Comments by Mr0Joshua

Comment #295084 by Mr0Joshua on December 1, 2008 at 6:51 pm

"Secularism Strikes Back..."

Yeah! We totally need an atheist Death Star!

2. We can't hide in our labs and leave the talking to Dawkins

Comment #290225 by Mr0Joshua on November 24, 2008 at 8:25 pm

But I'm militant AND cuddly...

...did I just get called a Communist?

3. Regenerating a Mammoth for $10 Million

Comment #290221 by Mr0Joshua on November 24, 2008 at 8:12 pm

There have been several Russian attempts to cultivate eggs from frozen mammoths that look so perfectly preserved in ice. But the perfection is deceiving since the DNA is always degraded and no viable cells remain.

Maybe they should hook up with the Japanese scientists who figured out how to clone frozen mice.
BBC article

4. Obama will move to veto Bush laws

Comment #281150 by Mr0Joshua on November 9, 2008 at 8:18 pm

How about dismantling the Office of Community and Faith Based Initiatives that was illegally created by Executive Order and funnels money into evangelical causes. Obama has pledged to keep it and put the focus on Community. But I say if your going to create an Office to support community action create through Congress and build in some real oversight.

5. President Obama: Bad News For the New Atheists and Other Fundamentalists

Comment #279044 by Mr0Joshua on November 5, 2008 at 1:47 pm

Does this guy actually make a living from writing? Talk about opaque.

Forget the idea that perhaps one may hold two contradictory ideas at the same time, say that none of the stories in the Bible happened as written, but that they are true in more subtle ways than mere historicity, or that we're nothing but jumped up chimps, but are also connecting to a deeper reality when we say, "the Lord is my shepherd" and hope that he is.

Perhaps parenthesis would make his point a little clearer. In this one run-on sentence he uses the word "that" 5 times.

And the evidence he uses to support his conclusion is pretty lack luster, i.e. quoting a speech given to at a religious venue during an election year. Rule one of speech writing: know your audience. Duh!

6. Surprise: Scientists for Obama

Comment #276146 by Mr0Joshua on November 1, 2008 at 12:07 pm

concluding that “Barack Obama is such a leader.”

...that is to say: he is best choice in a two party system. A choice limited to two options is not a true choice, but since it's the only one we get lets choose the lesser evil.

7. Citizen Enforcers Take Aim

Comment #263197 by Mr0Joshua on October 10, 2008 at 11:47 am

Am I the only one that thinks that taking chase after a hit-and-run driver instead of stopping to tend the child victim is just insane?

I don't think it is insane but rather a split second decision as how she could best contribute to the situation. Provided that she is not a doctor or has some other type of medical training the best strategy for a positive outcome may have been to give chase and let others see to the safety of the child. Even if the rationale is only evident in hindsight (crowded street, bus driver has a radio, I can call 911 from my cell phone while in pursuit).

I have been in similar situations, although not involving revenge or retribution. In an emergency one makes snap decisions how best to be of help. Recently my wife, 3 yo son, and I, along with a large crowd of other people, witnessed a pretty bad car accident. My wife is an RN and trained in CPR. She immediately ran to help. My first instinct was to follow her, but it took only a fraction of a second to assess the situation and realize that the best thing I could do was let other more qualified people step up. At that instant it was better for me to be a father than a hero. Not as exciting as a car chase I know but the best thing I could do at the time.

8. Is Killing Liberals a Hate Crime?

Comment #222446 by Mr0Joshua on July 31, 2008 at 12:37 pm

the "hate crime" designation is a sort of "affirmative action" against violence. It's stupid though, the idea that perpetrating violence based on unreasoned bigotry is worse than regular unreasoned (or reasoned) violence.

9. Workers' Religious Freedom vs. Patients' Rights

Comment #222410 by Mr0Joshua on July 31, 2008 at 12:19 pm

absolutely despicable! The idea that a health care provider should be able to put their own personal religious beliefs ahead of the well being or their patient is disgusting. Where does it end?
Next nurses who are Jehovah's witnesses will refuse to assist in operations involving blood transfusions, Hindu surgeons will refuse to operate on beef eaters, and Muslim ambulance drivers will refuse to transport a person with a seeing-eye dog.

10. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #219901 by Mr0Joshua on July 27, 2008 at 5:54 pm

18. Peacebeuponme I take offense at your media studies remark. Your comment betrays ignorance of the field. Understanding how the media constructs our social reality is the key to changing the way people treat the idiocy of religious belief. I refer you to the work of Slavoj Zizek and then digress...

I have to agree with Dhamma (25) and admit to a some skepticism about the polling procedures and results. Is their any truth to the assertion that this is "a reflection of the biases and prejudices of a right-wing think tank?" A quick look at the CSC website betrays a certain bias I think. What were the actual questions asked and what is the margin of error for their instrument?

Surveys are not always an accurate reflection of the truth. Remember that the recent Pew Research pole found that "21 percent of Atheists believe in God."

11. Flipping particle could explain missing antimatter

Comment #146802 by Mr0Joshua on March 19, 2008 at 12:20 pm

Where's the diagram? I love diagrams...

12. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #134394 by Mr0Joshua on February 27, 2008 at 5:52 pm

Is the host even paying attention to what's going on? She sounds like my dad when I call him up and he's watching TV. "Yeah... Hmm... Yeah... Uhhh..."

13. Why do we believe in God? 2m study prays for answer

Comment #129482 by Mr0Joshua on February 19, 2008 at 7:40 am

An attempt to justify religious belief in scientific terms. Its just a marketing ploy. If religion is part of our genes then it becomes "Natural" with all of the modern day connotation behind the word. If religion is a Natural part of the human condition then it does not really matter whether god is proven to exists or not. Religious belief becomes an inescapable part of our humanity on par with skin color or sexual preference.

[edit]
In fact there is an excellent parallel. Gays and lesbians have won acceptance largely on the idea that sexual preference is biological. This study aims to do the same with religious belief. "I can't help that I'm a Christian. God made me this way! It's in my genes!"

14. MySpace: No place for Atheists?

Comment #119183 by Mr0Joshua on January 31, 2008 at 11:32 am

"i suggest to NOT delete your myspace account, and instead send this story as a bulletin to all your myspace contacts. hopefully the word will get buzzing around myspace very quickly."

-Right on peahix

Information dispersal on myspace is viral. Thats why its such a good tool for unsigned bands... friends tell friends who tell friends. By all means delete your myspace pages if you feel you should but first send an announcement to everyone on your friends list to let them know WHY. Even if they don't follow suit and delete theirs as well hopefully they will pass the news along!

15. Jay Spears: Smak Dem Christians Down

Comment #118689 by Mr0Joshua on January 30, 2008 at 9:05 pm

SWEET! LOL
Jefferson gleefully ripping pages from the bible - PRICELESS!

16. Richard Dawkins on The Big Questions

Comment #118541 by Mr0Joshua on January 30, 2008 at 6:34 pm

"Well, the one thing I didn't like was when Prof. Dawkins agreed with Lord Carey that the freedoms and liberties of "western" societies is a basically a product of Christianity... definitely not!"

I think what Lord Carey was saying is that Richard ought to be greatfull that Christians aren't chasing people who criticize their beliefs down and cutting off their ears with swords. The majority of Christians can "take it on the chin" - as opposed to the Muslims would execute college students for downloading anti-religious videos or whip school teachers for naming stuffed animals Mohamed. That's what RD is agreeing with.