Comments by Mango

1. Teen trained to be suicide bomber feels tricked

Comment #310866 by Mango on January 2, 2009 at 10:06 am

The child seems like he has a gentle nature. I hope he still has it when he's released.

2. Atheists Sue to Get Prayer, God Out of Obama's Swearing-In

Comment #310012 by Mango on December 31, 2008 at 8:54 pm

I applaud the lawsuit. "In God we Trust" also needs to be removed from American currency and "under God" stricken from the pledge of Allegiance. It's a very simple idea -- separate religion and government.

3. For scholars, a combustible question: Was Christ real?

Comment #309143 by Mango on December 30, 2008 at 7:53 pm

And this reminds me of something bothersome -- when Christians say that "Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or Lord." Well those aren't the only options because the New Testament isn't a perfect account of his words and deeds. The Jesus Christians today know is a fictional character -- the historical Jesus can only be known through iterative scholarly reconstruction.

4. For scholars, a combustible question: Was Christ real?

Comment #309139 by Mango on December 30, 2008 at 7:48 pm

The best book I've read on the historical Jesus is John Dominic Crossan's "The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant." Highly reocmmended.

The article also mentions Robert Funk, who wrote "Honest to Jesus." Funk believes Jesus was a real man who preached that people ought to try to create Heaven on Earth. But Jesus' followers didn't understand his message and look to where his finger was pointing -- rather, they stared at his pointing finger and deified him.

5. Heaven for the Godless?

Comment #307644 by Mango on December 28, 2008 at 10:40 am

Perhaps the poll also reflects a greater understanding among Americans that they hold their particular religious beliefs largely because of their space-time circumstances.

Or it may partly reflect the fact that many Americans switch religions in their lifetimes, which leads them to have rather liberal views about the many possible paths to Heaven.

6. Richard Dawkins explains his 'Scarlet A' lapel pin - The Out Campaign

Comment #305604 by Mango on December 23, 2008 at 9:52 am

My car's license plate is meant to 1) get people to think about their beliefs, and 2) show solidarity with closeted atheists. The plate has been stolen, the car scratched, and windows broken. But hey, it's Louisiana, I knew what would happen.

Maybe in a few decades atheists will be accepted in American society and I won't have to speak out for non-belief...

7. Saudi court tells girl aged EIGHT she cannot divorce husband who is 50 years her senior

Comment #304865 by Mango on December 22, 2008 at 12:09 pm

Some places, like America and the North Sea, have passed peak oil. The question is whether the Middle East has as well. Barrel price reflects demand as much as supply, remember, and demand is low in the slumping global economy. So a relatively low price does not necessarily imply anything about peak oil.

8. Jimmy Carr on Richard Dawkins

Comment #304113 by Mango on December 20, 2008 at 11:29 am

Dr. Dawkins' writings have given me "intellectual tools" as well, but I'm comfortable knowing that I'm not his parrot. For example, long before I'd read "The God Delusion" I'd thought a religious upbringing was tantamount to a type of child abuse -- so Dr. Dawkins brought me some new ideas while at the same time reinforcing ones I'd already had. I suppose that is the case for most people to varying degrees.

I am more outspoken in recent years, and this is largely attributable to Dr. Dawkins' campaign.

9. Harun Yahya's Dark Arts

Comment #301083 by Mango on December 13, 2008 at 11:16 am

I recently found "Atlas of Creation" in a used bookstore for 20 dollars. I wanted to buy to have as a conversation piece for my coffee table, but it's too massive.

10. £35,000 of taxpayers' cash given to 'atheist bus' group

Comment #291497 by Mango on November 26, 2008 at 1:16 pm

The headline insinuates that the money went to fund the bus advertisements, which it didn't.

11. Cheap plaster saint

Comment #288691 by Mango on November 22, 2008 at 7:19 am

You know the parishioners left saying to each other, "It's a miracle no one was hurt!"

12. Cheap plaster saint

Comment #288343 by Mango on November 21, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Epic fail.

