651. Is God poison?

Comment #30899 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 9:08 am

47. Comment #30894 by briancoughlanworldcitizen

"That said, I have to say I like Tyson. He's not sufficently reflective to a be a "Sagan Clone", too bubbly and enthusiastic for my cynical tastes, but he's pretty good nonetheless."

Yes Brian, he is too bubbly and enthusiastic, but Sagan was enthusiastic also, only in a deeper more meaningful way. Tyson is also clearly bent on the dollar, so was Sagan but it didn't show. Sagan had a universal appeal that Tyson lacks.

652. Is God poison?

Comment #30893 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 8:58 am

Being a biblical ignoramus, would someone please enlighten me about the stupid practice of cutting off a piece of one's cock for God, is it a command by Jesus or some other guy?

My Jewish friends never told me the mohel (pronounced "moil") actually performed fellatio!

653. Is God poison?

Comment #30892 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 8:47 am

30. Comment #30864 by Luthien

"With Alastair McGrath representing us here in Northern Ireland, we are in with a good chance for a 2nd gold medal (in addition to the sharp shooting one we always win)."

Well, it stands to reason that the Irish would win the sharpshooting...

Sorry Luthien - bad taste I know, but hard to resist you must admit.

654. Is God poison?

Comment #30888 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 8:39 am

40. Comment #30884 by Logicel

Ah, so you see yourself as "Logic cell", I had deciphered it as "Logic el", like another namey kind of way to say "logical". I wonder how much current can be drawn from you before your voltage sags at the knees?

655. Is God poison?

Comment #30887 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 8:34 am

33. Comment #30876 by briancoughlanworldcitizen

I think Richard used this quip as a kind of "second-hand" way to get back at Tyson who had confrontationally rebuked him. Tyson is liked by many but not much by me, he thinks too much of himself and sees himself as a Carl Sagan replacement which he'll never be. He's due for a slight intellectual arse-kicking in my opinion.

656. Is God poison?

Comment #30883 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 8:23 am

37. Comment #30880 by EntropyGuardian

If you're referring to the Haggard thing, it's part of that "Root of All Evil?" TV series that Richard made, it's on YouTube I'm sure.

657. Is God poison?

Comment #30881 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 8:21 am

Thinking of confrontation made me think of Hitchens, I don't always agree with him but he does know how to be confrontational. He intimidates without actually being violent, but he's clearly aware that violence is, and always will be, the ultimate sanction.

658. Is God poison?

Comment #30879 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 8:15 am

33. Comment #30876 by briancoughlanworldcitizen

"I've seen Richard in a lot of settings, and he invariable comes across as charming and interested. The one exception is perhaps the interview with Ted Haggard, and he can certainly be forgiven for loosing the rag on that occasion."

I don't think he did "lose the rag" on that occasion, my opinion is that Richard's the kind of guy that's not sure how to handle confrontational situations with "Haggardites". While watching that, I was dying to leap in and tackle Haggard myself, I would have had him foaming at the mouth and leaping up and down like a child throwing a supermarket tantrum, I would've done my best to make him physically assault me...oh how I would have enjoyed that!

659. Is God poison?

Comment #30877 by Yorker on April 10, 2007 at 8:03 am

Multiple comments by Logicel

What is this Logicel, a takeover bid? :)

These pseudo-intellectual religite tonks make me puke with their crap about Dawkins' lack of "deep theological knowledge".

Bethune and his ilk need to understand the following:

"Religion is like dog shit on your shoe, no need to examine it deeply to realise what it is, just wipe it off with disgust and walk on!"

A quotation by Yorker!

