151. The Video: Bill O'Reilly Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #34413 by GodlessHeathen on April 24, 2007 at 2:15 am

(I didn't get O'Reilly's putdown of Apollo - can someone explain it?)

152. Growing Up in the Universe: 2-Disc DVD Set

Comment #33650 by GodlessHeathen on April 20, 2007 at 10:06 pm

Hoorah! I just got mine. These wonderful lectures are going to be used to help the "at risk" kids I help care for come to a better understanding of evolution.

Rah!

Thanks to the good professor for some excellent teaching lectures and demonstrations!

153. Gay hate church to picket VT gun rampage funerals

Comment #33424 by GodlessHeathen on April 20, 2007 at 4:25 am

What I don't understand is the logic behind this proposed act;

154. Iran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam's Name

Comment #33321 by GodlessHeathen on April 19, 2007 at 9:29 pm

Any society that forgives murder on the basis the murderer found his victim "morally corrupt" is itself morally corrupt.

I pity Muslim apologists. There seems to be nothing they can claim good about their religion that some twit later proves false via some ugly, barbaric act.

155. Christians at Bible publishers have their throats cut

Comment #33069 by GodlessHeathen on April 19, 2007 at 5:03 am

38. Comment #33061 by John Turner on April 19, 2007 at 4:46 am
Wee Free

I think you should check out the videos that this kid from virginia recorded before the killings. From what i remember seeing on the news, he was talking about his soul being hurt, and wanting to die like jesus did.

156. Christians at Bible publishers have their throats cut

Comment #33065 by GodlessHeathen on April 19, 2007 at 4:50 am

All the church burnings I can find in Norway are related to "Satan worship" and heavy metal music, nothing at all about atheists.

Stalin and Mao, always paraded out for this, and their governments had an ugly dogma that set humans as property of the state and from that came their ability to rationalize as moral the wholesale slaughter. It wasn't their atheism, but their political ideology that prompted their atrocities.

The fact is, there is no ideology or dogma in atheism suggesting killing religious folks is something to consider - atheism itself has no ideologies.

When someone kills because they hate religion (or simply goes on an anti-religious tirade while killing) it really is because they're nutters. They originated the idea themselves.

Religion, on the other hand, often does have dogma suggesting (in some cases, ordering) the killing of others.

Where it's perfectly possible for a group of atheists to get such an idea in their heads and act on it... well, I don't really know why this is an arguable point. Humans are humans and humans are capable of great evil as well as good.

The idea that a society based on careful, rational moral choices can flourish better than one based on dogmatic, ancient, prejudiced values strikes most free-thinking folk as highly probable. This sometimes gets translated into "rational=superior" in rather irrational ways, which is what I think weefree is responding too.

157. The Empty Wager

Comment #32933 by GodlessHeathen on April 18, 2007 at 6:37 pm

It boggles my little mind how often Pascal's Wager has to be explained and re-explained.

158. Sam's Flea!

Comment #32659 by GodlessHeathen on April 17, 2007 at 11:57 pm

I don't think anyone should. That will only fund these nutjobs and boost their sales numbers so they can claim to be right.

159. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32657 by GodlessHeathen on April 17, 2007 at 11:48 pm

I am curious as to why there isn't broader support for Misha and his mother from other organizations. It's maddening... a case like this should be front page news simply because of the facet of child abuse.

Perhaps due to the fact the religion card has been played? If the father were looking to have a lip plate put in to his son because he wants to adopt the culture of the Kayapo peoples, would that elicit more than the shrug we see here?

160. Sam's Flea!

Comment #32654 by GodlessHeathen on April 17, 2007 at 11:26 pm

"Wilson dismantles his arguments and demonstrates that honesty lies on the side of the Christians, not the atheists."

161. Irish poll shows parents no longer want to force religion on to children

Comment #32292 by GodlessHeathen on April 16, 2007 at 5:48 pm

I used to joke that the best way to make atheists was to get folks into the Catholic church. An acquaintance always took me too seriously and would point to Ireland as proof I was wrong. I think I'll send him this article. =^.^=

162. Against God

Comment #32119 by GodlessHeathen on April 15, 2007 at 8:08 pm

"The countless millions who have devoted their lives selflessly to the service of others in the name of Christ or Buddha or Allah are wiped from human history ..."

