551. The Age of Darwin

Comment #32605 by the great teapot on April 17, 2007 at 2:57 pm

I've just remembered why I don't read broadsheets.
90 % of them are journalists producing pulp like this. Read me, how clever am I?,is the only thing this journo is trying to say. Nothing but hot air.
Ripe for radio 4s sunday supplement.( a comedy program that mocks the pretentions of the sunday papers in the UK)
As I am standing on the river tiber, history echoes between it's banks... yawn ,yawn.

552. Atheism isn't the final word

Comment #32600 by the great teapot on April 17, 2007 at 2:37 pm

This is just a webblog-
This is probably the most attention this guy has ever got.it's not worthy of comment.

553. Coming out as atheist: Noel Gallagher & Gabriel Byrne

Comment #32264 by the great teapot on April 16, 2007 at 2:26 pm

Luthien
you know you could be right, who else but Tony would say Tony Blair is a clever politician.

And by the way, well done in the euro 2008 qualifiers, hopefully you wiil give the English a team to support next summer.

554. Against God

Comment #32089 by the great teapot on April 15, 2007 at 2:33 pm

why do you go to church?

As an atheist all my life I have never gone to church of my own volition.
However i did go to church for 4 years when I was dating a Roman Catholic girlfriend.
(her ex was a priest so she initially wanted me to go to quash rumours)
It was during these visits and actually listening to bible readings (something few others in the church appeared to be doing) that my ambivalence turned into active dislike.
So that could be another reason why he is going to church.

555. Militant atheists: too clever for their own good

Comment #32084 by the great teapot on April 15, 2007 at 2:13 pm

Chamber

why not momentarily abandon your starting position. Begin the argument with a clean slate and then see where you stand.
Don't allow other people to redifine the word truth for you.
Truth is religions equivalent of Orwellian double speak.
Just because someone tells you black is white it doesn't make it so.

556. Hey Mom, I'm an Atheist

Comment #32079 by the great teapot on April 15, 2007 at 1:47 pm

Re comment 120 by Cheshire cat.

Using the term child abuse denigrates actual child abuse.

I could not agree more. The two are so incomparable to most people that I think this similie opens anything else Richard Dawkins has to say up to ridicule. While it is wrong to call a child Catholic, marxist etc to compare it with rape and physical abuse is abhorent.

I have often heard it said that having your house burgaled (spelling?) and ransacked is similar to being raped.
Well house burgalry has happened to me twice and I can safely say I would prefer it to physical abuse anyday. People who prize personal possesions or abstract intellectual values over actual bodily and psycological harm need their priorities sorting and quick.

557. As Religious Strife Grows, Europe's Atheists Seize Pulpit

Comment #32076 by the great teapot on April 15, 2007 at 1:17 pm

I am sorry to hear you are still alive chiefersone.
I wonder what you did to upset our Lord perhaps he sent you down here to get rid of your B.O or to complete your therapy. There must be some reason why he is delaying your stay in eternal extacy land or perhaps he is giving you another chance to repent properly to keep you out of hell.
Gee I hope he gives me a few chances.

558. Against God

Comment #32074 by the great teapot on April 15, 2007 at 1:03 pm

one thing the church must be eternally thanked for is the fact that the worst moment in a persons life, unless they have had to endure extreme suffering, should be made even worse by the thought that not ony shall they never see their home and their loved ones anymore but they shall now face eternal torture.
Way to go church. way to make death even more difficult than it already is. Nice work

559. Against God

Comment #32071 by the great teapot on April 15, 2007 at 12:53 pm

Cheshire cat

Why do you go to church?"

Perhaps it is for the same reason you frequently post on this website.

560. The God of the Bible is No Delusion!

Comment #31859 by the great teapot on April 14, 2007 at 4:58 pm

I think going to bed would be a good idea Mark.
You sound like you need a lot of rest.

561. As Religious Strife Grows, Europe's Atheists Seize Pulpit

Comment #31853 by the great teapot on April 14, 2007 at 4:20 pm

the expression "final battle" sounds very ominous.
Wasn't the first world war the war to end all wars.
I think ignoring it might be a better idea.

562. Coming out as atheist: Noel Gallagher & Gabriel Byrne

Comment #31848 by the great teapot on April 14, 2007 at 3:54 pm

Chesirecat

I do not hate Blair I have just always seen through him as the disingenuious fraud he is.
The buck stops here, cheesey grin ,cheesey grin.
The man would sell his mother wife and daughter to keep his job. He is a cuckoo in someone elses nest, and a very poor statesman, and he believes in a fairy God.
But that was not my point, I just wanted to know who the phoney was.Unless you are suggesting it was another of his deceits.
And how dare you criticize Bush. So it is let's all jump on the anti bush band wagon is it?

