1. Supreme Court nixes suit over faith-based plan

Comment #52018 by macronencer on June 26, 2007 at 12:36 am

Once the greatest nation on Earth... now slipping away. And to think I still plan to move there! :(

2. Atheism shall make you free

Comment #47549 by macronencer on June 4, 2007 at 11:54 pm

Regarding the genetic element...

My father and his brother are identical twins: my father is atheist, and my uncle evangelical Baptist. However, they led slightly different lives (my uncle went through several divorces, and was actually "converted" to religion, rather than adopting it gradually).

3. Christians and Atheists to Debate Existence of God in First-Ever 'NIGHTLINE FACE OFF'

Comment #37272 by macronencer on May 4, 2007 at 12:34 am

@Comment #37164 by Liveliest Crib

----------
Comfort: Do you consider yourself a good person?

Unfortunate Interviewee: Sure.

C: Oh yeah? Have you ever told a lie?

UI: Ever? Of course.

C: So, what does that make you?

UI: [Nervous laughter] Heh, I guess you want me to say "liar," but ---

C: Right, you're a liar. Have you ever stolen something?
----------

Correct response:

C: So, what does that make you?

UI: Normal. Next question, please.

4. Gay hate church to picket VT gun rampage funerals

Comment #33427 by macronencer on April 20, 2007 at 4:35 am

Phelps and his drones are as evil as the gunman. What else to say? I hope someone pickets /their/ funerals when they finally leave us.

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

Comment #33426 by macronencer on April 20, 2007 at 4:30 am

This is so moving, I nearly cried. What a beautiful statement of humanity! Thank you.

6. The Coulter Hoax: How Ann Coulter Exposed the Intelligent Design Movement

Comment #30856 by macronencer on April 10, 2007 at 4:50 am

Thanks for the laugh! Really enjoyed this clever piece of satire.

7. Postmodernism Disrobed

Comment #30389 by macronencer on April 8, 2007 at 1:29 am

I hesitate to interrupt the flow, as I gave up reading this thread after it reached 3 pages. However, I thought readers might be interested in this, if they've never seen/heard it before:

http://www.wepsite.de/Party%20Political%20Speech.htm

It may not actually be "Postmodernism", but it's a wonderful example of waffle, and it gives me the same feeling I get from reading many of the "PM" examples so far given. Peter Sellers was such a genius.

8. Send The God Delusion to your MP

Comment #30185 by macronencer on April 7, 2007 at 7:09 am

I'm proud to say that I took part in this - however, I've only just discovered this thread, for some reason!

Anyway, I'm very glad we succeeded, it's excellent news. Because I didn't notice this thread, I ended up writing my own letter, but I think I did a pretty good job. As it happens, I've already had an acknowledgement back, though it's a pretty brief standard response. Polite, but brief. That said, I think my MP is one of the more sympathetic to the cause - a Lib Dem, and with an interest in Humanist issues.

I look forward to seeing reports from the press conference!

9. Kansas State School Board Bans Pokemon Due to Evolution Content

Comment #29836 by macronencer on April 5, 2007 at 4:52 am

I think that if nothing else gave this away, surely the "homosexuality of dinosaurs" passage should have!

LMAO.

10. Postmodernism Disrobed

Comment #29447 by macronencer on April 3, 2007 at 1:18 am

You know something? If Postmodernism had any relevance to my life, I'd continue reading this discussion.

I'm off to make a cup of tea and settle by an open window in the Spring breeze, and read a Science book.

Aaaahhhhh.... that's better. :)

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

Comment #29218 by macronencer on April 2, 2007 at 5:54 am

YES YES YES YES YES!!

I've been waiting for this moment ever since RDF came online. I LOVED these lectures. Thank you for releasing them. Consider them ordered as soon as I return home tonight.

Very very happy... :D

12. Postmodernism Disrobed

Comment #29206 by macronencer on April 2, 2007 at 4:47 am

I, too, would like to see a defence of Postmodernism that makes sense, but I'm not holding my breath. When objectivity is abandoned, one is left with a big fat zero, and, like the little dots on a TV set tuned to nothing but static, the syllables flow at random. Apply that philosophy to ethics, politics and economics, and civilization would vanish overnight. One is reminded of the nightmare world of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". I want nothing whatever to do with such destructive nonsense.

