751. The Debate: Can We Live by Reason Alone?

Comment #39801 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 12, 2007 at 1:06 am

I quite liked the interviewers style, Richard was well able to respond, and given plenty of time. He also asked, good, clever and probing questions.

It was refresing in some ways.

752. Christopher Hitchens on Religion

Comment #39783 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 11:10 pm

I am in love with Hitchens. I want to have his babies. Yet, I also despise his Iraq war position. Please Hitchens, snap out of that one!

753. Christopher Hitchens on Religion

Comment #39780 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 11:02 pm

Ouch!! He totally crushed that poor bastard Munsey. Jezzzuzz.

754. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39692 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 2:40 pm

lol..... come on - that was funny.

Yeah, hilarious. Your a wit and a half. Goodnight.

755. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39686 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 2:20 pm

I could easily justify the benefits of having a strong military.

Really? Being hated by every islamic halfwit on the planet, that benefit? Or spending vast sums of money on stuff that can only be used to blow other stuff up, endangering the planet with the worlds (2nd?) largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, and getting bogged down (yet again!!!) in pointless intractable conflicts?

'Cause those are "benefits" I'm perfectly happy to .. uh ... forgoe. Thanks though. I'll call you. Bye.

756. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39677 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 1:59 pm

Oh sure America has problems but to imply that the europieans are "doing it better" – all the way down the line, economically, militarily and fostering an environment that springs ambition….. is just not being honest. Why so may people want to 'come to America"………? That is interesting.

Who wants to be doing well militarily? What a strange mind set you have. Can you eat weapons, provide health care with them?

The US does some things better than most, some things as well as anyone, and a number of things very, very badly. One of those things relates to how crime is managed. You've failed to address it, and I'm sympathetic, it's a conundrum.

Also that "many" people want to come to the US is something of a myth. There are 2 - 3 billion people living fairly wretched lives on our little planet.

They all want to go somewhere, anywhere else. Some of them end up here, some of them end up in the US. Roughly 10% of the Swedish population are first generation immigrants, I'm not positive, but I'd lay good odds that trumps the US.

757. Cataloguing every species on earth

Comment #39668 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 1:38 pm

It's almost as though the theory is improving itself to more accurately reflect reality! Seriously, is this article suggesting that revising your ideas in the light of new information is unscientific?

I get this maddening kind of comment all the time.

It's said with the implication that there is some glowing example of religion with a monopoly on the truth. Yet this is such self evident nonsense. The history of religion, is a long and bloody series of retreats in the area of cosmology, and human biology.

Religions cling to nonsense, even when utterly debunked. Hence the Catholic Church's gracious pardoning of Galileo in 1996. The wonder of science is that it corrects itself, religion even where the abuse is overt and obvious has to have it faults dragged kicking and screaming into the light. I'll take the flawed science, over the flawed religion, thanks. The last 300 years says I'm betting the right horse.

Science and Religion are both human institutions, and they wear that stamp upon them unmistakeably. Yet Science, knows it, accepts it and polices itself accordingly. Religion denies it, claims authority where none is deserved, and abuse, failure and disappointment is ever the result. I mean do we even need to discuss this?

These people have the stupendous gall to swan on to the site and bemoan the fact that "But scientists keep changing their minds!!", as if this was a bad thing.

There is something small, frightened and infantile about it, isn't there?

758. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39665 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 1:26 pm

Crime prevention is not what I was after here, I was thinking about Justice for the victim. For example, if someone were to torture my child for their own amusement, I would want them punished, not merely treated for mental illness. perhaps that is primitive but I doubt it is unique.

Not at all, it's something we all share. A raw visceral urge to attack the entity that has injured someone precious.

That is exactly why law must be applied in the most cold hearted and detached way possible. It is also why scilian or albanian family feuds never end.

The law should in the first instance function to protect society from further harm, and in the second to rehabilitate the criminal.

759. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39661 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 1:21 pm

Come on brian..... you have to threaten it, and of course make good on the threat; otherwise you start down the slippery slope. Think about software mfg companies. If they cannot threaten lawsuites for unauthorized distribution..... what would motivate people to stop copying programs?

