101. On Human Rights Day, the Center for Inquiry Works to Uphold the Universality of Rights.

Comment #300361 by Eshto on December 11, 2008 at 1:18 pm

Rosbif:

Good rant.

102. Hubble Finds Carbon Dioxide on an Extrasolar Planet

Comment #300358 by Eshto on December 11, 2008 at 1:16 pm

As constant references to gayness seem to wind some people up

Yeah how dare you talk about the thing that you are and know a lot about which also happens to be the main focus of a set of social issues that are inextricably intertwined with both religion and science.

The nerve of some people.

103. Richard Dawkins interviews Derren Brown

Comment #300355 by Eshto on December 11, 2008 at 1:12 pm

I like the interruptions, it feels like I'm there filming with them.

And I need friends.

104. Richard Dawkins interviews Derren Brown

Comment #300350 by Eshto on December 11, 2008 at 1:08 pm

Well think about it, this is the uncut footage, isn't it? If they only have one cameraman, he's gotta dance around them both. Then later they can edit the footage to focus on whoever is speaking.

EDIT: The feathered serpent beat me to it.

105. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #300067 by Eshto on December 11, 2008 at 12:51 am

In response to comment #300041:

DG
"Surely it's not morally good for a society to annihilate or enslave another society even if its survival (or perhaps its "way of life") depended on it."

See The Bible.

Exactly! We know that this is wrong and it makes no difference that the contrary is written in the Bible. Nor would it make any difference if all books wrote the same, nor if everybody else suddenly started insisting that killing or enslaving another society is a morally good thing.

What are you talking about?!? If we knew these things were wrong we wouldn't have done them for centuries and codified them in our supposedly "holy" books.

Makes no difference if all books promoted murder and slavery? Are you kidding?

Reasonable question. But then again, I wonder, why do you think a perfectly good God would want to make it trivially easy for us?

On the other hand, I can think of some reasons why a perfectly good God would *not* want to make it trivially easy for us: Perhaps God loves free-thinkers and does not want to impose truth. Or perhaps God values thinking and wants to give us reason to think.

My best friend's first daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer when she was two years old. She died a horrible death shortly thereafter. She never even reached an age where she could think rationally about anything.

What exactly was your "god" trying to achieve with that?

106. Hubble Finds Carbon Dioxide on an Extrasolar Planet

Comment #300047 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 11:41 pm

Cool!

Anyone know of any other good shows that speculate about alien worlds? I know I've seen one or two but I forget the names.

107. Richard Dawkins interviews Father George Coyne

Comment #300030 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 9:24 pm

How could his flock believe he is a christian when his comments primarily concedes there is reason for doubt.

Didn't Mother Theresa express doubt, and the church actually told her that was a good thing and necessary for faith, or something?

I'm sure they'd find a way to gloss it over.

...

Ugh, Ted Haggard. Blech.

108. On Human Rights Day, the Center for Inquiry Works to Uphold the Universality of Rights.

Comment #300028 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 9:21 pm

I think it would be feasible and sensible to require all arbitration tribunals to inform the participants of their rights, perhaps both verbally and in writing, before commencing a hearing. And then: "Do you wish to proceed?"

But if you underestimate how much social pressure people are under, that sort of written or verbal disclaimer may be ineffective. You would also have to provide some sort of sanctuary or protection in case the woman, or whoever it is at risk of persecution by their religion or family, really does not want to proceed under sharia law.

It might not be enough to simply inform someone of their rights, if they don't feel safe or empowered they won't take advantage of them.

109. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #299988 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 6:08 pm

And here's Carrie Fisher gleefully discussing her many acid trips:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28158582/

@Goldy: that did happen, the movie Rendition deals with it and is based on a real event (though I think the movie is partially fictionalized).

110. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #299977 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 5:44 pm

Wait, the wording actually includes "moral turpitude"?

Wow.

That's like when a teacher sends you to the principal's office for "insubordination".