13. U.N. Panel OKs Measure on Islam

Comment #29074 by macronencer on April 1, 2007 at 1:59 pm

It strikes me that one side-effect of this "respect for religion" idea will be an increase in rudeness from the irreligious, probably (and understandably) out of frustrated fear for their own freedoms. I wouldn't normally go out of my way to insult religious people, but when I read news like this, I feel more than ever that constant exercise of free speech is required if we are to hold on to it. The innocent "moderate" bystanders will get burnt, once again, in the flames fanned by extremism.

Unless it really IS an April Fool (I hope so too). :(

14. Postmodernism Disrobed

Comment #29072 by macronencer on April 1, 2007 at 1:43 pm

Yes, I remember someone saying that Eagleton hated postmodernism. When I read his review, I actually thought it was postmodernism, but I now realise that I didn't know what the word really meant at that point: I now think his review was not postmodernism - although it certainly was baffling nonsense in places.

15. 'The Evolution of Homer' Intro

Comment #28748 by macronencer on March 30, 2007 at 3:30 pm

Yorker, I'm kind of with you, but I first find out whether they've given it a chance, because I didn't at first. For several years I couldn't get past the way they were drawn. Then my cultural tastes broadened a little and I began to watch - instant hit with me.

Of course, now I don't have a TV, and this is one show I do miss a little :(

16. John Paul Sainthood Nun 'Gentle, Simple'

Comment #28520 by macronencer on March 29, 2007 at 2:33 pm

My only response to this is curiosity. I now find myself wanting to go and research the stats on spontaneous cures...

17. Richard Dawkins: Author of the Year!

Comment #28515 by macronencer on March 29, 2007 at 2:19 pm

Congratulations Richard, this is heart-warming news!

18. 'They Tried To Teach My Baby Science'

Comment #27256 by macronencer on March 23, 2007 at 4:31 pm

@#26544 by tylersoap:

> Heres something else to laugh at :
> http://www.needgod.com/

Disappointed, I was hoping for a clever spoof. I got bored once it became technically impossible to answer Yes or No due to their begging the question. I didn't stick it out to the end so if it is a spoof I missed it.

This bit was incredible:

"The First of the Ten Commandments is "You shall have no other gods before me." That means that we should love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. The Bible tells us that no one has kept this commandment (see Psalm 14:2-3) -- if you said you had, you have also broken the 9th Commandment by lying."

What a load of BS. How do they get from a statement about other gods to one about loving with all our heart etc. blah blah blah? Thing is, I have NOT broken the first commandment because I have no gods AT ALL : The Bible, of course, is well known for its dedication to logic... ahem.

19. Did You Know? Shift Happens - Globalization, Information Age

Comment #26472 by macronencer on March 19, 2007 at 2:04 pm

Thanks BaronOchs, that's one for the quotes file!

I'd really like to select just a few salient points from this video to read over the phone to my (Internet-challenged) parents. Anyone know whether there's a transcript to be had anywhere? I'll pay good money.

Actually I lied about the money.

20. Cold is hot in evolution -- Researchers debunk belief species evolve faster in tropics

Comment #26017 by macronencer on March 16, 2007 at 6:11 am

Is it possible that the mutation rate varies with latitude, perhaps due to some phenomenon of the Earth's magnetic field protecting species from cosmic rays by different amounts?

21. A 'Sad First' in the History of the Congress

Comment #25785 by macronencer on March 15, 2007 at 5:47 am

I speak from across the Atlantic, and I say: what a disgracefully disingenuous article! How dare they depict the First Amendment as an instrument of persecution? Self-proclaimed 'patriots' of this type don't deserve the freedom and privileges they currently enjoy in that (once-)great country.

I've already emailed my support to Rep. Stark, and I wish I were a US citizen so that I could move to his constituency!

