1. Atheist group sues Bush over national prayer day

Comment #260558 by A on October 5, 2008 at 5:01 pm

1. Comment #260149 by Nails on October 4, 2008 at 6:37 pm

That said, they have a prayer day every bloody Sunday, Christmas and Easter so what the hell else do they want?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nails, religion seeks to take everything, totalitarianism, you should have noticed at least this facet or religion by now !! This is not specifically a goal of Christianity, all religions do the same.

2. Frog Jesus

Comment #260475 by A on October 5, 2008 at 3:01 pm

wonderful !

just ordered the WWFJD? t-shirt from:

http://frogjesus.spreadshirt.com/us/US/Shop/

:0)

3. Cartoons from Turkey

Comment #255499 by A on September 27, 2008 at 7:52 pm

Gives me hope, nice find :)

4. Russian woman put on trial in Dubai for drinking juice in public

Comment #254450 by A on September 25, 2008 at 5:10 pm

If we let these bastards drink juice in public we will be a small step away from Darwinism, let's kill off this nascent display of worldliness now.

5. Mysterious New 'Dark Flow' Discovered in Space

Comment #253602 by A on September 24, 2008 at 4:20 pm

These streams are caused by homosexuals.

6. Catholic maternity wards 'face closure' if abortion law passes

Comment #253597 by A on September 24, 2008 at 4:14 pm

Catholic Blackmail.

7. Why albino monks won't conduct stem cell research

Comment #252213 by A on September 22, 2008 at 3:40 pm

Maybe they should try and investigate the mystery of the Holy Trinity by knocking up a Large Father/Son Collider.

8. Interstellar Space Molecules That Help Form Basic Life Structures Identified

Comment #251638 by A on September 21, 2008 at 8:09 pm

>>1. Comment #251302 by milt on September 21, 2008 at 10:50 am
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?

This sounds too interesting to be true!

So will this offend the sensibilities or confirm the beliefs of the God-botherers? I can no longer guess. <<

Confirms - experience with those invested in the supernatural will tell you everything (and anything) confirms their beliefs.

9. Jewish 'ultras' defend morals with menace

Comment #251541 by A on September 21, 2008 at 3:31 pm

More religious prickery.

10. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250702 by A on September 20, 2008 at 6:43 am

great lecture.

11. YouTube Removes Viral Video on Palin's Churches For Inappropriate Content

Comment #248728 by A on September 16, 2008 at 6:06 pm

Woeful documentary.

So poorly edited that it was un-watchable in parts and very hard to follow.

12. Pope condemns 'pagan' love of money, power

Comment #247664 by A on September 14, 2008 at 6:41 pm

I can be really quite poor at adding to these comments, I just can't seem to hit the right balance of vitriol and clear writing, so I find myself often taking the more visceral approach or simply read this stuff and shrug my shoulders. In this case:

The pope is a fucking cunt.

Now normally these kinds of comments can be laid to rest at the side of sensible discussion but I honestly think this 'argument' (or conclusion) it is quite a solid position given his power and will to spread disease in Africa - and poison in new minds.

Again, the pope is a fucking cunt.

13. Robert Winston criticises dangerous 'science delusion'

Comment #247527 by A on September 14, 2008 at 2:25 pm

Robert Winston, you fool.

14. Anglicans back Darwin over 'noisy' creationists

Comment #246934 by A on September 13, 2008 at 2:36 pm

>>Tahir Alam, of the Muslim Council of Britain, expressed concern that there was a rising trend of intolerance towards religious beliefs and said: "Secular atheism is getting very dogmatic." Mr Alam said of creationism in science lessons: "In any educational context, if children raise questions and have beliefs which are different to the teachers, people should not be dogmatic about not discussing it." <<

Anything ? In any educational context ?

If a child made the claim that gold comes from dragons - should the teacher take time out of his lesson to discuss this claim or should he politely ask the child to not interrupt ?

There is no scientific evidence for the claim that gold comes from dragon, similarly there is no scientific evidence for the claim that an incorporeal deity created the universe and so there is little to discuss. A simple 'no, that is a myth' such suffice, a further explanation might be suitable for a religious education class.

15. Christian Couple Staying Together For Sake Of God

Comment #246671 by A on September 12, 2008 at 6:37 pm

Missed the 'Onion' part, read it, took it as a genuine story, thought it pretty standard fair - it was only until I read a couple of the comments that I realised my mistake.

