1. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #148707 by Kell on March 23, 2008 at 4:10 pm

But seriously... did any of you think that a film narrated by Ben Stein would be interesting? Really?

2. Darwin's dangerous idea

Comment #137531 by Kell on March 3, 2008 at 5:12 am

this is why God created computers - Jurassic Park

3. An Open Letter to Richard Dawkins

Comment #96912 by Kell on December 11, 2007 at 4:58 am

chuckgoecke:
Kinda patriarchal wouldn't you say? ...Father?

4. Bad Faith Awards: Vote for the winner now

Comment #94468 by Kell on December 5, 2007 at 5:44 pm

Alister McGrath gets my vote for the "Biggest Waste of Time" award

5. Beyond Belief 07: Enlightenment 2.0

Comment #93892 by Kell on December 4, 2007 at 12:08 pm

OMG! Sam Harris just called out Scott Atran to a public debate about Islam, preferably with Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
You can practically hear the saloon doors swinging :D

6. Why Science Can't Save the Republican Party

Comment #93284 by Kell on December 2, 2007 at 3:21 pm

Quine: have you emailed your question to PZ? Tis a good question, and I'd also be interested in the answer.

7. Sudan demo over jailed UK teacher

Comment #92507 by Kell on November 30, 2007 at 4:34 pm

I agree with those posters above who suspect that this demonstration of self-righteous outrage was organised; that was my reaction when I read the article. Hitchens has also voiced this conclusion in past interviews.

8. A New Flea in Town!

Comment #91826 by Kell on November 29, 2007 at 11:55 am

I find the choice of a hubble deep field image for this book's front cover to be particularly disgusting. Another example of the religious shamelessly stealing a great achievement of rationalism for their own parochial, insidious and rather selfish ends.

9. A new website addition: Debate Points

Comment #81259 by Kell on October 24, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Religion is not incompatible with science; "non-overlapping magisteria."

ETA:

In relation to the recent D'Souza debate; the claim that modernity - science, human-rights, abolition of slavery etc. - developed from christianity.

10. Richard Dawkins and the New Age fakers

Comment #62708 by Kell on August 10, 2007 at 11:54 pm

"succour to the sucker"

how deliciously succinct :D

11. Can the rest of us have our planet back?

Comment #57742 by Kell on July 20, 2007 at 9:13 pm

Yes, truly brilliant and - best of all - truly funny. Beer and Hugs for Marcus!

12. Face to faith

Comment #57739 by Kell on July 20, 2007 at 9:00 pm

I'd be more inclined to take this point seriously if the twat actually cited specific examples where Dawkins, Dennet et al were problematically wide of the mark. Nothing in the criticisms by 'new athesists' has been irreleveant to how dangerous and destructive the abrahamic religions now are ( and have always been ) or to how frankly sick and tired we are putting up with it.
Why, Mr. Lynch, if you and your colleagues have had so much more relevant insights to provide have none of us ever heard of them? Why has it taken an accomplished evolutionary biologist, a perspicacious neurobioligist, and others, to launch the long overdue counter-attack in the name of reason? Where the f*** have you been?

I honestly may be missing something, but this article strikes me as being the definitive Courtier's Reply.

13. Messiah

Comment #52367 by Kell on June 26, 2007 at 9:37 pm

Josh: article title, it should be Derren Brown.

Cool, I regretably missed this when it originally aired.

14. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Robert Winston

Comment #45727 by Kell on May 29, 2007 at 4:55 am

edit: I posted this yesterday, but the board ate it :(

I am currently incensed to the point that it's difficult to collect my thoughts and post. The appeal for 'politeness' made by Winston is exactly what Sam Harris targets when he asserts that it is religious moderates who are at least as deserving of criticism as fundamentalists, because their facade of decency and reasonableness insulates and actually bolsters the fundamentalists against the outright condemnation they deserve.
Is Dr. Winston so ignorant of the reality of religion in our world? Is he unaware of the atrocities commited not merely by isolated fanatics from distant lands, but by generations of young irishmen wrapped in the beliefs of either catholicism or protestantism? Has he never heard of Intelligent Design and it's insidious and well-funded assault on science and education? Did he simply miss the proclamation by the vatican that, in a blatant and cynical PR maneuver, casually wipes away years of anxiety for believers about the afterworld fate of unbaptised babies? Is he totally uninformed of the persecution of atheists in the american military? Does the needless suffering and death of millions of AIDS victims in an Africa where catholic preachers loudly proclaim the sinfullness of condoms not speak to his feelings as a medical doctor? Has he never encountered anyone like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH1n0YnzSF8&mode=related&search=

His own avuncular yet dishonestly vague admonishment not to be 'patronising' is something that I find patronising, if not downright insulting.
How dare Dr. Winston suggest that Professor Dawkins should curtail his criticism lest he offend religious people, when religious people continue to be relentlessly offensive to anyone that is not themselves.

How dare he.

15. Unholy row at clergy soccer game

Comment #38118 by Kell on May 7, 2007 at 2:49 am

I finished reading only the first sentence of this article, and started laughing. How utterly, brilliantly demonstrative of religious stupidity.

And yes, that last statement is naueseating: "Both sides have learned to better understand our cultures and we have had an open discussion."

No, moron, you obviously haven't. Your kind - religious moderates as well as extremists - have had hundreds of years and billions of lives to 'better understand your cultures'.

Even at a conference tritely expected to 'encourage greater inter-faith dialogue' the absolutism that defines religion cannot be escaped. When we've finished having a giggle about this incident, realise the most revealing thing about it: the match had to be cancelled. Yes, such is the intolerance of our planet's two biggest religions they cannot even manage a friendly soccer match. Why then should we feel comfortable when they are pitted against one another on a global and potentially nuclear level? Why should the rest of us remain silent?

That is what we truly need to 'better understand', Mr. Tveit. I do. Do you?

16. Believe in God Spray

Comment #36200 by Kell on April 30, 2007 at 1:14 pm

deviljelly: this is teh intarwebs, never assume that. Parody's biggest problem is that it often goes completely unnoticed ;)

17. Flea Circus!

Comment #32940 by Kell on April 18, 2007 at 7:16 pm

This highlights what is a defining feature of my experience of christianity - shameless appropriation.
At least since absorbing many of the pagan festivals of europe ( oestre, hallowe'en etc. ), christianity has always responded to any prominent threat by emulating it. Or imitating it. Or just stealing it.

Even book jackets are not safe.

And of course there's Mithras... http://youtube.com/watch?v=MSm7YPMQOSo

18. The Most Hated Family in America

Comment #29721 by Kell on April 4, 2007 at 12:46 pm

"Either way, I'm not entirely convinced that one can meaningfully talk about the intent of a book written by so many different authors over such a great length of time, and used in such a vast variety of ways by so many different readers." -Fishpeddler

I think I'm convinced I can meaningfully talk about the ten commandements. They are intended to state explicitly how people should and should not behave. They're in the bible.
Are you seriously saying there isn't anything in the bible intended to dictate peoples' behaviour?

19. The Most Hated Family in America

Comment #29711 by Kell on April 4, 2007 at 9:54 am

cheshirecat: "Yes but then you could say Hitler was the only one who really understood Darwinism because he took it to the logical conclusion to breed himself a master race of the biggest and blondest."

Wrong, absolutely wrong.

The hatred that fueled the holocaust was one of many aspects of human nature that are the biological result of natural selection. But the altruism, courage, moral outrage and so on that motivated people to fight back against the rise of fascism are ALSO the result of natural selection.

The theory of evolution does not say that people *should* behave a certain way. It only provides an explanation as to why humans - and all animals - *do* behave a certain way.

It is an explanation, not a commandment.

Fundamental mistake lots of people make about the theory of evolution.

The bible, on the other hand, is clearly intended as an instruction manual for how people should behave.