1. The Neanderthal Debate

Comment #174963 by debbyo on May 4, 2008 at 1:27 am

Did Neanderthals have a soul?

2. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #171890 by debbyo on April 29, 2008 at 1:34 am

clearmind:

bad words belong to the mouth it pops up

I think herein lies a clue. Does anyone recognise this expression?

3. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #168355 by debbyo on April 25, 2008 at 4:41 am

Maybe we should fight fire with fire.

Remnant said:

I don't have enough faith to be an atheist.

Well try harder. Stop hardening your heart to random mutation and natural selection and believe. Open your heart to transitional forms and fossils. Love those one-celled blobs of protoplasm. Without them, you'd be nothing. And don't demean the dinosaur. He died so that mammals could rule. And next time you see a chimp, hug him. He's your cuz. And most of, read the holy book:

It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent on each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. These laws, taken in the largest sense, being Growth with Reproduction; inheritance which is almost implied by reproduction; Variability from the indirect and direct action of the external conditions of life, and from use and disuse; a Ratio of Increase so high as to lead to a Struggle for Life, and as a consequence to Natural Selection, entailing Divergence of Character and the Extinction of less-improved forms. Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.

Charles Darwin "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection"

His revelations shine a light over nature for all to see. Come in from the dark and let it shine on you - one of evolutions most wonderful creations, a very brainy toolmaker who can have philosophical discussions over the internet. Come on over to the bright side. You'll still be special. No other animal thought of evolution or rock 'n' roll. Think about it. No more boring church serves. No more boring Christians. You can drink, masturbate and fornicate with divorcees and Darwin will not punish you.

4. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #167530 by debbyo on April 24, 2008 at 6:25 am

Irate atheist points out:

Try having that metaphorical faith gun pointed at your girlfriend/boyfriends head - by their parents - and having to make a 'choice'. Even worse than having it pointed at your own head, I would contend.

You're right, I hadn't thought of that. Possibly because I didn't raise my children with any faith. I would have thought, though, that if you didn't believe yourself, then you wouldn't feel you were risking your children's (or partner's)eternal life. You would only worry surely if you doubted your atheism (an agnostic atheist?).

Edit. Sorry, for some reason I thought you said "children". It's late and I'm going to bed.

5. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #167523 by debbyo on April 24, 2008 at 6:13 am

It does not prove that the movement of subatomic particles is uncaused. It only describes our inability to predict the speed and location of subatomic particles at any one time. The inability to predict the speed or location of a subatomic particle does not mean that that their movement is uncaused.

Scott Bidstrup's symptoms of the religious mind virus (I haven't read it closely yet) lists "(5) The dissociation of the ideas in the mind of the believer from the reality he sees all around him." Looking at the above quote, you can see how the ideas in this mind and reality are not on first-name terms. And all attempts to encourage a friendship have utterly failed. Reality is his gun to the head. It's telling him that "one day you will die".

6. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #167500 by debbyo on April 24, 2008 at 5:31 am

The Reverend Dark posted:

Debbyo, that is a nice take on the idiocy of freewill and god. I think you missed one point.
While conducting the robbery, the perp not only insists he love you, but demands that you declare your love for him; constantly.

Yes, I was going to add that if he asked me to bow down and kiss his boot, I would choose to do that rather than lose my head. But then I found the whole idea of forced adoration just too repellent to explore. How could you love someone who is threatening to torture you if you don't love him? If it's a bit of short-term fawning for long-term gain, then they should own up. Or will that give the game away and then god will know that they are just pretending to like him to get to heaven. On the other hand, if their love is sincere and they really do love someone who is threatening to torture them, then they are in an abusive relationship and should get out now. The fact that the relationship is an imaginary one should make it easy.

7. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #167472 by debbyo on April 24, 2008 at 4:54 am

Sunny in England. Rainy in Australia. On a long weekend. ANZAC day long weekend. But let's not mention the war.

8. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #167455 by debbyo on April 24, 2008 at 4:20 am

If someone held a gun to my head and said give me all your money or I'll blow your brains out, I would hand over my hard-earned cash - and my car and my house and anything else I could think of. No one would describe my response as a decision based on free will. Without a gun to my head, I don't normally choose to be this generous to anyone, let alone a complete stranger (and not a very nice one).

If, according to the book, god said believe in me or you will fry forever, it's not much of a choice is it? Not the best example of free will in action. If I believed this story was true, call me a lily-livered traitor, I would be in the front pew every Sunday in my best hat. Not because I think He's wonderful, but because He has a gun to my head. I could have integrity and fry - but I like life (or existence) too much to shrug off the possibility of having a fabulous time forever. If that meant a bit of short term fawning for a long term love fest on a tropical island, then call me faithful. In reality I would end up getting pissed and taking the lord's name while fornicating, but it would be nice to have a choice.


Unfortunately what I want has nothing to do with it. What I want doesn't even get the dishwasher emptied, let alone guarantee eternal bliss. Take out the wish fulfillment and the fear of death, and what religionists have is a fantasy that interferes with their ability to think clearly and live life freely. The only life they will probably ever have. I know they want to save us. But lordy, it's hard not to want to save them sometimes. It's tragic.

9. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #166287 by debbyo on April 23, 2008 at 5:06 am

Uh-oh. According to this, birds are in:

The Ark did not need to carry every kind of animal�"nor did God command it. It carried only air-breathing, land-dwelling animals, creeping things, and winged animals such as birds. Aquatic life (fish, whales, etc.) and many amphibious creatures could have survived in sufficient numbers outside the Ark. This cuts down significantly the total number of animals that needed to be on board.

EDIT: oops, forgot the link: same as before: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/really-a-flood-and-ark

10. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #166282 by debbyo on April 23, 2008 at 4:59 am

OMFG. Listen to the creativity of Flood apologists :
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/really-a-flood-and-ark

We also find many dinosaurs that were trapped and fossilized in Flood sediment. Widespread legends of encounters with dragons give
another indication that at least some dinosaurs survived the Flood. The only way this could happen is if they were on the Ark.
Juveniles of even the largest land animals do not present a size problem, and, being young, they have their full breeding life ahead of them. Yet most dinosaurs were not very large at allâ€"some were the size of a chicken (although absolutely no relation to birds, as many evolutionists are now saying). Most scientists agree that the average size of a dinosaur is actually the size of a sheep.
For example, God most likely brought Noah two young adult sauropods (e.g., apatosaurs), rather than two full-grown sauropods. The same goes for elephants, giraffes, and other animals that grow to be very large. However, there was adequate room for most fully grown adult animals anyway.
As far as the number of different types of dinosaurs, it should be recognized that, although there are hundreds of names for different varieties (species) of dinosaurs that have been discovered, there are probably only about 50 actual different kinds.

Dragons, mind you, as proof of dinosaurs. This is priceless

11. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #166266 by debbyo on April 23, 2008 at 4:24 am

Is it true that the unicorns didn't make it? What about the goblins?

Whoah - they must have had to sedate the Pterodactyls.

12. If God Is Dead, Who Gets His House?

Comment #165739 by debbyo on April 22, 2008 at 7:39 am

I don't know about the lazy christian hypothesis, Sharon. As at card-carrying couch potato, I think it was my slothfulness which instigated my skepticism. Flashback. Sunday morning. Warm snuggy bed. Mmmmm. Church bells. Warm snuggy bed. Church bells. There is no god! Ahhhh. Warm snuggy bed.

