1. Atheists claim censorship by billboard company

Comment #147297 by cbelt on March 20, 2008 at 6:03 am

According to online Merriam-Webster --

censor: to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable ; also : to suppress or delete as objectionable

I don't see anything wrong with Gaylor calling this censorship; ABC is censoring the content of its ads. I also agree with those here who say it is their right to do so.

As a resident of Grand Rapids, however, I decry the religiously repressive attitude permeating this area which can't tolerate such a tame message as "Beware of Dogma". I see dogma stunting the economy by alienating smart, creative people, stunting the intellectual growth of students and citizens and sheltering an array of creepy politicians and business owners who use it for personal gain. I applaud and thank FFRF for their efforts.

I'm raising a family here now, but I'm encouraging the kids to attend college and pursue careers elsewhere. My wife and I also plan to leave when the nest is empty, if not sooner. Are you listening community leaders?

2. Inventor Doesn't Dare Say 'Perpetual Motion Machine'

Comment #124210 by cbelt on February 8, 2008 at 7:10 pm

I think he's scamming. Without the coils and wiring that bench grinder motor should spin that magnet wheel over 1000 rpm. The normal operating speed for a motor like that with a pair of grinding wheels is about 3500 rpm. The effect of the coils is to act as a brake, not to speed it up. When he opens the coil circuits one by one, the motor is allowed to speed up, and he claims the coils are accelerating it. The dead give away is in "Part 5" where the supposedly disconnected coils haul the motor down to almost a dead stop.

3. Don't write off religion - it can be the key to a stable family

Comment #82668 by cbelt on October 27, 2007 at 7:12 am

So... is she saying atheists should pretend to believe for the sake of the kids? I think it's better to set an example of honesty.

So far, two years after abandoning evangelical Christian church and school (with my wife and three kids following close behind), I see only positive effects. Not counting the fact that the funamentalist in-laws won't speak to me. We are very close and happy.

Gotta go. My oldest wants to go to his halloween dance as the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and we need to find some noodles.

4. Censoring Sir David

Comment #69923 by cbelt on September 13, 2007 at 7:31 am

This is especially pernicious because it blurs the divide between creationist media, which lacks credibility partly because of its crappy quality, and top-notch natural history media. Before, the good stuff had evolution. Now, a Christian school teacher can show compelling videos which don't contradict creationism and don't make them look like the dorks that they are.

5. The New Atheists

Comment #49665 by cbelt on June 12, 2007 at 8:32 pm

It is encouraging to see an attempt at a realistic strategy for leveraging Atheism's momentum for political change in the US. As much as we like to dream about the complete demise of religion and its influence, I fear it is just a dream. For reasons we only partly understand, a lot of people are stubbornly religious, and that's not going to change soon, if ever. In the meantime, we need to protect our government's secular framework right now. Perhaps this coalition could accomplish this, not because liberal Christians are right about God, but because they also value reason and science over Biblical literalism and a liberal social agenda over the hatred exhibited by the Christian Right.

Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris have been hard on liberal Christians with good reason, and breaking the shell of politeness protecting religion has been cathartic. But maybe it's time to hold our noses and start thinking practically about building bridges to the liberal Christians who want many of the same things we do, and who, unlike us, are not shunned by the politicians. To do this, we would need to distinguish the realm of philosophy, where we could feel free to bash God-belief, from that of politics, where we would have to politely avoid the topic of god, at least for now, and focus on our common goals.

6. Why Do Some People Resist Science?

Comment #46725 by cbelt on June 1, 2007 at 9:37 am

That was interesting, but I still don't get why America in particular seems to tend this way. Do religious leaders here have more influence? If so, how and why?

I've often wondered the same thing. I think part of it might have something to do with our expertise at marketing, advertising and promotion in the commercial world. These principles are now routinely applied to sell religion and churches like consumer products. New megachurches feel like a cross between an upscale mall and a posh health club. There are sophisticated programs for "enfolding" new members. Worship style constantly evolves to accomodate current tastes, and the emphasis is kept on the happy stuff. Once you're there a while, you start to accept whatever the pastor says.

Comforting lies + good marketing = deluded nation.

Just a theory.

7. The Dawkins delusion

Comment #46126 by cbelt on May 30, 2007 at 9:43 am

-J-, I appreciate your point about seeking to understand belief without belittling the believer. For me, this question is more than just interesting, it haunts me constantly, because I have always been surrounded by believers. I know I am not smarter, or more sophisticated, or even less gullible than all of them. I know them (and myself) too well to comfort myself with this delusion. On the other hand, I will never concede that any of their supernatural beliefs are true. I don't want to feel better than them, and I sincerely doubt that I am, yet they harbor this set of beliefs which seem to be beyond the reach of reason. I have really lost some level of kinship with my extended family and community. I'd like to get that back by understanding them in some non-condescending way.

8. Observer Diary 27th May 2007

Comment #45318 by cbelt on May 27, 2007 at 6:53 am

As an aside, here's an interesting article about Elon Musk's rocket project http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-06/ff_space_musk

9. Teachers rebel over atheism promotion

Comment #45055 by cbelt on May 26, 2007 at 3:45 am

I agree completely about the importance of teaching critical thinking, and that it's not taught now. It boggles my mind how much BS I have to filter every day. I fear there are a lot of powerful people with a stake in keeping the public gullible, including religionists, politicians and corporations.

As for how to get it done, I know it's a little far fetched, but how about Al Gore? I know he isn't everyone's favorite, but he is riding a wave of popularity from An Inconvenient Truth and his latest book bemoans the decline of reason in the US. If he made it a pet project to promote critical thinking curriculum in schools, it might get some traction.

