501. Protests no concern for outspoken atheist

Comment #155507 by Mitchell Gilks on April 4, 2008 at 3:47 pm

He likely only says he accepts the fact of evolution because otherwise no one with half a brain would even talk to him.

It sounds like the same bullshit Denish D'Douchebag pulls. In one sentence saying he "believes in" evolution, and the next saying "evolutionists god is time" and "evolutionists belief this and this" clearly seperating himself from the group.

He just doesn't want people to avoid talking to him because they know he is impervious to reason and evidence if he rejects evolution.

502. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155502 by Mitchell Gilks on April 4, 2008 at 3:28 pm

As crazy as this sounds, it makes me sad. I once showed by Dad, after an insane argument that his church was around before the catholic church, I looked up the origin of his church, and it was crazier than I even thought. You can look it up by looking into "The worldwide church of god". It has its most resent origins in the later 19th centery, it turns out a baptist predicted the end of the world a few times, and was of course wrong, and was the founder of this church. So, this crazy seems (besides the attempted suicide) to be not much more insane than the guy who founded the church my Dad goes to. This information was of course denied, and he showed that there were sects that went to church on saturday before the catholics (which all christians did, it wasn't until the formation of the catholic church that changed) but I tried to explain that is in no way a link to his current church no more than Islam is because it worships on saturday. Though he was unwilling to accept this.

It is sad really, that people can buy this crap, it is even sadder that people like my dad can look at this group, and seen no similarities. Oh, did I mention that his group thinks that new identification chips being inplanted in the skin are "the mark of the beast".

503. Upside-down church sculpture on hit list

Comment #155494 by Mitchell Gilks on April 4, 2008 at 3:03 pm

I think that normal churchs are eye-sores and wastes of public space. That doesn't look all that bad, I for one like it!

504. Pastor attacks scientist's talk

Comment #155490 by Mitchell Gilks on April 4, 2008 at 2:53 pm

This "let hear both sides of the debate" crap again. It doesn't sound so pretty when you mention FSMism, or astrology.

505. Anti-gay Okla. lawmaker attracts 1,000 backers

Comment #155471 by Mitchell Gilks on April 4, 2008 at 2:20 pm

the sad part is that she is identical to my *MOM*- (insert crazy laughter)

I was floored, and somewhat bothered about a month ago when I was visiting my mother, and she asked me if I were gay.

She said that it was because I always go off on long rants about gay rights and constantly defend them whenever the opportunity arises, as if I'm taking it personally. I was mostly shocked because I consider myself to be quite incredibly straight. Not that I consider anything wrong with being gay, but I just love women, and am never afraid to express this fact. Which is also quite evidence in the things that I read and watch, and do.

My younger brother told me that it was probably because I'm the only kid in my family that hasn't had a kid yet by my age. My parents had my eldest brother at 19, and he had a kid at 19, and my sister had a kid at 19. I'm 24 in june and hadn't had a kid yet. Both her and my father are homophobic, and somewhat racist as well. Same with my two older siblings.

Everyone is always asking if my younger brother is gay, he isn't but he gets a kick out of it, so he often acts like he is. Like for instance, a couple weeks ago we went to give blood, and he was turned down. When I Dad asked him why, some people were staring, so he said "they don't let gay guys give blood I guess" and my sister started laughing so he kept making a scene about it until we left. They really turned him down because he had a cold a few days prior.

The first time anyone ever (seriously) asked me if I were gay, and it was my mom. It's sad really, if you speak out against slavery, or racism, you must be secretly black or something...lol.

506. Anti-gay Okla. lawmaker attracts 1,000 backers

Comment #155407 by Mitchell Gilks on April 4, 2008 at 12:46 pm

Lastly though, I see a lot of "the bible condems homosexuality" going around, when that isn't actually the case. It only condems male homosexuality, it doesn't say anything about female homosexuality. It says women can't wear mens clothing, and can't have sex with other animals, but it say nothing about them getting intimate with other women. Not that I give two shits what it says either way, but I think that it is important to be accurate.

I have speculated this is either because lesbians are super-hot, and even bronze age guys thought so, or they never considered that two women even could have sex "unless...they like scissor or something?". I think it is most likely the latter reason. I mean, if you can't link light to the sun, or rain to clouds, then not being able to pick up on that is understandable.