13. If God Is Dead, Who Gets His House?

Comment #165725 by debbyo on April 22, 2008 at 6:27 am

The assumption behind the humanist church idea is that atheists are missing the social aspect of religion. Well, I don't know about you, but if I wanted to socialize, the very last place on earth I'd think of stepping out to is church.
To paraphrase: Fun: Church
Fish: Harley Davidson

14. Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Comment #165710 by debbyo on April 22, 2008 at 4:57 am

Fundamentalist Church of Stork Preacher: My wife and I never fornicate and we have six healthy stork-fearing children who vowed at birth never to fornicate. Our family has not fornicated for more than ten generations!

crystalmoongazer2: The reason I was reborn is that I didn't bond with my first stork.

Rev Fred Phaggard: It's ridiculous. If fornication caused babies, why aren't I surrounded by little baby rent-boys, huh? Is this mike on?

quantumwizard3: If we could get a stork to carry a baby through a worm hole (and being a bird it is attracted to the worm) back to the virgin Mary we can prove she never had sex!!

poststorkism: "Sex theory" should not be privileged over "Stork theory". A stork flies thus converting birth-that-should-be-grounded into a detachable element traversing all singularity yet celebrating its fruitful emissions. Sex cannot achieve such auto-unification.

15. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #165035 by debbyo on April 21, 2008 at 1:07 am

phasmagigas posted:

oh my god, i must be psychic, did i not predict the following: evo refutation>god>scripture>i'll pray for you

I, for one, was most impressed by this. When you called it, I must admit, I thought you had jinxed it. He won't do it * now* I thought. But it seems your cockiness was warranted. So confident was your prediction that you felt even saying it out loud would not alter its realization. Bravo. I meant to congratulate you earlier. It also illustrates an important point about the predictive quality of reason compared with hope.

16. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164325 by debbyo on April 20, 2008 at 4:30 am

By the way, I wouldn't be bragging about your wife and the public indoctrination centers. Change agents like your wife are just pawns that have been put in the indoctrination centers to destroy children's beliefs and faith. They are as Lenin referred to them "useful idiots" that are just doing a job for their masters. The public indoctrination centers are there to destroy children and God will take care of those that have a part in destroying the faith of children.

I'm not from the US, so I am just curious to know how this system works. Do teachers know they are going to be "useful idiots" when they start their training â€" or do they find out when they start working for the propaganda centres established to destroy children and their faith? It must come as quite a surprise to those attracted to the profession by of their love of children. How are the recalcitrants reprimanded for refusing to be pawns of their "masters"? And who are these masters and why don't they have names or titles? Do they work for the government and must you bow when you greet them? I don't wish to belittle such an interesting system, merely to discover how it operates. For example, I cannot imagine what mechanism you must have in place which ensures such mass obedience in teachers. Especially considering that their actions will land them eternal torture. Epee, does you wife ever invite the "masters" over for dinner? Does she have to obey them on her own time? Is she allowed to discuss her secret government mission with you? How does she cope with the stigma of being a "useful idiot"? Don't mean to be nosy. Just curious.

17. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162156 by debbyo on April 16, 2008 at 8:36 am

As epeeist once wisely told me, "Thinking is hard. That's why we pay other people to do it."

I'm starting to think that religious people should just admit that they are intellectually lazy. There's no shame in it. I admit I am physically lazy. I'd rather pay a gardener out of my measly wages than pull weeds. I'd choose poverty over jogging. I've had physical jobs and it felt like slavery to me. You wouldn't ask me to help you move house or pave your pergola. Because I wouldn't.

When you are an intellectual sloth, checking facts is "work" â€" the equivalent of me doing push-ups. Bored by the details even of their own belief system - on which they are banking their whole life â€" they demonstrate the sort of laziness equivalent to me not getting out of bed all day. Next to them I am a workaholic.

Just like you wouldn't ask me to join the Olympic high-jump team (if they have teams), you wouldn't ask an ID proponent to cure AIDS. You certainly wouldn't leave medical research or any science in the hands of people who are bored by details. Who won't be persuaded by evidence.

Admit it, you religious types. It's easier to accept your myth with its rules than to have to work life out for yourselves - by learning. Which can be hard work. But - Sloth is one of the seven deadly sons.