10. When Seeing Is Disbelieving

Comment #36913 by cbelt on May 2, 2007 at 7:10 pm

Regarding devolved's "presuppositional bias", creationists often frame the controversy as competing sets of biases, those of believers vs. those of scientists who deny God's role. This approach makes both sides seem equally defensible and equally tentative. But science has taught us everything we know about the natural world, while religion has taught us absolutely nothing about it. In fact religion has been a significant source of misinformation. As I search for the truth about the natural world, should I trust science or religion? Is my preference for science bias, or the only sane choice?

11. Scene Caused by Christian Group at NYC Stage Show

Comment #35901 by cbelt on April 29, 2007 at 8:34 am

I associate with people who share David's warped and fearful view of world. There are lots of them in the US, but most don't act as aggressively. They react to their fear by isolating themslves from the world with Christian schools and home schooling, associating only with like-minded people from their megachurch, reading only Christian books, listening only to Christian radio, etc., which only reinforces their attitudes. This movement is extremely corrosive to our society, because it discourages mutual understanding and stigmitizes outsiders as not worth listening to. Of course, it also fills their children's minds with complete BS.

I think the one person most responsible for their paranoia is James Dobson. His newpaper column and radio show have a huge following. His formula is to skillfully take some modern "threat to the family", exagerrate it, associate it with secularism, identify the enemies respnsible and instruct the listener how to protect themselves.

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

Comment #33734 by cbelt on April 21, 2007 at 12:28 pm

I think many people need to find comfort in religion because that very same religion has weakened their ability to cope in the first place. Christians are taught not to trust their own judgement or logic, but submit to the authority of the Bible and the church. For years they are spoon-fed ideas and discouraged from freely and honestly wrestling with other possible meanings of life and death. They are taught rote, childish answers to the profound and difficult questions. When tragedy strikes, they run to their pastors (the same ones who weakened their inner resouces) so they can be reassured that their loved ones are in a better place living in eternal bliss, and that one day they will be too. They also look to their leaders to try, yet again, to explain why a loving, all-powerful God kills innocent young people.

I know this sounds snotty and condescending, but the D'souza article together with a spate of Christian funerals I've attended lately has really put me off the Christian view to death. Mapantsula's thoughtful sincerity and intellectual maturity is a breath of fresh air.

13. The Most Hated Family in America

Comment #29797 by cbelt on April 4, 2007 at 7:18 pm

Fantastic documentary. I watched the whole thing twice. His almost inhuman restraint and patience with these people was rewarded with an extended stay in their family and a better insight to their behavior. The juxtaposition of their humanity and their bizzare beliefs and behavior knocked me out. Why does this stuff have to come from the BBC instead of journalists in my own country?

In a twisted way, I can see how their beliefs might reinforce themselves. If every bad thing that happens to somebody is God's judgement, then you've answered the difficult question of why God allows suffering in the world. If you embrace the bad things as signs of God, then the world becomes a pretty great place to live. Every time somebody flips them the bird, they are affirmed.

At an early age the kids are faced with a choice-be ostracized by your friends at school or by your family. Of course the kids choose their family and their future as cult members is all but assured.

I hope for all their sakes that when the insane patriarch dies of old age the whole thing falls apart for lack of leadership. Of course It wouldn't be Biblical for the daughter, a mere woman, to do the job.

14. The Salem Hypothesis

Comment #27163 by cbelt on March 23, 2007 at 10:23 am

I am a degreed engineer with about 25 years experience. I also have a Biology degree. Here's a few random thoughts.

Engineering is typically the application of technical knowledge to solve practical problems. They ask "How can we do X?" Things don't get very philosophical, so you're not forced to examine your pre-existing religious beliefs. Engineers may choose to do this on their own, but it doesn't go with the job. Engineering doesn't make you a creationist, but it doesn't stop you either.

Science puts you face to face with basic realities which are hard to reconcile with religion, like the age of the earth, the size of the cosmos, evolution, the physical nature of the mind, etc. Scientists also focus more on "why" questions, which ultimately can lead to philosophical and religious thought.

15. Atheists come in last

Comment #22975 by cbelt on February 25, 2007 at 6:50 am

The more I think about this survey, the more it seems flawed and meaningless. It compares categories of different types which are not mutually exclusive. What about a homosexual Christian or a Catholic woman? These personal attributes are only part a person's makeup, and their influence on popularity depends on other factors so much that it is pointless to isolate them.

I think one reason that theists fare better than atheists in the survey is that the theistic religions package a belief system with a set of known moral views. In other words, you can expect that a good Catholic will favor hard work, personal responsibility, sexual fidelity and other popular moral positions. This is attractive to the average religious person who, in my experience is really not that focused on beliefs, but wants to belong to and support a group they can trust.

Identifying some one as an atheist doesn't tell you anything about his or her moral beliefs, so how can you endorse them without further information? They may be politically conservative, a Humanist, a hippie or cannibal for we know.

I think an atheist candidate who demonstrated strong and popular moral views, played down his or her atheism and showed respect for mainstream religious groups could do better than what this survey would imply.

16. Former exec in Irvine says he was fired over religion

Comment #19289 by cbelt on January 26, 2007 at 5:27 am

andyinsdca, USA_Limey

I disagree. The free market would mitigate discrimination if such behavior harmed the company's competitiveness, but I don't think it always does. A company which hires only white male Christians (or any other subgroup) can function as profitably as an open company, even with its limited pool of eligible applicants. Some would even argue that such a company can benefit from the resulting unity. Meanwhile, most of the company's customers don't pay attention to discrimination or don't care.

I think if you want fairness in employment, there's no substitute for anti-discrimination laws. IMO, a society where employability is tied to religious beliefs is unhealthy.