It's never stopped me, and I bet it's not stopped you on occasion. Never downloaded so much as a piece of music ... a movie, or an episode of something on bittorrent?

Threats rarely deter, the vast majority of people commit crimes out of a need, or because something has been criminalised that should not have been. Drugs, prostitution, abortion, that kind of thing.

Europeans get that, and we imprison a fraction of the populace that the "religious" US feels compelled to. That is interesting.

760. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39656 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 1:12 pm

70. Comment #39654 by The Spaghetti Monster on May 11, 2007 at 1:02 pm

You seem to be endorsing the Swedish political and economic systems as so different from the US, that radically different criminal justice outcomes are the result. Kudos.

Myself, I don't think that's the whole story though. The focus on rehabilitation, and education of criminals, is I think a major contributing factor. And cheap at the price.

I'm not certain the money spent on Iraq is terribly relevant, except of course it could have been spent on rehabilitation and education, but the structures don't really exist to facilitate that. Though I grant you, several hundred billion dollars, even were it merely distributed directly to the prisoners would probably have helped:-)

761. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39655 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 1:04 pm

69. Comment #39653 by The Spaghetti Monster on May 11, 2007 at 12:54 pm

"Fear of punishment" usually doesn't enter the mind set of people determined to commit crime – and when it does it gets justified. This "fear" you speak of usually comes into play after the criminal realizes he will be held accountable.

I think you are largely correct about that. So as a deterrent it is completely without value. So why threaten it? Even more critically, why apply it?

Biblical "morality" is just primitive retribution, akwardly retrofitted with a bit of metaphysics as circumstances forced the religious to take heed of the inescapable.

762. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39652 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 12:52 pm

same level when it comes to leading the free world. Let's compare apples to apples……….. Your plea to consider the statistic you put forth falls short.

I'm not sure why leading the "free world" would require that a nation imprison of 700% more of it's own citizens than a country with comparable economic and political values.

I mean, I can just stretch to why they might feel compelled to imprison and kill large numbers of the citizens of other countries .... and lets face it, they do that too.

However, you have the advantage of me with regard to how the stats on "normal" imprisonment relate to "leadership of the free world". Would you care to expand on why you think that is relevant?

763. Lou Dobbs w/ Hitchens on Al Sharpton's Bigoted Remark

Comment #39644 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 12:27 pm

Spaghetti Monster I like the empty gaps in your message. There's something Wittgensteinean about them.

Yeah, I've noticed that. It's almost a commentary, on the comment so to speak. Subtle.

764. The Encyclopedia of Life

Comment #39642 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 12:23 pm

Wow,this looks pretty amazing. We live in a radical age of exponential change. Most of the things central to my life didn't even exist 5 or 10 years ago.

Skype, youtube, librivox, bittorrent, wikipedia, this site, google, wifi, google earth, 24 mbits a second at home ..... the list is endless. Damn exciting.

765. Is Christianity Good for the World?

Comment #39639 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 12:05 pm

I am curious, arilno, what would you replace punishment with for violent offenders?

Restraint, isolation, assistance? Law works best when decoupled as completely as possible from a sense of retribution.

The US imprisons 7 times the per capita number of people that Sweden does. Think about that. Both rich, developed countries with an established and independent, fully functioning judicial system. Not double, .... 700%. Wierd huh?

766. Lou Dobbs w/ Hitchens on Al Sharpton's Bigoted Remark

Comment #39638 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 11:58 am

For the record these guys should be free to verbally attack the living hell out of one another. Generates a valuable "pox on both your houses" effect.

Go for it kids.

767. World's most prominent atheist takes on the Biblical God (and other topics)

Comment #39632 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 11, 2007 at 11:32 am

My ears are bleeding .... and my eyes ...

768. Better God-fearing than sneering

Comment #38658 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 8, 2007 at 10:35 pm

But neither does Harris; .... It is a tenet of evangelical Christianity that the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ created a new covenant with the church, so they no longer believe that a man should stone his wife to death if she is not a virgin.