And that, in itself, it pretty telling !

16. Closest Look Ever At Edge Of A Black Hole

Comment #244239 by A on September 8, 2008 at 1:20 pm

WTF !! There is a baseball on the moon !!

This more than anything proves Islam is true.

17. Gay support group gets straight 'no' from Brethren

Comment #243824 by A on September 7, 2008 at 12:51 pm

I have nothing constructive to add to these comments other than to point out that it is clear these people (the Brethren) are cunts.

18. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #241961 by A on September 3, 2008 at 8:55 am

Without doubt, we are fucked.

19. Pakistan investigates 'honor killings' of 5 women

Comment #241511 by A on September 2, 2008 at 12:15 pm

"These are centuries-old traditions and I will continue to defend them," Israr Ullah Zehri, who represents the province where the women died, told the chamber on Saturday."

Say it loud, fuck religion.

20. What Binti Jua Knew

Comment #235839 by A on August 23, 2008 at 6:22 pm

I have heard this story innumerable times and it often irks me that we only ever hear one side of the story.

What is rarely reported is that earlier in the same month (August 1996) when the three year old boy took this awful fall into the enclosure, knocking his head and badly concussing himself - only to be tended to by Binti Jua and taken to one of the keepers access doors so he could receive treatment from 'his own kind'- an equally tense situation unfolded in Dickinson, North Dakota.

A six year old girl, called Mary-Anne Lee, out of sight of her mother, similarly climbed the ape enclosure barrier at Dickinson City Zoo and, after losing her balance, fell almost 18 feet onto a largely concrete floor. In a terrible echo of the Chicago incident she was also rendered unconscious by the fall after hitting her head on one of the enclosure's 'feeding stations'.

Panicked onlookers watched as the adult apes, both male and female, approached where she had landed, possibly curious, possibly feeling threatened by her presence. It is worth noting that an adult male ape when threatened is very easily capable of killing an adult man, a small child would stand little chance in an attack.

The apes approached the child but, only feet from her still body, backed off and gathered into a group, almost as if collectively communicating their apparent 'concern' at what they had found. A minute or so later the group broke from their nestled pack and one by one lowered themselves to their knees, clasped their hands in front of themselves and prayed to Australopithecus for the girl to be carried safely to the 'outer kingdom'.

Keepers took almost 1 hour and 40 minutes to disperse the 'congregation', but the extended worship and failure to reach the girl in time led to her death from head injuries sustained in the fall.

The apes now have a chapel named in her honour.

21. Pastor Michael Guglielmucci spun gospel of lies

Comment #235262 by A on August 22, 2008 at 3:58 pm

You've got to love these bastards.

22. Catholic leaders block contraceptive advice for 30,000 Scots girls

Comment #232885 by A on August 18, 2008 at 8:19 pm

When was the fucking Catholic Church given a mandate in the health services ?

I have not voted for the Catholic Church ? In fact I don't even remember them standing for election ?

What I do remember is the manifesto pledges on health made by the parties that did stand, so why are the Catholic Church having any say on health matters ?

Can we expect Muslim input on transport policy ?

23. Petrol pump pilgrims keep faith

Comment #232166 by A on August 17, 2008 at 6:39 pm

Your reaction is their gain.

24. Al-Qa'eda in Iraq alienated by cucumber laws and brutality

Comment #229597 by A on August 13, 2008 at 8:38 pm

These people are savages.

25. Thousands Flock to Revival in Search of Miracles

Comment #209624 by A on July 12, 2008 at 9:08 pm

Someone here posted "the Placebo effect" - I would say it is more Hawthorne effect than placebo.

Anyhow, regardless we are doomed, really, if we can't sort this out before we spread the means to end humanity we are quite simply doomed.

26. From Big Bang to Us - Made Easy

Comment #193010 by A on June 14, 2008 at 12:35 pm

I didn't watch the video as I went for the box instead.

I guessed that inside was a picture of Jesus riding a motorbike whilst smoking a cigar.

I saw nothing at the end of the video to indicated my guess was wrong.

27. Yoko Ono, Filmmakers Caught in 'Expelled' Flap

Comment #162789 by A on April 17, 2008 at 1:15 pm

>>>When you think they can't get any worse, they do.
Such shame. <<<

>>>As we so fondly say on the interweb - Ownage! <<<

_______________________________________________________


This hysteria over their fuck ups is embarrassing (for the folk here, not the film makers), you would think this film would live and die on it's pseudoscience and nonsense premise - there really is no need for endless tiresome 'OMG they chucked PZ out !!! OMG OMG OMG !!!!!'

