1. Christianity 'could die out within a century'

Comment #197394 by Stacey on June 22, 2008 at 12:45 am

It's too bad we can't round up a former glamrock hair band member somewhere, dress him in a robe and get him to go around saying he has risen, gather up the flock and lead them to the mount...for the rapture is at hand...then make them all drink the koolaid...speed it up some.

2. New discovery proves 'selfish gene' exists

Comment #197387 by Stacey on June 22, 2008 at 12:25 am

I too hope Prof. Dawkins will respond and give details. I was just getting started when the whole piece ended!

Just as an aside, but still relevant to the whole concept of 'selfish' gene, it raises a specific point that should be considered when discussing and explaining things of science to the layman, especially when you consider most laymen have a long history of religious brainwashing.

I think many of the terms and descriptions may be intended as helpful but they genuinely confuse people and give the wrong idea. Consider that most laymen unfamiliar with natural selection at all, or evolution, tend to presume that evolution is a causal agent in competition with a god, so that is a communication barrier right off. Then it crops up again in natural selection when they describe events such as, *nature favored this animal's ability to stay warm and it was rewarded by having more mates, etc* which is always coming off as personification to the layman - as if nature is also a causal agent taking sides between this one and that one, on a material ego sort of basis...if not arbitrarily.

When I read The Selfish Gene, I understood the proper context without a problem but only because I'd already been introduced to things of science and gotten a feel for the "lingo" and use. Talking cold to a religionist or layman, using these sorts of terms is implying a competitor to a god, and well, they're used to their god and familiar with it, their stories make more sense, and some indifferent "cruel" female entity such as nature selecting animals arbitrarily is a losing concept in competing concepts.

While it is not technically biological, I tend to use the process of mating to conception to pregnancy to birth to infancy et death to help explain the concept of evolution, and as for the "transitional stages" those are far easier to get across when you can show a fetus as compared to a 65 year old man - they get it far easier in that sort of context. Also helpful is using the WalMart example - and how a particular shopping style has come about from the first entry into the store - learning the layout, the various items' locations, what times a checker is likely to be open, when traffic is easy for parking - that sort of layman's version and show how over time the changes have polished up a style that has succeeded, been favored over some other - and thus the other went extinct.

It's a dumbed down version but it is very helpful for those who find the whole topic so alien and remote and "out of their league" but are threatened by the idea of some comepeting entity doing what they already figure god was doing, so no need to shift.

Perhaps if we consider the religious methodology in terms of natural selection, we could reply to them that if evolution was not real or didn't exist, they'd still be stoning babies and sacrificing goats. Evolution has taken place in all religions as one form or method was replaced by a more productive one, and the old ways have gone extinct.

Genes may function for the survival of the gene, but soon as you say selfish, people automatically bristle up that the gene is *selfish* in the ego sense. Science could help this cause tremendously by working out a less threatening manner of description - something they can relate to without necessarily dumbing down.

3. Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex

Comment #197377 by Stacey on June 21, 2008 at 11:24 pm

Okay I might be new but this one is the one that'll probably get the flames started. First a disclaimer - I have zero issue about people acting in any homosexual manner, could care less, not threatened whatsoever. I'd be happy to rally for legal rights to marriage for gay couples, and personally do not think gay people debase the "sanctity" of marriage anymore than straight ones, and in fact probably far less considering their admirable ability to stick tight to a cause. This is not coming from threat, fear, or religious bullshit.

What I can't seem to grasp here is why everybody thinks this deal about being gay is something akin to a 3rd species, because that's how society is acting. It IS a choice, there is no gay gene. There may be much evidence about brain symatry and behavior in a social setting, but biologically, if you pop out of a vagina with a penis and testicles that produce sperm, you are a MALE, and if you pop out with a vagina and a clit and carry ovaries, you are a FEMALE and it's clearly in your face factual reality that your role is to either impregnate the opposite sex or be impregnated by the opposite sex - by your very role as a human you are NOT "the other one" nor is it a case you "were supposed to be the other." Nobody screwed up your DNA here. You ARE sexually reproductive animals whether you can deal or grasp that reality or not.

ALL humans and practically all sexually reproductive animals partake in same sex behaviors but there's not any specific title for it, it's still directly tied to our mating behavior. Doing a same gender still goes through precisely the same behavior of intercourse as the way it's set up to go. Gay guys still look for a hole and gay chicks still go buy dildos and insert them. They still menstruate which is WHAT that is there for to begin with - it's not a throwback here, sorry. We're walking sex machines, the entire cycle is fully functional in causing every shred of our sexuality and when it manifests. We even activate male sexuality.

We ARE male and female and that is because we are sexually reproductive animals. Period.

Now the gay business, that's a social level choice and a strong degree of false education on how people function and why. Doing same sex is no more relevant sexually than masturbation for that's what it amounts to when sex is recreational, and in that respect, who cares. People use sex toys to get off, who cares, people use what they use, who cares.

However, the emotionalism behind this is not part of the package - this is a myth, but still flawed. Sex does not cause love, sex and love have nothing at all to do with one another. You can have sex with mates without a shred of love and you can love people you'd never mate with. You're talking emotional bonds between same gender people and there's absolutely nothing at all wrong with it. If they get each other off, who cares, but it is flawed education to perpetuate the idea that being gay is anything other than a choice to not reproduce with the one you're supposed to be reproducing with.

