1. The heretic

Comment #237588 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 26, 2008 at 7:27 pm

(disclaimer: drinking)

I love Bruno even more now.

2. Supernatural science: Why we want to believe

Comment #235192 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 22, 2008 at 2:17 pm

Diacanu:

88 made my day.

3. No credit for creationism

Comment #233155 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 19, 2008 at 7:41 am

#57 Diacanu:

I hold them (teenage girls) personally responsible for the death of music, and cinema, and the decay of retail

4. Al-Qa'eda in Iraq alienated by cucumber laws and brutality

Comment #230119 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 14, 2008 at 9:57 am

If they were smart they'd keep their women interested in things shaped like cucumbers, and well, figs, instead of keeping them only for the men.

Wait a minute - why are the Taliban men so interested in things shaped like cucumbers? And what are they doing with them?

Mmmmmm.

5. Optimism in Evolution

Comment #229459 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 13, 2008 at 4:06 pm

18. Comment #229214 by Eshto

Can we change "fucktard" to something else? It sounds too much like "retard"

6. Optimism in Evolution

Comment #229172 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 13, 2008 at 7:42 am

I made time last night to watch something I have only taken for granted all my life: a spider making a whole web. The little knowledge I have of the common evolutionary origins of spiders and humans helped me see the process as if I was watching a brother / sister making its way in the world. I was actually proud of it. I learned nothing about this in school; our origins were 'mysterious', and any inquiries in that area were directed towards philosophy or religion, where I wallowed for years.

I am pissed that most of this knowledge about who we are was denied me through my formative education, and it is obvious to me which worldview / lobbygroup has had the most to lose over the last 150 years through the teaching of evolution.

Fucking end it already.

7. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228916 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 12, 2008 at 8:05 pm

josh:

.commentText -->


WTF?

8. An atheist plays God's advocate

Comment #228048 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 11, 2008 at 12:01 pm

richard morgan

You never seem to have really anything at all to say, and your taunts have no basis.

Why don't you try a short list of grievances, only a few words to each line, prove to us simple folk that you truly are intelligent and have better answers than we can know. We're not sure at this point if you're not just being deliberately obscure.....

9. An atheist plays God's advocate

Comment #227843 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 10, 2008 at 10:01 pm

ddjango, Comment 227787

I won't even critique your comment. You are an idiot. You appear to know nothing.

Or, you are a troll?

10. Call to teach biblical creation as science

Comment #225271 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 6, 2008 at 11:38 am

thewhitepearl:

How's this?

(Edit: I had a pic of Pastor Ted with white on his lips, saying "Got Milk?", but it was too much even for me, so I took it down.....)

11. Call to teach biblical creation as science

Comment #225249 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 6, 2008 at 11:16 am

Cartomancer #24, exactly as you say.

Jmac

Mr Storey should take his bible and shove it up his ass

12. Brainwashed by a parasite

Comment #225243 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 6, 2008 at 11:11 am

I read of a similar parasite (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) that lives in the bovine GI system, and when its eggs exit they are picked up by snails, who protect their own GI system by coating the eggs (lancet flukes) with mucus. When they exit the snail, the mucus makes them (little pearls) irresistible to ants, who ingest them. The following day they all head off to work, but in the evening when it gets cooler the infected members don't go back to the colony, but wander off and climb as high as they can get on a blade of grass, and then clamp their mandibles permanently to the top of the grass. They have lost their 'minds' by now and will end their lives in this position.

There they are certain to be eaten by a bovine, and the magic circle of life continues........

13. Brainwashed by a parasite

Comment #225221 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 6, 2008 at 10:51 am

Isn't Jesus amazing?

He obviously engineered this, since he (as God) is personally responsible for the fate of every single little sparrow.

And ant. And fungus. And Ebola mutation.

In his personal laboratory (earth).

14. Call to teach biblical creation as science

Comment #225204 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 6, 2008 at 10:38 am

ggg:

Good point, I expect you're right. How about allowing it as a separate course? The Scientific Examination of Creationism. They might be happy that they made it on the docket, and then they'd be slowly torn apart by science.

EDIT - and then the parallel course could be: The Creationistic Examination of Science, which would likely have a high humor factor.....

15. Call to teach biblical creation as science

Comment #225183 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 6, 2008 at 10:20 am

I give up. What the hell, why not examine it in a science class and watch the whole thing dissolve under rational scrutiny?

