1. Religious bigotry upheld in court

Comment #208058 by justdust on July 10, 2008 at 2:34 pm

This is a worrying decision. This implies that someone can opt out of something encompassed by their job description because it offends their religious sensibilities.

One can think of less tolerant religions that are seemingly offended by everything that could have a field day with this sort of ruling.

2. Non-voters: It's all in God's hands

Comment #200298 by justdust on June 27, 2008 at 9:20 am

Am I correct in thinking that Jehovas Witnesses are encouraged/instructed not to vote?

3. Louisiana's latest creationism bill moves to House floor

Comment #186880 by justdust on May 31, 2008 at 3:15 pm

ID isn't a science, it's an opinion. If it is alluded to in schools as such OK.

The ID crowd seem to leave the "G" word to the end of their argument. When you ask the ID lot "OK who did the Intelligent Design?" - "Well here's one we prepared earlier - Praise the Lord!"

4. British Airways takes beef off the menu to avoid offending Hindus

Comment #178145 by justdust on May 10, 2008 at 3:26 pm

Hmmm beef is getting damn expensive on the menu - we'll have to get rid of it. Negative.

We are withdrawing beef, because beef on our menu may cause offence to (whoever it is). Positive

5. Life after Jehovah's Witnesses: website offers help to followers who lose their faith

Comment #176542 by justdust on May 7, 2008 at 2:55 pm

ExJehovasWitness

Spot on. I agree with all you've said. I'm a devout atheist and have been married to a lovely JW for 20 years. We agree to disagree - it works!

Outside of the religion (I find it hard to regard it as a cult or a sect) they are always polite, kind and generous - decent people.

On the very few occasions that I've been to the hall I have to say I found the experience dark and a bit creepy. Certainly those you meet higher up the JW hierarchy are darker and creepier. Those at the bottom of the food chain are happy as sheep and the support structure is very good - you can see why vunerable people once in can never leave.

I too have 2nd hand experience of the double standards that the JWs have with regard to adulterous behaviour. They make it up as they go along - dreadful.

The blood thing isn't going to be an issue in our house because as the head of the household (a man!) I pull rank - I hope I don't have to use it again.

What also gets my goat though is the disregard for democracy and not voting. Lots of people died for my right to vote - to me it is valuable. Not voting leads to JWs not being able to do their thing - but I think they like feeling persecuted.

I could go on all night - but I won't

6. Was the new finger a 'natural' miracle?

Comment #174497 by justdust on May 2, 2008 at 2:02 pm

Does this mean you people don't believe in pixies either?! Not long now and I will be able to count the number of genuine pixies encounters I have had on the fingers of one hand.

7. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #154734 by justdust on April 3, 2008 at 4:01 pm

and consider that bar codes are satanic symbols

8. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #149424 by justdust on March 25, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Churches constantly change their collective minds about what God says, so what is being asked is that MPs put their Church - not their conscience - above everything else.

Not big fans of mixing these Christians!

9. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142538 by justdust on March 12, 2008 at 4:12 pm

OK the ASA have heard from the monkeys - will they hear from the Supreme Organ Grinder? I think not.

10. Full house captivated by atheist Dawkins' take on religion

Comment #142528 by justdust on March 12, 2008 at 4:01 pm

What interests me, personally, are the crowd reactions, the debates and the audience questions after the lecture.

And it explains why some Dawkins fans were turned away from the 1,300-seat theater after it filled up and why some opportunists were trying to sell the free tickets for $50 apiece on Craigslist.

11. Berlin gallery in Islam art row

Comment #136588 by justdust on March 1, 2008 at 1:25 pm

You gotta hand it those Danes....

12. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video

Comment #133689 by justdust on February 26, 2008 at 2:30 pm

Freedom of speech carries great responsibility.
I don't agree in the least with the author of the piece from le courrier but i am interested in the lines and how they get crossed or smudged depending on where one is standing at the time.
Harris Hitchens and dawkins have spoken at length about this.
People get incited to kill others in road rage and have been killed for nothing more than being on the wrong football team.
The lines often blur between gentle national pride and nationalistic tendencies. This sometimes happens in pubs where gentle banter about potatoes turns into age old famine fights.
People are passionate about their garden plot. My next door neighbour moved my bin about 6 inches over toward my house, away from her house.
And she'll watch TV that night and shake her head and wonder why so many die for land.
Things are never simple. Snow drops under microscopes.

13. Cutting Edge: Baby Bible Bashers

Comment #129468 by justdust on February 19, 2008 at 7:10 am

I am always puzzled that evangelicals will take part in documentaries that make them look so bad. Perhaps they think this one will be different, perhaps they just don't see how they come over in these programs, perhaps they just can't resist being on television.

14. Study: Religion colors Americans' views of nanotechnology

Comment #128516 by justdust on February 17, 2008 at 9:20 am

Just checked, "nanotech" does not occur in the bible anywhere (I didn't check just a wild guess).

Can I have extra years on my life - yes please when I was between 20-40 would be just nice - not when I'm going to be wearing a nappy again.

15. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126053 by justdust on February 12, 2008 at 12:23 pm

Well I have to say that I'd always thought Valentines day was crap, however the opportunity to irritate the Saudis might be one too good to pass up.

