Both Richard Dawkins and Polly Toynbee, who spend a good deal of time fulminating against caricatures of 'religion' were on the BBC today. And guess what, they abandoned vituperation for once.

I'm glad about that, because I admire both in their main fields. It's just a bit depressing to hear them talk about faith (let alone theology), for reasons that Madeleine Bunting sets out in a good Guardian piece this morning:

The smallest signs of retreat [1].
Richard Dawkins' normal arrogance and contempt for religious belief faded briefly to conciliation today, when challenged by one of his critics.