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Comments by Big City


1. Dawkins on Darwin

Comment #201976 by Big City on June 30, 2008 at 2:02 pm

Paula, will the whole clip be on the DVD?

2. Band T-shirt draws charge

Comment #199273 by Big City on June 25, 2008 at 12:17 pm

Can I wear one that says "Muhammad Was A Pedophile"?

3. Award-winning comedian George Carlin dies

Comment #198141 by Big City on June 23, 2008 at 9:20 am

mordacious1:

What I liked best about George was his way of making a single word funny.
I was just thinking last week about how he had perfect pitch for comedy. He could really show the absurdity of something (like religion, for example) with his inflection alone.

Dammit. Fucking dammit.

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

Comment #197315 by Big City on June 21, 2008 at 5:49 pm

Am I the only one who thinks this is hilarious? The title alone is epic, but

Newsflash for Richard, we're not a British colony anymore.
had me on the floor. I'm pretty sure a 14-year-old wrote this.

5. Lawsuit filed over 'I Believe' plates in S.C.

Comment #196708 by Big City on June 20, 2008 at 11:00 am

When Paula says 'Jump,' we say 'How high?'

...from midair.

6. Lawsuit filed over 'I Believe' plates in S.C.

Comment #196696 by Big City on June 20, 2008 at 10:51 am

Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed the lawsuit on behalf of two Christian pastors, a humanist pastor and a rabbi in South Carolina, along with the Hindu American Foundation.
What the hell is a 'humanist pastor'?


Paula:
Would this be the ONLY licence plate available in S. Carolina, or would it simply be one option among several?
There is a variety. You can pay extra to pick which one you want, and, if the design is sponsored by a private organization, I think they get a cut of that fee as a donation.

7. Teen's death blamed on faith healing

Comment #196623 by Big City on June 20, 2008 at 8:40 am

foolish sea otter:

From my past xtian experiance, I don't think this child was taken to the hospital until it was already too late.
It says that he died at his family's home, and that he had been getting worse the whole week leading up to his death.
So even though he was knocking on death's door, they just brought more people in to pray.

8. From Big Bang to Us - Made Easy

Comment #192605 by Big City on June 13, 2008 at 3:03 pm

Eventhorizon:

I've been waiting for this all my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy52yueBX_s

9. Proving ID is Creationism

Comment #183629 by Big City on May 22, 2008 at 11:45 am

I'm with you there, Lucas. I feel like, when people use it, they're just hoping that someone who hasn't seen it before will congratulate them on how clever they are.

10. Proving ID is Creationism

Comment #182678 by Big City on May 20, 2008 at 8:40 pm

See also:
http://richarddawkins.net/article,1847,Judgement-Day-Intelligent-Design-on-Trial,NOVA-PBS

(I've been a fan of the graph at 2:00 since the first time I saw it.)

11. 16% of US science teachers are creationists

Comment #182631 by Big City on May 20, 2008 at 5:14 pm

My high school's biology/chemistry teacher was the local Baptist preacher. We were pretty much taught that evolution was a view that some scientists had whipped together. In his defense, though, he never said (in class) that there was a creator or anything religious like that. However, in biology class once, he did explain in detail why homosexuality was 'wrong'.

Are they clustered in certain states/regions?
This was in rural Georgia, and I know he would never receive any sort of resistance from the community, even if he treated the classroom like a church.

12. Richard Dawkins Responds to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Comment #181244 by Big City on May 16, 2008 at 6:08 pm

The reason Boteach is getting offended at the Hitler comparison is the same reason he (and most religious people) immediately take offense when someone criticizes their religion. They've been taught, "Here is this thing that you can get pissed about, that you can take to heart, and if anyone gets near it, you get to pitch a fit."

animavisual-

...it's difficult to imagine how Boteach could bring any less credibility upon the stultifying ignorance that he preaches in public discourse.
I think that every time I watch D'Souza; his arguments are discredited by his subscription to them.

