1. Comment #31722 by Caesar Best on April 14, 2007 at 2:22 am

Don't know if we should be happy having Noel Gallagher on our side ;)

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2. Comment #31723 by Damien Trotter on April 14, 2007 at 2:28 am

Odd. It has been known for some time that both the Gallagher brothers are atheists.

I'm not sure if I agree with Caesar Best (above), after all, 'any publicity is good publicity'.

Other Comments by Damien Trotter

3. Comment #31725 by bouwe on April 14, 2007 at 2:37 am

At least we got the "intellectual" of the group (ie. the lad who wrote der songs'n'stuff). Brother Liam is the real dunderhead, so all we need now is for Gallagher the Younger to declare himself with the theists and we'll have another tabloid spat, with the "smart" one in OUR corner! Sort of like a World Championship Wrestling version of the recent Dawkins v. McGrath "debate" (except maybe Alaistar should be in the ring with Liam!!).

Andy Partridge of the (British) band XTC is the real trail-blazer in this department, he wrote "Dear God" ....anybody who hasn't heard it should really check it out, it packs a mighty punch.

Other Comments by bouwe

4. Comment #31726 by bouwe on April 14, 2007 at 2:40 am

Oh sorry, wrestling match is called off, if Damien Trotter's post is correct. Looks like we're lumped with both of 'em...I agree, any publicity is good publicity, so let's take 'em.

I repeat, all atheists should hear "Dear God" by XTC. I guarantee, you will LOVE it.

Other Comments by bouwe

5. Comment #31732 by mjwemdee on April 14, 2007 at 3:07 am

Oh dear. He can't have read it very carefully if he thinks that TGD is something 'that disproves God'.

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6. Comment #31734 by Rtambree on April 14, 2007 at 3:17 am

Other suspect atheists that have yet to come out:

Al Gore?
Professor Robert Winston?
Stephen Colbert (the person not the character)?

Other Comments by Rtambree

7. Comment #31738 by IceFreak2000 on April 14, 2007 at 3:55 am

Years ago I had the misfortune of being sent to a Benedictine Monk run Roman Catholic school in the West of England; I took great pleasure in winding my housemaster up (who was indeed a Monk) by playing Depeche Mode's Blasphemous Rumours and of course XTC's Dear God at full blast - his study was opposite my room.

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8. Comment #31740 by Robert Maynard on April 14, 2007 at 4:02 am

"Dear God" by XTC is trite and boring.

Sorry, I should have just said, XTC is trite and boring. Blech.
Oasis isn't much better.

Other Comments by Robert Maynard

9. Comment #31741 by Goodwithwood on April 14, 2007 at 4:02 am

6. Comment #31734 by Rtambree on April 14, 2007 at 3:17 am

Other suspect atheists that have yet to come out:

Al Gore?
Professor Robert Winston?
Stephen Colbert (the person not the character)?


Obviously you know nothing about Al Gore and his wife Tiper.
And Colbert teaches cathlic sunday school.
Fore more info on Mrs. Gore's evangelical leanings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parents_Music_Resource_Center

Other Comments by Goodwithwood

10. Comment #31744 by Rtambree on April 14, 2007 at 4:15 am

RE: Colbert. I know about the Sunday School - it is puzzling, but having watched Colbert now for the last year, and seeing how he makes fun of all religion, equates orthodox religion with weird cults and myths, and invites a disproportionate number of atheists and scientists onto the show and specifically asks them about their atheism, to highlight it (e.g. Bart Erhman, etc), I suspect (I admit there's no direct evidence) that he must be an atheist. Hence the question mark.

You're right, I know nothing about Al Gore's wife. I was talking about Al Gore who doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Parents Music Resource Center.

Al Gore seems the most scientifically literate of recent presidential candidates, so this would increase the likelihood but is no guarantee in the USA. Maybe Ralph Nader could be an atheist.