563. As Religious Strife Grows, Europe's Atheists Seize Pulpit

Comment #31844 by the great teapot on April 14, 2007 at 3:31 pm

God in the Netherlands

Thanks for posting that John. I have a few Dutch freinds who live in England and they are all religious nutters.(ie all go to church and believe the Bible) I was beginning to fear for the nation. I am pleased to see they are as sane a nation as anyone else.
Regarding the number of atheists quoted for a given country, I have said this a few times before the number is always underestimated due to the popular misconception of the term atheist.
Many people believe that atheist means either someone who is either evil or someone who is stridently anti religious. Few people think of an atheist as being someone who just has no belief in a personal God.
I have many work colleauges whose reason has taken them so far away from religious belief that they would consider this website redundant in the modern age- yet get this-until I mentioned it to them,they have always stated Church of England as their religion simply because it says so on their birth certificate.
In conclusion,to obtain the number of non-believers in a country what we should actually do is not ask people what they believe but simply take the number of regular church goers away from the number of people surveyed.
This gives the number of atheists as 80 to 90 percent. (sorry Spinoza,you are not as exclusive as you thought)

564. Coming out as atheist: Noel Gallagher & Gabriel Byrne

Comment #31838 by the great teapot on April 14, 2007 at 2:40 pm

During Mike Dickens last program, before his untimely death, he mentioned there was a famous example of a British primeminister who previously an atheist suddenly found God when they approached their position of power. Anyone know which PrimeMinister he refered to.
(Not Blair I suspect, he appears feeble minded and confused enough to believe the shit already)
Power to Noels elbow, any Manc who doesn't support utd and doesn't believe in the state sponsored religious crap is ok by me.

565. Is God poison?

Comment #31249 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 5:29 pm

1999 world cup semi final - I missed that one.
You are clearly not Australian, my mistake.

566. Is God poison?

Comment #31246 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 5:18 pm

Exactly so whats wrong with aus.
The pitcairns- now that's a place that needs the internet.

567. Is God poison?

Comment #31244 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 5:10 pm

But you are right about variety and choice.
Jesus can't you people take a compliment.

568. Is God poison?

Comment #31242 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 5:07 pm

I come from an area of England that has an even lower percentage of venues than sydney and it is looked down upon by the South East eventhough the people who mock the area I come from have never been to anything cultural in their lives. London venues are for the out of town tourists not Londoners.

569. Is God poison?

Comment #31237 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 4:57 pm

No obviously I am not only in favour of things that cure cancer, but what i am saying is that if it is not practical it's worth is questionable and should not be viewed with a superior air.

570. Is God poison?

Comment #31235 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 4:44 pm

I only knock it because I can't make out what it is even after someone explains it to me.

571. Is God poison?

Comment #31231 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 4:32 pm

In defence of aus, what is cultural sophistication? The church engages in cultural sophistication so does postmodernism.
If sophostication doesn't cure cancer you can blow it out your arse, and you can quote me on that.
People find sport fun and it keeps them healthy.

Against australia I've just remembered Germain Greer is australian.

572. Is God poison?

Comment #31223 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 3:39 pm

veronique

what did your friends dislike about Australia?
Living in the UK I have met many australians and they all leave me with the impression that Australia is agreat place to live. Not because they try to sell Australia but because I have never met one I didn't like.

573. Hey Mom, I'm an Atheist

Comment #31222 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 3:19 pm

what would be the collective noun for godless,heathen, amoralistic atheists?

Something I have always wondered is who defines these nouns anyway.
Who actually sits there and "officialy determines" it is a murder of crows and not a manslaughter of crows?

574. Hey Mom, I'm an Atheist

Comment #31221 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 3:04 pm

or a deluge of delussionales

575. Hey Mom, I'm an Atheist

Comment #31220 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 3:03 pm

a flock

576. Growing Up in the Universe: 2-Disc DVD Set

Comment #31212 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 1:56 pm

I think this is definitely the best thing I have ever seen.
I will recommend this to everyone I meet.
We are all pretty impressed I can tell you.
And that cover wow.It's the biz.

577. Sex, Love, and SSRIs

Comment #31158 by the great teapot on April 11, 2007 at 7:51 am

Can dopamine be suppressed naturally.
I 've fallen deeply in love a few times and I never want to go there again.
(this is a serious question by the way.)