When did God rescind these instructions, by what method, and how do we know its authority and accuracy? Does man's morals override Gods, and if so, why do we need Gods moral code? Why would an all-loving God instruct such rules in the first place? To me, the whole scenario is ridiculous and is a massive target begging to be hit again and again.

That Christians claim "It's unfair!! We made some additional shit up which says you talking about this stuff is unfair!!" has nothing to do with it. Besides, there are plenty of modern Christians, perhaps millions world wide who do think that some OT injunctions should be revived. Adultery and homosexuality have these freaks particularly excited.

Now is it a minority view? Yes. Is it ever likely to become a majority (Christian) view? No. Who's problem is it? Everyones, but especially the snivelling Christian moderates. Deal head on with these idiots and you'll get less heat in the public discourse, it's that simple.

769. The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it

Comment #38485 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 8, 2007 at 9:59 am

115. Comment #38458 by John P on May 8, 2007 at 7:14 am

With regard to the Harris quote, a good blog here, with the ENTIRE quote, in context.

http://aloadofbright.wordpress.com/2007/05/08/misquoting-harris/

I read the same Harris quote, originally in context, and I was disturbed by it then. I'm still disturbed by it reading it again.

The Islamic world does not represent anything remotely approaching an existential threat to us, to countenance war in a situation where we (the west) are vastly more powerful, where our actions could potentially result in thousands, perhaps millions of innocent deaths, is unconsionable.

The course of the Iraq war, and the ongoing hysteria sorrounding Iranian efforts to process uranium, have the potential to kill vast numbers of our fellow human beings.

As rational humanists, we consider all humans part of a single family, regardless of nationality, religion or preference for reality television. The vanishingly small threat of terrorism, should always rank far lower down the totem pole of potential threats than the wanton lunacy of deliberate and pre mediated war.

770. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #38482 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 8, 2007 at 9:20 am

34. Comment #38382 by Veronique on May 7, 2007 at 11:46 pm

You most certainly are. I love it. How did you do that? How did you type words on there and get the picture to change?

The avatar is .gif file, its a series of pictures that rotate through endlessly. I got it from this site here : http://avatars.jurko.net/18/

In the profile there is a section to upload an avatar, I used that. Let me know how you get on:-)

771. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #38376 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 7, 2007 at 11:12 pm

Hey thanks for that. I'm now the proud owner of an amusing avatar:-)

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

Comment #38371 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 7, 2007 at 10:52 pm

Amen to that.

773. A Bunch of Monkeys

Comment #38298 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 7, 2007 at 12:52 pm

Excellent:-) Those really are some messed up monkeys.

774. The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it

Comment #38231 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 7, 2007 at 9:25 am

How can we identify dangerous elements in our society without violating the basic rights of the society at large? And how can we form useful definitions of what is threatening and what is harmless, particularly on continuums of "irrational belief"?

Are any ideas so dangerous and contagious that people have to be killed, or imprisoned to prevent their spread? I don't think so, and religion doesn't qualify, precisely because it is so ludicrous and intellectually threadbare.

The real challenge is where specific religious beliefs can be construed as harmful. Teaching children about eternal torment is, I think, right on the interface. It's damage, but the damage is hard to quantify, and what if its a parent doing the teaching? I love a good tasty ethical dilemma:-)

775. The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it

Comment #38210 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 7, 2007 at 8:27 am

31. Comment #38208 by Logicel on May 7, 2007 at 8:15 am

I agree, Brian, it does make the blood run cold. Why not say, ".... be ethical to imprison people for believing them". And even that change is a bit redolent of tyranny.

This opens an entire can of worms. Look, if someone rapes a baby (a gasthly example of "faith" I've been using recently) because they think it prevents AIDS, this is a clear cut case.

However, what about teaching kids about eternal seperation from God? Or about eternal torment in Hell? Or teaching adults? There is a blurring line here which it may be hard to resist the urge to cross in a position of political power. Food for thought:-)

776. The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it

Comment #38207 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 7, 2007 at 8:11 am

I'm going to swim against the flow here for a moment:-)

In a another passage Harris goes even further, and reaches a disturbing conclusion that "some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people for believing them".

