1. Richard Dawkins on Doctor Who

Comment #201859 by jonwes on June 30, 2008 at 10:40 am

I thought the cameo was great. I thought RD seemed just like himself and it didn't seem like "bad" acting at all.

And for anyone who thinks Doctor Who is about bad acting or cheesy scripts they haven't watched the new series. It can be silly at times but that's just part of the overall tone, which can be deadly serious at times too.

In any case, it's all good fun.

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

Comment #167306 by jonwes on April 23, 2008 at 9:39 pm

Why is everyone still engaging this truthID person? Is anything useful coming out of this? No! It's not a discussion, just a series of inane questions he poses over and over. Can we just ignore him and move onto something worthwhile?

3. Investigating Atheism

Comment #166826 by jonwes on April 23, 2008 at 12:50 pm

Hmmm... I think they mistake accessibility for oversimplification. I found The God Delusion extremely accessible and though it better for it. I've not read any of the other books (though I plan too- I'm new to this!) but in the case of The God Delusion, Dawkins clearly hopes that the reader will investigate further and in fact explicitly encourages the reader to read the texts he is quoting on occasion.

Are there all kinds of interesting debates to be had about the points raised? Sure! But I think the best thing is that the books are RAISING the questions to begin with.

Also, can I raise an annoyance with people trying to place things in a historical context when they are currently going on all around us? It reminds me of when people tried to put 9/11 in historical context on 9/12! What exactly is the point of that endeavor, other than to try to cement their version of events into the history books before they are written?

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

Comment #165445 by jonwes on April 21, 2008 at 1:32 pm

TruthID:
Why should anyone on this site be forced or obliged to explain something to you? If you don't feel like reading or seeking out the MOUNTAINS of information available to you then frankly that's your own fault.

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

Comment #165020 by jonwes on April 20, 2008 at 11:48 pm

One thing I'd like to say in addition is that I don't think we should feel bad or fearful about the popularity of this within religious circles. This was a movie custom-made for them and marketed to them. The fact that it made as much as it did (3.1 million last I saw) is interesting. It's a respectable amount for an indie film of it's budget, but not all that great considering how many theaters it opened in. Regardless, think about how many self-identified Christians there are, and you'll see this is a very small percentage of the audience whoâ€"on the face of itâ€"should be interested in this movie.

The fact of the matter is that the large majority of the mainstream press is rejecting this movie (Rottentomatoes.com gives it a 9% out of 100% as I write this.) The film hasn't broken through to mainstream audiences and it likely won't. I'd be surprised if it makes half of what it did on the opening weekend, after the promise of Ben Stein bobbleheads and other lures for the faithful have worn off.

I think it feels like a bigger deal to people who visit sites like this or religious sites than it really is because we're the ones who care! Will it be shown widely in religious circles? Sure. Who cares. They've got hundreds of other videos that make zero impact on the public at large to go along with them.

If anything I think the general audiences will read the negative reviews, who treat Intelligent Design largely with ridicule or label the movie as misguided propaganda and actually the exact opposite effect of what the makers of Expelled wished for.

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

Comment #164997 by jonwes on April 20, 2008 at 11:17 pm

theonlything2fear,
Do you wish to represent your "side"?

You are berating, tactless, classless with nothing to back up your words as well as not having even a modicum of respect for your fellow human beings. If you're expecting an emotional response other than amusement from myself then I think you missed the mark. But keep up the good work, as people like you can only help people realize there is no positive correlation between religiosity and virtuousness.

Life is far too short for any further response to you other than robust laughter.

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

Comment #164915 by jonwes on April 20, 2008 at 8:53 pm

Beautiful!

I'm fairly new to all this. I just recently read The God Delusion, and it has me so excited. Just as this letter has me excited. I think it's sad that it's needed in the first place, but it gives me hope. Hope that maybe, even if it's individual by individual, reason might just win the day.

If nothing else, maybe Expelled can be a positive tool in the long run. It's preaching to the choir, and while the choir have shown up and decided to sing along to the same old song I think for those who are skeptical or wary of their own faith it will be a stark example of just how weak an argument ID/Creationism has to make.

Expelled, Ben Stein and its producers are cynical to the extreme - counting on their audience being too stupid to ask questions or spot their lame manipulations. I think that's TRUE elitism. But you, Professor Dawkins, and all the wonderful people I've encountered on this site believe that people are too smart for that.

I want to believe that too, and I think the proof is becoming more apparent every day. That fills me with so much hope and encouragement.

Thank you.