13. Prediction: self-promoting hype meets interdisciplinary ignorance

Comment #282635 by Mango on November 12, 2008 at 1:25 pm

I knew immediately these scholars were talking nonsense when I read the quote that before their "discovery" they believed evolution was "completely random."

14. 'Child-witches' of Nigeria seek refuge

Comment #281586 by Mango on November 10, 2008 at 5:00 pm

Now we finally know why Monty Python isn't that popular in Nigeria.

"That five year old turned me into a newt!"

15. Obama will move to veto Bush laws

Comment #281147 by Mango on November 9, 2008 at 8:15 pm

Lame-duck presidents often put forward despicable policies and grant pardons just before leaving office. For instance, Bill Clinton pardoned Mark Rich in the last hours of his presidency because Rich's wife made large donations to the Democratic party and Clinton Library. So it's great to see Mr. Obama taking these proactive efforts before he takes office, but I'll have my eye on him even more intently as he leaves.

16. Portrayal of Religion in the Media: Religion is Political

Comment #274247 by Mango on October 29, 2008 at 7:44 pm

mmurray -- you list 5 out of thousands, present and past. That's what I mean by "All religions? Really?" Blanket statements like that probably aren't true.

17. Why We Believe

Comment #274196 by Mango on October 29, 2008 at 6:03 pm

yes, Frankus1122, if this article were more widely read it may help -- that's inclusive of what I meant by education.

18. Portrayal of Religion in the Media: Religion is Political

Comment #274190 by Mango on October 29, 2008 at 5:53 pm

Islam, like any other religion, is deeply misogynistic.

All religions? Really?

19. Why We Believe

Comment #274187 by Mango on October 29, 2008 at 5:43 pm

The decline of organized religion in W. Europe has not diminished the number of people using tarot, astrology, psychics, and such. It does seem that the human brain is not naturally wired for scientific thinking. Although a good education usually helps.

20. Dole Ad Fabricates Audio Of Opponent Yelling 'There Is No God'

Comment #274178 by Mango on October 29, 2008 at 5:29 pm

Hagan's statement: "We ALL love our country, and we all value the role of faith in American life."

No, we all don't value the role of faith in American life. Sheesh, panderer.

21. Secrets of worm grunting support Darwin's instincts after 127 years

Comment #271922 by Mango on October 26, 2008 at 6:45 pm

Voratious? Sounds right to the ears, but I'd still recommend he use a spell checker.

Comment #269035 by Mango on October 22, 2008 at 2:22 pm

Henri,

Having liberalism but not blindly "celebrating multiculturalism" is what a lot of people are trying to accomplish (e.g. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Christopher Hitchens). The reactions from both the right and left in Britain against implementing Sharia law is a good example of such a push-back against taking multi-culturalism too far.

23. All aboard the atheist bus campaign

Comment #268176 by Mango on October 21, 2008 at 1:38 pm

I agree with a previous poster that the sign privileges monotheism. Should read "There probably are no gods." Maybe future signs will reflect this?

24. A 'values' voter speaks her mind on Obama

Comment #267260 by Mango on October 20, 2008 at 11:30 am

By focusing on who is more religious, or even a surname, this woman has relieved herself of actually having to THINK about policies and issues. So it's also a matter of being mentally lazy, I'd say.

25. Convert or we will kill you, Hindu lynch mobs tell fleeing Christians

Comment #266572 by Mango on October 19, 2008 at 10:42 am

The largest democracy on Earth, ladies and gentlemen.

26. Leading geneticist Steve Jones says human evolution is over

Comment #261718 by Mango on October 7, 2008 at 9:07 am

"Humans are 10,000 times more common than we should be, according to the rules of the animal kingdom, and we have agriculture to thank for that."

What "rules" are these? Humans are animals, animals with symbolic communication (i.e. "culture").

Having billions of people increases the chances of mutations (for natural selection to act upon --> evolution).

27. Strippers, armadillos inspire Ig Nobel winners

Comment #260499 by Mango on October 5, 2008 at 3:40 pm

How does one use Coca-Cola as a contraceptive, you ask, Ex~? I presume one shakes the can with vim and vigor before opening it in the desired direction.

