Good. Religion should not be part of public life. Get the shamans out of the House of Lords as well. Keep it in your churches, not inflict your superstitious hogwash and vacuous prayers on the rest of us.

Next, end prayers at school assembly please :)

The latest quote by Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey…

He said religious freedom no longer seemed to be a priority. "Equalities seem to trump all other kinds of freedom," he said

Yes, Lord Carey, you are dead right, and the problem with that is? So long as you can promote inequality and bigotry in the name of your religion, it is OK, is it? Do you actually read what you write.

At this point I fully discovered and finally accepted so many things that never really made sense; the numerous contradictions and discrepancies found in the bible, the incongruous character of god as revealed in scripture, the degradation of women, the support of slavery, the fallacy of answered prayer, the problem of suffering, the denial of self, the dismissal of scientific evidence and in general the harmful teachings of religions. Rather than try to gloss over my findings and disguise my doubts, I accepted the reality of my erroneous thinking

Well said. I just don’t understand how anyone could not see this from reading the Bible from opening the first page. It is flabbergasting that any intellectual in history who has read the Bible could have ever taken it seriously other than, arguably, interesting literature and an exercise in social anthropology.

Many times we have seen theists on this forum who claim to be seeking truth but ignominiously embrace anti-truth if it conflicts with their antediluvian literature. Theists who claim the earth is a few thousand years old in the face of incontrovertible evidence, is nothing less than disgraceful and disheartening.

Surely the Bible should confirm science if it is true, not the opposite. Yet, science has had a running bloody battle with the purveyors of fallacy since before Galileo, and even today, in a world of breathtaking knowledge, unprecedented in history, unimagined by our forbears, we have Presidential candidates spouting ancient ignorance as a virtue. This is the shameful and iniquitous legacy of the Bible.

God=Burning Bush Nasa=Pale blue dot

Nasa 1 God 0

Was he so perfect and handsome that no picture could possibly do him justice? Is that it?

Quite. Could it possibly be that he was a particularly unprepossessing individual who didn’t want his unsightly visage replicated? One wonders if he was alive today, how many of his crazed followers would be bending over backwards to photograph their cult leader. Would it be an offence to interview him on camera? Would there be a ban on all photography? Be quite difficult to interview him.

It is revealing that the Abrahamic religions, chiefly the Islamic flavour, are so petrified of worshipping idols. Have they so little faith in their followers that they will all be dancing around golden calves the second their leader has gone for a mountain jaunt to play with a chisel?

Ironically, and comically, Muhammadens idolise Muhammad with a fervour that would give the personality cults of North Korea, Nazi Germany, Mao Tse Tung, Reverend Jim Jones a run for their money. Is Islam no more than an obscene bloated personality cult for a long-dead charlatan desert warlock?

Where next for the offence legions? Not content with rending their teeth at cartoons, aggressively demanding undeserved respect from all for their delusions, many have their sights set on all imagery.

Already there are representations from demented Egyptian Islamists to wax over all Pharonic statues as they are “Un-Islamic.” Perhaps they should remember that Egyptian history is mankind’s heritage, not just Egypt’s.

One wonders where the millions of offended Muslims were when the 2000 year old Buddhist statues in Afghanistan where turned to rubble by their fellow Muslims. Where was the respect for the Buddhist sensibilities? I can still remember the crowds of tens of thousands marching and crying “not in my name” /Sarcasm.

Sometimes a line in the sand has to be drawn, or the death of a thousand cuts will end with theatres being closed, art galleries picketed, freedom of speech diluted by the pusillanimous rout of the enlightenment to passive-aggressive intolerance through misguided Neville Chamberlain obeisance.

posting the image might have constituted an act of bullying, prejudice, harassment or discrimination

Yes, a perfect description of contrived Islamist tactics at the UCLA, which has risibly back-fired. Agreed. Of course, the irony meter is currently rushing past the orbit of Jupiter.

Mahid

Grow a backbone. They are cartoons. Gibbering on about offence like a child spitting a dummy does no credit to you and your paranoid carping religion. What you and your Abrahamic cult are seeking is a political censorship to any criticism of your fantastical beliefs by intentionally playing the victim card.