Film - awful creationist propaganda.

Unlicensed use of some science footage and a couple of songs - not professional.

Not disclosing the real theme of the film to interviewees - underhanded.

Not allowing PZ into a preview showing - trivial, PR mistake.

I think that is about it, unless some keen hack digs up the use of an unlicensed typeface or finds out that they supplied the distributor with only 980 screening copies due to a production run error - then we might have to endure another 100 pages of 'OMG!!!!! they CAN'T even get THAT right !!!! OMG IDiots!!! IDiots !!!!!'.

In the context of the actual debate over this films worth, if any, our side of the argument seems to have been reduced to something a little more than Ad hominem.

28. Teacher Expelled Over Religion

Comment #162354 by A on April 16, 2008 at 5:47 pm

>>We must stand up and keeps science out of our public science education. <<

What does this concluding line even mean ?

29. Expelled producers accused of copyright infringement

Comment #158561 by A on April 10, 2008 at 6:41 pm

To DavidJGrossman above.

This is not how their minds work.

30. Saudi Arabia Leader Calls for Interfaith Dialogue

Comment #150917 by A on March 27, 2008 at 3:47 pm

>> "If God wills it, we will then meet with our brothers from other religions, including those of the Torah and the Gospel... to come up with ways to safeguard humanity," he added. "

Coupled with:

>> "We have lost sincerity, morals, fidelity and attachment to our religions and to humanity," Abdullah said Monday, deploring "the disintegration of the family and the rise of atheism in the world �" a frightening phenomenon that all religions must confront and vanquish"

=

'Humanity' v 'Atheism'

=

Atheists are not part of humanity.

31. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #143320 by A on March 14, 2008 at 2:05 am

>>"The ad watchdog decided to ban the ad because the eroticised images in conjunction with religious symbols and the phrase "Thy will be done", as well as the letter "t" as the cross of Jesus, were likely to cause serious offence, particularly to Christians. '<<

So fucking what ?

Is causing offense (serious or otherwise) such a big problem, are these idiots going to burst into flames because someone has offended them ?

32. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #119441 by A on January 31, 2008 at 3:43 pm

Mix master GazA (in response to post 58), Sorry about the long delay in replying but I do have a life outside this site.

I am sure everyone here has a 'life outside this site' but thanks for informing everyone that this includes you :o) Also there is no need to apologise as I did not ask you a question.

Mix master Gaz We could endlessly bore each other to death about "censorship" for a very long time indeed. Since the remarks in question have now been removed let's move on.

No, censorship of ideas is an important issue, you may feel that now you have had views that do not match your own removed no more should be said about it - but I do not. What after all is the OP about if not censorship of ideas ?

Mix master Gaz "Irrational" because it's counter-productive. It doesn't help our common cause; it hinders it.

I have signed up to no common cause that I am aware of ? Try and speak for yourself, express your ideas, rather than position yourself as a (I suspect unelected) spokesperson for all those who think the actions of the Afghani government are wrong, including myself. The rest of your refutation is bald assertion, you provide no back up to the idea that action rather than words is counter-productive.

Mix master Gaz "Knee jerk": You partially concede my point here and then try to argue against it by bringing in a totally different scenario.

totally different scenario. ? This man is to be killed by the hand of Afghani theocratic leaders, my 'totally different scenario' was 'friend or family member being taken to their own death by the hand of one of gods workers. If my analogy was too divorced from the thing it is we are talking about I apologize, my intention was to reflect that, feel free to insert your own analogy. I concede your point that the reaction is 'knee-jerk' it is visceral, I then go on to expand on why that should be, not too hard to understand.

Mix master Gaz But you don't refute "incitement to hatred" or "incitement to violence".

For a good reason. I agree with you.

Mix master Gaz I'm reminded of Hitchens' bemusement at an opponent who argued that at least his lot weren't as bad as the fascists. Straining out gnats and ignoring camels.

If I have cut the correct path through your ambiguous syntax - I am honored.

Mix master Gaz Look, the only real point I'm trying to make is that the manner in which we express ourselves does make a difference. You say you don't "conduct yourself to appear in any particular way to any particular group" yet you've certainly toned down the rhetoric in your successive posts here, so I don't believe you.