28. YouTube Reinstates Pat Condell

Comment #259923 by Mango on October 4, 2008 at 7:48 am

My boycott of YouTube finally ends. I'm coming back to you, Judge Judy, my queen!

29. 'Space elevator' would take humans into orbit

Comment #259642 by Mango on October 3, 2008 at 4:47 pm

What if a terrorist gets into the elevator car and pushes all the buttons at once?

[edit: lozzer beat me to the idea]

30. Petition YouTube for Pat Condell

Comment #258782 by Mango on October 2, 2008 at 11:00 am

This week Youtube also removed videos of people desecrating the Eucharist a-la PZ.

It's a corporation, YouTube, it fears controversy.

31. Have-a-go deaths are never a waste

Comment #258662 by Mango on October 2, 2008 at 9:08 am

I take Grayling's point to be similar to America's policy of "we don't negotiate with terrorists." Negotiation and appeasement would only embolden others to kidnap and hijack (look at the rampant piracy off the Somalian coast, for example).

Also, were I mugged I would resist, despite what police advise about worrying primarily for my own safety. If everyone resisted, then mugging might not be as common (or, horribly, they'd make the elderly their primary prey).

32. An idea ready for takeoff

Comment #255833 by Mango on September 28, 2008 at 11:01 am

This is the first time I've seen "meme" used as verb -- "meming."

33. Mathematics and faith explain altruism

Comment #255365 by Mango on September 27, 2008 at 11:38 am

Nowak: "Science a priori excludes any possibility of the interaction between the creation and the creator. . .

Science doesn't exclude anything a priori. The problem is with Nowak who assigns his "creator" ontological status and then argues that science refuses in principle to acknowledge this creator.

I echo other commenters here who point out that Nowak is reinventing the wheel by using the prisoner's dilemma to explain altruism (my mind flashed to The Selfish Gene as well).

34. Cartoons from Turkey

Comment #255283 by Mango on September 27, 2008 at 8:15 am

I wonder if these titles have a large readership.

35. It Takes Just One Village to Save a Species

Comment #254057 by Mango on September 25, 2008 at 8:48 am

Whether we stop growing at our current 6.7 billion or level off at 10 billion, a bigger problem than raw numbers is how much each person consumes in terms of natural resources. Imagine if everyone now on Earth consumed as much fossil fuels, water, and electricity as the average American. This growth in the ecological "footprint" is happening with the burgeoning Chinese middle classes, and is a reason that metal and oil prices are rising.

No doubt, Vaal, that the spread of Islam and other fundamentalist religions is a barrier to zero population growth directly because of the status of women. Around the world where women are educated and have reproductive rights, TFRs decline (we see this correlation w/ education even within countries).

36. It Takes Just One Village to Save a Species

Comment #254024 by Mango on September 25, 2008 at 6:39 am

Vaal, that we level off at 10 billion (give or take 1) is what demographers have been saying for quite a few years now, as the developing nation's TFRs drop closer to developed countries. Most developed countries are already below the replacement rate (TFR of 2.1) to achieve zero population growth, and although developing countries will still take many years to get that point, their TFRs are slowly going down. Chile is a great example.

37. It Takes Just One Village to Save a Species

Comment #254022 by Mango on September 25, 2008 at 6:32 am

Actually, Vaal, humanity is not increasing exponentially. We are at 6.7 billion and will probably level off around 10 billion.

38. 'All Terrorists are Darwinists': An Interview with Harun Yahya

Comment #252732 by Mango on September 23, 2008 at 2:44 pm

I thought his reliance on a Notary Public was pretty funny! A notary is merely a person authorized by the state to look at the identifications of two people who sign whatever they need signed, thus proving that two specific people provided official signatures.

So since he got something notarized... I guess that's amazing proof he didn't write the book in question.

39. Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview

Comment #241919 by Mango on September 3, 2008 at 8:00 am

If she gets elected veep, I think I'll skydive sans parachute. "Better dead than smeg."

40. Priest Antonio Rungi wants beauty contest - for nuns

Comment #236719 by Mango on August 25, 2008 at 7:10 am

I was wondering what Father Guido Sarducci was up to these days.

