1. Group Asks for Divine Intervention to Ease Oil Prices

Comment #204315 by mandrellian on July 4, 2008 at 5:51 pm

*derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

2. Sharia law 'could have UK role'

Comment #204309 by mandrellian on July 4, 2008 at 5:13 pm

In parts of Australia, some civil matters involving Aborigines are resolved using their tribal laws (within the limits of Australian law, of course - noone gets speared in the leg for theft anymore). However, Aborigines are the indigenous inhabitants of the country and they are the only group of people permitted to do this.

If, hypothetically, you allowed sharia law in the UK it should only be among consenting muslims, within the reasonable laws of the UK and absolutely not applicable to anyone unwilling to go along with it. However (again), given traditional Islamic attitudes toward women I don't see anything positive coming out of using sharia to mediate disputes between married couples or any dispute involving a man & a woman. How many times have we seen muslim men take sharia into their own hands and just execute an offending female and feel justified in doing so? Every one of my neurons is saying "forget extreme caution, do not approach sharia AT ALL." As was already expressed, if you want to live under sharia, go to a country that already uses it.

3. Charles Darwin was not the father of atheism

Comment #202005 by mandrellian on June 30, 2008 at 3:19 pm

Well, it looks like the Tele has those thousand monkeys at their thousand typewriters again. Bless. I do hope they keep trying though, because they're a long way from a coherent article with a point, let alone a Pulitzer.

4. Bacteria make major evolutionary shift in the lab

Comment #191343 by mandrellian on June 10, 2008 at 3:54 pm

This "god" all the kids are talking about must be very, very tiny to be able to hide in such a gap ...

5. Logical Proof of the Existence of a Divine Creator, Why Atheism is Not Logically Sound

Comment #190811 by mandrellian on June 9, 2008 at 3:51 pm

Ugh. I got about two paragraphs in, caught a huge whiff of that ol' chestnut the Blind Watchmaker and decided not to risk projectile vomiting my morning coffee onto my keyboard.

Do these lackwits actually read & comprehend any argument actually written by an atheist before writing their "refutations" or is this yet another case of yet another "pigeon chess" moment, where the creopologist knocks all the pieces over, shits all over the board and then flies back to the roost to proclaim victory?

Goes without saying that the above was a rhetorical question...

6. When two worlds collide: threat of class warfare over faith-based schooling

Comment #187805 by mandrellian on June 2, 2008 at 5:51 pm

Allow me a creo-style quote-mine:

"People with religious faith are ... narrow minded or anti-intellectual."

Thank for your indulgence :)

I watched that SBS Insight program the other night and it was actually quite worrying to see Australian kids sitting there and saying "I believe God created the Earth in six literal days". Crikey, I thought we were a shitload smarter than that!

7. God seekers go public

Comment #179742 by mandrellian on May 13, 2008 at 3:43 pm

Interesting ... scientists work for years in complete secrecy, allowing noone to ask any questions or see any research, then years later they suddenly say "OK, we got something - stay tuned!". To me, that implies one of the following:

1. They have new, revolutionary research that could undermine, disprove & debunk everything we think we know already

2. THEY GOT NOTHIN - except perhaps a re-packaging of all the assorted bullshit they've already tried to push on the world for the past several decades

I'm leaning towards a number.

Serious question (not a dig at our former colonial cousins): what exactly is it about America - the home of Harvard, Yale, the Manhattan Project, Hubble, the moon program, stealth bombers & Isaac Asimov for god's sake - that makes this kind of facile idiocy even possible in the first place?

8. A New Jack Chick Tract: Moving On Up!

Comment #174861 by mandrellian on May 3, 2008 at 5:05 pm

BorderCollie: "In a strange sense, these remind me of the Mr. Natural, Flakey Foont, et al, "underground" comics of the late 1960's. I could, however, laugh at those."

I think Bob Crumb (creator of the above characters) would vomit blood after being compared to an artist so egregiously dishonest, only barely competently skillful and so obviously aroused by the thought of his "enemies" burning forever ...