13. Richard Dawkins interviewed by John Humphrys on Cardinal Murphy O'Connor

Comment #177628 by Big City on May 9, 2008 at 11:45 am

"But I think this is the first time I have heard any reputable spokesman...say that reason leads to terror and oppression."-Dawk

"Rum-balakasha-oom! In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I cast out the demon of the intellect!"

14. My Response to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Comment #177164 by Big City on May 8, 2008 at 5:13 pm

The letter by Boteach that Richard is responding to is extremely disheartening. It's whiney to a pathetic degree. It's very much like a little kid who gets flustered while pitching a fit and makes absolutely no point other than 'Oh no you didn't!'

15. Museums teach society lacking in science literacy

Comment #173099 by Big City on April 30, 2008 at 10:34 am

rod-the-farmer said:

Now, if there were something similar to display the scale of time since the formation of the earth, and the origin of life, then perhaps the kids and even fundies would start to understand just how much "room" there is/was for evolution to take place.

I'm pretty sure that Prof. Dawkins did just such an experiment on one of the DVDs for sell on this site. I think it was "Break the Science Barrier" but it might have been "Growing Up in the Universe". He goes to a classroom of schoolchildren, and brings posters of specific animals from the human lineage since before reptiles. Then he asks them to separate themselves at distances relative to the spans of time between these animals. Of course, it isn't long before the demonstration can't be carried out anymore, because the children would have to walk to neighboring cities!

16. A Conversation with Expelled's Associate Producer Mark Mathis

Comment #164928 by Big City on April 20, 2008 at 9:09 pm

This is nuts. What a slippery bastard.

OMG listen to part 2

For realsies.

17. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155280 by Big City on April 4, 2008 at 9:47 am

al-rawandi,
You forgot,"Christianity has many benefits.(health, positive thinking, charity)"

I've noted before how quickly Christians are willing to move from one 'proof' to the next, like they didn't put much stock in their previous argument, anyway.

18. Christian Founders 3D Adventure Computer Game

Comment #153018 by Big City on March 31, 2008 at 9:46 pm

How about the Left Behind video game?

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/13144.html

(If there's an ad at the beginning, you can fast-forward through it.)

19. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150175 by Big City on March 26, 2008 at 2:21 pm

Happy Birthday, Professor Dawkins.

Hang on for the Singularity!

20. God's cure for gays lost in sin

Comment #146661 by Big City on March 19, 2008 at 9:06 am

Divine Protocol


WTF?
Braaaaziiiiil

21. In Britain, creationist theory is evolving

Comment #145225 by Big City on March 17, 2008 at 11:37 am

Guys. Guys. Have you seen this?
Oh my God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNTGmoTb8sw

22. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #143906 by Big City on March 14, 2008 at 3:33 pm

I'm with forksmuggler, I didn't predict his personality at all.

Christians are their own worst enemies. They make complete fools of themselves at every opportunity.
A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew.

23. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #143806 by Big City on March 14, 2008 at 12:44 pm

That's just a four and a half minute clip. It shows Hitchens working Hedges, though.
I think the whole speech has been taken off the internet. I could only find that clip and a highlight reel(both of them on zombietime).

24. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #143784 by Big City on March 14, 2008 at 12:11 pm

http://www.zombietime.com/hitchens-hedges_debate/
Hitchens v. Hedges


Like I said, it's been taken down.

25. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #143778 by Big City on March 14, 2008 at 12:00 pm

Does anyone know where we can get the whole Hitchens vs. Hedges debate?
As I'm sure you've noticed, it's been removed from YouTube and zombietime.

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

Comment #143096 by Big City on March 13, 2008 at 12:46 pm

"These groups are defending their position, I am defending mine"

So somehow this makes them equally moral?

27. Crossing the Divide

Comment #140322 by Big City on March 7, 2008 at 6:18 am

Podaar, did you just change your avatar? I could swear it was different on the first page a second ago. Weird.

And, hey, I was adopted! Big ups!

