Comments by Frankus1122

Comment #176985 by Frankus1122 on May 8, 2008 at 12:28 pm

Comment #176975 by mordacious1

Like I said, Science maches on!

Yes. It maRches on too! :)

There were a lot of really good projects which I won't describe. I will just say that you are right. You can't stop people from thinking and being curious and trying to figure things out for real.

502. Trouble ahead for science

Comment #176974 by Frankus1122 on May 8, 2008 at 12:08 pm

Okay.
I just got back from viewing all the projects.
I am in a bit of a better mood.
Two guys built a bicycle that will purify water. The idea is that you go to a water source a few kilometers from where you live and fill up the container on the front of the bike. As you pedal back home the water is pumped through a filtration device and fills up a container on the back of the bike.
Two more of my girls did a project on colour degradation. They wanted to determine which colour will fade the fastest under which light source. They had a log book that was 125 pages long. They tested the colour degradation by scanning the coloured paper and measuring its colour value using Photoshop every 2 hours for 10 days.
If you want to keep the colour of artwork or photographs don't expose them to a lot of sunlight; especially if the art predominantly black or blue. Although this is something that we sort of know already, these girls now have some hard statisical data as to the rate of colour degradation for particular coloured papers under specific light sources.

I am sort of happy now.
There is some hope.

503. Trouble ahead for science

Comment #176951 by Frankus1122 on May 8, 2008 at 11:31 am

I'm guessing they didn't do it either of those ways though, did they?

Nope.

They provided a list (Christianity, Buddhism, Hindism, Scientology, and Islam) and then asked the question.
Then they provided 'facts' about each religion, including what they believed was true (humans are sinful -just look at the world today) and false (to their credit the virgin birth was called into question). Then they asked the question again. The sample size was about 20 people.
Uncomfortably for them, Buddhism was found to have the slight edge over Christianity.

504. Trouble ahead for science

Comment #176938 by Frankus1122 on May 8, 2008 at 11:15 am

Stein is doing nothing less than helping turn a generation of American youth away from science.

He is not alone.
I do not teach science but my students brought in their science fair projects today. Two very religious girls brought in their 'science' project. What was their 'scientific' problem to solve?

Which religion is the most believable?

I am not sure if they are antithetical toward science or perhaps just lazy.
I have been shaking my head all day about this.
It really bothers me.
I am angry and depressed.

505. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #176644 by Frankus1122 on May 7, 2008 at 8:28 pm

Long ago for me did clearwooter overstep the line.
You took it a step too far, Andy Kaufman, with your giant man.

Who is the laughing boy now Reverend Dark?

Or I am completely wrong and he is below the stupidity of earwax as The Reverend so eloquently reiterates.

506. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #176641 by Frankus1122 on May 7, 2008 at 8:20 pm

I think maybe Wooter is just pulling our legs in order to provide some entertainment. No one can be that stupid.

Bonzai, do you have your ticket for the wooter train? Woot! Woot! Woooot!
Do you sign up?
Do you use LOGIC to swim in the ocean?
No. The salt would get in your eyes designed by evolution in the salt water. No again.

Get it?

507. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #176633 by Frankus1122 on May 7, 2008 at 8:09 pm

I suggest you stop the denial and sign up for the ID train.
It goes: Woot! woot!

508. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #176623 by Frankus1122 on May 7, 2008 at 7:47 pm

Let's see how tall the first human being as it was stated in Bible?

I'm guessing 25-30 feet tall.
I have seen the evidence and now I am convinced.
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sumer_anunnaki/anunnaki/anu_11.htm
Thank you for the link my good friend.
Where, where, where do I sign up?
Don't be the coy boy.

509. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #176618 by Frankus1122 on May 7, 2008 at 7:33 pm

What can i say?
Truth always HURTS.

You HURT me funny guy. My laughing tears fall out of my EYES designed to make laugh tears.
My sides HURT from the laughing (Not from the missing woman rib). Ha! I too am funny LOGIC man.

510. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #176615 by Frankus1122 on May 7, 2008 at 7:17 pm

Comment #176600 by Chato

imagine the outcry there would have been if he had depicted Jesus as a peadophile raping altar boys!

Outcry - yes.
Burning of embassies and over a hundred dead -no.

This sort of pathetic anti-religious propaganda is no better than pro-religious propaganda - they both fail to offer humanity anything useful.

