1. Comment #96310 by mr-zero on December 10, 2007 at 10:39 am

Where's my Stronghold?

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2. Comment #96312 by happyatheist on December 10, 2007 at 10:40 am

I understand the harmful effects that pesticides can have on the environment...but where's that fecking bug spray when you need it?!!

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3. Comment #96313 by Matt7895 on December 10, 2007 at 10:40 am

An ever growing list, it seems!

I went into my local Borders bookstore today and had a look around. Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris, Dennett were all on the shelves, and even a copy of Root Of All Evil Uncut Interviews... not many fleas though, thank goodness. Though some bile rose at the back of my throat at the sight of 'The Twilight of Atheism' by McGrath.

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4. Comment #96314 by Barbara on December 10, 2007 at 10:41 am

Poor Professor Dawkins! His medicine cabinet must be overflowing with itch powder. Damn fleas!

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5. Comment #96315 by Styrer- on December 10, 2007 at 10:41 am

The festive season is certainly bringing the Professor a good deal of reading material to get through...

I wonder if anyone one here or anywhere else, besides Dawkins, actually reads any of this stuff? (Presumably he does, not only to see what new heights in misrepresentation etc. the loons can reach, but also to see if, by any chance, maybe, just once, one of them can come up with an at least semi-original line of rebuttal he can get his teeth into.)

Happy Christmas reading, Richard.

Best,
Styrer

Other Comments by Styrer-

6. Comment #96316 by drive1 on December 10, 2007 at 10:44 am

..in the light of Richard Dawkins' "TGD"

Yes, TGD is illuminating .. possibly to the point of being incendiary.

Suggit and see? I don't think so.

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7. Comment #96318 by maton100 on December 10, 2007 at 10:45 am

Church is a business. They need their nests to be teeming with critters.

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8. Comment #96319 by Verylee on December 10, 2007 at 10:47 am

"Hah, Bumbug!"

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9. Comment #96325 by quill on December 10, 2007 at 11:04 am

My goodness, that's an ugly cover.

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10. Comment #96332 by Mitchell Gilks on December 10, 2007 at 11:35 am

I'd take it as a compliment. If I wrote a book I would be very happy that so many people were trying to ride my gravy train.

Besides, if anything they help the cause. Assuming the people that read these books read TGD, they will see how unsatisfactory and fallacious the so called refutations of his book really are.

Well...maybe not... It might take some extremely faith on my part to believe that people that far down the rabbit hole can distingish between good and bad arguments.

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11. Comment #96339 by BMMcArdle on December 10, 2007 at 12:09 pm

Pa rum pum pum pum, on my bum.

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12. Comment #96345 by domstapleton on December 10, 2007 at 12:21 pm

Isn't it amazing how insecure the Christians are with their beliefs! They can't burn or torture people like Prof. Dawkins anymore, so they just bury him in tomes instead!

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13. Comment #96348 by Random_Interrupt on December 10, 2007 at 12:30 pm

I must say that if christians made an image equating me with Jesus as a way of discrediting me I should think I would hardly be able to contain my mirth at the implications...

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14. Comment #96352 by Diacanu on December 10, 2007 at 12:36 pm

Still no Hitchens fleas!

Come on people, get your shit together!

Get "God is SO great!: Why religion cures everything", out on the shelves already.

Lazy bums! Type faster!
All you gotta do is "Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot! Pascal's wager! Fine tuned constants! Did I mention Stalin!?", and wrap a cover around it.

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15. Comment #96356 by Vendetta on December 10, 2007 at 12:40 pm

14. Comment #96352 by Diacanu on December 10, 2007 at 12:36 pm

Still no Hitchens fleas!

Come on people, get your shit together!

Get "God is SO great!: Why religion cures everything", out on the shelves already.

Lazy bums! Type faster!
All you gotta do is "Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot! Pascal's wager! Fine tuned constants! Did I mention Stalin!?", and wrap a cover around it.

You saw it here, folks. When this book actually does come out, we're all witnesses that Diacanu was pledgerized. Let the royalties come in!

Other Comments by Vendetta

16. Comment #96358 by steve99 on December 10, 2007 at 12:42 pm

Still no Hitchens fleas!

Knowing Hitchens' writing style and wit, they are probably too scared. I know I would be.

Dawkins may be Darwins' Rottweiler, but Hitchens is Atheism's alligator.

Other Comments by steve99

17. Comment #96390 by Blake C. Stacey on December 10, 2007 at 1:18 pm

Man, that typeface takes me back. Suddenly, I have the urge to challenge the MCP to a light-cycle game.

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18. Comment #96396 by konquererz on December 10, 2007 at 1:25 pm

Wow, I'm sure that Dawkins had no idea this kind of controversy would just continue to spin! The only reason people are still writing refutations to him is because his book is still hitting nerves and still causing problems in religion! Awesome!

