851. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13843 by Yorker on December 19, 2006 at 5:17 pm

134. Comment #13840 by J.

Yes, Mike Dickin himself wasn't terrific, I used that show merely as an example of how people are.

I think "Demon Haunted World" should be made required reading for secondary school pupils. Richard Dawkins must know Annie Druyan fairly well, I wonder if such a thing could be accomplished?

852. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13830 by Yorker on December 19, 2006 at 3:05 pm

132. Comment #13721 by J.

Yes, I agree there is room for everyone in secularity. Personally, I am one of those perfectly happy with godlessness because I've never been any other way, but visiting this site has heightened my awareness of the different 'types' or 'classes' of atheist and how their atheism came about. This awareness has affected my thinking as to how long it may take to bring about the downfall of the more negative and harmful effects of religion, and how its replacement may be implemented. It will probably be a long drawn out process and will require more than just hostility to religion. The inability or unwillingness to consider the opposing viewpoint, is a major barrier, another is the fact that many seem to lack the basic education that makes it possible to see another's argument. The Mike Dickin show is a good example; a caller makes a point, the point is argued and a result reached; there were times when the next caller should have said that his/her question was no longer valid because the previous result had already answered it, but it never happened. No matter what had transpired previously, people were only interested in saying what they had pre-planned, they seemed either unaware or didn't care that progress was halted by their behaviour, most were unable to accept that their sometimes feeble or even lunatic statements or ideas, had been nullified by superior thinking. Other than better education, I see no way to overcome this obstacle; education takes time.

In children's education, paramount importance must be placed on teaching a child how to think, the words of my first science teacher is still fresh in my mind, he said:

"I'm not here to make you scientists or engineers; my job is to teach you how to think"

When a person knows how to think, they are better able to see through false or unlikely concepts, it gives them what Sagan called a 'baloney detection kit', a powerful weapon in the fight against nonsense. This critical thinking habit must be instilled in children at the earliest possible stage of their mental development, long before science itself is taught, that way they will be better prepared against those who want to poison their minds with pseudo-scientific claptrap.

There are intelligent people here from many walks of life, this site has a marvellous potential to become like a modern version of The Great Library of Alexandria; we have no Hypatia yet, but she may appear. I think we need to brainstorm the problem, come up with things we can do that will have an effect upon the thinking of others. There is a mental goldmine here, let us start digging!

853. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13717 by Yorker on December 19, 2006 at 7:26 am

128. Comment #13656 by J.

Hello J.

>>What place is there for a de-converted Ted Haggard within secularity and how might we go about winning such a man over in the first place?<<

I recently heard Haggard say on a radio interview that he was undergoing "corrective treatment" imposed upon him by leaders of his sect. So I wonder what you might think his chances of renouncing his god and embracing secularism, might be? Personally, I can't see that happening; people won't easily forget his extreme hypocrisy, particularly the homosexuals he fervently preached against and wanted to send to hell, whilst indulging in that activity himself.

854. Security tight as Mozart production resumes

Comment #13713 by Yorker on December 19, 2006 at 7:07 am

4. Comment #13703 by k1mgy

Your restaurant comment reminded me of one. I used to regularly eat lunch with a few Italian-American colleages in a nearby establishment, we became well-known to the waiters. One day, my friend Joe and I both ordered lasagne, on arrival, it was clear that Joe had received a bigger portion than mine. I turned to the waiter and said:

"Why's his bigger than mine?"

Quick as a flash she replied:

"Genetics"

855. Security tight as Mozart production resumes

Comment #13712 by Yorker on December 19, 2006 at 6:57 am

As an opera fan and an atheist, I support Hans Neuenfels 100%.

856. Christmas Present to Defenders of Darwinism

Comment #13682 by Yorker on December 19, 2006 at 4:56 am

44. Comment #13637 by Nikki

Nikki,

The animation is still there, check your browser settings; if you have internet security set to 'High', Active X controls will be prohibited and you will get the blank screen you mention.

Try setting it to 'Medium'.

857. Christmas Present to Defenders of Darwinism

Comment #13677 by Yorker on December 19, 2006 at 4:39 am

47. Comment #13672 by YankMyChain

You must be the world's crappiest typist to mix these two URL's up!

858. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13611 by Yorker on December 18, 2006 at 6:13 pm

115. Comment #13505 by J.

Sorry J.,

Rather that just ignore your reference to the letter, I wanted to say that I cannot sign it. Unlike most, I have a very strong personal reason to utterly detest evangelicals and all they stand for. I could never support Haggard or any of his ilk.