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11. Comment #31749 by Yorker on April 14, 2007 at 4:29 am

6. Comment #31734 by Rtambree

Dawkins could probably give you a good summation of Winston, they've discussed the god issue. Personally, I'd characterise Winston as one of those "compartmentalisers", although I don't like the term and I'm not convinced that's what it is - still working on it.

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12. Comment #31751 by Rtambree on April 14, 2007 at 4:43 am

RE: Winston

Maybe a soft deist that likes the aesthetics of the Jewish culture.

I guess religiousity is on a spectrum (Dawkins' 7-point scale or even a 100 point bell curve) whereas linguistic terms force us to think about discrete categories i.e. the tyranny of the discontinuous mind. It's a failing of language to pigeonhole, but I suspect that the basis for it is cognitive efficiency: i.e. it allows easier manipulation of abstract concepts.

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13. Comment #31760 by bouwe on April 14, 2007 at 5:37 am

Comment #31740 by Robert Maynard -- you are entitled to your opinion on XTC, I am happy to say that in matters of art one can have a subjective view and there is no harm done. Interesting that until recently the "you're welcome to your opinion" attitude concerning artistic appreciation seemed to extend to the subject of religion, as if they were somehow in the same category!

No XTC or Oasis fans flying planes into buildings (although the Gallagher boys DID get kicked off a Qantas flight for bad behaviour during a tour downunder!! lol). Hence there is good reason to change the attitude that religious beliefs should be beyond scruitiny (unlike music - who cares if you think XTC are trite, I think they are brilliant and "Dear God" is a pop masterpiece).

The song "Dear God" expresses what a lot of young people are thinking when they first start questioning the existence of god -- the first verse is even sung by a child. It isn't some sort of "last word" in a philosophical argument distilled in a three-and-a-half minute pop song. I think it is just a brilliant distillation of some of the questions one might put to the Sky God, if he weren't imaginary. I think it is brilliant, a pop song accompanyment to TGD...I hope it gets dusted off and put back on the playlists on the radio.

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14. Comment #31761 by bouwe on April 14, 2007 at 5:40 am

Comment #31740 by Robert Maynard -- you are entitled to your opinion on XTC, I am happy to say that in matters of art one can have a subjective view and there is no harm done. Interesting that until recently the "you're welcome to your opinion" attitude concerning artistic appreciation seemed to extend to the subject of religion, as if they were somehow in the same category!

No XTC or Oasis fans flying planes into buildings (although the Gallagher boys DID get kicked off a Qantas flight for bad behaviour during a tour downunder!! lol). Hence there is good reason to change the attitude that religious beliefs should be beyond scruitiny (unlike music - who cares if you think XTC are trite, I think they are brilliant and "Dear God" is a pop masterpiece).

The song "Dear God" expresses what a lot of young people are thinking when they first start questioning the existence of god -- the first verse is even sung by a child. It isn't some sort of "last word" in a philosophical argument distilled in a three-and-a-half minute pop song. I think it is just a brilliant distillation of some of the questions one might put to the Sky God, if he weren't imaginary. I think it is brilliant, a pop song accompanyment to TGD...I hope it gets dusted off and put back on the playlists on the radio.

Other Comments by bouwe

15. Comment #31765 by Goodwithwood on April 14, 2007 at 6:38 am

Rtambree

I'm also puzzled by the Sunday school teaching. Colbert is a brilliant satirist, his rant at last years white house press dinner was his best performance.
Though I have no concrete evidence, Al Gore is no atheist. A good and rational man, he is though.


GWW

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16. Comment #31769 by pissinintothewind on April 14, 2007 at 7:00 am

bouwe, would you explain what you meant by saying "we should take them" refering to the gallagher brothers, who is the "we" in this? I find it incredulous that this sort of patronising intellectual snobbery has been used in the first 4 comments on this page. These people are atheists wether you like their reasoning or not, thats if you have access to thier reasoning, do you? if so please enlighten me. This sort of comment creates the in group out group mentality of the theists and in my view will alienate many people from the movement. I for one think that a disparate movement is the stronger one.