I read this when it was published, and it's not taken out of context. I have to say, it left me cold at the time, and it had the same effect in this article. This idea taken to it's extreme, is an ideology wedded to atheism, that has the potential to be everything that disingenous a-holes like Weefree and his multiple personalities claim it is. That worries me.

Should I be?

777. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #38073 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 10:57 pm

OK, I give up. Where can I edit my profile?

778. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #38072 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 10:52 pm

27. Comment #38021 by Veronique on May 6, 2007 at 5:28 pm

Themodestagnostic is my youtube handle. Never mind me, I'm confused:-) I'll set that messaging flag up now.

779. The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy

Comment #37957 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 1:03 pm

98. Comment #37956 by Fedler on May 6, 2007 at 12:47 pm
What is tribalism, but a primitive form of nationalism? What is fascism, but an extreme form of nationalism, with metaphysical pretentions? What is religion, but the most powerfully motivating version of the same thing?

It comes down to dogmatic, slavish obedience to ideology. The ideology in terms of scalability, current scope and supernatural content is almost completely irrelevant. It invariably leads to varying levels of genocide, murder and oppression.

I bet there is an equation that could address this, any mathematicians in the house?

780. The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy

Comment #37936 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 10:42 am

You need to use "blockquote" in "<>".

781. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #37935 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 10:38 am

The weakness of this argument is that it fails to distinguish between what a man may say and what God says. Anyone who opens a Bible and reads the words of Jesus will quickly find that he taught his followers that they would receive exactly the same treatment as he got; namely opposition, abuse, persecution and worse.

So the bible says "If you behave like an intolerant know it all bigot, without any substantial reason, people will disagree with you, perhaps violently." It's hardly surprising is it? Wow!! Didn't see that one coming!! Next they'll be saying a kick in the balls is unwelcome.

Besides, the worst a Christian can expect now days is a little vigorous verbal abuse, mere robust argument, it's hardly persecution is it? Good grief get over your self inflicted victimhood. It's pathetic.

As regards the "Word of Dog",there is hardly a line in the Buybull, that isn't open to 17 radically different interpretations, 19 and two thirds on alternate Thursdays, between 11:00 and 15:00, except if it's the first Thursday of the month. Unless you are a menstruating woman, then you can't even touch it!

To hold this hodge podge document up as clear in any particular detail is to ignore the thousands of christian sects that exist, all different strains of the same original pathogen, varying broadly in virulence and communicability.

Why? Because an artifical frankensteins monster of literature like the Buybull is inevitably a turgid and impenetrably confusing tome, and it shows.

782. The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy

Comment #37873 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 4:22 am

This kind of thing really brings out the worst in us all. It taps some visceral well of primitive, atavistic anger, in me at least. I want to kill these fuckers.

I want to personally strangle every one of those men, and watch the life drain out of them as I do it. Maybe because I have a daughter, who in just a few short years will be 17.

However, we cannot formulate our responses to religion, or any criminal enterprise, based on that sort of bloodlust. We need law, uniform and fairly applied global law. Law will eventually stop this, as well as war and provide a world of peace and stability.

Will their be crime? Sure. Rape, murder, pillage? Absolutely, but it will be perpetrated by renegade individuals and small groups, as it is today in developed world countries, not the state, or patriarchial pseudo arms of the state.

Wiping out Islam is not the answer, or even a legitimate suggestion, because it will result in millions, perhaps 10 of millions of innocent deaths. As threatened as you may feel, these people are people, bombing them "back to the stone age", or any military solution is unconsionable for that reason.

The Golden rule people!!! If there is religious principle that has value, this is it. It is a principle that the developed world can, from it's position of unprecedented economic and political global power, afford to practice.

Heck ... you don't even need a God to embrace it.

783. The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy

Comment #37866 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 4:04 am

Given sufficient political power, homosexuals would be put to death. Then adulterers, then those that worked on the Sabbath, etc.

Look no further than Calvins Geneva.

