1. Can't Darwin and God get along?

Comment #203336 by BigJohn on July 2, 2008 at 4:24 pm

166th post!!!!

2. Darwin still causing waves after 150 years

Comment #203334 by BigJohn on July 2, 2008 at 4:22 pm

37th post!!!!!

3. Charles Darwin: 'Is man an ape or an angel?'

Comment #201874 by BigJohn on June 30, 2008 at 11:09 am

31st post!!!!!!

4. Aliens need Christ's redemption, too

Comment #201444 by BigJohn on June 29, 2008 at 4:48 pm

8teist -- There is no end to the stupidity. They will just keep on making stuff up to suit the latest scientific ideas.

Border Collie -- Take your antacid with a big glass of Vodka, it will be more effective. Well, the antacid won't, but, with a big enough glass of Vodka, who cares?

5. Debating creationism in Louisiana schools

Comment #191664 by BigJohn on June 11, 2008 at 12:19 pm

The video will not play for me. The screen comes up but it just sits there saying 'loading video'. I even signed up to the site but no joy there either.

EDIT: Got it working! My browser was blocking belointeractive.com

6. The Challenge of the New Creationism

Comment #187795 by BigJohn on June 2, 2008 at 5:01 pm

STOP USING QUICKTIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERY TIME I NEED QUICKTIME I MUST RELOAD IT!!!! NO ONE NEEDS TO USE QUICKTIME!!!!! THERE ARE A LOT OF USEFUL FORMATS AVAILABLE. QUICKTIME SEEMS TO REQUIRE THE ENTIRE CAPACITY OF MY MACHINE, MEMORY, DISK SPACE GRAPHIC CARD AND ALL!!! There I feel better now.

7. The Mind-Altering Role of Incense in Religion

Comment #184881 by BigJohn on May 26, 2008 at 10:27 am

Was he an alter boy before or after the priest grabbed him? Or, perhaps he was an altered altar boy already.

8. A Tribute to Douglas Adams: Towel Day May 25th

Comment #184333 by BigJohn on May 24, 2008 at 4:44 pm

Any special pattern or color required? Hurry, I want to be ready to go first thing in the morning.

9. Lab agrees to test Shroud of Turin for new theory

Comment #183011 by BigJohn on May 21, 2008 at 8:20 am

Why does the image on the shroud resemble a medieval artist's depiction of Jesus? For that matter, why do all of the images seen in cheese sandwiches and water stains resemble a medieval artist's depiction of Jesus? Or, maybe Jesus really was a tall, fair skinned Caucasian after all.

10. Pop Goes Christianity

Comment #181786 by BigJohn on May 18, 2008 at 9:07 am

What is a coopter? I can't find it in any dictionary.

11. The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing, ed. Richard Dawkins

Comment #180962 by BigJohn on May 16, 2008 at 7:57 am

Could someone please explain to me what it is about 'first post' that is so exciting to some? I can't imagine that all 'first posters' are pre-teens or are mentally retarded, so, there must be some other reason for the unbridled excitement.

12. Bill Good Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #173403 by BigJohn on April 30, 2008 at 6:15 pm

Lovely interview. Richard answers in his usual reasoned and lucid manner.

13. Bill Good Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #173392 by BigJohn on April 30, 2008 at 5:55 pm

The ads are very log, aren't they?

14. Interview with Dan Dennett

Comment #168857 by BigJohn on April 25, 2008 at 12:06 pm

There/their/they're* is much discussion of science education on the blogs I read. I think that there/their/they're* could be some discussion of the obvious lack of English language education, too.

*Although the proper choice of one of these three words should be completely automatic, many people seem satisfied to choose one at random.

15. Investigating Atheism

Comment #166950 by BigJohn on April 23, 2008 at 2:03 pm

Comment #166872 by Adam Morrison

Correct, Adam. I have a problem with people who, apparently deliberately, misunderstand that atheism in NOT a belief but a lack thereof. This probably arises from their inability to realize that some people are able to live their lives without the fragile exoskeleton of faith in a supernatural being.