28. Hebrew University researcher: Moses was tripping at Mount Sinai

Comment #139950 by Big City on March 6, 2008 at 7:36 pm

Wrought sez:

...so most of the population was on acid for a month or two.

I think I've heard about that. Ergot, wasn't it? I read that it was a common occurrence for people to go dancing and spinning in the street.

29. Hebrew University researcher: Moses was tripping at Mount Sinai

Comment #138851 by Big City on March 4, 2008 at 10:23 pm

Lucas said:

Let me tell you, such an experience changes you. Unfortunately, most people react stupidly and take their experience to be some sort of evidence of some mystical reality...
Fact. If you do salvia, you will immediately believe in some sort of transcendent Gaia bullshit. Our brains aren't meant to think like that.
Go to Youtube and search for 'salvia' to see what it does.
But don't do salvia. Seriously. Do mushrooms or acid or something.

This also reminds me of Julian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.

30. Moral thinking

Comment #131655 by Big City on February 22, 2008 at 11:52 pm

I turn my back for one minute and you atheist nerds start talking about Star Trek. Heathens.

PS: TNG. End of story. TNG.

31. Fleabytes

Comment #130566 by Big City on February 20, 2008 at 10:09 pm

A magnum opus, Paula.

Excellent writing with no bullshit posturing.
A perfect antithesis to Christian literature, and a welcome addition to the arsenal.

32. Bill Moyers Interviews Susan Jacoby

Comment #129011 by Big City on February 18, 2008 at 1:40 pm

BicycleRepairMan,
I'm glad you beat me to that. An informed public is essential to the democratic process.

kintaro_crab,
Language is extremely important in politics. Especially when 24 hour news channels repeat sound-bites over and over again. People go with their gut reaction. Politicians use language to trick people who don't think about it too closely.
http://richarddawkins.net/article,2115,The-Mind-of-the-Market,Michael-Shermer

Also, before going on a rant about how smart the internet makes people, maybe you should proofread your comment for spelling and punctuation. Look up "run-on sentence" on Wikipedia.

33. Machines 'to match man by 2029'

Comment #128549 by Big City on February 17, 2008 at 11:11 am

Quetz,
Extrapolation of current and recent trends.

34. Council pays psychic for exorcism

Comment #126488 by Big City on February 13, 2008 at 11:02 am

Is it illegal to advertise yourself as a exorcist in the phone book, then go to these people's houses and tell them there's no such things as ghosts?

35. Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God

Comment #125308 by Big City on February 11, 2008 at 8:11 am

Hitchens says that life can't survive on most parts of our planet, but haven't scientists found extremophiles in very hot and very cold parts of Earth? Isn't this why there is reason to think life may exist on planets that are very different from our own?

Rabbi Boteach says evodevo scientists never think mutation leads to advancement. Childish. Not only does it do so often, it brings with it a propensity to mutation. So not only do we accumulate beneficial traits, the method itself is passed down. Mutations occur at a beneficial rate.

Boteach reminds me of Screech.

36. Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God

Comment #125277 by Big City on February 11, 2008 at 7:12 am

Quetzalcoatl gets a shout-out at 7:36.

37. Why Darwin matters

Comment #124149 by Big City on February 8, 2008 at 1:37 pm

I hate to agree with Styrer[notable edit], but in this case I do agree that it is best to address the issue. This is why we look to humanism for morality and not to an observation about nature.

38. Richard Dawkins on The Big Debate

Comment #117925 by Big City on January 30, 2008 at 1:55 am

On what the Bishop said at the very beginning:
"The Church of England has a rich history in that it essentially initiated organized religion."(paraphrased)
1)What does this have to do with modern schools? That argument implies America should still have slavery.
2)How does this apply to other faith schools? Should there only be Anglican religious schools?

On what the Catholic teacher, Louistas Nyuyse, said about school prayer:
"It helps other kids learn about Catholics and the Catholic kids grow in their faith."(paraphrased, again)
How is this not biased?

