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Comments by Quetzalcoatl


1. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179684 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:58 pm

Shaden-

the idea that there's not enough space for storing nuclear waste is a common one, but I don't think there's much to support it.

Rian-

I saw through your childish ploy. :)

2. The Neural Buddhists

Comment #179682 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:56 pm

Vergil-

he's only saying that because the jabberwock told him to. He's a mouthpiece for that strange creature, and nothing more.

3. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179672 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:49 pm

riandouglas-

with all the weird quantum powers Jesus has (according to Tipler), we should probably catch him, keep him comatose and hook some cables up to him to power the world.

4. The Neural Buddhists

Comment #179668 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:44 pm

Frankus-

that's my point. I take issue with the idea that the mind "transcends itself". It doesn't- like you say, the answer is in the brain. And since mind and brain are essentially the same.....

5. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179660 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:35 pm

Reseach is going on around building fusion plants, as opposed to nuclear fission. If we can crack that technology, it's probably the way to go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_reactor

6. The Neural Buddhists

Comment #179654 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:26 pm

The mind seems to have the ability to transcend itself and merge with a larger presence that feels more real.


Oh does it really?

First, the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships. Second, underneath the patina of different religions, people around the world have common moral intuitions. Third, people are equipped to experience the sacred, to have moments of elevated experience when they transcend boundaries and overflow with love. Fourth, God can best be conceived as the nature one experiences at those moments, the unknowable total of all there is.


This is all very New-Agey and ambiguous.

7. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #179651 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Al-Rawandi-

I think many people here already are crazy.


Wibble.

8. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #179634 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 12:58 pm

MaxD-

you can borrow this one:

(:>) The Bird

9. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #179619 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Colwyn-

they're called Minicons, appropriately enough.

10. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #179615 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 12:40 pm

Colwyn-

it doesn't sound like an impressive Transformer.

11. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #179592 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 12:18 pm

I'm disappointed to learn that the "ironman" does not involve flying metal suits.

12. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #179573 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 12:08 pm

How long is an Ironman? Longer than a marathon?

13. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #179446 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 8:57 am

Irate-

Steve's blog can be found here: http://zarbi.livejournal.com/

14. God seekers go public

Comment #179409 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 8:13 am

Konquererz-

I agree. It's hard to imagine what experiments you could do to confirm that something is irreducibly complex, and therefore designed.

Annabanana-

I'll keep my fingers crossed. ;)

15. God seekers go public

Comment #179398 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 7:58 am

Annabanana-

you mean you're not already on drugs? Huh. You learn something new every day.

16. God seekers go public

Comment #179390 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 7:45 am

Philip-

I'm afraid you have been channeling Satan. You forgot what we were taught in school- "Kids! Say no to Satan!"

Or something like that, anyway.

17. God seekers go public

Comment #179386 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 7:33 am

Philip-

technically Dembski and Behe WOULD qualify as peers.

And what Ice Age? Everyone knows the evidence for Ice Ages is a lie created by Satan to make us believe that the world is older than 6,000. Open your eyes, man!

18. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179259 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:31 am

Brian-

Do you mean Clover as in the plant, or the brand of butter? I'm not sure which is more disturbing.....

19. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #179248 by Quetzalcoatl on May 13, 2008 at 1:10 am

txpiper-

Selection is not a discriminating process or a mysterious, complicated force. It is not a partner with mutations. It is organisms dying in an environment that they cannot survive in. That's it. All the rest of it is hype.


This is total nonsense. You have morphed selection into fairy godmother.


Is it more nonsensical than the notion of the Anti-Christ?

You're reverting to argument from incredulity, which really doesn't accomplish anything around here. Have you looked at ANY of the papers that Calilasseia went to all that trouble to list for you? I doubt it.

20. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #178917 by Quetzalcoatl on May 12, 2008 at 8:20 am

Irate_atheist-

I think I see Artful's argument. It's quite good.

1) Humans make mistakes.
2) Therefore humans are imperfect.
3) The Bible says that humans are imperfect.
4) Therefore the Bible is correct.
5) Therefore God exists.

It's simple, really, for the appropriate definition of simple.

21. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #178906 by Quetzalcoatl on May 12, 2008 at 8:07 am

A thought is not one and the same thing as the physical / material represetation of it.


Just repeating the assertion doesn't mean others will accept it.

Hence, when we make spelling mistakes or typos the "word" or "thought" that we intended may be different from its actual, black and white (or whatever) representation of it. The message is independent of the medium. Do you see my point?


Nope, that's to do with people not being able to spell. That's more to do with language, not the mind/brain "question".

22. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #178816 by Quetzalcoatl on May 12, 2008 at 5:23 am

Rian-

I thought you wrote the blog in response to this actually :-)


actually I wrote it in light of the discussion on another post of my blog! Apparently it's the topic of the moment.

23. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #178807 by Quetzalcoatl on May 12, 2008 at 5:05 am

Artful-

There is no "general decision procedure", only a willingness to take seriously the possibility that God could have used the medium of "the word" to make Himself known to us via the operation of reason in engaging with this "word", and also awareness of the rich panoply of literary devices available to the writers whom he inspired so to make himself known.


Then how can you know that your interpretation is any more valid than another? You can't.

Ironically, I recently wrote a blog post on this very subject. This discussion is an excellent example.

24. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #178802 by Quetzalcoatl on May 12, 2008 at 4:54 am

Txpiper-

I don't see context as an issue


You must have fun at Bible Study.

25. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #178485 by Quetzalcoatl on May 11, 2008 at 1:41 pm

Artful-

I notice you Dodged the rest of Epeeist's post. Shocking.

26. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #178427 by Quetzalcoatl on May 11, 2008 at 11:56 am

Txpiper-

Calilasseia,

I'm afraid you're caught up in the attempt to morph selection into something that it simply is not. I think you are also somewhat out of date.


I literally had to stifle my laughter here. Calilasseia knows a LOT about this.

In my view, as it relates to mutations, these are much ado about nothing. I don't know of anyone who resists the idea of speciation, or microevolution, adaptation and selection for that matter. These are all indisputable


Huh? Mutation is one of the mechanisms by which all of the above occur. How can it be "much ado about nothing".

Incidentally- have you read Rev's latest comment yet? That'll teach you to actually read your links in future.

You'r reminding me more and more of Seeker_Of_Truth. He also got stuffed in debate, largely by the links he posted.

27. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #178403 by Quetzalcoatl on May 11, 2008 at 11:00 am

txpiper-

I haven't advocated any particular belief. I've only questioned the conventional ones. Right now, I think it is important to focus on the accepted "mechanisms for change".


You remind me of Seeker_Of_Truth.

If you're genuinely interested in learning, check out some of the papers Calilasseia named.

28. Atheists are nice people who will roast in hell, says Cardinal

Comment #178103 by Quetzalcoatl on May 10, 2008 at 1:52 pm

Diacanu-

and if he's not present in Hell, then he can't know what is going on in Hell. Therefore he isn't omniscient either.

29. Anti-Evolution Film Misappropriates the Holocaust

Comment #177971 by Quetzalcoatl on May 10, 2008 at 4:50 am

I notice that ALL of Riverrun's posts on this thread have now disappeared! This is bloody ridiculous!

30. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #177670 by Quetzalcoatl on May 9, 2008 at 1:03 pm

Steveroot-

my knowledge on this is limited, but couldn't it be passed on to offspring in the form of the genetic template for immune systems that, for instance, produced higher levels of "basic antibodies"?

31. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #177618 by Quetzalcoatl on May 9, 2008 at 11:20 am

Txpiper-

Well, I will grant you this. That is about the most novel treatment of the problem of stasis that I've ever heard. What would you say has changed about them?


On reflection, I could have phrased my point better, but it is still valid. There have been minor changes, such as the Indian gavial crocodile, which has a specialised narrow snout for catching fish.

In any event, evolution still occurs at the genetic level, the most obvious example being the adaptation of the immune system to new diseases. Mutations that cause changes in the body shape will still occur, but if environmental conditions are such that the mutation does not convey any particular selection advantage over "normal" crocodiles, it is less likely that the mutation will become a fixed trait.

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

Comment #177608 by Quetzalcoatl on May 9, 2008 at 11:00 am

Hah, Humphrys was completely wrong-footed by Dawkins' question, wasn't he? His attempt to answer it wasn't very convincing, either.

Star spangled eagle-

the British were going to allow American independence until they threw all their tea into the sea. After that, it was WAR!

33. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #177486 by Quetzalcoatl on May 9, 2008 at 7:08 am

Txpiper-

are not the kind of things that are going to achieve even modest structural alterations


Structural alterations are not synonymous with evolution. A creature can evolve without any significant changes in its phenotype- crocodiles and alligators are a good example of this. Their body shape has not changed for millions of years, but that does not mean that they are not still evolving.

34. Churchgoing on its knees as Christianity falls out of favour

Comment #177373 by Quetzalcoatl on May 9, 2008 at 1:47 am

He said that young Muslims operated in a different environment. "Being religious is a way that you show you are different, that you are proud of your heritage. One of the ways young Muslims assert their identity is by being more observant than their parents


This is interesting. It could be possible that the next generation of Muslims might assert their identities by being less observant than their parents.

35. Faith in Britain today

Comment #177018 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 1:14 pm

In this lecture I want to give a personal perspective on Faith in Britain today. And I do so with humility


Anyone who SAYS they're talking with humility is unlikely to be very humble.