16. Interviews with Richard Dawkins and Michael Shermer

Comment #164215 by BigJohn on April 19, 2008 at 6:00 pm

Layla, when you are 66 like Richard or 69 like I am the difference between 20 and 30 is almost indistinguishable. All you young people just look so, you know,...young.
What pleases me so much is how so many of you 'kids' are waking up to the deception before you become locked into it. It took me many years to escape.

17. Flea of the week

Comment #163590 by BigJohn on April 18, 2008 at 3:17 pm

I've never had any desire to go to Hawaii, but, if you were going to be there Paula...

18. Flea of the week

Comment #163568 by BigJohn on April 18, 2008 at 2:25 pm

Diacanu --

"I think we need to chip in, and send her to Hawaii for a week or so to properly heal from that ordeal.

What say?"

If we were to chip in to send this woman anywhere, I think we need to send her to TAM6 so I can meet her and shake her hand and sympathize with her in person for the dirty, filthy, job she has assumed. Mike Rowe wouldn't do a job this dirty.

19. Lungless frog discovered in Borneo

Comment #159023 by BigJohn on April 11, 2008 at 10:56 am

So, someone actually goes walking through the jungles of Borneo and says 'Hmm, a frog... I wonder if it has any lungs...' Chop, chop... 'Nope, guess not. Next frog, please...'

20. Discussion between Richard Dawkins and Paula Kirby

Comment #157163 by BigJohn on April 8, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Is this available in some other format?. It is either it is too small or too pixellated. Sorry to complain.

21. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156849 by BigJohn on April 8, 2008 at 10:19 am

Has anyone else noticed that bigotry is a one way street?

22. In search of the God particle

Comment #156827 by BigJohn on April 8, 2008 at 9:58 am

I have a feeing that as more powerful accelerators are built more particles will be found, ad infinitum. Just a weird idea I have had since I was a youth.

Well, it is obvious that the people worried about the destruction of the world by a black hole generated by the LHC are not fundamentalist christians because isn't that exactly the Armageddon they are looking for? Oh, maybe not. What if God couldn't find the Earth if it was swallowed by a black hole. How could he rapture all of the "good" people?

23. Biologists Take Evolution Beyond Darwin Way Beyond

Comment #155914 by BigJohn on April 6, 2008 at 9:53 am

"...I think Darwin would be happy as a lark to come back and see what's going on..."

Shouldn't that be happy as a finch? :-D

24. Beware the Believers

Comment #151782 by BigJohn on March 29, 2008 at 11:22 am

Comment #151544 by Richard Dawkins

Ditto, Richard. I am a few years older than you and my hearing has deteriorated quite a bit. I can't understand anything said by the squeaky voiced South Parkians, so, I don't know if it's funny or not. I couldn't tolerate the noise(rap) in this video in which the "music" and the vocal components compete at equal decibel levels, and thus, are equally devoid of intelligibility.

I guess I'm turning into an old poop.

25. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150022 by BigJohn on March 26, 2008 at 12:02 pm

Happy Birthday, Richard.
and many more...
If you hurry you can catch up with me.

26. Should Galileo's tomb be opened for DNA tests?

Comment #141512 by BigJohn on March 10, 2008 at 2:35 pm

Maybe they could check for the astronomer gene, but, really, why bother with any of it all?

27. Richard Dawkins' US Tour begins this week

Comment #140474 by BigJohn on March 7, 2008 at 1:14 pm

I would definitely drive the five hours to Austin if I could be certain of getting a ticket. However, with tickets being available at the door on a first come first served basis I don't want to take the chance.

28. In Defence of Selfish Genes

Comment #139900 by BigJohn on March 6, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Why, may I ask, is this being discussed here and now? This altercation occurred between 1979 and 1981.

29. Darwin's dangerous idea

Comment #137295 by BigJohn on March 2, 2008 at 3:57 pm

"Begs the question"?? Please...