507. Anti-gay Okla. lawmaker attracts 1,000 backers

Comment #155402 by Mitchell Gilks on April 4, 2008 at 12:40 pm

I've seen that youtube clip already. It would be laughable if it wasn't disgustingly bigotted. I am shocked that such a hatemonger can get elected to office.

And a thousand people came out to say that they would rather see a terrorist attack than two beautiful women in a hot sweaty embrace? I rather see a puppy get skinned alive than see the former, yet can't go a day without the latter.

These people seriously blow my mind. I see a lot of projection going on an aweful lot, so I make it a point to take people at their words on things, and not allow my own feelings to cast doubt on their sincerity. Though when it comes to things like this, I am by far the most tempted to think they are not being truly sincere.

508. Scientists reshape Y chromosome haplogroup tree gaining new insights into human ancestry

Comment #154574 by Mitchell Gilks on April 3, 2008 at 1:15 pm

Yeah, my line travels back, and hits superman, Jesus, the Buddha, Hercules, Ts'ai Lun, Oda Nobunaga, Adam, of course God, then finally Edgar Mellencamp.

I've got a pretty good family tree. Should see the maternal side.

509. Thy will be done

Comment #154551 by Mitchell Gilks on April 3, 2008 at 12:34 pm

I assume during the atheist prayer rotation they pray to Darwin's ghost, and talk about how they don't believe in anything.

510. BBC 'too scared to allow jokes about Islam'

Comment #154545 by Mitchell Gilks on April 3, 2008 at 12:24 pm

Seems like buddy is taking suggestions as orders. Being told "you shouldn't do that" isn't the same as being told "you can't."

511. CEAI Action Alert for Science Teachers

Comment #154539 by Mitchell Gilks on April 3, 2008 at 12:11 pm

Hurray for the quality of education! Someone just watched "Expelled". Trying to play up the whole "persecuted anti-evolutionist". Despite being 80 some percept of the population in the united states, they still seem to be able to be bullied by "Big Science" and their evil dogmatic (*Nazi*) ways. Trying to destroy america by making monkeys our uncles and allowing men to marry each other. If they let the "Darwinists" win, then the world gets turned on it's ear. Next mice will be flying air planes! And people will get up out of their graves and age backward until they cease to exist!

512. Faith healing church parents charged over toddler's death

Comment #153711 by Mitchell Gilks on April 1, 2008 at 10:40 pm

Well, I think they definitely deserve jail time.

I find the whole discussion about absortion, and when is it OK to kill something, and if it is a person...to be frankly unintelligible when someone doesn't outline their position to begin with. It appears that the vast majority of people seem to oporate through arbitrary distinctions, and seperations without having a consistent fundation for making any such decisions.

I don't harm things because they can be harmed. Before an feotus has developed sufficent cogntivie facualties and the ability to progress sensory imput, then it cannot be harmed. I am pro-choice up until that point.

It seems to me that if you can't find cut off point to not kill something, because of semantic dispute, or because you don't know when to add a title or a label...then you are considering the wrong things. When to call something a person? Why does that matter? When they have reached an intellectual capacity of an adult? Huh? That's universally the same is it? I thought that it varied by quite huge degrees? Do the more intelligent get more rights? I didn't know that.

Do adults feel more pain, and can be harmed more than infants? Actually, the evidence would suggest it is the other way around.

It appears to me that people find it hard to pick a cut off point because their criteria is rediculous. When does it become a person? I don't even know why that matters, and since it is a title, a lable, something arbitrarily applied, it should hold not catagorical baring. I think even the most crazy of racists know that, they don't argue purely because someone is a different race they deserve less rights, they argue because they are catagorically inferior. Which is of course absurd on several levels, but even they know that something so arbitrary is indefencible.

If you find it hard to draw a line, or make up your mind when it is OK to abort a feotus, then I suggest you take a long look at what you think isn't OK to hurt, and why. Hopefully it isn't as arbitrary as many seem to indicate.

513. Supreme Court to consider Ten Commandments vs. 'Seven Aphorisms'

Comment #153707 by Mitchell Gilks on April 1, 2008 at 9:48 pm

The extraordinarily similar ones out of "The Book Of The Dead" should be put beside the ten commandments.

514. Who wants to kill the elderly?

Comment #153657 by Mitchell Gilks on April 1, 2008 at 6:58 pm

I don't like the guy writing this. He's too wishy-washy for my tastes. Alos, he's one of those "I don't need religion, but almost everyone else does" types. Which piss me off.

any difference between humans and other animals and does this difference matter?