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17. Comment #31774 by Caesar Best on April 14, 2007 at 7:31 am

This site is great, but one of the things I notice is that some people take everything so damn serious. That more than anything will put folks off of atheism, me thinks. Lighten up 'brethren', you'll feel better.

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18. Comment #31775 by MIND_REBEL on April 14, 2007 at 7:34 am

Awesome, it be great if they could do an atheist themed album. If i had his talent and media connections i would devote my life to improving the world through atheism instead of partying with models and snorting coke, but i devote my life to higher standards.

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19. Comment #31780 by Robert Maynard on April 14, 2007 at 8:32 am

I didn't need three paragraphs to understand the implications of subjective taste and the fact that you are a different person than I am, bouwe.
I had assumed that when I said "XTC are trite and boring", it was understood that this was an opinion, as opposed to, say, an experimental conclusion - otherwise I would have said "Recent studies indicate that XTC is, empirically, trite and boring". But I am sorry for the confusion.

So next time I will be sure to say "Granting the assumption that I am a single individual in a world populated by comparable intelligences, and that the phenomenology and narrative of my recalled experiences are effectively unique in comparison to those of any other, I make this statement embracing the likelihood that the validity of these claims may not be as intuitively recognised following communication to another individual with a non-identical perceptual paradigm. It is my subjective opinion that XTC is trite and boring, within my particular semantic appreciation of this phrase. At this point in time and space. Relativistically."

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20. Comment #31782 by Yorker on April 14, 2007 at 9:10 am

12. Comment #31751 by Rtambree

"It's a failing of language to pigeonhole, but I suspect that the basis for it is cognitive efficiency: i.e. it allows easier manipulation of abstract concepts."

Well put, and I agree.

Other Comments by Yorker

21. Comment #31796 by DavidJMH on April 14, 2007 at 10:25 am

Ladies and Gentlemen,
A reminder if I may. The term "atheist" is a religiously coined denegration for someone who mistakenly, in their view, does not believe what they believe. Richard Dawkins does not use the term about himself and neither should we. "Atheism" is to us a contradiction; one cannot be a non-believer in something which does not exist in the first place.

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22. Comment #31801 by Spinoza on April 14, 2007 at 10:57 am

1. Colbert is not an atheist.
2. Why the hell do people want "publicity" for atheism? That seems very silly to me... indeed, foolish. I don't want people "converting" to atheism for the wrong reasons, and I don't want people professing to be atheists for no good reason.

I happen to like the Gallagher brothers (I think they're just hilarious, and consistent in their attitudes), but I could give a fuck if famous people are atheists... famous people aren't necessarily SMART people.

3. David, that's stupid (though admirably attempted). There is a term out there in the world, used by a great many people. The term is "God". Whether it has a referent or not, it doesn't matter, those who don't believe it has a referent are in a literal sense, taking a stance about the epistemological and ontological status of that referent, and that's what is meant by "atheism". It's like saying I can't say I'm a non-believer in Santa Claus or Unicorns because there's no referent for the negation of the proposition. That's just a misunderstanding of what is being negated. What atheists are negating is the BELIEF in a non-existent entity. "atheism" can just as easily mean "without belief in the non-existent entity denoted by the term 'God'".

This pop-philosophy BS of "atheism is the wrong word to describe us" is just untenable, in my opinion (as a philosopher).

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23. Comment #31804 by alan_s on April 14, 2007 at 11:07 am

Liam Gallagher said he wants to go to hell as the Devil has all the best tunes. Well if God does exist (yeah, right), at least we know that when we are damned for all eternity for not beleiving, at least we will have a great soundtrack to be damned to...

