151. Tyrannosaurus rex protein proves dinosaurs evolved into birds

Comment #168658 by Vaal on April 25, 2008 at 9:11 am

Another nail in the coffin of the ReligIdiots.

152. Humans nearly wiped out 70,000 years ago, study says

Comment #168520 by Vaal on April 25, 2008 at 7:21 am

Humans are evolving into two separate species now, Homo Sapiens Religites (otherwise known as Morlocks) and Homo Sapiens Rationalists.

In several thousand years the Morlocks will be living in the deserts with their camels or underground living in fear of their small despotic desert God. The rest of us will be colonising the galaxy, with the occasional foray back to Earth as an anthropological exercise to see how our our superstitious cousins are getting on.

Every now and then we shall light a burning bush and chat to them about some new laws for them to follow, or what food not to eat, so as to preserve the other species they haven't driven to extinction. Thou shalt not eat Whale on pain of stoning. The Tiger is sacred. Follow the shoe. No wait, follow the gourd...

153. Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital

Comment #168346 by Vaal on April 25, 2008 at 4:26 am

So that's what happened to my sister. Oh, ..wait.

154. Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital

Comment #167360 by Vaal on April 24, 2008 at 12:41 am

So THAT is what happens when I dive into ice cold water?

155. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #166193 by Vaal on April 23, 2008 at 1:39 am

One decisive knock-out hook from Bennett, and a feeble empty parry from Winston. Like Muhammed Ali versus Adrian Mole. I am sure Epeeist can better describe it in fencing parlance.

156. Evolution exhibit shows why nobody's perfect

Comment #165642 by Vaal on April 22, 2008 at 1:05 am

Yep, that would be great to see in the UK. Richard, any chance of having a word in somebody's ear here at the Natural history museum to get somebody to promote it.

I would LOVE to see the Lucy skeleton and wouldn't it be great to be able to get hold of the Homo Erectus skeleton of the Turkana boy, although I can't see Kenya releasing it for tour. Maybe a replica?

Of course, we could get a replica of a Homo Robertson skeleton otherwise known as Homo inanity, Homo diarrhoea or Homo Ostrich. Anybody else got any suitable names? Don't know if you could get its head through the door though?

157. If God Is Dead, Who Gets His House?

Comment #165628 by Vaal on April 22, 2008 at 12:44 am

Can I have the Vatican please.

158. Pope's Views on Science Invoke Spirited Debate

Comment #165337 by Vaal on April 21, 2008 at 11:07 am

Its verdict against Galileo was rational and just, and revisionism can be legitimized solely for motives of political opportunism

159. Mecca should become core to measure time zones: scholars

Comment #165268 by Vaal on April 21, 2008 at 9:22 am

If God had a sense of humour, he would aim an asteroid at Mecca.

He would then sit back to see the debates of "it was God's will" and "It was because we have sinned", and have a chuckle...

160. Pope's Views on Science Invoke Spirited Debate

Comment #165264 by Vaal on April 21, 2008 at 9:19 am

Beware the dark side of the Force, oh Darth Ratzinger. How dare he criticize Obi Wan Galileo!

161. Ben Stein Vs. Sputtering Atheists

Comment #165212 by Vaal on April 21, 2008 at 8:19 am

I came out of it stunned

162. Mecca should become core to measure time zones: scholars

Comment #165198 by Vaal on April 21, 2008 at 7:48 am

So, dark ages one side of the Meridian and enlightened world on the other side. So, what happens to a time apostate, would he be put to death?

Wonder how they will worship Mecca in a few million years when it is under the sea. It would be like a fish bowl with all those pilgrims scuba diving around it. Be quite hard to stone that wall under water, and would that mean the devil is aquatic?

163. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #164769 by Vaal on April 20, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Tragic that Richard has to write this letter at all. Not only is "Expelled" utter tripe and a nasty dose of Religious right wing propaganda, it seems to have the unfortunate side effect of regarding atheists and evolutionary scientists as people to blame and hate for the disgusting holocaust, a blemish on all humanity.