9. Evolution's Critics Shift Tactics With Schools

Comment #174859 by mandrellian on May 3, 2008 at 5:02 pm

I can't believe this is happening in the land of Harvard & Yale - the country that put men on the moon fercrissakes! But then, it's also the land of Dubya, Jerry Springer and monster-truck driving polygamists...

Troy, what that gentleman said is bang-on. There are already serious health & economic crises in the US (not to mention the current lack of credibility & trust internationally) - add to that the black hole of mythological non-science education and the direction they're heading is not a good one. You can just foresee school graduates in a few years entering the world and feeling distinctly short-changed by their "education". I'm positive you'd get a better education in Cuba! And you wouldn't have to spend the rest of your life paying for it...

10. Anti-Evolution Film Misappropriates the Holocaust

Comment #172530 by mandrellian on April 29, 2008 at 5:05 pm

Right on. I'd like to see the entire Jewish community make a pariah out of Stein for his utterly offensive misappropriation of the Shoah to further shallow, narrow religio-political ends. The insensitivity of it is singularly baffling, considering it's his own culture he's spreading falsehoods about.

Stein's clearly (and again, bafflingly) in bed with the Creo Nutjobs/Religious Right here, but I have to ask: what's in it for him? Is the payoff from this farce worth the worldwide ridicule and disgust and the end of his career? Or is he just so monumentally & inexplicably stupid he actually believes the shit he's shovelling?

11. Science leads to killing people

Comment #171747 by mandrellian on April 28, 2008 at 6:54 pm

I love Thunderf00t's "Why do people laugh at creationists?" series, it's bang on and always entertaining.

12. Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Comment #162945 by mandrellian on April 17, 2008 at 5:39 pm

That is too funny, even without the vid :D Can't wait to hit the vid when I get home.

Perhaps you should've waited until Monday to post this, I always need a laugh this good on Mondays :)

13. Christian Founders 3D Adventure Computer Game

Comment #152927 by mandrellian on March 31, 2008 at 6:02 pm

It's April 1st in some timezones ...

edit: just looked at the rest of their site *shudder* and I withdraw my comment :)

14. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144669 by mandrellian on March 16, 2008 at 2:50 pm

Pfft. Oldest trick in the book. Sanal was just whispering "expelliarmus" under his breath the whole time, just like Hank Potter.

But at least this tantrik warlock had the balls to be tested on live TV. I'd love to see someone test that preening, silky little bastard Benny Hinn in the same manner.

15. In Defence of Selfish Genes

Comment #139887 by mandrellian on March 6, 2008 at 3:57 pm

This puts one in mind of Samuel L Jackson reading Ezekiel 25:17 to his hapless victim in Pulp Fiction ...

Bravo Professor. Even when your gloves are off you still maintain your dignity and respect for intelligent discourse.

16. Fleabytes

Comment #130363 by mandrellian on February 20, 2008 at 12:20 pm

Paula, you floated like a butterfly and stung like those enormous Japanese hornets that swarm enemy beehives and decapitate the inhabitants.

That was an outstanding & merciless dissection of the standard flea tactics of misquoting, misrepresentation, half-truths and bald-faced lies that frustrate all of us so much. If only there was some kind of knighthood one could earn for such a public service.

Thank you.

17. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #115152 by mandrellian on January 23, 2008 at 5:10 pm

I almost gave up after reading the title of the article. After reading the whole thing I realised my first instinct was right.

Deluded, dangerous idiots have for centuries used other peoples' thoughts, usually completely out of context, to justify every kind of injustice and horror imaginable (generally they've used religious myth to do it). This does not mean the original author had the same evil intent as his later parrots and this article is merely yet another transparent, straw-clutching attempt to cloud the real issues and slight Darwin's work by casting aspersions on his character and motivations. It's the classic desperation attack: when in doubt, call anyone who disagrees with you a frickin Nazi.