The internet is full of people who know what the other is thinking. They are not all right. Your claimed victory through semantics is based on a very poor sample number, whether you believe me or not is not important to me. I agree that the manner in which we express ourselves does make a difference to how we are perceived. But I do not share your need to be perceived in any particular way.

Mix master Gaz Still, at least you get to play the role of victim and martyr whilst implying that those who disagree with you are on this are as bad as Christians who want to censor 'The Life of Brian'.

Well I certainly do not feel a 'victim' in any way ?

Mix master Gaz I can hardly believe I've let myself get dragged into all this and I imagine that there are some users of this site who actually want to get back on topic so I'm going to shut up now and happily give you the last word.

:o) - A smorgasbord of fallacious 'sixth-form' argumentative conceits ! You were 'dragged into this argument, whilst I most probably did the dragging I expect. Wonderful ! Appeals to the crowd - I imagine that there are some users of this site who actually want to get back on topic - and unlike 'evil old me' you are most probably amongst these good people. Brilliant ! Then topped off with that crowd pleaser 'humility' happily give you the last word All I can say is I thank you for your 'gift' of the 'last word' - your are very kind - but I would have taken it regardless of your self-announced kindness. :o)

Mix master Gaz I agree with whoever else it was who pointed out that there are some people who you just can't reason with.

That is my point exactly, and I suspect AGNs point, wouldn't you say ?

33. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #119173 by A on January 31, 2008 at 11:18 am

A: You may not care what these people do, but many of us do care.

monoape: Again, I'm surprised more regulars didn't jump all over this pathetic straw man....

monoape, if you feel my point is a straw man you are mistaken.

DamnDirtyApe said "I don't care what they did" with regard to those who choose to subject their fellow people to religious barbarism - and that we must "Figure this out like civilised people."

I state unambiguously that I do care what these people have done (and are doing) and I use that knowledge to inform my views.

I cannot subscribe to the notion that regardless of what these people do we should never move away from 'figuring this out like civilised people'.

That is what I stated - It is plainly not a straw man.

Epinephrine: I assume the proper response is to ignore him and press the "Troll" or "Offensive" button?

There is a shocking wealth of censorship and 'offense' taken (that stalwart of the religious) on this oasis of freethought ?

I am supporting a view, it may not be your own, that is fine, but there really is no need to censor, hit the 'I have been offended' button or try and undermine my view with mistaken fallacy charges.

I have made no comments aimed at the person, so I can only guess it is my views that have offended you ?

It that a good thing, to censor views you find offensive, is that not the arena religion occupies?

----

I think we can have an adult conversation and even allow ourselves to entertain the idea that 'figuring this out like civilised people' may be based on a naive view we hold that all people will eventually bend to reason.

34. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #119105 by A on January 31, 2008 at 10:23 am

Well said AGN !

35. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #119073 by A on January 31, 2008 at 9:51 am

mixmastergaz

A, I didn't seek to censor you, only agn.

Agn, myself, someone else entirely, I don't think it matters who you wish to censor or to have their input hidden from others (you of course having already received this information) - my point remains.

mixmastergaz
Surely our opposition can be expressed without resorting to self-defeating, irrational knee-jerk blood lust like that in agn's post.

irrational? - No, rational.

knee-jerk? - Perhaps, emotions run high in these situations, if I see my friend or family member being taken to their own death by the hand of one of gods workers I would hope my knee does jerk, perhaps if many more of us took this line instead of fucking around with petitions in small circulation middle class newspapers we might be at least part way to slowing this cancer.

Blood lust? - No, the feelings expressed by myself (and, I will have to guess, Agn) are not driven by a lust for blood, but by frustration and anger and empathy.

mixmastergaz
Perhaps you don't discern these things in agn's post, but that's how it reads to me and no doubt there are those who would want to find things like this here on this site in order to undermine us.

I do not conduct myself to appear in any particular way to any particular group.

36. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #118956 by A on January 31, 2008 at 8:04 am

[i]"gentlemen may we have your attention"[/i]

Yes, that should work.

Maybe we should knock up another petition to see what everyone thinks ?

37. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #118884 by A on January 31, 2008 at 5:42 am

irate_atheist:

Without opposing or endorsing any views here, I will merely add:

"Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest."- Denis Diderot

:)

Wonderful ! I have not heard that gem before - a fantastically concise summation of my own views !

The secular prayer (the petition) simply makes lists, we need to consider action.