578. Prophets of the new atheism

Comment #30409 by the great teapot on April 8, 2007 at 2:44 am

"Dawkins mocks god... "

I would say "Dawkins describes god..."

"that's what we see now happening in former communist Russia ...."

I have never been there or studied the place and I suspect neither has he, but I geuss that religion lived on in Russia during communism but underground. You can point guns at people and tell them not to believe but that will never change what they actually think. Just ask any Jew in 15th and 16th century spain.
Religion was driven underground and is now resurfacing.
Perhaps he should visit Sweden, or are they still inhaling the fumes of other peoples religion.

579. How to defend your faith with an electric wheelchair

Comment #30405 by the great teapot on April 8, 2007 at 2:25 am

Koldito

Walmart is a cheap shopping chain. They currently own ASDA in the UK (I think).

Cassdenata likes to go laughing at the little people.

580. Answers To the Atheists

Comment #30298 by the great teapot on April 7, 2007 at 12:55 pm

Also cheshircat are you saying jesus was a real rebel?

If he existed and did what is said of him he truly was. He also seems like a prickly contrary charachter- a bit like your good self.

The only thing this author seems to be rebelling against in a world surrounded by2 billion fellow christians is his own commonsense.

581. Answers To the Atheists

Comment #30294 by the great teapot on April 7, 2007 at 12:45 pm

cheshirecat

is that a continuation of your dogmas
or are you telling us faith is intellectually lazy?

582. Answers To the Atheists

Comment #30283 by the great teapot on April 7, 2007 at 11:56 am

2 Billion christians.
I expect we are all incuded in that figure.

583. Crucifixion 'makes God into a psychopath'

Comment #30278 by the great teapot on April 7, 2007 at 11:41 am

If he had to come down to ajudicate between ,say,christians and muslims how would he do it?
By getting himself gord to death in a bullring?
or perhaps running out in front of an indianapolis 500 race? Should be great can't wait.

As for the virgin birth I don't know why anyone ever raises that. I would have thought if you believe he can create the universe etc one egg inside the womb of a god replicant is surely a piece of cake.

584. Crucifixion 'makes God into a psychopath'

Comment #30251 by the great teapot on April 7, 2007 at 10:38 am

Bouwe wrote :
"I think these things go some way to help explain the origins of this bizarre doctrine which is FRONT AND CENTRAL and AT THE HEART of Christianity. I think it is important that if one wishes to give Christianity a fatal blow that one should learn to strike it at it's heart (after all, that's where the blood is, eh?)"

It would be nice to think so but christianity has a twisted heart. Stab it and it just twists again.
If this ridiculous notion of atonement has survived so long I don't see how it will ever go away. I assume all religious people must have their own "reality" already which explains why it all makes perfect sense.

585. Militant atheists: too clever for their own good

Comment #30197 by the great teapot on April 7, 2007 at 7:57 am

re comment 60- well said dirtpiggy.(heet jij ook aardvark?)

If the club were elitist I would have to leave it.

Spinoza wouldn't say that if he was being burnt by the mob.

586. Militant atheists: too clever for their own good

Comment #30192 by the great teapot on April 7, 2007 at 7:43 am

That is a very short surname you have Stephen H.
I am assuming that H is your surname and you don't just have the single Christian (sorry) name stephenH.
I have just read Richard Dawkins comments about people not using their real names, he seemed particularly irked by septembre using a pseudonym when he was in a heated debate about postmodernism (whatever that might be). I don't know if I speak for many but I use a pseudonym because I, like most people who don't queue up for Pop Idol or work in the media, have no desire to have 15 minutes of fame in any shape or form and this may be typically English but I actually am embarrased by any degree of publicity. But by using a pseudonym name which in many cases also expresses a belief,I am able to contribute without feeling uncomfortable. (not because I wish to hide from my opinions being exposed).
Your name is already in the public domain Richard so I expect you might not understand this.
If you read this Richard thanks for the Website it's one of my favourites, (almost as good as mfc.co.uk) and thanks for all the books down the years.

587. The Most Hated Family in America

Comment #29687 by the great teapot on April 4, 2007 at 6:02 am

It is often said in England (not by me I hasten to add) particuarly by worldly wise teenagers that Americans have no sense of Irony. I take my hat off to Americans having visited The sites recommended above and particularly this groups own website.The USA has taken comedy to a whole new level. No wonder Louis favourite was peeing herself all the way through the film.
I seriously can't tell whats real and what is not anymore.
What ever their motives for doing this I have changed my views- training children to act out your prejudices is definitely child abuse.

