101. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #105649 by walk on January 1, 2008 at 12:19 pm

I mean no disrespect here, but "the genius" seems to be doing what so many of the fundies do here. He's trying to prove his theory that our government (i.e. Bush) somehow, and for some strange reason, decided to hire a bunch of wacky muslims to commit suicide by flying airplanes full of innocent Americans into the towers, killing many, sending our economy into a tailspin, and planting bombs to give the "appearance" that the towers fell from the impact. (?) He's attempted to do this by cherry-picking opinions that agree with him, and obviously avoiding the consensus of reputable scientists who say the theory is bunk. The fact that not one of the rational minds who post here agree with him seems to not matter. The fact that TonyA has provided more than enough rebuttal doesn't even give him pause to wonder if he could be wrong. Now we're starting to see the anger expressed by faithheads whose beliefs are challenged by logic and reason.

I'm kind of curious as to why Bush forgot to detonate the White House when the plane went down in Penn. But probably the most amazing part of W,s plan (which MUST have had hundreds of participants) is that not one hint of this incredible secret has ever leaked out from any the perpetrators. A true miracle!

102. This Week's Flea

Comment #105474 by walk on December 31, 2007 at 5:33 pm

Eric,

Meaning you feel less compelled to find evidence to support your beliefs?

103. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #105448 by walk on December 31, 2007 at 3:37 pm

I'm not really qualified to debunk the 9/11 conspiracy theories. When I first saw the various pro-conspiracy video presentations I was completely convinced and very depressed. When I finally viewed the extensive material which debunks the theory point by point it was a relief. I think the best presentation was by Popular Mechanics here:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html

Evilgenius, I realize that you are totally convinced in your opinion, and that absolutely nothing will change your mind. I'm not interested in debating it with you (I'll leave it to those more qualified than me). IMHO, however, I think you're giving Bush waayyy too much credit if you think he pulled this off.

104. Man and God

Comment #103441 by walk on December 25, 2007 at 4:30 pm

Canuck#1 (70)

My journey to atheism was long and difficult but here I have arrived and have found a peace I never had in my christian experience.

105. Man and God

Comment #103424 by walk on December 25, 2007 at 2:27 pm

Paula,

Actually it's Barack Hussein Obama Bin Laden! (Can't believe that's really his middle name).

106. Man and God

Comment #103414 by walk on December 25, 2007 at 1:36 pm

A number of my friends here in the US are wishy-washy new age spiritualists. They've never really thought too much (rationally) about the whole deal, and they say things like, "Well, I sort of believe in some kind of higher power, and I feel I'm connected to the Universal Consciousness, and if I manifest my thoughts and put them on the "Grid" I know the universe will respond in my favor." - - - YUK!!!

107. Man and God

Comment #103392 by walk on December 25, 2007 at 12:00 pm

Paula (38),

Oops! That makes sense. I was wondering about that. Well, RD.net is still the best!

108. Man and God

Comment #103386 by walk on December 25, 2007 at 11:36 am

I think it's kind of cool that us posters here today are celebrating Christmas by blogging the truth!

Steve (29), I was wondering about the method of name change also. Most sites give a prompt about "you've already registered an account under that email address". Once again kudos to Josh, Richard and RD.net for being the greatest site on the web!

Some of you know that my real name is Steve Walker. I'm keeping my screen name, however, just 'cause I like being called "Walk". It's a nickname my bandmates gave me some years ago.

Cheers to all!

109. Priest who committed suicide for rebirth cremated

Comment #103254 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 5:36 pm

He can't think rationally about his religious beliefs as an adult, if he was indoctrinated as a child

110. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #103242 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 3:45 pm

Well said, smithyboy. It is very satisfying when you see a believer on these threads start to come around, and actually admit that they're learning something. (Infrequent, I know, but it's happened).

I never have a problem with "I know all the evidence is against it - - I just have faith". At least that shows some honesty.

sent2null, keep up the great posts, they're brilliant!

111. Happy Newton Day!

Comment #103238 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 3:35 pm

Billy (218),

Okay, even if one accepted your assertion that science and religion are not mutually exclusive, what's your point?

112. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #103235 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 3:23 pm

Radesq, ahhh, two great minds. Actually, if you sound out his screen name, you get "you're in for it", so I guess he's threatening his readers before he's even said a word. How special . .

113. Priest who committed suicide for rebirth cremated

Comment #103234 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 3:20 pm

Yes, this guy does deserve our sympathy, however he was trying to prove to the world that he could come back to life, I guess to prove that miracles are real. We can sympathize with him because of his upbringing, but as a grown man with the ability to think rationally, one could say he was brought down by his own arrogance, and actually harmed the faith of those who believed in him, causing the opposite of the outcome he was going for.

114. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #103230 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 3:09 pm

If this urine guy thinks that Steve and sent2null are ignorant, he must be truly brilliant!
(Or - - - )

115. Priest who committed suicide for rebirth cremated

Comment #103221 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 2:11 pm

Did anyone notice that they were "expecting the priest to come back to life by late Monday evening" and that "the people (...) handed over the corpse to the police for post-mortem on Monday afternoon"!