18. 2007, a bad year for God squadders

Comment #101730 by mandrellian on December 20, 2007 at 8:44 pm

Bastard! Got me interested and made me read right until the second-last paragraph before whipping out a novelty plastic gun, pulling the trigger and ejecting a little flag with "PSYCH! GODDIDIT" on it. Utter, utter bastard. Classic bait & switch: "Hi guys, here's something a little bit interesting and OH WAIT NO IT'S NOT IT'S THE SAME OLD SHIT, BWAHAHAHA". Bah! Humbug!

[Ned Seagoon voice] I shall write to The Times about this!

19. Jesus ad angers church groups

Comment #100543 by mandrellian on December 18, 2007 at 9:29 pm

Sweet Newton's Birthday!

Why is it exactly that people think the religious are a pack of humourless, reactionary dinosaurs? Oh, right ...

So why isn't it also a blasphemy to have Jesus' birthday moved to that of Mithra's and then adopt dozens of other pagan traditions, like a tree, gifts and reindeer?

20. Abstinence Programs Face Rejection

Comment #100309 by mandrellian on December 18, 2007 at 1:38 pm

Sheesh, what a surprise.

I was consciously Christian for a brief period as a teenager but - and may god strike me dead were it otherwise - I would've dropped everything, including my New Testament, to hop in the sack with an amenable girl at the earliest opportunity. As it was the opportunity didn't arise until after I'd renounced religion at 15. Curious timing ... I think Satan was trying to tell me something.

Anyone with the slightest idea of human nature and even fleeting memories of being a teenager knew that the "abstinence-only" approach was doomed to fail the moment it arose and was just throwing a bone to religionists. You wouldn't see that kind of lame excuse for "education" being pushed on people in a country that didn't have such an insidious religious undercurrent. You can't tell teenagers "no" without assuming that they'll go ahead and do it anyway and will therefore need to be protected from the results of their actions in some way.

21. Creationists plan British theme park

Comment #99350 by mandrellian on December 16, 2007 at 12:15 pm

"Evolution has falsely become the foundation of our society and we need the television studio to advocate Genesis across this land in order to remove this falsehood, which presently is destroying the church foundation."

I'm confused. I thought Christianity was the bedrock upon which all our societies were built. If you were to ask our Prime Ministers Howard & now Rudd, former PM Blair, President Bush (and just about every other US politician) that's exactly the answer you get. Christian values lead to democracy and fairness. It's been hammered into our brains that Christianity is indeed the "rock of ages", resolute and infinite and everlasting, upon which all our great democracies are based and from which we derive all our morality and humanitarian values.

If a scientific theory less than two centries old - and a theory that's limited to just one area of one branch of the sciences - can threaten so much harm to the two millenia-old base of all our values, maybe it's not as invincible a truth as we've all been told for our entire lives. Surely if something is True, it should be unassailable by anything as trivial as a mere "theory". Surely if something were True it wouldn't need a hastily-erected theme park to defend it from the scienctificrats who would dare to teach our children to investigate and question and seek answers for themselves.

Oh, wait, did someone mention earning 4.8 million pounds a year just to preach to the converted? Righto. I'm in. Noone's easier to fleece than a willing flock. It's a better living than a vicar I guess.

22. Biologist fired for beliefs, suit says

Comment #95886 by mandrellian on December 9, 2007 at 12:14 pm

From the article: "...he now works at Liberty University..."

...which pretty much sums up exactly what kind of "scientist" he is.

23. Boy dies of leukemia after refusing treatment for religious reasons

Comment #92083 by mandrellian on November 29, 2007 at 9:08 pm

I am physically ill. I don't know what to say or how to say it. One thing I'm sure of though: I'm through being civil to these fucking people when they come to my door.

24. Malaysia firm's 'Muslim car' plan

Comment #87616 by mandrellian on November 12, 2007 at 3:27 pm

I would've thought its grille would need to be completely shrouded to prevent wanton thoughts from other motorists, kept indoors at all times except when driven by a male relative and crushed into small cube if it was ever rear-ended (oh, the dishonour!).

