Comments by Cool on Oolon

Comment #57915 by Cool on Oolon on July 22, 2007 at 9:07 am

Great listening to him, can't wait for it to come out in paperback.
BTW re buddhism came across this the other day:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2733252.ece
I would call that child abuse.
Talking of which
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3175846.stm
Not just our western priests then.

2. Don't Mince Words: The London Car-Bomb Plot Was Designed to Kill Women

Comment #53926 by Cool on Oolon on July 4, 2007 at 8:42 am

Nails:

The IRA primarily targeted military targets until they hit a military band and the outrage caused a change in direction.

That is just not true. Often the IRA targeted civilians in the hope the "Brits" would be sickened and demoralised and pressurise the government into withdrawl. Anyone- man, woman or child (born or unborn)- was considered a valid target if it furthered their aim.

3. At a Theater Near You ...

Comment #53923 by Cool on Oolon on July 4, 2007 at 8:20 am

To be fair, condemnation is coming in from some British muslim leaders:

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article2733259.ece

4. When is a bishop like a suicide bomber?

Comment #53793 by Cool on Oolon on July 3, 2007 at 7:31 am

Paul:

In both cases, they do not speak for the vast majority of religious believers.

But you do?

5. Lecture on Neo-Darwinism

Comment #53065 by Cool on Oolon on June 29, 2007 at 7:22 am

teapot, sorry if I missed the humour, must be showing my age too. And at least as an engineer you're useful- I'm a musician :P (did I get that right?)

6. Rudy Park Comic Strips

Comment #52825 by Cool on Oolon on June 28, 2007 at 6:31 am

In England there are two ways of pronouncing scone, some people passionately adamant that theirs is the correct way. Ideal for a new religion!

7. Got to have faith?

Comment #52815 by Cool on Oolon on June 28, 2007 at 6:13 am

This is the Harriet Harman who apologised for the Iraq war and later denied ever having done so:

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/factcheck+did+harman+call+for+an+apology+over+iraq/577247#fold

8. Lecture on Neo-Darwinism

Comment #52801 by Cool on Oolon on June 28, 2007 at 5:31 am

Yes teapot, funny how if you change the words, the meaning changes as well.

9. The Great Mutator

Comment #49715 by Cool on Oolon on June 13, 2007 at 5:53 am

Another scorching piece from am amazing intellect.

denoir, I don't think he was giving credence to Miller's catholicism, merely pointing out that Behe's views aren't even taken seriously by other religious types.

10. Scopes Two

Comment #48270 by Cool on Oolon on June 7, 2007 at 8:55 am

Good job I'm typing, because I'm speechless. It would be funny if these utter, utter imbeciles were not at the hub of American political life. I seriously fear for the future of the planet, and for my children.
How can one hold a serious debate with people who believe... anything they damn well want, evidence or not?
Wake up, America: for all our sakes, wake up.

11. Should Science Speak to Faith? A dialog between Lawrence Krauss and Richard Dawkins

Comment #47349 by Cool on Oolon on June 4, 2007 at 7:07 am

Bonzai:

I have not done any detailed study, but I have a hunch that religious fundamentalism and literalism may actually be relatively modern phenomena.

SharrieG:

Bonzai, as far as I know, you're absolutely right. Probably within the past 100 years or so.

So what was Galileo going through in 1616? Fundamentalism isn't new at all: it is as old as the human race and ruled the day until science was in a position to challenge its supposed truths. It was never going to go quietly.

12. Hitchens on Falwell, Part 2

Comment #43684 by Cool on Oolon on May 22, 2007 at 9:33 am

It is Paxman's (for example) job to play devil's advocate to whoever he is interviewing, and as far as I can remember he seems to hold politicians of all parties in equal contempt. I really don't think you can even begin to compare the BBC to Fox.

13. The Cyclic Universe: A Talk With Neil Turok

Comment #42467 by Cool on Oolon on May 18, 2007 at 9:04 am

And the truths of Christianity are...?

14. 4 Sermon for Matins: 'Dawkins and The God Delusion'

Comment #39553 by Cool on Oolon on May 11, 2007 at 5:53 am

z8000783: Godfather I and II perhaps, but III? That's stretching it. Just joshing, good points well made.

SherrieG: Ok, delving deeper. I'm delving... I'm delving... Aha! Here we are: murder, rape, incest, racism, misogyny, revenge, deception, mass murder, child murder (there's a lot of smiting) oh, and lots and lots of begating- and that's the good guys. That's deep, that's very profound.
And you've yet again not answered my question: which parts are real, and who gets to say?

15. 4 Sermon for Matins: 'Dawkins and The God Delusion'

Comment #36766 by Cool on Oolon on May 2, 2007 at 8:17 am

You've got to delve into it a bit deeper...

Says who? Scientific research goes far deeper and brings so much more understanding and consequent wonder at the fundamental nature of the universe. Religious certaincy takes so much less effort and imagination.

This indicates allegory, rather than a historical account.

And as I asked, who gets to say which parts of it are real? I think that by saying "delve deeper" you really mean "cloak in a fog of metaphysical misinterpretation."

The author's intention was not, presumably, to give a scientific account of creation.

Exactly, so instead of anything useful all we have is a piece of misleading unscientific junk. It's so far off the mark it's up for ridicule, not questioning.

16. 4 Sermon for Matins: 'Dawkins and The God Delusion'

Comment #36759 by Cool on Oolon on May 2, 2007 at 7:40 am

SharrieG says

Er... no. It's about God's creation of the world, the main point being that He created it... it's not a science book.
Christians (or at least, thinking Christians) have never generally treated Genesis as if it held the scientific explanation of how the world appeared.
Most Christians I know think of Genesis as a kind of allegory, and see evolution as the process that actually happened. Even St Augustine proposed this - that science would one day discover how the world came to be - and argued that Genesis should be taken non-literally.

Ah, so we shouldn't take the bible as...gospel? So then which parts of it are real? And who gets to tell who which bits we can't question and which are up for grabs? If gold rusteth, what shall iron do? (that should be Shakespeare,but I may have made it up)

17. 4 Sermon for Matins: 'Dawkins and The God Delusion'

Comment #36732 by Cool on Oolon on May 2, 2007 at 5:43 am

The point I am making is that there are different kinds of knowledge, which are related but distinct.

Er,no: there is scientific evidence and there is La-La Land.

18. When Seeing Is Disbelieving

Comment #36726 by Cool on Oolon on May 2, 2007 at 5:26 am

Funny, I was sure I was the world expert on self-deception...

19. Against All Gods, by A C Grayling

Comment #36074 by Cool on Oolon on April 30, 2007 at 6:11 am

I think Grayling is right: the big religions are losing respect and credibility and are getting jittery as we enter the "Emperor's got no clothes" phase. But I think it's going to get worse before it gets better.