So, maybe - - - ;-)

116. Happy Newton Day!

Comment #103196 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 12:58 pm

Billy (213),

So - - - what are you trying to get at? Are you saying that some of the great scientific minds in the past believed in god - - therefore god exists?

I've read that something like 90% of the current members of the National Academy of Scientists are atheists, but that's certainly no proof that god doesn't exist.

117. This Week's Flea

Comment #103111 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 10:13 am

Eric,

Thank you. Actually we're not too far apart. I can understand Deism based on our lack of knowledge concerning the origin of the universe and the beginning of life on earth. Even "hopeful" Deism as you say. It would be comforting to believe that there is some purpose (other than what we give to it) behind all of this.

Have you read "The God Delusion"? I felt pretty much like you do until I read Richard's book. After years of looking for evidence of the supernatural, and proof of afterlife (and coming up empty), I now feel a great sense of empowerment to have what I believe to be the truth.

118. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #103081 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 9:40 am

Steve,

Thanks for the wonderful info. Your posts are always so enlightening!

119. 'Christian God is not to blame'

Comment #103058 by walk on December 24, 2007 at 9:08 am

ADH (64)

What confirms me in my belief in God is the story (...) of the incarnation, the embodiment of God in Jesus Christ.

120. The Pagan Christ

Comment #102856 by walk on December 23, 2007 at 7:00 pm

Sara, Thanks for the great links!

Steve

121. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102609 by walk on December 23, 2007 at 9:42 am

Thanks, smithyboy.

The thing that always puzzled me when I was much younger and was trying to believe the bible, is that I wondered why, if god inspired (or dictated by revelation) portions of the bible, why were most of the scientific claims clearly wrong, and why was there not one word that could not have come from the minds of the human authors of that time period.

It's the same complaint I have with people who believe in Ramtha, Course in Miracles, etc. If someone is channeling the thoughts of long dead entities, why, when theses spirits could tell us so many things that could help us, do they only come up with meaningless psycho-babble that is obviously just coming from the imagination of the channeler.

122. The Pagan Christ

Comment #102587 by walk on December 23, 2007 at 9:15 am

Sleep of Reason (67),

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Hitch has stated many times that the Israelie archaeologists have been excavating the Sinai desert for years trying to prove that the events described in Exodus could have actually happened as written. I believe they found zero evidence that a large number of Israelies roamed the desert for years, and concluded that Exodus was a myth.

I know very little about this, so maybe someone with more knowledge could elaborate.

123. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102579 by walk on December 23, 2007 at 8:59 am

dsouzaphile, (204) you said

i believe that the bible is the inspired word of God.

From this I would guess that you back up the various threats of eternal damnation made by Jesus. I consider myself a person of high moral values, but because I don't believe in God, do you believe I will burn in hell?

124. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102419 by walk on December 22, 2007 at 5:09 pm

I agree, it's just that I realized that dsouzaphile is likely a biblical moderate or liberal, anticipated his response, and felt it was probably not worth pursuing.

125. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102415 by walk on December 22, 2007 at 4:42 pm

smithyboy,

Yes, that's the one. It is pretty vague, so fairly easy to dismiss. The hell stuff, however, is much more blatant. It's always interesting to hear the various obfuscations offered by the believers when they try to explain this despicable cornerstone of their faith.

126. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102403 by walk on December 22, 2007 at 4:04 pm

dsouzaphile (204),

i'm not aware of the passage that you speak,

it is very, very old and says a lot of funny things

i believe that the bible is the inspired word of God

127. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #102351 by walk on December 22, 2007 at 12:57 pm

Okay, csarven, I see you're not interested in answering. I'll sign off now.

128. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #102301 by walk on December 22, 2007 at 9:22 am

csarven,

Okay, I'll bite. The axioms of science have been proven over and over. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the first step in "defining the absolute set" of the religious is the claim God exists. Can you offer some proof of this? Thank you.

129. Clegg 'does not believe in God'

Comment #102297 by walk on December 22, 2007 at 9:10 am

automath,

Thanks. She has promised me that any threat to our relationship would be a deal-breaker.

When I discuss the flimsy nature of the religious edifice with her, she accuses me of trying to take something wonderful away from her. She's had a few rather scary set-backs in her life and she's learned to deal with fear by relying on her super-imaginary friend for comfort. It's mostly harmless (except when the 10% tithe kicks in, along with the magic underwear!).

She's finally reading "The Mormon Enigma", the story of Emma Smith, 1st wife of Joseph. If this doesn't dissuade her, I think I'm out of options. I do respect her right to believe as she will.

130. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102290 by walk on December 22, 2007 at 8:50 am

dsouzaphile,

I'm with the good Doctor (197) on this one. If you can provide some reliable, non-biblical, historical evidence of Christ's death, and the allegedly empty tomb we would be fascinated. To my knowledge no one has ever done this.

Also, if you wouldn't mind, I'm still curious if you believe that the sun revolves around the earth, as the bible says.