25. Exorcism death shocks archdeacon

Comment #87351 by mandrellian on November 12, 2007 at 12:34 am

All sensitivity to indigenous culture aside, this kind of murderous superstitious bullshit has to be condemned by the NZ government and stamped out in the most vigorous possible way.

26. The Turning of an Atheist

Comment #85012 by mandrellian on November 4, 2007 at 1:52 pm

Come near me with a bible and I'll pull the damn plug out myself, just to spite you.

This article describes some of the most shameful, exploitative behaviour I've ever seen. A stark reminder of the veracity of the phrase "for good men to do evil, it takes religion". Seems nothing is out of bounds when you're faithful - indoctrinating children, preying on fragile old gentlemen, peddling falsehoods and fallacies.

Where are the hordes of atheists preying on aged ex-bishops or senile mullahs?

27. I didn't know the FLEA CIRCUS was back in town!

Comment #85008 by mandrellian on November 4, 2007 at 1:38 pm

"Theologians such as Alister McGrath and Keith Ward have defended the rationality of Christian beliefs..."

First, no they haven't.
Second, there isn't any.

28. You big, fat pile of bacteria

Comment #84801 by mandrellian on November 3, 2007 at 4:47 pm

This backs up the uncomfortable gut feeling, as it were, that I get whenever I see these mind-bogglingly paranoid commercials for anti-bacterial wipes/sprays/underpants. I'm not exactly old, but when I was a little kid (1980s) there were perhaps two places you'd use disinfectant - on an open wound or to clean the toilet. Seriously, what the hell happened to soap and water? Our species survived the sodding Black Plague & cholera & smallpox without sterlisiing the living crap out of our homes but I guess people have forgotten that. I can't actually recall the last time I heard of a child getting sick from playing on the floor or chewing a building block. People have to start giving their kids' immune systems (and their own) more credit.

You don't have to keep your home as clean as a hospital - your home isn't full of sick people recovering from surgery or chemo or other immune-depressing conditions, it's full of healthy people with pretty damn good immune responses. When you sterilise, you kill everything including the benign bacteria that help balance out the badguys - but a lot of the time you're clearing the way, via artificial selection, for the badguys to bounce back without any competition to keep them honest! No wonder my germophobic friends (one dropped a piece of pizza base-down on his kitchen table and threw it out) get sicker than me and I'm the most domestically lazy person I know.

29. Tests of faith over 'The Golden Compass'

Comment #83303 by mandrellian on October 29, 2007 at 3:00 pm

"...there is nothing innocent about Pullman's agenda...twin goals are to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity to kids"."

Right, and I'm sure no Christian would ever want to promote a parochial faith or denigrate freethinking to children ...

30. Don't write off religion - it can be the key to a stable family

Comment #82565 by mandrellian on October 26, 2007 at 6:11 pm

The point is, you either give your child a _choice_ about what to believe or you don't. If you don't give them that choice you're indoctrinating them, pure and simple.


Quote: "Isn't it curious that we tolerate the stereotyping of religion in a way we'd never abide with race, religion or gender?"


Equally curious is the way you stereotype atheism with inappropriate words like "fundamentalist" and completely misrepresent Dawkins' work in a way that (I'm positive) you'd never abide with yours.

The key to a stable family is stable, loving parents and a stable environment. Belief in magic is utterly irrelevant.

31. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #80727 by mandrellian on October 22, 2007 at 8:22 pm

Thanks Roach, I'm indebted to you :) Seems popular culture has lied to me again. However, the fact DiSouza graduated PBK somewhat devalues the whole institution. At the very least, it doesn't do PBK any favours having that demented orc on its honour roll.

32. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #80720 by mandrellian on October 22, 2007 at 7:10 pm

I hadn't heard of this (intellectually) pint-sized pontificator until his venomous and entirely uncalled-for rant against atheists following the shootings at Virginia Tech. Now I see he still beats the same drum over and over, just like that pink bunny in the battery commercials: science is just another kind of dogma; atheists are immoral bastards because they don't take the gospel as gospel, [insert every other faith-head cliche you can think of here]. Whenever I read that he's still in the public eye and allowed to speak to more than one person at a time I can't help but feel my bile rise.