No one generates their own faith: it always comes to us through the goodness, example and insight of others: that is the meaning of tradition and the roots of this tradition lie in the goodness, example and insight of our Lord Jesus, God's Word made flesh, the Jewish tradition on which he draws and the Christian tradition which he creates by his risen presence.


I can name some other religions that might disagree with this.

Christ is the Lord of human time, active in all of human history.


Er, no he isn't. Ask the Sumerians.

One of the aims of the Christian religion is to create and foster a culture and society in which human beings flourish and God is glorified by his presence in a holy people. Because the Word becomes flesh and makes his home among us, the human community is to become a dwelling place for God: that's the Christian vision of society and it is why the Gospel must find a dwelling place in the social and cultural order.


And by "dwelling place" he means shape and dominate it.

and we must not allow Britain to become a world devoid of religious faith and its powerful contribution to the common good


What contribution is this?

Have you ever met anyone who believes what Richard Dawkins doesn't believe in? I usually find that the God that is being rejected by such people is a God I don't believe in either. I simply don't recognise my faith in what is presented by these critics as Christian faith.


No true Scotsman.

God is why the world is at all, the goodness, truth and love that flows into an astonishingly complex and beautiful cosmos, and we are the part of that cosmos, consciously and freely open to goodness, truth and love; and we are frustrated when this openness is blocked. We are designed for ultimate meaning and purpose, unrestricted truth and love: that is why Julian Barnes, atheist though he may declare himself, 'misses' God. God is at the heart of every person. And until that is acknowledged, we will always feel his absence.


What rubbish.

The challenge confronting the Church today is, as always, how best to communicate the richness and newness of the Gospel message to the people of our country


Newness? It's 2000 years old!

36. Faith in Britain today

Comment #176993 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 12:34 pm

This pompous blowhard. This was the guy talking about Frankenstein half-human half-animal embryos regarding stem cell research. Well, let's see what he has to say.

37. Trouble ahead for science

Comment #176915 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 10:36 am

Hmm. Another Expelled review that slates the film. Anybody would think it was of poor quality.

38. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #176909 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 10:29 am

Tezcatlipoca-

I deny Quetzlcoatl. A plumeed flying serpent? Ridiculous!


Try denying the bolt of lightning I've just sent your way.

39. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #176895 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 9:23 am

Clearmind-

where did you cut and paste that from? Most of it was spelled correctly, bravo to you.

Philip wants to know- Do you drink tea?

40. Anti-Evolution Film Misappropriates the Holocaust

Comment #176888 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 9:05 am

_riverrun_-

I think Al already mentioned about the link in an earlier comment- 176489 (298), and admitted that he didn't post it when he should have. Is that the one you mean?

41. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #176875 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 8:04 am

Tezcatlipoca-

fine, but don't kill him. If you send jaguars again, they're only to tear off TWO limbs. I'll let you choose which ones.

42. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #176872 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 7:59 am

Hungarianelephant-

I don't want to have to smite you, but I will if you send that memo.

43. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #176866 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 7:50 am

Hungarianelephant-

No. The way they're behaving, if one of them supports the idea of winning the Premiership, the other will probably push for Liverpool to be relegated in the 08/09 season.

44. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #176854 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 7:18 am

Hungarianelephant-

it's all part of Liverpool's strategy. We're solidifying our position in the top few by consistently finishing fourth every year. Soon we will make our bid for the title, and Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United will tremble with fear.

You'll see. You'll ALL see...

45. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #176852 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 7:07 am

What's with all the Liverpool-fan-bashing today? We're not a bad lot!

46. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #176849 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 7:00 am

Al-rawandi-

Liverpool fans are some cross between Kamikazes, Hells Angels, and al-Qaeda.


Thanks for that!

47. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #176839 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 6:37 am

irate_atheist-

Well, I'm Spartacus!


No you're not, you're Gladys.

48. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #176820 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 5:53 am

Sounds like you guys need to drink some more tea. Then your posts will make more sense!

49. Anti-Evolution Film Misappropriates the Holocaust

Comment #176762 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 1:10 am

Windweaver-

Al calling Chomsky a nit-wit is mild compared to _riverrun_ calling Fanusi a gimp and a neo-nazi. If anyone is losing credibility, it is him.

50. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #176758 by Quetzalcoatl on May 8, 2008 at 12:59 am

Chato-

I have to say that I basically agree with Richard despite the fact that I know spirit is real. As a former atheist my views were in line with Richard's until I discovered irrefutably that spirit (not God) does exist


Excellent. How do you know that?

I believe the same thing applies to spirit although I am not sure if it can be detected or not - although I belive it may be possible to do so.


So if spirit may not be able to be detected, how do you know anything about it? What makes you so sure that it is real?

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