1. Common New Atheist Fallacies

Comment #200527 by DavidJGrossman on June 27, 2008 at 7:52 pm

Same videos with comments enabled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDNcgj6ndcU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBFjTWyVrCQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNbW4PBYVk4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb0TeSVlwGA

- Dave

2. Saudi Marriage Officiant : 'It Is Allowed To Marry A Girl At The Age Of One'.

Comment #198698 by DavidJGrossman on June 24, 2008 at 11:23 am

Why exactly should we be tolerant of this crap? Religious approval of child rape deserves exactly what it gets; ridicule and condemnation.

3. Intelligent people 'less likely to believe in God'

Comment #192266 by DavidJGrossman on June 12, 2008 at 3:50 pm

"People with higher IQs are less likely to believe in God, according to a new study, old studies and common sense."

Fixed it for them.

- Dave

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

Comment #190606 by DavidJGrossman on June 9, 2008 at 9:35 am

"Yomin Postelnik is the President of IRPW, a company that offers business plans, funding advice and facilitation, SBA loan applications, SWOT analyses, bold and effective marketing strategies, general business development and grant writing and research for non-profits and certain qualified businesses"

Well, that explains it. Why do people publish such obvious nonsense?

- Dave

5. Top 6 Incestuous Relationships In The Bible

Comment #185252 by DavidJGrossman on May 27, 2008 at 9:10 am

Great! Just what we need; *more* inbreeding in the Bible Belt.

- Dave

6. Six 'uniquely' human traits now found in animals

Comment #184109 by DavidJGrossman on May 23, 2008 at 4:08 pm

One of my cats is very sneaky and plots to escape when I open the patio door to feed the cats outside. He'll walk casually when I'm looking at him but as soon as I take my eyes off him, he sneaks around the TV entertainment center and waits for the door to open and makes a calculated run for it.

He's been outside a lot in the past but too much trouble with parasites and injuries led me to keep him inside.

Many people like to think of how different humans are from animals but there are many more similarities. Who can honestly say that they find more differences between humans and monkeys than they do similarities?

Let's face it, intelligence is not a good separator between humans and monkeys since there are some monkeys that are more intelligent than some humans. (e.g. Ben Stein) And, better looking! (e.g. Ben Stein)

- Dave

7. Face to faith

Comment #181587 by DavidJGrossman on May 17, 2008 at 3:16 pm

"This is very welcoming. However, humanism, as a secular western moral outlook, derives from 2000 years of Christianity."

Really? Can you explain why you think this is true?

Perhaps some moral guidelines that are part of Christianity are also part of humanism but just there's no reason to think that humanists would not have derived the same moral guidelines on their own. Additionally, there is no reason to think that these ideas came from Christianity since many moral guidelines are shared by many religions.

- Dave

8. Rover instrument to sniff out life on Mars

Comment #175719 by DavidJGrossman on May 5, 2008 at 11:45 pm

Great! Maybe they'll come up with an instrument for sniffing out life on Uranus.

(obligatory?)

- Dave

9. Was the new finger a 'natural' miracle?

Comment #174402 by DavidJGrossman on May 2, 2008 at 11:34 am

Human fingertip regeneration is nothing new (google it). Salamanders can regenerate entire limbs.

10. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #172186 by DavidJGrossman on April 29, 2008 at 10:18 am

"how, after all, could the executions of religious figures not follow logically from the promotion of atheism?"

Wait, what?!?! Is this guy kidding?

So, he interviews Dawkins and then just posts his own thoughts about the interview rather than the interview itself? WTF?!?!?

11. Science leads to killing people

Comment #170686 by DavidJGrossman on April 27, 2008 at 10:14 pm

I still suspect that Ben Stein is suffering from some kind of mental illness. Or, perhaps he had a stroke. A frontal lobotomy wouldn't be out of the question.

Ben, you're a sick sick man.

12. Interview with Dan Dennett

Comment #168158 by DavidJGrossman on April 24, 2008 at 4:08 pm

""A man who has had to "forgive" his friends for praying for him during a life-threatening heart illness..."

That's a little extreme, eh?"

Not really. What if they were praying to the wrong god?

- Dave

13. Evolution: 24 myths and misconceptions

Comment #163084 by DavidJGrossman on April 18, 2008 at 1:18 am

"It is not an ideology. Take your homophobia to some other board. It is not welcome here."

