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Comments by toomanytribbles


51. OUT Campaign Launched, 'Scarlet Letter' Shirts Now Available!

Comment #59395 by toomanytribbles on July 28, 2007 at 11:26 pm

i'd like a coffee mug i could keep on my desk or a keychain i could carry around with me. and i like the logo.

i think this is a positive thing. consciousness raising doesn't just happen -- it takes art and books and discussions and even t-shirts with logos.

52. Richard Dawkins on Hardtalk

Comment #58387 by toomanytribbles on July 24, 2007 at 5:11 pm

it seems to me that any 'in-depth' (but quite shallow) research that went on before this interview was exclusively on the critiques of TGD and not on the book itself. the questions were old and tired and the interviewer was unaware that they've been discussed extensively. his interruptions during RD's answers hinted more that he was eager to go on to his next planned point than to actually understand the answer being given.

53. Town Hall Seattle: God Is Not Great

Comment #57297 by toomanytribbles on July 18, 2007 at 7:56 pm

can i repeat crono454's request for an alternative link?

55. Before the New Atheists: Confessions of a Lonely Atheist

Comment #56487 by toomanytribbles on July 16, 2007 at 2:47 am

i'm an atheist. i don't believe in god, gods, godlets or any sort of higher power beyond the universe itself, which seems quite high and powerful enough to me. i don't believe in life after death, channeled chat rooms with the dead, reincarnation, telekinesis or any miracles but the miracle of life and consciousness, which again strike me as miracles in nearly obscene abundance. i believe that the universe abides by the laws of physics, some of which are known, others of which will surely be discovered, but even if they aren't, that will simply be a result, as my colleague george johnson put it, of our brains having evolved for life on this one little planet and thus being inevitably limited. i'm convinced that the world as we see it was shaped by the again genuinely miraculous, let's even say transcendent, hand of evolution through natural selection.

sometimes a bit of text can effect people unexpectedly and profoundly. i've never hidden my non-belief, but i also had never felt at ease with my isolation in the midst of superstition. when I first read this essay, this one paragraph summed up my thoughts and provided a foundation to quit feeling pressured. after i read this, i felt free to say that i'm an atheist – and it feels and sounds right.

56. Lecture on Sex Ratio Theory and Sexual Selection

Comment #52934 by toomanytribbles on June 28, 2007 at 2:47 pm

... patiently waiting for QT. thanks for already thinking of the alternative source.

60. Majority of Republicans Doubt Theory of Evolution

Comment #49513 by toomanytribbles on June 12, 2007 at 8:14 am

everybody who's weary of having to again explain what the word 'theory' means in science, just raise your hands.

61. Richard Dawkins and Alister McGrath

Comment #46564 by toomanytribbles on May 31, 2007 at 4:41 pm

well, mcgrath is being truthful when saying he was once an atheist -- all children start out that way.

64. Pope says science too narrow to explain creation

Comment #31279 by toomanytribbles on April 11, 2007 at 9:37 pm

as time goes by, and science can explain more about our universe and ourselves, religion becomes all the more superfluous. this is just scrambling for non-existent crumbs.

67. Atheism hasn't hurt Fremont Rep. Stark

Comment #26247 by toomanytribbles on March 18, 2007 at 2:18 am

i thought i was just late at the party but, no, it looks like people are really starting to think about and actually do something about the problems of organized religion encroaching on public life. hopeful stuff.

70. Was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

Comment #24039 by toomanytribbles on March 4, 2007 at 12:12 pm

hmm.. seems like it's getting easier to make money. some suggestions for book titles:

-dawkins for dummies
-everything you wanted to know about dawkins but were afraid to ask
-the origin of dawkins
-a short history of dawkins
-dawkins for fun and profit
-overcoming dawkins
-dawkins in 10 easy steps
-becoming the dawkins i want to be

71. The Dawkins Confusion: Naturalism ad absurdum

Comment #23552 by toomanytribbles on March 1, 2007 at 2:12 pm

Well, no need to finish the quotation; you get the idea. Dawkins seems to have chosen God as his sworn enemy. (Let's hope for Dawkins' sake God doesn't return the compliment.)

you can't choose as an enemy someone who does not exist. he obviously cannot grasp the concept.

this poor man is living in fear and it's not helping his writing. what a boring essay. the babbling lost me as well.

72. James Cameron finds grave of Jesus & Son

Comment #23126 by toomanytribbles on February 26, 2007 at 1:13 pm

please, don't take this on trust just because you want it to be true

lol.. this sounds precariously close to faith

73. Atheists come in last

Comment #22862 by toomanytribbles on February 23, 2007 at 4:43 pm

@the great teapot. you are right. i was thinking more along the lines of recognizing references to the bible as being important. i don't view it as a fun or satisfying read.

74. Atheists come in last

Comment #22855 by toomanytribbles on February 23, 2007 at 3:55 pm

yorker said: I can't speak for others, but your accusation of scant biblical knowledge is certainly true in my case - a fact I'm just a little proud of. When I was young, I studied the Christian guide-book long enough to realise it was largely nonsense and considered further study would be a waste of valuable learning time. I feel it was a wise decision because in 63 years of life, I've never had cause to regret my youthful choice.

i like this. bizarro's accusation of shallow knowledge of the bible insinuates that it is somehow of great value to immerse oneself in the intricacies of these texts. i see the bible's value as a piece of human culture, a work of literature, but certainly nothing that i'd spend endless hours contemplating.