41. Pastor Rick's Test

Comment #233807 by Mango on August 20, 2008 at 12:28 pm

I'd much rather have seen a forum wherein the candidates discuss their views on scientific matters.

http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php

42. Richard Dawkins Lecture at UC Berkeley

Comment #231371 by Mango on August 16, 2008 at 7:37 am

Dr. Dawkins might be able to fill a baseball stadium in some (or all?) regions of America.

43. The rebellion of the child-brides

Comment #230259 by Mango on August 14, 2008 at 1:30 pm

Nobody is trying to figure out how many Muslim girls are suffering this way.

This is what Ayaan Hirsi Ali is railing against, right? That Western European nations are hiding behind multiculturalism, letting the fear of offending a particular "community" suffocate of their own liberal secular values.

44. Camp Offers Training Ground For Little Skeptics

Comment #226648 by Mango on August 8, 2008 at 1:13 pm

This Camp Inquiry is similar to Camp Quest http://www.camp-quest.org/

45. Darwin's bulldogs

Comment #226521 by Mango on August 8, 2008 at 8:03 am

It is an unfortunate wonder of the modern age that people who are highly educated in some areas may still be resistant to scientific inquiry.

That sentence draws my mind back to C.P. Snow's 1959 "The Two Cultures." Regarding the two cultural poles of science and the more literary (or "traditional") minded, "The feelings of one pole become the anti-feelings of the other. If the scientists have the future in their bones, then the traditional culture responds by wishing the future did not exist. It is the traditional culture, to an extent remarkably little diminished by the emergence of the scientific one, which manages the western world." p. 12

46. Richard Dawkins, the naive professor

Comment #225918 by Mango on August 7, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Richard Dawkins: honest statements of atheism, were thrust upon me, against my will

I'm glad to read this because it explains why those out-of-place references to atheism were included.

I'd prefer to say I'm an evolutionist

Evolutionist isn't an occupational title, like biologist or geographer, it's a label. I think a rather unnecessary one, like heliocentrist.

47. Richard Dawkins, the naive professor

Comment #225833 by Mango on August 7, 2008 at 12:21 pm

Quine: We need not be "agnostic" re any given description of a deity that we can show is bogus.

I concur, and functionally I'm an atheist just as I'm an a-unicornist, but you know that scientists are technically agnostic about such things so why fight me over this point which I think we agree on? We cannot show anything is bogus, which is why the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a useful figure to lampoon what some people take seriously.

48. Richard Dawkins, the naive professor

Comment #225818 by Mango on August 7, 2008 at 12:00 pm

But every few minutes he spoils it by announcing that natural selection means there is, categorically, no God.

I also found these asides by Dr. Dawkins somewhat out of place for a documentary about Darwin and they hampered the documentary's flow. And even though Dr. Dawkins did not explicitly say it, he does imply that one must either choose between evolution, which is undeniably true to a reasonable person who evaluates the evidence, and religious belief. But surely one can still be a theist or deist and still accept evolution, and even Dr. Dawkins himself admits he is technically an agnostic (as we all must be, if we choose to remain scientific).

A far better strategy would have been to leave all references to his personal atheism at home and let the public mull over the facts of evolution. If a large percentage of the viewing public are indeed Young Earth Creationists, the program would have been successful even if it just sneaked a little scientific understanding into their brains. Instead, Dr. Dawkins taints the educational program for them by draping his (disgusting, to them) atheism around it.

49. Do they really think the earth is flat?

Comment #224283 by Mango on August 4, 2008 at 12:17 pm

I think these people are playing an elaborate prank and that Andy Kaufman is behind it.

50. Breeding for God

Comment #221511 by Mango on July 29, 2008 at 5:19 pm

trevok comment 20 "breeding for secularism" really makes no sense because it buys into the notion that religion is genetic.

Maybe you misunderstand what the above commenters are saying; they would raise secular children, not *breed* them in the sense you mean. They would not fill their little minds with supernatural beliefs; nothing to do with genetics.

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