Comments by MaxD

751. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173932 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 11:27 am

Sorry Don_Quix
I hadn't thought that far ahead in my analogy making.
Your avatar is mesmerizing. Is she playing Dawkins in an upcoming bio-pic or something? You know like Cate Blanchett recently played Dylan?

752. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173910 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 10:49 am

Was my analogy useful? Of course I pulled the severe cuts statstic out of thin air but the argument he is making seems somewhat similar to proof there aren't 6 billion people.

753. Religion a figment of human imagination

Comment #173906 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 10:46 am

I think it is born of imagination, the drive to figure things out and our tendency to see agency even where there is none.

754. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173902 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 10:35 am

SeekerOfTruth,
It seems that your questions have been met though. Resoundingly.

You want to keep pounding at it as if it hasn't been. This conversation is pointless. You don't acknowledge the points other posters, some of whom actually seem to work in the field, make, and you keep acting as if you've single handedly refuted current cosmology. I don't know if that is the height of hubris but man it seems like it must be. I a sensible person would say well we will just have to agree to disagree.

You won't even quote your source fully which explains the problem.

I will try to attempt an analogy. There are 6 billion people on the planet, a person recieves a severe cut every 25 minutes. There isn't enough blood around, so therefore there aren't 6 billion people.

I don't know if this is a great analogy, but it shares with your SNRs story the fact that the key evidence disappears over time. Blood washes away, even if no one cleans it up. Evidence disappears, or blends and becomes harder to find.

If you think that is bad, you should read Krauss's new article, which explains how in a few billion years the evidence of big bang will be gone, and our local cluster will become a big super galaxy, and we won't see any galaxies in the space beyond.
SHould any of our descendents be here.

755. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173846 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 9:38 am

Quetz I am beginning to see why you are a god.
Comment #173803

756. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #173821 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 9:17 am

Mesomodel,
He said he works for NASA, or hinted at it. Actually he said something like I work for an agency with four letters the first one being N and the last being A.

I have no idea if he has since said he works at NASA explicitly or not. Or if he is leaving it as a "mystery" so he can continue to say I work for the federal government.

757. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #173793 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 8:49 am

Annabanana,
I did notice that about the post between D.Robertson and RM. It was disturbing and oh so gloaty!

Kaiserkriss. I think you misunderstand the fascination, and the lament. Indeed who does give a shit that he found Jesus?
Again.
I don't. I am fascinated that he is trying to play out his oscillating mental states here, and there and sending us links to his myspace site for his music. I mean as a guy interested in animal behavior, and a passing interest in human psychology this is interesting stuff. I mean it isn't as interesting as the birds I've been watching lately but interesting while I am on the website.

758. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #173778 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 8:33 am

Can't show it to anyone?
Sweet Evil Jesus.

I would encourage him to look up from whatever backwater, basement cubicle he works in, and actually do some more reading on the matter.

759. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #173760 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 8:17 am

DickDawkins I just saw this, I am sure it has been hit already but you were claiming that Richard Dawkins was unqualified to be popping off about Jesus and God and all the other invisible sky daddies because of his credentials as a biologist.

Then you talk about being pro science, pro stem cell research, pro, this pro that. But you mention the catholic church is just against Embryonic stem cell research. The new Pope is probably more against this than the last. (Did you know this lover of science is having the Observatory removed from his palace?) But what gives him a, a-hem, theologian any right to criticize science-by your criteria above- expertise?

760. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #173751 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 8:08 am

DickDawkins,

My, my, was distracted by Mythbusters and look at the posts. I'll respond to the easiest ones first but firt I must respond to Sharon as she seems to be taunting me about UFOs. All I can say is that I work for the federal government and that my official position is that UFO do not exist, but personally I know better.

That sounds to me like you did say you believed in UFOs, I mean if you weren't joking. Now the question i have is do you mean it in its most basic sense, as simple unidentified flying objects, or are you sure they are aliens? I am curious because you do after all work for the federal government and this imparts great authority on any of your proclaimations.

761. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #173743 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 7:50 am

Al,
I agree, but it will likely be interesting to see the inevitable crash. Didn't he say he had no intention of returning to the site in his lengthy public exchanges with David Robertson.
I wonder if, now having gotten some good mileage out of Richard, David has lost interest in the poor fellow?

762. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #173739 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 7:37 am

Annabanana,
I think you can be both.

Al,
Vile is the word. He can have his new persona, why not take it to church with him on sundays, or at church socials?

Richard Morgan,
Why did you delete all of your posts?

763. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #173736 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 7:31 am

Having just read Richard's post in full, I'm kind of, what's the word, flabbergasted. Ugh.

He speaks in that fluffy speak of the born again, and I just kept thinking, this poor guy has done this all before. Multiple times I think. He tries on faith, can't do it. Leaves to join the ranks of the rational, can't stand the "herd of cats" condition leaves and on and on. And in such, sorry to say it, annoyingly dramatic fashion. Rapid too, or at least seemingly so. He could of course say, "He was thinking this way the for awhile, but he has conveniantly removed all the trace evidence of his attitudes and ideas, many of which would have been largely indistinguishable from any other poster here.
But all that has been removed, and I have to agree with Al-rawandi who described that act as cowardly.

And Richard as a guy with some artistic sensiblities, don't you think your myspace friend with the wierd Christian "art" is just the tiniest bit off her rocker? Isn't your sense of the rational thrown by such images and attitudes? And what about your sense of justice?
It is all just a bit bizarre.

764. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #173727 by MaxD on May 1, 2008 at 7:20 am

"The Big Bang in my Heart?"

765. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #173096 by MaxD on April 30, 2008 at 10:33 am

Al
It is a strange situation. I went to the myspacemusic page, and saw this on his comments chatter.

I am so proud of your decision. It will be the only eternal one that counts!

This was written by some chick named redeemer53.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=133718605
I then puttered over to her page and almost retched. For some reason I found the picture of the crying fireman with the angel on his shoulder the most offensive on the page. Though there is a disgusting one where Jesus is taking a big hit of someone else's heroin. Okay that one is actually pretty funny. There is another one that looks like Jesus is doing a bump and grind with some prostitute (I'm sure I am mis-interpreting the meaning of that.)
Check it out.

766. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #173080 by MaxD on April 30, 2008 at 10:12 am

Al, Quetz, are you guys refering to the TruthID posts? OR the latest by Richard Morgan?

767. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172685 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 10:21 pm

Al-rawandi said of Kyrie:

She has completely swung and missed at some of your points, and uses them as a jumping off point for these "black helicopter" rants of which she is so fond.

This is, of course, an example of the old saying,
"Truer words were never spoken." I just keep shaking my head after each of Kyrie's posts.
What is this person trying to say?

Kyrie why do you think it good for a 14 yr old to be married, and sexually active? Do you think a 14 yr old is terribly mature? Ready to make life altering decisions? And do you think the nature of the relationships is equal when the men involved are vastly older? Kids want to please, and religiously brainwashed kids want to please even more than that. Perhaps a better case could be made for the 16 and 17 year olds. But you have yet to make a case for what you are saying. This case has all the marks of sexual exploitation.

768. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #172284 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 12:37 pm

Annabanana! did you just send me to the back of the line?
:(

769. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172280 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 12:25 pm

Kyrie!

Say your son was hanging out at a place that routinely had oldermen taking impressionable girls"

Sounds like my old highschool.

"or at the very least get him into future trouble for statutory rape?"

So it's ok for a girl of age to be duped and broken hearted, as long as the guy doesn't get in any trouble he may be forced to be accountable for.

You mangled my words abit and then proceeded to make no sense. To the first part I'd ask you why? To the second I'd ask you to try to actually respond to what I said.

770. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #172253 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 11:46 am

Off topic, but I just watched a lego animation of Eddie Izzard's "Death Star Canteena." Its izzard doing the routine but the lego star wars figures doing the skit. Here is the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw
Enjoy.

771. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172248 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 11:40 am

Al-rawandi, Will,
It is the dumbest thing I've heard in awhile, this, why were the boys removed sillyness. This is a strange ax of Kyrie Eleison to be grinding. It doesn't feel immediately sequiter.

772. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172245 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 11:35 am

MPhil, MitchellGilks,
I think there is a difference between what you guys have just said and the febrile ravings of the anti-war movement. I think war is bad, ugly, and horrible. I am not pro-war either. I am against being reactionary and I think that both extremes of thought are not good for level head appraisal of situations as they are.

773. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #172238 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 11:23 am

Karda,
You may have covered this too. But why would God be talking to you? That is isn't intended to be a slam. But why not someone else? More, oh I don't know, important?

774. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172208 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 10:44 am

ZekeCDN,
And I was having so much respect for you! That isn't a dog! Thats noise covered with fur! No I am not biased in favor of bigger canines. I resent the accusation. Now the rottweiler.....
Just kidding, cute puppy.

775. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172205 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 10:41 am

Will do.

776. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172203 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 10:39 am

Al-rawandi,
I think I might have been guilty once of calling ascribing your sensibilities as anti-war, I've long thougth I was wrong about that. If I didn't mention it well now you know.

So to say I am anti-war is unfair. I am against lies. The lies that led to Gulf War One and the ones that led to this invasion. That sours people on what may turn out to be a noble cause.

This is the rub isn't it? The problem of dishonesty in leading us into war, and conflict causes in a people a deep sense of distrust. I have heard Hitch talk on this point and I agree with him. He thinks, as do I, and perhaps as do you there was a time to make the proper case for war to the public. This is what should have happened, the resort to unbased fears now has put the US public a mindset of opposition to the goverment versions of events. I felt burned by the obfuscations. This will make it hard to make a case for future military actions that might be just.
My two cents anyway.

777. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172193 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 10:26 am

Al-rawandi,
I understand. It can be hard to keep it straight with multiple posters addressing you.
I myself am agnostic on the issue, though starting to lean toward sanctions wrong-time, perhaps wrong place, and not selective enough.

Anyway it is a touchy, emotional subject that even though most of us feel strongly about, I would caution us to guard against getting emotional. Not saying you were. What I liked about the Welsh article was that it was advising caution and looking as deeply at the issue as we can. I think this will better help everyone actually hear each other's good points, both for and against.
I learn a great deal from you Al, but not everyone can look past the hammer you some times deliever your thoughts on!

Oh, I've got a killer bench press routine i can send to you sometime if you want. I've had huge success with it. I was adding like 15 pounds to my max every seven weeks with it. Let me know. If there is a God this bench plan would be the only reliable evidence thereof.

778. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172182 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 10:16 am

Kyrie,
Say your son was hanging out at a place that routinely had oldermen taking impressionable girls out and banging themsenseless and you found out about it. Even if someone came and said listen guys we can't let any twelve year old girls come here anymore, would you think it was okay for your son to continue to hang out there? Isn't it an environment that would contribute to his delinquency, or at the very least get him into future trouble for statutory rape? The boys were removed because it was an unhealthy environment.

Now if you are going to make the case that it is okay for aged men to be banging away at young girls then you are going to have to get to it. This I want to hear. I

It seems to me though that if the authorities have serious reason to believe there is abuse of female children in the compound, they, along with CPS would be derilict in their duties if they left the boys there.

Can CPS overreact? Surely they can. But that is why oversite must be stringent because they do weild alot of power. But you aren't making a case.

779. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172175 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 10:02 am

Al-rawandi,
love ya man, but I do wish you would stop bullying people in these arguments about Iraq. ZekeCDN had said nothing inflamatory, he just had thoughts different from yours on the issue. Saying,

Your argument is fundamentally immoral. What should Iraqis have done to stop the sanctions? They were sold out after Gulf War One trying to overthrow Saddam. The US allowed him to use helicopter gunships to put down any revolts to remove him. Then the US sanctioned the people. The fact that they refused shipments of baby food, only proves it was genocide.

Your argument is not only immoral it is way underdeveloped, and pathetic

I actually read the piece that ZekeCDN posted and it wasn't vile or pro war or anything but it did warn against hysterics. I would suggest you read it too. Calling ZekeCDN, who seems to agree with you on the main, "no to war in Iraq" immoral seems unwarranted in the extreme. It makes it hard for people see your arguments about the sanctions when you start insulting people who are just as moral as you. Maybe they are uninformed, or maybe you are wrong. It does nothing for a discussion among moreor less likeminded people.
At least I don't think it does.

780. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172171 by MaxD on April 29, 2008 at 9:50 am

ZekeCDN,
Just read the article you linked for Bonzai.
Thanks. It was informative and underscores what I think the problem with the whole debate is.

781. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #171815 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 9:16 pm

Bonzai,
I could have gone farther with my critique I suppose!

782. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #171810 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 9:08 pm

Kyrie,
I didn't see the request. Sorry, what was the link you wanted me to provide?

No I don't think removing kids from a place where they are being abused is bad. But I do think sometimes CPSes can over react. It tends to go in cycles. They try to bend over backwards to help parents get their acts together, or give parents the benefit of the doubt. However this approach can get kids killed, then bad press ensues, so they get a little more heavy handed than sometimes is warranted. Bad press for this, then it is back to bending over backwards for parents. And then...well you get the idea.

783. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171799 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 8:49 pm

el heffee,
Dawkins was describing the only way he could see ID working, not what he particularly thought about matters. He was saying the intelligence would likely be an extraterestrial intelligence of natural origins, and would seem to have provided only the conditions for abiogenises. That is all he was saying. Perhaps you might watch or read more carefully what was being said.

784. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171796 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 8:45 pm

Bonzai,
I wouldn't argue with you on the Zeus God comparisson as I think you are right. In fact I prefer at least two other characters from myth to the Abrahamic one.
Odin and Zeus, but especially for my money Odin, rock harder than Yaweh.
I was just marveling at the dissonance required to see the flaws of one, and not see the beam in their own eye and all that.

785. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171790 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 8:39 pm

Irate,

That has to be part of it doesn't it.

786. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171778 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 8:11 pm

Elli! (5470. Comment #171440)
Thanks for the clarifying a bit. I am in totally in agreement with you that there are far larger issues to be addressed, but I was just curious as it came up in my discussion with Mellisajoy.

I am constantly baffled by our christian visitors and their inability to see even how we might interpret God as kind of a grade A jerk. I mean when they read Zeus myths do you suppose they fail to demur on his character? Doubtless they have some choice and spot on criticisms of the deity. No doubt the fact they don't believe in Zeus gives them a different perspective and they feel no need to defend his particular heinous/immoral actions.

787. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171754 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 7:22 pm

Mphil you had better hope your bike gets a good mpg or you will never hear the end of it from Teratornis!

It is sweet. I've longed for a bike for years.
I have to say, I've never understood the prejudice against the crotch-rocket either, except they get driven by a lot of morons in my neck of the woods.

788. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #171745 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 6:43 pm

Kyrie Elesioun!
I have to say this,

Is the pot not calling the kettle black here. We don't kill women for having relationships our government doesn't approve of: Never! We just take their children for these violations.

"Hitting" will get a spouse arrested. Adultery and infecting one's spouse with STDs and emotionally tramatizing them for life is fine. But polygamy is only tolerated when it is either "serial" or done in secret.

was exceptionally use....less.

789. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171403 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 1:24 pm

Elli,
Maybe you can help me out. In the hebrew does it say "let us make man in our own image?" or something like that?
I was talking to someone the other day and it didn't seem to me that the old testament supported the idea of the trinity very much.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Max

790. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171367 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 1:06 pm

Frankus,
Now you are just being naughty.

791. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171366 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 1:04 pm

I think Elli has got to the heart of the issue quite nicely.

792. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171363 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 1:02 pm

I can't speak for why anyone would burn a flag. i never have. If I did though the symbolism for me would be about what the flag standing for was gone, even though the facade remained? I wouldn't do it to simply get a rise out of someone, but to spark some thought and conversation.

The only other reason I would do it would be if some silly law saying I couldn't do popped up. I would burn one every day then. Because I believe in free speech much more than I believe in the sanctity of symbols.

I understand your fascination with symbols, I spent a good deal of my trip in Ireland contemplating what the symbols over Newgrange might have meant.

793. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171354 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 12:56 pm

Falcon,
I mentioned the same thing to him. You can get a waiver for almost anything these days. They still frown heavily on drug use, unless it is alcohol, which doesn't make any sense to me.
My left ear works for shit and they waivered me in. Since his brothers and stuff are in, I can only assume he is of enlistable age, which has also been stretched out a bit.

794. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171345 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 12:50 pm

Falcon,
I understand your appreciation and respect for what the flag symbolizes, and for how it could be a very powerful symbol in certain circumstances, honor guard circumstance, (it is used twice to excellent effect in the movie The Valley of Elah. I just cannot get my head around your stronger personal stance about it.

Nothing personal mind you, and clearly you respect everyone's right to free speech and expression. The points of contention here are that not every one behaves the same way toward a symbol, or feels that the symbol is necessarily the best representation of what the republic is.

795. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171332 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Karda,
Could you explain in anymore detail the unfortunate situation. I'll understand why you would not want to. I am just wondering if it had anything to do with the voices, or your current interesting ideas?

796. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171320 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 12:30 pm

Falcon,
Aren't you more concerned with the thing thing the flag represents?
I've suggested this to DickDawkins here, that it isn't the flag anyone is swearing to defend. Its the constitution.

The flag is immaterial, and quite honestly all this fetishism concerning it distracting. Imagine what you think that flag symbolizes has become something for which you rather don't care. I mean maybe you think the american enterprise is debauched say, or maybe you think it is something gloriously reborn (accepting of homosexuality say) what better way to symbolize your message in as few words as possible by coming up with a powerful image using the symbol?

People who get all dewy eyed about the flag need to seriously think through what they believe about it.

797. Orangutan attempts to hunt fish with spear

Comment #171228 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 11:33 am

This an amazing photo. I wonder what it implies. Did the orang make the leap that if one could spear the fish in a net that it would be possible to spear them in any environment? Its too bad we don't know more.

DamnDirtyApe,
Crows and Ravens are spectacular problem solvers, good at solving novel problems dreamt up by mean researchers. I'll direct you to a little more respect for the Corvidae in general sir! :)

798. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171216 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 11:23 am

Annabanna,
I was thinking the same thing. ID proponents have long had a tendency to be engineers. He claims he isn't though. But he also holds, what I would consider, ideas that seem typically creationist.

799. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171211 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 11:20 am

Honestly can't really tell you why it doesn't fit, but when I picture the ideal America they just don't fit in. IDK why not, but if you want to pick my brain, it might take you a while.

I've seen little evidence that would indicate that it would take awhile.

I think homosexuals fit fine with the picture of ideal America. Hmmmm. Does that seem like a valid argument to you? I think you have to unpack your perspective more and really justify your fascism. I mean seriously Dick, I can't help but see how much you positively detest freedom.

800. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171203 by MaxD on April 28, 2008 at 11:13 am

Prankster,
I could never make my Karate Champ guy move like that!