1. Atheists go on the political offensive in God-fearing US

Comment #38023 by Irate Harry on May 6, 2007 at 5:58 pm

Re #37982 by Bizarro Dawkins

With a handle like that and the claim of being an intellectually fulfilled christian, BD is a living oxymoron. But then this should not be surprising, since BD is obviously inspired by the endlessly self-contradictory bible that legitimises the oxymoron.

However, getting back to the main topic, it is encouraging to see some renaissance and enlightenment trying to break through. Three cheers to the "National Day of Reason"...

2. Republican candidates range from ignorant to dishonest

Comment #37590 by Irate Harry on May 5, 2007 at 8:53 am

Re: 53 by Jaffas85

With its neanderthal leaders in positions of power, pandering to the backward classes of regressive religiosity, the US is no different from a country such as Iran.

One could safely say that the US does not anymore belong in the the community of first world nations. Its leaders have effectively subjugated the intelligentsia and free thinkers. The 'American dream' has turned into a bit of a nightmare.

What a shame...

3. You come up here and say that, Dawkins!

Comment #17409 by Irate Harry on January 13, 2007 at 11:34 am

Is he "up" there over old England, holding a geostationary orbit? That should upset the Aussie christians who will have to see him in the underground depths of hell...

He should also be careful about his diet - he seems a bit bloated. We don't want him to suffer a stroke or a heart attack, do we? Also RD is a lot fitter than him, so god should think twice before daring him like that :-D

4. Halting progress

Comment #16988 by Irate Harry on January 10, 2007 at 1:07 am

This a damn dangerous 'wedge' strategy by the christian bigots. The obscenity of the 'right to discriminate' is repulsive and shameful.

Further, starting with homosexuals, they will begin arguing for discrimination against other religion, atheists, or whatever else takes their fancy.

I heard the ugly words of Norman Tebbitt this morning on the radio, justifying this as against "not who they are, but for their acts - like sodomy". WTF??? This right wing discrimination and intrusion into people's privacy is becoming worrying.

I am beginning to believe that religion is taking us back in time by reversing civilisation. And the appeasing and weak-kneed (UK) or fundy (US) governments will probably give in.

5. Open Letter to Rev. John Auer

Comment #16859 by Irate Harry on January 9, 2007 at 8:52 am

Funny that there are no posts from the usual bunch of christian trolls, leaping to the defence of the disgraceful Auer, the hypocritical church, or the origin of dubious morality (i.e. the bible).

Cat got their tongues? or are they busy crafting their weasel words?

6. The God of the Bible is No Delusion!

Comment #16720 by Irate Harry on January 8, 2007 at 10:11 am

This meandering thread, infested by the smugly self-certain christian theistic postings, is getting rather tiresome with the biblical bleatings. The whole OT/NT rubbish is even more egregious than the other theologies of the old world (much older than 6000 years of the begats).

Atheists reject belief in all gods, not just the christian fabrication that is replete with self-serving bigotry and hypocritical self-contradictions. How conceited !!! But not surprising since the bible in all its guises threatens hellfire and damnation if we follow other fabrications.

At least the older theologies had the excuse of trying to explain nature before the emergence of scientific thinking, and could be dismissed as anachronistic. Christianity, unacceptable to the majority of the world, continues to try and impose its totalitarian tendencies. What the bible-bashers are doing in the US is not much different from the shameful Crusades, and we hear some of the echoes here in the UK.

It will be a refreshing change if the pesky christian god-bothers shut up for a bit while the others - hindus, muslims, jews etc - regaled us with their illusions and delusions. After all, we are supposed to be multi-cultural aren't we? Or is that just a patronising sound-bite of the christian demagoguery?

7. Secret Life of Brian

Comment #16716 by Irate Harry on January 8, 2007 at 9:10 am

For atkinson

I have had similar problems with UBloodyTube not being able to watch videos uninterruptedly.