111. On Human Rights Day, the Center for Inquiry Works to Uphold the Universality of Rights.

Comment #299969 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 5:33 pm

Well you are equating freedom with making the right choices

No I'm not, I'm equating freedom with having choices. Seems to me you're saying people shouldn't be forced to have an education. I'm saying people shouldn't be deprived of an education.

And it's still illegal to drive on the left side of the road regardless of whether there are cars coming.

Your farmer example is interesting. Of course rural areas with a lot of farming need to be a bit more lenient or have unique local ordinances. As I understand it, drivers licenses can be given to people living on farms at a younger age because it's understood the kids will have to be driving tractors and other vehicles as part of their upbringing (I don't believe they get to drive cars on the highways with everyone else though).

But even then I don't think elementary education is too much to ask for. Most farmers still have to function and interact with other businesses and people outside their farms at some point.

And going with your freedom analogy, if the farmer's child is raised only and exclusively with farming knowledge, how can he make any choices at all except to be a farmer? Not just any farmer, but one after his parents (hell they might be incompetent farmers and if that's all that kid can learn from, he's really got a problem.)

112. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #299964 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 5:20 pm

@decius:

I saw that.

Actually the problem is we're only a democracy when we feel like it. Gun rights? Why, Constitutionally guaranteed of course. Gay rights? Hey let's let the angry mob vote on it!

That and all the fundies.

But we do have PZ Myers so there.

113. On Human Rights Day, the Center for Inquiry Works to Uphold the Universality of Rights.

Comment #299956 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 4:58 pm

@DarwinsPitbull:

Well what if I don't want to drive on the right side of the road? Shouldn't I have the right not to do so?

This is why I'm a liberal and not a libertarian. I don't think freedom means do whatever you want. There have to be limitations. No, scratch that. Not limitations. Standards. It's not "freedom" at all if people aren't educated enough to even be able to make informed choices in the first place.

And remember we're not talking about adults who are capable of making informed choices, we are talking about children. Notice it was compulsory elementary education. It's not like they're forcing adults to go to college.

If the kid grows up and decides they want to be stupid and fail at life, THEN they should have the right to do that (until they interfere with other people's rights of course, in which case they should be held accountable).

EDIT: sorry this post was pretty U.S.-centric, liberals and libertarians and right side of the road and all, but I think you can get the gist of it.

114. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #299953 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 4:50 pm

Oh yeah, deported was the wrong word maybe. So it's cool, I was born here. I can take as much LSD as I want.

115. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #299950 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 4:45 pm

@Titania:

!

Well I already live here, so... HEY EVERYONE! LSD can totally be used in therapy!!

Wheeeeeeeee!!!

We'll see if they deport me, but they'd have to censor my abnormal psychology textbook while they're at it, because it correctly states that before it was criminalized LSD was investigated as a potential therapy tool.

(reads more of the article)

Aaaaaaah, so the problem is admitting you've taken a drug.

Well I believe Obama admitted to smoking weed. Oh no, our great new president is going to be kicked out of the country already! Damn.

116. On Human Rights Day, the Center for Inquiry Works to Uphold the Universality of Rights.

Comment #299944 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 4:32 pm

"Elementary education shall be compulsory."

An odd statement to be found in a list of "rights", even if you think it is good "policy".

Maybe but I think there's an indirect case to be made, that for people to truly be free they have to be educated and have options available to them. We tend to think fundies who keep their children at home and indoctrinate them with religion and myth instead of credible knowledge are causing them harm, don't we?

117. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #299941 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 4:26 pm

E is relatively safe and nonaddictive compared to other drugs like tobacco and alcohol. Here's a handy chart: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Rational_scale_to_assess_the_harm_of_drugs_(mean_physical_harm_and_mean_dependence).svg

Usually when someone dies on E it's from dehydration, because they were at a rave dancing for twelve hours, and forgot to drink water.