Of course, I bear no grievance against those who did sign.

859. Atheist Chic

Comment #13605 by Yorker on December 18, 2006 at 5:46 pm

5. Comment #13477 by Niels Thorsen

Yes Niels, I notice your not alone, others seem wary at that point :)

860. Atheist Chic

Comment #13604 by Yorker on December 18, 2006 at 5:38 pm

Thanks Vardu!

I was beginning to think it wasn't funny.

861. Day 1: Is God Still Necessary?

Comment #13578 by Yorker on December 18, 2006 at 2:11 pm

Just watched Rod Liddle's "Trouble With Atheism" on C4.

Fairly predictable, the usual stuff about Hitler, Stalin etc. Kinda like "Root of All Evil?" in reverse, but Dawkins on the 'losing' side this time.

862. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13577 by Yorker on December 18, 2006 at 2:01 pm

120. Comment #13528 by Animal

>>"A long time ago I coined the word 'religite'"<<

>>"religoid" is much better.<<


I disagree.

I chose 'religite' because -- as I mentioned in an earlier post -- it rhymes with 'Israelite', thereby imparting a more biblical, contextual ring to it.

As a kid, I sometimes used the word 'thickoid' in reference to stupid people, but I don't do that anymore.

863. Richard Dawkins on the Mike Dickin Show

Comment #13575 by Yorker on December 18, 2006 at 1:44 pm

This Yogic flying looks fun, I suspect one might need to wear a box though.

864. Atheist Chic

Comment #13573 by Yorker on December 18, 2006 at 1:33 pm

10. Comment #13502 by J.

Yes, I see :)

Well, my joke required some background knowledge of TGD, the Beyond Belief conference and the content of some posts on this site. It would -- with the exception of a single aspect -- zoom over the heads of those unfamiliar with the required precedents. My original intent was to highlight in a humorous way, the different viewpoints arising from the conference. As I wrote, the obvious single aspect naturally evolved from plot progression, i.e. pill, stronger tablet, injection; since it was a joke, I saw no harm in it, do you?

In my opinion, this site is desperately in need of a little humor; perhaps my humor is bad, perhaps I overestimated the background knowledge of visitors, perhaps some are offended, perhaps most here are humorless. I have no way of knowing.

865. Richard Dawkins on the Mike Dickin Show

Comment #13495 by Yorker on December 18, 2006 at 2:36 am

This was absolutely riveting! The intellectual depth made me feel inadequate; the scintillating wit of the callers left me breathless and speechless. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that such giants of profound thought existed in my country.

I find myself unable to find words I could apply in the analysis of such a gem. The best I can manage is:

Some people are just fucking thick!

866. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13475 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 11:18 pm

For Aussie

Just thought I would pre-empt any 'gotcha' comments from you :)

Congratulations to Australia for winning back The Ashes! Let's hope England can regain some respect in the last two tests.

867. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13470 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 10:41 pm

107. Comment #13450 by John01

In reply to Yorker
...............................
...............................
As for the comment:

>>"What is it with the ageist pseudo-science in this thread? I certainly don't remember behaving like the people around me when I was a teen."<<

John01,

Please try to be clear about who you're replying to, you make it look as if I made the comment above. It was Sancus.

868. Kim Hill interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #13469 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 10:21 pm

Good to hear an interview where the presenter isn't trying to woo the audience or her bosses by being probing or aggressive. Probably the lack of competition against New Zealand Radio means the need for commercial bullshit to win ratings, is lessened.

869. Atheist Chic

Comment #13456 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 9:02 pm

This is off-topic, I haven't read the article yet but this thought just crossed my mind -- I had to get it down.

(Apologies to Professor Dawkins)

It's the year 2015, a patient is attending his local UnGodding Clinic:

Doctor:
"Well my good man, what seems to be the problem?"

Patient:
"Well doc, for months I've been on these Konner/Woodward pills you recommended but this God-virus just won't go away"

Doctor:
"Hmm…I recommend that medication for mild infections, perhaps you need something stronger. Tell you what: here's a new prescription for Krauss/Weinberg tablets, take one of these each day, but you must come and see me after 10 days, they sometimes have a weird but harmless side-effect."

10 days later…

Doctor:
"Well, how do you feel after 10 days of Krauss/Weinberg medication? "

Patient:
"Well, overall I notice a big improvement: I no longer fall down on my knees every night, I don't feel guilty about non-procreational sex anymore, I even visited the RDF website, but I still have that organ music in my head, I can't resist dressing up on Sundays, and you're right about the side effect."