It's almost unfair to pit Hitch against this vicious, ignorant, deluded little mammal, but despite my belief that it's almost a mistake giving this muppet any airtime whatsoever in which to debate with the grownups, I just can't wait. I don't often indulge in schadenfreude, but if it's at DiSouza's expense I shall happily wallow in it.


Quoth dinamo02:

"All that wikipedia says about D'Souza's education is that he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College. Can someon explain to me what kind of major this is?

Wikipedia also says that he dated Ann Coulter at some point. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!"


Sweet Jesus. Anyone who's been any nearer to Ann Coulter than absolutely necessary almost deserves my pity over my scorn. Almost.

As for graduating Phi Beta Kappa, I presume (if US college movies are anything to go by) that it means he was initiated into a fraternity by way of A thinly-disguised homoerotic BDSM ritual and later developed an alcohol problem. Please correct me if I'm wrong, someone :D

33. Fiction or prediction?

Comment #78027 by mandrellian on October 11, 2007 at 2:12 pm

Lovely little article indeed. Might have to buy this bloke's book too :)

He's just reminded me of the Spike Milligan verse I always think of when looking upwards (do indulge me):

Twinkle, twinkle, little star
I've just found out what you are
A lump of rusting rocket-case
A rubbish-tip in outer space

...

34. 'Dirty War' priest gets life term

Comment #77811 by mandrellian on October 10, 2007 at 4:47 pm

Not unique and not even remotely surprising. Since its inception this brand of faith and its pious footsoldiers have been behind some of the world's worst criminal excesses. This is but the latest chapter, the latest war criminal doing "god's work".

As the well-known line ends: "... it takes religion for good men to do evil things." That's assuming a man is good to start with. Perhaps religion is attractive to the inherently evil as it makes it easier for such people to indulge themselves.

It might not happen in my lifetime but eventually the world will realise exactly how destructive, corrupt, imperialist and ultimately redundant the Catholic Churh is. Like any empire it relies on coercion and fear to remain in control and like any empire in history it must eventually fall. When this putrid cornerstone of Christian power is pulled out, with any luck the rest of the castle will crumble.

35. Why Christians should take Richard Dawkins seriously

Comment #72594 by mandrellian on September 21, 2007 at 8:07 pm

"Both authors demonstrate that many of Dawkins' arguments are strewn with error and misunderstanding."

[insert cliche about pots and kettles here]

36. Row Brews Over DUP Call for Schools to Teach Creationism

Comment #72590 by mandrellian on September 21, 2007 at 8:00 pm

Storks are a legitimate scientific hypothesis but no properly wide-ranging class on baby-sources would be complete without also mentioning the Cabbage Patch theory...

37. Honest Mistakes or Willful Mendacity

Comment #68594 by mandrellian on September 7, 2007 at 5:59 pm

It really shouldn't surprise any of us that the self-appointed defenders of the faith cherry-pick and wilfully mistranslate books like TGD to suit their own agendas - they've been doing it to their own Bible for centuries, so it makes perfect sense that they approach any other book - especially one that challenges their hardwired dogma - in the same way. But that it isn't surprising should make it no less a cause for concern and no less outrageous.

The sheer dishonesty on display really does boggle the mind (of a rational person who's read the book and understood it) but I'm sure we're all aware that they're not written to convince atheists of anything - they're there for the millions of faithful who haven't, and never will, read Dawkins or Hitchens or Harris or Dennett and just want someone else to read it and fight their (already lost) battle for them.

I think the sheer number of these half-baked, so-called "refutations" of the atheist position demands its very own volume, much in the vein of Al Franken's "Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them" - a response to the transparent right-wing bias of US mainstream media commentators such as O'Reilly, Hannity and Coulter.

