1. Band T-shirt draws charge

Comment #199625 by Graeme on June 26, 2008 at 5:01 am

I prefer my mates T shirt that has

"Jesus loves you"

in large print on the front, and in smaller writing underneath..

"But everyone else thinks your a cunt"

2. How the Public Resolves Conflicts Between Faith and Science

Comment #70355 by Graeme on September 15, 2007 at 3:42 am

"Indeed, in a May 2007 Gallup poll, only 14% of those who say they do not believe in evolution cite lack of evidence as the main reason underpinning their views; more people cite their belief in Jesus (19%), God (16%) or religion generally (16%) as their reason for rejecting Darwin's theory."

How does it go...?

"There are none so blind as those who will not see..."

3. Like any half-decent atheist, I'm fond of a bit of religion

Comment #67862 by Graeme on September 5, 2007 at 2:57 am

I thought it was a very good article actually.
I too was at a funeral recently and found myself looking around, glad somehow that the whole set-up was there in place...OK we could have done without the mumbo jumbo, but it was the closure I think that I appreciated... It was only the chaple at the local crematorium, and the lady priest, (its vicars in knickers round this way!)was doing most of the talking and the singing,(there was no service) and as far as I know , no one there was religious at all, but somehow it filled the need as we all pondered our mortality.... even if it was only for that half an hour before we all headed for the pub.
It was as if once that part was over we could start to relax... (and the wake begin.)
If we really want to make organised religions obsolete then I think that this is the ground that we need to be taking back, rather than just telling people theyre nuts to believe in the supernatural.
I've heard that atheist funerals can be very good but I've never been to one...
Maybe its time that I drew EXACTLY what I want at my funeral.
Any recommedations?? Anyone got their intructions written into their will?

4. Town Hall Seattle: God Is Not Great

Comment #57656 by Graeme on July 20, 2007 at 12:57 pm

thanks wrought..

interesting link..
I'm not surprised that 10 yrs in isolation gave him hallucinations!!... although I was hoping someone could help with the "pins through glass trick" that dgr8test97 has mentioned in previous posts... he says
"
(It's a household pin. National Geographic confirmed it.),"
so I thought there must be an article on it somewhere..
can you remember where you saw this dgr8test97?
I'm not doubting that it can be done as a trick...

but you seem to be suggesting that shaolin monks have supernatural powers??
is this what you are suggesting??
Do tell..

5. Town Hall Seattle: God Is Not Great

Comment #57641 by Graeme on July 20, 2007 at 11:52 am

Comment #57633 by dgr8test97

you say...

" 1) The fact that monks can lite themselves on fire and not even blink, throw a pin through glass(It's a household pin. National Geographic confirmed it.), and sit in -40F weather for hours..... "

Do you have any idea of the date of the article in national geographic?..I'm struggling to find any reference to it.
Or any other links to these claims?
cheers
Graeme

6. Town Hall Seattle: God Is Not Great

Comment #57355 by Graeme on July 19, 2007 at 2:55 am

My favourite bit was the Mark Twain reference in answer to the old..
"we need religion for our moral guidance" assertion...
I think it went something like...

"So
How does Huck Finn know not to betray his friend Jim to the people hunting for him?
The law is against him...
The church is against him...
He thinks that if he refuses to give up his slave friend he will go straight to hell...

but he still does the right thing...
Its inate in us to do the right thing...
We know the right thing to do...
Without needing to be told what to do by some celestial dictatorship.."

thats the first time I've heard that example... and I think I'll use "Huckleberry Finns Dilemma" the next time I hear the "Morals" arguement.
I cant wait to find out if Jim gets betrayed !!!
(or if they're going straight to hell!!..)

Any of you religious types out there going to answer this one??

7. Now this is how to critique Ken Ham's creation 'museum'

Comment #55180 by Graeme on July 10, 2007 at 7:54 am

Nice post "Ivan the not so bad!"....

and Johnny O yours fossils are in the post...
Any other takers???
Graeme

8. Now this is how to critique Ken Ham's creation 'museum'

Comment #54851 by Graeme on July 9, 2007 at 6:26 am

5. Comment #54822 by He-man Daunted World

I dont know about SE Aus, but I have a box of small but perfectly formed iron pyrites (or fools gold!) ammonites on the window sill in front of me, all of which I have collected from our beach here in Charmouth...(Black ven)
I'm happy to send you one....
In fact I'll be happy to send anyone a genuine fossilised ammonite if they e mail me at
GETESMART@aol.com
(sod the expense!)
I think they are mid or lower jurassic...about 180- 195 million years old....
(Open to creationists too.. take em to church!! show em to you mates...pretend that theyre only 6000 YO. You'll only be about, say, 180-195 million years wrong!)

9. Sean Hannity with Christopher Hitchens

Comment #54796 by Graeme on July 9, 2007 at 1:52 am

I've just watched that twice and think Chris did OK.
I love the way he responds to Hannitys waffling with such dismissive contempt...
"You seem to be angry with religion, angry with god?...am I wrong in my perception?"
"Of course I'm not angry with god, obviously that would be absurd."
and later..
"thats a little intellectual snobbiness on your part"
"Well, that could well be right"
Despite Hannity having his finger on the edit button Hitchens still outclasses him.

10. Sadly, an Honest Creationist

Comment #54297 by Graeme on July 6, 2007 at 9:46 am

." It was there that night that I accepted the Word of God and rejected all that would ever counter it, including evolution. With that, in great sorrow, I tossed into the fire all my dreams and hopes in science."