In fairness though, J seems to have been easily duped by such obvious propaganda. I would have thought somebody whose family had been murdered in the holocaust would not have been so impressionable.

However, I am sure we shall hear the same theme quite often from the gullible, regardless of what Richard or anyone else says, unfortunately.

164. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164326 by Vaal on April 20, 2008 at 4:32 am

You are being too kind Steve, to be intelligent and foist that model on yourself, takes a special kind of stupidity.

165. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164323 by Vaal on April 20, 2008 at 4:23 am

A quote on PZ's article below describes Remnant and the "Expelled" trolls infecting this site in one sentence..

I've got an easier strategy for creationists: be really stupid, lie a lot, and ignore anything a scientist tells you.

166. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164319 by Vaal on April 20, 2008 at 3:43 am

Ah, just logged on to see you guys decimating that IDiot Remnant. Most enjoyable.

Have you seen this, made me chuckle first thing on a Sunday morning...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7357021.stm

One sect trying to destroy another sect. I wonder if they can see the irony?

167. Gods and earthlings

Comment #163777 by Vaal on April 19, 2008 at 2:47 am

I agree Steve, I suspect that we will, in quite a short space of time, have the technology to get spacecraft up to an appreciable fraction of the speed of light, sail technology being one of them. At 10% the speed of light, we can get to Alpha Centauri in 40 years, if 50% then we shall get there in 8 years, which when you consider Pioneer 10 is now over 30 years old, is a time scale that is entirely workable.

There is quite a good site that looks into these technologies with peer reviewed research into deep space exploration.

http://www.centauri-dreams.org/

I would love to see images from Alpha Centauri in my lifetime from a robotic probe, but unfortunately it is probably unlikely.

As an aside. Ah, Richard, so that is how a 747 got into the junk yard!

168. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163388 by Vaal on April 18, 2008 at 9:23 am

OK, one more joke while I am on a roll, and that's it for the weekend...

Man walks along the beach, picks up a bottle. A genie pops out. The genie says you have one wish. The man expected 3 wishes but he thinks hard about it. "I would like a bridge from England to the United States", he says. The genie looks worried. He says "do you realise how hard that is? Do you know how far it is, the stresses on the bridge, and how deep the Atlantic is?" I am not sure I can do that, can you do another wish?

The man thinks. He says "OK, I would like to understand women. I want to know what makes them happy, what makes them sad, what makes them laugh, what they like, what they dislike, everything that makes up a woman." The Genie says "How many bridges did you want?"

See, we are not joyless :-))

169. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163359 by Vaal on April 18, 2008 at 8:38 am

While we are on jokes...

An Irishman walking along the seashore picks up a bottle and rubs it. Out comes a genie. You are allowed 3 wishes the genie tells him.

The Irishman thinks hard and then says "I would like a bottle of Guinness that never empties". Kaypow, he gets his bottle. He drinks it and
it fills back up immediately. Wow, that's fantastic, he retorts! The genie says you still have 2 more wishes. The Irishman says "I will have two more of them!"

PS.. As an Irishman, I am allowed to tell Irish jokes :-)

170. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163350 by Vaal on April 18, 2008 at 8:22 am

Santa is not true????????????!!!

171. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163270 by Vaal on April 18, 2008 at 5:55 am

Irate

Although I am in agreement with Sargeist most of the time, I have to say that a good "Fucktard" is warranted occasionally. It does make me laugh, as sometimes there is no other response that says it all in just one word so eloquently, particularly in answer to trench raids from the Wooter/DR phalanxes.

However, as it your call and your intellectual property, I will leave it in your capable hands. I wouldn't describe the below as polite, and I haven't heard him answer a single question, particularly from Steve, with any rational response yet. Somehow I suspect that it will be an exercise in futility.

Bravo, my fellow atheists! Let's all give ourselves a big pat on the back for our intellectual superiority over the masses of peons that share our meaningless existence, yet like to delude themselves into thinking life is about anything more than self-praise and the belittling of inferiors!

172. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163213 by Vaal on April 18, 2008 at 4:27 am

Egomaniac

When you have something to say that isn't complete codswallop, I will answer it..

Yes, I would describe your statements as the epitome of inanity...

inane
adjective
1 lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly: inane questions.
2. empty; void.
noun
3. something that is empty or void, esp. the void of infinite space.

inane
"silly, empty-headed," 1819, earlier "empty" (1662), a back-formation of inanity "emptiness, hollowness" (1603), later "silliness" (1753)

adjective
devoid of intelligence

Without contents; empty; void of sense or intelligence; purposeless; pointless; characterless; useless. "Vague and inane instincts.

173. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163163 by Vaal on April 18, 2008 at 3:28 am

Egomaniac

Hardly worth replying to such inanity. I dread to think how anybody would mark any paper by you, unless it is a study of obscurantism.

So, let's see "How would I know", "I don't know", "perhaps" etc etc etc... so you don't actually know anything and it all comes down to wishful thinking. Try harder if you want to be taken seriously.

Irate, you are being very patient...

174. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #163100 by Vaal on April 18, 2008 at 1:54 am

92. Comment #162792 by The Schuermannator

I am stuck working at Kennedy Space Center with all the nutters around here. Just last Friday a few of the engineers I work with were having a heated debate over the proper way to get into heaven.

175. Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Comment #163089 by Vaal on April 18, 2008 at 1:31 am

Stork me!

176. Yoko Ono, Filmmakers Caught in 'Expelled' Flap

Comment #162765 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 12:27 pm

Santi Tafarella

You have a point, however I don't want to fill their coffers to see deceitful religious propaganda. I might watch it for free, but to be honest, it sounds horrendously dull.

I think many of us were much the same as you, who came up through a religious background. I actually got a lot of encouragement from my old Methodist minister, who's son and I were very interested in Astronomy. His son is now a professional Astronomer working in the States.

However, I think you are the exception rather than the rule. Most people subject to this sort of literature never make their way out of fundamentalist Creationism, because they never read any other point of view, or just refuse to accept it.

There was a thread on not so long ago of a scientist who, even though his field was the study of dinosaurs, took till nearly his middle age to shake off the shackles of superstition, and still felt guilty about it, and he was a good scientist and an intelligent man.

177. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162750 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 11:53 am

I prefer the giant Moa, they were the huge cousins of the kiwi's, standing 12 feet tall. Of course, the Maori's ate them all, gits!!

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

178. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162733 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 11:19 am

2159. Comment #162711 by al-rawandi

Al

You have a point. How do you measure Love, how subjective is it? When does it become obsessive and dangerous? How do you measure how much you feel towards your wife, or her to you. Heather Mills McCartney was still telling the media how much she loved Paul McCartney outside the divorce courts. Thanks, with love like that, I think I would rather hang from my toes in the garden.

How about David Robertson's love where he needs to be loved by some nebulous supernatural being. Why does he need to be loved by this entity? It reeks of insecurity. As Crocodile Dundee once said "Doesn't he have any mates?". He certainly doesn't show much love outside his religious tribe, as evidenced by the sneering, self righteous trite he posts here.

Of course we are going to have strong bonds and attachments otherwise as a species we would never have survived the travails of our early existence. Altruism and empathy never arose through some lazy supernatural agent but instead became hard wired into our brains through necessity arising over thousands of generations.

179. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162676 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 8:03 am

What is love? The hormone's running through your body as a teenager (nature's way of getting you to propagate your genes)? The love of your parents or children. The love of your pet? The love of looking through a telescope or listening to music, or reading a book? Love of your country?

Love is not eternal. We have all fallen out of love, nearly all murders are perpetrated by somebody they know, often a family member.

I have NO love whatsoever for the aggressive hoodies that hang around the local shop, even if they are other humans. In fact, how many people do we really care for, other then direct family members and close friends? I always get indignant at pop stars like Michael Jackson telling me he loves me. Why? I don't love you, or even particularly like you.

180. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162635 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 6:53 am

Steve

So, as a fledgling Jedi, I can hope to count on Prince Charles for support in defending my faith?

181. Yoko Ono, Filmmakers Caught in 'Expelled' Flap

Comment #162569 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 4:42 am

Ah man. That has made my morning. Can these guys get any more incompetent?

182. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162560 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 4:19 am

2057. Comment #162522 by Egomaniac

Who said anything about a harp and a cloud?

It undoubtedly keeps a lot of people in check, though. Yes, some do use this mentality to justify suicide bombings, but by and large, this way of thinking benefits the world as a whole

what a horrible mischaracterization of the lives of people who believe in the afterlife

183. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162501 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 3:14 am

2022. Comment #162482 by Egomaniac

The notion of a continued existence after death, along with the idea that the manner in which one's life has been lived will influence the level of quality of said existence adds meaning to many people's lives

184. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162250 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 12:42 pm

36. Comment #162235 by padster1976

Of course, they have Disneyland in Florida as well? I rest my case. :-)

185. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162248 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 12:38 pm

Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster, R-Winter Garden, said the theory of evolution "had flaws."

186. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162244 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 12:30 pm

Comment #162228 by flying goose

What is the source of morality?

It comes out of the hills just north of Scunthorpe (I think).

187. Richard Dawkins' secular army must be stopped. God is behind some of our greatest art

Comment #162239 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 12:27 pm

Wow. He is taking a pasting. I wonder if he will think twice before writing such twaddle again. As for The Guardian, they should be ashamed of printing such third rate articles. I would expect something more constructive from a schoolboy. Not a great reflection on the Guardian editor.

So, where do we get the army of Dawkins uniform? Can I be Colonel Mustard please?

188. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162205 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 10:35 am

And this is from Florida, the state where Nasa has Cape Kennedy based? I thought that this would have been one of the more enlightened of the US states!

189. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162197 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 9:58 am

Comment #162167 by Sargeist

From what I have seen from this forum since I became a member, most of the theists that come on here do not have an argument. Their best shots are trying to discredit science, in particular evolution, and fill the holes with "God of the gaps" or "my personal feelings", or "voices in my head", down to "Not my God(s)".

I haven't seen a credible and plausible argument from a single theist yet, from the paranoia of David Roberston to the virtual reality world of Danielos. Most that have come on here have retreated in the face of the powerful posts of the more knowledgeable contributors, or just ignored them (DR).

What does surprise me is, as you and Epeeist have already indicated, is the poor general knowledge of most of the theists. Most of them do not understand the difference between abiogenesis and evolution. They have a poor understanding of evolution, the natural world, geology, and Cosmology. They are also so arrogant that they seem to believe that they are the sole reason and the end result of the ENTIRE Universe. Such solipsism beggars belief. If the Earth was snuffed out tomorrow, the Universe would continue in supreme indifference, regardless of wishful thinking.

Mostly their argument is from scripture, and as many contributors on RD are from a religious background, they have a sound knowledge of scripture, and just take it apart. It is also a circular argument.

The best argument is perhaps the anthropic principle, as we don't fully understand that yet, although this also has been dissected by other RD contributors. Behes irreducible complexity comes down to no more than wishful thinking and pseudo-science.

What have they left? From what I can see from the "Expelled" fiasco, there is a deliberate policy of disinformation, pseudo-science, propaganda, pure deceit, and complete absence of the scientific method. Not very impressive, is it?

190. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162162 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 8:54 am

Al, I wonder how old they were?

Maybe he was in there checking to see if any ankles were visible? :-))

191. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162148 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 8:27 am

On a slightly different note, I think that some of you may enjoy the hypocrisy in this snippet of news...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7350165.stm

192. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162064 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 5:28 am

Steve, I commend you, but you are talking to somebody who hears voices in his head. You can debate till the world turns to ice, it won't change an iota of his opinion. The thread is already deteriorating to "science smacks of faith" after a relatively promising start.