38. Islamic Creationist and a Book Sent Round the World

Comment #57228 by mandrellian on July 18, 2007 at 3:48 pm

If the mere fact of this wannabe 007 supervillain's existence wasn't enough of a concern, I found a rather disturbing comment following the Pharyngula article:

"Do not be funny, guys. I'm fron Turkey, the sad country which spawned that Harun Yahya monstority. His deeds include so many crimes that a little plagiarism can be easily forgiven.

His real name is Adnan Oktar and he begun using his pen name Harun Yahya after he was sentenced for running a cult. His cult was mainly based on sex, blackmail and religion (a great combination, by the way).

He changed his name, yet his favorite method of operation is still black mailing. Let me tell you. Harun Yahya / Adnan Oktar loves beautiful women. He also loves hidden cameras. He employs a lot from both. So, this scenario is played often:

- Harun Yahya opponent / critic meets an incredible, stunning young lady.
- HY critic spends an incredible night with that dream lady.
- HY critic receives a very well prepared, great video of the aforementioned night.
- HY critic decides to pursue other interest, rather than criticising Mr. Yahya.

So, do not mess with him, Mr. Myers. :) You can be sure that they are also monitoring this blog, along countless others. He runs a very well organised and well funded cult. Unfortunately, his anti-evolutionist propaganda is only fit for grade school children, yet he is quite successful in Turkey.

Take care... Evo-Front"


So, not just a well-funded, disingenuous, dishonest, religious funda-mental-ist but also a blackmailing cult-leading ho-popping pimp to boot! I'm shocked Adnan - what would Allah say?

.m.

39. The Great Mutator

Comment #49658 by mandrellian on June 12, 2007 at 7:34 pm

Thank you, Professor Behe, for keeping the minds of our scientific community sharp and on the ball. Not that they need to be with your, quite frankly, bafflingly simplistic & ludicrous arguments.

I find it both fascinating and amusing to observe that every time Creationism evolves its arguments and mutates its claims in order to survive in the unforgiving environment of science and reason, science has evolved a resistance well in advance and puts Creationism on its back.

When will the God-pushers realise they're fighting a battle that's already over?

40. Pell plans fidelity oath for principals

Comment #47828 by mandrellian on June 5, 2007 at 4:25 pm

Hmmm...

"...the religious submission of intellect and will..."

OK kids, spot the key word in the preceding sentence.

I can't imagine many of Sydney's 167 catholic educators happily pledging unquestioning allegiance to the Vatican. The less influence that rogue state has on children's minds the better. I've always thought that "catholic education" is an oxymoron, but this putsch from Pell really highlights the difference between secular and mythical schools. We have keen bullshit detectors down here and if anyone does actually take this oath of ignorance I'm sure there'll be more than a few fingers crossed.

I hope I live long enough to see all religious education banned or at least pared down to the non-essential topics (of which it is the prime example), and the Vatican removed from its seat at the UN.

41. What I Think About Evolution

Comment #46584 by mandrellian on May 31, 2007 at 6:08 pm

Yes, Mr Brownback, most of us would agree that no stone should be left unturned in the quest for truth.

And I'm sure you'd agree that no fence should be left un-sat upon in the quest for getting one's arse elected.

42. Catholic Church Reconsiders Limbo

Comment #43216 by mandrellian on May 20, 2007 at 9:34 pm

Yeah, I'm ornery. Onion have let me down too many times and I'm bitter :)

Anyway:

"What has been revealed to us is that the ordinary way of salvation is by the sacrament of baptism."

Salvation from who? My designer? What did I do to deserve to be born destined for Hell anyway?


"Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered ... give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptized infants who die will be saved and enjoy the beatific vision."

Wow, that almost sounds like something an educated, logical person would say. Except for the bit about liturgical and theological grounds, as if they carry any more weight than "we reckon" ...

The church's new improved Hell doctrine really just seems to say "we used to think you'd go to hell if you died unbaptised. Now we think you _probably_ won't as long as you died before we had a chance to get to you because god _probably_ isn't mean enough to send a baby to hell."

Thanks old chap, very charitable.