30. Ayaan Hirsi Ali asks for protection

Comment #127943 by BigJohn on February 15, 2008 at 7:19 pm

Well, I gave all I could give, $150.00, I don't know what else I can do. How about you?

31. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126137 by BigJohn on February 12, 2008 at 1:43 pm

So, when these evil cartoonists devise their blasphemous cartoons, do they refer to photographs to get the image right? Or, perhaps there is a portrait of Mohammad somewhere that they refer to. Otherwise, how do the Muslims know that the cartoon is about Mohammad instead of about someone else.

32. Banks are helping sharia make a back-door entrance

Comment #116447 by BigJohn on January 26, 2008 at 1:54 pm

As is apparent from this, the jews and arabs are closely related in both culture and heritage.

33. Ore. Court: Boy Has Say in Circumcision

Comment #116441 by BigJohn on January 26, 2008 at 1:39 pm

Why anyone would want to whack off a chunk of anyone else's body boggles my mind. How does one decide which part to chop? What reason is there to choose one particular part over another?
Religion seems to be the worst basis for choosing because it depends on which religion one accepts as true. Notice that all religions which want to excise bodily parts want to remove sexually related items. Can you think of any reason why? It's called control. Personally, I intend to keep my prepuce, after all it's almost 70 years old and I've grown fond of it.

34. Heath Ledger Death: Baptist Group To Protest At Memorial

Comment #115675 by BigJohn on January 24, 2008 at 2:12 pm

The WBC folks are so gay and feel so guilty about it that they must react this way in an attempt to cover up their secret feelings. I have found that folks that I have known who were overly angered by gays also exhibit a morbid curiosity about the subject. This has always made me curious about the source of their anger but I suspect that is guilt arising from conflict between their religion and their inner feelings.

35. Stop revisionist Christian nation House Resolution 888

Comment #114034 by BigJohn on January 21, 2008 at 8:59 am

I sent a letter to my Congressman who is one of the sponsors:

Dear Representative Gohmert,

I am writing today to urge you to vote against House Resolution 888, "Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our [Nation]."

I am convinced that there are many people in the country and even in Congress who would like to turn this country into a Christian theocracy. They barely even take the trouble to hide it at this point. Aside from being filled with inaccuracies about the Founding Fathers and how they arrived at their ideas for our Constitution, this Resolution is clearly an attempt to establish one religion as the "official" religion of the United States. I am simply aghast that this is even being considered.

I note with disappointment that you voted for H.Res 847, "Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith." As an agnostic atheist I do not agree that faith in God is a virtue. And, because you are a representative of the government, I find it incredibly inappropriate for you to express your approval of any one religion, any several religions, or any lack of religion.

I frequently find myself in complete agreement with you, and in general, I am proud to have you as my Representative in Congress. I hope that you will not continue voting in support of un-Constitutional bills such as Resolutions 847 and 888."

I am utterly confident, having brought the matter to your attention, that your detailed knowledge of American history will enable you to recognize that most of the historical claims made in House Resolution 888 are not supported by the historical record. I also trust you'll be as appalled as I am by this bizarre attack on our great nation's historical record. Thus, I'm sure you'll do the right thing and vote against H. Res. 888 should it come to the House floor for a vote.

Here is his response:

Thank you for contacting me regarding our most precious rights. This nation was founded under the divine presence of God and it should remain so. I am pleased to know we have such similar views.

When taking the oath of office, I became committed to serving my constituents, God, and country. There is much work to be done to reform some of our current policies. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, with oversight in the areas you mentioned, I will be an active voice in Congress and will work to restore those guiding principles that have made us strong.

Ronald Reagan once said, "Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged." It is my prayer that we will turn our eyes upon the God who has so richly blessed our nation.

Once again, thank you for contacting me. I appreciate having the opportunity to serve you in United States House of Representatives.

I guess he didn't read my letter. I wrote back suggesting that he read my email before responding. No reply to that yet.

36. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #111063 by BigJohn on January 13, 2008 at 12:16 pm

I sent a link to this article to a bunch of folks. Some will be shocked when they read it and some will refuse to believe any of it. One or two will think it interesting and plausible.