784. Martin Amis reviews The Islamist: Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I Left by Ed Hussain

Comment #37860 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 3:33 am

31. Comment #37853 by Robert Maynard on May 6, 2007 at 3:11 am

Jeeeezuz!!! Robert, that was a tour de force. Have you considered writing a book or blogging? You've got the knack in spades.

Let me tell you, your patience is worth it. This may not change the mind of the nutjob you are debating with, but a neutral party should be able to see how completely devastating your retort is.

We can't wean the real wackos off the mythical teat, but we can diminish the pool of moderates that support, and frequently unknowingly, fund them.

Keep up the sterling work.

785. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #37849 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 2:15 am

Just looked at the youtube site. Great collation. Did you turn on messaging notification on this site? Need some info in the nest few weeks.


I think so. Are you subscribed to themodestagnostic?

786. The kiss that brought immorality debate to a head

Comment #37843 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 1:19 am

18. Comment #37833 by Big T on May 6, 2007 at 12:12 am

Let's face it. Sam Harris told the truth when he said that we (meaning, I suppose, the secular West) are at war with Islam. I was accused of bigotry on this website for saying that if Muslims in England (where I don't live) don't want to let their daughters go to school with their faces unveiled, they should move to another country.

I get worried about this kind of tone. Imagine a world where women are naked, like the Ferengi in star trek:-) If someone was culturally uncomfortable being naked, would we enforce it on them?

As long as religions do not directly oppress their members, of either sex, we need to be cautious about legislation which is purely motivated to deal with some religious quirk. It also smacks of totalitarianism.

787. Martin Amis reviews The Islamist: Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I Left by Ed Hussain

Comment #37840 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 1:02 am

Hey I could use some help over here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn-ZQBV_FRo

788. Martin Amis reviews The Islamist: Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I Left by Ed Hussain

Comment #37836 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 6, 2007 at 12:35 am

... Mao and Stalin's agricultural policies were due to their ignoring evolution.

Look it up. Not Mao, Stalin. Lysenko and the Ukraine are all the clues I'm giving you. Learn something.

"The Dogma, the unshakeable faith, the absolute certainty that characterises the true believer is the problem. The details of the "faith" are almost completely irrelevant. "

Indeed. And these are all characteristics of your own posts. Just when have you ever expressed doubt about your atheism?

I have frequently expressed doubt about wether or not a creator of some kind exists. Must recently here : http://richarddawkins.net/article,985,God-Exists-A-Formula-Proves-it,KCTV5-News#37642

However, I have never been presented with anything compelling to suggest that all the detail and claims made about your God or any other are reliable. They are to this moment, utterly absent evidence. So I dismiss them now, much as you dismiss UFO's after reading a book or two on the subject. Have you read every book, seen every TV special? Life is just too short to waste it on self evident crap isn't it?

Yes - the same leap that atheists make when they assume that because people are religious or even use religion when they are committing their crimes, then somehow it is all the fault of all religion.

This is nothing like the same leap. When people say "Kill them all, God will know his own", or blow themselves and 50 shoppers up while yelling "God is Great", we are left in no doubt whatever as regards their motivations. You're drifting into pure denial with this claim.

We have no documents, video footage, or claims that any Atheist leader said "Kill them in the name of Atheism". It was always for some borderline religious ideology.

789. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #37825 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 10:48 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions. It's always a trade off, time, available (and relevant) backgrounds, length of the music piece versus what you want to say.

Veronique, this is where I am on youtube : http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TheModestAgnostic

The music is a from Twin Peaks "Dance of Dream man".

If anyone is interested in pooling efforts to revamp any of the videos I've done for relaunch please pick up with me on YT. I'd like to get a group of regular contributors together and the more the merrier:-)

Thanks again for the support, advice and to Josh and RD for giving me these boosts. Launching a YT video from a major site like RD is a big deal!!

790. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #37731 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 2:43 pm

10. Comment #37728 by Azven on May 5, 2007 at 2:39 pm

If a mind-reading robot (F Giskard) can miss that point then you can bet a Creationist will.

That is unhappily, also a good point:-(

With luck, moderates should make the required leap.