660. Praying for the Apocalypse

Comment #30749 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 4:33 pm

9. Comment #30703 by Pieter

You're far too late Pieter, it's an American idea remember, making money was probably its original intent. The usual tacky paraphenalia for sale. Take a look here:

http://www.raptureready.com/

661. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30741 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 4:02 pm

80. Comment #30713 by briancoughlanworldcitizen

Brian, I just watched your latest vid. and have a question for you. Why did you not make an appearance this time? Did you forget to shave again? :)

You comments on people jumping out of aircraft based on evidence, scared the hell out of me! As a flier myself, I could never understand why anyone would leap out of a perfectly serviceable craft. The only time I have fun flying is when I'm doing it, the moment I relinquish control to someone else, the fun is replaced by uneasiness. The only time I would dream of parachuting is if I had packed it myself and was in an aircraft badly on fire or had lost all control functions. Nowadays I'm not fit enough for aerobatic flying so I spend my time writing simulator software and flying sims, it's almost as much fun as reality and I can beat the following old flying maxim without getting killed.

"There are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots"

or for the religite flier:

"Watch thy airspeed, lest the ground rise up and smite thee!"

662. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30735 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 3:27 pm

84. Comment #30726 by Fishpeddler

If you're a Maxwell you should look into your family history, it's possible your a descendant of the great James Clerk Maxwell, one of the cleverest guys who ever lived, and one of the reasons we got this far this quick with electronics.

663. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30675 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 9:48 am

59. Comment #30669 by anthony0005

"the word recognize was spelled wrong"

Hard to resist a chuckle there Anthony. Most British English speakers would say you are spelling the word "recognize" wrongly, "recognise" is correct, like realise, organise, et cetera.

Stop f*****g with our language! :)

664. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30672 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 9:41 am

57. Comment #30667 by Logicel

I remember that post by Fishpeddler who clearly doesn't know how to put conductive objects in a microwave oven without causing sparks to fly!

665. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30668 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 9:34 am

50. Comment #30659 by Logicel

No Logicel, I was not aware that either of you held the opinion I do, I must have missed these posts.

Although I have felt this way since my early twenties, it was during my time in the USA that my conviction grew much stronger. The appalling "kick-ass" mentality of many Americans was what did it, I even suggested to a few that they try living elsewhere for a while in order to rid themselves of their parochial attitudes. The mention of the Braveheart nonsense I posted about earlier brings to mind the following.

One or two Ameircans suggested I was being traitorous to my country for decrying Gibson's totally inaccurate movie! A fact I may have mentioned before is the case of a guy who lived in the redneckish town of Bartow in central Florida. I don't know what his number is now, but 7 or 8 years ago this person had watched "Braveheart" 486 times! He achieved the feat by viewing it twice each weekend and once every Wednesday. Talk aboout getting a life!!!

666. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30654 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 8:08 am

46. Comment #30650 by Fishpeddler

Like you, I've never had the god bug so I don't know the feeling of giving it up, but again, I admire those who have taken that courageous step.

As I've aged, my conviction that death is THE END has strengthened and you know what, I actually feel good about it! It has made me realise the importance of making the most of my one shot, now I've retired, I can do many things I couldn't when I had to go along with that ridiculous "work" thing we invented. I never feel bored and I'm having a good time; it's true that the best things in life are free, you don't need riches to enjoy your life.

667. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30652 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 7:55 am

39. Comment #30641 by scottishgeologist

Well my friend, you seem to agree with me about nationalism but I've mentioned that before on this site and the comments are mostly negative. Many seem unable to see the long-term bad aspects of it. (Edited for clarity. Y)

I remain convinced that even without the added destructive factor of religion, nationalism/patriotism is a definite long-term danger that humankind must eradicate if we are to have a future in the cosmos. We need to embrace unity in the interest of our planetary home, we are yet a long way from having the ability to find another, and there's no guarantee we'll ever have that capability.

668. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30639 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 5:30 am

7. Comment #30597 by scottishgeologist

"The Braveheart comment is ludicrous. Most Scots find Mel Gibsons Braveheart an embarassment"

And I'm one of them. However, it cannot be denied that arseholes in at least local government, disagree with us; they deemed it wise to place a statue of that idiot Gibson at the Wallace Monument. A few sensibly outraged Scots defaced the object but only succeeded in getting bars placed around it.