22. She's No Fundamentalist: What people get wrong about Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Comment #24652 by macronencer on March 7, 2007 at 10:47 pm

Matty has a good point. After all, it's not possible to hate individuals en masse unless you are insane. You can't possibly know them all well enough to have reasons to hate them. Personal feuds aside, people as such are not the main cause of hatred: ideas are the main cause of hatred.

23. Was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

Comment #24069 by macronencer on March 4, 2007 at 3:24 pm

Has The Dawkins Letters really got that extraneous apostrophe on the front cover? :-O

No further comments: it's all been said.

24. Daggers Drawn

Comment #23773 by macronencer on March 2, 2007 at 3:52 pm

Sigh.

Nobody is "accusing religion of fundamentalism". Rather, some people are criticising, in various ways, what is already acknowledged to /be/ religious fundamentalism. The whole tone of that statement assumes a "smear mentality", in which fundamentalism is used as a stigmatising term. In fact, it's a perfectly ordinary word and has a meaning.

And, from a logical perspective, it is not possible for atheists to be "fundamentalist" - though it is possible for them to be "extremist" in a number of ways. Religious people don't want to hear about that distinction, because they already think that "fundamentalism" is a dirty word, so they want it to apply to everyone. UIt doesn't - but that doesn't make them all fundamentalist, or all bad. Let's concentrate on the facts, here!

Furthermore, a word to wulster: human feelings and emotions are under the control of our reptile brains, which lie underneath our more recently-evolved "thinking" brains. It is inevitable that sometimes you will experience emotional reactions that are not under your conscious control, and that these may appear to undermine the logical statements you are making at the time. What you have to understand is that this does not devalue those logical statements. We must keep rational debate and social nuances separate if we are to make any sense of anything.

I regard emotions as a healthy part of being human, but if they get the better of me I don't necessarily feel that I've failed, I just acknowledge my "disability" (i.e. my genetic programming) and move on. And I do NOT call it fundamentalism just because I got angry.

25. Pope speaks out against 'designer babies'

Comment #23279 by macronencer on February 27, 2007 at 1:34 pm

One simple comment for his holeyness: Life is not the molecules, it's what they do. It is an emergent, not an intrinsic, property. Once you realise that, your confusion will disappear.

26. In praise of Darwin this Sunday ... in hundreds of churches!

Comment #21990 by macronencer on February 12, 2007 at 5:06 am

"the 197th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin."

198th, surely?

27. Zeus devotees worship in Athens

Comment #18704 by macronencer on January 22, 2007 at 2:41 pm

Typical. You turn your back for five minutes fighting the power of the Big Three, and the back-benchers start waking up behind you. It's like a zombie movie.

28. Richard Dawkins' Report Card

Comment #17066 by macronencer on January 10, 2007 at 2:58 pm

This gave me a laugh! I've still got a lot of my old reports. I wonder whether Richard's "slow, very slow and stop" repertoire was due to constant inquisitive inspection of the world? I expect he was wondering how moss grew in the school brickwork or something :)

29. Beliefwatch: Blasphemy (Challenge)

Comment #16902 by macronencer on January 9, 2007 at 2:29 pm

masterbuilder - have you actually watched the Blasphemy Challenge videos? There's almost no anger there at all. It's not about anger, as I've said several times on this forum. It's about standing up and being counted, that's all - which is also why those who nitpick about the bible verses and their definition of blasphemy are wasting their time.

I am glad you are living a good life, I'm very happy for you. But you realise you just trotted out Pascal's Wager? That will be refuted in seconds here. :)

30. Consciousness Without Faith

Comment #16769 by macronencer on January 8, 2007 at 2:58 pm

If you want to hear the sound of one hand clapping, play a gig at a social club :|

31. The Nodder

Comment #16767 by macronencer on January 8, 2007 at 2:51 pm

"Nailing the jelly of religion to the tree of logic..." - that's sheer poetry! And rather apposite, too, in a chillingly crucifiction-related way :-O

32. Consciousness Without Faith

Comment #16652 by macronencer on January 7, 2007 at 10:27 pm

I'm very glad Sam wrote this. I think it's a clearer statement of his views of contemplative techniques than that given in The End Of Faith, which disturbed me when I read it, in spite of the fact that I practise a degree of meditation myself.