This is a really odd question. Pick out any animal and it is different than other animals in some way, that is what makes it it's own species. The second part of the question is far too ambiguous to answer. Does it matter? In what way? and to whom? Do the differences matter? This requires context. If I want someone to repair my TV, then I'd sooner call a TV repair man than a horse. If I want something to ride to town, then I'd sooner get a horse than a person.

The implication is clear that our differences are suppose to make us universally and objectively better than any other animal. This is of course nonsense, and it is not disputed. That bothers me. Animal's differences make them better at what they do, we are no exception.

515. Vatican: Islam surpasses Roman Catholicism as world's largest religion

Comment #153032 by Mitchell Gilks on March 31, 2008 at 11:01 pm

First time in history? Ha! That is about as ignorant and funny as that women Hitchen's likes to quote saying "if english was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me."

These people are truly stupid individuals. They say things you would expect a seven year old to say.

If there is one thing I like about catholicism though, at least 60% of yuri stories take place at all girl catholic schools. Can't get enough of those uniforms.

516. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153021 by Mitchell Gilks on March 31, 2008 at 10:15 pm

Reading this I felt that the writer conveyed a mournful disposition, and a true lose of respect for something. I felt that was done rather sincerly, and nicely. Good writting.

Besides that, I would say that I've seen the UN do nothing other than let me down, and turn their back on the world's problems. They sit back and watch as every human right they are suppose to be upholding gets violated and completely disregarded as one group obliterates another. Or women, children and homosexuals are left to the mercy of an evil totalitarian set of beliefs and ideas, and send water and food after all the blood has been spilled to be mostly entercepted and stolen by the culprits.

Not only do I see the UN as useless, but it's pretending to be anything but for so long has done nothing but allow atrocities to unfold all over the world, as they were the ones that were suppose to uphold human rights and freedoms.

They are a disgusting and dispicable lot. Hopefully this will bring about a new international organization that is actually willing to fight for human rights.

517. Christian Founders 3D Adventure Computer Game

Comment #153015 by Mitchell Gilks on March 31, 2008 at 9:28 pm

Lets play the christian inspired "lets dictate reality with our imaginations" game.

Now true is determined by what you'd rather believe. Yay!

518. My quest to get de-baptised

Comment #152433 by Mitchell Gilks on March 31, 2008 at 2:39 am

I was never baptized. Yay me. I was never officially a member of any church or religion. My parents were baptized in "The world wide church of god" but they only baptized adults that consented to it, and was willing to go through with it. As they consider being baptized and then leaving their church to be a super big no-no.

I think I was like "blessed" or something when I was a baby, (which is creepy enough) but I was never baptized.

519. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #152394 by Mitchell Gilks on March 30, 2008 at 11:58 pm

Actually, that kind of attitude is quite prevalent among some naive secular "leftists". Let's celebrate "cultural diversity" as long as we don't have to endure their practice. I use "leftists" in quote because they betray the traditional leftist ideals of universalism and embrace a kind of toxic identity politics. If you are a white guy and beat your girl friend you should have your sorry arse hauled to jail,--which I agree,--but if you are a Muslim from Pakistan somehow that deserves some special considerations.

Some of my friends are among these "new leftists" and it is frustrating to even have a sensible debate with them. For example, when I said that gays got executed in Islamic countries, they retorted by saying that we are just as homophobic in the West because many people don't support same sex marriage. I mean, hello? I am gay, I certainly don't think not being able to marry is quite in the same league as being beheaded in public,

I know what you mean, and it is plan idiocy. The sad part about it, is that in their attempts to not be chauvanistic, racist, and sexist. The extreme left becomes just that, along side the extreme right at opposite ends of the spectrum. They are still not treating people equally, whether they are treating other groups better or worse doesn't matter, they are discriminating based on such trivial, and unimportant things.

A couple years ago a black guy was running for some political office in Fredericton (the capitol of new brunswich canada, don't remember his name or what he was running for) and my sister's friend said that she planned on voting for him, because he was black . I tried to explain how that was racist, but she couldn't seem to comprehend it.

There is a reason why Mahmoud Ahmadin-stupid-asshole-ejad said that there were no homosexuals in Iran while speaking at harvard. Because he's right, publically their aren't. It would be suicide to declare yourself one publically in Iran.