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24. Comment #31812 by MIND_REBEL on April 14, 2007 at 11:38 am

"2. Why the hell do people want "publicity" for atheism? That seems very silly to me... indeed, foolish. I don't want people "converting" to atheism for the wrong reasons, and I don't want people professing to be atheists for no good reason."

Because Atheism is correcting all of the problems that religion and irrationiality has created. I'm sick of the way the world is and i want things to be better.

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25. Comment #31814 by GodlessHeathen on April 14, 2007 at 11:52 am

Spinoza sez:

2. Why the hell do people want "publicity" for atheism? That seems very silly to me... indeed, foolish. I don't want people "converting" to atheism for the wrong reasons, and I don't want people professing to be atheists for no good reason.

Convert? No, not really.
Erode some stereotypes? Yes, it would help in that.
Make non-belief appear more commonplace, less "strange". Yes, I suspect it would help that too.
After a while of that, then folks will start discarding theistic beliefs for better reasons than it being faddish or "popular amongst the rebel set".

Other Comments by GodlessHeathen

26. Comment #31817 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on April 14, 2007 at 12:29 pm

"2. Why the hell do people want "publicity" for atheism? That seems very silly to me... indeed, foolish. I don't want people "converting" to atheism for the wrong reasons, and I don't want people professing to be atheists for no good reason."

I don't care why they "convert", but I do want them to. When they pack in faith they :

a) Are no longer funding this rubbish.
b) Are no longer being swayed by "faith based" arguments.

Just a few days ago, some old fart told millions around the world that there was "another kind of reason", with which we could explore reality. Thats simply crap, and we should not sit idly by when it happens. Currently we have little choice.

Anything we can do to undercut and eliminate that and similar platforms is good.

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27. Comment #31818 by Ian on April 14, 2007 at 12:34 pm

I'm sorry, but knowing Noel Gallagher agrees with me on one point, is not going to change my opinion of their 'music'.

The Gallaghers are and always will be The Dull Brothers to me. :)

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28. Comment #31825 by bwana ndege on April 14, 2007 at 1:30 pm

Any opinions on Gabriel Byrne's acting prowess anyone?

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29. Comment #31835 by dthuleen on April 14, 2007 at 2:31 pm

Spinoza asks: "Why the hell do people want "publicity" for atheism?"

Well, sufficient puclicity might eliminate the irrational prejudice against atheists (not just against atheism, the idea, but against atheists, the people) that exists for those of us who live in the United States. Currently there are many bright, capable, and energetic atheists who could run for elective office and would probably do a fine job, but who are automatically excluded from major office if they refuse to make a public show of support for religion (church attendance, prayer breakfasts, voting to endorse religious institutions, dropping "God" into speeches, and so forth). The exclusion is not by legislation, but by social preference, which is why we need to change the culture, not just the laws. Like it or not, public figures help to change the culture.

Just as much of the Muslim world hinders its own development by excluding half of its population (women) from decision-making positions, we exclude something like 10% of ours (atheists). This exclusion of talent hurts all of us, believers incuded.


By the way, the 10% number is speculative, and necessarily so. Ever since I put an atheism bumper sticker on my car, I've been amazed how many freinds and co-workers have come to privately and said, in effect, "I wish I could proclaim publicly that I don't believe in God either, but my wife/husband wouldn't stand for it if they found out I no longer believed."

What's chilling to think about is the possibilty that both husband and wife might feel that way, but that each is afraid to tell the other.

Given that kind of hesitance to admit it, the precentage of self-proclaimed atheists may be far lower than those who are atheists in the privacy of their thoughts.

Other Comments by dthuleen

30. Comment #31836 by Rtambree on April 14, 2007 at 2:35 pm

>What's chilling to think about is the possibilty that both husband and wife might feel that way, but that each is afraid to tell the other.

What are two people doing married that can't even communicate? But what a great premise for a sitcom! Each one has The God Delusion secretly hidden in their sock draws, and have to read them with fake 'Left Behind' covers on them.

