51. Lonely Atheists of the Global Village

Comment #26301 by The author on March 18, 2007 at 2:51 pm

A fascinating article. It really is fascinating that someone was able to read three of the best atheist books, as well as quite a lot of philosophy (as he at least pretends), and still does not understand anything at all.

the acceptance of absurdity--do not exclude the viewpoint of the atheist. In fact, one learns a great deal about each principle from the writings of atheists, including Sartre, Camus

Camus!? THE enemy of absurdity is supposed to have embraced it!?

Nonetheless, the most common argument against placing trust in atheists is Dostoevsky's: "If there is no God, everything is permitted."

Everything good in human nature is rooted in christianity? Were there really no good people before they made up this religion?

The way Novak is relating atheism to fascism is just incredibly fundamentalist propaganda, covered up by pseudo-philosophical nonsense. And this guy actually says that atheists cannot respect religious people, only the other way around! Is this supposed to be respect!?

At least he managed to take away my final doubts that I do not really understand christianity. I am even more against it, now that I see that moderates are sometimes only fundamentalists on the waiting.

52. Chimpanzees 'hunt using spears'

Comment #26212 by The author on March 17, 2007 at 5:18 pm

That's just great. The whole patriarchy was completely for nothing. Now what do I do with all the women I bought?

53. Remote sheep population resists genetic drift

Comment #25619 by The author on March 14, 2007 at 10:38 am

Yeah, the punk-sheeps resist!

54. The Archbishop whose words came from same hymnsheet as a Marxist

Comment #25174 by The author on March 10, 2007 at 4:42 pm

I think I found the key explanation of why Terry Eagleton wrote this review:

But although his Marxism had supplanted his Christianity, he acknowledges "there is still the old Joycean question of how far you can walk away from something culturally imprinted on you so deeply. And I still enormously value much of the culture that I inherited, and many of the people.

http://education.guardian.co.uk/academicexperts/story/0,1392,643458,00.html

55. The Archbishop whose words came from same hymnsheet as a Marxist

Comment #25078 by The author on March 10, 2007 at 3:09 am

Somehow many of you do forget that marxism is an atheist ideology and that Eagleton is an atheist as well. He is not deluded at all, he just wrote a bad review. I think everyone is free to write one bad article in his life, don't you?

Eagleton only defends theology because he sometimes quotes the very best this subject has produces so far, which is a little bit of acceptable philosophy. And it seems as if he knew some nice theologians.

56. Economics and human evolution

Comment #24876 by The author on March 9, 2007 at 2:35 am

"Amazing to find something like this in an economics journal!"

I wouldn't have expected to find it elsewhere. Our past is again exploited to argue that capitalism is what makes us human. Of course it is - for capitalists. Classical abuse of science for selfish reasons. Market economy has to be social as well as environmentally aware. The only thing that this article shows is that fans of free market economy are still living in the stone age.

57. Ayaan Hirsi Ali Feature

Comment #24258 by The author on March 5, 2007 at 3:19 pm

I don't think that she really is conservative. She just seems to be fed up with the ignorance of the issue of Islam by great parts the left.

58. God: The Failed Hypothesis

Comment #24150 by The author on March 5, 2007 at 3:44 am

You can disprove the existence of a specific god, for example by comparing the discription of the god to reality. If someone says that there is a Flying Spaghetti Monster over his head then you can disprove it.

59. Was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

Comment #24035 by The author on March 4, 2007 at 12:04 pm

"I'd like to read these, but at same time can't bear to put money in these guys' pockets"

Borrow them. You should at least get them in university libraries.

60. Senator calls for answer on creation of universe

Comment #23909 by The author on March 3, 2007 at 1:49 pm

I'm momentarily reading a bit of science history and the following will propably interest you:

"John Thomas Scopes was convicted and fined, not for teaching evolution in itself, but for his presentation of Darwin's views on the descent of humanity", as Dr. Kutschera wrote in "Evolution was fine, just not in the case of humans" Nature/Vol137/13 OCTOBER 2005

61. Books on Atheism Are Raising Hackles in Unlikely Places

Comment #23846 by The author on March 3, 2007 at 7:14 am

Terry Eagleton is one of the best literary scientists and he shares many views with Dawkins, for example he is also very much against postmodern philosophy (relativism).

His review of The God Delusion is among the worst things he has written so far. But when you know Eagleton, then you couldn't have expected anything else. He is convinced of a progressive Socialism and wants to include as many people there as possible, also moderate christians. This is more important to him than critizising religion, although he does that himself on occasion and I have no doubt Eagleton is an atheist as well.

62. Merkel wants EU to be vocal about Christian roots

Comment #23594 by The author on March 1, 2007 at 4:12 pm

I am so ashamed. I'd like to offer you a new version:

"You really could have bombed our country more effectivly."

Well, we all improve ourselves...

63. Merkel wants EU to be vocal about Christian roots

Comment #23565 by The author on March 1, 2007 at 2:40 pm

Germany, next to England and France, was one of the countries which produced the most important philosophers of the Enlightenment. It's a shame to see what happened to it. You really could have bombed our country more properly.

I also recommend reading Jared Diamond's books. They are brilliant.

64. If God is talking to you, too, Mr Cameron - don't listen

Comment #23423 by The author on February 28, 2007 at 2:28 pm

"I recognise that teaching religious belief may be a good way, perhaps the best way, to impart a sense of right and wrong to children"

Most certainly not. The rest of the article was good. It wonders me a bit that a non-religious person can also be conservative. Getting such ideas for non-religious reasons is kind of weird. But well, one can not have everything.

65. Religion in Conflict: Are 'Evangelical Atheists' Too Outspoken?

Comment #23293 by The author on February 27, 2007 at 4:06 pm

"verboten"
Oh my! When they use a German word, it of course has to be a negative one. I assume that is normal.