75. Atheists come in last

Comment #22839 by toomanytribbles on February 23, 2007 at 5:18 pm

i never regarded the constitution as being based on biblical concepts. puzzling.

76. Atheists come in last

Comment #22831 by toomanytribbles on February 23, 2007 at 1:43 pm

i have a question.. if faced with a dilemma.. to uphold the constitution or to serve one's higher power, god whatever.. what would a religious president do?

80. The God Delusion

Comment #21842 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 7:33 am

i'm still left with asking why.. but i must go. thanks for the 'quibble'.

81. The God Delusion

Comment #21839 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 7:15 am

atheists are not a homogeneous group. they may have varying viewpoints on what sex is for.

perhaps you mean that genes replicate. the purpose of man is whatever he wants it to be.

82. The God Delusion

Comment #21836 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 7:11 am

'sex should really only be used to propagate, I would have thought atheists would approve on some level of that concept.'

why?

83. The God Delusion

Comment #21832 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 7:00 am

i am not offended by english not being your first language. i am not offended at all. i simply suggest that, if you are going to dispute that the theory of evolution is a fact, you ought to learn what the term theory of evolution means.

my point is that you have not made yours.

84. The God Delusion

Comment #21828 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 6:52 am

i suggest you educate yourself on the meaning of the word theory. maybe this'll help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEbYBZxnJX0&eurl=

86. The God Delusion

Comment #21821 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 6:46 am

the stability of a mohawk has more limited ramifications than that of, say, evolution. i would like to discover a contribution by a theologian comparable to that of the evolution of the species.

87. The God Delusion

Comment #21820 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 6:44 am

the ramifications of the stability of a mohawk are more limited than those of, say, evolution. i would like to discover a contribution by a theologian comparable to that of the evolution of the species.

88. The God Delusion

Comment #21814 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 6:32 am

what is their contribution to our body of knowledge?

89. The God Delusion

Comment #21807 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 6:18 am

the aids epidemic in africa today is aggravated by catholic teachings, whether i agree with them or not. who can know what africa would be like if there were no catholic schools? perhaps worse off, or perhaps better.

the main point is whether religion and theology contributes to human knowledge.

you still have failed to produce a theologian that has made a contribution to our understanding of the universe, on a comparable level with darwin and einstein.

90. The God Delusion

Comment #21790 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 5:33 am

how has this next logical step been taken by theologians? why people believe is an issue that anyone can have an opinion, or perspective about. it says nothing of the truthfulness of the said perspective.

i expect that if we can find an answer to this, it will be through scientific research, not expressions of opinion.

sex education and aids prevention is not a matter of faith.

very many people have helped others, directly and indirectly. that doesn't answer fonex's question as to which theologian can ever be placed on the same level as darwin and einstein with regards to contributions on humanity's understanding of the universe.

91. The God Delusion

Comment #21783 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 4:41 am

in what manner are theologians taking this next logical step and from which perspective? would their hypotheses, methods and conclusions hold true if observed or conducted by everyone, even non-believers?

as for his role in the cold war, or in the education of africa, especially the kind that is contributing to the spread of aids, a few simple google searches point to a multitude of differing viewpoints.

92. The God Delusion

Comment #21769 by toomanytribbles on February 11, 2007 at 3:45 am

theology doesn't study why people believe in something. theo-logy is the study of gods, their attributes and their relations to the universe.

god is a matter of faith, not of knowledge. theology advances faith, not knowledge. that's why no theologian can ever be placed at the same level as darwin and einstein, people who have advanced human knowledge.

93. Does Richard Dawkins exist?

Comment #21323 by toomanytribbles on February 8, 2007 at 5:09 pm

i guess we'll see soon enough if he exists. he's due on CNN..

95. Does Richard Dawkins exist?

Comment #21310 by toomanytribbles on February 8, 2007 at 3:45 pm

calm down, richard.. just one mouse click on the submit button.
and yeah, it's better than southpark.

96. Does Richard Dawkins exist?

Comment #21302 by toomanytribbles on February 8, 2007 at 3:26 pm

militant, arrogant a-dawkinist! how dare he tell us what to think??
yuk, yuk, yuk :)

97. God and gorillas

Comment #20258 by toomanytribbles on February 1, 2007 at 10:12 am

i think the phrase 'arrogant scientist' is misplaced and i don't think king is in a 'third place' at all. she is using science, after all, in her work -- she's not coming to conclusions via scripture or dogma.

as for religiosity being a product of our evolution, well -- yeah.. it's a perfectly naturalistic approach to the subject, and a fascinating one.

99. Wash. school board restricts Gore's global-warming film

Comment #17699 by toomanytribbles on January 15, 2007 at 3:03 pm

it was frustrating last week, it's frustrating this week.

this, however, is more encouraging:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16638277/

i don't know what they agreed on, but i'll be looking for news on wednesday.

100. Letter From America: Atheists throw down the gauntlet

Comment #15852 by toomanytribbles on January 3, 2007 at 10:42 am

Harris gloomily recites poll figures on this point: 53 percent of Americans, he says, believe in creationism, which to scientists is like believing that the sun revolves around the Earth.

is like...? i don't understand.. is richard bernstein implying that it is somehow different?