1. Republican candidates range from ignorant to dishonest

Comment #37928 by Sailnsouth on May 6, 2007 at 10:11 am

Its funny how they always invoke the Grand Canyon as a sign of the existence of a God. A surer symbol of an aged and undesigned earth does not exist!

The fortunate consolation in this is that the question about belief in evolution could actually be asked. In the past such a question would have been suppressed as too morally controversial

2. Atheists challenge the religious right

Comment #16179 by Sailnsouth on January 5, 2007 at 9:27 am

In addition to the blasphemy challenge, any activity that keeps Pat Robertson speaking in public will help the cause. He should be encouraged in any way to make pronouncements and pass judgment on others.

His warped ideas will help convert those in the middle away from religion more than anything an atheist can tell them.

Go Pat Robertson Go!

3. Pat Robertson: God told me of 'mass killing' in 2007

Comment #16030 by Sailnsouth on January 4, 2007 at 8:10 am

Sadly he plays to a weekly audience of over 850,000
viewers on the "700 Club". That's more than the audience of CNN.

4. Left Behind: Eternal Forces on The Daily Show

Comment #15750 by Sailnsouth on January 2, 2007 at 12:51 pm

Anyone unfortunate enough to have seen "The Passion of the Christ" can see from that how unadulterated carnage can sell in the religious community. Violence in the name of the church or to convey Biblical history has never been condemned

As always the target audience has to be the young impressionable minds who are the hopeful future of the church.

5. Not Yet The Majority But No Longer Silent

Comment #15746 by Sailnsouth on January 2, 2007 at 12:36 pm

I have no real qualms about name bright and I definitely agree the term "Atheist" needs a change. It is too widely and deeply stigmatized, at least in the USA.

I prefer the descriptor SECULAR PROGRESSIVE. It is assertive, modern, and unknown enough that people would be willing to read about it.

Look what Intelligent Design did to Creationism!

6. How Old is the Grand Canyon? Park Service Won't Say

Comment #15563 by Sailnsouth on January 1, 2007 at 10:34 am

I initially thought this was a spoof by apparently not.

At least the book IS for sale at the GC bookstore, and the PEER site looks legitimate.

I sent a little note to the ACLU it seems like a curable problem.

Sadly our country (USA) is dropping to new intellectual lows.

7. Let's Hope It's A Lasting Vogue

Comment #15553 by Sailnsouth on January 1, 2007 at 8:59 am

Yes, my feelings exactly. Hopefully the wider availability of these books will help all the fence-sitters out there to open their minds. Once people are more familiar with such ideas the general stigma towards athorism will fade.

At least in the USA, our recent midterm elections have shown that the tide is turning away from the religious right, hopefully in time to reverse the waning reputation our country has earned under the stewardship of GWB.

Please keep publishing Richard Dawkins the world needs your thoughts!

8. A Christmas thunderbolt for the arch-enemy of religion

Comment #14908 by Sailnsouth on December 26, 2006 at 3:55 pm

Many thousand years ago a group of people was standing around a campfire. Since they were hunter gatherers they had evolved a natural inquisitiveness or curiosity that had allowed them to find food and learn how to take proper advantage of the world around them.

In the distance from one of these groups, a storm cloud formed one day with a big clap of thunder, scarring a young boy or girl. Naturally the young person asked one of his elders why is there such a loud scary noise. The elder could have told the young person he did not know himself, but nooo...instead, he told the young person about a big giant living in the mountains who caused all the noise.

So was the beginning of religion and the first lie ever told. We have been paying the price ever since

9. Orr on Dawkins

Comment #14895 by Sailnsouth on December 26, 2006 at 1:41 pm

At some point you just have to go back to more basic ideas. The reason you write a book like TGD is because the belief in gods is a delusion. Unfortunately once you flesh out that argument you open yourself up to the inane comparisons with all the mass murderers in history and which ones were atheists and which were not...all completely beside the point.

The truth is good for the soul even if the world it represents is not touchy-feely nor compatible with all the esoteric visions people form for their gods.

Plus, there is certainly no true solidarity between religions. That is one of the biggest myths yet forwarded in an attempt to advance the belief in a god. The fact of religions marked differences, animosity towards one another, and their geographic nature just adds to their improbability!

Again back to simplicity, The Christians have already denied a Buddhist, Egyptian, Hindu, or animist god. Atheists (and TGD) just eliminate one more. The logic in that is unassailable.

10. I love the commercialisation of Christmas

Comment #14420 by Sailnsouth on December 22, 2006 at 11:28 am

An enjoyable article

Although off topic, when he mentions Lucretius, he states he was "just before Christ". That should be the "alleged" life of Christ.

Just like there are new and old earth creationists there are those of us who do not see Christ as a true figure of history.

11. The problem with secularism

Comment #14412 by Sailnsouth on December 22, 2006 at 10:35 am

As an American German I am astonished by the denial put forth by the religious as far as their roles in WWII. It seems to be common delusional dogma that Hitler was not a Christian. Even though there is a mountain of evidence and quotations supporting his influence by the Church.

He certainly did not act alone! What about Joseph Goebbels, Joseph Mengele, and Mussolini...all Catholics to a man. And what about the German Nation, the soldiers who dropped the Zyklon B into the showers to gas the Jews were good German Catholics and Protestants.

Even Papa Joe Stalin was raised in a Catholic family who had intentions of his becoming a priest. So given that pedigree he was probably a pedophile as well.

