151. The questions science cannot answer

Comment #21861 by NJS on February 11, 2007 at 9:01 am

"Prove corruption in the Church"

Widespread and massive cover up of child sexual abuse in the catholic church to the highest levels.

Any other organisation with such a criminal record would be proscribed.

152. The questions science cannot answer

Comment #21784 by NJS on February 11, 2007 at 4:46 am

"Why are we here? What is life all about?"

Science has answered them - we are evolved animals whose purpose is to propogate our species.

Next question?

The fact that evolved intelligence has meant that the simplistic purpose has become "to have a worthwhile life" does not alter that answer and does not lead to a contrived necessity for a supernatural answer.

I don't mind people asking these questions - thats very human - but irrational answers and a refusal to accept "the truth" renders the query pointless.

153. We all fund this torrent of Saudi bigotry

Comment #21275 by NJS on February 8, 2007 at 11:29 am

"NJS - you mean try the Koran & the Bible under the incitement to religious hatred laws?!? I love it! :-)"

Yes I do - At the start of the Abu Hamza trial the prosecutor stated that Islam and the Koran weren't on trial - if I'd been Hamza's lawyer I'd have made it about that and used "simply preaching the holy book" as a defence to show up the laws.

Don't get me wrong I think Hamza was/is rotten but his actual preaching is just plain Islam.

I think if the government want to pass stupid laws then people should show them up for what they are.

If I started a "religion" based on a book as intolerant, sexist, racist, homophobic and just plain nasty as those two the organisation would be banned - why are the existing theist hate manifestos exempt?

154. We all fund this torrent of Saudi bigotry

Comment #21224 by NJS on February 8, 2007 at 4:46 am

I agree with the intended anti-Saudi thrust but at the same time there is nothing in those book extracts that isn't echoed to the same degree in both the Koran and the Bible.

I would love someone to bring a test case against the publishers of those holy books under the religious hatred incitement laws.

155. Blasphemy Challenge on FOX

Comment #19692 by NJS on January 29, 2007 at 9:59 am

I expected the tone of the interview and the atheist guy did well but what matters to me is that at the end of the day too many people will see that nad honestly believe the challengers will be damned.

As I keep arguing how are we supposed to have respectful dialogue with people who genuinely believe we are going to burn in hell for eternity?

Of course we know its nonsense but in the context of actually "wishing" it on a fellow human I find it despicable on every level.

156. Randi and 800 Other Amazing Skeptics

Comment #19117 by NJS on January 25, 2007 at 3:32 am

I remember seeing Geller on a local UK TV show years ago where Martin Daniels (son of UK magician Paul) stated that there was nothing Geller had done that his father couldn't do but obviously witn an admission of being an illusionist.

What got me was how many audience members aggressively defended Geller with the now familiar "you have to have faith to believe" argument. More delusion though in this case not directly religious but you have to wonder whether theres a connection.

157. Britons unconvinced on evolution

Comment #18821 by NJS on January 23, 2007 at 4:37 am

On the point of the respondent age aspect I remember remarking at the time that it was good to see the dogamatic ignorance "dying out" with entrenched generations.

I know this a terrible generalisation but I equated this with racism amd hompohobia to a certain extent as well.

158. Ruth Kelly, her hard-line church and a devout PM wrestling with his conscience

Comment #18819 by NJS on January 23, 2007 at 4:28 am

Filistyn:

If we accept for a moment your notion of homosexuality as "a gene or two gone wrong" does that mean you would advocate discrimination against people with Autism or Cystic Fibrosis?

I've often thought that many theists start from ignorant bigotry and then move on to back this up with Leviticus and not vice versa - your post shows this to be pretty feasible.

As others have said a judgement about the suitability of an individual couple for adoption is of course fair - do deny even that judgement based on bigotry is wrong.

159. Ruth Kelly, her hard-line church and a devout PM wrestling with his conscience

Comment #18476 by NJS on January 21, 2007 at 5:43 am

Kelly has had two cabinet jobs where her "uber-catholic" beliefs constitute a clear conflict of interest. I find it abhorrent that she still has any job given her downright nasty views.

Blair's religiosity (as evidence by his Emmanuel College stance) is one of two clear reasons why as a socialist and ex-member of the labour party, I won't vote while he is leader.

160. Religion's Real Child Abuse

Comment #18410 by NJS on January 20, 2007 at 4:25 pm

Kwirth:

The kids were absolutely right to avoid talking to someone as irrational and dangerous as you.

161. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #18132 by NJS on January 18, 2007 at 1:38 pm

I find the separation of "moderates" and "fundamentalists" particularly interesting.

I was arguing elsewhere last week that christians who accomodate science have a view that a God created the universe 14bn years ago, the world 4.55 bn years ago and then waited for an ape to evolve enough intelligence so that he could send his son to one small tribe of a tiny corner of one of an infinite number of worlds to teach us all about sin.

In that context I find the "6000 year" view of Creationists more honest in that in that scenario their God "makes sense" and fits that view unlike the biblical God who has no place in the former view.

I think we have to take on both groups as Harris says.

162. Send a Message to God: He has gone too far this time

Comment #17536 by NJS on January 14, 2007 at 3:21 pm

This also made me think of that current case in the US where the kid who'd been missing for 5 years turned up and it was deemed "a miracle" by his parents - where was your God when he was kidnapped morons?

163. Send a Message to God: He has gone too far this time

Comment #17501 by NJS on January 14, 2007 at 6:35 am

There was a train crash in London a few years ago (Ladbroke Grove for UK readers) where a survivor was quoted as saying that she was a devout christian and had survived so she'd wondered if the dead had believed and thats what seperated them.

I consider myself a good, moral person but I have to say I found myself wishing great suffering on her just so I could ask her where her God was then.

164. FiveLive debate on faith and discrimination

Comment #17376 by NJS on January 13, 2007 at 6:00 am

This legislation served two purposes for me:

Firstly it sends out a message to the people who are "homophobic" in the same way that Dawkins defines his targets of TGD as "religious" - ie those who sort of go along with it without really thinking - that homophobia is wrong full stop.

Secondly it allows the theists to expose themselves for what they are - spiteful, hateful bigots - the more sane people see "protests" like this the better.

165. The Trouble with Atheism

Comment #13794 by NJS on December 19, 2006 at 1:16 pm

The thing that made me angry was the assertion that Darwinism is the one true pillar of atheism so if its "wrong" (cue token scientist) then we'd all get down on our knees and pray.

I'm a "strong" Atheist because I think religion is ridiculously stupid and dangerous - Darwinism is just how things are.