51. The Religious Support Behind Proposition 8

Comment #291363 by Caudimordax on November 26, 2008 at 9:56 am

1343. Comment #291358 by jabber

"But it has BECOME a dogmatic exercise."

Absolutely. But it's interesting that the religites seem to think that Jesus invented marriage.

There actually is a link to the article:

http://ffrf.org/fttoday/2008/nov/barbarawalker.php

52. The Religious Support Behind Proposition 8

Comment #291350 by Caudimordax on November 26, 2008 at 9:45 am

1295. Comment #291303 by jabber

"...marriage is based on religious dogma..."

Actually religious dogma came pretty late to the game. There was a great column by Barbara G Walker in the Nov FFRF newsletter on the history of marriage. Until the 13th century, the (catholic) church stayed out of the marriage business, and marriages were common law.

St. Ambrose called marriage a crime against God. Origen said "Matrimomy is impure and unholy. a means of sexual passion." ... St. Augustine flatly declared marriage a sin.

53. 'Imagine No Religon' Billboard Only Lasts a Few Days in Rancho Cucamonga

Comment #290528 by Caudimordax on November 25, 2008 at 11:31 am

165. Comment #290331 by sunbeamforjesus

Therefore how could this be offensive or seen as anything other than information already in the public sphere?

54. 'Imagine No Religon' Billboard Only Lasts a Few Days in Rancho Cucamonga

Comment #290527 by Caudimordax on November 25, 2008 at 11:25 am

Daniella, Roger Stanyard - Did you see comment #126. Comment #289279 by Frankus1122 ? Don't know how I missed it earlier.

55. Cheap plaster saint

Comment #290207 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 7:45 pm

The statue is of the infant Jesus in fancy garb wearing a huge crown

56. 'Imagine No Religon' Billboard Only Lasts a Few Days in Rancho Cucamonga

Comment #290107 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 4:17 pm

what about putting a billboard up with some of the less known Bible verses that are not complimentary

57. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #289951 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 12:24 pm

210. Comment #289947 by AForce1

That was good to read. Sometimes I'm afraid our teenagers don't care much about what's going on in the world, but this was very encouraging. ("Lemonade and milk" - yuck!)

58. Does Religion Make You Nice?

Comment #289945 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 12:17 pm

"American does not have a higher drug abuse rate."

That's it? That's your evidence, your answer to the "U.S. Leads The World In Illegal Drug Use" conclusion reached by the World Health Organization?

59. Does Religion Make You Nice?

Comment #289941 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 12:15 pm

stop listening to Bill Maher and those who talk based on silly fairytails they have heard and research each religion to find out which has facts to back it.

I am amazed that you have not known anyone whose life has completely changed as a result of a born again experience.

60. Just a little jab, won't hurt

Comment #289939 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 12:09 pm

Caligurl - As someone with a young (23) friend who has tested positive for HPV (she thought they were getting married, he was cheating) and will have this terror hanging over her perhaps forever, I know she wishes she had been vaccinated - had the vaccine been available. You don't know how lucky you are that it IS available. Listen to what mordacious1 said about scientists and don't risk a life based on what others "feel" is the truth!

61. Does Religion Make You Nice?

Comment #289921 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 11:39 am

Perhaps they are more peaceful and friendly because they have no commitments and are high all of the time.

62. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #289911 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 11:28 am

200. Comment #289910 by Titania
"BTW, my nephew picked up his drinking skills at a Catholic college."

He must be a slow learner - I learned mine in catholic high school :-)

63. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #289907 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 11:23 am

SSO, Titania

They don't necessarily use a ping pong table - how many dorm rooms have ping pong tables? But there is a wiki entry (of course):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_pong

64. Letter to the European Parliament on Turkey's banning of RichardDawkins.net

Comment #289892 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 10:58 am

Red Alert! Prepare for assault by trollish minions.

Good to see that this is being objected to out in the real world.

65. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #289883 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 10:50 am

178. Comment #289875 by Titania

I think DP is doing a parody of DP, but it's impossible to tell...;-)

66. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #289879 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 10:48 am

Poe Poe Poe! Two parody sub-threads at the same time!

Came across a fabulous example of Poe's law in action - had me going for a minute:

http://www.bettybowers.com/homoagenda.html

67. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #289852 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 10:03 am

164. Comment #289839 by Rachel Holmes

Still reeling...