Speaking out against dangerous nuttiness in an attempt to eliminate it does offer something useful to humanity. It is a call for people to break the bonds of faith when that faith leads them to behave in a manner counter to all sense and rationality.

About the Spirit:

but no religion adequately describes it and all modern religions have been corrupted.

And yet all religions claim to know the absolute truth of God. When your faith in things unknowable trumps common sense and scientific facts you will have problems. We live in a world in which there is no evidence of any god whatsoever. To insert a god into the picture and claim to know what the imagined being wants leaves the door wide open for anything to enter. Nothing can be crazy or unsound or unreasonable because you have inserted something that is outside the realm of reason.
To have faith is to believe something without evidence. Therefore anything can be believed.
You say all modern religions are corrupted. How do you come to this knowledge? Did the Spirit tell you? Do you 'feel' it?
I think the Spirit told the Pope he is doing a great job. I think the Spirit makes the imams feel all warm and toasty when they issue death sentences on guys who draw cartoons.
I think it is all made up.
I think Sam Harris is saying the same thing.
We have to stop letting people make things up out of nothing and forcing other people, through violence and intimidation and coersion, to adhere to the same beliefs or 'respect' them.

511. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176537 by Frankus1122 on May 7, 2008 at 2:48 pm

I am okay with casting out the demons of astrology and handwriting analysis, but this:

"In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I cast out the demon of the intellect!"

He seems to have been successful.

Perhaps I was wrong about the casting out of demons.

"In the name of Jesus, I cast out the demon of anal fissures!"

Oh, yes please.

512. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #176420 by Frankus1122 on May 7, 2008 at 9:45 am

Hey clearwoot!
Glad to see you back old buddy.
Nothing makes me smile (laugh out loud) more than your posts.
Keep them coming!
Other bad atheists are bad to you LOGIC but not Frankus1122. How to sign up for ID before the Rapture?

"beaching" as in "Son of a Beach!" - funny guy too funny for bad atheist no LOGIC.

513. The detail in the Devil

Comment #176027 by Frankus1122 on May 6, 2008 at 11:52 am

Comment #175985 by Star Spangled Eagle

Regarding the ghosts and daemons that haunted your mind when you were a child: Yes. I had similar fears. I am an adult now and I know there is nothing to be afraid of.
Imagine that someone like David Robertson or the Pope, people who actually believe in the reality of the Devil, still harbour the fears of childhood.
They have their faith to protect them from non-existent beings whereas we have simply outgrown such foolish notions.
I don't mean to sound all superior but thinking about these men in this light does make me feel ..., I don't know, more mature (?).
I understand the fears of childhood. My 6 year old son will not go downstairs by himself. I tell him that monsters do not exist. He tells me that monsters do not exist. He still won't go into the basement by himself.

What is the difference between the Pope and my 6 year old son in this regard?

We are witnessing the foolishness of childhood. Some have not outgrown this.

514. Life after Jehovah's Witnesses: website offers help to followers who lose their faith

Comment #175950 by Frankus1122 on May 6, 2008 at 9:17 am

Of course, that throws up a whole gamut of thorny philosophical and theological problems, such as what happens to the disembodied accidents of the body of christ

Was it on this site where the discussion of the theological ruminations of what happens when one poos out the body of Christ came up?

Holy shit! Literally.

As I am typing this I a song came on my web radio:
'dumber than god' by LITTERBUG.

515. The detail in the Devil

Comment #175855 by Frankus1122 on May 6, 2008 at 6:50 am

When I was a child I was afraid to go down into the basement of our house. I thought there were monsters down there. When I got a bit older I was afraid that the devil or other demonic angels were real and that they could get me.(That was part of my religious upbringing).
Then the Exorcist came out and I was scared beyond measure of dark places.

Today, I would walk through a graveyard at midnight on Halloween. My only fear would be that I would trip over something in the dark.

I suppose it is all part of growing up.

516. The detail in the Devil

Comment #175834 by Frankus1122 on May 6, 2008 at 6:18 am

Hey! Dr. Bradshaw:
Fuck you!
Stupid asshole.
How can you be so stupid?
The devil. Yeah, right.

Sorry, I don't know what came over me.

517. Life after Jehovah's Witnesses: website offers help to followers who lose their faith

Comment #175830 by Frankus1122 on May 6, 2008 at 6:12 am

He had continually refused blood transfusions that would have saved his life after a simple dental procedure to remove teeth went wrong.