It's also bullshit cop out that gay people can't just own what they do. They tend to make apologies for it, like they're born that way (nope, you weren't, sorry - you were born with a specific set of genitalia for performing a specific sexual task period), and that they can't help it (yep, you can...just like you choose whether or not to have sex at all), and that god fucked up their DNA...and if they truly grasped how they function and why, they'd recognize a choice is what this amounts to, but they're all petrified to just own the behavior. Why try to justify it unless you're ashamed of it deep down cause you know better?

If you like sex with the same gender who cares? Just have a little spine to stand up and own it and go *yeah, I enjoy it, kiss my ass* and if people are threatened by it, screw them that's their problem. Why are gay people so scared of admitting they just enjoy it? Why do ignorant people gay and straight presume that any sort of same gender emotional bond is "gay" one way or the other?

Why are you so scared of admitting it's a choice, scared that if you admit you choose to do this, then what? Who cares? Making excuses like you've been forced to be something is a bullshit copout.

Again, if you have a penis and testicles and produce sperm, you ARE a heterosexual male "designed" (don't hit me) to mate with a female and deliver that payload. Any other method of deposit is masturbation. If you have a vagina and ovaries, and a menstrual cycle at all you ARE a female "designed" (no hitting) to mate with a male and accept the payload selectively at that, and cause a new human to happen in a few months.

That period you get every month isn't some arbitrary event, whether you're doing a chick or a guy or a goat. Those hormonal changes are solely dictating mating behavior for the actual purpose, whether you correctly comprehend that dictate is another matter completely, and if not, or if you choose to forego sex, choose masturbation, choose same gender business, all that is a choice NOT to do what it's designed to do.

Whether that is "right or wrong" is beside the point socially...but you're basically knocking yourself out of the "competition" here and gay people end with themselves.

So, be gay all ya want but please stop trying to convince yourselves and others that you're really sorry but you can't help it, you were born this way liking same sex people (WE ALL WERE), and you're attracted to same sex people (WE ALL ARE), and just own the choice. What are you so afraid might happen if you just tell someone you choose this, you enjoy it, piss off?

And whether or not you form bonds with same sex is not an indication of gayness. I personally think the whole idea of gayness is a crock of shit. It's a smoke screen for fearful people who don't think they deserve to be open with their behavior - and perpetuated by flawed ideas about love, sex, and human mating.

It's a lot like the whole racist thing and people flipping out in some parrot kneejerk nonsense whenever they hear or read the word nigger (10 bucks says someone censored that out and if so proves my point). Black people get all uppity about racism and point to it every damn time they speak, then wonder why everyone's so focused on it...and instead of having a strong sense of personal identity and spine, and laughing it off recognizing the namecaller is threatened and retarded, they wig out if anyone calls them a nigger. Like they're ashamed they're not of a race they must find superior than theirs, else it wouldn't bother them anymore than if someone called them a bonehead. And socety who gasps with political correctness still help perpetuate it.

I think gay people and blacks and anyone else who feels they get a bad rap needs to get some self esteem and get up off their knees (gay guys too!) and quit worrying about what some other idiot thinks or calls them...and just own what you do.

And who you are.

kay...flame at it...but no matter what you come back with, know now that gay isn't the new species here. It's not a genetic SEXUAL dictate. If you're unsure about your sex, drop trou and look at what you're packin. Work it out from there.

4. Christianity 'could die out within a century'

Comment #197372 by Stacey on June 21, 2008 at 10:46 pm

@ Frankus1122

I was just thinking that the current wave of creationist/ID nonsense is the death rattle of the particular brand of religion from which it comes. Creationism and ID is nonsense. Neither proposes anything worthwhile in terms of the advancement of science or knowledge. I believe truth will win out. What happens to all those who so vehemently believe that the Bible is the literal word of God when it is proven not to be? I mean if we survive for another hundred years we will have progressed so much further scientifically (hopefully). Those that claim the Earth is 6000 years old and that God created all life as it is now will be seen as flat-earthers even more than they are now. Won't that crumble their faith even further? How could you believe any of what the Bible says if it is demonstrably so false?

Um...please don't shoot the messenger with an opinion but, I kinda think it's worse than that... I don't think it's dying. I think it's gearing up for the new wave.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_EKHK1C2IE

This is how they're doing it.

5. Lawsuit filed over 'I Believe' plates in S.C.

Comment #196990 by Stacey on June 20, 2008 at 9:00 pm

PS @ MelM

>>For all I care, they can even tattoo "I believe" on their foreheads. <<

I think that's a brilliant idea actually. Lobby for a federal law requiring all religious nuts to receive the tattoo of their savior on their foreheads (so there won't be any room for the mark of the beast, see? Perfect!) and then we can all see them coming and deal accordingly.

Plus it will be a hell of a lesson learned if down the road they wake up from their delusion, cast off religion but have to look at that tat every time they hit a mirror. Punishment enough!

6. Lawsuit filed over 'I Believe' plates in S.C.

Comment #196988 by Stacey on June 20, 2008 at 8:50 pm

I agree - let's all chip in for the Atheist Fund for vanity plates and make our own!

Wait though - here's one more for the mix to agitate your ulcers. I know it's not directly related, and likely you've seen this before, but it is related in the larger sense of religious stupidity - so I have to share this.

Behold and weep for there was much gnashing of teeth...sayeth Boba Fett...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DXGhschUNXc&feature=related

We really need to get serious about stopping this bullshit. Why is this country so petrified to actually stand together, say we have had enough, and refuse to allow it? Bitching about it is fine, but protests and letters to politicians DO NOT WORK, they don't care and don't read them anyway. We need a united front on the ground, revolution style...just say NO. And back it up.