...and so therefore if we can say:

Men are mortal
Socrates is a man
Therefore Socrates is mortal

then we can say

Magical thinking is bad
The bible is not magical thinking
Therefore the bible is the word of god

Works for me ;-)

68. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #289833 by Caudimordax on November 24, 2008 at 9:23 am

158. Comment #289804 by Rachel Holmes

Cognitive dissonance indeed! I started reading, thinking "Wow, this is really encouraging." and then it all suddenly veered off into supporting a particular brand of magical thinking. Truly amazing.

69. God enough

Comment #286951 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 2:30 pm

I don't think so. Wolfram was claiming an awful lot for cellular automata. His ideas seem to have faded into insignificance.

70. God enough

Comment #286940 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 2:22 pm

78. Comment #286927 by Steve Zara

Do a Google search for "Langston's Ant". It is a cellular automata system that has behaviour that can only be "predicted" by running the simulation. There is no way to explain the behaviour using the underlying rules.

71. God enough

Comment #286924 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 2:06 pm

Quetz - A real question: Does "emergence" apply to non-living matter? (I'll go back and read the article again.)

72. God enough

Comment #286921 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 2:02 pm

My comment was eaten
Bonzai - I don't think it's poor reading comprehension, it might be poor articulation. Sorry, but "There's a consciousness in the universe," (I know, Steve. you said, "there is - ours!") doesn't sound anything like "On this speck at the outer rim of the Milky Way, living beings have agency."

73. Woolly rhino's ancient migration

Comment #286898 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 1:29 pm

"ya'll are blinded"

I believe that should be "all y'all" (plural)?

74. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286897 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 1:25 pm

Library cards ARE free!

That's one...;-)

75. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286823 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 11:30 am

2 - Did you do that?

Edit: Or is it a "mirror" site? ;-)

76. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286815 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 11:21 am

24. Comment #286810 by severalspeciesof

Especially since they're so convinced that they are more virtuous than everyone else. I don't think their arrogance would allow them to anticipate being sent to "the other place."

77. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286811 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 11:19 am

"Fundies Say The Darndest Things" - thanks for that!

78. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286806 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 11:16 am

Agree - heaven for the climate, hell for the company. See you there?

79. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286793 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 11:08 am

Hi 2! "This rapture website is a rich source of humor."

You're not kidding! Just checked. I thought there was only supposed to be room for 144,000 "saved" in heaven? If I do what I'm told, can I bump somebody else?

80. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286780 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 10:56 am

SSO - It's always amazed me that the people who claim to be the surest of an afterlife are most afraid to die. My mother's instructions are to keep her alive, no matter what - stomach tubes, endless CPR, whatever it takes, whether she appears brain dead or not - and she's a devout (loony) catholic.

81. God enough

Comment #286776 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 10:51 am

He did say, "There's a consciousness in the universe."

82. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286771 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 10:48 am

10. Comment #286767 by eh-theist

Your in-laws aren't the only ones:

Monks Turn to Reflection With Monastery in Ruins

"LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday the monks met with their insurance agent....In the midst of all this destruction,” Brother Brown, 46, said Tuesday, “miracles happened all over the place.”

83. God enough

Comment #286757 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 10:31 am

I felt compelled to correct the following from this article:

There are things that we just can't deduce from particle physics YET-- life, agency, meaning, value and this thing called consciousness. The fact is that we can act on our own behalf and make choices. So agency is real. With agency comes value. Dinner is either good or bad. There's consciousness in the universe. We may not be able to explain it YET, but it's true.

84. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286747 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 10:19 am

It's unclear whether the writer is paraphrasing Staver or stating her own beliefs, but I'd like to know what that person's definition of "nuts" would be!

The people who believe Obama is the Antichrist are perhaps jumping to conclusions, but they're not nuts

85. God Trumps

Comment #286733 by Caudimordax on November 19, 2008 at 9:44 am

Newsweek reports on rapture-ready idiots without irony:

No wonder, then, that Obama triggers such fear in the hearts of America's millennialist Christians. Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University's law school, says he does not believe Obama is the Antichrist, but he can see how others might. Obama's own use of religious rhetoric belies his liberal positions on abortion and traditional marriage, Staver says, positions that "religious conservatives believe will threaten their freedom." The people who believe Obama is the Antichrist are perhaps jumping to conclusions, but they're not nuts: "They are expressing a concern and a fear that is widely shared," Staver says.

86. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283793 by Caudimordax on November 13, 2008 at 7:52 pm

Gotta go too...

87. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283790 by Caudimordax on November 13, 2008 at 7:50 pm

Another idea I had was to have one that said "I gave up golf and also tennis!".

88. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283781 by Caudimordax on November 13, 2008 at 7:41 pm

Unfortunately, they had discontinued this shade in 2008 :(

Ah'm Earl Scheib and Ah kin paint that car fer you!

Are you a purist when it comes to going with the manufacturer's offerings?

89. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283779 by Caudimordax on November 13, 2008 at 7:37 pm

Reactions to bumper stickers - actually, what would happen was that I would see people pointing, and then laughing. Sometimes people (unexpectedly Wall-Street-looking-types) would come up to me in gas stations and ask me where I got them. My approach is to have bumper stickers that dumb people don't figure out until I'm out of gunshot range!

90. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283764 by Caudimordax on November 13, 2008 at 7:24 pm

But the best thing about my car is that it's purple. (Well maybe not THE best)

So you can recognize me - but in case there's any doubt, mine is the purple A3 with the "Cheney/Voldemort '08" sticker on one side and the "Cardiac Arrest/ Theocracy '08" (thank you Talky Meat) sticker on the other.

91. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283759 by Caudimordax on November 13, 2008 at 7:19 pm

I must confess that I got a speeding ticket the day after I got my car - I simply wasn't used to that kind of quiet power! I kept looking at the speedometer and going, "Whoa, back off!" and 30 seconds later I was going 80 again. Then I remembered I had a thing called "cruise control" and as I was fumbling for the switch, I saw those flashing blue lights in the rear view mirror...

Still not used to the G forces of the turbo-charger!

92. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283741 by Caudimordax on November 13, 2008 at 6:53 pm

I was really leaning towards a Mini - but given all our Connecticut Hummer drivers - SOBs in their SUVs / Talkin' on their cellphones, steerin' with their knees - I opted for the Audi A3, and I really love it.

Close to 20 years ago I wrote a letter to the Stamford Advocate in response to an Op-Ed piece that said there was no need for auto manufacturers to re-tool right away because there was some vague "super car" project in the future. They didn't print my letter, but the gist of it was that positing a "super car" in the future was a sure way of discouraging people from paying attention to their fuel consumption in the present.

93. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283730 by Caudimordax on November 13, 2008 at 6:42 pm

2 - you might enjoy this book

http://www.amazon.com/Crap-Cars-Richard-Porter/dp/1582346380

Crap Cars by Richard Porter

Looking at the link, there's a "dp" in there. Coincidence? I think not.

94. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #282041 by Caudimordax on November 11, 2008 at 1:29 pm

Just a quick link in case nobody saw this:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1831461

Gotta go.

95. Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws

Comment #281720 by Caudimordax on November 10, 2008 at 7:11 pm

It was in October, so it'll be another year for the next one. Sure, I'd be happy to go and record such things.

Yeah, let's do it!

96. Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws

Comment #281703 by Caudimordax on November 10, 2008 at 6:53 pm

2 - I didn't watch the whole thing. Holy (hmm - can't think of a shocking enough thing to say so will settle for) CRAP!!.

Were you there? Seriously, if you are willing to go to these things and record them, I'd be happy to help.

97. Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws

Comment #281688 by Caudimordax on November 10, 2008 at 6:41 pm

2 - Sorry to hear about your gin problem - but I understand. I seem to be one of the last (phenotypes? genotypes?) on earth who can partake freely of gin. Of course, if I've had enough gin, it makes no difference to me when the police arrive.

98. Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws

Comment #281683 by Caudimordax on November 10, 2008 at 6:36 pm

2 - okay, maybe I'm really stupid, but I couldn't figure out where those demonstraters were coming from. The blue and white baloons made me think of Hannukah - or maybe Rosh Hashannah?

99. Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws

Comment #281540 by Caudimordax on November 10, 2008 at 3:02 pm

As an example of this oppression, one speaker said: "In the UK, terrorists get 40 years in prison whereas murderers and paedophiles walk free after five years."

100. Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws

Comment #281537 by Caudimordax on November 10, 2008 at 2:55 pm

14. Comment #281533 by Border Collie

I was just about to say, can't wait for Pat Condell to weigh in on this.

I can't believe these doofusses move to the UK and then claim they won't submit to UK law. It's not like they were living in the UK before the British moved in and passed a bunch of laws! But they're so stupid, they don't even realize that this makes it hard for them to claim "islamophobia" every two seconds.

The answer is, "If you break the law, we arrest you. End of story."