1. Richard Dawkins Interview on TVOntario

Comment #181175 by THEEVANGELIST on May 16, 2008 at 2:34 pm

Is Jordan Peterson really a professor of a bone fide university? His arguments were so illogical as to be unbecoming of university professor.

2. George Scales, War Hero and Generous Friend of RDFRS

Comment #111556 by THEEVANGELIST on January 15, 2008 at 2:13 am

George, All the best and many thanks with your contributions to eradicating totalitarians and dogmatisms in all their various guises.

Vic

3. Evolution to be taught in SA schools

Comment #83219 by THEEVANGELIST on October 29, 2007 at 10:08 am

The African christian mindset is a very dichotomous one. The african christain sees the Judeo-christian mythology (ie christianity)as a enlightened concrete reality as opposed to the indigeneous native religions which they classify as pure superstitions and therefore part of the satanic realm. African native religions are still very much embedded into the mindset of the people despite many century of exposure to the Abrahamic religions. For me, this is easily explained; all forms of religions satisfy the same human emotions of fear, hope and quest for the un-explained.

Western Europe has taken a different route to secularity. Firstly, by sheer historical chance, a minority middle eastern cult gained political supremacy, then persecuted and marginalised other competitive alternatives throughout most of western Europe. Going from a one-religious society to a no-religious society now only consists in dismantling the present on religion. In African there are a myriad of religions to contend with, each one having very specific role in the lives of the people, however vacuous that role may be. Yes, the challenge for rationalistic thinking in such highly superstitious millieu are enormous.

4. Evolution to be taught in SA schools

Comment #82973 by THEEVANGELIST on October 28, 2007 at 11:55 am

As an African, I can vouch for some the sentiments expressed in the Guardian article. I was born and spent the first two decades of my life in Cameroon, a country with a fast growing christian fundamentalist population. All my parents and siblings but one would describe themselves as biblical literalists, and thus creationists. I have relations and close Cameroonian friend, who although are in the most rational of professions (doctors, scientists and engineers) are totally unpersuaded by the evidence of evolution largely for religious reasons.

To the best of my memory, evolution was only given a cursory glance in our biology programme in high school. I have two reasons for that; the poor preparedness of the teachers and secondly the dissonance it would have caused to teach a subject that contradicts the basis of fundamentalist christian ethos. When I last travelled to Cameroon 10 years ago, I was appalled at the rampaging inroads christian literalism was making into the fabric of the society. My personal impression is that if this is left to continue unchecked, the intellectual fibre of the population may be irreparable damaged. I know these are strong sentiments, but we all know how long it takes to correct societal malaises ( think of slavery, prejudices - racial, gender, sexual, etc)

This christmass I have resolved to give as present to close friends and familiy the brilliant book by Kenneth Miller, "Finding Darwin's God". All I can hope for is that it gets read, since this is a book by a christian scientist.

5. Debate between Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #81318 by THEEVANGELIST on October 24, 2007 at 3:24 pm

I think Dinesh D'Souza is the most slippery of the slimy quartet (D'Souza, McGrath, Lennox and William Lane Craig). None of his arguments are logical and consistent. I think we have to development different strategies for dealing with each one of these apologists for superstitions. I suggest we clamour for a different debating format. I wonder what aspect of christianity these quartet would agree on if you were to engage them collectively in a debate/discussion about tenets of the christian dogma.

I think Dinesh could be comprehensively beaten on his own home territory of christianity and the bible if the atheist debater focuses the debate on contradictions, un-historicity, atrocities, crimes of clergy, possible mythical aspects of its origin and such like. To venture outside of such areas is to give him room to bamboozle his audience with pseudo-science and half-baked philosophical arguments.