Nobody is throwing you to the Lions, so get a grip. It is satire. It says volumes about your fragile religion that the default response to satire or any legitimate criticism is censorship, mewling contrived offence, threats of violence and intimidation. Not very impressive is it. Islam hardly stands on its own merits, as the prepubescent anachronistic inane hogwash it is.

Seems to me that Islam is long overdue a “Life of Brian.” I know that not all Muslims are sheep-brained like yourself, as I know some Muslims who enjoy Jesus and Mo. Before you claim to speak for your entire community, please don’t bother to reply with a “No True Scotsman” fallacy.

Perhaps the best part of this fiasco is that some young bright Muslims may start to read Jesus and Mo, and discover the biting satire that exposes the lunacy of religion, especially the rabid nonsense of Islam. Is that what really rattles your cage?

Good - more children's books on evolution and the scientific method such as "The magic of Reality" can only be a good thing. Children are naturally inquisitive and constantly seek answers to the real world around them. This should be encouraged before the poor kids are proselytized by the toilet paper of untruth that is religion.

I would like free books such as the above to be given to hotels, schools, libraries, dentist and doctor waiting rooms. Some American politicians should also be sent a free copy judging by their mind-numbing ignorance on the subject. Perplexingly, an ignorance they celebrate as a virtue.

Of course, a paper-back would be very handy to distribute to ubiquitous Jehovah Witness’s door-knockers. As it is a children’s book with pictures, it may possibly penetrate those opaque God-goggles, although I won't hold my breath.

Hell would be a Heaven full of smug forelock-tugging sycophants praising God’s ego for billions and billions and billions of endless vacuous years. I bet God would rather be on Hell’s table where he could have a decent chat, laugh and Johny Walkers Black Label with Hitchin’s and other original thinkers rather than the narcissist fawning sheep-heads he has to endure for eternity.

Honestly, the crass gracelessness and schadenfreude displayed by some theists does them no credit at all, exhibiting their inhumanity to the world. Shame on them!

Sad, sad news. The tragic death of a great mind, an inspiration to many, a man who took no prisoners, who laid bare the insane ravings of the irrational.

He will be sorely missed, but his work will live on. My condolences to his family and friends.

I think they should take a note out of our book and put a picture of Charles Darwin on the banknote :)

That will have the loony evangelists spitting feathers with the added benefit of making me grin every time I see the dollar at the thought of all the spittle and rending of teeth from the legions of the deluded.

Seriously, American politicians need to start getting a grip. They are making a laughing stock of themselves to the rest of the world. If it wasn't so ridiculous, it would be risible.

This demonstrates the Iranian regime’s continued unwillingness to abide by its constitutional and international obligations to respect religious freedom

I don't understand. The Pastor is on the wrong tack. He should be using the law to sue the clerics if they are not abiding by their own constitution. It is the Clerics who are breaking their own law to promote their own malevolent poisonous murderous doctrine and should be taken to the cleaners, with the added benefit of exposing their evil hypocrisy to the world.

In fact, any country who promotes any punishment for the non-crime of apostacy or persecution of anyone who turns away from the religion they have the temerity to abandon despite the slavery of being born into the crucible of Islam should be sued. Any cleric who calls for death for apostacy should be sued, imprisoned and with a bit of luck their ludicrous mosque turned into something useful like a swimming pool or social club.

Where's Dave Allen when you need him LOL.

Alas, from this side of the Atlantic listening to the sad drivel from some American Presedential candidates is like watching Dumb and Dumber.

As Richard says, politicians require no qualifications to obtain high office, and thrive on sparring on ignorance. ShamefuI. Hardly a beacon for democracy. I wouldn't let some of these half-wits run a bath, never mind potential leaders of the worlds largest super-power.

Their funeral services should be interesting.

It makes you wonder how many other pastors are athiests/agnostics, and even how many Mullah's know damn well that their book is nothing but codswallop. At most an interesting insight to the bronze-age mindset.

This is the man who yearns to be "Defender of Faiths, when he finally becomes King." What more can you say about the man.

He certainly seems to be getting more bonkers as he gets older. Maybe Royalty will skip a generation, although I suspect that William would rather be a low-key Royal in the model of the Norwegian monarchy.