Doctor:
"Tell me."

Patient:
"I find myself extraordinarily interested in vector calculus and one of my old aunts has taken a strong dislike of me for no apparent reason!"

Doctor:
"Ah yes, I feared that, it's a common problem. Well, I think we must use our strongest medication; it's called the Dawkins/Harris treatment, it doesn't come in pill form, I must inject it, so slip down your pants and we'll have at it.

Patient: (reluctantly)
"Hold on doc…I'm not sure about this…"

Doctor: (reassuringly)
"Now, now, nothing to fear, it won't hurt a bit…" (stab)

Patient:
"Ouch, you said that wouldn't hurt!"

Doctor:
"Well, it was just a tiny prick, how do you feel now?"

Patient:
"Ah…yes, yes…I feel you may be correct my good doctor, indeed, I'm moved to say that you may well be the most effective doctor in all of UnGodding; a charming, witty and sensitive man; full of knowledge and understanding; an intelligent, non-belligerent, atheistic, mellifluous, philanthropic, meticulous, perspicacious, valiant and veracious humanist"

Doctor:
"Aha, excellent, I think we can safely say you're cured!"

870. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13448 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 6:42 pm

97. Comment #13423 by Aussie

Yes, I saw that about your granddaughter Aussie, but I had to go get some food, perhaps subconsciously your words had a hand in prompting me to write that Hell post. You can be sure if I post on a thread, I've read all previous posts on it; it wouldn't do for me to accuse others of PWR and then do it myself! I try to leave hypocrisy to the religites.

I agree also that deploying a tandem attack using both tactics is good. When I thought of the labels for each, I didn't mean to imply mutual exclusivity of usage, just that I wasn't sure which was best, indeed, I'm trying to think of a third and perhaps more ways.

871. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13446 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 6:23 pm

101. Comment #13443 by John01

They are not demonstrating belief, they're avowing disbelief.

The Templeton Foundation bribes those who show non-atheism with millions, not free DVD's, this is not a fair comparison.

I think you may be PWR, of 103 comments, I counted only 10 against the BC one or two 'not sures' and one or two 'indeterminates'. Giving you the maximum benefit of doubt, only 11% are against the action yet you use the word 'many' to describe them. I hope you're not one of those who redefine the meaning of words to suit their purpose.

872. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13409 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 1:55 pm

92. Comment #13402 by Jared

Hi Jared,

Thanks for the comment. I saw somehere else that you were only 24, you sounded much more mature (I know you won't mis-read me, but I mean to be complimentary). Yes, I kinda wish I'd been an ex-Hell victim just so I could understand it better! It must have been horrible to have such things in your mind as a child, to have to feel guilty about such a natural thing as that toy is a true indicator of how thoroughly disgraceful the Hell concept is. I have two kids, both grown, both atheist by choice, I would've been unable to forgive myself had I perpetrated religion upon them. I think Hell is the nastiest aspect of religion; injecting this evil virus into the brain of an impressionable child, is pure abuse of the worst kind. We need to highlight this aspect more.

Regarding Tony Benn: It was sad to see; I commented on that thread that he's not the man he was, in his younger days he was one of that rare breed; a fairly honest politician. Most of his past debates were victories for him but this time he made a bad choice arguing for religion. Age has taken its toll upon him.

873. Christmas Present to Defenders of Darwinism

Comment #13393 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 11:45 am

21. Comment #13381 by John A. Davison

Your blog says you've been banned from most places, are you glad to be active here?

874. Christmas Present to Defenders of Darwinism

Comment #13392 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 11:42 am

23. Comment #13386 by GW

You should have asked if he was a biology professor who supports ID.

875. Christmas Present to Defenders of Darwinism

Comment #13387 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 11:23 am

I've mentioned before that some don't read before posting, a few comments here prove it. Dembski clearly says that his voice is used throughout.

Imagine if everyone was a 'post-don't-read' visitor, it would be like...I can't resist this...TheTowerOfBabel.org

876. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13385 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 11:01 am

This Hell concept must be the most evil meme ever propagated. The more I read posts by ex-religites, the more I realise how fortunate I've been to be raised by parents to whom religion meant nothing. How does it feel having this Hell nonsense implanted in one's brain and then later in life, struggling to extirpate it? I cannot imagine that feeling. As a child, I remember some of my infected friends talking about that fearsome future awaiting those committing bad deeds, they were obviously afraid but strangely, many often did more bad things than I.

