Skip to Main Content (access key 1)
Skip to Search (access key 2)
Skip to Search GO (access key 3)
Skip to comments (access key 4)
Skip to navigation (access key 5)
Skip to top of page (access key 6)

Comments by JanChan


1. Gene map proves platypus is part bird, mammal and reptile

Comment #177499 by JanChan on May 9, 2008 at 7:39 am

Ok, this article isn't very informative, did someone dumbed down the content? I didn't even get to find out when and from what animal did the platypus branched out from, if it shared its last ancestor with a bird, reptile or mammal.

2. Citing Faith, Bush Defends War Actions

Comment #177497 by JanChan on May 9, 2008 at 7:32 am

You know, if Bush got Hitchens as his advisor, or at the very least quote the reasons that Hitchens had given for the war, I bet America's foreign policy wouldn't be this bad. He really should know that Europeans are much more secular than his faithful audience.

3. Interview with Dan Dennett

Comment #168552 by JanChan on April 25, 2008 at 7:47 am

Why is everyone suddenly calling us Darwinists? I thought that especially wouldn't be the case in Britain, unless Expelled managed to slip across the Atlantic.

4. Mecca should become core to measure time zones: scholars

Comment #165197 by JanChan on April 21, 2008 at 7:48 am

Someone has to remind fundamentalists that the reason the Greenwich Meridian works is because the international date and time line lies mostly in the oceans and ensuring that weird time paradoxes don't occur. (Like my neighbour living in 31st Dec 1999, while I live at 1st Jan 2000, and then I start jumping about in infinite time loops, and the space-time continuum gets so warped that it defies logic) And I would strongly object to them trying to screw up anything in the reality the rest of us live in.

And to you Christian fundamentalists out there, Greenwich isn't the "center" of the world because the KJB was written in that country, or any other weird warped up theory that you might possibly conceive.

Islamic scholar, Zaghloul al-Najjar, said that the West did not like the scientific proofs that "Mecca was located in the centre of our planet, but nevertheless we will go on our research to establish it as a truth".

Wait a minute, I didn't know Mecca was surrounded by a solid iron core so hot that it could keep the world's volcanoes and geysers running. Well, I guess I'll have to strike that off the list of places I want to go to observe cranky human behaviour.

5. Did pre-big bang universe leave its mark on the sky?

Comment #158676 by JanChan on April 10, 2008 at 11:43 pm

Wait, if big bangs are hereditary, what's stopping natural selection to act upon them? And if nothing is, does that mean we might encounter a universe that starts chomping down on other universes?

6. Vatican: Islam surpasses Roman Catholicism as world's largest religion

Comment #153158 by JanChan on April 1, 2008 at 6:23 am

Could this have anything to do with the death by apostasy law?

7. It looks like Man crucified

Comment #148575 by JanChan on March 23, 2008 at 10:25 am

Is this why Hitchens no longer calls himself a Marxist?

8. In Britain, creationist theory is evolving

Comment #144567 by JanChan on March 16, 2008 at 10:47 am

Dawkins feels the effect. He said he is discouraged when he visits schools and gets questions from students who have obviously been influenced by material from Answers in Genesis. "I continually get the same rather stupid points straight from their pamphlets," he said.

Their same old arguments are coming up so many times that, as Hitchens would say, they aren't worth debating, all you can do is underline them.

9. What's the Point of the Archbishop of Canterbury?

Comment #138991 by JanChan on March 5, 2008 at 2:31 am

Lol, one of them thought the archbishop was an astrologer.

10. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #136932 by JanChan on March 2, 2008 at 3:42 am

I don't think I was too wrong in describing karma, this is what wikipedia has to say:

In Buddhism, the term karma is used specifically for those actions which spring from :
* mental intent (Pali: cetana)
* mental obsessions
which bring about a fruit (Pali, phala) or result (vipāka), either within the present life, or in the context of a future rebirth. Karma is the engine which drives the wheel of the cycle of uncontrolled rebirth (saṃsāra) for each being.

As I said, not much different from a sky daddy meeting out punishments in this life or the afterlife.

11. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #136864 by JanChan on March 1, 2008 at 10:16 pm

Talking about Buddhism, believing that some kind of invisible force that causes bad things to happen to you when you do bad things, karma, isn't any different than an invisible sky god meeting out punishments. Both of them are blind ridiculous faith. And it's not moral in any sense to not do bad things just because you're afraid of getting punished.

12. Earth's Final Sunset Predicted

Comment #135323 by JanChan on February 28, 2008 at 8:38 pm

Isn't the Milky Way going to crash into another galaxy in 3 billion years? I think I would be more worried about that, rather than the dying sun.

13. America: slouching towards the Enlightenment

Comment #135319 by JanChan on February 28, 2008 at 8:27 pm

If you were too take a look at the full report, I have a hunch that we have been sucking up young agnostic recruits.

14. Battle of the Chambersburg billboards

Comment #124542 by JanChan on February 9, 2008 at 6:58 pm

What a great way to tell both sides of the story! That is, completely ignoring what the other side had to say.

I thought before you try to discredit any point of view on the media, it's standard to give the other side at least one interview?

15. Some non-Christians feel left out of election

Comment #121668 by JanChan on February 4, 2008 at 12:19 am

I read in Time magazine that Obama said that his conversion was one of practicality, not of revelation or epiphany. How can one believe something out of practicality? It's impossible. However, the act of saying one believes something can be practical. So I figure that's what he means when he says his conversion was a practical one. Which would make him a closet atheist or agnostic.

I don't know... It seems that Obama's speeches are laced with too many words like hope and faith. He comes across like a more secular version of Huckabee, but still with all that preaching. I believe he's a little too idealistic to become president. And what's more he'd got the support of Oprah, the same person who support psychics, alternative medicine, and that stupid "The Secret" that have been scamming a whole lot of people's money. Obama is perfect for New Age people, but Clinton and McCain would get my vote above him.

16. Dawkins is third most prolific internet Briton

Comment #117937 by JanChan on January 30, 2008 at 3:03 am

Atheists may not have achieve critical mass yet, but Professor Dawkins surely had. Congratulations.

17. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #115274 by JanChan on January 23, 2008 at 9:38 pm

I think some people don't really understand the seriousness of the population explosion. Whatever we can do someone will die because resource is scarce. If it was not for Science maximizing production all these centuries, the world's population would probably be less than half it is today.

18. The OUT Campaign has its own Flea!

Comment #106415 by JanChan on January 2, 2008 at 9:23 pm

This is just like the story of Jesus - plagiarism

19. Pope's exorcist squads will wage war on Satan

Comment #104719 by JanChan on December 29, 2007 at 8:24 am

Benedict had not lost the chance to warn humanity of the risk from the Devil.

I think he's referring to himself, since before he came there wasn't really much warnings from the previous pope.
here comes Darth and his Sith legions - if Satan wasn't evil enough here comes Darth Ratzinger to replace him!

Sith Lord pope Palpatine strikes again!

20. Man and God

Comment #103383 by JanChan on December 25, 2007 at 10:52 am

Believers, Dawkins asserts, are "malevolent... vicious, sado-masochistic and repellent... dodgy, perniciously delusional... sanctimoniously hypocritical... cockeyed"


I don't remember Dawkins using the word "cockeyed" in The God Delusion. Ignoring the possible misquote, this sentence has got to be the worst quote mine ever. The author obviously can't differentiate the god of the old testament from the believers he supposedly created.

You'll also wonder when journalists will learn that neither Stalin nor Hitler was scientific.

21. 'Christian God is not to blame'

Comment #102903 by JanChan on December 23, 2007 at 9:06 pm

Hmm, first time an article mentions Lenin, usually it's just the other 3 guys. Anyway, I thought Lenin wasn't that evil, although I couldn't remember exactly what happened during history class. Wasn't he the one who overthrow the corrupt monarchy? While the government he force in after that wasn't that much better in comparison, it wasn't really worse than the original Christian monarchy, at least he did try to attend to some of the needs of Russians unlike the smug royal family.