Go to keepwid.com. It allows you to rip the stream to a .flv file (you need to rename it). You can also download a free flv player from the Keepvid site.

You need to go to the source at YouTube for the download to work.

Please keep the download legal and respect the copyrights.

Enjoy.

8. Questionable Mission

Comment #16695 by Irate Harry on January 8, 2007 at 5:18 am

To Mroberts3

Europe is a much better place, relatively speaking. But for thinking people to leave the US would only render that country even more of a nut-house.

I despair at the mind-boggling and the scary stupidity of christian fundamentalism there, spreading like malignant cancer into government, education, and the bone-headed military. The world is going to pay a terrible price for allowing the US to develop into the only superpower without the checks and balances that can only come from true democracy and rational thinking. Once an example to the world as an energetic young nation with tremendous potential, it seems to be degenerating rapidly under the single most corrosive influence - Religion. Americans deserve better.

However I also feel encouraged by the recent resurgence in rational thinking - look at Harris, Dennett, Tyson, Myers, RRS, to name only a few. In fact we see more proactive defiance of the delusion of god and religion in the US than here in the UK. Professor Dawkins is one of the very few actively vocal protesters against blind belief in these parts (probably because we need fewer here).

"America needs you", or more accurately "the free world needs more like you in America" - to keep the good fight going and to counter-balance the mad mullahs running that country.

9. William Crawley, BBC Belfast, names Richard Dawkins as Person of the Year 2006

Comment #15613 by Irate Harry on January 1, 2007 at 3:20 pm

Well done, Professor Dawkins. You have indeed taken up and led the good fight along with Sam, Dan, et al. Long may it continue and inspire other British and American thought leaders.

Your contributions are a potent antidote to the religious hubris that has cynically and illegitimately usurped power by conning the gullible.

I only wish there were more like you, because the battle is going to be a long one.

Wish you a fulfilling New Year.

10. The Only One in Step

Comment #14888 by Irate Harry on December 26, 2006 at 12:04 pm

Thanks much Tremayne, for setting me right. You must it was a darn good job of edit (maxhodges ?)

Sigh, that one turned out to be fool's gold...

I suppose I should settle down to continuing with the good battle.

11. The Only One in Step

Comment #14860 by Irate Harry on December 26, 2006 at 3:54 am

Thanks for the brilliant clip on #14814, maxhodges.

I did not think that people like John Gibson worked for Fux News. As one of those ads go, it is refreshingly different to see Gibson emerging from the vipers nest of Hannity, Cavuto, O'Reilly, Gingrich et al.

Even though it is just a flash in the pan, it might also just be the indication of shifting zeitgeist (I am an incurable optimist).

12. Oh, we Brits of little faith

Comment #14804 by Irate Harry on December 25, 2006 at 8:42 am

Well put jbannon - took the words right out of my mouth.

I would only add the zillions of religious orders that foment sectarianism into your statement, with so-called christians fighting other so-called christians as an example.

This divisiveness and segregation is written into the increasingly despicable scriptures of all religions.

Religion is a ruthlessly cynical institution that thrives on the 'divide and rule' doctrine. And the mindless masses cannot wait to fall prey.

13. How the Great Atheist got polite society standing

Comment #14803 by Irate Harry on December 25, 2006 at 8:29 am

Edutheria,

Fret not - I do not think it is much of the British press, fortunately. It is just one of the 'double barrelled' blitz from, unsurprisingly, The Times. This interview is published on the same double page spread as the one by "god's thunderbolt" John Cornwell.

Giles Hattersley, a 'young journalist of the year' from Sunday Times, does similar vacuous reporting on every conceivable topic remarkably unfettered by depth of knowledge or experience. Name a subject and in steps the all-knowing Hattersley with an opinion.

With young Giles, quantity trumps quality.