118. Hubble Finds Carbon Dioxide on an Extrasolar Planet

Comment #299934 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 4:05 pm

Astronomers look forward to using Webb to spectroscopically look for biomarkers on a terrestrial planet the size of Earth, or a "super-Earth" several times our planet's mass

So... bigger planet, more gravity, equals smaller creatures? Stout little fellows?

I googled it and at least one blog says yes, but I can't tell if it's credible or not.

119. On Human Rights Day, the Center for Inquiry Works to Uphold the Universality of Rights.

Comment #299933 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 3:59 pm

@j.mills:

Right. Of course, I know there are ghettos and concentrations of certain demographics everywhere, but it still amazes me that they could be able to circumvent the law.

I guess I'm just wondering how closed off or tightly knit a minority community would have to be to actually have their own set of laws, some of which contradict the real laws, and especially when they discriminate against women and minorities.

Even in fundy United States it's hard to imagine anything like that happening, except maybe in a fortified compound out in the middle of nowhere.

120. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #299930 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 3:50 pm

I had a dabble with acid about 35 years ago. Definitely NOT the drug to write philosophy essays by!

Yet in popular culture it has a reputation for inspiring creativity.

With that in mind, I took it once because I had a sculpture project due and I thought it would give me inspiration. I started gathering materials to make something, the first thing I grabbed was my ruler. It was three sided and had three different measurements: inches, metric, and something else (I still don't know what the third one was).

I spent the next few hours turning the ruler over and over in my hands trying to figure out which funny little marks were the ones I was supposed to use. Didn't get anything done at all.

121. On Human Rights Day, the Center for Inquiry Works to Uphold the Universality of Rights.

Comment #299911 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 3:32 pm

Help me out here because I don't live in the UK. Where are these sharia courts located? Are they out in the middle of nowhere, or deep in the middle of urban Muslim ghettos? Are there entire regions of these cities that are totally dominated by Muslims?

Or are they right down the block from normal court houses operating right alongside them? Are they just popping up around cities next to Starbucks? Can women and minorities oppressed by Islamic law just take a taxi across the bridge and get their day in a real court, only they're just too terrified to do it? Conversely, for those of you living in the UK, if you wanted, could you just take a jaunt across town and visit a sharia court?

Is anyone going to these places and protesting outside?

122. Here Be Dragons - The Movie

Comment #299765 by Eshto on December 10, 2008 at 11:20 am

Eshto – for pity’s sake why won’t you fuck off, in or somewhere else (in the spirit of your ad hom. rantings, of course!).

I've flagged your comment as offensive. I don't care how much money you donate, it's pretty much blatantly homophobic.

We were discussing Dunning's answer to a scientific question regarding human sexuality. It was well within the scope of this website.

123. Muslim pilgrims stone devil amid tight control

Comment #299010 by Eshto on December 9, 2008 at 1:59 am

I wish I had a visual. So are there walls all over the place, like little places you go to in each town to throw rocks at? Or is it one big event somewhere? Also how does the wall connect to the story of Abraham and Isaac? I'm not getting the connection.

124. Here Be Dragons - The Movie

Comment #299005 by Eshto on December 9, 2008 at 1:51 am

So why are many here shooting down people like Brian who are trying to fight for our corner?

I'm other things besides atheist, one of them being that I'm gay. I'm mostly criticizing him because the information about homosexuality he has on his website is problematic. It's not technically incorrect but it is worded very badly and begs for misinterpretation.

And as I said, I've been verbally attacked many times by homophobes informing me "there's no gay gene!!" as if that means I chose to be gay and deserve no rights. It's not hard to imagine a homophobic person who happens to not be religious looking for secular reasons to hate the gays, and coming across his "there's no gay gene" tirade (which again, wasn't even a logical answer to the question he was given), and happily using it to confirm their bias.