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31. Comment #31838 by the great teapot on April 14, 2007 at 2:40 pm

During Mike Dickens last program, before his untimely death, he mentioned there was a famous example of a British primeminister who previously an atheist suddenly found God when they approached their position of power. Anyone know which PrimeMinister he refered to.
(Not Blair I suspect, he appears feeble minded and confused enough to believe the shit already)
Power to Noels elbow, any Manc who doesn't support utd and doesn't believe in the state sponsored religious crap is ok by me.

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32. Comment #31841 by cheshirecat on April 14, 2007 at 3:11 pm

Blair is one of the cleverest politicians around. If you think he is feeble minded I can only assume your judgement is clouded by hatred of him.

He gets criticised a lot but then if you could pick any other countries head of state which would it be. France and Italy are run by criminals. The president of Germany is a christian democrat (I doubt you'd aprove) and she supported the invasion of Iraq. George bush - the less said the better. John Howard - anti immigration stance popular. Who?

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33. Comment #31845 by Rtambree on April 14, 2007 at 3:35 pm

32. Comment #31841 by cheshirecat

>Who?

Helen Clark, openly agnostic Prime Minister of New Zealand and Middle Earth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clark



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34. Comment #31846 by dthuleen on April 14, 2007 at 3:45 pm

"What are two people doing married that can't even communicate?"

If they started their relationship with an understanding that belief is sacred, then they dare not voice skepticism later, even to each other. That is the problem with treating anything as sacred: it prevents people who agree with each other from even finding out that they agree.

What if 99% of the Muslim world is really non-believing, but the penalty for apostasy keeps anyone from admitting it? How tragic and riciulous that would be! I'm not making that claim, but if it were true, how would we know? And how do we know it isn't?

This kind of situation is why it is important that atheists publicly out themselves, even if their atheism is for silly reasons. The publicity, and the realization that it's OK to go public, saves others from having to lie.

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35. Comment #31848 by the great teapot on April 14, 2007 at 3:54 pm

Chesirecat

I do not hate Blair I have just always seen through him as the disingenuious fraud he is.
The buck stops here, cheesey grin ,cheesey grin.
The man would sell his mother wife and daughter to keep his job. He is a cuckoo in someone elses nest, and a very poor statesman, and he believes in a fairy God.
But that was not my point, I just wanted to know who the phoney was.Unless you are suggesting it was another of his deceits.
And how dare you criticize Bush. So it is let's all jump on the anti bush band wagon is it?


Other Comments by the great teapot

36. Comment #31850 by Rtambree on April 14, 2007 at 4:01 pm

32. Comment #31841 by cheshirecat

>Blair is one of the cleverest politicians around

Not sure if this is necessarily a good thing if the politician doesn't use his powers for good. To clarify... "John Smith, CEO of a major weapons manufacturer, is one of the cleverest businessmen around"

Other Comments by Rtambree

37. Comment #31856 by Homo economicus on April 14, 2007 at 4:46 pm

32. Comment #31841 by cheshirecat on April 14, 2007 at 3:11 pm

"Blair is one of the cleverest politicians around. If you think he is feeble minded I can only assume your judgement is clouded by hatred of him.

He gets criticised a lot but then if you could pick any other countries head of state which would it be. France and Italy are run by criminals. The president of Germany is a christian democrat (I doubt you'd aprove) and she supported the invasion of Iraq. George bush - the less said the better. John Howard - anti immigration stance popular. Who? "

TB is not the head of state. Which means thankfully he can be got rid of at polling day. I hope May 3 is used to give him one last "bloody nose" to use John Major's term for describing local election results.

And when talking about other PMs, surely it would be more useful talking about Bristish politicans then other powers? Unless you are thinking of them taking over here?

Methinks we need to be told.

As to the article, I really do not care. What matters is the argument not the people that will jump on the bandwagon.