A statue with bars around it that has the word "freedom" carved on it, is testament to all vistors that some Scots are sadly, a bunch of overly patriotic idiots. A perfect example of the need to get rid of nationalism generally - another impediment to the progress of hunamity.

669. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30637 by Yorker on April 9, 2007 at 5:11 am

"...thoughtful atheism ought not to be an oxymoron"

What an insulting, sour-faced, woolly-headed, virus-brained, non-thinker you are Anderson!

Most atheists are so BECAUSE they are thoughtful. A more apt oxymoron would be "thoughtful religite", someone like yourself would fit that bill. Your friend seems to have been an admirable man - makes me wonder why he took up with the likes of you! Then again, we all know some of the not-so-secret goings on within that "old-boy" MI6 thing!

"religion is one of the most powerful impulses in the human psyche"

Is it? Only if you're one of those cruelly indoctrinated in childhood, who in adulthood, can't find the courage to dump the comforting fairy-tale. The rest of us see religion as it truly is, an impediment to the progress of humanity.

Ahh, what's the use? You're not a strong enough challenge to waste further time upon. I awoke late today with the need to smite a religite, you came along in timely fashion, thanks plonker!

670. Prophets of the new atheism

Comment #30516 by Yorker on April 8, 2007 at 9:33 am

49. Comment #30483 by Roll

Fair enough Roll, I couldn't resist jumping to Brian's defense and I commend you on doing the right thing.

671. Prophets of the new atheism

Comment #30481 by Yorker on April 8, 2007 at 7:26 am

39. Comment #30465 by briancoughlanworldcitizen

I saw your YouTube presentation and gave your first rating. The more atheistic posts the better, I think.

I won't repeat the vile criticism of your efforts that Roll spewed forth in #44 of this thread, he seems to have taken a strong dislike to you. I wonder if this is a result of some past confrontation, or is he just a prick who enjoys insulting people for no good reason?

Incidentally Roll, if you think I'm baiting you, you're correct! Wanna bite?

672. E.O. Wilson Accepts his 2007 TED Prize

Comment #30474 by Yorker on April 8, 2007 at 6:35 am

1. Comment #30404 by jeepyjay

Does it matter? It's E.O.Wilson, I wouldn't care if the award was granted by The Porno Movie Producers Association, he still deserves it!

673. Jesus and Mo: Dummy

Comment #30452 by Yorker on April 8, 2007 at 5:07 am

25. Comment #30377 by Veronique

Yes, that's what I had in mind, an appeal to their rebelliousness! We should support them, and of course we'd get blamed and accused of manipulation etc. Fine!

674. E.O. Wilson Accepts his 2007 TED Prize

Comment #30451 by Yorker on April 8, 2007 at 4:54 am

Glad to see Ed Wilson get this prize -- a truly human being.

If you've not already done so, I urge all of you to watch the hour-long Charlie Rose episode featuring E.O.Wilson and Jim Watson, it's on Google video and might still be a free view. The program was produced when both had just released Darwin anthologies. There's a marvellous moment when Jim states his opinion that Darwin was the most important person ever to have lived on Earth, Wilson pauses for a moment, then agrees.

Well worth a watch!

675. Jesus and Mo: Dummy

Comment #30371 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 10:05 pm

23. Comment #30363 by Veronique

I wonder if that school would consider Muslim girls garb to be "disruptive", you know, bag-over-the-head etc. I suspect the hypocritical bastards would take a different approach to that problem. What we need is hordes of kids claiming belief in many outlandish religions each with special garb and daily prayer rules that schools must accomodate. It would be wonderful! Kids are the key, if entire nations of kids unite in highlighting the stupidity of religion they would become a powerful force!

It's something I'd love to see in the UK also, give Blair a final multi-cultural problem to deal with!