You are obviously unaware of the homosexual agenda:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28970

- Dave

14. 'Expelled' ripped off Harvard's 'Inner Life of the Cell' animation

Comment #158992 by DavidJGrossman on April 11, 2008 at 10:00 am

Before it gets deleted:
http://www.uncommondescent.com/legal/expelled-plagiarizing-harvard/#comment-229619

"William Dembski
04/10/2008
3:37 pm

I've gotten to know the producers quite well. As far as I can tell, they made sure to budget for lawsuits. Also, I know for a fact that they have one of the best intellectual property attorneys in the business. I expect that the producers made their video close enough to the Harvard video to get tongues awagging (Headline: "Harvard University Seeks Injunction Against Ben Stein and EXPELLED" â€" you think that might generate interest in the movie?), but different enough so that they are unexposed.

It was a nice touch on the producer's part to use the same music as the XVIVO video. Presumably they got permission from the artist â€" or is that another possible oversight to explore? But then again, one of the producers was for years in the music business. So most likely they're covered here as well.

BOTTOM LINE: Before you think the producers of EXPELLED are idiots, you might think that they are chess players who have seen several moves ahead. For instance, have you ever thought who stood to gain the most from the Machine Video featured at UD a week ago? . . ."

15. Expelled producers accused of copyright infringement

Comment #158737 by DavidJGrossman on April 11, 2008 at 1:48 am

TED video with Inner Life animator David Bolinsky:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id2rZS59xSE

- Dave

16. Expelled producers accused of copyright infringement

Comment #158693 by DavidJGrossman on April 11, 2008 at 12:52 am

It sure is a heavy burden being right all the time. :)

http://blog.coincidencetheories.com/?p=187

- Dave

17. Expelled producers accused of copyright infringement

Comment #158529 by DavidJGrossman on April 10, 2008 at 5:04 pm

As much as I think that the producers of this movie are douchebags, I don't think that they should be forced to remove those segments. If they were forced to delay the movie to remove the segments, they would only use the publicity to show how Big Science is trying to keep them from showing the movie.

Let them have their copied footage. Then, point out how they stole it and point people to the original video. Let this work in our favor, not theirs.

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

Comment #154446 by DavidJGrossman on April 3, 2008 at 9:27 am

Contact info at:
http://www.okhouse.gov/committees/member.aspx?memberid=87

Twisted people like this have no business in our government.

19. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142369 by DavidJGrossman on March 12, 2008 at 12:02 pm

Step 1: Create controversial ad
Step 2: Wait for cries of persecution from xians
Step 3: Free publicity!

Can you say "Barbara Streisand Effect"? I knew you could.

- Dave

20. King Me!

Comment #113398 by DavidJGrossman on January 19, 2008 at 1:48 pm

That looks like a legal move. Yellow shirt guy jumped three of green shirt guy's checkers in one move (legal) and ended up in his home row where he could legitimately ask to be "kinged".

Just saying ...

- Dave

21. The Pagan Christ

Comment #101979 by DavidJGrossman on December 21, 2007 at 10:38 am

Pffft. This doesn't mean anything. The Egyptians simply copied Christianity. Christianity predates everything. Just ask Sherri Shepherd!

- Dave

22. Mitt Romney's Faith In America address (as prepared for delivery)

Comment #95237 by DavidJGrossman on December 7, 2007 at 4:38 pm

How does a lunatic of that level get this far in a presidential campaign? There should be rules to weed out nutjobs like this before they ever get to run.

- Dave

23. Evolution and Texas

Comment #94009 by DavidJGrossman on December 4, 2007 at 3:19 pm

And from Florida:
http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2007/12/boe-member-i-wa.html

WTF?

- Dave

24. Interview with Christopher Hitchens

Comment #50462 by DavidJGrossman on June 18, 2007 at 9:53 am

Dumb All Over video by a popular "YouTube Atheist" (feh, I hate that term)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RodRD4-sQ2s

- Dave

25. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Robert Winston

Comment #45605 by DavidJGrossman on May 28, 2007 at 12:54 pm

"Why don't you use winamp for mp3 files?"

When I first posted my response, there was no MP3 file, only a RealAudio link. Thankfully an MP3 file was posted shortly thereafter. I do use Winamp for MP3s

- Dave

26. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Robert Winston

Comment #45595 by DavidJGrossman on May 28, 2007 at 11:46 am

Yeah, an MP3 of this would be great. I refuse to infect my computer with any software from RealNetworks. Google RealPlayer and adware and you'll understand.

(haha, in the time it took me to write this, someone posted an MP3. Awesome!)

27. Importing a slave class

Comment #44852 by DavidJGrossman on May 25, 2007 at 11:57 am

Aren't her 15 minutes up yet?!?!

28. Hitchens on Falwell, Part 2

Comment #43710 by DavidJGrossman on May 22, 2007 at 10:43 am

"59. Comment #43658 by doodinthemood on May 22, 2007 at 7:47 am
When did calling someone an intellectual become an insult?"