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19. Comment #96418 by robert s on December 10, 2007 at 1:53 pm

Like the previous flea, he's forgotten to add bars to tell us which of the specks of light on the cover is the one that corresponds to the phenomenon discussed in the thesis. They all look like ordinary stars and galaxies to me.

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20. Comment #96426 by notsobad on December 10, 2007 at 2:12 pm

Old-school fonts

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21. Comment #96432 by Nogodsnomasters on December 10, 2007 at 2:19 pm

Hitch has at least one flea. Dinesh D'Souza wrote the book, What's So Great About Christianity.

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22. Comment #96443 by TranshumanAtheist on December 10, 2007 at 2:46 pm

I wonder if the "fleas" will start criticizing each other's arguments in favor of theism.

I rather doubt it. Theists don't exert any quality control over their own arguments that I can detect, because they know that even the most blatant fallacies work on some fraction of the population.

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23. Comment #96470 by antifaithstl on December 10, 2007 at 3:17 pm

Fleas? RAAAAIIIIIDDD!!!!!

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24. Comment #96478 by communsensetoldme on December 10, 2007 at 3:41 pm

I will love to see a comment from THE Professor on this xD!

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25. Comment #96491 by AdrianT on December 10, 2007 at 4:04 pm

No surprise - the market for this nonsense is immense, science books are outnumbered by religious books by about 20 to one in many american bookstores. By those stats, there's probably another half dozen to come!!

A x

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26. Comment #96496 by the_blur on December 10, 2007 at 4:15 pm

When I see flea books, I file them in a completely unrelated section, with books such as "financial analysis and trends of stamp collecting in Eritrea, c. 1920-1950" to ensure that they will never be bought. When the bibliopeeps check, they still have 4 copies of Darwin's Black Box in stock, no need to order more. I think those four copies have been there since before last year =) everytime I go there I move them someplace new. If only I could do the same for sylvia brown ... alas, that would be like trying to scoop out an ocean of shit with a shot glass... I am strong in the force, but not that strong.

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27. Comment #96518 by Spinoza on December 10, 2007 at 4:57 pm

HA! I just realized... this stuff is like Fan-Fiction for Atheism Books...

Inspired by it, but with far poorer skill!

Now if only they'd do an MPreg version... ahahah.

:|

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28. Comment #96582 by Robert Maynard on December 10, 2007 at 6:25 pm

Looks like the beginning of a science documentary on VHS tape. I can just hear the muffled, honking trumpets.

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29. Comment #96629 by Storeo on December 10, 2007 at 7:16 pm

I think it's fascinating that in TGD, Dawkins, to be fair, didn't cover that much new ground. All the main arguments that were cited have been done before and not refuted by any theologian for centures. Yet we have all these books as though Dawkins is presenting a new range of arguments which require such mass attention. It's just a propaganda war, unfortunately they have a bigger audience and a lot more money.

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30. Comment #96698 by dragonfirematrix on December 10, 2007 at 8:50 pm

"… and another Flea"

I am already wondering if I should scratch.

The religious are searching for a way to combat logic, reason, and science, but they continue to fail.

The religious may attack non-believers, but the religious cannot defend their own position.

The Christians are forever claiming their version of god created EVERYTHING. Presumably this includes Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, decease, disabilities, crime, hate, war, suffering, and death, as well as all the good things in life. I did miss a few things, but I think my point is clear. The Christians claim their God created EVERYTHING. I have heard it. You have heard it. Everyone has heard it.

The Christians will say (without any doubt in their voice) that if something wonderful occurs, or if a person achieves great things, etc., it had God's blessing. However, if an Earthquakes kills thousands, if a volcano kills thousands, if a tsunami kills a million, or if decease kills tens of millions, or if many thousands of children become disabled (polio), or if hate, war, suffering, and genocide take millions of lives, the Christians say God has his reasons.

There is more, a little more.

I have heard the Christians say that their god works through men. I have always heard this when things work well, but what is said by Christians when things go wrong? I do not think I need to answer my own question because you know the answer.

I think humanity deserves a clear, definitive, scientifically proven (using universally accepted scientific methods), explanations from Christians (indeed all religions), proving of their god(s).

Gods are fraud. Fraud is illegal in most places. Why do the religious commit fraud?

Wayne (Secular Humanist)
Forest, VA

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31. Comment #96709 by Diacanu on December 10, 2007 at 9:06 pm

dragonfirematrix-

Presumably this includes Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, decease, disabilities, crime, hate, war, suffering, and death,

You left out the DMV, the IRS, MTV, Disney, McDonalds, American Idol, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, the Ice Capades, the 700 Club, Songs4Worship, KidzBop, Teletubbies, Sci-Fi Channel movies, Lifetime movies, Extenz infomercials, Tim And Eric Awsome Show, Carson Dailey, Paris Hilton, Ryan Seacrest, Doctor Phil, conservative talk radio, Fox News, The View, Julia Roberts getting a lifetime achievement award, and Quentin Tarantino.

