1. The US map of faith

Comment #55773 by Awl on July 12, 2007 at 7:45 am

I live in Bristol, England and there must be at least 2 dozen churches within a miles walk of my house.

The good news is that most of the churches have nowbeen converted: they are now flats, estate agents, chartered accountants, a climbing school and a couple of sikh temples.

All hail the death of religion in Europe!

2. Hamas Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony

Comment #47938 by Awl on June 6, 2007 at 4:49 am

I was watching my boyfriend play grand theft auto last night and it occurred to me that we in the west really can't be too snooty about Palestinians teaching their children violence: we do eactly the same thing in different ways.

Ok, I realise that GTA is an 18 but who honestly believes that that means no children play it and learn about all the violence it entails?

However, this actually doesn't frighten me too much. I realise that most people, even children, can tell the difference between play and reality and would never dream of stealing a car/gunning down a police officer etc in real life.

Perhaps we should assume that Palestinian children can also see this difference?

3. Religion and Child Abuse

Comment #47649 by Awl on June 5, 2007 at 6:32 am

As many people here have pointed out, even if it was not a huge breach of civil liberties for the goverment to interfere in what parents teach their children it would certainly be very difficult to enforce.

However, what can be enforced, as has also been pointed out above is a complete end to faith schools of any sort. Relgious education should continue but in a comparitive manner so the relative merits of all faiths can be assessed (inevitably such education leads to a realisation that all faiths are equally ridiculous).

what is more important however, and easily and legally implemented, is education in critical thinking.

If we teach children from an early age to evaluate logically any information given to them then they will not only be protected from religious people but also all the other con-men that they may come across in their lives (be in double glazing salesmen or crystal healers).

A far more vauable gift than blind adherance to someone elses ideas, surely?

4. Creationist Periodic Table of the Elements

Comment #44749 by Awl on May 25, 2007 at 8:51 am

"Get the A out of DNA!"

What a great site!

5. Gay row US Anglicans miss summit

Comment #44582 by Awl on May 25, 2007 at 5:04 am

DanielStoker and Philip1978

I was confirmed into the CofE when I was 12. It still makes me cross because no one bothered to explain to me what it meant, it just happened.

Anyway, do you think it is worth sarting a movement to encourage people to formally devorce themselves from a church they were taken into as children? If we could get enough people to do it it would make something of a specticle to show how little we think of it all.

6. Heliocentrism is an Atheist Doctrine

Comment #44528 by Awl on May 25, 2007 at 3:45 am

Guys, guys guys.. please switch your irony-detection-antenna to "on".

Of course it is a joke! Quite a good and well-researched one at that.

I know the religious are dumb but even they have the sense to quietly ignore the more obviously worng bits of bible. The only people who point this stuff out are on OUR SIDE!

7. Dental healer finds share of faithful believers

Comment #43933 by Awl on May 23, 2007 at 4:21 am

*sigh* ...i'm assuming that there aren't any dental records which back up any of this nonsense?

8. Gay row US Anglicans miss summit

Comment #43877 by Awl on May 23, 2007 at 3:15 am

Utterly, utterly disgusting. How can these people claim to love and forgive etc etc when they can discriminate against one of their own so flagrantly? The hypocracy within the church is at such an obscene level that surely it can only start to self destrcut now?

What amuses me about this 'controversy' is the fact that within 20 years religious groups will have caught up with the rest of society and will have no problem with homosexuality; those passages in the bible will be conveniently ignored along with the stuff about beating your wife and owning slaves. And Rowan Williams will be vilified by history as a filthy homophobe and sycophant.

Serious, when are these divisive, ignorant people going to disappear and stop having a public influence?

9. Prayer can improve physical health

Comment #43674 by Awl on May 22, 2007 at 8:58 am

It passes as science because there is a natural phenomenom to be explored and understood. People who pray are healthier: Why? The first two answers to this question given in the article seem to cover it nicely and so perhaps we all ought to meditate for the health benefits.

The researchers had to mention the "god effect" simply because it is the favourite hypothesis of the people being investigated. A study of prayer would be incomplete without bringing god up. It doesn't mean that anyone with any scientific credibility will take the suggestion seriously of course.

10. Hubble Finds Ring of Dark Matter

Comment #43608 by Awl on May 22, 2007 at 5:27 am

I have just set the picture as my desktop background. It's against company policy of course, but it is always good to be reminded how small and insignificant our "global corporation" really is!

11. The Damned

Comment #37358 by Awl on May 4, 2007 at 7:20 am

Thanks to Admin for the link to the cafe press site. They have lots of Atheist t-shirts - this one made me laugh out loud:
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/atheist/-/pv_design_details/pg_1/id_16225116/opt_/fpt_/c_360/

12. Your favorite book in the last 25 years?

Comment #37322 by Awl on May 4, 2007 at 4:52 am

One of the most fascinating non-science books I've read recently is "The Adventure of English" by Melvin Brag. It gives a wonderful insight into the evolution of a language.

As for science - did anyone ever read the Ascent of Man? I don't remember the author's name but it was written to accompany a BBC series of the same name screened in the early 80s. My father leant me his copy when I was in my teens and I remember reading it from cover to cover in a week (it's a big book!)

13. Iran arrests 300 'insufficiently veiled' women

Comment #35390 by Awl on April 27, 2007 at 3:47 am

Is there anything that we in the west can do to stop this happening?

I can't think of any ways in which our intervention wouldn't make things worse but I hate having to sit here, shake my head, and say "how awful". Telling each other how immoral it is does nothing - but is there anything we can do?