It is absolutely ridiculous to compare the (still pretty bad, as I understand public, and religious stigma is responsible for the high suicide rates of homosexuals, among other things. Like the marriage thing you mentioned. Though, peronsally, I am not interested in marriage, even being heterosexual, I might be able to be talked into some form of secular civil union, but I have absolutely no interest in marriage in a religious sense. I don't know what you think about it, but I am against the government not respecting or alloting the same civil rights, and benefits of a marriage to a homosexual couple, though I am not for forcing religions to marry homosexuals. As long as they gain no government funding, or support, then as a private organization they should be able to do what they want within the law, and that includes limiting membership for even trivial non-reasons such as homosexuality. Though I do think that the preaching and teaching of hatred and bigotry toward homosexuals needs to be stopped.) bigotry toward homosexuals in western societies to the murderous, bloodletting bigotry of the middle east. It's like comparing the child larbour of the early inductrial revolution to modern elementary school.

Apologizing for their inhuman, and frankly evil practices and beliefs is almost to the same degree of evil. I really see what Sam Harris argues poignantly when I read about, or discuss such issues. It really is the moderate, so called cultural sensative, and extreme left that are making it possible for the extremists to commit such horrible acts, while they turn a blind eye, and apologize for it later.

520. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #152358 by Mitchell Gilks on March 30, 2008 at 7:54 pm

I don't know why, but this whole thing reminds me of the political video that won the youtube contest. It really scares me that that pro-islamic video won. It shows a women and burka, and a pop-idol or whatever and the words "free" and "repressed" (I think those were the words, if not similar words) switched between them. My jaw dropped, and that angered me. How many teen-idol or whatever they were suppose to be are beaten to death by their fathers for not dressing like little sluts? Women in burkas certainly are free to dress like that, but the important thing is that they aren't free not to dress like that.

It sickens me that a video about how muslims aren't all that bad, are we really different? Playing an emotional game won. They as people, certainly are the same, their beliefs and religions are not just different, they are barbaric, and disgusting through the eyes of any moral and enlightened individual.

Sometimes I fear that just having facts and reason on your side isn't enough. More people seem to respond to emotional ploys more, and pretty lies. I think they're winning the PR battle.

Especially when all they have to do is threaten, and everyone complies, because we know that the crazy fucks seem to just be looking for an excuse to kill people in defence of islam.

521. I always aim to misbehave

Comment #151844 by Mitchell Gilks on March 29, 2008 at 2:47 pm

Good to hear. PZ is a man on a mission, and he will not stop until he informs as many people as possible of their dishonesty, and underhanded tactics. GO PZ!

522. 'We Make Our Own Heaven'

Comment #151565 by Mitchell Gilks on March 29, 2008 at 1:56 am

"atheists have no central beliefs - we are just people who don't believe in God?".

You are making the rather large mistake of mixing up "atheism" and "atheists" saying "atheists don't have any central beliefs" is like saying "a-fairyists don't have any central beliefs" it's utter and complete nonsense. "Atheism" implies no central beliefs, it is merely the rejection of a belief. Atheists, on the other hand all have central beliefs, only none of them are derived from atheism. Just as none of your central beliefs (I would hope anyway) are derived from your lack of fairy belief.

Of course all those who follow the TGD line will be opposed to such indoctrination of children.

(*rollseyes*) please... telling your kid god doesn't exist is no more indoctrination than tell them that fairies ghosts, goblins, the monster in their closet, dragons, unicorns, or anything else the imagination can conceive isn't real.

You are clearly misusing the word in an attempt to emote wrong doing where there is none. You can't indoctrinate without doctrines, especially to a negative position. My cat is an atheist, and I had nothing to do with it.

You have no problem telling your kids that all those thousands of gods and creatures in that giant graveyard we call "mythology" aren't real. Truth is, that graveyard is just a little bigger than you want to admit.

The inconsistency and utter hypocracy of people like you, who can attempt to criticize someone for telling their children that the religion you believe in isn't true, while having no trouble telling your own kids the exact some thing about everyone else's religion as far back as we are aware of them is completely mind blowing. Especially when often cupled with the claim that all those other religious people will be punished for not believing your favoured fairy-tale.

Also attempting to distort language in such a way to try to demonize people that you don't agree with, because you can't make a rational case.

This sort of thing used to piss me off, but now it just saddens me.