Thanks, Sam, for this enlightening piece, which has cleared a few things up for me. You are not, thank goodness, the semi-mystical Charlatan that part of me took you for! :)

33. Hybrid embryo work 'under threat'

Comment #16362 by macronencer on January 6, 2007 at 8:56 am

Sancus, the moral zeitgeist never keeps up, it always lags behind. That's why, in any era, there are always people working to raise consciousness about something. But at least the moral zeitgeist keeps moving, rather than being shackled to a holy book.

34. Without God, Gall Is Permitted

Comment #16214 by macronencer on January 5, 2007 at 3:05 pm

"The reviewer of Dr. Dawkins's volume in a recent New York Review of Books noted his unwillingness to take theology seriously, a starting point for any considered debate over religion.

35. Hybrid embryo work 'under threat'

Comment #16206 by macronencer on January 5, 2007 at 2:24 pm

There's something rather fishy and unsettling about this story. I heard it on the radio this morning, and I got an unusual (for me) "conspiracy theory" tingle on the back of my neck. Someone is covering something up, is my hunch.

Right, that's my one allowed irrational assumption for the month used up, now I have to be totally sensible till Feb.

No, but seriously, this worries me. There are not enough clear statements coming from the people responsible. What are they hiding?

36. Beliefwatch: Blasphemy (Challenge)

Comment #15934 by macronencer on January 3, 2007 at 10:47 pm

r.e. Comment #15797 by Homo economicus

If we do not believe in God why go to such trouble to be angry against a non-existent entity?

37. A Christmas thunderbolt for the arch-enemy of religion

Comment #15756 by macronencer on January 2, 2007 at 3:04 pm

Professor Dawkins, thank you for posting that review of The Ancestor's Tale, it made good reading. I laughed out loud, though, at the final statements:

...I have just one serious quarrel with the book, which is the difficulty of reading it in bed. I note that at nearly 4kg it is a whole kilogram heavier than my hardback F N Robinson edition of The Works of Chaucer, which has twice as many pages and is printed on high-quality paper.

38. Let's Hope It's A Lasting Vogue

Comment #15755 by macronencer on January 2, 2007 at 2:06 pm

r.e. Comment #15569 by DV82XL:

Thank you for that very encouraging post! I have always rather liked the idea of moving to Canada. You've added to my interest in the idea. :)

(And by the way, I could not tell you were a Francophone, as your English was extremely good, up until you wrote "by in large" instead of "by and large" - but that's a mistake I've seen made by many who speak only English, so it would not have given it away!)

39. Divided by a common language: Richard Dawkins clarifies his position

Comment #15748 by macronencer on January 2, 2007 at 12:47 pm

I saw this petition when it was published, and did not sign it, because I could see that it was ambiguous and could easily be misinterpreted. Perhaps I've spent too much time around Americans :)

40. What are you optimistic about? Why?

Comment #15745 by macronencer on January 2, 2007 at 12:25 pm

More here:
http://tedblog.typepad.com/tedblog/2007/01/what_are_you_op.html

This includes a piece by TED curator Chris Anderson, which I really enjoyed reading.

41. Beliefwatch: Blasphemy (Challenge)

Comment #15743 by macronencer on January 2, 2007 at 12:16 pm

Personally, I'm a little fed up with people missing the point of this thing. The point is to stand up and be counted, and show the world how many people genuinely lack a belief in god(s). That's all - simple as that. Quibbles over biblical meaning are entirely irrelevant, and nobody taking the challenge really believes they are going to hell anyway. Despite the comments about not wanting to share the afterlife with fundamentalists (funny though they are), nobody would seriously wish to go to hell: not if they really believed it existed, with all its eternal torture.

Plenty of video submissions seem to be from people who have never really been religious, but the ones that mean the most are from those who were raised in a religious environment, and for whom it does take genuine courage to speak up: courage born not of fear of the Almighty, but of fear of peer pressure and community disapproval. To these people in particular, I raise my hat.