Advertise it, get the fundies to send all their brainwashed kids to it as if they have finally won their battle and have been accepted as science. Then they will have to pay close attention to how good science examines things.

They'd be a captive audience of their own making.

16. A cast-iron case for a secular society

Comment #224246 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 4, 2008 at 11:25 am

82abhilash:

Legalizing privilege in the name of equality

17. What's wrong with science as religion

Comment #223608 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 2, 2008 at 10:40 pm

same old sarum in a new wineskin, says I...

18. What's wrong with science as religion

Comment #223587 by prettygoodformonkeys on August 2, 2008 at 9:37 pm

Old Sarum

Several posters here ....are nonetheless happy to set themselves up as authorities.. (saying) ..religion... must feature a literal belief in a supernatural realm, as a real place distinct from the physical realm, & not the realm of the imagination

19. Faith is not the answer

Comment #221842 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 30, 2008 at 7:48 am

Josh:

Is it possible to have a separate forum where people can flirt with each other's pictures? Like the digital equivalent of "get a room, you two/three/whatever atheists"?

Because if you're already getting laid regularly, it can be quite boring to slowly watch it all go down, and it doesn't seem to matter what the topic is.

Excruciating, really.

20. A Holocaust Denier Hits Manhattan (And Hearts Hitchens)

Comment #219920 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 27, 2008 at 7:00 pm

thewhitepearl:

I object. There isn't a sufficent amount of cleavage. You can't see anything, that's your brain playing tricks on you

Naaa, not on my part any way. I am THE white pearl.

21. Historian predicts the end of 'science superpowers'

Comment #217495 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 24, 2008 at 11:46 am

Yes, predicting the past is a great way to get your averages up.

Couldn't help thinking that China (and others) will be unhampered by fundie thinking that might negatively affect things like stem cell research, the actual teaching of evolution to future researchers, funding for all of these, etc.

They will quickly move ahead of those who drag their collective feet. I'm hoping, though, that levelling the field might encourage cooperation, and might then widen the distribution of benefits.

22. Good Science Writers: Richard Dawkins

Comment #217000 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 23, 2008 at 7:17 pm

bujin:

Ok, I have got to ask - what the hell is it with these "first post" things that contain absolutely no useful content whatsoever? It seems pretty damn pointless to me!

23. Good Science Writers: Richard Dawkins

Comment #216279 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 22, 2008 at 10:20 pm

"low-IQ sub-moron behaviour on some bloody pre-teen popstar myspace wankfest site"

24. Texas State Board of Education approves Bible course for high schools

Comment #214301 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 20, 2008 at 6:55 am

Radesq:

dragonfirematrix: Why are there no atheist private schools and so many Catholic and other religious schools? I wonder.

25. MnIndy interview: Unrepentant science-heathen PZ Myers still intends to prove 'this cracker is nothing'

Comment #212147 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 16, 2008 at 5:16 pm

Haven't read all the posts, but it seems that a physical and chemical analysis of the cracker by a scientist would be considered a sacrilege, and I can't imagine Meyers doing anything else to it.

I simply can't picture him shot-gunning a beer and then wiping his butt with the cracker.

Much more use to analyse it (no pun intended) and reach everyone: sacrilege accomplished, no wrong done, and let catholic scientists wrestle with their faith, in reason and in science.

26. Man Sues Church Over 'God Injury'

Comment #210007 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 13, 2008 at 6:26 pm

rimmer

post #29 vry nce.

On the topic, this is a civil suit, and has nothing to do with the content of this site. A religious person did a stupid thing, big deal; he's suing the property owner, not god.

He should probably win, in my opinion. Maybe not the 2.5M, but they encourage people to lose their normal way of seeing the world and enter some rapturous (delusional) state - some are going to fall over & hurt themselves.

Then again, it would be funny if they had to start signing release forms before praying....

27. Church Cancels Teen Gun Giveaway

Comment #209931 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 13, 2008 at 2:49 pm

Wading in on guns...

Anyone in the city likely won't care about this, but I live in the Pacific Northwest of Canada, and rarely go walking in the bush without a gun. I also know exactly where it is on the weekends when I work on my small acreage because I have seen both bears in my yard and cougars in my immediate area.