523. 'We Make Our Own Heaven'

Comment #151499 by Mitchell Gilks on March 28, 2008 at 9:14 pm

I didn't say that I couldn't learn mathematics. Quite the opposite. I'm pretty good at it. I said that I didn't learn what was on the test yet. Being that I dropped out at the end of grade nine, getting a ninth grade level I thought was pretty good after almost 4 years of being out of school. You can't just know how to do forms of mathematics without being taught.

524. 'We Make Our Own Heaven'

Comment #151487 by Mitchell Gilks on March 28, 2008 at 8:31 pm

At first I was leaning toward Steve's side, but now I think I agree with Bonzai more. I have a very poor formal education, I taught myself to read (thank you final fantasy series, and various other RPGs), and to spell (if you can't tell my grammer and punctuation is all guess work too). When I was young my father was a long-hall trucker, and I moved all over Canada, and never stayed in a single school for very long. As a result, I missed out on almost everything, and was forced into remedial classes, where they didn't teach me anything. I spent my time in school barely doing anything. I dropped out after finishing grade nine, and went back for a highschool equivolency when I was 19. When I took the test to see what my education level was measured at, they told me that I was very close to getting a higher level exam, because I scored at a university level for everything except english and math. My english level was only grade 6 (I have improved a lot in 5 years, it was much, much, much worse 5 years ago) and my math was at a grade 9 level (I was always naturally good at math without having to put effort into it, but I just never learnt how to do the math that was on the test, so I skipped half of it. Which is kind of funny, I have a good memory for numbers. I can do quite a lot in my head, nothing super special, but above average. When I started to try to learn Japanese, I only had to look at the numbers once, and I haven't forgot them, 1 to 20, though if my guess is right, I could do to 99 as twenty is just the number 2 "ni" and then the number ten "juu" and then whatever other number so, twenty two would be "ni-juu-ni" so I figure it would be the same for 30-40-50 just being the numbers, then the ten, and then the number. If I'm right, then I can count to 99 after about 10 minutes of memorizing 1-20. So I don't know what it is about numbers, it doesn't seem that it matters what I'm calling them, as long as it's numbers. The colours took me several attempts to memorize, and I still keep mixing up grey and yellow, as they are similar sounding).

I am almost entirely self-educated. I've spent the last year and a half or so reading and discussion philosophy, and reading some basic rules of formal logic, which have helped me more than I can express. My critical thinking I think has vastly improved in the last year and a half. So I naturally thought that it, along with philosophy should be part of public school education. After reading what Bonzai has said, maybe he is right. Maybe that wouldn't work as well as I had originally figured.

As I read articals almost daily by people that are vastly more educated than I am in all those such areas, but still seem to have the critical thinking skills of a wash-cloth. Surely, education is indespensible, but maybe it is something you have to want in this sense, and something you are trying to figure out by yourself, and use the education as a tool to meet those ends.

Perhaps it isn't something that can be taught, like mathematics. I just took it as a given that it could be. This is something I will have to think about, and look into further before I decide.

525. 'We Make Our Own Heaven'

Comment #151478 by Mitchell Gilks on March 28, 2008 at 8:07 pm

This bothers me. When I read something like this, and see eight-year-olds repeating a fraze or a word over and over again it worries me. I fear that "reason" and "free-thinking" and other suchs thing that people feel they can just self-title themselves with to make it true, are becoming just as vacuous as "truth" is when uttered by a religious person.

Constantly refering to yourself as something doesn't make it so. If anything, just asserting you are a certain way, or something is true about you is damaging to the goal of being that way. If you're already there after all.

If there some universally accept humanist definition of "free-thinker" that I am unaware of? Or is it not the ambiguous term it appears to be?

The idea of people getting together every sunday, and talk about how great reason and free-thinking is seems awefully wasteful of ones time to me. Though I don't care what people do with their time, probably 90% of my day is spent wastefully through the eyes of many people, so whatever they want to do, all the power to them.

Maybe it's just the artical, but they all sure come off as a bunch of brain-washing weirdo narcissists. Trying to replace religion, and all it's wonderful benefits.

I once read something from someone that really said a lot to me, and was just so true. They said that the ideas of salvation, and hope are nonsensical to those that don't require saving, and are happy and content in their state of affairs.

I don't require heaven, whether in a magical-fantasy, or in a utopian-carnal-delusion.