When I watch these videos of people taking the Blasphemy Challenge, it's clearly an important step for many, like the final acknowledgment of some dark, long-hidden secret. It makes me want to occupy their minds – find out how it feels. For me, Hell is an alien concept, so far removed from sanity and reality that for 98% of my life, I never gave it a moment's thought. When I saw my first dead body, my immediate thought was that death is nothing like sleep, the finality of it was unmistakeable. A vision of an incorporeal spirit floating away to some clearing-house where an up/down decision would be made, forced its way into my mind, I actually had to suppress a giggle caused by the utter silliness of such a thing we call soul.

So, the more I think about the workings of religious minds the wider the yawning chasm between theirs and mine; grows. I will keep trying to understand though, especially because it's a one-way street; religites don't want to understand my mind. I would like to think that understanding would lead to a way of helping them see that reason is the better choice, but I have a niggling doubt. Unfortunately, the world is not populated by a majority who can be convinced by an appeal to reason; reason is less appealing than false comfort. The Beyond Belief conference showed a clear division about how to tackle the problem. Is the direct attack by reason and ridicule, (Dawkins, Harris etc) or the much gentler (Krauss, Weinberg etc) method, the best way? All things considered, I'm still not certain which is best. Most importantly, I want a way to move forward, maybe there is another approach. I'm going to devote more time thinking about this and less time on static ranting.

877. Richard Dawkins on The Sunday Edition

Comment #13362 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 9:01 am

Tony Benn is not the man he once was; couple that with an attempt to defend religion, and you have a sad case. However, Benn is still one of the few politicians I have ever thought much of.

878. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13357 by Yorker on December 17, 2006 at 8:21 am

81. Comment #13321 by Aussie

Well Aussie, since I'm Scots, it doesn't bother me much who wins but I like to see an evenly balanced match. I enjoyed that century by Gilchrist very much. Unlike most Scots, I have no interest in football, maybe I have a cricket gene from my English father.

879. Grandparents linked with church-going

Comment #13303 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 10:08 pm

27. Comment #13259 by Lionel A

Lionel,

You are making a decision without being in full possession of the facts.

In my original post I directly asked Mr. Boyce if he was joking and advised that I found it offensive. I waited for a considerable time but did not receive a reply. I then flagged his post as offensive, and edited my post to remove my question since it was no longer required.

Since the offensive post is still there, I can only assume that my protest is being ignored. Does that mean that I can make similar insults with impunity, and offend people at will? Of course it does, but I won't. Had that silly remark been made against the antagonists who attack us, I would have said nothing. But to behave in such a way against one's team so to speak, is divisive and that's the last thing we need. This was not a debating point of disagreement.

Perhaps the reason religion has held sway for so long, is because they are clearly much better than atheists at concentrating their efforts. Frankly, if I were a religite reading this, I'd be laughing my head off right now.

880. Christmas Present to Defenders of Darwinism

Comment #13255 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 12:44 pm

A good example of how software designed by largely atheistic people, is still simple enough to be used by religites, or at least those who accept their money.

881. Grandparents linked with church-going

Comment #13253 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 12:23 pm

25. Comment #13232 by Lionel A

Lionel,

A joke should be evident, he could have easily ended with a :) and all would have been clear.

A person using the word 'seriously' must expect to be taken that way. I took it that way.

882. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13250 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 12:09 pm

Sapient:

Sorry you found my comment belittling; that was not my intent. Had I said "they're a group of young people", would you have felt better? If so, then I apologize, I have only pictures to judge by, you all look like kids to me. I am not one of those who dismissed your idea out of hand; I spoke against those who did, not against you. Perhaps you didn't notice that one of the brave young people I supported; took the trouble to thank me. Evidently, she did not read me as you did.

<< You continue to comment that other 30 and 40 yr olds are not mature<<

What is this about? I said no such thing! If you refer to the single point I made about a 40 year old man who thinks 60 year old people don't deserve to vote, on a thread incidentally, nothing to do with this one, then you amaze me. Are you telling me you support such a view? If so, then I would label you as I labeled him, silly and offensive.

I see no logic in your motive here; it certainly does nothing to promote the case for non-belief by driving an ill-chosen wedge between people of basically like mind. Considering I defended and even praised you for donating to the RDF, I must admit that I find your reaction disappointing. But don't worry; I shall try not to help you again. Meanwhile if I deny the Holy Spirit, do I still get a free DVD, or have I blown my chances of that? Occasionally in life, I have been ashamed of myself; this is most definitely not one of them. Please note also that I did not insult you with all-bolded text.