Probably around the same time that "environmentalist" became an insult. Apparently, being a dumbass and crapping on the environment are virtues in our society. At least, if you want to make it in politics.

- Dave

29. Hitchens on Falwell, Part 2

Comment #43517 by DavidJGrossman on May 21, 2007 at 9:55 pm

"If you gave Falwell an enema, he could be buried in a matchbox." - Hitchens

Haha, priceless! I wonder if he was saving that one or came up with it on the spot.

- Dave

30. Hitchens on Falwell, Part 2

Comment #43516 by DavidJGrossman on May 21, 2007 at 9:50 pm

Ooooh, Falwell gave away scholarships to Liberty University. That's a good thing? That's like commending Paris Hilton for giving away STDs.

- Dave

31. Television evangelist Falwell dies at 73

Comment #41279 by DavidJGrossman on May 15, 2007 at 7:02 pm

Goodbye Jerry Fallwell. We're all better off having lost you.

32. A debate on people who profess no religion

Comment #33381 by DavidJGrossman on April 20, 2007 at 1:26 am

"When the catholic church can match the money these "atheists" have stumped up, then we can talk again."

I'm sure that if they didn't have to spend all that money on child molestation lawsuit settlements, they'd be using it for philanthropic purposes.

- Dave

33. Growing Up in the Universe: 2-Disc DVD Set

Comment #31661 by DavidJGrossman on April 13, 2007 at 5:31 pm

"YouTube has this entire DVD, it is called "Waking Up In the Universe", so we should get them to take it down or something. It can't be legal."

The version on YouTube is not from the DVD but from someone's VHS copy. There are two complete versions up there, as far as I know. There's one where each lecture is split into 6 to 8 parts and there's another one which has each lecture in one video. The quality of the complete lecture version is pretty bad. The one that is in parts is okay but not terrific.

These videos are linked at my Dawkins site:
http://www.unpronounceable.com/dawkins/
where I've also included a prominant link to the purchase site. I think I'll change that link to point here though.

I'm sure that those who are interested are aware of the existence of these videos and would request that they be removed if they wanted them removed. (my site gets a lot of traffic and is linked at at richarddawkinst.net) It seems to me that having them there is a good thing and will help promote Richard Dawkins more than not having them there. The end result hopefully being that even more people buy the DVD.

Note that the first lecture is called "Waking up in the universe" which may have caused some confusion here.

- Dave

34. Hey Mom, I'm an Atheist

Comment #31065 by DavidJGrossman on April 10, 2007 at 9:01 pm

So, wait a minute here. Christmas is a Christian holiday? Since when? I thought it was about Santa Claus and presents and, you know, "Peace on Earth, good will toward men." None of these things have anything to do with Christianity.

I guess I should have figured it out, Christ-mas ... Christ-ian. Next thing you guys are going to tell me is that Easter is a Christian holiday too.

- Dave

35. The God Debate

Comment #29067 by DavidJGrossman on April 1, 2007 at 1:19 pm

"WARREN: ... If death is the end, shoot, I'm not going to waste another minute being altruistic."

A person who is only good because of fear of punishment or in favor of reward is not a good person. Someone who is good because they feel it in there heart is far superior, morally, than some religious nutjob who only is good because of their religious aspirations and fears

- Dave

36. Is this another Sokal Hoax?

Comment #28954 by DavidJGrossman on March 31, 2007 at 10:57 pm

My vote is that this is a computer generated text similar to the ones created and submitted to scientific journals in the past (and occasionally accepted).

Or, it could be a hoax article. Or, the author could be a raving lunatic. Or, the author is a genius and I am just too dense to understand it (and/or too lazy to put enough effort into trying to understand it).

- Dave

37. God and His Gays

Comment #27604 by DavidJGrossman on March 25, 2007 at 3:10 pm

DavidJMH, you're sick fuck.

38. Top Scientists Warn of Water Shortages and Disease Linked to Global Warming

Comment #25355 by DavidJGrossman on March 12, 2007 at 1:17 pm

"I am fed up with hearing about environmental issues without anyone raising the obvious elephant in the room issue and that is overpopulation."

Don't worry. I'm sure that the effects of climate change will take care of the overpopulation issue. Problem solved!

- Dave

39. Atheists come in last

Comment #22890 by DavidJGrossman on February 23, 2007 at 9:10 pm

I think the main problem here is that most people are just plain stupid. Just think about how stupid the average person is. By definition, half the population is stupider than that!

- Dave

40. Richard Dawkins interview with Paula Zahn

Comment #22069 by DavidJGrossman on February 12, 2007 at 9:38 pm

The panel discussion was pretty weak, as I figured. If Richard was part of it, and was able to actually get a word in, he would have trounced that Christian guy. What a douchebag he was; "atheists are hypocrites" ... he obviously couldn't wait to get that out.