Suspect the Chinese will be the first to put a man on Mars now.

I see that the Irish Taoiseach has issued an unprecedented attack on the Vatican in parliament, robustly supported by the leader of the opposition. Good news! Could this perhaps be the beginning of the end of the church’s influence in Ireland?

lrish PM in unprecedented attack on the Vatican

He said the report exposed the elitism, dysfunction, disconnection, and narcissism that dominated the Vatican. "The rape and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold instead the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and 'reputation'," the taoiseach said

Hear hear. What do you say to that then Ratzinger? Who are you going to blame this time? Atheists, secularists, hippies, the sixties, gays, Alpha-Centaurians? Your contemptible policy of mewling persecution has backfired tremendously. It is the children who are the victims, not your corrupt church and its systemic abuses, and that is why people are furious.

Fascinating. Thanks for posting this.Human evolution is a fascinating story. We are learning more about our ancient origins all the time, thanks to cutting-edge science.

Anyway, we are all Pangeans :)

Excellent rebuttal Cartomancer and others, to this tired and empty God of the Gaps drivel. One wonders how reputable newspapers can publish such empty-headed obscurantism, yet depressingly, these banal and empty arguments are appearing more and more frequently.

Shame on the Irish Times, and yes, Cartomancer, I agree with others, please post your excellent and decisive rebuttal to the editor of the Irish Times.

Theologians, what use are they, apart from babbling deepity codswallop? Get a proper job Mr Mackey that is useful to society. We are short of bin-men here.

Blast, can't you edit comments anymore :(

The British Humanist Association has called for Mr Phillips to apologise.. statement below..

Humanists call for EHRC Chair Trevor Phillips to apologise, following ‘sectarian and divisive’ statements The Chair of Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Trevor Phillips has been called on to apologise by the British Humanist Association (BHA), after he made heavily biased remarks in favour of religious people and against the non-religious in an interview . The BHA has described Mr Phillips’ comments as ‘divisive and sectarian’. With no reference whatever to the EHRC’s duties, which legally apply equally to the non-religious, Trevor Phillips stated: ‘Our business is defending the believer. The law we're here to implement recognises that religious identity is an essential part of this society. It's an essential element of being a fulfilled human being.’ He also made a number of acerbic comments about those who are critical of religious beliefs – an important right of free speech, which it is also the purpose of his commission to defend – and suggested that they wanted ‘to drive religion underground’, with no supporting evidence. BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said, 'Trevor Phillips is the head of a commission which is responsible for the legal rights and interests not just of religious people but of non-religious people too. When he suggests that having religious belief is essential in order to be fulfilled as a human being, he is belittling them. If he made such divisive comments on grounds of race saying "it's my job to stand up for white people”, he would rightly be excoriated but somehow the fashionable sentiment that religion is good and non-religious people are hectoring and oppressive – when in fact the opposite is often the case – makes him think that this particular sort of bigotry is okay. It isn't. ‘He states that the commission’s role is in “defending the believer” and that his “real worry” is unfair treatment of religious people. He should tell that to the non-religious parent who can't get their child into the local school while Christian neighbour can, or the child expected to worship in school against his or her wishes, or the employee refused promotion by a religious employer contracted to provide a public service on behalf of the state because he or she doesn’t believe in god. With ill-informed remarks like these coming from the head of the commission, non-religious people must have diminishing confidence that it is concerned with or even understands their interests.’ The BHA has lodged a complaint against EHRC Chair Trevor Phillips through the commission’s official complaints channel, in particular asking for an apology from Mr Phillips for misrepresenting his role and the role of the Commission and for training for Commissioners, including Mr Phillips, so they will be aware of their statutory duties in relation to the protection of people against discrimination, whatever they believe, and the extent to which such comments as Mr Phillips’, which appear to condemn criticism of religions, run counter to the commission’s responsibilities to protect the human right to freedom of speech.

Is there no end to the malignity and insanity of superstitious simpletons? These depraved oafs shouldn’t be allowed to run a bath, never mind pass laws.