Other Comments by Homo economicus

38. Comment #31892 by Freelance Scientist on April 14, 2007 at 9:52 pm

I'm happy to see people from anywhere be confident enough to state their atheism, whether they achieve or seek to achieve anything by it.

All the time more and more people are coming to terms with the fact that atheist is not a dirty word and worthy of extremism. If anything atheism is more the default to my mind.

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39. Comment #31910 by A on April 14, 2007 at 11:43 pm

Freelance Scientist I'm happy to see people from anywhere be confident enough to state their atheism . . . . All the time more and more people are coming to terms with the fact that atheist is not a dirty word and worthy of extremism:

Although I agree with your general sentiment, here in the UK - saying you are an atheist is nothing much, it does not take confidence or bravery - It is about as bold as saying you do not believe in the Loch-ness monster or the abominable snow man (Yeti).

In fact I would go as far as to say that declaring yourself a fundamentalist Christian or Muslim is more likely to alienate you in the great majority of UK life than declaring yourself an atheist.

When I worked in Soho/London around 1997/8 (my garden then backed on to the garden of Liam Gallagher and his then wife, Pasty Kensit - I still live in the house but they have moved on ) - a young 3D animator who we knew to be Christian revealed his inerrant belief in creation and his absolute and total rejection of evolution, the usual arguments followed through which he completely alienated himself from the rest of the staff (around 12 of us if I remember correctly) and was eventually sacked - pretty much for being too religious.

Anyhow my point is that here in the UK declaration of atheism is nothing controversial or bold and is seen by the great majority as a reasonable position much like saying you do not believe in astrology.

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40. Comment #31911 by William on April 14, 2007 at 11:44 pm

Drug-addled rock stars aren't necessarily the most consistent people. Shortly after genuflecting to the Maharishi, John Lennon famously proclaimed his atheism in songs like "God" and "Imagine." A few years later he was sending checks to Billy Graham and Pat Robertson. All the while, he continued to consult the I-ching and astrologers.

By the way, this is Noel Gallagher's quote, in full, about TGD:
"This guy goes out to scientifically disprove the existence of god. F**king brilliant, if you can understand the words. Not that I can. It's good though. I don't read fiction, you end up thinking, 'Yeah but that wouldn't happen, bollocks'. I read books about actual things that happened. And if it's disproving god, bring it on."

Other Comments by William

41. Comment #31912 by Bonzai on April 15, 2007 at 12:00 am

It is kind of silly to get into great fanfare whenever someone declares himself or herself an atheist. What if some serial killer "come out" as an atheist? What would be the thinking then?

It is as though atheism has become some kind of religion and that one has to declare his faith.

Atheism just means not believing in God (or gods). It doesn't follow necessarily that an atheist is a better person or a smarter person because of his lack of belief. Atheists have diverse opinions on all subjects. Some athiests are brilliant, as well there are many idiotic ones. Being atheist in and of itself is neither a virtue nor a sin.

"Secular humanist" on the other hand is a concept with a postive content. Not all atheists are humanists. Think about Stalin.

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42. Comment #31916 by dthuleen on April 15, 2007 at 12:17 am

Bonzai,

Do you find it equally silly when a Muslim finds the courage to admit his or her apostasy publicly? If not, if you find yourself feeling admiration for someone like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, perhaps you can understand why some of us in the United States (certain parts, especially) cheer silently every time we see someone reject religion here. Not so much because we can count another one on our side, but because we recognize the bravery it often takes to go public.

I don't know where you are from; I can appreciate that my reaction could be completely bewildering elsewhere.

Other Comments by dthuleen

43. Comment #31920 by Bonzai on April 15, 2007 at 12:28 am

dthuleen,

I am Canadian, though I grew up in Asia. I was never religious except for a brief flirt with evangelism in my first year of university. So admittedly being an atheist was never a problem for me. Perhaps you are right that I do have a cultural problem in understanding. But my question is still a valid one, what is the thinking if some serial killer declares his atheism?