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

Comment #14795 by Irate Harry on December 25, 2006 at 5:37 am

This man Cornwell is the very product of the child abuse that RD talks of. Consider this -

"...Born into a destitute family with a dominating Irish-Catholic mother and an absconding father during World War II in London, John Cornwell's childhood was deeply dysfunctional. When he was thirteen years old he was sent to Cotton College, a remote seminary for boys in the West Midlands countryside. For the next five years Cornwell lived under an austere monastic regime as he wrestled with his emotional and spiritual demons. In the hothouse atmosphere of the seminary he strove to find stable, loving friendships among his fellows and fatherly support from the priests, one of whom proved to be a sexual predator.

The wild countryside around the seminary, the moving power of church ritual and music, and a charismatic priest enabled him to persevere. But while normal teenagers were being swept up by the rock 'n' roll era, Cornwell and his fellow seminarians continued to be emotionally and socially repressed. Secret romantic attachments between seminarians were not uncommon; on visits home they were overwhelmed by the powerful attractions of the emerging youth culture of the 1950s. But when they returned to Cotton College, the boys were once again governed by the age-old traditions and disciplines of seminary life. And like many young seminarians, Cornwell struggled with a natural adolescent rebelliousness, which in one crucial instance provoked a crisis that would eventually lead to his decision to abandon his dream of becoming a priest."

One feels profoundly sorry for the man, but I do not think the crisis of his formative years has passed yet. Cornwell's own smugly sanctimonious christian 'god delusion' (an irresistible double entendre) illustrates the outcome of rape of human intellect by the egregious religious establishment.

Thor, Vishnu, Zeus, Shiva, Wotan and all the other gods must be spitting in their graves, going "Who the f*#& is this late-coming upstart christian god trying to monopolise stupidity? We have been toiling our fingers to the bone for so long...". (Any takers to put their thoughts into words? I am crap at it :-< )

Wish you all a god-free Christmas, thereby peaceful and intellectually enjoyable.

15. The problem with secularism

Comment #14569 by Irate Harry on December 23, 2006 at 9:43 am

You know what gets the Blond guy's juices flowing? No less than Radical Orthodoxy !!!

Here is a claim "...It was during Phillip's time at Cambridge that he helped to formulate and instigate one of the most stimulating and innovative movements in modern theology: Radical Orthodoxy... Part of Radical Orthodoxy's appeal is marked by a critical philosophical questioning of atheism, secularity and modern culture."

Watch out - Phil is coming after us with a rad moves ;-)

16. The Only One in Step

Comment #14545 by Irate Harry on December 23, 2006 at 4:47 am

Is there not a way of 'defrocking' or 'ostracising' or 'excommunicating' these stupid nutcases like Macintosh and Burgess as a disgrace to the scientific community? That would be poetic justice.

They bring shame to otherwise eminent universities like Bristol (fatcitymax understandably thought these to be the same as that phoney centre for education - Liberty University in the US).

Everybody loves mavericks, but these charlatans are not scientists. They are cynical parasites who cloak themselves in the garb of science to fool the masses. Universities of Bristol and Leeds ought to expel them in the interests of education and science.

17. CBC Segment on Evangelist Christians

Comment #13988 by Irate Harry on December 20, 2006 at 1:58 pm

It must have been a moment of epiphany for the christians - as reflected in the content of the video, god does not exist !!! ;-)

18. Talk in Class Turns to God, Setting Off Public Debate on Rights

Comment #13662 by Irate Harry on December 19, 2006 at 3:59 am

For post #13658 by J.

Go here

http://forums.kearnyontheweb.com/index.php?showtopic=2898&st=0

19. The Trouble with Atheism

Comment #13661 by Irate Harry on December 19, 2006 at 3:55 am

The trouble with Rod Liddle - he is apparently a man of no particular conviction. He wanders around the media looking to take a contrary position for publicity.