Karda doesn't seem unintelligent and seems likeable, he reminds me a little of Revcourt, who did make me laugh, and who also claimed to have had a voice in his head, but I suspect that the posts will get vaguer and vaguer until they evaporate into obscurantism. I hope to be proved incorrect, but doubt it.

193. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162052 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 4:30 am

1836. Comment #162049 by Styrer

These fuckers simply revel in the delight of recruiting someone when they're clinically depressed, vulnerable or just plain down in the dumps

194. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162035 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 3:05 am

Shame about RM, but you could see it coming. Tragic that he has turned to a vulture like DR though, who is licking his lips at his propaganda coup, and has no concern whatsoever for poor RM, unlike people on this site who have shown him some compassion.

Lying is not always unethical. We all lie, every day

195. Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss

Comment #161248 by Vaal on April 15, 2008 at 4:21 am

33. Comment #161243 by Tyler Durden

Steve, it's at this point that theists usually start talking about warm, fuzzy feelings, the fact that they "just know", or about their "inner voice"

196. Religious education as a part of literary culture

Comment #161241 by Vaal on April 15, 2008 at 4:06 am

I concur with that Steve.

What a palette of wishful thinking.I wonder why you want to live at all if you hate life so much. I am afraid the only place you will be going is exactly the same place you were the aeons before you existed, nowhere, and I suspect that deep down you know that as well. At least your body will provide nutrients for new life so you can be grateful for that.

Because a larger number of people believe in something doesn't make it true. Most people used to believe the world was flat, and the Earth was the centre of the Universe.

I also highly suspect the figures, most of my friends were bought up as Christians but don't believe, yet are still on the census as Christians. To say you don't believe in Islam will lead to death, or being ostracised from society, so they are hardly likely to shout it from the rooftops. I suspect that the real figures are much much higher, and as the Zeitgeist changes, the pernicious influence of religion will wane and end up where it belongs, in the dustbin of history, just as Zeus, Odin, Sun Gods, Cave Bear Gods...

197. The simple falsehood at the heart of Expelled

Comment #161185 by Vaal on April 15, 2008 at 2:32 am

David Robertson has heard all these arguments before, he just suffers from head in the sand syndrome.

Honestly guys, it is not worth responding. He only comes on here to wind you up.

198. Richard Dawkins' secular army must be stopped. God is behind some of our greatest art

Comment #161169 by Vaal on April 15, 2008 at 1:59 am

Kintaro_crab

Do you know I had exactly the same experience as you. I had to go to church three times a Sunday as a youngster, and hated every second of it. Vicars boring me to death, Sunday school teachers with no answers and blank looks, being told that I was going to Hell unless I believed. Praying to nobody.

It felt ridiculous from the very beginning. I never felt any divine presence in the church or anywhere and the whole concept of worshipping a God, any God, just struck me as childish, anachronistic and simplistic. Maybe I was just contrary, but, like you, I regarded it as a dreadful waste of time, when I could have been out playing with my friends or studying ANYTHING else.

As I became older, I developed a great interest in Astronomy, even building my own telescope. However, looking at the history of Astronomy it infuriated me that Religion always reared its ugly head trying to subvert the search for knowledge, as it still does now. Once I saw the scale of the Universe, and how small the Earth and humanity is, it really gives you a correct sense of perspective.

Developing an interest in human origins, geology, natural history and science in general was the final nail in the coffin for such antiquated superstitious world views.

My father was trying to do the right thing for us, and I have no resentment towards him, but if I had my time over again, I would absolutely refuse to go to Church. Unfortunately I now have as good a knowledge of the bible as the unfortunate David Robertson, so it is easier to confute the inanity spouted by the religiously indoctrinated.

199. For sale: 13-year-old virgin

Comment #160927 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 2:47 pm

46. Comment #160903 by Artful_Dodger

If there is no God we are only animals

200. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #160862 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 1:44 pm

So Steve, did your partner start calling you "Cobber" when he came back from Oz? :-)

Suspect I may be dude as I have been a bit cross at some of the inanity today, must be a Monday thing.