I admire Hirsi Ali not so much for her rejection of Islam, but the reason for her rejection and the way she tries to bring positive change to the lives of women. On the other hand I don't know if you hold the same admiration for the Afghan guy who rejected Islam for Christianity and got sentenced to death (later repealed on the ground of insanity) That probably took even more courage.

P.S. I do think it would be significant if a major U.S. politician 'comes out' as an atheist.

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44. Comment #31929 by William on April 15, 2007 at 12:57 am

"what is the thinking if some serial killer declares his atheism?"

Funnily enough, I can't think of a serial killer who admitted to being an atheist. Many of them become born-again after imprisonment (i.e. Berkowitz), some of them say that they are under the influence of the devil (i.e. Richard Ramirez), a few even claim to be divine themselves, but I don't know of any out-and-out atheists.

Ted Bundy was raised a devout Methodist until, according to him, he was ruined by pornography. Needless to say, as the day of his execution approached, he attempted to reestablish his faith. Likewise, Jeffrey Dahmer had himself re-baptized in the "Church of Christ" upon entering prison. Charles Manson was interested in all sorts of fringe spiritual movements, including Scientology, and, of course, he started his own quasi-mystical cult.

Seriously, I can't think of a single serial killer who was a sincere, committed atheist. Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising. After all, serial murder and rationalism don't exactly go together!

Other Comments by William

45. Comment #31975 by Luthien on April 15, 2007 at 5:07 am

35. Comment #31848 by the great teapot on April 14, 2007 at 3:54 pm
"Chesirecat:

I do not hate Blair I have just always seen through him as the disingenuious fraud he is.
The buck stops here, cheesey grin ,cheesey grin..."

Oh Great Teapot, I think you may be onto something, Blair has a big cheesey grin, an cheesy grin like a cheshire cat...

...are they one and the same person? :-P

(Caesar Best, I agree that people are way too serious here sometimes. Anyone would think we were grumpy old Atheists :-P)

Other Comments by Luthien

46. Comment #32176 by Philip1978 on April 16, 2007 at 5:10 am

Ok, I will admit to thinking that if ever creationists needed more proof of humans descended from monkeys they ought to look no further than Noel and his brother. BUT being the non-grumpy atheist I am, if Noel has been reading such books I will concede the man must have some intelligence bouncing around inside him and he has earned my respect. I still hate his music and his toadying around bLiar's house, but I don't think of him as being a total Neanderthal any more. Yikes, I am becoming reasonable, look what you lot have done to me!

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47. Comment #32261 by jayalenik on April 16, 2007 at 1:35 pm

Re:41. Comment #31912 by Bonzai on April 15, 2007 at 12:00 am
It is kind of silly to get into great fanfare whenever someone declares himself or herself an atheist. What if some serial killer "come out" as an atheist? What would be the thinking then?

I guess as long as he was a rational serial killer it would be ok.

I am trying as hard as I can Caesar. Comment 17

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48. Comment #32264 by the great teapot on April 16, 2007 at 2:26 pm

Luthien
you know you could be right, who else but Tony would say Tony Blair is a clever politician.

And by the way, well done in the euro 2008 qualifiers, hopefully you wiil give the English a team to support next summer.

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49. Comment #33179 by RabbitDynamite on April 19, 2007 at 2:21 pm

You know, of all the things in the universe which could make me more likely to convert to religion, finding out Noel Gallagher is an atheist is somewhere in the top ten.

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50. Comment #34677 by god free on April 24, 2007 at 9:55 pm

Read, read and read again! The ONLY way to educate is by reading as much as time allows. In this way we can be better informed than those who would engage us in discusion.
I must wholeheartedly congratulate RD for the calm, polite and most of all INFORMED way he engages all manner (and often ill-mannered) of people in an effort to bring our point of view to the public.
As angry as we all must often feel, we should all endevour to emulate RD when debating, in particular when composing comments on this site.

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