Comments by ftvt

Comment #45033 by ftvt on May 25, 2007 at 10:54 pm

For those who are interested (and can stomach it) here's a little more about the senator:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/9178374/gods_senator

2. Now Muslims Get Their Own Laws In Britian

Comment #36885 by ftvt on May 2, 2007 at 4:20 pm

Re: The question of whether these "courts" might cross the line and impose themselves in areas of criminal law, non-muslims, and unwilling parties:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/493436.stm

To the extent that these "courts" are nothing more than voluntary civil arbitration procedings, I agree with those who say they should remain legal (but bound by the general limits of law).

The problems lie in keeping them truly voluntary, and limited to civil matters.

Hopefully most of these "courts" won't cross the line. But the example in the above link shows the worries expressed in this forum are not entirely unfounded.

3. John Paul Sainthood Nun 'Gentle, Simple'

Comment #28534 by ftvt on March 29, 2007 at 4:22 pm

If her Parkinson's comes back, do they revoke the sainthood? :-)

4. Do stop behaving as if you are God, Professor Dawkins

Comment #21104 by ftvt on February 7, 2007 at 3:11 pm

Regarding the comparison of belief in God to belief in Santa Claus. Consider the most famous piece of Santa apologetics and substitute "God" for "Santa Clause":

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Source: http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

It's basically the same arguements!

5. CNN Sylvia Browne Fraud

Comment #19548 by ftvt on January 28, 2007 at 7:42 am

Browne has posted a response on her website(http://www.sylvia.org/home/index.cfm -- Under "Message from Sylvia").

A couple of excerpts:

If the brilliant scientists throughout history had a James Randi negating every aspect of their work, I doubt we would have progressed very far in medicine or in any technology.