37. The Moral Instinct

Comment #110725 by BigJohn on January 12, 2008 at 7:34 am

We need a dozen more Norman Borlaugs. Bill Gates could finance them.

BTW, thanks to Penn for introducing many of us to Norman Borlaug through his radio show.

38. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #108151 by BigJohn on January 6, 2008 at 5:51 am

Reasons for being an atheist:

#1) I was born that way.

#2) ahh...er...umm...well...see #1

39. Stop House Resolution 888

Comment #107798 by BigJohn on January 5, 2008 at 11:43 am

Everone, email your U.S. Reprehensible Representative!

Mine is in his inbox now, waiting to be erased.

40. The religiosity test: Doubters need not apply

Comment #106213 by BigJohn on January 2, 2008 at 1:50 pm

Ty_Webb: I think maybe you added a superfluous 'm' to your spelling. But, on the other hand, wasn't their famous archangel named Moron I?

41. Pope's exorcist squads will wage war on Satan

Comment #104727 by BigJohn on December 29, 2007 at 8:57 am

Hey! don't knock the hat. It's encrusted with enough gold and jewels to pay for feeding an entire African nation for a week or so...if someone could get it away from him.


And, look at that crucifix! it's grotesque and hideous.

42. 'Gospel of wealth' facing scrutiny

Comment #104421 by BigJohn on December 28, 2007 at 1:15 pm

Q: Just how does one creflo a dollar?

A: Prey on the vulnerable.

43. Carl Sagan's COSMOS begins airing on Jan 8th

Comment #104407 by BigJohn on December 28, 2007 at 12:53 pm

What horrible video quality! I have never been favorably impressed with VeohTV anyway Try watching this full screen and you'll see all the stars are 1/8" squares.

And, I don't have The Science Channel, so, I'm out of luck.

44. Russia prohibits denial of Santa

Comment #104030 by BigJohn on December 27, 2007 at 3:33 pm

al-rawandi, I have the same problem only perhaps a little more often.

45. Top Ten Stories of 2007

Comment #103746 by BigJohn on December 26, 2007 at 4:53 pm

Jack Rawlinson...don't think I didn't consider them, but, I didn't want to be judged as immoderate because then where would it end? We old geezers are pretty cantankerous, you know?

46. Top Ten Stories of 2007

Comment #103659 by BigJohn on December 26, 2007 at 12:37 pm

I think that the ban on partial birth abortion should be lifted and the right to abort a child be extended to three months after birth. Then, if the woman feels, postpartum, that her right to control her body was violated then she can whack the kid herself. On the other hand, maybe it should be extended to two years, some kids are really badly behaved in their twos.

47. The Evangelical Rebellion

Comment #103362 by BigJohn on December 25, 2007 at 9:35 am

@FightingFalcon

Ron Paul does not appeal to me anymore after I read this from his War on Religion article:

"The notion of a rigid separation between church and state has no basis in either the text of the Constitution or the writings of our Founding Fathers. On the contrary, our Founders' political views were strongly informed by their religious beliefs. Certainly the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, both replete with references to God, would be aghast at the federal government's hostility to religion. The establishment clause of the First Amendment was simply intended to forbid the creation of an official state church like the Church of England, not to drive religion out of public life."

He obviously has not read the Constitution.

48. Priest who committed suicide for rebirth cremated

Comment #103147 by BigJohn on December 24, 2007 at 11:13 am

Well, he won't do that again...

I wonder how many, if any, will lose their faith over this stunt?

49. Creation 'Museum' honored

Comment #102375 by BigJohn on December 22, 2007 at 2:21 pm

We older folks remember Alley Oop riding his dinosaur Dinny.

50. Way of the Master Radio talks about Dawkins' Christmas Comments

Comment #101633 by BigJohn on December 20, 2007 at 4:14 pm

Richard sounds a lot like Clint Eastwood when he sings Christmas carols on this show.