551. Panel discussion on atheism where no atheists are included

Comment #21095 by BaronOchs on February 7, 2007 at 2:46 pm

I agree with Richard Dawkins that the fact of Karen Hunter having a Pulitzer Prize is shocking.

It states here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Hunter

that she only won it as part of a team of journalists which redeems the prize a little, They wouldn't award it to her as an individual I am sure.

552. Interview with Alister McGrath, author of 'The Dawkins Delusion?'

Comment #20922 by BaronOchs on February 7, 2007 at 3:01 am

The debate with Dennett is here:

http://www.rsa.org.uk/audio/lecture130306.mp3

553. Massachusetts Atheists?

Comment #20383 by BaronOchs on February 2, 2007 at 4:57 am

contumeliously? I can hardly even say that!

554. Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #20174 by BaronOchs on January 31, 2007 at 6:39 pm

Enid Blyton One - Quran Nil!

Courageous woman and a good interview also.

555. No exemption from gay rights law

Comment #19792 by BaronOchs on January 30, 2007 at 12:39 am

In response to your query Russell faith-run services in the UK often get matched funding whereby they only pay some of the costs. In the case of some catholic schools for instance though, the church only pays 10% of the costs.

556. He Calls Himself God

Comment #19739 by BaronOchs on January 29, 2007 at 5:08 pm

History and the present day are full of fraudulent Godmen. In the Bible Acts 5:35-39 is an example of Jesus' failed competitors. Why are this man's followers so easily taken in by this crass cult which is obviously just a way of appropriating their money? I salute anyone who helps people see these lies for what they are and remember they can live fully without the aid of messiahs. As for Jesus of Nazareth (if indeed there was a Jesus of Nazareth) I do remain open to the possibility he was a genuinely moral character who never claimed to be a messiah or God's son and that these claims were fabricated by the creeps who came after him. Then again maybe I'm just naive . . .

557. Blasphemy Challenge on FOX

Comment #19635 by BaronOchs on January 29, 2007 at 3:19 am

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FoxNews Guy you said "I deny the Holy Spirit"

558. The Bright Revolution

Comment #19040 by BaronOchs on January 24, 2007 at 1:15 pm

Did anyone read Don Cupitt's Solar Ethics? It seems to me (in retrospect) to offer a radical notion of what Bright might signify rather than it being an attempted replacement of atheist which I don't think is anyone's goal. Maybe the forthright vision of Solar Ethics would not appeal to many but it certainly merits consideration.

559. Britons unconvinced on evolution

Comment #18847 by BaronOchs on January 23, 2007 at 7:41 am

"It is perfectly possible for religious believers to believe in both evolution and creation (in fact this is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church)"

The Catholic Church's official position is ambiguous. Christoph Cardinal Schonborn nailed his colours to the mast in his NYtimes article:

"Evolution in the sense of common ancestry might be true, but evolution in the neo-Darwinian sense - an unguided, unplanned process of random variation and natural selection - is not."

He seems to be suggesting evolution owes its success to a planning office in heaven and that is an affront to science.

The full text of his article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/07/opinion/07schonborn.html?ex=1278388800&en=95804823e49fb832&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

560. Intelligent design to feature in school RE lessons

Comment #18816 by BaronOchs on January 23, 2007 at 4:13 am

This discussion brings back bad bad memories of my high school RE. The teachers of which were so thick I thought a restraining order should state they are not to come within 500 metres of any school at any time.

561. Britons unconvinced on evolution

Comment #18804 by BaronOchs on January 23, 2007 at 3:44 am

As someone in the UK I have known several people who were creationists of a particular sort, including a high school english teacher. None of whom seemed to have read a book about either evolution or creationism and will not commit themselves to a value of the Earth's age or a specific account of what actually happened like the genesis account for instance.

The British anti-evolutionist seems motivated by indignation at "descending from monkeys" and more or less complete apathy towards our origins.

562. Religion's Real Child Abuse

Comment #18459 by BaronOchs on January 21, 2007 at 3:12 am

I think the more grown up of us have realised if there is a hell we'll go there anyway rather than make smalltalk to Abraham for eternity

563. Ruth Kelly, her hard-line church and a devout PM wrestling with his conscience

Comment #18457 by BaronOchs on January 21, 2007 at 2:45 am

It would be very cynical for catholic adoption agenices to close over this. They should think carefully before making children fodder in a gay rights war.

564. Dispatches: Undercover Mosque

Comment #18289 by BaronOchs on January 19, 2007 at 11:13 am

The financing of these bigots and fanatics by Saudiarabia to spread their toxic memes in countries like the UK is very disturbing indeed.