RichardDawkins.net

Comment #144745 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 5:12 pm

mixmastergaz :

Tea the instigator, Marmite the off-shoot and Bovril the holy-undrinkable.

And to think I was feeling guilty about mentioning my music in this thread.
Bovril!!!
At least we have created a thread where "off-topic" no longer has any meaning whatsoever.
Just pass the flea-spray will, you please?
Yes, that's right, the Bovril scented one.
U R PWND!

202. Are the 'New Atheists' avoiding the 'real arguments'?

Comment #144740 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*

Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas

I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

203. In Britain, creationist theory is evolving

Comment #144726 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:42 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*

Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas

I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

204. The atheist delusion

Comment #144725 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:40 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*

Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas

I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

205. Two More Fleas

Comment #144724 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:39 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*

Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas

I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

206. Fleabytes

Comment #144722 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*

Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas

I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

207. Richard Dawkins' US Tour begins this week

Comment #144714 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:30 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*

Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas

I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

208. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144661 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 2:28 pm

Bonzai

To attribute religion entirely to childhood upbringing (or any single cause for that matter) is a complete non starter.

Generally speaking I would agree that to attribute something as vast and as imprecise as "religion" to any single cause is unsound reasoning.
Would you say that a person's being Muslim could be entirely attributed to his being born in Saudi Arabia?
Probably.
Though I have no statistics to bear me out, I suspect that an adult who "becomes" religious has probably been exposed to the cognitive dissonance of some "invisible" entity in childhood.
Recently I asked to hear from "converts" to atheism who had actually been dyed-in-the-wool "believers" since childhood before becoming atheist.
So far I have had no replies.
Similarly, I would like to know of an adult who suddenly "sees the Light" and becomes religious, but who had grown up in social/family environment completely free of any religious/sky-daddy thinking, or even tradition.
I suppose somebody is going to say that such an environment is likely to be extremely rare.
All the same, it would be interesting to check.
I have a rather sad personal story concerning the childhood influence phenomenon.
Thirty years ago I was a raving Evangelical. It lasted about five years. During that time I had two sons with a wife from whom I was divorced when the children were still very, very young.
The older boy had the time to be exposed to hallelujah-full-praise-rowdy sessions which he loved.He was singing along with all the songs, and praying in "tongues" with great gusto by the age of four.
After the divorce, my ex-wife abandoned her religious activities, mostly because she had only started as a result of my pressure. (yeah, I know, I was a real fundie shit, I know, I know.)
I was totally separated from my sons in rather weird circumstances for over 20 years, and only found them again thanks to... Google.
And guess what - the son who was still only a tiny baby at the time of the divorce has become a non-religious scientist, but the older son "found Jesus" at the age of 23. And of course, he claims to have absolutely no memories at all of his early exposure Evangelical Christianity. In fact, he refuses the idea that his early experiences could have influences his adult choices.
What do you think?
Sure, I have no proof, but I am certainly not surprised.
OK, an anecdote is not verifiable evidence, but all the same....

PS The good news : my son is a very intelligent young man who loves reading. Already he has moved from Evangelical Christianity to ideas of becoming a Catholic. To my mind, he's evolving in the right direction, and if he continues reading and searching he will probably drift towards 99% god-free Anglicanism and then....?
Well, he has accepted all the Dawkins books I've sent him, so I remain hopeful.
"L'espoir fait vivre." as we Frenchies say!

209. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144570 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 10:52 am

kaiser

And the hypnosis skills in India are much higher than in the western world.

"Hypnosis skills"?
Oh dear - I do hope you don't really believe that.
If so, perhaps you have been hypnotised into believing it!
Exploiting pre-existent belief structures, ok, but "skills"?
(I am speaking from considerable experience of "Ericksonian hypnotherapy" and "Sophrology" and "NLP" and other woo-woo wonders of the New Age. And India, its people and cultures.)

210. Fleabytes

Comment #144469 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 6:42 am

Calling :
mixmastergaz
MPhil, and
mikejswalker
PMs in your inboxes.
Ready when you are.

211. Fleabytes

Comment #144465 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 6:17 am

Yesterday I asked my son if he was familiar with Lolcat.
He looked at me as if I had just arrived from another planet and said, "Everybody knows what Lolcat is. It's an internet meme, a sort of language for talking to the Ceiling Cat. Do you know what a meme is, Dad?"
Ah, what it takes to bridge the generation gap!

212. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144441 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:47 am

A LAST MUSIC UPDATE
(I promise - it really is the last!)
I announced earlier that everything that I have composed for and about RDNet subjects are now posted on the fleabytes Music Myspace.
Some of you have complained of only finding six!
Well,in the official standalone player there are six musical portraits (the maximum for their player), but if you scroll down the page, there is another player with seven other pieces, including my montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale (with Richard's voice) and The Salamander's Tale (spoken by Lalla Ward)
That's all folks!
I've got me coat.
But no hat.
I'm off to Ilkley Moor...

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

213. Two More Fleas

Comment #144438 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:45 am

A LAST MUSIC UPDATE
(I promise - it really is the last!)
I announced earlier that everything that I have composed for and about RDNet subjects are now posted on the fleabytes Music Myspace.
Some of you have complained of only finding six!
Well,in the official standalone player there are six musical portraits (the maximum for their player), but if you scroll down the page, there is another player with seven other pieces, including my montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale (with Richard's voice) and The Salamander's Tale (spoken by Lalla Ward)
That's all folks!
I've got me coat.
But no hat.
I'm off to Ilkley Moor...

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

214. Fleabytes

Comment #144437 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:44 am

A LAST MUSIC UPDATE
(I promise - it really is the last!)
I announced earlier that everything that I have composed for and about RDNet subjects are now posted on the fleabytes Music Myspace.
Some of you have complained of only finding six!
Well,in the official standalone player there are six musical portraits (the maximum for their player), but if you scroll down the page, there is another player with seven other pieces, including my montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale (with Richard's voice) and The Salamander's Tale (spoken by Lalla Ward)
That's all folks!
I've got me coat.
But no hat.
I'm off to Ilkley Moor...

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

215. Fleabytes

Comment #144432 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:28 am

mixmastergaz

Does anybody know of any good songs with an atheistic point of view?

Sounds like fun!
Are there any wordsmiths here who would like to "collaborate" with me in writing such a song or five?

216. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #144354 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 5:35 pm

Steve Zara - I am wondering if you still think the "Someone knows where an atomic bomb is hidden. " scenario is a valid one? Or whether, on thinking it through, you have realised that it was not a very judicious example?
You know the opinion I hold of most of your insights and judgements, but this one looks like a rare lapse. I was about to type out almost the same things as ungodly atheist.
(Comment #144347 by ungodlystheist on March 15, 2008 at 5:07 pm)
Sorry about that. But I would be reassured to learn that you have had second thoughts on this one.
Ready when you are. Holding my breath.

217. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144351 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 5:18 pm

Mark Smith

I am saying that by seeming to believe essentially that believers are stupid, RD is giving people grounds for thinking RD is wrong, perhaps even 'stupid' himself in this regard, and therefore to dismiss other things he has to say.

"people"?
Which "people"?
And in any event, every time RD opens his mouth, he is giving somebody grounds for thinking that "RD is wrong".
I guess what you're trying to say is that mocking the stupidity of certain beliefs is counter-productive to the atheist cause. If so, by the same token would you consider calling indoctrinating children "evil" damage the cause?
If not, why not?
Why would it be acceptable to say :"It is evil to do this." but counter-productive to say : "It is stupid to believe this."?

218. The atheist delusion

Comment #144195 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 9:43 am

MUSIC UPDATE

Excuse my off-topic : all my RDNet compositions are now posted on:

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

219. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144194 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 9:42 am

MUSIC UPDATE

Excuse my off-topic : all my RDNet compositions are now posted on:

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

220. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144187 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 9:32 am

Mark Smith

I wish he would not imply, or at least seem to imply, that believers must not be very intelligent

I think RD fully acknowledges the fact that very intelligent people can believe stupid things. The whole question of why "intelligent people believe weird things" is a very interesting one, and has been treated by several authors.
You know the old saying : "behind every successful man, there is a wonderful wife and a surprised mother-in-law"? As in "How could an intelligent girl like my daughter marry an idiot like him?" Many very important aspects of our life-styles and world views are determined more by feelings than by reason.
(Steve - Pax!)
However, I can't help but feel that it is actually quite useful to point out the silliness of religious beliefs, even if that offends most of the time.
A bit of "shock treatment", y'know what I mean?

221. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144083 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 4:02 am

I have sent an mp3 without commercials to Josh.

Then there's some in the middle who take a relatively sensible view...

In,this context, relativity takes on a whole new meaning, like, "We can't actually lock them away today..."

222. Full house captivated by atheist Dawkins' take on religion

Comment #143918 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 3:51 pm

MUSIC UPDATE - MPHIL

As I am in my period of R & R, I asked my son, Anthony to have a look at MPhil's style.
MPhil likes the electric guitar - Anthony plays and composes for the electric guitar. He has produced this little medley, just for... MPhil

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

223. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #143917 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 3:50 pm

MUSIC UPDATE - MPHIL

As I am in my period of R & R, I asked my son, Anthony to have a look at MPhil's style.
MPhil likes the electric guitar - Anthony plays and composes for the electric guitar. He has produced this little medley, just for... MPhil

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

224. Two More Fleas

Comment #143916 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 3:48 pm

MUSIC UPDATE - MPHIL

As I am in my period of R & R, I asked my son, Anthony to have a look at MPhil's style.
MPhil likes the electric guitar - Anthony plays and composes for the electric guitar. He has produced this little medley, just for... MPhil

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

225. Fleabytes

Comment #143914 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 3:46 pm

MUSIC UPDATE - MPHIL

As I am in my period of R & R, I asked my son, Anthony to have a look at MPhil's style.
MPhil likes the electric guitar - Anthony plays and composes for the electric guitar. He has produced this little medley, just for... MPhil

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

226. Fleabytes

Comment #143731 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 10:28 am

MPhil :

may I hope for a musical portrait someday?

Yes.

227. Fleabytes

Comment #143725 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 10:22 am

228. Fleabytes

Comment #143718 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 10:14 am

Paula : BRIAN IZ ALWEZ SERIOUS. USE GOT 2 BLEEV IT!

229. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #143676 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 9:50 am

al rawandi

Why don't you keep it on the fleabytes thread?

Good question. I did have some misgivings as I was posting. I was going on the principle of placing the information where it was most likely to be read, and therefore chose the threads most recently consulted.
If Richard (the real one) or Josh would prefer that I stop announcing the updates in this way, I would be happy to delete them.
(My coat is never far away.)
But to come back to this article, I wonder if Mr hedges would have considered Pasteur as a fundamentalist in his war against infectious diseases?
Wishing to free the world of the evils of religion is no more or less fundamentalist than wishing to free the world of polio.
I have never detected anything resembling Utopianism in RD's writings.
(Er, check up on the etymology of "Utopia" - it's quite useful!)
Clearly any movement that is seriously concerned with eradicating any kind of "evil" will appear as belligerently fundamentalist at a certain point in the battle. You can't always be nice and polite and "moderate" when you're trying to stop somebody from slitting the throats of your entire family.
I am a non-violent person (too old, sick and weak to be otherwise!) but if my family were threatened I think I would unhesitatingly wield a fundamentalist Kalashnikov first, and try reasonable discussion afterwards.

230. Two More Fleas

Comment #143645 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 9:07 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - THE FLEABYTES "THREDLEY".

Dedicated to: Paula Kirby and David Robertson - without whom this thread would not have come into being.

The Fleabytes thread has provoked an intense period of creativity in my tired ol' heart/mind.
This medley will probably be the last one for a while. Some themes you will recognise, some are new.
It has been immense fun composing these portraits. Some tumbled out of heart and onto the paper fully-formed. Others (Paula, Cartomancer)were living proof of the old principle which affirms that "Composition is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."
So now I am a little exhausted and will take a pause, being content to read the threads and be cantankerous.
If you would like an MP3 of any of these pieces with a better sound quality, please PM me with an e-mail address and I'll send it right off to you.
I also have musical montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale and The Salamander's Tale if you are interested.
If you want to pay for them, please make a donation to the Richard Dawkins Foundation.
If you don't want to pay, thank you for wanting to listen anyway - makes me feel good!

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

231. Bishop accuses gays of 'conspiracy' against the Catholic Church

Comment #143644 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 9:05 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - THE FLEABYTES "THREDLEY".

Dedicated to: Paula Kirby and David Robertson - without whom this thread would not have come into being.