883. Response to Richard Dawkins' Criticisms in The God Delusion

Comment #13244 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 11:02 am

13. Comment #13240 by Quine

Indeed. I've said so myself -- though not in the same way -- a few times on this site. It makes continued refutation of unsupported claims and beliefs no matter how cleverly presented, rather a waste of time.

There are those who would argue that first-time, inquisitive visitors here, benefit from the available writings and that's probably true. But that task is done, religites never come up with anything new that needs new intellectual attention. I think we should spend more time discussing ways of advancing non-belief -- the aim of the RDF -- rather than re-squashing already squashed opponents. That's why I was vociferous in my support of the RRS action.

884. Response to Richard Dawkins' Criticisms in The God Delusion

Comment #13241 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 10:43 am

11. Comment #13237 by Michael

>>I think we do ourselves a disservice if we merely laugh at someone like Ricahrd Swinburne who is both likeable and has an agile intellect. We need to try and understand where such folk come from to counter effectively their arguments.<<

Then perhaps he should try to heal his agile intellect, right now it is fatally crippled by a lack of evidence. I think most understand very well where he's coming from; a religious background he's unable or unwilling to shake off.

885. Response to Richard Dawkins' Criticisms in The God Delusion

Comment #13238 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 10:31 am

A thought just crossed my mind.

It is possible to make an intelligent comment upon these articles from just a cursory glance. No need to actually carefully read them, what does that tell us?

886. Response to Richard Dawkins' Criticisms in The God Delusion

Comment #13236 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 10:20 am

>>...but any justification of one's belief that there is, or that there is not, a God, at the highest intellectual level will inevitably bring in one's views about most philosophical issues. It is not possible to circumvent the serious philosophical discussions of these issues.<<

Belief is the key word here Mr Swinburne, critical thinkers don't 'believe' things, they try hard to 'know' things. There are many things we don't, perhaps can't know, but that's much more preferable to unjustifiable belief. You just used a thousand words to convince me that you're what Dawkins calls a 'faith-head'. Most of us knew that already, your words were wasted.

887. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13224 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 9:28 am

61. Comment #13220 by Logicel

Yes, Jamie's was the first I clicked on randomly last night, a charming and bright young girl who made me wish I was 40 years younger!

I'm hopeful a few 'older' minds will have been changed in the past 24 hours.

888. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13188 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 4:41 am

50. Comment #13182 by Kismettena

Good to hear you speak against ghosts also. I made an offer to the BBC about ghosts a few years ago but they didn't go for it because it would have made them look silly. A funny story though.

Please make a post here after you upload your clip, I'd like to take a look at it.

Have fun!

889. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13178 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 4:07 am

Logicel

I can't remember the original quote but I know what you mean, I think it goes:

"Wars are made by old men and young men have to die in them"

Wouldn't it be nice if our leaders had to lead from the front like the old days. Bush leading the marines in Baghdad, Blair leading commandos in Afghanistan. And achievable if the young simply said:

"Yes, we'll go, we'll fight, we'll be right BEHIND you!"

890. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13173 by Yorker on December 16, 2006 at 3:27 am

When I first commented on this I was amused and could see it was a reaction typical of young people fed up with being down-trodden for not being thoughtless sheep. Now I've changed my mind; I'm 100 % behind them.

Yes, it's immature, what do you expect from people who are not yet MATURE?? They are at least doing something; they have managed to raise $25K to get willing people to take a public stance; a completely non-violent act that won't hurt a fly, no-one is being coerced. Most people on this site like to rail against religion, but how many have actually taken some action in support of the cause of non-belief, or offered financial support to those willing to take action? Being immature misguided or reckless does not mean these people are stupid, just young, we were all young once. Incidentally, not one young person on this site has ever insulted me, I'll give you an example of 40 year-old immaturity; over on another thread, a man named Boyce thinks that Richard Dawkins, myself and anyone else over 60, shouldn't be allowed to vote, I think even young people would consider that stupid.

So far, I'm the only one who mentioned that these immature misguided people you criticise made a sizeable financial donation to the RDF personally accepted by Professor Dawkins; does that mean nothing to you naysayers? The vast majority of us here do nothing but talk; I think it's disgraceful that we deign to treat these brave youngsters like this. And brave is the word, did any of you actually look at some of these videos? Several of them have had to hide their faces for obvious reasons.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: we need to UNITE!