All the JW blood transfusion refusal is because of some Biblical passage, correct?
Because of something that was written millenium ago by some guys in the desert, people are refusing life saving blood transfusions. Once you take that first step off the reason boat you really are subject to all sorts of absurdities.
It is interesting that even the instinct for self preservation can be overcome by indoctrination.
Of course the Catholics (following the one true religion) are not prone to such nonsense. They believe in evolution and transubstantiation. For Catholics, the Eucharist is the literal body and blood of Christ. Only it still looks like bread and wine. Why? Not exactly sure. It could be to test the faith of the faithful.
Or it could be because the Holy Spirit did not actually come down from heaven to do his magic and what the priest holds up is still bread and wine.
I wonder which is actually true?
I suppose that depends if I have left the reason boat or not.

Sorry if this seems off topic a bit. I am musing on a comment by fides-et-ratio from another thread. He said that only the most ridiculous religious topics are dealt with. He claimed there are far more rational religious sects.

I don't think so.

518. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #175381 by Frankus1122 on May 5, 2008 at 10:31 am

Although, put enough 56 IQ's together and you have another problem.

You have, of course, seen the opening of
Idiocracy.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=upyewL0oaWA

519. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #175365 by Frankus1122 on May 5, 2008 at 10:11 am

Sam Harris has such a lucid way of expressing himself. There are some exquisite lines in this article.

Here is a favourite:

Islam, as it is currently understood and practiced by vast numbers of the world's Muslims, is antithetical to civil society.

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

Comment #175334 by Frankus1122 on May 5, 2008 at 8:59 am

fides_et_ratio:

The nonsensical cartoon above enables many athiests to indulge in an orgy of self-righteousness, justified anger, and various other methods of ego inflating exercises. Shame that.

I'll ask again why the less UNintelligent Christians do not speak out against such nonsense.
Is it because at their core your beliefs are just as nonsensical?

I'll agree that the above comic is absurd beyond measure. It is disappointing that this is what we are forced to argue against. It is very rare indeed that anything more worthy comes this way. It seems as though the best the theists have to offer is not too far above the Chick Tracts when the arguments are laid bare.

Prove me wrong.

As for the pronoun debate:
Let me try and care...............
Sorry, can't do it.

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

Comment #175017 by Frankus1122 on May 4, 2008 at 6:53 am

In fact the only sects seeming to be gaining numbers are the evangelicals (http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news.aspx?action=view&id=2306), and these are the ones that are more likely to reject science and specifically evolution. However it should also be noted what demographic these churches serve.

What seems to be happening is that "reasonable" religion is becoming a spent force. What we will have to face is the rump lunatic fringe, supported by people like Peter Vardy and similar exports from the US.

I stole the above quotation from epeeist on another thread.
It sort of adresses the problem I was speaking of above.

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

Comment #175016 by Frankus1122 on May 4, 2008 at 6:45 am

You do know that the doctrine of the word's single largest sect is accepting of evolutionary theory though, right?

Yes. I should have said in the USA, where the majority of people do not believe in evolution and do seem to hold the views as expressed in the Chick tracts.

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

Comment #174889 by Frankus1122 on May 3, 2008 at 6:24 pm

Comment #174740 by fides_et_ratio

Obvious nonsense. Any chance of posting a sensible commentary on the interaction of Christianity and science Josh?

Such simplemindedness seems to be the dominant mode of thought for a very large majority of Christians. It is obvious nonsense. However, it is also rampant and actually believed. Why do the less unintelligent Christians not speak out more loudly against such nonsense and lies?

524. Fleabytes

Comment #173155 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 12:54 pm

I just signed up for a myspace page but I am apparently an idiot because I cannot seem to send him a message. I will look for a 13 year old kid to help me and I'll get back to you. :)

525. Fleabytes

Comment #173139 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 12:22 pm

MPhil,
His son, Anthony, is one of his friends on his myspace page.
Can you contact him through there?

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=114530568

526. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173116 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 11:33 am

clearmind:
read very good summery of all posts. clearmind is ID LOGIC brain.
But wootermind I must call strike one 'cuz I ask where to sign up for ID and clearmind says:

.

527. Fleabytes

Comment #173114 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 11:22 am

Comment #173108 by Geoff

Don't you mean: "Jesus spent a weekend dead..."?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzuxyq3ltls

Mr. Deity: "3 days? Well, there is fudge room. We could do it late Friday and raise you up at the crack of dawn on Sunday. So you are looking at 36 hours tops. 35 if we do it the weekend they set the clocks forward."