It's especially ridiculous since there exists an entire multi-million dollar pseudoscience industry called the ex-gay movement which claims to be able to alter people's sexual orientations (namely, turn gay people straight) through "alternative" therapy and prayer.

There are some things I'll let slide. Typos and things. But when the topic under discussion is entangled with a heated social debate about the rights of a vulnerable minority (and particularly when I am a member of that minority group), then yeah, I'm going to scrutinize that very, very carefully.

It also happens to be something I've formally studied at great length in college level classes, so I know it's not just that his information is less-than-gay-friendly, it's scientifically misleading.

125. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson On Religion And Science: 'It's Not A Clean-Cut Division'

Comment #298971 by Eshto on December 9, 2008 at 12:09 am

I have a bachelor of science in art, so there!

(Actually the last time I got my transcripts the registrar lady laughed her ass off at me. Bitch.)

126. Here Be Dragons - The Movie

Comment #298918 by Eshto on December 8, 2008 at 8:31 pm

Well that's what I'm saying, he is like 70% right, which in my mind is even more dangerous than being completely wrong, because it's even easier he will mislead people.

He did say you should be suspicious whenever anyone says there is a single cause, so I suppose technically if someone listens to this advice they should be just as skeptical if a fundie tries to tell them that homosexuality is caused by sin or trauma or bad parenting or some other idiotic thing. But since homophobia is so rampant in our culture I don't have any high hopes that that will be case.

He should be aware of the common misconceptions and stereotypes about homosexuality (or any minority he's writing about) and be able to anticipate what assumptions his readers will likely have, having been raised in a Christian dominated culture in which homophobia is pervasive and gay rights are punted around by politicians on all sides.

That's really the sign of a decent writer, being able to imagine what your reader will be thinking as they read what you wrote (it's what makes Richard's books so good).

And again, he completely left out heterosexuality as if it doesn't also merit a scientific explanation. His answer wasn't homophobic per se, but it was incredibly heterosexist.

EDIT:

I don't know the official rules, but I'm not sure you can still be gay if you don't fold your socks ;-)

Another ridiculous stereotype, and one that amuses anyone who has had to live with me, especially my mother.

My partner is much cleaner, he resisted the mingling of undergarments for the first couple years, but slowly my messiness took over the house.

127. Here Be Dragons - The Movie

Comment #298912 by Eshto on December 8, 2008 at 8:21 pm

By sheer coincidence I appear to be collecting gay men's lost knitwear at the moment. I already have Yoav's hat, Tim's gloves and James's scarf, all of which were carelessly left at my flat over the course of the last week. I suspect that the great god of the gays might reward me with a lovely boyfriend if I manage to collect enough...

That, or at least you've added to your wardrobe.

That reminds me, I was in a gay bookstore once and I saw a really funny gay marriage card, it just showed two pairs of boxer shorts on the front, and inside it said "Congratulations! Your wardrobe doubled!"

And at some point my partner and I stopped dividing our clothes, we don't even sort and fold the socks anymore, we just have one giant sock drawer for the house.

128. Here Be Dragons - The Movie

Comment #298907 by Eshto on December 8, 2008 at 8:08 pm

@Caudimordax:

It's right here: http://skeptoid.com/episode.php?id=4119#bottom

Actually I'm more pissed now, because I read it again, and the student definitely did NOT ask if it is genetic.

He also says it is a "commonly held belief" that homosexuality is innate. Really? What world does that guy live in? It's getting better, but plenty of people still think it is a "choice" or a "mental illness". Right wing organizations like Focus on the Family spend millions of dollars every year promoting the idea that heterosexuality is the only natural state, that homosexuals are "sexually broken" people, and that Jesus can "cure" gay people.

From the get-go, "homosexuality is innate" was framed as the bogus claim.

Yeah, really pisses me off. The so-called "Ex-gay" movement is right up there with intelligent design as a pseudoscience movement that seriously needs some debunking.

