loss of your friend and to his family.

His contributions were rather too prolific and technical for me to follow,
which rather put me off making regular contributions.
As you may recall my views were in support of Richard Dawkins.
I have been a long time Secular Humanist and my views have not changed much.
In fact I am probably even more antireligious.
My real interests are in mathematics and puzzles.
I don't suppose there would be much point in going over the same old arguments.
I am now 85 and not in the best of health.
I hope you are bearing up.
Best Wishes
George Jelliss

Dear George,

I’m very touched by your letter, and as you have posted it on the forum, I’d like to inform readers that George was among the very first to join in our discussions, and from my point of view his contributions were invaluable precisely because of his support for Richard Dawkins.

From my own position on the agnostic fence, I found Dawkins’ arguments (which spurred me to write the “brief guide” and then to launch this website) every bit as specious as those of his religious opponents. The fact that in recent years, David and I were the only regular contributors has resulted in a drastic narrowing of perspectives, since we were united in our opposition to Dawkins’ dismissal of the God theory as a “delusion”. We have then been left with repetitious arguments over the nature, purpose and methods of a hypothetical God if he exists, but the discussions would have been far richer if you, George, had been there to defend the case against God’s actual existence. However, I can fully appreciate your preference for maths and puzzles, which we know can provide us with definitive answers!

Like you, I have to admit that my views have not changed: I still remain on the fence as regards the existence of a God, but I can respect religious people’s blind faith in a benevolent deity so long as it brings them comfort and inspires them to respect and help others. However, I agree with Dawkins that religious dogma has caused just as much suffering as good. I fully support the principles of your secular humanism, which I feel meet all our human needs apart from that created by our curiosity about the unsolved (insoluble?) mystery of origins. Its rejection of the God theory leaves no alternative to having an equally blind faith in the ability of chance to create life, consciousness and the astonishing complexities that have led to single cells evolving into all the different species, including ourselves. That is a faith I find equally difficult to share.

I’m sorry to hear that you are not in the best of health. I’m even older than you, but am relatively fit and still able to enjoy life without too many restrictions! David was 96, and despite major physical handicaps, his capacity for research and his desire to defend and propagate his beliefs never faded until the very last day of his life. I am in regular contact with his wife, and will pass on your sympathy.

Thank you again for your heart-warming letter.

Wishing you all the very best,
dhw