In the meantime, we should be fucking ashamed of ourselves!

891. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13144 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 8:37 pm

If, like me, you're a fan of schoolboy howlers, take a look at the YouTube headers of people taking the challenge, some of the comments and spellings are hilarious! Great fun! There's a guy there who's a dead ringer for Jesus, except he's a blonde, more American-looking Jesus!

My favourite so far: "I wasn't using my soul anyway"

Keep it going guys, quite a few girls there too!

P.S. Had to edit this, things are moving fast - distracting me from the cricket - need more brain RAM to increase multi-tasking performance. New anti-Christmas sites appearing.

Looks like well-timed major atheist offensive underway, good news for sanity, bad news for Industry of Deception.

EndChristmas.com raising money to send No-God DVD's to Christians

892. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13141 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 7:57 pm

There is a tendency on this site and others, to 'over-intellectualise' the god vs no-god argument. I believe the Einsteinian principle of keeping things as simple possible, is applicable.

It's a simple case, no evidence for god, ergo no need for belief. These RRS guys are keeping it simple, highly desirable for getting a message across, particularly in the US. Yes, they will take some heat for it but they'll expect that, also they're probably depending on the old show business maxim that there's no such thing as bad publicity. In this media besotted world the average person is addicted to, perhaps the show business method is the way to resolve this tired old issue. Best of all it's action, talk is good but never gets anything done.

So I guess I'll hang my faded old hat on their stand, go for it guys.

893. The Blasphemy Challenge

Comment #13132 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 6:49 pm

The RRS is the group who presented RD with that giant cheque during the 'chat' style video they made.

They're just a bunch of young kids so I don't really blame them for this typically youthful reaction, so unlike most here so far, I'm not going to over-react to this. There are a few here who are strong supporters of the young, let's hear what they say.

Do I see signs of my word meme attempt working? A long time ago I coined the word 'religite' and have slipped it into posts here being careful not to do it too often. Now I see the first ever use of it not made by me. So I'm glad Aussie used it, but I fear he did so to make me feel better because the Aussie's are socking it to England again in the third test!

Be honest now Aussie!

894. Grandparents linked with church-going

Comment #13117 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 3:55 pm

18. Comment #13111 by Laurence Boyce

>>I seriously think we should consider removing the vote from the over sixties.<<

I have flagged this comment as offensive (there is no 'silly' flag).

895. Intelligent design: The God Lab

Comment #13090 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 10:47 am

31. Comment #13089 by Roy_H

I recognise that chart. I think it was the one displayed by Mel Konner at the Beyond Belief conference.

896. The A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science (US)

Comment #13082 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 9:45 am

Sorry, I can't resist this.

Next time you suspect your partner has cheated on you while you were away, have a good sniff of selected articles when you return. :)

897. The A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science (US)

Comment #13079 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 9:38 am

Actually, now that I think about it, I will explain the Feynman sniffing experiment for those who may not know it; it makes a good festive season party trick.

Feynman asked his wife to select a bottle from a crate of empties they had in the room, she had to give it a good handling then replace it, noting the crate position. Then she must choose a book from the shelf, same thing, flick the pages etc. and replace it, noting the title.

While this was going on, Feynman would be out of the room, returning only when his wife called him. Then, using only his nose, he had to determine the correct bottle and book, he was successful.

We are nowhere near as good sniffers as dogs, but it's surprisingly easy to get the right articles by sniff alone!

Try it, I have, it's great fun.

898. The A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science (US)

Comment #13074 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 9:22 am

Logicel

Actually, I meant the book and bottle sniffing test he did with his first wife, Arlene. The attempt to see if we could lead a "dogs" life.

899. Grandparents linked with church-going

Comment #13069 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 8:58 am

1. Comment #13067 by thegashman

>>Grandparents are evil.<<

That's a bald statement I think many would disagree with, I certainly would!

900. Grandparents linked with church-going

Comment #13068 by Yorker on December 15, 2006 at 8:56 am

My grandmother played a large part in my upbringing and she was religious. She sometimes would take me to church whist drives and mentioned god fairly often, but it had no effect on me whatever. I liked her very much, she was a terrific cook and arose at 5am daily, a lady of the old school; staunch, utterly dependable and completely virtuous. Her religiosity was of no consequence to me, I liked her for her kindness and matriarchal ways. Even as I grew and rejected god, she made no attempt to scold or correct me, her main concern was that I should grow up "right" as she put it.

So, I can't see the grandparental connection here, maybe it's just simply the result of direct influence.