129. Here Be Dragons - The Movie

Comment #298901 by Eshto on December 8, 2008 at 7:56 pm

So I'm made out of wool then. That must be why I'm so itchy.

EDIT: So in case it's not obvious, it worries me that someone reading his blog will feel better about voting against gay rights. "Why not? There's no gay gene!"

I've heard "there's no gay gene" many, many times, as an insult hurled at me or gays in general by homophobes trying to "prove" why I'm abnormal and unnatural and don't deserve the same rights.

130. Here Be Dragons - The Movie

Comment #298898 by Eshto on December 8, 2008 at 7:39 pm

It's weird this got posted here, because I was just introduced to his website today through somebody else. I listened to one of his podcasts today, again it was about homosexuality (obviously an issue I care deeply about, as you can tell).

The question was whether it was innate. Rather than answer it directly though, he launched into a tirade about how there is no gay gene. Now, he did throw in that scientists think it's probably a result of several things including genetics, biological and environmental factors, which as far as I know is correct.

But the overall tone sounded like he was debunking that homosexuality is innate, and not once did he point out that if homosexuality is going to be subjected to scientific scrutiny, so should heterosexuality, and sexual orientation in general. He also didn't elaborate on what he meant by "environmental" factors. Lay people tend to interpret this as meaning homosexuality can be caused by how a child is brought up, and homophobes claim all the time that it's the result of bad parenting or psychological trauma. He didn't point out that no evidence has ever supported the idea that parents can affect their children's sexual orientations by raising them a certain way.

Basically I thought his answer sucked, and having studied the so-called "ex-gay" movement, I could totally see them twisting his words to support their bullshit claims that they can "cure" homosexuality through prayer and quack therapy.

131. Interview with Nicholas Wade

Comment #298893 by Eshto on December 8, 2008 at 7:26 pm

Colbert is amazing. And those of you from other countries probably just can't appreciate the catharsis he provides. His character represents a very real, very powerful ideology and segment of our population. When we laugh at him, we laugh at them. And what we're laughing at in particular is that he's not even being ironic - the right wing acts EXACTLY as stupid and crazy as he's acting. Moreso even.

I'm sure you non-Americans have analogous political satirists in your countries whose jokes would fly over my head because I don't live there and I'm not accustomed to your politics. Every culture has their special brand of dangerous idiot, ours is the right wing and Colbert represents them to a tee.

Other than that, he's wildly popular, so it's just good sense to appear on his show to promote yourself.

What worries me is this business about resurrecting neanderthals. Weren't they even dumber and physically stronger than us?

God help us...

132. Here Be Dragons - The Movie

Comment #298881 by Eshto on December 8, 2008 at 6:47 pm

I have one little problem with this, where he says if there's a social or ideological movement around something, it's an indication that the claim is bogus. That's not always true. It has nothing to do with whether or not the claim is true, but it doesn't per se hurt it either, and can sometimes help it along.

What comes to mind immediately was the push to remove homosexuality from the APA's list of mental disorders. It was on there in the first place because of social and ideological biases and assumptions, and it was removed after a loud social outcry. Of course, the outcry itself didn't make it true that homosexuality isn't a mental disorder, it literally doesn't meet the criteria and that was true regardless of the social movement; but the movement did call attention to the problem.

Likewise if there is a large social activism movement to push for the teaching of evolution, it won't be an indication that evolution is a bogus claim either.

However I do like that he points out that "organic" doesn't mean safer or better for you. Growing up I had friends who insisted marijuana is totally safe because it's "natural, dude". Well I do think marijuana is relatively safe compared to tobacco or alcohol, but that has nothing to do with whether or not it's natural.

I liked to retort by saying "scorpions are natural". Coulda named a lot of things I guess, but I just think scorpions are cool.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I do yoga too. It's not placebo, you are actually doing stuff. Isometric toning, deep breathing and stretching. It doesn't need all the mystical mumbo jumbo a lot of people attach to it, but that's besides the point.