Looks like he burned the evidence!!
(or am I taking that a bit too litarally?)

11. The new age of ignorance

Comment #53389 by Graeme on July 1, 2007 at 7:41 am

"but she has not, for example, sold her book in the UK, a place, we might remember, where 20 per cent of people still believe that the Sun revolves around Earth."

Anyone know where this little statistic came from?

I dont think I've ever met ANYONE who thought that.... maybe I should get out more.

12. The Great Mutator

Comment #49622 by Graeme on June 12, 2007 at 3:45 pm

"And there is not a shred of evidence supporting his claim that the goal of evolution is intelligent life. In contrast to the feast of evidence that nourishes evolutionary theory, Behe gives us an empty plate."

beautiful.....

13. Anderson Cooper interviews Christopher Hitchens

Comment #39531 by Graeme on May 11, 2007 at 4:26 am

Sorry John P but I always smile when I hear the expression "British accent" and wonder what that would actually sound like?..

A wierd fusion of English Irish Scottish and Welsh!!

I moved down to the west country from Surrey a few years back and take great delight in telling my old mates from Guildford that I now work for ..
"Doorsat fyure AND rescue " in my newly acquired and affected singsong twang.. and thats only 130 miles up the road.
When visiting my girlfriends parents, a two hour drive away in Cardiff, I can hardly understand them sometimes. Its not just the accent tone and choice of expression thats different, its sometimes the whole structure of the sentence.
Even an English accent would be hard to imagine... a mixture of west country, scouse, brummy, cockney... you name it!!
Anyway ... in a pathetic attempt to legitimise this post..
I too suspect the motives of anyone who comes out with crap like

"don't think he will help the atheist cause.I won't be surprised if he makes racist remarks. It is time we ignore him."

I mean what sort of bollocks is that??
Or as they'd say down this way..
"I reckon yous avin a laarf boy!"

14. The Video: Bill O'Reilly Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #34499 by Graeme on April 24, 2007 at 8:47 am

that sounded like I was being sarcastic, but I wasnt.

15. The Video: Bill O'Reilly Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #34498 by Graeme on April 24, 2007 at 8:43 am

I just lifted this from Bills website under the "O'Reilly factor flash" summary section:


Personal Story Segment
Richard Dawkins on the existence of God

Guest: Richard Dawkins

Atheism, already the dominant "religion" in much of Europe, is also growing in the U.S.. The Factor welcomed author Richard Dawkins, who laid out the case for atheism. "We have a very full understanding of why life is there. Science is piling on the evidence and piling on the understanding. The onus is on you to say why you believe in something." The Factor gladly took up that challenge. "I think it takes more faith to be an atheist than to be a believer like me. I just don't think we could have lucked out and have the tides go in and out, the sun go up and down. I'm throwing in with Jesus rather than with you guys because you can't tell me how it all got here."

Featured Book: The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

And to think I was worried that RD was going to be horribly stitched up!

16. The Video: Bill O'Reilly Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #34398 by Graeme on April 24, 2007 at 12:48 am

I've just seen the video and I thought it went very well, all things considered.
OK Richard only managed a couple of minor points which was all Bill was ever going to allow, but the Major success was that Richard was neither viciously attacked nor defeated, and Bill actually plugged the book as interesting.
Allowing that theres every possibility that some of the viewers had heard TGD described as being the work of satan, then I think thats a victory in itself, and could easily tempt some of the viewers into actually reading the book.
Nice one Richard.

17. Atheists split on how to not believe

Comment #34107 by Graeme on April 23, 2007 at 8:40 am

hey bizarro
wouldnt you be better employed out looking for a dinosaur or something?

18. The God of the Bible is No Delusion!

Comment #34085 by Graeme on April 23, 2007 at 7:11 am

Hi gang..
This isnt really relavent to the tread but as I recall some of you guys were quoting Hebrew (and Greek?) earlier I'd like to run this past you if I may.
Its the chapter in "The selfish Gene"...
The Replicators (page 18) where Richard writes

"We tend to regard erratic copying as a bad thing, and in the case of human documents it is hard to think of examples where errors can be described as improvements. I suppose the scholars of the septuagint could at least be said to have started something big when they mistranslated the the hebrew word for 'young woman' into the greek word for 'virgin', coming up with the prophecy: 'Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son....'

Basically I just wondered if you scholarly types were entirely happy with that statement?

I must say that when I first read the TSG it was my first introduction to RD (a few years ago now) it was a bit of a jaw dropping moment... a little gem that I really wasnt expecting in a book about genetics.

but does it go unchallenged?
any takers?
Graeme

19. Pope says science too narrow to explain creation

Comment #32196 by Graeme on April 16, 2007 at 6:23 am

RE: Comment # 32159 by Chamber

Chamber

I suggest that you find a copy of "The Selfish Gene"... preferably printed in your Mother tongue, which quite clearly isnt English, and inwardly digest it.

If its still beyond your wit to grasp the concept of evolution then perhaps you had better leave your daughters education to others more fit for the purpose.

20. The Coulter Hoax: How Ann Coulter Exposed the Intelligent Design Movement

Comment #30865 by Graeme on April 10, 2007 at 5:55 am

Excellent article...
and you're right enzogiovanni. I'd never heard of her before...(and hope never to hear from her again!)