Comments by Azven
51. Dusty Clues: Study suggests no dearth of Earths
Comment #122280 by Azven on February 5, 2008 at 4:51 am
Was the picture of "an earthlike planet orbiting a star outside the solar system" really necessary? Strangely enough, I know what an Earth-like planet could look like, even (or is that especially) a made up one!
52. God the psycho
Comment #121769 by Azven on February 4, 2008 at 5:38 am
I've always said that God's love is the love of a stalker...
He LOVES you and wants you to LOVE Him back. He WATCHES you. He wants you to KNOW who He is. He wants you to WORSHIP him. He gets JEALOUS if talk to anyone else.
He KNOWS WHAT YOUR THINKING.
He will TORTURE and KILL to get what he wants...
God is decidedly creepy. Thanks be that He doesn't exist...
53. God vs. Gridiron
Comment #121765 by Azven on February 4, 2008 at 5:27 am
It's unfortunate that the NFL has given exception to sports bars," Mr. Shuler says. "If they're going to give exceptions, let's give one to faith groups that are having a positive influence on people's lives.”
Yes, let’s give religion special dispensation.
Actually, I suspect that the reason why the NFL have not previously made exceptions for churches is because practically anyone can declare themselves a church and thus gain special status.
But does anyone care who wins this argument?
BTW:
Using the phrase Super Bowl on church fliers or Web sites implies an NFL affiliation, say league lawyers. That's trouble if people are led to believe that the neighborhood church is an NFL sponsor, for example, or that the league endorses the Immaculate Conception.
LOL!
54. Documents detail church coverup
Comment #121759 by Azven on February 4, 2008 at 5:08 am
In the UK at the moment there is a case going before the House of Lords concerning a rape victims claim to part of the raper's £7 million lottery winnings.
The Catholic church is worth a lot more than £7 million. They better get there house in order (at least in the UK) soon.
55. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights
Comment #118878 by Azven on January 31, 2008 at 5:35 am
Maulavi Muhammad Asif, said: "This decision is for disrespecting the holy Koran and the government should enforce the decision before it came under more pressure from foreigners."
No, you moron, it's about an interpretation of the holy Koran. Sayed Pervez Kambaksh has claimed that the prophet Mohamed has been misrepresented. Surely you want the correct message from your prophet don't you? If you don't agree, state your arguments!
So, Maulavi Muhammad Asif, either you're not sure that you are correct or you don't care what your prophet meant, just what you want him to mean.
Comment #117968 by Azven on January 30, 2008 at 5:14 am
BTW: My daughter read this author's name as Edward T. Cakes (Edward Tea Cakes), which made me chuckle, so I thought I'd share.
Comment #117966 by Azven on January 30, 2008 at 5:11 am
The first article is so full of errors and misunderstandings and, I suspect, downright deliberate obfuscations that is was hard to wade through it. I don't need to point out any of the problems because I'd be preaching to the choir. However, why is it that theists seem to think that no new arguments for atheism (even if that's true) is a point for theists?
But [atheist's] arguments are shopworn, stale hand-me-downs and threadbare heirlooms inherited from an era that was fading away even before the French Revolution
Instead, and my reason for writing, it to say how refreshing professor Lynch's rebuttal was; well written, well referenced and actually interesting even though I have very little interest in Marx. Plus one of the best scholarly smack-downs I've seen in years,
possibly the longest ellipsis known to scholarship.
Thank you Prof. John M. Lynch
58. Scientists want rewrite of Earth's time line
Comment #117796 by Azven on January 29, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Jonathan Dore
So you're using "yo" interchangeably as both a second-person and a third-person pronoun?
No, not interchangeably. I say to you, "Do you understand", but I say to the audience, "Does yo understand?", replacing "Does she understand?".
And this would aid comprehension how?
Well "You" won't do when you mean he, she, him or her, and he, she, him and her are a problem when you don't know the sex of the person you're refering to. You could use they and their but these get awkward very quickly. As to whether it aids communication, well let's see! That's why I'm trying it out.
[PS; I'm aware that I used "you" and "you're" in the above paragraph. I think they're correct when refering to a hyperthetical person]
[PPS; It was not my intention to go off track on this thread - I'm happy to discuss this on a seperate forum if anyone is interested]
(Edit: Spelling)
59. Scientists want rewrite of Earth's time line
Comment #117571 by Azven on January 29, 2008 at 6:12 am
Jonathan Dore
You're assuming that I meant 'you' as in a personal note to Opisthokont. But this is a public forum and in fact I meant "he or she, as appropriate".
[However, the above IS a personal note to you, even though this is a public forum, hence the use of "you're".]
[The above sentence is also a personal note to you, hence the use of "you".]
[etc]
60. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers
Comment #117568 by Azven on January 29, 2008 at 5:59 am
ianmkz
I was initially tempted to do just that, but I suspect a successful giveaway might induce a publisher to print more of the damn things in expectation of huge sales to come.
Me, likewise. I won't burn books but I don't have to have them published!
61. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers
Comment #117560 by Azven on January 29, 2008 at 5:39 am
But what is Day's argument?
My book doesn't rely on the Bible or theological gymnastics or emotional appeals; it simply makes use of detailed historical and scientific evidence in order to expose the logical and factual flaws in every atheist argument you're likely to encounter.
I read this entire article, even though after two paragraphs I wanted to stop, because I thought he might actually have something to say. But if he does, where is it? Am I supposed to go to the blog and trawl through his book (free, though it is) for his pearls of wisdom?