133. Brain quirk makes eyewitnesses less reliable

Comment #298156 by Eshto on December 7, 2008 at 1:36 am

Every cop I've ever encountered has behaved as if he thought he was a badass cop on a TV show. I'm sure there are decent ones out there, but a lot of them are morons.

134. Britain is 'unfriendly' for religious people

Comment #298154 by Eshto on December 7, 2008 at 1:34 am

Religious belief of any kind tends now to be treated more as a private eccentricity than as the central and formative element in British society that it is.

Good job everyone, big pat on the back.

135. What's Old Is New: 12 Living Fossils

Comment #298037 by Eshto on December 6, 2008 at 2:15 pm

I agree with Steve, it's misleading.

136. Win Ben Stein's Mind

Comment #297164 by Eshto on December 4, 2008 at 2:38 pm

ben stein evidently needs to use some of the clear eyes he endorses to fix his distorted vision.

You know what freaks me out about that? In the new Clear Eyes commercials Stein is bragging about the fact that there has been an additional moisturizer in the product all along that was never advertised on the box, and they spin it as "oh isn't Clear Eyes just so humble? They give you extra stuff and don't even ask for recognition!"

Um... regardless of whether the moisturizer is harmless or not, I don't want hidden ingredients in any of the products I buy (particularly ones that go on my eyeballs).

137. Win Ben Stein's Mind

Comment #297095 by Eshto on December 4, 2008 at 11:14 am

They aren't all Final Fantasy references, only the Sephiroth one. You might be confused as something donning the name "Ragnarok" often appears in final fantasy games. It was a weapon in final fantasy 7, and was the name of the space ship in final fantasy 8.

Indeed. Your theory is solid and well-reasoned.

138. Win Ben Stein's Mind

Comment #296579 by Eshto on December 3, 2008 at 11:50 pm

I've never seen a "Ragnarok 4000 Hyper-Cyclonic Apocalypse Device" in a Final Fantasy game.

139. 'Prop 8 - The Musical'

Comment #296548 by Eshto on December 3, 2008 at 8:29 pm

That reminds me of a question I wanted to ask - at a gay wedding (except involving cross-dressers), what is usually worn? Tux or casual wear - or other formal clothing?

(sigh)

Most cross dressers are heterosexual, and even so I highly doubt they cross dress at their own public wedding ceremonies.

Gay people aren't any different than straight people. Most wear formal. Some people, gay and straight, have alternative weddings.

As far as I know, sexuality's a spectrum. No one's completely straight or gay.

In general human sexuality can be described along a continuum, but I assure you, there are really people who are either gay or straight.

140. Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson Debate

Comment #295676 by Eshto on December 2, 2008 at 6:30 pm

@silver bullet:

I agree, Hitchens let him off the hook on that one. It doesn't seem that difficult to point out the guy was using two completely different meanings of the word "faith". Faith in an extraordinary claim regardless of evidence (or based on bad evidence), versus trust put in methods that have consistently provided quality results.

141. Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson Debate

Comment #295658 by Eshto on December 2, 2008 at 4:43 pm

This gets to the nub of the issue, and, in my opinion, was the reason that Christopher Hitchens thought he should demean his audience. He does rely on his own understanding - of the world, of Christianity, of himself, of beauty, or morality. Wilson hit the nail on the head...

Doug Wilson knows that he is wrong about everything, unless what he affirms and knows is what God has said.

But what God has supposedly said is really just a bunch of myths written down by ancient humans, and perpetuated by other humans.

If Hitch relies on himself, then Wilson is a slave.

142. Odontochelys, a transitional turtle

Comment #295654 by Eshto on December 2, 2008 at 4:36 pm

Creationists clearly won't accept that the USA was populated by Europeans at any point...

Because why are there still Europeans? Also, you simply must show that people set up homes somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic.

143. Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson Debate

Comment #295617 by Eshto on December 2, 2008 at 2:50 pm

??????