526. Iowa county board gives initial OK for ghost hunters to investigate asylum

Comment #151464 by Mitchell Gilks on March 28, 2008 at 7:33 pm

I have to laugh when I hear about all their "ghost detecting equipment". There is absolutely no evidence that any of it works at all, they might as well staple some tinfoil to a baseball cap and call it a ghost detector.

Damn crazies. Why an insane asylum? Last I checked, sane people die too. Are insane people more likely to haunt? Where did they get that information exactly?

When kids play pretend, it's cute, and they even know they are playing pretend...when adults do it, it's a pitiful sight indeed.

527. Evolution Of New Species Slows Down As Number Of Competitors Increases

Comment #150310 by Mitchell Gilks on March 26, 2008 at 5:23 pm

This seems like basic economics to me. Though it clearly does still need to be tested and varified, no matter how intuitive it may appear.

528. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #150304 by Mitchell Gilks on March 26, 2008 at 5:14 pm

It boggles the mind how people that attempt to justify positions with magic and supernaturalism are not laughed out of the public arena...instead it is the guy that puts forward the evidence of the benefits of the things in question that is criticized for not considering what someone's imaginary friend might think of the issue.

It would be funny if it wasn't so damaging, and taken so seriously.

529. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150032 by Mitchell Gilks on March 26, 2008 at 12:08 pm

Happy birthday Richard. I thoroughly enjoy, and look forward to, reading your writing, and watching your media. So please have many more, and keep them coming. Remedy a little of my ignorance with everything you do. Best birthday wishes from Canada. Cheers.

530. Expelled Overview

Comment #150025 by Mitchell Gilks on March 26, 2008 at 12:04 pm

What a lot of garbage. I'd rather sit through that church dvd my dad made me sit through last year that said if you believe in evolution, you're a homosexual, and neandrathols were centeries old humans. At least that was funny. This just angers me.

531. It looks like Man crucified

Comment #148928 by Mitchell Gilks on March 24, 2008 at 4:31 pm

I'm glad to hear that you don't think one needs to be an academic to be an intellectual. I'm glad to hear it because I'm a laymen, with a high-school equivolency, and two online graphics degrees (though I'm not planning on using them anymore) so I am almost entirely self taught. I'm currently teaching myself Japanese. Well, I bought some CDs, so I don't know if that counts as actually teaching myself.

I wouldn't consider myself an intellectual in an educated sense, though I do in an imborn intelligence sense.

I know that professional education is uncomparably better than self-education. Though I think that a desire to learn, and know, and the integrity and courage to admit when you don't know, and don't understand is the most important part to being an intellectual(though I'm biased of course, and my admittance of not being an intellectual kind of invalidates my opinion on the subject). Also, I think that honestly truly is golden. As honestly with yourself is often harder than being honest with others. Which very much includes watching to not make short cuts in reasoning, and simplifying and caricaturing someone's position because you "know" it's wrong anyway.

I know a little about a lot of things, but I don't know a lot about anything. I do someday plan to take a university course in philosophy, but for pleasure, and not for professional reasons.

I'm content with being a curious laymen, opposed to an apathetic academic.

532. It looks like Man crucified

Comment #148848 by Mitchell Gilks on March 24, 2008 at 3:38 am

Spinoza, the only thing I take issue with is you apparent use of "academic" as a synonym for "intellectual".

Let me ask you, do you think that laymen can be intellectuals, while academics can not be?

I am not suggesting that you purposely implied that, or anything. I'm just asking your opinion.

I would agree with you though that I find many people claiming to be atheists using many of the same flawed reasoning theists use. "Bandwagon" atheists that just jump onboard because "smart people are atheists" does bother me. The reason I like Sam Harris' work the best is because I think that he outlines best what the problem is, and what I agree needs to be focused on. That is flawed reasoning, and unjustified beliefs. Whether supernatural or not. Irrationality, and illogic. So, when I see (now it isn't as if I am perfectly reasonable, but I think I make a valiant effort) people calling themselves atheists, yet showing no better reasoning skills than theists (sometimes worse) I don't see them having achieved anything. They merely suppliment a divine authority, for the authority of the intelligencia.

533. It looks like Man crucified

Comment #148840 by Mitchell Gilks on March 24, 2008 at 3:19 am

Heh, it was just a little while ago I was reading an artical that accused "the new atheists" of too much faith in humanity and progress. Now I guess it's not enough. Can't please everyone I guess.

534. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #148783 by Mitchell Gilks on March 23, 2008 at 10:56 pm

Steve, if I were going to turn theist, and just believe whatever god/s I like exist, as they seem to, I personally favor Gaia. I favor a female progenitor.

535. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #148779 by Mitchell Gilks on March 23, 2008 at 10:47 pm

That was a great artical. I absolutely love RD's writing. It is always entertaining and eloquently barbed ( to borrow from Neal Tyson).

I also agree taht invoking any hyperbolic reference to Nazism is in bad taste.

536. The death-of-god debate

Comment #148730 by Mitchell Gilks on March 23, 2008 at 5:05 pm

This was a pretty good artical. I thought it was well written.

537. Discussion on PZ Myers being expelled from Expelled

Comment #148379 by Mitchell Gilks on March 22, 2008 at 8:12 pm

Short answer... I don't spend a lot of time following ID. My new book takes this debate in a different direction. I agree with Francis Collins on quite a bit, except that I see no concrete evidence for speciation arising from evolution. Change... yes, speciation... no.

I think this comes from a quite common misunderstanding of what species is, and believing that it is a clear cut seperation of one group of animals from another. Like cats and dogs. There isn't much at all that seperates species. I think that the existence of "ring species" best illustrates what little seperates species.

538. Discussion on PZ Myers being expelled from Expelled

Comment #148064 by Mitchell Gilks on March 22, 2008 at 12:13 am

I look foward to the full video. PZ said the same thing I was thinking when RD called them "Second rate".

539. Biology prof expelled from screening of 'Expelled'

Comment #148061 by Mitchell Gilks on March 21, 2008 at 11:35 pm

This was also linked from the first thread, so I read it. I'm happy that this is stirring up such a shit storm.

Hopefully the IDiots get caught in a flood and drown.

540. I suppose it's due ('Expelled' review)

Comment #148060 by Mitchell Gilks on March 21, 2008 at 11:30 pm

For someone that makes tons of such mistakes, I will clear up both Dlitt's question, and phasmagigas'.

Zaphod didn't suggest that there was another theory, he was saying that Dawkins' book didn't convince him of anything, the evidence did long ago.

The sentence "Anyone not devoid of the capability to critically think understands it that it did once the see the evidence" becomes legible if you drop an "it" and add a "y" and a "," like this "Anyone not devoid of the capability to critically think understands that it did, once they see the evidence" which makes sense in context of what is stated previously by Zaphod.

I made tons of such mistakes, so I am used to noticing them. That is if I'm right at all.

541. I suppose it's due ('Expelled' review)

Comment #148058 by Mitchell Gilks on March 21, 2008 at 11:23 pm

This was linked from the first post about Expelled. I doubt I will bother watching it given this review. I don't have an hour and a half to watch on such dribble.

542. EXPELLED!

Comment #147557 by Mitchell Gilks on March 20, 2008 at 10:03 pm

Hmmmph. Maybe she was at a different movie.

I'm sure she prefers drama to comedy.

543. EXPELLED!

Comment #147556 by Mitchell Gilks on March 20, 2008 at 10:02 pm

Just another example of how the IDiot mind works.

IDiot? It's so simple, yet brilliant. I think that made my week. I know how I am going to refer to them every single time in the future now. Domo arigato gozaimasu!

544. EXPELLED!

Comment #147551 by Mitchell Gilks on March 20, 2008 at 9:53 pm

Sorry, I love PZ Myers as much as the next guy. But in what world is he more noticeable than Richard Dawkins???

Pretty sure that is what makes this so funny.

They stop PZ from goin in, but let in Dawkins. That is pretty damn funny. Maybe they aren't aware that modes of fast air travel have been Intelligently Designed, and the british can visit, and go to movie screenings in the US. Especially durring his book tore, which lists where he will be, and when. You would think that they would be looking out for Dawkins, knowing he'd be in the area.

Maybe they prayed for god to stop Dawkins, and decided that PZ was too big of a threat to leave up to god. You know how they hate to leave stuff up to god.

545. God's cure for gays lost in sin

Comment #147508 by Mitchell Gilks on March 20, 2008 at 6:51 pm

I agree , It's probably like all sexual perferances learned. I like girls with dark hair and petite bodies ,I dobut i'am biologcally predisposed to liking them. I do think it's intresting that all the WIKI on gay animals included only mamals .......