The only legal way to do this is to carry a rifle, because it is illegal to carry handguns except at a rifle range, which I have no interest in. I am just interested in staying alive. Many times I had to turn back after being stared down on the trail by a black bear, but with a gun you have the possibility of surviving a bad encounter. We do have an awful lot of bears here. I have never shot a bear, never had to, hope I never do. But I want to live, and I want my wife to live also.

Handguns would be perfect for hiking in the mountains here because they are light and small, and rifles get caught in the bushes. But in the cities they are used for drug crimes, etc, so everyone in the city knows that anyone with a gun is a criminal, so it is illegal everywhere, from the Starbucks on Robson Street to the tent camp 75 miles into the wilderness by boat.

Making the link between guns and jeebus is still tough to reconcile, but I note that two or three born-agains at my workplace hunt regularly, and one hunts bear solely for sport, no trophies, no meat, just shoots them. I think it's the "dominion over all beasts" that makes it work for them. Also the religion makes the males super dominant.

Just an FYI.

(EDIT - BTW: I'm talking Young Earth Creationist born-agains, 6000-year-old universe kind of shit. I work in a nest of them, and they all know exactly what I think of their fantasies.)

28. France rejects Muslim woman over radical practice of Islam

Comment #209919 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 13, 2008 at 2:04 pm

skybri

You say she's on welfare? How do you know that?

29. Sir John M. Templeton, Philanthropist, Dies at 95

Comment #206841 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 8, 2008 at 9:40 pm

He did pretty good for a monkey (chimp).

He was good at making money, maybe not much else.
He wanted to know more.
He funded everything he could think of.

OK: all he could think of was his heritage - religion.

What have you (we) done?

Bitch?

30. Harper says new mosque shows 'the true and benevolent face of Islam'

Comment #205233 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 6, 2008 at 10:02 pm

My fave is this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seawallrunner/143002809/

31. Sharia law 'could have UK role'

Comment #204551 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 5, 2008 at 7:32 am

epeeist;

Thanks for the link; good assessment. I especially liked:

But the second claim that Lord Phillips endorses is more dangerous. Decoded, Dr Williams is saying that in a multicultural society it is fine for people within a culture to agree not to exercise certain rights, even if English law would allow them to.

This is a charter for male dominance. It's a charter for cultural bullying; for peer-group pressurising; for self-oppression. It's a charter against women and teenagers who cannot make wholly free choices because they have nowhere else to go; a charter against individuals whose circumstances have made it difficult to think outside the cultural box; a charter for discreet duress. I am sorry to hear the Lord Chief Justice endorsing it.

32. Sharia law 'could have UK role'

Comment #204232 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 4, 2008 at 1:07 pm

Rachel Holmes

if racist BNP types want to settle a dispute by asking the biggest thug among them to give his verdict, why not?

If mediators/arbitrators impose a sanction that is contrary to English law (such as a beating), they'll be subject to being found out and prosecuted like any one else.

33. Sharia law 'could have UK role'

Comment #204226 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 4, 2008 at 12:41 pm

Wiki:

"...under the common law a man/woman can do as they please as long as they do not violate another man, woman or child's natural rights, or breach any oaths contracts or agreements he/she has entered into with them. From a common law perspective, natural rights are so numerous that they cannot be listed specifically and thus can only be listed in three general categories, namely: the 'right to life, liberty and property'. Under these general categories come such rights as the natural right to keep and bear arms for defense; for if one has the right to life then one logically has the right to protect that life. It is also important to realise that governments do not grant natural rights, as these unalienable rights are inherent in every man/woman, and thus all men/women are naturally sovereign and have natural authority over and above their government (theoretically) --- provided they have not somehow forfeited any of their natural rights by some legal mechanism."

Not being a Brit, am I right in assuming that any arbitration, even by Sharia, has to fit this basic mold?

Or would 'legal mechanism' include muslim wedding vows, where the woman has forfeited her rights?

34. New Zealand man sells his soul to 'Hell'

Comment #204102 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 4, 2008 at 6:26 am

Side note (as usual) - this time true:

Hell, Norway, is frozen over for more than six months a year.

35. Evangelical Christians sign up to a 'Church within a Church'

Comment #203200 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 2, 2008 at 1:03 pm

Jism in the church? I thought they put a stop to that after they made all those apologies.