But it was a great article. Go for it, FREE INQUIRY!

66. James Cameron finds grave of Jesus & Son

Comment #23118 by The author on February 26, 2007 at 12:41 pm

Sounds like complete nonsense to me.

67. Faith

Comment #23052 by The author on February 26, 2007 at 3:56 am

Dawkins is the bad guy again and there are atheist fundamentalists as well as religious ones. This opinion seems to be most popular in mainstream media. Disturbing...

68. Battle for Europe's secular values

Comment #22509 by The author on February 19, 2007 at 3:33 pm

"The Author replies to The Great Teapot's comments before He even makes them!"

There we see it: The only people with supernatural abilities do not believe in them.

69. Battle for Europe's secular values

Comment #22507 by The author on February 19, 2007 at 12:17 pm

"This Merkel-Pope thing has a ring of
anti-semitism in it."

What an utter nonsense! Could you stop that Germans-are-antisemites crap? Merkel is a conservative christian, but compared to your born-again-version this is nothing!

"I have looked on the map but I can't see this country europe anywhere."

That's because it is not a country, but includes several countries. Do you want so say something with that comment or is it a mere provocation?

So, ok, I'm a European, even a German, and I hope you will stop your nonsensical, arrogant comments and take the issue serious. We got a bogus-chancellor on the lose and I sure as hell haven't voted for her. German Humanists will also try to stop her and yes, we exist. If you want to start a whose-country-is-more-secular-debate: Don't do it. I'm not so sure that you will win.

70. CNN Sylvia Browne Fraud

Comment #19540 by The author on January 28, 2007 at 6:02 am

Wow, that was actually critical journalism. Even better than I would expect it in Germany. Such a thing on CNN - impressing.

71. 12 Year Old Girl Prodigy Paints Pictures of God

Comment #18714 by The author on January 22, 2007 at 3:16 pm

She really is pretty good. I'd even go so far and call her a genius. Genius and insanity als close friends, perhaps that's the reason for all that god stuff.

Sorry, someone just had to write that. But I'm sure she will become reasonable one day.

72. Sam Harris's Faith in Eastern Spirituality and Muslim Torture

Comment #16444 by The author on January 6, 2007 at 3:46 pm

"that if there are benefits to gain from meditation that they need not be "Buddhist.""

So why does he talk about "Buddhism" all the time? Why not name it "meditation", add in a few words that its origins lie in Buddhism and that's it?

"To credit these disciplines with erroneous religious nomenclature is to completely misunderstand their purpose."

So why does Harris do just that? Why using these religious terms all the time?

73. Sam Harris's Faith in Eastern Spirituality and Muslim Torture

Comment #16411 by The author on January 6, 2007 at 2:24 pm

Yes, Galactic Lord Xenu, praised be his name, is right: Harris said in his reply that he doesn't know enough about the paranormal. So he should inform himself before commenting on it.

I still think his opinion of torture is wrong. The problem lies in his narrow argumentation: If civilian casualties as a result of bombing is ok, then torture is ok, at least in specific situations. I understand what he is trying to say, but if the legislative forbids torture then we cannot ignore that in some situations or we can ignore this law in any situation. As wrong as it may sound: A person who works for the government must in every case be punished for torturing.

The next thing is buddhism (I also read his essay on that): Why on earth should we need buddhism? I understand that meditation obviously works but why do we need buddhism for meditation? And what is this wisdom of buddhism Harris is talking about? If it is near to the scientific method, why not just use the scientific method and forget about buddha?

Well, I also prefer Dawkins. He's perhaps not more reasonable, but more wise, experienced and educated than Harris.

74. Secular fundamentalists are the new totalitarians

Comment #16361 by The author on January 6, 2007 at 8:52 am

"It always seems to me that there was a distinction between believing in something and believing that something was true."

Well, of course I am believing that something is true because of evidence. I don't believe in science, that's impossible. But I'm sure you know what I meant.

P.S. How do you quote technically?

75. Secular fundamentalists are the new totalitarians

Comment #16296 by The author on January 6, 2007 at 1:46 am

"she had one of the most stupid faces I've ever seen."

When did Richard say that?

"You're supposed to believe in nothing, and hence nihilists and atheists are suddenly rather chic."

On the contrary! As many atheists "believe" in scientific truth, not in relativism, postmodernists are not quite on their side. See "postmodernism disrobed", Richard's essay in "A Devil's chaplain". My cultural studies professor even calles me "dogmatic" and my views "idiotic" because I "believe" in science ("but you can not prove evolution!"). Well, he doesn't have to endure me any longer.

All in all I think this was the most agressive comment so far printed on the "New Atheism". They must be really scared...

76. Pat Robertson: God told me of 'mass killing' in 2007

Comment #15992 by The author on January 4, 2007 at 5:34 am

Oh my god, all these people will die! We should all pray to Jesus and pay to Robertson, perhaps this will stop the catastrophe!

God spoke to me and said he does'nt exist. Why is nobody interested in what god says to me?

77. Security tight as Mozart production resumes

Comment #13714 by The author on December 19, 2006 at 7:09 am

There is no reason at all to say hooray for chancellor Merkel. She is the leader of the christian party here in Germany! This party tries to reach harder punishments for people who commit blasphemy (which is forbidden in Germany if you do that in puplic according to §166 StGB). The only reason she was against the decision to stop the opera is because muslims were offended by it.

If christians had demonstrated against the opera, she would have been the first one to abolish it. Beside from that there was a good reason for the responsible organizer to stop this opera because the department of the interior warned her of a concrete bomb thread.

Germany is not really a christian country but the christians are so good in pretending this, that they have extraordinarily much power.