588. The Most Hated Family in America

Comment #29619 by the great teapot on April 3, 2007 at 3:58 pm

The whole time I watched this I just keept thinking to myself "how does this differ from Christianity, Judaism and Islam?"
All they said was "we know the word of God, Join us you'll be saved .If you don't you'll burn in hell. Lust is evil." Religious leaders say this kind of thing everyday. One of the few differences I could see was these people weren't out to convert anybody by flattering them. The church tells us we all have original sin and we are going to hell unless we believe and yet when we die, regardless of how we have lived our lives they will gladly bury us as if we were believing saints all our lives.But the biggest difference was there are only a few of them, if halve the country believed in what they preached they would be considered normal. They are religion distilled. But unlike the catholic church they haven't burned anyone to death, so they are one up on them.

And is it just me but the frequent aggresive, violence threatening comments that appear on Youtube put me off posting anything on there.

589. Is this another Sokal Hoax?

Comment #28961 by the great teapot on March 31, 2007 at 11:57 pm

looks like they have found Alistair McGraths phd submission.

590. Richard Dawkins: Author of the Year!

Comment #28917 by the great teapot on March 31, 2007 at 3:05 pm

Reading the spines of the books in the picture just before the announcement all one could read was chard Dawkins- my first reaction was christ not another bloody flea.
I was dissapointed he nevr thanked god but for whom non of this would be possible.
Well done on the award but clearly there are no Martin Amis's around anymore.

591. A History of Violence

Comment #28904 by the great teapot on March 31, 2007 at 2:33 pm

How did they record casualties over the years.
Reminds me of the first series of black adder when the king wandered around the battle field collecting the battle averages of his knights.
There must be 12th century versions of wisden out there.

592. A History of Violence

Comment #28903 by the great teapot on March 31, 2007 at 2:27 pm

I 've just noticed your from Belfast Luthien- You
probablly know better than me about the terrorism there.
Sorry if I have annoyed you.

593. A History of Violence

Comment #28900 by the great teapot on March 31, 2007 at 2:19 pm

If one platitude annoys me more then any other it is that religion is the cause of all wars.
It flies in the face of the facts, even if you accept that Northern Ireland was religious which i don't, (The IRA where the Irish republican army
their aim was to drive britain back out of Ireland) Countries generally invade other countries for political and economic reasons not to protect or spread faith. Although that does sometimes occur granted. The problem with suggesting this and other deliberatly antogonistic things like taking a child to church is child abuse is it allows the so called fleas to print slim books picking on these red herring arguments. I am not sure where chesire cat quite stands but I think thats is what he or she is getting at and I agree.

594. A History of Violence

Comment #28892 by the great teapot on March 31, 2007 at 1:46 pm

pate de foie gras anyone.

595. The Fifth Flea!

Comment #28878 by the great teapot on March 31, 2007 at 12:56 pm

A little.

596. The Fifth Flea!

Comment #28876 by the great teapot on March 31, 2007 at 12:39 pm

Talk about letting other people do your thinking for you.
The idea that the universe is fine tuned for life, down to the physical constants.
Think of that one yourself did you?
So a conscious being who we have no proof for must be twiddling the knobs. Yes lets jump to this conclusion shall we that seems like the sensible thing to do. No,now call me illogical if you like but I will stick with not believing in something I have seen no compelling evidence for in my entire life.And even those who do believe have to admitt it is just a faith.
There have been some very interesting programs about slavery and religion today on the radio.
I found it interesting the church grappled for many years with the thorny problem "should the slaves be allowed to be baptised and converted to chrstians" difficult one that I know. So much for the church providing us with our morals. Morals are quite clearly manmade and reflect the zeitgeist not absolutes from god.
God why am I even bothering?

597. Richard Dawkins Explains 'The God Delusion'

Comment #28689 by the great teapot on March 30, 2007 at 11:55 am

"I am well aware of the continuing significance of class in the UK"
Do go on. I am dying to hear more.

598. Richard Dawkins Explains 'The God Delusion'

Comment #28686 by the great teapot on March 30, 2007 at 11:50 am

you're quite right Cheshire cat it is a very poor analogy indeed. No stamp collector ever tied someone to a stake and burned them alive.

599. Neil Peart cites The God Delusion in new album's liner notes

Comment #28024 by the great teapot on March 27, 2007 at 3:51 pm

Christ, Progressive rock.
What next star trekkies?

600. Hell is real and eternal: Pope

Comment #28022 by the great teapot on March 27, 2007 at 3:44 pm

Look don't shoot the messangers.
If god can change his mind about slavery,killing children for disobeying elders and stoning for collecting firewood on the sabbath he can change his mind on his garbage disposal policy as well.