676. Crucifixion 'makes God into a psychopath'

Comment #30369 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 9:47 pm

Yes Michael, that's a danger we can't overlook but I doubt if Islamists will start a war they cannot win, they're fanatical but not stupid. I'm afraid the USA poses a greater danger if the rapturist religites get power, they've actually said they want to help Israel wipe out its enemies with nuclear weapons if necessary. American fundies are more likely to start such a war because they think they can win.

I've long stated my worry that the demise of humankind might be self-inflicted, but I don't think it's imminent - the end of the world is not nigh just yet. Bear in mind that the USA is only around 6 percent of the world's population, most of its population don't even know that but the rest of humanity does. I can't think the remaining 94 percent would stand by and allow such folly, neither do I think the sane population of the USA would stand by and do nothing against such idiocy in their own country. While it might be true that Joe Average American is convinced of US invincibility, the real power brokers who run the country know the truth. They would not want to draw China and North Korea into a worldwide conflict.

677. Crucifixion 'makes God into a psychopath'

Comment #30329 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 3:47 pm

43. Comment #30258 by dirtpiggy

Well, certainly the words "static" and "dynamic" are commonly used in software engineering, I presume that's what triggered your close guess. I've never had great interest in doing web stuff, mostly apps. and software control of industrial processes and scientific instrumentation.

678. Jesus and Mo: Dummy

Comment #30326 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 3:35 pm

18. Comment #30313 by scottishgeologist

I'd already explained the pacifier vs dummy thing on another thread but I used "dummy teat" even though as you say, in Scotland we use "dummy tit, as in: "Shove a dummy tit in the bairn's mooth!".

At teething time my grannie would advise "a drap 'o whisky an a tickie butter" be smeared on the tit. No wonder many Scots are piss artists, we start them young! :)

679. Militant atheists: too clever for their own good

Comment #30312 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 2:04 pm

65. Comment #30210 by dirtpiggy

"(Hehe, baie naby, maar ek verkies grondvarkie... so half en half 'n Invader Zim reference, so dit kom eintlik van die Engels af.)"

Is that Dutch or Afrikaans, dirtpiggy?

680. Crucifixion 'makes God into a psychopath'

Comment #30225 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 8:35 am

29. Comment #30199 by bouwe

Please don't misunderstand. I didn't say we shouldn't fight. Indeed, if you look at the history of posts on this site, you'll see that I more than most, have advocated unity so that a we can take a much more powerful and most importantly, political stance against the danger of theism. I merely pointed out in reference to Logicel's comment, that religion will die without our help, but I fully agree we should hasten its departure if possible.

681. Jesus and Mo: Dummy

Comment #30190 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 7:25 am

14. Comment #30187 by scottishgeologist

You know what, that swearing jesus stuff reminds me of a Cuban religite I knew in South Florida. The one about not f*****g with jesus was exactly what he would say if tackled on religion. Classic!

682. Crucifixion 'makes God into a psychopath'

Comment #30186 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 7:10 am

25. Comment #30180 by bouwe

Ah, the Templeton prize rears its bribing, Judas-making head again, yet there are those who see no harm in it. You know who you are!

683. Crucifixion 'makes God into a psychopath'

Comment #30182 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 6:59 am

15. Comment #30154 by Logicel

"This jumble of nonsense came into being because ancient men had little understanding of the natural world..."

Correct Logicel, and what's more, it is the Achilles heel of religion. I might have said it elsewhere on this site but I'll risk saying it again.

Even if we do nothing, religion must eventually die because of its weak, poorly thought out and most of all, static nature. We live in a progressive, dynamic world, that fact cannot be denied. As our knowledge grows, so our tolerance for nonsense diminishes, for religion to continue flourishing it must become dynamic also. It cannot do that because it would mean changing the tale its original proposers told - clearly a non-starter. These desert tribesmen couldn't foresee how the world would evolve and develop; they made the fatal assumption that their situation would always pertain.

