1. Rapture site sends unbelievers their last chance ... via email

Comment #194887 by Rationalist1 on June 17, 2008 at 11:15 am

I often thought a good service for us non-believers to offer would be a rescue service for pets left locked in Christian houses after the rapture. For a small annual fee keys could be left with a local atheist who, when he or she realize they've bet on the wrong pony, would go to the selected houses, determine if the inhabitants truly were raptured and if so rescue Fido or Fluffy.

But, Christian detractors would say, you atheists have by definition no morals so why would we trust you. I think the way we can show we have morals and earn their trust would be not to create such a web site to prey upon poor guillible Christians.

2. Senate bill allows display of Lord's Prayer, 10 Commandments

Comment #186334 by Rationalist1 on May 30, 2008 at 7:11 am

I like the idea of getting the Christians to settle on a version of the lord's prayer first and then they can asked to have that prayer displayed.

3. Two More Fleas

Comment #142805 by Rationalist1 on March 13, 2008 at 5:43 am

I read an except of Belinkski's book in Harpers Magazine and couldn't believe it was the same person who wrote "The Advent of the Algorithm" and "Tour of the Calculus". The harpers' excerpt was was paragraph after paragraph of either outright distortion or factual ignorance. It was sad; an intelligent, well written author, sinking to such a level. I don't know if I could stomach the whole book.

4. Church is paying a high price for its celibacy rule

Comment #132793 by Rationalist1 on February 25, 2008 at 8:01 am

In my opinion one of the main reasons the Catholic church enforces their celibacy rule is money. If they were to allow married priests, the number of clergy would easily double and they'd have to pay them a living wage, similar to what other denominations do. Instead they work for a fraction of what other denomination's clergy do and they can use the money saved to pay off the child abuse lawsuits.

5. Atheism and Violence

Comment #117982 by Rationalist1 on January 30, 2008 at 5:57 am

I'll try to finish this article later, maybe not on a full stomach. But I must say it's hard to take seriously an article from a person who thinks a cracker is God.

6. New atheists or new anti-dogmatists?

Comment #117105 by Rationalist1 on January 28, 2008 at 9:18 am

The Dogma Delusion would have alliterated, plus it would have stopped the immediate rejoinder by critics that Dawkins thinks all religious people are delusional. No, all people who believe unsubstantiated dogma are delusional. In that way Hitler, Stalin and people with religious faiths would be tarred with the same label. Its reasonable to ask for evidence below asserting to a belief. Otherwise that is delusional.

7. Three wise men just legend: archbishop

Comment #101311 by Rationalist1 on December 20, 2007 at 8:07 am

In a former life (so to speak) I studied theology (3 courses away from a M.Div.) and what I was taught was one set of beliefs but told not to upset "Mrs. O'Leary" in the pew with these new ideas as it might upset her traditional beliefs. Especially at Christmas these add-on beliefs get piled one on top of another. To the Archbishop's credit he's starting to dismiss many of the Christmas add-ons. And maybe it will encourage some people to go even farther in examining Christianity's unsupported claims. Once questioning starts, it's hard to stop it.

8. Clegg 'does not believe in God'

Comment #100804 by Rationalist1 on December 19, 2007 at 11:05 am

I'm sure if Mr. Clegg had his way his children would not be brought up Catholic, but his open admission of non-belief is a positive role model for people and children everywhere.

9. Believe it or not

Comment #98196 by Rationalist1 on December 13, 2007 at 8:44 am

Re: Frankus1122

Needless to say I vote for Rationalist as well. Who can seriously argue against basing one's view on reason and verifyable evidence. I ask people what possible other criteria are there?

10. U.S. Congress Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith

Comment #98132 by Rationalist1 on December 13, 2007 at 6:07 am

Now is the time to bring to a vote the infamous Indiana Pi bill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Pi_Bill). In today's climate it's sure to pass.

11. Finding My Religion: An Interview With Shalom Auslander

Comment #93961 by Rationalist1 on December 4, 2007 at 1:48 pm

It's hard kicking the religion habit. Raised in a strict Catholic family, it took me years to escape the guilt of becoming an atheist. It was irrational but I would say I was a lapsed Catholic rather than say I was athiest. It may take a generation or two to escape its effects. I'm going to read Shalom's book, it sounds interesting.

12. Banishing the Green-Eyed Monster

Comment #91865 by Rationalist1 on November 29, 2007 at 1:25 pm

A quote, perhaps apocryphal, is attributed to the late Canadian Prime Minister, who in 1976 was asked by a male reporter what he thought of his then wife Margaret cavorting with the Rolling Stones. He is supposed to have replied to the reporter that "A gentleman does not reply to such questions" and then after an appropriate pause, "and furthermore a gentleman does not ask such questions"

If President Bill Clinton could have said that, or words to that effect, we might have been spared the farce of the impeachment and the calamity of the past 7 years.