BS! Try: "Countless millions no longer need the excuses of religion to do the right thing anymore, their religious ancestors remembered for what they did over (but not excluding) why they did it."

163. Kadra attacked in public

Comment #32117 by GodlessHeathen on April 15, 2007 at 8:04 pm

Were I to beat an Imam who'd spoken out against my beliefs (or lack of) no moderate would hesitate to call me vile or my actions disgusting.

The postmodernist idea that we've no right to be critical of other cultures has only generated a repugnant double standard.

164. For Some Hispanics, Coming to America Also Means Abandoning Religion

Comment #32116 by GodlessHeathen on April 15, 2007 at 7:58 pm

I'm very tired of hearing how the culture in the USA is barren, especially since it's patently untrue.

There is a myriad of cultural events in the US, religious and secular, that prove the idea to be a pile of fetid donkey's kidneys. By and large, it's all open enough you can pick and choose your favorites for a very rich life.

If someone feels the culture is barren, it's only because they've failed to engage.

165. Nisbet and Mooney in the WaPo: snake oil for the snake oil salesmen

Comment #31924 by GodlessHeathen on April 15, 2007 at 12:50 am

"I do not wish to hide my agenda like an intelligent design creationist, thank you very much."

Hip hip =^.^=

166. Thanks for the Facts. Now Sell Them.

Comment #31918 by GodlessHeathen on April 15, 2007 at 12:26 am

I was going to say that the theory of evolution isn't a threat to faith, no matter how it is presented, just some folks have manufactured this conflict...
Then I realized I was being stupid.
I know several folks who call themselves "Young Earth creationists". I'm aware of gobs of folks that subscribe to "Intelligent Design Science". They've adopted this odd science-like cloak for their beliefs, and in doing so have made real science an immediate threat to them.
Since they've chosen to do that, then they will just have to live with the rest of the scientific method, including the necessarily brutal critique of their "theories". If "ID" ignores evidence (and it does) or lacks evidence for part of the theory (it does) then the theory is bunk!

Sorry that happened to be part of your belief system, dears, but you plonked it on the table for scrutiny.

167. Coming out as atheist: Noel Gallagher & Gabriel Byrne

Comment #31814 by GodlessHeathen on April 14, 2007 at 11:52 am

Spinoza sez:

2. Why the hell do people want "publicity" for atheism? That seems very silly to me... indeed, foolish. I don't want people "converting" to atheism for the wrong reasons, and I don't want people professing to be atheists for no good reason.

168. We'd be better off without Religion

Comment #31061 by GodlessHeathen on April 10, 2007 at 8:32 pm

Anyone else find Ruth Glendhill's review of the event induced an urge to bang one's head on one's desk?

169. Praying for the Apocalypse

Comment #30766 by GodlessHeathen on April 9, 2007 at 6:05 pm

Heh. The rapture is supposed to remove 144,000 people from earth, the "real Christians". 144k out of 6.5 billion. If it happened, there's a good chance no one noticed =^.^=

170. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30663 by GodlessHeathen on April 9, 2007 at 9:01 am

Eh. The usual. If the apologists are anything, they are predictable. However, I'm thinking of a "Noisy Acolyte" t-shirt, just for amusement value.

171. Is God a Delusion?

Comment #29955 by GodlessHeathen on April 5, 2007 at 5:43 pm

(29) #29852 by Skeptic Jim
"Why should it be intuitive?"

I don't know. Who said it should be?

172. Is God a Delusion?

Comment #29825 by GodlessHeathen on April 5, 2007 at 3:21 am

(19) Skeptic Jim #29816
"there WAS NO BEFORE"
This is hardly an intuitive fact, and so I don't blame the atheist for failing to get the answer right. I had a very difficult time understanding, and therefor accepting it (and still, in fact, find myself doubting it for no other reason than it's so counterintuitive).