I make no claims to knowledge as to what this action would or should be.

In the same way that we do not petition child rapists to modify their actions we should not hope to petition these people out of their barbarous actions.

38. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #118860 by A on January 31, 2008 at 4:59 am

mixmastergaz

A, I'm sure that Karzai is not particularly threatened by a petition in the Indy.

Understood and agreed.

mixmastergaz
But I doubt that he'll lose much sleep over your and agn's empty threats either.

Of course not, firstly It is a message on small part of a small website somewhere in the corner of a vast internet, secondly I make no threat.

I make the point that 'civilized' debate with certain people is hopeless. I suggest no specific 'plan'.

mixmastergaz
And the fact that I find your views abhorrent does not imply that I don't care about the plight of women (or journalists) in Afghanistan.

You find my views abhorrent, I find yours naive.

But where we really differ is that I will not ask for censorship of your views.

39. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #118838 by A on January 31, 2008 at 3:51 am

DamnDirtyApe:

Can we remove agn's comments please?

I don't think there has ever been any moral justification for mass murder, and this of all places is certainly not where such action should be advocated.

I don't care what they did, that's not the answer. Figure this out like civilised people.

You may not care what these people do, but many of us do care.

Attempting to censor agn's views gets you exactly nowhere.

I agree with the thrust of what agn says, we have had 2000 years of 'figuring this out like civilised people' and still stones land on women's heads, if it is not obvious to us by now that this will come down to a fight it certainly should be.

Go and sign your petition in the Independent, the theocratic pornographers are probably terrified at the thought of a percentage of the readership of newspaper published in a foreign country voicing distaste at the inerrant edicts of their god. [/sarcasm]

How would you view a similar petition from a small circulation newspaper in Afghanistan signed by a percentage of the readership asking the UK to execute women who are caught having extramarital sex ?

Fuck petitions. Your attitude is the fuel they need.

40. Researchers use neuroimaging to study ESP

Comment #108392 by A on January 6, 2008 at 5:41 pm

Pointless.

Psychologists at Harvard University will achieve nothing.

If you want to eradicate such supernatural bullshit - don't let the 'enemy' do some tests and then proclaim victory, give money, enough money, to the adherents to build a psychic healing hospital or ESP detective agency or divination based oil exploration enterprise - and arrange brightly lit media coverage.

41. Priest who committed suicide for rebirth cremated

Comment #103306 by A on December 25, 2007 at 3:56 am

Merry Christmas !

Silly idiot.

Don't feel sorry for the parents ERTT ^^ the fact that their son did not come back to life will impact on their belief/faith very little, if at all, and of course it may even strengthen their faith.

The gene pool is a little clearer.

42. 'Atheistic fundamentalism' fears

Comment #102308 by A on December 22, 2007 at 10:08 am

Yawn.

43. The empty myths peddled by evangelists of unbelief

Comment #97290 by A on December 11, 2007 at 9:07 pm

I mostly get annoyed, sometime I laugh.

This time I laughed. Silly man.

44. 'Teddy' teacher jailed in Sudan

Comment #91963 by A on November 29, 2007 at 4:08 pm

Own goal.

45. Report on Hindu god Ram withdrawn

Comment #79142 by A on October 16, 2007 at 9:32 am

This intellectually cancerous horseshit is just Christianity from another angle, zero difference.

46. The Price of Freedom

Comment #77840 by A on October 10, 2007 at 9:06 pm

I can see Hitchens becoming a target !

47. Teacher: I was fired, said Bible isn't literal

Comment #73434 by A on September 25, 2007 at 2:11 am

Excellent !

Give these imbeciles enough rope.

48. God Talk on 'The View'

Comment #71628 by A on September 19, 2007 at 11:26 am

Fucking idiots.

Fucking silly idiots creeping around subjects they know nothing about, while conspicuously showing deference to JudeoChristianity lest the audience think them out-of-line with the intellectual/cutural status-quo, rambling pointless ignorance.

Fucking idiots.

49. Do you have to read up on leprechology before disbelieving in them?

Comment #70936 by A on September 17, 2007 at 9:39 am

Religion, as he sums it up, "simply isn't about facts." Exactly. I couldn't have put it better myself.

I laughed out loud, wonderful.

50. Griffin's 'offensive' Emmy speech to be censored

Comment #69676 by A on September 12, 2007 at 6:51 am

Good girl :)