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32. Comment #96835 by Tyler Durden on December 11, 2007 at 2:03 am

Oh for the love of...

The title is also an oxymoron. Idiots.

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33. Comment #96857 by Katherine on December 11, 2007 at 2:46 am

Nope - still no offerings of even the smallest shred of evidence to support their claims......

Other Comments by Katherine

34. Comment #96877 by Lionel A on December 11, 2007 at 3:21 am

3. Comment #96313 by Matt7895

'…Though some bile rose at the back of my throat at the sight of 'The Twilight of Atheism' by McGrath.'

Hum! Another target for one of my special bookmarks, I must print out some more in preparation for another seeding trip to my local Waterstones, which appears to be the final victor in the retail book-chain purchaser over here in UK.

What I object to is the fact that books by McGrath, especially, are misplaced in the Popular Science section when one has to look under Religion for Dan Dennett's 'Breaking the Spell', but this could be more the fault of the publishers and their assignment of ISBN codes.

Is it not a common feature of these fleas that they display a singular lack of originality in the creation of their pseudo-clever titles which are not as amusing as is clearly the intent?

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35. Comment #96950 by lpetrich on December 11, 2007 at 6:36 am

I agree on calling on people to read some of those "flea" books. Some big public library might have some of them by now, so one won't have to shell out any $$$ or GBP or EUR or whatever to read them.

But not only Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens have attracted fleas; the Rational Response Squad has also, in the form of the "Righteous Responders" and some other such sites.

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36. Comment #97041 by rod-the-farmer on December 11, 2007 at 10:24 am

re Comment #96496 by the_blur

Interesting idea, of moving all the flea books to a really obscure place in the bookshelves. Sounds like it would help ensure they get few sales. The books still appear on their inventory, but are hard to locate. I just wonder what kind of trouble you could get into if apprehended doing this. Next time I am in a Chapters or Indigo (Canadian bookstore chains) I will check this out. I am smiling just thinking of doing it.

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37. Comment #97176 by Mr DArcy on December 11, 2007 at 3:08 pm

Darwins' Origin of the Species is still available in most bookshops. What a shame that Darwin didn't make a study of the parasites that preyed upon the Galapagos finches, (or did he?).

The religios would love ignorance and mysticism to last forever. They after all are comfortable with their faith; it helps them live their lives with some sort of guidance and certainty in their view.

No wonder they get upset when upstarts like Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Hutton, Darwin, just to name a few believers, come along and undermine the foundations of their house of cards. Now Dawkins, for all his Anglican upbringing, has turned vehemently against them. Their response, (like D'Souza's in the Hitchens debate), is to become a mosquito in a nudist colony. If you have nothing creative of your own to say, then you become a parasite on what others have said.

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38. Comment #98108 by SouthAfrican on December 13, 2007 at 4:44 am

ha ha ha!! In South Africa we have a Christian Book store chain called "CUM books"!! ROFL..

Went to have a look for some of the aforementioned books but i'm afraid i wasn't able to brighten my day with that kind of humor. They may only reach South Africa in 6 months or so!

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39. Comment #98160 by neileroberts on December 13, 2007 at 6:51 am

Now this is interesting. This was recorded at a christian youth conference last summer. It was a talk given by Andrew Wilson who wrote "Deluded by Dawkins" His main arguments are just plain wrong and out of context. It is a case of shear smoke and mirrors. Trouble is that most of the young people at this conference would never even bother to check the claims made by Andrew. The appologists know this.

http://nf1.2xstreamhosting.com/~newday/newday07/ND07_29.mp3

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40. Comment #98838 by SmithersJones on December 14, 2007 at 2:48 pm

I'm a little perturbed at the level of knee jerk reactions and assumptive dismissals on here. If you're so closed-minded to views that don't match your own, aren't you as bad as the religious nuts? Unless you've read at least one of these books I really don't think it's right to post an opinion on them. I've bought 'The Dawkins Delusion', and though I've yet to read it I intend to do so with an open mind so that if, as I fully expect, it is unable to provide a reasonable, rational counter-argument I shall know so rather presuming so.

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41. Comment #98898 by Shuggy on December 14, 2007 at 9:13 pm

Who's Mary Magdalene/John/the yellow-haired woman on Tina Beattie's book's cover?

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42. Comment #106418 by John Pritzlaff on January 2, 2008 at 9:48 pm

I'm still worried that some of us are using the word "flea" to ignore any new arguments that MIGHT be contained in at least one of these books. Let's be a little more scientific, people. Or at least let's stop making ourselves appear dogmatic. Our critics will take advantage of that.

Nevertheless, I think it can be safely assumed that MOST of these books are worthless as far as rational debate is concerned. I just think some of you are going too far and assuming that ALL of them are.

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