Do these people read what they write before they publish it? When are catholics going to catch on that these people are just making shit up as they go along and have been for 1500 years?

Bah, humbug. Now I'm all ornery again. Dangit :)

43. Catholic Church Reconsiders Limbo

Comment #43196 by mandrellian on May 20, 2007 at 6:20 pm

For once The Onion broke tradition and didn't include the punchline in the headline! I wish they had, because I actually read the whole thing and now I wish I hadn't. There's a reason they aren't in my bookmarks anymore.

To The Onion: for a multi-layered vegetable-themed "satire" webzine your work is consistently transparent and without much in the way of substance. Must try harder. C-

44. Pedal power takes Islamic shape in Iran

Comment #42178 by mandrellian on May 17, 2007 at 8:12 pm

MrE

Perhaps you saw the recent episode of ABC's The Chaser in which one of the intrepid tag-team reporters accosted al-Hilaly at an airport and offered to gaffer-tape the dear sheik's gob for him (after al-Hilaly had actually offered to do the same, following more ignorant stone-age ramblings he expectorated while he was in the MidEast)? For some reason he got all offended by this! Perhaps didn't see the context. Now he knows how we all feel when he opens his hateful troglodytic pie-hole.

45. Antarctic 'treasure trove' found

Comment #42153 by mandrellian on May 17, 2007 at 5:57 pm

"Perhaps all that rain altered the ocean's salinity, thus requiring Noah to save all the creatures of the sea as well." - dawgdoc2000

Spoken like a true Creationist (that is, "Creative Rationalist") - are you sure you're not one of them? :)

Saving all those marine species must've been quite a task for ol' Noah. He would have needed one of those giant transparent aluminium aquariums like they had in Star Trek IV to pull that one off.

46. Television evangelist Falwell dies at 73

Comment #41221 by mandrellian on May 15, 2007 at 4:32 pm

"In 1999, he told an evangelical conference that the Antichrist was a male Jew who was probably already alive. Falwell later apologized for the remark but not for holding the belief."

Says more about him than I ever could.

47. The Case Against Intelligent Design: The Faith That Dare Not Speak Its Name

Comment #40219 by mandrellian on May 13, 2007 at 10:45 pm

The thing that I most love about these myth-sellers is that they are constantly varying their argument to suit to the socio-scientific environment of the day in order to get it into the discourse. From Scopes to the present day there's been a clear directional change toward a more "scientific" way of expressing their utterly unscientific argument - it's evolution in action, pure and simple (it may not be natural selection but it only serves to prove the universal truth that anything which can't adapt to environmental change becomes extinct). The only thing they haven't managed to evolve beyond is their attachment to mythology.

48. Cardinal: homosexuality a form of prostitution

Comment #39026 by mandrellian on May 9, 2007 at 7:05 pm

I really don't know what's more ridiculous - Catholic priests presenting medical or scientific "evidence" that homosexuality is unnatural (we all know how much religionists love evidence, don't we?) or Catholic priests commenting on sexual behaviour (when their most solemn vows include one of celibacy).

The areas of sexuality, science and medicine are three areas that NO Catholic, giant hat-wearing office-holder should go anywhere near. Please, good human brothers of ours, refrain from commenting on things you cannot possibly have any experience or any understanding of.

For that matter, any doctor worth his degree shouldn't be signing _anything_ that props up religious prejudice and hatred.

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

Comment #38002 by mandrellian on May 6, 2007 at 3:52 pm

"Mr Dawkins is an advocate of increasing atheist militancy."

A very poor and uninformed choice of words. Nowhere in Dawkins' writings have I heard him advocate militancy. Action, organisation & public awareness, yes, but not militancy.

@ Bizarro: if you're accusing Dawkins of "hyper-dogmatic vitriol", perhaps you should re-read your bible and reflect on the old saying about the pot and the kettle ...

50. God Exists. A Formula Proves it.

Comment #37972 by mandrellian on May 6, 2007 at 2:22 pm

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e39/anonymgrl/farside.jpg

Spot on, Gary.