At least we can shame these cretins at every opportunity, if it is possible to shame such staggering and cowardly ignorance. One hopes that the children would have cast stones at these evil bastards, rather than the unfortunate animal. I am sure I would have done!

warned it had become "fashionable" to attack and mock religion, singling out atheist polemicist Richard Dawkins for his views;

If there was anything that was ripe for satire and mockery, it is the nonsense that is religion. I wonder if he says the same about Dave Allen, or Rowan Atkinson? Yes, if anything, RD has challenged, quite correctly, the notion that religion should go unchallenged. Religion does not deserve automatic respect and obeisance, when it interferes in our schools, when it teaches ignorance, where it demands everybody respects intolerance in the name of their anachronistic non-existent immoral deity. I will attack religion vigorously and with no quarter whenever it sticks its head above the parapet and parrots its absurd creeds, regardless of its crass and infantile baying of persecution.

It is beyond satire that a representative of the government’s equality watchdog should be calling for bigotry, so long as it is your religion. The man should be dismissed as an incompetent.

Now, whatever you can say about the Anglican Church, I think that subscribing it as more militant than Islam’s pugnacious, disgusting and discriminatory doctrines is stretching credulity to breaking-point. I don’t recall the Archbishop of Canterbury calling for people leaving the church to be murdered, as apostates. I don’t recall Anglicans on the street calling for infidels to be beheaded for insulting their odious prophet, or sketching Jesus. In fact, Mr Phillips, I think you will find that RD has always said that he is fond of the tea-and-biscuits culture and warmness of the Anglican Church, and respects Dr Rowan Williams, while profoundly disagreeing with him.

The rotting corpse of the Catholic Church is another matter. An evil organisation that is more concerned about its image than the children whose lives have been destroyed by paedophile priests, where there is evidence that the “infallible” head of the organisation is complicit in the cover-up of its own criminality.

Perhaps, Mr Phillips, you believe atheists and secularists should be discriminated against, as GalactimAtom commented on the vilification of atheists by certain Church leaders. Being described as Nazi’s and inhuman is par for the course for Darth Ratzinger and his ilk. Does that make them and you racist and Athiestphobes? Even though it is a nonsense word, have a think about it.

Perhaps it should be named Genocide 1.

Didn't work with me. Always thought it was unmitigated poppycock from as early an age as I can remember, despite being forced to go to church three times a Sunday. I would have said that most of my peers at church thought the same, bored out of their heads at the monotonous balderdash emanating from the pastors mouth, especially the hell-fire and damnation bullshit.

Alas, there was always a small percentage that took in the snake-oil claptrap. Certainly that was my experience here in the UK, so it is quite bewildering to see such a huge proportion of Americans swallowing hook line and sinker such superstitious twaddle. You would have thought that most of them would have outgrown such infantile rubbish, and since I have been on this site, I haven't heard a single argument from any faith-head for the existence of God(s) that isn't risible.

It is stupefying that we live in an age of knowledge unprecedented by any other era in humanity's history, yet the gullible persevere in swallowing anachronistic hokum written by people who would have made a Taliban tribesman seem like a paragon of knowledge. Understandable in the context of their era, as they, at least, were honestly trying to understand the world around them, but in the 21st Century the wilful-ignorance is criminal.

Interestingly, the following quote by Camping exhibits his true colours...

Camping said Family Radio, which is listener supported, is still collecting donations and that the organization "can get way more mileage out of a dollar than you ever could for yourself." He said Family Radio has no intention of returning the money to donors.

So, not only making fools and paupers of people who believed in him to the point of ruin, his magnanimity doesn't extend to apologising and refunding his wretched flock Hopefully, he can be sued by some of his ex-sheep. I wonder if he can be prosecuted for fraud?

But Rapture or not, Camping himself is not going out broke. According to Reuters in 2009 his Family Radio enterprise “reported in IRS filings that it received $18.3 million in donations, and had assets of more than $104 million, including $34 million in stocks or other publicly traded securities

As for Tim Stanley, instead of his cynical sneering at atheists drinking cheap beer and making out in hot-tubs (sounds a bit jealous), perhaps his ire should be directed at fraudulent Evangelical charlatans who could have made a lasting contribution to the needy without flushing $100 million of his disciples hard-earned cash down the lavatory.