Okay I just started watching this and I already hate this guy. How dare he talk about objectivity?!? There are literally thousands of religions on this planet, all competing and contradicting each other! How could religion ever be an objective grounds for anything??



...

144. Potentially Universal Mechanism Of Aging Identified

Comment #295160 by Eshto on December 1, 2008 at 9:33 pm

When generations live longer, so do their outmoded ideas.

Oh god, I was feeling optimistic until I read that, now I'm severely depressed.

145. Odontochelys, a transitional turtle

Comment #295159 by Eshto on December 1, 2008 at 9:30 pm

Teenage mutant ninja odontochelyses, heroes in a transitional shell.

Odontochelys power.

146. Forced to Marry

Comment #295157 by Eshto on December 1, 2008 at 9:24 pm

Well as long as they aren't marrying someone of the same gender...

147. 'Atheist bus' more like a bandwagon on highway to hell

Comment #293959 by Eshto on November 30, 2008 at 12:23 pm

I've never yet met an atheist with a sense of joie-de-vivre (unless, in the case of one well-known public atheist, a certain drunken cordiality) most of them seem to be miserable blighters.

And I've never met a Christian who wasn't an arrogant, holier-than-thou, judgmental, childish, ignorant, homophobic twit with a stick up their ass, rocks in their head, and a backward sense of "morality" that contradicts modern notions of individual liberty and free inquiry.

EDIT: That's not true, I have met decent Christians. But I read this first thing today, before I had my coffee.

148. Children of God?

Comment #293702 by Eshto on November 29, 2008 at 9:39 pm

@Don_Quix:

An adult has never simultaneously pissed in my face and shit in my hand.

Speak for yourself, some of us are into that sort of thing.

...

Just kidding, I'm freaky but not that freaky. But seriously, it depends on how you define stupid. Your kid just lacked coordination and muscle control because it wasn't alive long enough to develop them. That's not stupid.

Perfectly able-minded adults believing in nonsense, especially when they live in the wealthier nations and have instant access to information in this day and age, that's stupid.

149. Vatican thanks Muslims for returning God to Europe

Comment #293599 by Eshto on November 29, 2008 at 10:31 am

I'm telling you, I am seriously dreading the day these religions realize how much they have in common and decide to combine forces together.

Christian and Muslim meet:

"Hey you hate gays? We hate gays!"
"Hey you think women are inferior? We think women are inferior!"
"Hey you think science is a lie? We think science is a lie!"
"Hey you want theocracy? We want theocracy!"



Then of course they don't end up really combining in the long run, just one gets to rule in the end after it's absorbed all the power of the other ones. Like Highlander.

150. We can't hide in our labs and leave the talking to Dawkins

Comment #290677 by Eshto on November 25, 2008 at 3:59 pm

@Osmano

In the same way I'm concerned about religion having the status of being morality, I'd be equally concerned if we started using science to make moral arguments. If a moral argument is good it should be accepted on its own basis.

You're right that science shouldn't be the basis for a moral argument per se, but since 99% of all homophobia is based on lies and misconceptions, I think scientists do have an obligation to educate the public about what the evidence is.

For example, a common justification for denying gay equality is that gays make bad parents, or turn their kids gay, or molest them more often, etc. None of these is backed up by any evidence whatsoever. They are all just vicious lies.

There are also historical arguments that are completely false, like "marriage has always been one man plus one woman" (ironic that so many Christians believe this).

I think when lies are flying around about a targeted minority, and the evidence clearly contradicts them, then scientists, historians, anyone who knows better should speak up.

Where it gets tricky is something like the common misconception that homosexuality is unique to humans. Of course that's not true, but then again, it being false doesn't automatically vindicate gay humans. It's merely an objective fact that the statement is false, morality aside.

Science can't be the sole basis for morality, but it sure can inform it by providing us more accurate information about the world and dispelling ignorant views.