The Fleabytes thread has provoked an intense period of creativity in my tired ol' heart/mind.
This medley will probably be the last one for a while. Some themes you will recognise, some are new.
It has been immense fun composing these portraits. Some tumbled out of heart and onto the paper fully-formed. Others (Paula, Cartomancer)were living proof of the old principle which affirms that "Composition is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."
So now I am a little exhausted and will take a pause, being content to read the threads and be cantankerous.
If you would like an MP3 of any of these pieces with a better sound quality, please PM me with an e-mail address and I'll send it right off to you.
I also have musical montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale and The Salamander's Tale if you are interested.
If you want to pay for them, please make a donation to the Richard Dawkins Foundation.
If you don't want to pay, thank you for wanting to listen anyway - makes me feel good!

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

232. Ban anti-Catholic books in schools, says bishop

Comment #143639 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 9:04 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - THE FLEABYTES "THREDLEY".

Dedicated to: Paula Kirby and David Robertson - without whom this thread would not have come into being.

The Fleabytes thread has provoked an intense period of creativity in my tired ol' heart/mind.
This medley will probably be the last one for a while. Some themes you will recognise, some are new.
It has been immense fun composing these portraits. Some tumbled out of heart and onto the paper fully-formed. Others (Paula, Cartomancer)were living proof of the old principle which affirms that "Composition is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."
So now I am a little exhausted and will take a pause, being content to read the threads and be cantankerous.
If you would like an MP3 of any of these pieces with a better sound quality, please PM me with an e-mail address and I'll send it right off to you.
I also have musical montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale and The Salamander's Tale if you are interested.
If you want to pay for them, please make a donation to the Richard Dawkins Foundation.
If you don't want to pay, thank you for wanting to listen anyway - makes me feel good!

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

233. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #143638 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 9:02 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - THE FLEABYTES "THREDLEY".

Dedicated to: Paula Kirby and David Robertson - without whom this thread would not have come into being.

The Fleabytes thread has provoked an intense period of creativity in my tired ol' heart/mind.
This medley will probably be the last one for a while. Some themes you will recognise, some are new.
It has been immense fun composing these portraits. Some tumbled out of heart and onto the paper fully-formed. Others (Paula, Cartomancer)were living proof of the old principle which affirms that "Composition is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."
So now I am a little exhausted and will take a pause, being content to read the threads and be cantankerous.
If you would like an MP3 of any of these pieces with a better sound quality, please PM me with an e-mail address and I'll send it right off to you.
I also have musical montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale and The Salamander's Tale if you are interested.
If you want to pay for them, please make a donation to the Richard Dawkins Foundation.
If you don't want to pay, thank you for wanting to listen anyway - makes me feel good!

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

234. Fleabytes

Comment #143632 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 8:59 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - THE FLEABYTES "THREDLEY".

Dedicated to: Paula Kirby and David Robertson - without whom this thread would not have come into being.

The Fleabytes thread has provoked an intense period of creativity in my tired ol' heart/mind.
This medley will probably be the last one for a while. Some themes you will recognise, some are new.
It has been immense fun composing these portraits. Some tumbled out of heart and onto the paper fully-formed. Others (Paula, Cartomancer)were living proof of the old principle which affirms that "Composition is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."
So now I am a little exhausted and will take a pause, being content to read the threads and be cantankerous.
If you would like an MP3 of any of these pieces with a better sound quality, please PM me with an e-mail address and I'll send it right off to you.
I also have musical montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale and The Salamander's Tale if you are interested.
If you want to pay for them, please make a donation to the Richard Dawkins Foundation.
If you don't want to pay, thank you for wanting to listen anyway - makes me feel good!

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

235. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #143321 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 2:08 am

dlitt

I'll defend my right to offend.

And so you should! After all, it is something we do rather well, don't you think?

236. Ban anti-Catholic books in schools, says bishop

Comment #143306 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 1:05 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE

Bryan English : he is a lovely, unpretentious person, who humbly tries to avoid appearing perfect by composing songs.

Bryan of Oz

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

237. Deadly Sins 101

Comment #143305 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 1:03 am

Gymnopedie

I can't even imagine the sort of cognitive dissonance a practicing Catholic has to go through. Holy shit!

Darn it, you shouldn't have said that. You've just given them another sin to add to their list!!
Or is it on the list already under "Doubts (various)"?

