1. Common New Atheist Fallacies

Comment #200518 by croatcat on June 27, 2008 at 7:14 pm

The audience is such a bunch of sheep

2. Logical Proof of the Existence of a Divine Creator, Why Atheism is Not Logically Sound

Comment #190673 by croatcat on June 9, 2008 at 11:09 am

mordacious1

For my business it was a waste of advertising dollars.

Your experience sounds straight out of a sit-com, although probably less than humorous at the time.

3. Logical Proof of the Existence of a Divine Creator, Why Atheism is Not Logically Sound

Comment #190648 by croatcat on June 9, 2008 at 10:29 am

I stopped doing business with a company several years ago for pushing bible verses at me. Wasn't worth the hassle. Wonder if this will help or hurt his business? I could imagine all the biblers offering verbal support with little or no monetary return. When I did things for the church I recieved lots of praise, but no support of my business. It was the whole "sacrifice" scam.

4. Prayer to feed the hungry

Comment #190143 by croatcat on June 8, 2008 at 12:51 pm

Here is an instance where the elimination of religion/churches makes the most sense. Instead of the millions (billions?) collected each year for the upkeeep of said buildings, that money could definitely be put to better use.

There is just something unsettling about an intelligent species that can't care for its members.

5. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #178666 by croatcat on May 11, 2008 at 9:15 pm

MaxD

This is a brilliant little piece on nature and the philosophy that all that is natural is necessarily good.

6. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #178645 by croatcat on May 11, 2008 at 8:17 pm

Now I can understand Bushs comment about the Kyoto Accord. He wouldn't agree to it if it had any negative impacts on the american economy. So he falls into the short-sighted greedy group. Makes sense...but not really.

Economy is not much good if no one is left to partake of it.

7. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176622 by croatcat on May 7, 2008 at 7:46 pm

zosky

catholic charistmatic renewal movement

8. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #167253 by croatcat on April 23, 2008 at 7:23 pm

Listening to Tulls thick as a brick while perusing this thread was all too fitting.

TruthID-Is there a reason that the origin of life question, which has no answer yet, is so disturbing that you are willing to believe in an invisible creator, which you have no proof?

9. Victims: Pope Benedict Protects Accused Pedophile Bishops

Comment #162939 by croatcat on April 17, 2008 at 5:30 pm

I heard a report on NPR about the secret meeting with the papa. The victims are now "survivors" of sexual abuse. Next will come the ribbons and buttons and t-shirts and walks etc.etc.etc.

I do tend to get tired of everyone being a "survivor" of something, accept where due.

The faithful are endowed with a very good set of blinders, even after being abused, rejected and outcast, they will return to be "healed". Such is the way with sheep.

10. Richard Dawkins on The Big Questions

Comment #158167 by croatcat on April 10, 2008 at 6:56 am

For the record and somewhat after the point, my original comment pertained to the christians desire to rewrite history, i.e. the US being founded on christian morals. Saying "the devil made hitler do it" removes the event from reality and plants in the realm of myth, something that should be avoided, IMO. ASMarques somehow construed this as a holocaust denial jump-point.

I in no way endorse this viewpoint. Besides, my very much jewish wife would have me flailed!;-)

11. Richard Dawkins on The Big Questions

Comment #157242 by croatcat on April 8, 2008 at 6:57 pm

I wonder how many decades until the holocaust is complete with a hooved/horned/tailed satan named Hitler...and his minions. Very sad.

I think I smell some belief on my shoe. No, just more bullshit.

I'll add my support for your patience Richard. To reason!

12. Upside-down church sculpture on hit list

Comment #154862 by croatcat on April 3, 2008 at 8:56 pm

theantitheist,

I am with you. It is much more interesting than a lot of the crap I have to look at as a picture framer.

Would be nice to see in person. The sun casting red shadows on the green grass on a clear day. An upside down building lends itself to a good story, especially a church. :~)

13. Anti-gay Okla. lawmaker attracts 1,000 backers

Comment #154467 by croatcat on April 3, 2008 at 10:18 am

al-rawandi,

48 yrs of RC, 35 yrs of a psychological battle. No matter how I tried to justify the teaching with the world at large, never quite fit. So yes, many headached days and nights! The cherry-picking finally became absurd. There is no getting through to person of "faith" that just knows they are right about what their god has told them.