I don't like blondes either, I also like dark hair. Not to insult any blondes out there, and I could look past it if they were hot enough. I also prefer dark hair. I find smaller girls, in the low to mid five foot range to have the best natural builds, that require the least amount of maintainance, but I've seen some really hot taller women that obviously put a lot of work into it.

The concept of marriage is pretty worthless, in anthropology it's defined as a relationship between two or more people where it is socially recognized that they have a monopoly on sexual acess.
Am I the only one who doesn't care how society views my relationships with other people ?

I also don't find the concept of marriage to be important. I also fear commitment, and it is a lot harder to get out of a marriage than it is just a normal relationship.

Though, if the right person pushed me hard enough, I might cave, and agree to a secular wedding.

546. The Secular Conscience

Comment #147395 by Mitchell Gilks on March 20, 2008 at 9:17 am

I will be sure to read this book. I was hoping to see a book just like it.

(Love the avatar Antipotheosis, Horo is such a great character. Spice and Wolf is just an amazingly great series. The final episode should be subbed, and available just about now. I will be sad to see it end.)

547. God's cure for gays lost in sin

Comment #147379 by Mitchell Gilks on March 20, 2008 at 8:51 am

Sounds like an exciting lesbian day. I personally can't get enough of women in suits or uniforms. Hawt!

Well I think that bisexuals were excluded because you wouldn't think that they would have any trouble spreading their genes. I think homosexuals were singled out because, although they definitely can have kids, and likely often do, (I don't know the stats) it would seem that they likely would less often than hetero or bisexual people do, yet the % of people that are homosexual doesn't decline. Though, as Bonzai pointed out, often the drive to have a family is cultural, and more imposed. As I understand it there isn't a huge stigma against homosexuality in Japan, they more have a problem with single adults. If you are a unmarried adult, they you are considered to have something wrong with you, and may suffer discrimination on account of it. Though, if you are married, and had a family, yet gay, then you don't suffer the same degree of discrimination. So, in that case, it is likely that many homosexuals in Japan still marry and have children, just for social and cultural reasons.

Question, when I hug my male cat, is that a gay-hug? Or are gay and lesbian hugs done a special way? :D

548. God's cure for gays lost in sin

Comment #147121 by Mitchell Gilks on March 19, 2008 at 9:32 pm

I really don't think that anyone is genetically predisposed toward preferences. Whether they are chosen or not. I think we are genetically predisposed to have preferences, but those preferences are discovered, not inherent.

As I said, I highly doubt that I have a "like anime" gene, and a "hate onion" gene. For one, it just doesn't seem economic, and the other, it seems highly unlikely that such a thing could be so specific.

I think we are predisposed to have sexuality, and the direction it is aimed at, is decided by other factors during developement in the first few years of life.

It doesn't seem likely to be that specifics like that could be easily programmed.

That doesn't mean they are consciousless decided. Only 10% of our actions reach conscious awareness, that doesn't mean that we are genetically predisposed toward the other 90%. It means that we have trained ourselves through experience, and life.

I think that the factors involved in any preference is likely convoluted, and many. Hard, if not impossible to pin down, and likely have huge variance between individuals.

To be clear, I don't think that heterosexuality is genetic either. I think purely sexuality is. Clearly, for whatever reason, 90% of people aim their sexual attraction toward the opposite sex, while 10% aim it toward the same sex.

549. God's cure for gays lost in sin

Comment #146984 by Mitchell Gilks on March 19, 2008 at 4:06 pm

Just out of interest what do people make of the teenage fondness for using `gay' to mean broken in some away. eg `my phones out of credit -- man that's so gay'.

A habit I picked up while living in Halifax for a year about 5 years ago. Meaning lame, or stupid, or just not good. It took awhile to kick, as you get used to using expressions without thinking.

I think now that it is insulting, and insensitive. So I'd rather just be a nice guy and not use it like that anymore.

550. God's cure for gays lost in sin

Comment #146966 by Mitchell Gilks on March 19, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Rachel, there is no need to apologize, and you didn't cause offence. I merely wanted to explain the difference. As it is an important distinction, not like they are somewhat different, but completely different things altogether. You can understand how you couldn't let someone calling "apples" "oranges" go.

I hope that I didn't come off as offended, or aggressive at all. Because I didn't mean to.

We all have areas that are completely unknown to us, that is why I felt the need to explain. :)