791. Martin Amis reviews The Islamist: Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I Left by Ed Hussain

Comment #37729 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 2:41 pm

16. Comment #37723 by Robert Maynard on May 5, 2007 at 2:28 pm

_J_, the phrase "No one wants me to kill you!" has made my morning. :D


Likewise, damn good stuff. Also your post Robert was brilliant. I've tucked it away in my list of clever things atheists say. Happily, I'm also keeping the relevant names associated, so if I ever use it in a video I'll make sure I attribute:-)

Same with your stuff _J_ although thats a fairly cryptic moniker, you'll know who you are. I suppose.

792. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #37707 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 1:52 pm

Friend Giskard, I agree that science didn't stop the practice of slavery; nevertheless, technology eliminates slavery for all of us in the 1st world everyday.

Exactly my point:-)

793. God Exists. A Formula Proves it.

Comment #37642 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 12:13 pm

Centuries? Try millenia. Maybe he's right. There is a creator. Is it Allah, Jesus, Jehovah, Zeus?

That Tornado piece at the end was an amusing touch.

794. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #37638 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 12:06 pm

Actually, in the interests of full disclosure. I poach an awful lot of the stuff I do, and splice it together. Some of it from YOU. So please, the whole Fat tony thing I have plagarised lock stock and barrel from these guys.

http://www.earthsgreatestlawsuit.org/

It's so good though:-)

795. The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy

Comment #37611 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 11:10 am

2. Comment #37609 by Riley on May 5, 2007 at 11:09 am

I'm sobbing...
.. . . . w h a t a r e p e o p l e t h i n k i n g . . .

I know, I really know. It makes ME want to kill someone. These people are utterly insane, if this is not delusion ... what is?

796. Martin Amis reviews The Islamist: Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I Left by Ed Hussain

Comment #37604 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 10:37 am

I do not know what Stalin and Mao shouted as they sentenced millions of their countrymen to death in the name of their atheism

This is a flat out lie. Neither of these two absolute certainty addicts ever killed people "in the name of atheism".

The killed them to gain power, or for the cultural revolution, or because of misguided agricultural policies that ignored the overwhelming evidence of evolution and basic biology.

There is not a shred of difference between their actions, and those of Arnold-Aimery when he said to his soldiers "Kill them all, God will know his own". The Dogma, the unshakeable faith, the absolute certainty that characterises the true believer is the problem. The details of the "faith" are almost completely irrelevant. Religion is merely a superstitous subset of the same problem.

Whats worse is I suspect you know that. You knew as you wrote it, that it was a lie, or at the very least disingenous. What a piece of work you are:-(

797. The kiss that brought immorality debate to a head

Comment #37601 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 10:19 am

I would think the most prudent thing to do, if I were an atheist in an essentially theocratic country, would be to get the fuck out of there as quickly as possible, rather than strive for social upheaval. One can call that cowardice, but it's also sensible!

Maybe I'm being to hopeful, both almost all the youth seem terribly cynical, and I bet there is any amount of cleric abuse under the surface, there has got to be if christianity is anything to go by.

Might it all suddenly go poof, a bit like the end of the cold war. A theocratic 1989?

798. The kiss that brought immorality debate to a head

Comment #37592 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 9:43 am

Surely they must be so sick (the people that is) of this crap, that they are going to simply push the regime aside by sheer weight of numbers?

From everything you read, Iranian and otherwise, they are sick to death of religious bullshit.

799. Lou Dobbs Interviews Christopher Hitchens

Comment #37573 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 5, 2007 at 3:08 am

I have to say, I am really warming to Hitchens now. What can he be thinking about the Iraq war? Sometimes even intelligent and articulate people can simply be dead wrong, look at Ptolemy as a classic ... geddit .... classic example.

My response to the GOP evolution question : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn-ZQBV_FRo

If you like it, please don't forget to rate, and comment. The more activity the higher the video goes the more people see it. Thx:-)

800. For Motherly X Chromosome, Gender Is Only the Beginning

Comment #37534 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on May 4, 2007 at 6:44 pm

My response to the GOP evolution question : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn-ZQBV_FRo

If you like it, please don't forget to rate, and comment. The more activity the higher the video goes the more people see it. Thx:-)