If I remembered correctly, it was only when Stalin came that all the "fun" began.

22. Jesus ad angers church groups

Comment #100596 by JanChan on December 19, 2007 at 12:58 am

I hope this isn't going to end up as another boycott. It's not Christians that are being persecuted, it's the people who are exercising their freedom of speech.

23. Creation vs. Reality

Comment #98641 by JanChan on December 14, 2007 at 1:14 am

Whatever it is supposed to be, it is still a gross misrepresentation of scientific cosmology. It almost seems that it doesn't take gravity into account at all, just like the creationist video posted in another article on the same day.

24. Jumbo shrimp, creationist astronomy

Comment #98639 by JanChan on December 14, 2007 at 1:08 am

It's times like this when I doubt that creationists even know what gravity is. If they had even taken a basic class in Physics, they would have known that Sun's gravity is so high that it causes itself to condense in the middle. Gas Giants gravity are also very high, so they can hold on to their gases. Rocky planets are small and have weak gravity, so lighter gases can't be held on to.

25. Jail for creationist row killer

Comment #98633 by JanChan on December 14, 2007 at 12:55 am

Well, this proves that Christianity is still being spread by the sword, so much for being a peaceful religion.

26. U.S. Congress Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith

Comment #97986 by JanChan on December 13, 2007 at 12:40 am

Whereas the United States, being founded as a constitutional
republic in the traditions of western civilization, finds
much in its history that points observers back to its roots
in Christianity;


Oh, was it the time when George Washington got so bored in a church service that he walked out halfway and never attended another one again? Man, that was a proud moment in history.

Or was it the time when American Protestant majority had their beginnings when an English king made up his own Anglican church when the pope refused to divorce him from a wife that never gave him a son? That was one of the weirdest moments in history.

27. Of Dickens and Darwin

Comment #95637 by JanChan on December 8, 2007 at 9:39 pm

That's the first time I heard of postmodern Science. Since when do quantum physicists say "the probability graph I get in my experiments are only relative to my culture, there is no absolute truth, if you're in some other cultures, the probability would change too" ?

28. Chimps beat humans in memory test

Comment #93760 by JanChan on December 4, 2007 at 6:33 am

The Burqa isn't even a "Muslim" garment... it is an interpretation of the command to dress modestly in the Quran. The Quran itself doesn't mention the Burqa at all... it's more a product of patriarchal control of women than anything.


That's not what I'm saying, I said that the burka, and all those whole body garments serve as a symbol to the West as what differentiates Muslims from them. And when we ask them to dress in uniforms like when going to school, they refuse to take them off. Not like Jewish or Christian traditional attire. It also brings along the idea of what are they hiding beneath those clothes that they have to cover themselves fully.

29. Beyond Belief 07: Enlightenment 2.0

Comment #93682 by JanChan on December 3, 2007 at 10:48 pm

Does anyone notice that there seems to be less people in the audience this time? Maybe it's because Dawkins isn't there?

30. Chimps beat humans in memory test

Comment #93678 by JanChan on December 3, 2007 at 10:42 pm

Muslims are having a hard time getting jobs and are being driven to seek comfort in their religion, as that seems to be the only source of security for them.It is indeed very hard for a person to be free of a terrible conditioning like religion. Islam, like other forms religious programmes enslaves and drives the mind to live in a hell hole.

I have this feeling that all they have to do to stop being discriminated against is to stop wearing those burkas. To the West the burka is a symbol of how different Muslims are from them, from human rights, to religious demonstration in public. Take that freaking thing off, and we probably wouldn't even notice them.

31. Atheism's Wrong Turn

Comment #93358 by JanChan on December 2, 2007 at 9:04 pm

The author seems to have no idea of the writings of Thomas Jefferson yet feels convinced that he can fully comment on the founding fathers. This kind of intellectual laziness sickens me. Jefferson was among the most vocal critics of religion of all time.