We cannot allow the delusion to continue that Christianity was somehow separate from the evils of WWII. The whole idea behind the holocaust was the demonization of the "killers of Christ"

12. The Grinch Delusion: An Atheist Can Believe in Christmas

Comment #13363 by Sailnsouth on December 17, 2006 at 9:30 am

The only real disadvantage we have now is that the year-end celebration is stuck with a religious name "Christmas"

I too am disappointed with the heavy commercialization of the holiday.

The actual root for all these celebrations however is the Winter Solstice which is a very natural and rational observation. It is also much more inclusive in that just about any society (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) that has been advanced enough to keep a calendar has recognized and attached importance to this date.

Since the Year End Celebration (Christmas) has and will continue to evolve and change we should just keep people aware that the real reason for the season is the Winter Solstice. This also includes all the wonderful seasonal customs such as the tree, lights, good food, and celebration.

13. Intelligent Design packets

Comment #13216 by Sailnsouth on December 16, 2006 at 8:37 am

To all those who out of fair play say "why not teach intelligent design":

Read about the Discovery Institute (the backers of present day ID) and their clearly religious, clearly anti-science agenda first.

Intelligent design in its present form is just creationism morphed in a way that hopefully can slip by church state separation laws and convince a gullible public.

ID has produced NO credible arguments or proofs to make it worthy of being taught alongside evolution.

It isn't even a new idea, it has been around since the classical Greeks

14. Response to Richard Dawkins' Criticisms in The God Delusion

Comment #13210 by Sailnsouth on December 16, 2006 at 7:58 am

How long will people be willing to accept all this religious double talk?

The Bible always has something to support every view so it therefore supports no view.

15. Intelligent design: The God Lab

Comment #13102 by Sailnsouth on December 15, 2006 at 12:09 pm

All you have to do is read the "Wedge Document" regarding the ID movement

It shows their step by step plan to overturn Darwinism and materialism.

The only consolation is they are way behind on their timeline

16. Intelligent design: The God Lab

Comment #13092 by Sailnsouth on December 15, 2006 at 11:18 am

In a way it is like facing the Terminator. "He will not sleep...he will not stop...he has no mercy!

This kind of research is funded by purpose-driven organizations with deep pockets that will promote ID advancement regardless of any legitimate outcomes, and squelch any findings that might support evolution.

What politicians and the public will face is avalanche publishing, where numerous pseudo-scientific letters and op ed pieces are sited and the weight of the paper overcomes the weight of their arguments. All one has to do is look at the Google listings for the Discovery Institutes Paul Chien...from that one would think that he is a known expert in paleontology.

Anyone who has posted anything on one of the religious sites may have noticed what I have...you place a concise, well worded comment contrary to some of their views...within an hour there appears a ponderous 4 page dissertation refuting what I've said with footnotes and web site references along with derogatory comments and occasional prayers for my salvation. Those people will now have more to quote from

17. Grandparents linked with church-going

Comment #13070 by Sailnsouth on December 15, 2006 at 9:00 am

This is not surprising.

I always like to know what data they use to indicate church attendance. When people are questioned about their frequency of going to church(especially by church organizations) they always overestimate how often they actually attend compared with actual church attendance. If everyone who says they go to church actually went to church the churches of the world would be overflowing!

I notice that when I drive by my local church on Sundays the membership seems pretty old definitely older than our community as a whole.

18. Gershom Gorenberg on Christian Zionism

Comment #12586 by Sailnsouth on December 12, 2006 at 4:37 pm

This is one of the least understood and most frightening aspects of the Republican party and its Middle East policy. It also helps explain why the Bush administration allowed the Israelis to continue their destruction in Lebanon even in the face of widespread international condemnation.

Over half of Americans, when polled, think that Armageddon (with the destruction of the world rational people would like to preserve) is coming and coming soon. A sizable number of those anticipating its arrival think it is a good thing since it will hasten the return of Jesus and the creation of a single world Christian Religion. It is widely described as involving a nuclear (or nucular if your are president Bush) war and will start in the Middle East. People of this belief have very close ties to President Bush and his administration.

Frightening thoughts indeed!

19. Reading of The God Delusion in Lynchburg, VA

Comment #11956 by Sailnsouth on December 8, 2006 at 2:41 pm

Anyone interested in an obvious (but unfortunate) contrast should check out some of the numerous Christian websites. Many of these have extensive libraries of talking points on everything from abortion to dating. Thus allowing the faithful to spew forth the appropriate canned responses to any question they might be challenged with. They never have to generate an opinion on their own...nor would it be tolerated by the church.

We wouldn't want the faithful to deviate from the religious party line dogma would we.

I'll listen to information from all sides but as we know in the Christian world there is nothing new under the sun.

I'll take an irreverent RD any day!

20. Ministers to ban creationist teaching aids in science lessons

Comment #11937 by Sailnsouth on December 8, 2006 at 10:11 am

Yes that is my biggest fear that the world fundamentalist movement is relentless and so highly funded to the point that they will never stop.

I have read most of the Dover Pennsylvania decision from a year ago. It seems that the judge of that trial went to great pains to be fair, exhaustive, and to try to do a comprehensive evaluation of the ID problem. It would be nice if that information could be more widely disseminated. I doubt if mainstream Americans or Brits know anything about that decision.

On another note but related I was fascinated while watching the RD lecture in Virginia when the Liberty University student claims that there are 3-4 thousand year old dinosaur fossils on display at that university. Has that been verified (meaning are the fossils actually on display as the student mentioned)? That means that those students believe there were dinosaurs roaming around when the pyramids were being built in Egypt. To paraphrase a line from I believe Sam Harris "there are those who believe The Flintstones is actually a documentary"

This is incredible stuff!