The interview with Richard was okay but nothing spectacular (because it was edited down). The BBC book review interview was much better. I think that if they showed the entire interview, it would have been much better. They should have at least acknowledged that they cut his interview down by 80%.

- Dave

41. Panel discussion on atheism where no atheists are included

Comment #21191 by DavidJGrossman on February 8, 2007 at 12:57 am

Here's a good article I found on that show with lots of relevant links (especially at the bottom of the page)

http://atheism.about.com/b/a/258728.htm

- Dave

42. Taking the fight to Islam

Comment #20591 by DavidJGrossman on February 4, 2007 at 4:22 pm

"Also - what's wrong with Islamophobia? Islam seems, to me, to be a religion worth being quite very phobic about."

You betcha. I generally steer clear of saying anything against Islam out of fear for my life. I have a lot of respect for people who will risk their safety to criticize the "Religion of Peace". They have more guts than I do.

- Dave

43. CNN Sylvia Browne Fraud

Comment #19607 by DavidJGrossman on January 28, 2007 at 10:04 pm

Larry King is such a shill. He'll have any nutjob on there and treat them like they shit gold.

He did a show in two parts once with a bunch of the knumbskulls from What the Bleep Do We Know? and The Secret. It was nothing more than an infomercial for the Law of Attraction.

Larry King has no business being on CNN at this point. Montel Williams ... I don't know where to start with that douchebag.

44. Lynchburg, VA Photos : Batch 2

Comment #19359 by DavidJGrossman on January 26, 2007 at 1:27 pm

"It is a warehouse. Inside is an assembly line producing mindless morons"

I disagree. They're not mindless.

- Dave

45. Sam Harris's Faith in Eastern Spirituality and Muslim Torture

Comment #16443 by DavidJGrossman on January 6, 2007 at 3:39 pm

I'm not quite as concerned about Sam's opinions about the use of torture. At least those ideas are grounded in reality, for good or for bad.

My concern is his tacet approval of the ideas of reincarnation and ESP. (note: I haven't completely read that article but I heard him address reincarnation and ESP in a Beyond Belief lecture) I thought these things were thoroughly debunked by now.

This makes it much harder for me to recommend that people watch his lectures and read his book. One of the lectures I saw ended with a whole section on meditation which I felt diluted the impact of the first part of the lecture.

I respect his views on meditation. I see nothing metaphysical or paranormal about meditation. The problem was, the first part of the lecture was easily understandable by everyone. As soon as he got to the meditation part, I was like 'huh?'. I was struggling to keep up with what he was saying and much of what he said in the first part was forgotten while I tried to understand the meditation thing.

I really hope that Sam does some more research into these paranormal topics and comes to the same conclusion that I'm sure that most scientists come to; they are bogus and unsubstantiated.

I have seen footage of people who claim that their children were reincarnated. They are quite similar in character to the claims of stigmata I've seen from other people. They seem to be fabricated for the purpose of publicity and/or financial gain.

- Dave

46. Secular fundamentalists are the new totalitarians

Comment #16371 by DavidJGrossman on January 6, 2007 at 10:05 am

"No thinking person, religionist or atheist, could take the rant of Tobias Jones seriously.

However, one may seriously wonder why the Guardian would print such rant."

That's easy. They're atheists! An article like that is sure to help the atheist position by helping to expose the religious fundies as the nutjobs they are.

- Dave

47. Without God, Gall Is Permitted

Comment #16255 by DavidJGrossman on January 5, 2007 at 6:12 pm

Whenever I see articles like this, it strengthens my resolve to fight against these nitwits.

- Dave

48. Executing Saddam Hussein was an Act of Vandalism

Comment #15929 by DavidJGrossman on January 3, 2007 at 10:06 pm

I also think that executing Saddam was a mistake.

I think a more fitting punishment would be to keep him in jail and play South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut continuously for the rest of his life.

When George Bush goes to jail for his crimes against humanity (one can hope), they should play the Daily Show with Jon Stewart continuously. :D

- Dave

49. The problem with secularism

Comment #14650 by DavidJGrossman on December 23, 2006 at 11:32 pm

This feels like the same old, "if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull$h!t".

I think that religion, like an animal, may be most dangerous when it is wounded.

I fear for the future of humanity in the face of such widespread ignorance.

- Dave

50. The Komodo Dragon's Tale

Comment #14638 by DavidJGrossman on December 23, 2006 at 10:07 pm

I think you are overlooking the obvious answer. That komodo dragon is the son of God. Our messiah. All hail the scaled one, our Lord!

- Dave