36. Obama Wants to Expand Role of Religious Groups

Comment #203192 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 2, 2008 at 12:58 pm

1. He doesn't need to pander. The religious right is already supporting him, but he needs to make a faith statement in his policies because it's America.

2. From an administrative point of view this may seem to make sense because these groups have tax-free status, and utilising them means maximising that as a service. 'Less government employees' is popular at election time.

However, I don't agree with the tax-free status, and I see faith as a weakness to be overcome, so it doesn't work for me.

37. Muslims outraged at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman's hat

Comment #203110 by prettygoodformonkeys on July 2, 2008 at 11:27 am

Here is a pretty good definition of Islamophobia, even though it is a made-up word with no meaning....

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Islamophobia.htm

38. Faith schools undermined by 'Government witch hunt'

Comment #201748 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 30, 2008 at 7:58 am

Stevie B:

Exactly. Not much different from ID complaining that 'Faiththeory' isn't being treated as science.

39. Aliens need Christ's redemption, too

Comment #201600 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 29, 2008 at 9:25 pm

John C Wright:

Reason is not antithetical to religion. Reason, if anything, is the powerful ally of the Church, and grows dangerous to her when, like anything, it is abused, pulled out of its proper role.

40. Aliens need Christ's redemption, too

Comment #201598 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 29, 2008 at 9:19 pm

HJ:

"The oxygen masks in the overhead compartment just dropped down that was so stupid."

41. Stop distorting young minds!

Comment #199957 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 26, 2008 at 2:38 pm

Excellent device, using 'anousic' as the lead-in.

I hope it is read by the religious, and they are incensed by all these horrible beliefs and practices until they read on to find out it is their own religion that is being looked at. I'd love to be a fly on their wall at that point.

We need more of this.

42. Should We Rid The Mind of God? A Debate

Comment #199464 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 25, 2008 at 7:55 pm

drbreakfast,

I am a recovering theist/deist/buddhist (15 years without a prayer), and your third paragraph blew my mind. The others supported. Thanks!

PGFM

43. Should We Rid The Mind of God? A Debate

Comment #199405 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 25, 2008 at 5:52 pm

McGrath. Twat.

What a shame that shit plays.
Using body language that displays sincerity (I know, not to me either) and a mellifluous cadence that has gotten creeps elected, and will again.

Ironic: he's using his 'skills' to touch ancient emotional chords that resonate in others only because of the needs of DNA to replicate itself.

No powers of reason are required to get that message across, none required to receive them.

44. Science is not philosophy

Comment #198631 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 24, 2008 at 10:20 am

when everyone insists you are wrong about something it doesn't necessarily mean they're engaged in an elaborate conspiracy. You could just be wrong

45. Award-winning comedian George Carlin dies

Comment #198392 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 23, 2008 at 6:07 pm

Just want to echo the best sentiments here,

Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and (the inexplicably still included in our list of taboos - who the fuck are we?):

tits.

I will miss you George, thank you.

46. Christianity 'could die out within a century'

Comment #197331 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 21, 2008 at 6:52 pm

The Telegraph:

Buddhism however, proved more attractive than both Islam and Judaism, and was chosen by nine per cent of those questioned.

Aish ...said the results of the YouGov poll of 2,000 people were alarming.

"It clearly demonstrates that religion, including Judaism, is becoming unattractive to the British public.

In contrast, the number of actively religious Muslims is predicted to increase from about one million today to 1.96 million in 2035.

47. New discovery proves 'selfish gene' exists

Comment #197251 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 21, 2008 at 12:56 pm

bugaboo

Come to think about it isnt ALL DNA selfish?

48. Should Strident British Atheist Richard Dawkins Dictate Education Policy to US States? Barbara Forrest Apparently Thinks So

Comment #197242 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 21, 2008 at 12:27 pm

Ken Mercer, R-San Antonio:

"There are issues in the evolutionary process that have been proven wrong," he said. "Evolution is not fact. Evolution is a theory and, as such, cannot be proven. Students need to be able to jump to their own conclusions."

49. Pastors Challenge Law, Endorse Candidates From Pulpit

Comment #196758 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 20, 2008 at 12:15 pm

Pierce Creek Church

"The Bible warns us .... lest God chasten us …"

50. The Mother, The Child, The School Board And The Psychic

Comment #196153 by prettygoodformonkeys on June 19, 2008 at 11:16 am

Yes to King Crimson.

No to psychics.