32. Papal encyclical attacks atheism, lauds hope

Comment #92326 by JanChan on November 30, 2007 at 9:47 am

And just when I thought the Catholic Church was undergoing Reformation at last, after taking a record time to accept a scientific theory that contradict dogma. It took them about 300 years to accept that the Earth goes round the Sun, while only about a century and half to accept evolution. Well, this statement certainly brings them back to the dark ages.

33. Rock of Ages, Ages of Rock

Comment #90746 by JanChan on November 26, 2007 at 8:48 am

After a brief ice age, the earth became the ecosystem we know today.

Ok, where in the bible did these people find anything referring to an ice age? If you ask me, they aren't being fundamentalist enough. Additionally, the article should have been more critical about their claims, it's not good enough just to say that their wacky ideas are rejected by mainstream scientists, there has to be a section of the article for the purpose of a mainstream scientists refuting their claims.

And how does one mud flow, no matter how huge, create the Grand Canyon? Anyway this last time I check, that ark in the bible was supposed to be floating on water, not mud.

34. A third of adults believe God watches over them

Comment #87683 by JanChan on November 12, 2007 at 8:48 pm

But just 22 per cent go to church at least once a year.

Tearfund, the Christian aid charity that commissioned the survey, says: 'The results fly in the face of the view that faith is increasingly irrelevant in today's secular society.'

I thought it showed that church attendance was at an all time low. I mean, come on, once a year, that's like going to church just to attend the Christmas special, or maybe one wedding a year, and even then 78% of the people can't make it.

35. Malaysia firm's 'Muslim car' plan

Comment #87681 by JanChan on November 12, 2007 at 8:31 pm

Where in the world can you a compass that points towards a specific part of the world at all times (except the North/South pole)? Unless GPS is involved, but then that isn't exactly in the world.

36. Fox News Discussion on 'The Golden Compass'

Comment #85724 by JanChan on November 7, 2007 at 12:22 am

I can't stand for news reporters that don't do their research right. First he mixed up the Christopher Hitchens quote, then he gets the whole movie wrong, it's not promoting atheism, it's a satire on Catholicism.

37. What the New Atheists Don't See

Comment #84365 by JanChan on November 1, 2007 at 11:02 pm

This article is an out of control exercise in quote mining. Almost every single quote have been taken out of context.

Here is what I'm going to do, I'm going to 'return' the favour. Did you know that the article wrote:

"Dawkins's claim that religious education constitutes child abuse look sane and moderate"

38. Face to faith

Comment #82894 by JanChan on October 28, 2007 at 7:11 am

Did the journalist just confuse thunder with lightning? Thunder is the sound caused by lightning, the discharge of built up static electricity. Someone should tell him to get his facts straight, well, what can we expect someone who tries to limit science.

39. War in Heaven: Hitchens Meets D'Souza on Home Turf

Comment #81001 by JanChan on October 23, 2007 at 9:55 pm

The person described in the article doesn't sounds like Hitchens, I don't think he would ever let this statement go unpunished:

"Atheism, not religion, is responsible for the mass murders of history,"

Either he was really drunk that night or the article is biased, I believe it is the latter.

40. Make Richard Dawkins a Knight

Comment #80758 by JanChan on October 23, 2007 at 1:36 am

I suspect you need to actually live under a monarchy to understand this. And if you happen to be American, look to your history and feel shame for trying to support or justify the trappings of the very system your country quite rightly rejected at its founding.


I'm from a former British colony (not telling you which one), and one thing's for sure, life sucks after the British left. Britain and America might have flaws, but comparing freedom, they're the closest to a dream. In my country, no one even have the guts to write petitions, and maybe you'll need to experience that to know how it feels.

41. Make Richard Dawkins a Knight

Comment #80563 by JanChan on October 22, 2007 at 7:02 am

To all those British out there who disagree on principle with Richard getting knighted but supports his work, please sign the petition anyway. It would be making a statement that the people are acknowledging Richard's contributions in evolution and also in rationality, enough to be willing to nominate him for a national honour. We can let the knighthood committee settle everything else later, and of course the decision to receive the knighthood will be up to Richard, but just by signing this maybe we can send the world a stronger message.

I would have signed it too but sadly I'm not a Brit.

42. Debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #76142 by JanChan on October 4, 2007 at 8:34 pm

I love this quote from Dawkins

Either the universe began or it's been here forever...to get one of them is really not that impressive. (Crowds laughs) Toss a penny, you've got a chance of getting it right 50% of the time.

And it seems to be the best 'prediction' the bible has to offer. I think I'll do better with a coin toss.

43. Religion as a Force for Good

Comment #74698 by JanChan on September 30, 2007 at 2:43 am

And no one can deny the religious authority of Pope John Paul II as a spur to Poland's rebellion against communist dictatorship in the 1980s.

Isn't that why it's dangerous? They're listening to someone just based on authority. What if the pope starts giving bad commands, like not to use stem cells to save people's lives? If people would start thinking for themselves, maybe brutal regimes wouldn't be set up in the first place, and it does no good for the regimes to be replaced with a clergy.

44. The Fear Factor: When the Brain Decides It's Time to Scram

Comment #66763 by JanChan on August 31, 2007 at 8:47 am

Ok, since they're almost there in understanding fight-or-flee situations. I'm going to keep my hopes up that one day there will be an anxiety suppressor that doesn't have side effects.

I really need one of those.

45. Shop targets U.S. hunters with camo Bibles

Comment #65718 by JanChan on August 26, 2007 at 1:39 am

Azven, there's a Harry Potter hardcover book that could be mistaken for a bible because of its thick black cover. Will that do? Then when reading Harry Potter, people might think that you're devout. And you can bring it to churches (and funerals?) to read when you're forced to go there with your family.

46. A hole lot of nothing found by astronomers

Comment #65717 by JanChan on August 26, 2007 at 1:25 am

I'm disappointed with all of you, can't you even come up with a real speculation?

Perhaps the simplest explanation is that, it might simply be that for the first time in history we have stumbled upon anti-gravitational phenomenon that is only concentrated on a small part of the as yet known universe. Hence pushing away all matter in the vicinity, perhaps even speeding up EM waves, so that they bend outwards instead, making that spot seemingly "empty".

Ha! Take that, Newton!

47. Feeding the fear gene

Comment #65412 by JanChan on August 24, 2007 at 5:41 am

Alongside the "selfish gene" best-sellingly identified by Dawkins, there seems to be a "fear gene" or "lonely gene" that predisposes people to respond to kindness and reassurance, even to the extent of reversing illness and injury.


Ok, this guy really doesn't know what the proposition in the selfish gene is. It definitely not that there's a gene that makes people behave selfishly, it's that genes are inherently selfish by virtue of competing with other genes.

48. Bill Maher Making New Documentary Movie, 'Religulous'

Comment #64407 by JanChan on August 20, 2007 at 2:37 am

He mentioned something about a 10 minutes preview of the movie, anyone know where I can get that?

49. Richard Dawkins, TV evangelist

Comment #62855 by JanChan on August 11, 2007 at 11:27 pm

I am sick and tried of religious apologists never addressing the real question: whether or not there is any basis to believe that there exist god(s).

Seriously, I don't really care about what benefits they can say religion might bring. And neither do I want them to compare the atheism and evangelicalism. (There's so many similarities between communism and capitalism but no one really cares about those similarities when criticising one over the other, do they?)

How do these people even hope to win the debate without addressing the main points of it? If they can't make up any good argument, why can't they just concede defeat, instead of telling me whatever sociological similarities there might be or some other kinds of trivial 'fun facts'. I want the truth, not useless analogies.

And I can't believe that some would even say that people who have no expertise in religion has no right to comment on it. That's like saying, you're not a republican, so you have no right to criticise the republicans.

50. Curriculum for Baptist School

Comment #62355 by JanChan on August 9, 2007 at 11:29 am

I can just imagine how a study of secularization will be like for these people:

Student will examine the nature of God in the history of the Enlightenment and understand its absolute consistency with God, and learn that God's nature permits a separation of Church and State. So that in no matters of state, including education, are we suppose to favour God, ... wait a minute, Oh Shit!

More Pages: 1 2 | Next