Until religions are relegated to the realm of silly myths, these people will keep popping up like dandelions, spreading their hate and hypocrisy.

I am getting very tired of being told how best to live my life. Seems to be escalating here in the good ol US.

14. My quest to get de-baptised

Comment #152802 by croatcat on March 31, 2008 at 2:56 pm

mmurray:

An annulled marriage is regarded as having never happened.

15. Police: Girl Dies After Parents Pray for Healing Instead of Seeking Medical Help

Comment #151297 by croatcat on March 28, 2008 at 12:45 pm

A local wing-nut I met lost his business and family, after having visions that he was responsible for saving all the children of the world. He is basically a vagrant now, travelling around the country collecting handouts. He also has visions of red dragons on top of the evil churches. Plainly delusional.

He is part of a growing fringe element that have left the organized churches and are forming what are called "city churches" like jesus meant in the first place. A loose-knit of believers meeting where ever they can. They are girding themselves for the last battle against satan. I just hope they don't get a hold of any "nuclear-jesus-bombs"!

Having two girls of my own in the same age range, I could not under any circumstances understand what was going through those parents heads. Religion kills!

16. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #143992 by croatcat on March 14, 2008 at 8:02 pm

ungodlystheist

But let us not attack religious people for not being 'religious' enough

17. Bishop accuses gays of 'conspiracy' against the Catholic Church

Comment #143248 by croatcat on March 13, 2008 at 6:33 pm

mixmastergaz:

I'm just surprised at how unafraid of delibrately 'pushing buttons' and openly revealing his prejudices the Bishop is in these comments.

18. Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty?

Comment #142067 by croatcat on March 11, 2008 at 8:38 pm

Having spent too many years with the RCs, preaching against wealth is code for - we need your money.

As for the rest of the new list - the church needs to remain pliable. As with all successful viruses it must keep adapting to survive.

19. Church exhumes Padre Pio

Comment #138755 by croatcat on March 4, 2008 at 6:56 pm

Won't be long before the good Padre is pieced out to new churches in his honor, dutifully intered in his very own altar.

This link is interesting as a total 180. Guess these folks were too well preserved.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/507193.html

20. Are they running for President or Pastor-in-Chief?

Comment #134471 by croatcat on February 27, 2008 at 8:50 pm

Keeping in mind that this is a popularity contest.

21. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #125574 by croatcat on February 11, 2008 at 3:53 pm

I tend to agree with Goldy:

I will admit there are many things that immigration can bring to a country and a culture. But trying to enforce an alien culture on a country where it is completely at odds with its history beggars my belief. If the culture of your country of residence is totally at odds with your ethics and mores, move back.

22. Exorcism undergoes a revival across Europe

Comment #125556 by croatcat on February 11, 2008 at 3:27 pm

Damn. I knew they would find me.

Internet addicts and yoga devotees are also at risk, he said

23. Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God

Comment #125449 by croatcat on February 11, 2008 at 11:47 am

Shahak refers to a single incident, and even then, not one where the Sabbath would even be desecrated. There is no prohibition in allowing one's phone to be used on the Sabbath, as you no doubt know. The prohibition is using it yourself.

24. Conservative Rabbis to Vote on Resolution Criticizing Pope's Revision of Prayer

Comment #124809 by croatcat on February 10, 2008 at 10:04 am

tieInterceptor,

there are six embassies listed at http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/Vatican/Vatican.html

25. Atheism and Violence

Comment #117853 by croatcat on January 29, 2008 at 8:14 pm

Opishthokont

some (occasionally the same ones) say that atheists claim that humans are "just another animal".

26. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #116776 by croatcat on January 27, 2008 at 11:24 am

Teratornis

I have to wonder, however, how Dr. Miller manages to square the notion of humans having souls with the reality of humans evolving gradually from apes.