528. Fleabytes

Comment #173049 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 9:13 am

Hi Richard Morgan.

Are you happy now?

529. Museums teach society lacking in science literacy

Comment #173045 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 9:09 am

Comment #172674 by dlitt

Thanks for that link.
I printed it out and will use it as soon as it gets a bit warmer here.

530. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #172999 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 8:21 am

seeker:

STRIKE ONE!

Thank you Dr Benway.
I have a PM for you.

531. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #172932 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 7:23 am

What is this "comparable quality of evidence"?
My thought too.

Me three.

It is all well and good to say you may have some problems with your evidence but to do this while ignoring the absolute shite of evidence on the other side is ... wrong/bad/just not right/disingenuous/dishonest...

Is there not a Bible quote about specks and beams in eyes that could shed some light on the matter?

532. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #172917 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 7:04 am

Cartomancer:

Looks like RD.net is fast becoming the hottest dating site on the internet!

I would not be surprised if you got a few nibbles with your current avatar.

As they say, "I'm not gay but..."

533. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #172851 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 6:08 am

Annabana and Al,

You are a handsome couple.

So my predictive powers were correct. I thought you may have just been pulling my chain and leading me and everyone else on.

I am glad you were not.

I feel all warm and toasty. :)

534. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #172812 by Frankus1122 on April 30, 2008 at 5:41 am

From Goldy:

After this, I'm going to try a chocolate beer.

We have a coffee porter over here that is a really really good tasting beer.
Now a chocolate coffee porter.... mmmmm.

535. Pat Condell: Anthology DVD available now!

Comment #172518 by Frankus1122 on April 29, 2008 at 4:49 pm

Did you know that if you rearrange the letters in Pat Condell you get the word BOOORING!

536. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #172395 by Frankus1122 on April 29, 2008 at 2:15 pm

Corylus, SharonMcT and Kardashovel (and everyone else):
Have you seen this?:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/229

It is the TED talk by Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist who studies her own stroke as it happens.
She gets a bit 'out there' near the end of her talk. She sounds a lot like Corylus during her thought experiment.

537. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #172275 by Frankus1122 on April 29, 2008 at 12:21 pm

from Steve:

I think this is really a matter of how one generally treats others on an open forum. If Styrer, or anyone else, shouts, it can potentially stop a interaction that others may wish to continue.

I mentioned something along these lines earlier when it was noticed that DickDawkins' behaviour seemed to change as a result of how he was treated. He was savaged to be sure, but it was done in a way that did not entirely shut down dialogue. He became slightly less vile as a result.
I think we can have an ameliorating effect on people who come here. Sometimes it is necessary to leave someone a way out. Immediate name calling does not allow for that.
Persistent willful ignorance is another matter. Those people can be dealt with by Irate, Dark, Diacanu or anyone else who cares to drop the F-Bomb on them.

538. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #172049 by Frankus1122 on April 29, 2008 at 7:24 am

Comment #172035 by riandouglas

unfortunately I'm with Frankus

Thanks for that vote of confidence :(

Right back at ya:
Unfortunately I'm with raindouglas on this one:

What about other religious beliefs and experiences? Was the buddha contacted by this being, you think?

I actually asked this earlier. Does the revelation in the Koran count for anything? I mean there is some good stuff in there about charity and probably some other points that would tend one toward a 'good' life (I'm not really familiar with the Koran).

From Irate:

Zero evidence supplied for any of the assertions you make.

And because of this no one other than Kardashovel will base their life on his assertions.
As I keep saying: It is an interesting story but I am not going to start wearing funny clothes and change my behaviour because of it.

539. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #172030 by Frankus1122 on April 29, 2008 at 6:59 am

Sorry Frankus, but you are out of character.

I'm sorry I failed you, sir.

I tried but it is like asking that I pretend that 2 and 2 is 5. There is too much information against such a notion that keeps cascading in on my wee brian for me to be able to sustain the illusion.

Regarding synchronicity:

Are you sharing, or fishing?

I think it is an area worthy of investigation. I think (based on nothing other than my intuition) that we will find there is a natural explanation for improbable coincidences. I could come up with a theory but it would be based on nothing really. It would be a work of science fiction.
I like science fiction. It can lead to some real science. But we shouldn't mistake the two.