Also, I've never seen a Muslim defend Islam and not seem like a fanatic.

39. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #116593 by Big City on January 26, 2008 at 7:18 pm

Also, it's very telling that as soon as an "excellent proof" for God's existence gets shot down, they move straight to Plan B, completely unfazed. It really shows how much stock they put in their own arguments.

40. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #116592 by Big City on January 26, 2008 at 7:16 pm

That was pathetic. People need to learn the difference between what they think and what they know.

"I know the fossils aren't there, because I've never seen them!"

It's so damn frustrating.

41. The devilish church practice of exorcism

Comment #114254 by Big City on January 21, 2008 at 4:26 pm

babrock,
I'm pretty sure you can delete those 4 inadvertent posts.

42. Vatican slams California firm's cloning experiments

Comment #114252 by Big City on January 21, 2008 at 4:11 pm

cowalker said:

Just to be safe they could squeeze off a drop of sterile water into each petri dish and say "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Bingo.

Mark my words: In ten years, this will be standard practice.

43. King Me!

Comment #113523 by Big City on January 19, 2008 at 10:35 pm

Atheists are arrogant in thinking that the rules of chess are meant to be understood. Chess has its reasons.

44. The Group Delusion

Comment #110660 by Big City on January 11, 2008 at 8:48 pm

Damn, Janus beat me to it.
Still:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUkpR2Q6Oy8

45. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #110113 by Big City on January 10, 2008 at 1:53 pm

Blake,
I, too, fail to understand how any sort of transfer of consciousness could be achieved through transfer of information. Honestly, though, I do believe what he says about the future of technology, in large part because I see the exponential rate of growth in that area to be mindblowing, even in my short lifetime. I do believe that nanotechnology will have the extreme affect that he says. Like I said, I question it, too, but I think this is largely a result of how unbelievable it seems now, not how impossible the task really is.

46. Richard Dawkins on The Late Edition with Marcus Brigstocke

Comment #110044 by Big City on January 10, 2008 at 11:24 am

Tyler,
Luke, Chapter 9, Verses 59-62:
[59] He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
[60] Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
[61] Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family."
[62] Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

47. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #110035 by Big City on January 10, 2008 at 11:07 am

studiorat,
Stephen Hawking released a children's book recently that's been getting a little flack for being godless.

48. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #109829 by Big City on January 9, 2008 at 9:30 pm

Amnis,
Transhumanism is the idea that humans have evolved to the point that we now have a means (technology) to supersede evolution. In other words, survival of the fittest and natural selection took a relatively long time, but got us to such an advanced level that we can take advancement into our own hands.

This fact, and its implications, means that we are becoming a level of human that is hardly comparable with, say, medieval man. We are already modifying ourselves in ways that they would think is magic. Soon we will merge with technology, and eventually, the boundary between us and computers will blur. Technology is making us posthuman. If you are looking for beginning information, I would search wikipedia for transhumanism or posthuman and follow the links and search for articles about the major players.

A great set of books on the topic, for any level of reader/interest, are Ray Kurzweil's "The Age of Spiritual Machines" and "The Singularity is Near". They are two of the most interesting books I have read. They should give you a very good grasp of the topic.

I honestly cannot recommend these books enough.

49. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #109773 by Big City on January 9, 2008 at 4:44 pm

OsakaGuy,
Thanks a lot for that reference and link! Very helpful.

Everyone else,
The link to John Allen Paulos's Beyond Belief 07 speech that OsakaGuy posted earlier deals directly with the book. He reads excerpts from it and describes how people's misconceptions about math and probabilty affect the way they think about logic. It's very interesting. Reminds me of the Penn & Teller Bullshit episode "Numbers".

Now I understand how his profession is relevant to the topic.
But I still say most Christians see being smart as a flaw.

50. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #109732 by Big City on January 9, 2008 at 3:08 pm

Stone,
That's hilarious, I have had that exact thought on the "admitted schmo" book, unfortunately, I still have to pay student loans in the meantime!

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