27. Ethical storm as scientist becomes first man to clone HIMSELF

Comment #113881 by croatcat on January 20, 2008 at 10:19 pm

I remember asking a fellow catholic "If stem-cell research is allowed, do you really believe all these anti people are going to refuse a treatment founded through said research that could save their life?" His response was that these people will probably forget about the whole debate in 3 or 4 years, and think nothing of stem-cells.

The sheep keep grazing!

28. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #113203 by croatcat on January 18, 2008 at 9:57 pm

Wrong story on my part. How about cancer. Having gone through radiation once, then chemo 6 years later, there is a whole sub-nation (so it seems) of cancer "survivors" ready to tell me how brave I was, how I won the battle. I suppose this is their way of empathizing with me. I never viewed cancer as anything different than a cold, or any other problem that required medical attention. I cannot relate to these warriors against cancer, even though we have been through same or similar treatments.

Is this more to the point? I am trying to understand empathy.

(I am male, married, two children)

29. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #113182 by croatcat on January 18, 2008 at 7:52 pm

Interesting exchange. I have a problem with the word empathy. I can no more know what someone else is thinking/feeling/experiencing in their head, than a rock.(I'm not putting down rocks, just in case they are aware.) Unless one can get into anothers head and experience the thoughts going on, how can I know what they experience.

The most I can do is "imagine", which has to be subjective, given the above mentioned inability.

Several years ago I heard a woman screaming in the neighborhood "You killed him!" over and over. I went outside to see her running around the yard of house across the street. Lying near the street was an elderly gentleman, not from the area. The owner of the house was said to be a low level drug dealer. My first reaction was to call 911, which I did. I have never performed CPR and didn't feel compelled to attempt it. The gentleman died. Heart-attack provoked by what-ever drug he was using. He also turned out to be the womans father.

Could my attempting CPR have saved his life? I don't know. Am I in some way responsible for his death if in fact CPR could have saved him? Again I don't know. Did his death compel me to empathize with the woman? Not in the least.

Does this make me selfish and uncaring? I don't think so. But then some may disagree. I also don't think we have evolved as much as we would like to think from the rest of the animals. We still struggle to survive, even with all of our evolved tools.

Choice. Funny thing about indoctrination, I personally did't know I had a choice not to believe in god. 48 years is long time to learn a lesson. Have to agree with Dennett on the religious education in schools suggestion. A little change at a time.

30. Canadian fossil makes waves in Huckabee's presidential run

Comment #111983 by croatcat on January 16, 2008 at 6:23 am

scooternyc,

I have been wondering lately why man needs to be superior over other animals. Control issues? I think religions exacerbate the tendency as a displacement of a kind. Believing in an authoritarian god might make one want to then compensate by controlling other people, animals, environment, etc., as a way to make themselves feel better. I'm sure it is much more complex than this. I am still trying to work through all this new information of no god.

I personally like to look for the simplest paths to outcomes, which is rarely if ever correct.

31. Why Christopher Hitchens is not Great

Comment #111669 by croatcat on January 15, 2008 at 11:53 am

This kind of article only serves to prove the point that the god businesses are getting scared. Their pocketbooks are under attack. If they had solid arguemnts for god no books would be necessary.

32. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #108362 by croatcat on January 6, 2008 at 2:44 pm

ADH

On suffering. From personal experience (having dealt with cancer twice) I found that suffering was a mind-set enforced by my then strong Catholic beliefs. I decided that the cancer was not personal, i.e. not an attack deliberately prevailed upon me, but rather a defect that required medical treatment. At no time did I look to "god" for assistance. Therefore I felt no need to "suffer" as an act of faith re-enforcement or atonement for some transgression. The experience did not induce any life-changing revelations, unless one considers a realization that this is it, and when I die the world will go on just fine without my presence.


Jim

33. Sam Harris debate with Rabbi David Wolpe

Comment #107804 by croatcat on January 5, 2008 at 11:58 am

As a recent de-converted, I found the reference to scripture as a living document telling. If a book can be interepreted in any way to fit with whatever is current, why continue to use it, if only for justification for ones beliefs/actions. This lends itself to a removal of responsibility for ones life. Just a personal pet-peave of mine.