238. Bishop accuses gays of 'conspiracy' against the Catholic Church

Comment #143304 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 12:56 am

Cartomancer :

All right, all right I admit it!

I knew all along, it was YOU.
This conspiracy had all the signs of a one-man job.
Now I am going to have to reveal to the world the other conspiracy against the catholic church : the Conspiracy of the Tone Deaf.
This is much more insidious, because whatever you say sounds the same to them.
"This supernatural Soliciting
Cannot be ill, cannot be good.
If ill,
Why hath it given me Earnest of Success,
Commencing in a truth?
I am the very model of a modern Major General"
Ha! Get out of that!

239. Two More Fleas

Comment #143303 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 12:43 am

Steve Zara :

It works for me!

Yes!
Of course!
At the end of the day, this explains everybody's attitude. Ours, theirs, and the other's.
It is the ultimate criterion that decides our choices, be they in the realm of cosmology, morality, science or boys' bands.
I am an atheist, because religious faith DOES NOT WORK FOR ME.
We believe what we believe because IT WORKS for us.
(Yes, there are some notable exceptions, such as wooter because nothing really seems to work for him, though his psychoanalyst may have a different view on the matter!)
Once more then, all together, with feeling:
"IT WORKS FOR ME!"
Once again, thank you Steve

240. Deadly Sins 101

Comment #143262 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 7:08 pm

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE

Bryan English : he is a lovely, unpretentious person, who humbly tries to avoid appearing perfect by composing songs.

Bryan of Oz

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

241. Bishop accuses gays of 'conspiracy' against the Catholic Church

Comment #143260 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 7:01 pm

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE

Bryan English : he is a lovely, unpretentious person, who humbly tries to avoid appearing perfect by composing songs.

Bryan of Oz

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

242. Full house captivated by atheist Dawkins' take on religion

Comment #143259 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 7:00 pm

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE

Bryan English : he is a lovely, unpretentious person, who humbly tries to avoid appearing perfect by composing songs.

Bryan of Oz

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

243. Fleabytes

Comment #143257 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 6:59 pm

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE

Bryan English : he is a lovely, unpretentious person, who humbly tries to avoid appearing perfect by composing songs.

Bryan of Oz

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

244. Bishop accuses gays of 'conspiracy' against the Catholic Church

Comment #143252 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 6:42 pm

A gay conspiracy against Christianity? Really? I didn't know about that one. But, frankly, it sounds like fun to me - where do you sign up?
Since I am straight, would I be allowed temporary membership, sort of "guest status"?
Or would I have to start up my own "Cantankerous Ol' Welshmen" conspiracy against Christianity?
Perhaps we could join forces.
Yes, that sounds like a better idea, lets all get together and, for example, create a website called "RD.Net" and then...
I beg your pardon?
What did you say?
It's already been...
*Sighs*

OK - back to the drawing board.

245. Fleabytes

Comment #143198 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 3:56 pm

Paula Kirby : For the last few weeks I have been seriously thinking about the possibility of an Ardeenet knees-up.
Any suggestions?
London?
Paris?
Inverness?
Coventry-sur-Mer?

246. Fleabytes

Comment #142715 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 3:37 am

Paula Kirby

Do I look like a gentleman?

Well, you look gentle, but, you know, appearances and all that...

247. Fleabytes

Comment #142711 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 3:34 am

mikejswalker : Could I politely ask you refrain from making the sort of comments that I wanted to make, and for doing it better than I would have done?
I would remind you that I am a married man, and therefore already live with somebody who takes care (quite nicely, thanks) of making me feel generally useless and inadequate.
I very much appreciate all your comments. Thank you for them.

248. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142651 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 12:44 am

During "erotic things" is the only time I like to hear the Mrs. talk about god.

I presume you are talking about doing "erotic things" with the Mrs?
And you actually like to hear her talking about God?
As in "87 Theological Positions" or "Phallacious Arguments"?
When I'm being intimate with my partner, occasionally she appeals to God, but opening a theological discussion...?
That's a new one on me.
I'd like to try however.
Any reading suggestions?
I tried Googling "theological discussions sex" and found this:

"Theology of the Body" refers to a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in the Pope Paul VI Hall between September 1979 and November 1984

but I suppose this is not the kind of thing you are talking about.
And this