131. The Pagan Christ

Comment #102283 by walk on December 22, 2007 at 8:35 am

elise97,

Thanks for comment 50. Enlightening!

132. The Pagan Christ

Comment #102131 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 4:19 pm

You know, I actually wouldn't mind being a Rational Christian (RC) if it entailed the following:

1. Jesus was a cool, hippie looking, philosopher/teacher, who roamed around Galilee with a bunch of folks trying to figure out how to live a good, moral life and have a successful society.

2. He was the natch'll born chile' o' Mary and Joseph.

3. He never did any miracles, other than inspiring people with a sense of purpose, and an appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

4. He taught some fairly profound things that might be useful to employ in daily life. Some of the best were "Be skeptical of authority, think for yourself, and question everything." Oh yes, and, "Love your neighbor, if at all possible."

5. He wasn't divine. He didn't believe in God. He was crucified as a radical trouble maker. He died on the cross, and that was it . . .

6. We reject the bible in general, and all the un-cool things it says he talked about. (Hell, baptism, turn the other cheek, God, Satan, eternal life, heaven, hell, etc.)

7. We meet in small groups one a month to discuss how to improve on his teachings.
___________

Now this Christianity I could get behind!

133. Clegg 'does not believe in God'

Comment #102121 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 3:42 pm

Norman (104)

No one has ever admitted that to me: "If there is no god, I don't want to know

134. This Week's Flea

Comment #102113 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 3:27 pm

Eric,

I lent my copy of TGD and haven't got it back yet, but perhaps someone here could provide some references.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you. Are you a believer?

From the interview of Haught he seems like a decent guy. He states his case better and more honestly than most. I just disagree with his final conclusion. I don't see how proof of the existence of god necessarily follows from his various premises.

135. The Pagan Christ

Comment #102109 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 3:13 pm

elise97,

I've never heard the claim that the original Christians didn't believe in the existence of Jesus. (Fantastic!). If possible could you direct me to some more info on this? Thanks.

136. The Pagan Christ

Comment #102089 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 2:31 pm

Can't wait to see the findings of the "Jesus Project", which will differ from the "Jesus Seminar". As I understand it the Seminar started with the assumption that Jesus was real, whereas aim of the Project is to discover if he was.

137. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102079 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 2:18 pm

Sharon, a heartfelt WELL DONE from me also!

138. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102071 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 2:10 pm

Thanks, al-rawandi, I thought I'd just give him one biblical "fact" to chew on, but thanks for the other suggestions. Too bad he chose the screen name he did, but I guess the need to "worship" is fundamental to the faithful.

139. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102059 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 1:40 pm

dsouzaphile, your comment (167) is simply quoting the bible as proven fact. None here accept the bible as factual, so you need something else to go forward here. Do you believe the biblical statement that the sun revolves around the earth?

140. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #102049 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 1:17 pm

dsouzaphile (165),

Okay, I'll bite. Atheism is simply non-belief in gods. What do you believe are the other tenets of this "ideology" (as you put it)?

141. This Is Not a Test

Comment #102039 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 12:57 pm

Gap, Hah! Good one. Okay how about this - - He's called the leader of the free world. Whether he leads or not is a whole different question!

Dr. Benway, I agree.

142. This Week's Flea

Comment #102033 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 12:50 pm

Radesq, good point.

Bonzai, actually the Jewish, "good cop, bad cop", makes a bit more logical sense.

143. This Week's Flea

Comment #102024 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 12:14 pm

Radesq,

Nicely put. Yes, isn't the Satan concept just so crazy. God is all powerful, and he's everywhere at once. But - - he created Satan. Is god all good? Yes. Is he where Satan is? Sounds like it! Is Satan all-evil. Yes, by definition. So - - - .

I've never understood how Christians wrap their minds around this.

144. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #102021 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 12:04 pm

Thanks, site admin.

145. This Week's Flea

Comment #102015 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 11:53 am

Just curious, Eric (92), have you read The God Delusion? In the book Richard discusses many of the points you are making here. I think I can say that most here are not nihilists, and have a great appreciation for the non-scientific aspects of the human experience. The transcendent beauty of nature often brings me to tears (like the beauty of the little guy I use for my avatar), I just don't see where a god-belief has anything to do with it.

146. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #101996 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 11:10 am

csarven

What is/are the axiom(s) that science is built upon?

What makes you choose those axioms?

147. This Is Not a Test

Comment #101984 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 10:46 am

modmichael (63)

I saw Huckabee on some news program talking about his view on evolution and wondered what it had to do with his being qualified to be president

148. Happy Newton Day!

Comment #101974 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 10:25 am

I'm sure you guys noticed that before BJohn bailed out, he never answered the question "what created god"? He brought up the fact that (a number of us) asked the question, then proceded to ignore answering!

149. This Week's Flea

Comment #101967 by walk on December 21, 2007 at 9:53 am

I don't understand the constant calling (from some posters) for evidence around here.

150. Happy Newton Day!

Comment #101666 by walk on December 20, 2007 at 5:46 pm

Steve,

Here we go again :)