So I agree with Dawkins point of view here; the current upsurge in religiosity is merely a hiccup, a positive blip in the otherwise increasingly negative slope of its curve towards oblivion.

684. Jesus and Mo: Dummy

Comment #30177 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 6:30 am

Sorry folks, that looks like what it's meant to be, as NMcC said, a beer pump. Whoever saw a dildo with a large brand-name flange at it's base and what is clearly a little brass finial on the end? Additionally, the overall shape is not at all representative of any object I would wish to have as part of my anatomy!

685. Militant atheists: too clever for their own good

Comment #30173 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 6:17 am

During a lifetime, one meets many people of varying intelligence levels. In my own life I'd estimate that the intelligent atheists I've known, outnumber intelligent theists by at least 10 to 1. Of thickoids encountered, I'd say around 80% were religites; I'd guess others might estimate similarly. Even Moore must have noticed at least broadly, that my figures are representative. A denial on his part would cause me to label him liar.

686. Militant atheists: too clever for their own good

Comment #30167 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 6:03 am

46. Comment #30161 by Geoff

"...I strongly suspect that the social aspect is a big factor."

I can give that argument some backing, Geoff.

My grandmother wasn't religious, but I have strong childhood memories of her attending the local church whist drive every Wednesday evening, sometimes she took me with her to give my mother a break. When I grew up I asked her about it, she replied that it was just for the company, the church aspect was purely incidental.

687. Jesus and Mo: Dummy

Comment #30152 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 4:50 am

Tut, tut. I'm disgusted by the filth you heathens are spurting here!

688. Crucifixion 'makes God into a psychopath'

Comment #30150 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 4:45 am

Zero. The most important number. I like it.

689. Militant atheists: too clever for their own good

Comment #30148 by Yorker on April 7, 2007 at 4:33 am

I won't say much about Mr. Moore, I'm too late and others have done good jobs with which I mostly agree.

Prof. Dawkins comment about pseudonyms set me off though, I have always assumed that people have avoided using their real name for security reasons. Personally, I'd have no problem using my real name, I wonder what others think?

Veronique

I almost always like your posts, you regularly say something that strikes a chord with me. You were absent for a while so I'm glad you're back; you're my kind of woman - pity you live so far away. :(

690. The Selfish Green

Comment #30002 by Yorker on April 6, 2007 at 3:40 am

1. Comment #29322 by Civilized Worm

I like to think of myself as a liberal person and I have nothing against gay people (one of my brother's is gay) but your avatar negatively impinges upon me. There's something about two guys kissing each other on the mouth, that makes me want to look away. I can't speak for others of course, but I suspect I'm not alone - just alone in raising it.

Some might say I have a problem etc. but at my stage in life, I couldn't care less about that and I'm very unlikely to change. I guess I shall just have to avoid your posts.

691. The Selfish Green

Comment #29995 by Yorker on April 6, 2007 at 3:24 am

Well Logicel, I'm glad you became a "convert", but I have this nasty feeling that you may be just trying to shut me up! :)

692. The Selfish Green

Comment #29954 by Yorker on April 5, 2007 at 5:26 pm

Logicel, I urge you to watch some Attenborough stuff again. Perhaps his ground-breaking film about the hunting chimps, his anthropological work with head-hunters and cannibals, or his real-life "Diane Fossey-like" meeting with the mountain gorillas would make you "see the light" about him. Even the simple fact that he never bothered to learn how to drive a car, is remarkable in today's world.

693. The Selfish Green

Comment #29952 by Yorker on April 5, 2007 at 5:15 pm

27. Comment #29936 by Veronique

I think you're like me. I felt about Tom Hanks like you felt about that guy Cundall. I couldn't even watch Hanks, then one day, on a long flight, I forced myself to watch the film "Cast Away", which is in large part, about him alone. Ever since then my mind changed entirely, now I think he's a good actor.