He has had a go at the christians (as the new fundamentalists), the muslims (as the unequivocal anti-semites), and the Geordies (as monkeys and morons). He has supported the BNP(the British 'Nazi' Party). And all of it just for the heck of it, in a pathetic attempt at substance-free polemics.

He is a hollow man, and it shows in the inane meanderings of his rant against atheism.

The program was not even a patch on the substantive and cogent presentation of the 'Root of All Evil'.

20. Talk in Class Turns to God, Setting Off Public Debate on Rights

Comment #13649 by Irate Harry on December 19, 2006 at 2:09 am

Surely this is happening in some fundamentalist country with sharia laws, mad mullahs, and the crazy ayatollahs.

Of course it is. Consider the christian sharia no less ugly than the islamic kind, the 'American Taliban' and mad mullahs in government, and Ayatollah Bush at the head of it!!! Separation of establishment and church - dream on. The great forefathers of the America must be rolling in their graves in despair (pardon the use of irrational expression). The only hope is for the American atheists to be bold, strong and successful in the struggle against the 'Root of All Evil' - stupid religiosity that thrives on ignorance.

Matt is a shining beacon that should inspire us all.

21. Lunch with the FT: Richard Dawkins

Comment #13327 by Irate Harry on December 17, 2006 at 4:47 am

A very poignant ending to a thoughtful interview. We all probably feel the sad nostalgia.

Professor Dawkins is a welcome and inspiring phenomenon and a gift to all of us with strong rational conviction aspiring to effective articulation. He has taken on all comers from the pseudo-scientific and intellectually barbaric establishment, and shown us how effective we can be with courage and persistence.

Long may he continue. There are not enough of the likes of him.

22. Christmas Present to Defenders of Darwinism

Comment #13270 by Irate Harry on December 16, 2006 at 2:22 pm

Dumbski tells his 'adolescent' constituency "...Judge Jones did you the disservice of shafting you royally. This time it's your turn to laugh at his expense. Yes, the humor is adolescent, but overwhelmingevidence.com is a site for adolescents, and you are, after all, the ones who got shafted...".

And this guy is a professor !!! You would expect some dignified language and respect for his audience. He is so bloody patronising to them. I am sure the youngsters targeted by this nutcase will not be amused. The best thing for them is to go over to the BlasphemyChallenge site and cleanse themselves.

As RD correctly observes, the fiction merchants are getting really desperate. Just keep pushing...

23. Intelligent Design packets

Comment #13204 by Irate Harry on December 16, 2006 at 7:29 am

I do most certainly object to our children being force-fed with ID and such religious crap being taught in schools as a refutation of the scientific method. It steals the teaching and learning band-width.

It also sleazily sets up christianity as a superior world view with the pseudo-scientific rubbish about god based creation and design. The christian theology is no more rational and no less objectionable than that of other theologies. Let the schools discuss such topics under optional courses of 'religious education', if they wish. Then we can at least prepare our children to anticipate fiction and fantasy when they attend such sessions.

24. Intelligent design: The God Lab

Comment #12927 by Irate Harry on December 14, 2006 at 12:36 pm

These ID merchants are the worst kind of hypocrites, unashamedly trying to use the scientific method to prove mindlessly handed down mythology.

They are worse than the blind believers who show a level of honesty in proclaiming faith without reason.

It is only discourse, debate, and discussions triggered by thought leaders like Richard Dawkins that can help protect against the dangerous transgressions of IDiots in education and government.

25. Simon Mayo interviews Keith Ward about his book 'Is Religion Dangerous?'

Comment #12880 by Irate Harry on December 14, 2006 at 7:11 am

Keith Ward is a self-confessed "born again" christian. He claims that he can give a precise day when Christ came to him and began to transform his life with his power and love !!! Check out article on him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Ward.

He had written an article early this year (http://www.thetablet.co.uk/articles/501/) fuming at the 'Root of all evil?'. He just seems to be reviving the tired old arguments in a bald-faced attempt to flog his new book, cynically riding the wave of outrage of the previously long-silent free thinkers.