As an aside: I am amazed that cellphones of today are so much more than the communicators that Captain Kirk used. In some ways our science has outstripped our science fiction.

I think Comment #171844 by Quine is on point. You have a good science fiction story. There are way too many obstacles for it to be anything other than that.
I have another question/obstacle about your god: Why would such a being need us? Although not omnipotent, he is quite powerful and yet he is still ruled by emotions similar to those of his primate creations.

A domesticated primate? Frankus, I don't even believe that a monkey is just a monkey, much less a freakasaurus rex like you. We are connected.

Yikes! :)

540. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171748 by Frankus1122 on April 28, 2008 at 6:54 pm

MPhil,
I had an image that I cannot seem to find at the moment. It was one of several off duty philosophy professors.

This image will substitue:

http://www.henkvink.com/images/motor/baltics/bikers.jpg

541. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171744 by Frankus1122 on April 28, 2008 at 6:39 pm

did anyone notice the difference between Dick's early posts and his more recent ones?

Yes. I was wondering if the fact that he was seriously engaged and called out to defend himself had the observed ameliorating effects.

Kardashovel,
I am having a hard time. I am getting stuck at God. :)
Seriously I did not know how to define what was being talked about. I saw that you and Steve and MPhil were hashing some definitions about.
If I were to believe in a god it would be along the lines of a sum totality of all that there is.
I don't know if this is Spinozian or Einsteinian or what.
I can't see this as being a personal or interventionist god in any way. My god is too big to intervene in human affairs. My god is everything that is. Why would that care if D. Robertson couldn't cover a cheque? Why would that care about your business dealings? Why would that care? Caring seems to be something we humans do as a result of our biology. In a sense you could say that because we care and we are part of the universe God cares. But only in a limited sense. Only in the sense that we care. The caring is localised to us. There does not seem to be a universal caring that goes on. So how could it be said that god cares?
Some being that plays with space and time and the elemental forces of the universe is an interesting idea but I cannot see any evidence of this.
You say the Bible is His handiwork. It is not perfect but it does the job; just like evolution. My problem with this idea is that it leaves far too much to chance. Chaos theory/the butterfly effect would seem to preclude any idea of this sort.

My wacky theories involve the explanation of repeating patterns and synchronicity. I think coincidences happen far too often to just be coincidences. I think there may be some underlying unifying structure to the universe,(perhaps involving other dimensions) that we are yet to discover.
Will we find Mind?
I dunno.
Will we/ought we to worship It if we do find it? I don't think that is a proper relationship.
These are things which I only speculate on.
I know we have mind and caring here. I talk to you and think about things and I care about my family and other people. That's enough for me. It is enough because that's all there is.
For now.
What would a universal mind add? Universal caring?
Maybe, but I'm just a monkey.

I need to read my daughter a bedtime story now. She has been weeping uncontrolably since her defeat at chess. (I'm joking).

542. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171700 by Frankus1122 on April 28, 2008 at 5:39 pm

I won!

Heidegger? Interesting, but I can't seem to find a lot of logical arguments. A lot of assumptions and meta-ontological speculation though - intersting for sure.

That's why I like talking to Kardashovel. :)

543. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171680 by Frankus1122 on April 28, 2008 at 5:10 pm

MPhil,
My daughter just saw then photo of your bike and told me to say, "Cool!"

I must go off and play chess now.
I hope I beat her she is only 8.
She just told me she is really good though and she thinks she will win - no she knows she will win.

As you all will anxiously be awaiting the outcome I promise to let you know.

544. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171673 by Frankus1122 on April 28, 2008 at 5:02 pm

Most philosophy isn't something where you need 1-3 minutes to read, understand and judge a page

I am looking at a book by Heidigger that has a dark section in it because I had to reread it about a dozen times. I suppose I had dirty hands and a vacvant mind.

545. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171467 by Frankus1122 on April 28, 2008 at 1:59 pm

Kardashovel,
Thanks I will do this.
I am about to go home so I can think about it on the way.
But I sort of figured this was your theory.
Without trying your thought experiment, I am going to say it is a thought experiment.
I spoke earlier of science fiction and how the best stories are the ones that could be true. Whether or not they are true is the big question.
The 'fiction' part of science fiction would tend one towards the "or not".
But I'll give it a try and let you know the results.

546. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #171439 by Frankus1122 on April 28, 2008 at 1:42 pm