Tell you what Mr Camping. How about a little wager of $100 million that the world doesn't end on October 21st. Put your money where your mouth is, and we can allocate the winings to something useful like education, and science.

Scorn and ridicule are exactly what Camping should expect. If you assert something ridiculous, then you can expect to be ridiculed. This is not the first time this clown has ruined people’s lives with this infantile nonsense. Hopefully, the sting from the publicity in the Internet age will make these snake-oil salesmen think twice before dragging themselves over the coals. A salutary lesson that will make even the most hardened apocalyptic fruitcake hesitate. I would not be surprised if the word Camping becomes a new word in the dictionary representing religious lunacy, hopefully with a longevity to match Quisling.

Yes, we should offer help and sympathy to Camping’s victims, but up to last week many of his disciples were on the street baying their ignorance, every stitch of clothing barking their arrogance, relishing that 97% of the world’s population were going to be frying in hell for eternity, while they sniggered from Heaven. You can hardly blame people for enjoying some well-deserved entertainment at their ignominy.

Perhaps some good can come from Camping’s risible predictions if some of his victims can turn away from delusion. The signs, alas, are not looking good …

Many followers said the delay was a further test from God to persevere in their faith

The Evangelical community so admired by unctuous apologists as Tim Stanley are not exactly exhibiting themselves in their best light. They are still cut from the same cloth as Camping. At least Camping showed the courage of his convictions; while the rest of the charlatans, such as Will Graham, slickly mewl to the sheep that the rapture cannot be predicted.

One wonders how many Millennia it will take before they get the message. Will they be predicting the rapture in 10,011 on May 21st, and on which planet?

The last paragraph is outrageous, a venal, unwarranted and vile attack on atheists..

Across the United States, atheists are gathering at Rapture parties to celebrate another day of life on this corrupted Earth. Their joy as Camping’s error is plain mean. While they knock back cheap imported beer and make-out in hot-tubs, thousands of evangelicals will be providing care and love to prisoners, homeless people, drug addicts and the poor. It is a noble calling worthy of a little tolerance

No, surely atheists don’t help provide care and empathy towards prisoners, homeless people, drug addicts and the poor. Surely atheists don’t contribute to charity. What a vile cretin!

Weavehole. It was over $100 million that was spent on advertising this lunatic charlatan’s claptrap. How much science could do with that money? What a tragedy these huge sums couldn't have gone towards education, towards benefiting mankind, rather than being flushed down the toilet-hole of human credulity.

Interestingly enough though, in litigation-crazed US, Camping may be in serious trouble should any members of his death-cult decide to sue him after squandering their life savings on his mad ravings.

As Richard has remarked, the fawning tongue-in-cheek attitude of the American media is disheartening. These fools should be ridiculed as the snake-oil salesmen they are. Many vulnerable people’s lives are irreparably damaged by these repellent quacks.

Richard, you have hit the nail on the head. These people are not daft. Religion is a huge cash-cow, especially in the US. As Ron L Hubbard (the founder of Scientology) commented “If you want to make a little money, write a book. If you want to make a lot of money, create a religion.” Personally, I would like to see all religion taxed. Hit them where it really hurts, in the pocket.

You would have thought Jesus and his cabal of disciples could at least have written a diary between them.

Monday: Had to hire a boat across the lake as Jesus has walked across it again. Git!

Tuesday: Bloody Lazarus is claiming that he doesn't have to file a tax-return as he is dead. Roman VAT collector isn't convinced.

Wednesday: Not keen on the wine today. Obviously the water is a bit off.

Thursday: Bloody lepers haven't any shekels to pay for the treatment. Some of them are demanding compensation as their limbs are still falling off, after last weeks consultation. Jesus says don;'t worry, they will be gone by the time it has gone through the law courts.

Friday: Jesus's missus, Mary Magdalene wants a night of nookey and has kicked us all out of supper again, Going to write her out of the gospels!!!

Saturday: Where are we going to store all these fish and loaves. Fed up with this diet. Anyone for KFC?

Sunday: Judas seems to have come into some cash! We are all off to gamble on the chariots :)