26. Simon Mayo interviews Keith Ward about his book 'Is Religion Dangerous?'

Comment #12830 by Irate Harry on December 14, 2006 at 1:26 am

I do not know if anybody else has noticed this, but the religious critics of RD rarely utter the name of the book "The GOD Delusion". I suppose they instinctively consider it either to be blasphemous, or that it might bring down the wrath of their otherwise kindly god on them.

27. A Modest Proposal for a Truce on Religion

Comment #11064 by Irate Harry on December 3, 2006 at 2:14 am

"Every time I travel in the poorest parts of Africa, I see missionary hospitals that are the only source of assistance to desperate people. God may not help amputees sprout new limbs, but churches do galvanize their members to support soup kitchens, homeless shelters and clinics that otherwise would not exist".

What a load of c**p. These cynical missionaries have raped Africa, Asia, and other 'desperate people'. They have spread the blight of christianity (only surpassed by despicable muslim conversions during the mughal invasions) to vulnerable people. These missionary ventures are nothing more than recruitment camps for the dreaded christian proselytisation, basically dishonest in the name of god. As I go around the countries, I see the insidious poison of mindless religion that makes the people so much more desperate.

Secular charities that go largely unsung are the real heroes.

A modest proposal? or a religious wolf in a moderate wolf's clothing?

28. Revealed: rise of creationism in UK schools

Comment #10264 by Irate Harry on November 27, 2006 at 3:47 pm

Andy McIntosh, who was on the Newsnight tonight on behalf of TIS, is such a phoney. He was digustingly dishonest in claiming that there was nothing religious in what TIS were doing.

Andy McIntosh is billed as a "Creationist, combustion theorist and aerodynamicist" and the Author of "Genesis for Today". He is also a vice-president of the "Creation Science Movement".
Need I say more?

Beware - the vandals are at the gate, they have crossed the Atlantic. And they are after our children now, to infect our children's minds now, the scoundrels...

29. For heaven's sake

Comment #9250 by Irate Harry on November 24, 2006 at 8:38 am

Alan makes some interesting observations on the attempts of theology to try and steal science's clothes to explain, nay justify, god and religion.

There is an essential duplicity on the part of people who try and use scientific sounding arguments justify the unjustifiable. An extreme manifestation of this hypocrisy is that of groups like the creationists and ID proponents. And some former scientists, who ought to know better, fall prey to the intellectual laziness in the pursuit of understanding.

But hey, this seems to succeed in fooling many gullibles anyway. We do need strong, public, and vocal support for vigorous champions like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett et al, to provide the couterbalance and keep the dreaded religious blight at bay.

30. Reading of The God Delusion in Lynchburg, VA

Comment #5993 by Irate Harry on November 12, 2006 at 5:54 am

Three cheers to Richard Dawkins for suggesting betterment of Liberty 'students' But this might be wasted on them - Liberty is a neo-conservative christian body masquerading as a Universtity.

Consider this (excerpted from Wikipedia, duly acknowledged) - Liberty University is a Christian liberal arts university, and was founded as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971 by conservative Christian Jerry Falwell, who is also the Senior Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church. Jerry Falwell is an evangelical pastor and televangelist from the United States. He is the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia.

On several occasions, Falwell described the school as 'Bible Boot Camp.' He still exhorts Liberty's students to burn it down if it 'ever turns liberal'.

Ranked to be in the 4th tier of Southern Master's Universities, and with tuition and annual fees of over $14,000 (excluding room and board) it is the most expensive university in its class, costing over twice the average of other universities in its ranking.

This 'university' has awarded honorary doctorates to ultra-conservatives like Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich and George Bush Sr. Need we say more?

Now what are the chances that the bible-thumping automatons (the students) will even hear, let alone heed, RD's advice? They probably preach that he is the Devil Incarnate anyway.