Good to at last see the cartoons.

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

Comment #124116 by justdust on February 8, 2008 at 12:02 pm

Arkwrights 1st law of thermodynamics - thee don't get owt for nowt.

17. U.S.: 'Demonic' militants sent women to bomb markets in Iraq

Comment #120288 by justdust on February 1, 2008 at 11:41 am

Never underestimate the ability of these people to scrape the bottom of the barrel even further.

18. Honour Killings

Comment #113680 by justdust on January 20, 2008 at 10:25 am

Saudi Arabia

19. Britain cannot put its faith in religiously divided schools

Comment #113652 by justdust on January 20, 2008 at 9:49 am

To paraphrase Ernest Bevin, faith schools open up a Pandora's box of Trojan horses for our country.

20. Two Ex-Jehovah Witnesses to Tell Why They Became Atheists

Comment #110052 by justdust on January 10, 2008 at 12:03 pm

Being married to a JW for 20 years (though she's not an ultra) and from the outside looking in the word that keeps coming back to me again and again with JWs is "creepy". (Not my wife I hasten to add!)

A lot of the JW's I know are nice people - though the higher up the hierachy you go the creepier it gets - but I am always aware of the coercion, the checking up, the studying. They must be the best rehearsed of all the religions (possibly bar Isalm) and will give the studied party line in a calm and measured way.

I hate the pioneering, the medical totems, the rejection of democracy and the outcasting.

Like a lot of religions they seem to have more then their fair share of people who have genuine social problems - but the religion includes them and that inclusion does bring them real comfort. That isn't something so easy to replicate in the atheist world.

Our teenage children have all been to the meetings and I think they go now out of loyalty to my wife rather than any ingrained beliefs - but I can see how it would be difficult if both parents were JWs.

Baptising is on the horizon for our kids. I can see it is going to be a problem.

21. Top Ten Stories of 2007

Comment #104019 by justdust on December 27, 2007 at 2:52 pm

It was a truly glorious day when Falwell died. I think I cried tears of joy that day. That wretched crust of a human should have died in the womb and saved the world the heart ache! He is the argument FOR abortion!

22. 'Atheistic fundamentalism' fears

Comment #102482 by justdust on December 23, 2007 at 2:04 am

Surely a far simpler explanation of that would be an alien civilization with technology way beyond our understanding that had sneaked a look at the bible and thought "we could have fun with this planet"

23. For the Love of Christ

Comment #102002 by justdust on December 21, 2007 at 11:21 am

He shows that you don't have to masturbate to be a wanker.

24. Clegg 'does not believe in God'

Comment #100865 by justdust on December 19, 2007 at 1:23 pm

New Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has answered "no" when asked on BBC radio if he believed in God.

Mr Clegg was joined on his first day in the job by musician Brian Eno, whom he has brought in as an adviser on how to "reach out beyond Westminster to people who don't get a say in politics".

25. Dawkins: I'm a cultural Christian

Comment #99785 by justdust on December 17, 2007 at 2:33 pm

I've come to realise that Christmas is that special time of year when we remember the one who died, came back to life, and saved us all - Doctor Who.


Superb :)

26. Creationists plan British theme park

Comment #99290 by justdust on December 16, 2007 at 9:05 am

Good grief.

So that's why kids binge drink - no religion - simple!

27. This deadly religious resistance to vaccinations

Comment #97112 by justdust on December 11, 2007 at 12:53 pm

I think the JWs said it was OK for vaccinations in 1952(?) until then it was regarded as some sort of cannablism.

However, this isn't totally black and white - vaccinations (like virtually everything in lfe) do by their nature carry a risk - you just have to weigh this against the risk of not having it - and the risk of not having it decreases with the numbers of those having it - which is why Melanie Phillips and her ilk can get a look in.

28. Former Evangelical Minister Has a New Message: Jesus Hearts Darwin

Comment #95174 by justdust on December 7, 2007 at 1:57 pm

I'm with Duff - this smells of huckster - he's found a new angle - but give the man credit he's got some good lines.

Is it really a van though?

29. Nurses Told to Turn Muslims' Beds to Mecca

Comment #93975 by justdust on December 4, 2007 at 2:11 pm

They must really miss their bingo.

30. 'Muhammad' teddy teacher arrested

Comment #90859 by justdust on November 26, 2007 at 2:13 pm

good grief

31. Mother dies after refusing blood

Comment #85357 by justdust on November 5, 2007 at 2:43 pm

Rather than just read I had to join these boards to comment on this.

I'm an atheist. I've been happily married to a (not over strict) JW for over 20 years. It is possible to hold complete opposing beliefs and get along - just avoid religion!

We have twins - teenagers now. When they were born I remember quite clearly that if there was a need for blood it was going to happen (there wasn't).

The father here is a fool. He has lost his wife for nothing and deprived his kids of their mother. He could have chosen to save her life - but he didn't - what do you call that?

What is he going to tell those kids when they grow up?

All religions need totems to differentiate the brands - the JWs choose to have a deadly one.

Oh and be careful with the Bible quotes the JWs have their own version.