42. Do galaxies follow Darwinian evolution?

Comment #15740 by macronencer on January 2, 2007 at 11:56 am

I agree that this is a deeply unsatisfying report. I am left thinking "so what?" Perhaps I'm naive, but all those statements about environment affecting galaxies sound as if they can be explained largely by saying "star formation is more rapid and short-lived in a galaxy if there are plenty of raw materials nearby". Doesn't sound like news to me!

I may, of course, have completely missed the point - but I really feel as if there was no point to miss, here. If there's something deeper going on then I don't think it's been explained well enough.

And although "evolution" is often used loosely, I did wince at each mention of "genetic material".

43. Sunday Sequence with William Crawley

Comment #14502 by macronencer on December 22, 2006 at 6:53 pm

Thanks for the links, Eamonn. My favourite comment was from James Rocks:

"Nature is replete with examples of structures forming spontaneously but in fully explainable terms that would also defy the laws of thermodynamics - for instance sand dunes, snowflakes, crystals etc. In objective terms, about all the second law really says is that a living organism that stops eating will die."

I have only just got round to listening to this recording. I found it fascinating, and very enlightening, in the sense that it opened my eyes to the lengths to which people will go to evade what is plainly before their eyes. It's very sad listening to adults discussing what is really meant in a particular biblical verse. If the late, great Carl Sagan had been present, I can imagine him yawning, and quietly wandering outside to look at some trees...

44. The Komodo Dragon's Tale

Comment #14430 by macronencer on December 22, 2006 at 12:01 pm

That's extremely interesting! It comes around the right time for me, too, as it wasn't too long ago in my reading of The Ancestor's Tale that I passed the point where the Komodos would have joined (I'm actually as far as the Lancelets now).

Always happy to learn something new - I didn't know about selling, although I was aware that birds didn't do the "XY" thing.

Thanks for the extra Christmas present, Dr Dawkins!

45. 7 monks injured in clash over monastery

Comment #14097 by macronencer on December 21, 2006 at 4:59 am

Organised religion: divine revelation, or tribal warfare instinct? I think we should be told...

46. Now we know how to make the IDists dance in their petticoats: blaspheme.

Comment #14095 by macronencer on December 21, 2006 at 4:56 am

I'm over 40, and I actually responded to the challenge, although I mainly did so to show my support for the youngsters. I've had some nice comments on my video.

It's been said a couple of times that the verse was taken out of context, and that forgiveness is still possible. I don't know whether that is consistent with scripture or not, but I want to point out that it doesn't really make any difference: the point of the exercise is to stand up and be counted, and to make a statement that you are not under any kind of doctrinal influence. Whether the theological point is valid is a mere side-issue.

I salute these people: they are making their presence felt, and that is something that unbelievers have been rather bad at for the last few centuries.

47. Lunch with the FT: Richard Dawkins

Comment #13771 by macronencer on December 19, 2006 at 11:08 am

r.e. Comment #13613 by ldmiller
"Since the Colonies were populated by competing and mutually hostile religious groups, the founding fathers felt it necessary to scotch religious influence in the UNITED federation. Hence, explicit language to "separate church and state" at the national level to avoid religious infighting.

So why is this so hard for Europeans to understand???"

In the case of this European, because nobody has actually pointed it out to me before (seriously). Thank you for doing so! I shall ponder this and perhaps do some reading...

48. Merry Mithras

Comment #13640 by macronencer on December 19, 2006 at 12:39 am

"Is he a tribute band?"

:)

Alan Davies is brilliant!

49. Richard Dawkins on the Mike Dickin Show

Comment #13589 by macronencer on December 18, 2006 at 3:29 pm

@Aussie: LOL! I, too, am officially an "addict" :) This really is a very good site, and improving all the time. Well done, Josh!

50. Two Central Mysteries In Genome Inheritance Solved

Comment #13524 by macronencer on December 18, 2006 at 5:04 am

This is exciting stuff, and seems to offer yet another ray of hope to add to the light at the end of the cancer tunnel.

It occurred to me that this might also result in the development of antiseptic compounds, though I'm not sure how safe they would be to use.