1. Jerry Falwell's Hit Parade

Comment #42273 by krispar on May 18, 2007 at 2:32 am

Jerry Falwell is no favorite of mine.
In fact I loath(ed) him and all he stood for, but in fairness it has to be pointed out that in spite of what has been has been suggested, he apparently never cheated on his wife.

Jerry and Macel Quotes About Marriage:
Jerry on abstinence: "James, having been married 47 years to the same woman and having never touched another woman except my wife, Macel, and my wife having never touched another man in 47 years, I can tell you that is the best deal. And that's the deal we ought to be teaching our kids."
Source: Crossfire, December 2, 2004.

Now to be sure it would not perturb me if somebody can dispute this and provide evidence to the contrary.

We have to be careful not to add to his undoubtedly unsavory reputation by fabricating untrue details about his sex life.

2. The Debate: Can We Live by Reason Alone?

Comment #39753 by krispar on May 11, 2007 at 9:18 pm

Comment by davyB
Why does Dawkins believe Jesus was real man? There's no direct evidence.

Dawkins probably does believe that Jesus never existed, but to state this emphatically would be too confrontational.
The fact is, that contemporary historical evidence verifying anything about the existence of Jesus, or for that matter any of the stories as related in the New Testament, is completely non existent.
When asking about any available evidence the first and favored response is always the "Testimonium Flavianum " even though it's authenticity is very much in doubt.

Since the Jewish historian Josephus published his work Antiquities of the Jews. In AD 93 this response is not even contemporary to Christ's time and demonstrates the complete lack of any factual contemporary historical evidence of the existence of Christ.
It is only in the year 325 at the Council of Nicaea under the leadership of the emperor Constantine that the 4 Gospel stories were chosen out of many more available and then constituted into the Canon of the New Testament.
These arbitrarily chosen stories were subsequently declared to be inspired writings by uninspired men
The rest is history.



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3. Sam Harris in conversation with Oliver McTernan

Comment #38770 by krispar on May 9, 2007 at 6:45 am

I found Oliver Mc Ternan's style condescending and annoying. As an ex priest he obviously still expects that deference and respect is his normal and rightful due.

The idea of a non interventionist God would make prayer completely superfluous.
Does the man pray? And if so why???

The audacity of Mc Ternan, ignoring scripture, but accusing Sam Harris of not doing his research was breath taking.

It certainly reinforces Sam's point about moderate religionists being part of the problem.

4. Dinesh D'Souza says I don't exist: an atheist at Virginia Tech

Comment #33322 by krispar on April 19, 2007 at 9:30 pm

Dinesh D'Souza writes: Notice something interesting about the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings? Atheists are nowhere to be found.

Viewing the horrific events on TV last evening the following comment was made by a female fundamentalist Christian preacher.

"I came here to help and comfort today, but the reality is that some of the students that were shot, are in hell today"!!!!!!!

This sick remark, devoid of any compassion, is the logical consequence of convoluted theological thinking.

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

Comment #30810 by krispar on April 10, 2007 at 12:51 am

So did Christianity make man better, worse, or just the same? It is an irresolvable dispute, but the Christians can adduce some arguments in their favour. Theirs is a religion of love in which charity is a duty. If that cannot persuade man to behave well, original sin is the best short account of the human condition.

The idea of original sin is flawed, unjust, and born out of the need to justify nonsense.

Charity and love is the only message to emphasize on young impressionable minds.

To teach children that we are all sinners is an invitation all too readily taken on board.

To be lumbered with original sin is possibly an explanation why so many of us live up to this.

To emphasize positive values is surely better than fabricating negative ones.

Bring on the "Golden rule".