I also liked Sagan a lot and I still do, but I see him now in a different way, the book "Carl Sagan: A Life" made me think more about him as a human being. His first wife and kids talked about him in a less than flattering way, citing his unwillingness to do household chores and other mundane but important husbandly duties he shirked. This disappointed me a little but I forgave him on the grounds that the great things he did far outweighed these minor faults, of course, I could see that those who live with such a person might not consider the faults minor!

I have just read "Shadows" for the third time and still got additional stuff out of it, I've read all his books, he never wrote anything remotely mediocre. Finally, I must confess a slight lust and strong liking for Annie Druyan, Sagan's last wife. But then that's just me, I've always found intelligent women very attractive and desirable. As I age, I find this characteristic strengthening in me!

694. The Selfish Green

Comment #29777 by Yorker on April 4, 2007 at 4:14 pm

20. Comment #29770 by Veronique

Don't worry about the Earth Veronique, it's survived much worse in the past. Once it has got rid of us, or we've got rid of us, it'll heal itself and another species will get their shot.

695. The Selfish Green

Comment #29776 by Yorker on April 4, 2007 at 4:10 pm

13. Comment #29663 by Logicel

"However, I still cannot appreciate Attenborough--his fabled communicative style smacks too much of the down-home preacher to appeal to me."

You surprise me Logicel! Perhaps you're unaware of the background or standing of Sir David Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS. If he's preachy, you can call me Billy Graham!

It will be a sad loss when the multi-talented Dave dies. His world renowned multiple wildlife series are unequalled; when he was boss, the BBC did it's best ever work. He's one of the world's most admired persons. Carl Sagan asked who would speak for Earth? He could do no better than David Attenborough.

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

Comment #29768 by Yorker on April 4, 2007 at 3:35 pm

I just had another thought. It would mean a bit of work, but those with a need for subtitles could suck the downloaded video into Windows Movie Maker (or Apple equiv.), superimpose their own titles and burn their own special version DVD's.

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

Comment #29765 by Yorker on April 4, 2007 at 3:30 pm

24. Comment #29274 by James Carroll

Yes they are on YouTube and I think they should be left there. The more people that see these, the better; I can't think of a better reason for breaking a law! People can easily download the YouTube videos, burn them to DVD and spread them around if they want to. This would mean a possible revenue loss for the RDF, but again, the main purpose is served.

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

Comment #29269 by Yorker on April 2, 2007 at 11:32 am

The only time I ever missed the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures was when I lived in the USA.

They're always worth watching no matter what the viewer's age! I recall Prof. Dawkins saying he was negotiating with the BBC some time ago to get these - glad he was successful.

699. The God Debate

Comment #29061 by Yorker on April 1, 2007 at 1:03 pm

I've said it before and although tiresome, I'll say it again. The irrationality of "debate" with a committed religite is a waste of time. How can debate take place between two parties, one of whom flatly refuses to admit the slightest possibility of being wrong? I'm fed up with hearing the weak response that "well, something useful may come from it".

Bollocks! Nothing useful ever comes out of such exchanges, religites spout the same tired old shit over and over and some of us atheists are still not bored by by it. Why are they doing this? Money from the media possibly?

700. In the Beginning

Comment #29019 by Yorker on April 1, 2007 at 8:01 am

Steve99,

Certainly I don't mind one more comment, but it virtually forces me to reply. First, I don't think Paul is trying to defend a "divine" purpose but the mere fact that he thinks purpose exists, lends weight to creationists whether you or I like it or not. Divinity is all they see and what they want, so they'll embrace any scientist who gives them the slightest leeway. Despite his Royal Society award, my brief research of his idea indicates that most of his peers are skeptical, that doesn't mean he's wrong of course, but it's not a good sign.

However, we have terminated this discussion on friendly terms which is always a good thing. It's also been a nice change from my somewhat perverse propensity to wind certain people up if I think fun can be obtained. :)