He [Richard Dawkins] only finds Darwin useful insofar as his theory of evolution by natural selection can be used to eliminate the basis for a belief in a Creator God. As Dawkins states in his own words, he's "a passionate anti-Darwinian" with regards to the proper conduct of human affairs. Dawkins thinks humanity should follow Darwin just long enough to cast off Jesus Christ, then ditch Darwin in favor of following Richard Dawkins' opinion on life, the universe and everything.
He has either entirely misunderstood this or (and I suspect this is in fact the reason) he is purposely joining two arguments that both have Darwin in common to create a straw man to knock down. Just for the record, Darwinian evolution explains the apparent creative process in bio-diversity, but human behavior that mirrors evolution is to be discourage because it 's wasteful, has no direction, and most solutions DIE.
Just like philosophers, you can always count on a scientist to come around eventually to the concept of rule by scientist-king.
What? Can anyone explain this to me, please?
I also suspect he knows the difference between difficult concepts like "counties" and "states."
Again what? What is Day saying here? Can anyone explain?
62. Scientists want rewrite of Earth's time line
Comment #117549 by Azven on January 29, 2008 at 5:08 am
Opisthokont
The only comparable event that I can think of was the Polynesian expansion throughout the Pacific
Apologies to Opisthokont! My eye must have skipped over this sentence on first reading. I still disagree with yo* and assert my own argument (above) but I see now that yo has considered the first human migrations over sea.
*Yo = sex neutral, personal pronoun (I'm trying it out for a couple of months to see how I feel about it!)
63. Scientists want rewrite of Earth's time line
Comment #117546 by Azven on January 29, 2008 at 4:58 am
Opisthokont
I considered the pivotal event the discovery of the New World
How about the invention of the sea-faring boat (as opposed to a simple coracle, or the like) as a pivotal point? I bit hard to pin-point in time but nevertheless significant. Not only did this change the world but it also effectively stopped our species from diverging into many species. Both biotic and abiotic!
PS; An epoch can't be recent for ever. You have to call it something that makes sense no matter what age you're looking back at it from.
64. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism
Comment #115380 by Azven on January 24, 2008 at 5:51 am
Does Tony Campolo really believe that if evoloution is taught is schools it will be 150 year old science?
I believe that biology students should read OTOOS, such racist presumptions that it contains are few and mild and should not distract the reader from Darwin's message. However, when taught in modern schools by a modern teacher he/she should use modern evidence and modern examples.
The social implications of Darwinian evolution exist, but nevertheless it has been proven to be a robust theory and so why would you you be reticent to teach it?
65. Death Sentence for Afghan Student
Comment #115372 by Azven on January 24, 2008 at 5:26 am
So, Allah cannot mete out his own punishments, He has to rely on a Council of Clerics to do it for Him? Or, is it that He cannot be offended by human blasphemy? Or, is it that He doesn't exist.
66. Three Little Pigs 'too offensive'
Comment #115365 by Azven on January 24, 2008 at 5:17 am
I think the real insult to Muslims is to believe that they are so narrow minded that they would be offended by this. (And I mean the real 'offended' where you insult ME based on YOUR opinion, not the wimpy 'offended' where your opinion clashes with my opinion).
67. Mixing Mammals
Comment #115358 by Azven on January 24, 2008 at 4:58 am
It may be the article's fault here (which I think is quite badly written) but where is the real science here? Does this tell us anything that we didn't already know about evolution?
How does a 6% increase compare with normal variation amongs mice?
And surely "...mutant mice that lacked the mouse Prx1 enhancer..." are normal, un-mutated, mice!
68. What Religion's Blind Stranglehold on America Is Doing to Our Democracy
Comment #113957 by Azven on January 21, 2008 at 4:47 am
Here's a question for candidates:
"If the American people democratically demand that you do something but God tells you to do the opposite, what will you do?"
A. Ignore the people;
B. Ignore God;
C. Seek medical help.
69. New Findings Confirm Darwin's Theory: Evolution Not Random
Comment #113954 by Azven on January 21, 2008 at 4:40 am
I'm glad I'm not alone in being confused by this article. Either they are explaining the obvious (that successful traits become successful in successful generations) or else they've proved something, but haven't explained exactly what!
I suspect that this article was chopped up before publication to make it shorter and to take out all that too confusing scientist talk that we folk just won't understand!
70. Ben Stein Bribing Schools to See His Anti-Evolution Movie 'Expelled'
Comment #112797 by Azven on January 18, 2008 at 5:28 am
Whose pocket is this offered bribe coming from?
An excellent question, indeed!
71. Ben Stein Bribing Schools to See His Anti-Evolution Movie 'Expelled'
Comment #112793 by Azven on January 18, 2008 at 5:17 am
If I owned a movie theatre I think you'd find that this film is sold out every performance.
72. Canadian fossil makes waves in Huckabee's presidential run
Comment #111969 by Azven on January 16, 2008 at 5:26 am
Question: Why would fish want to leave the water?
Answer: Because fish schools were teaching creationism!
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2006/04/might_as_well_stay_missing.php
I forgot to say what a beautiful fossil it is. Stunning!
73. Huckabee Wants A 'Faith-based' Constitution
Comment #111965 by Azven on January 16, 2008 at 5:11 am
Exactly what would Huck change the wording of the Constitution to? It's one thing to talk of 'copying and pasting' from the Bible and of "amend[ing] the Constitution so it's in God's standards", but which standards? What parts of the Bible? Is there any block of text in the Bible as good as the Constitution for the same purpose as the Constitution? (No!) So what would be the point?
74. Canadian fossil makes waves in Huckabee's presidential run
Comment #111961 by Azven on January 16, 2008 at 4:53 am
Scooternyc
What about 50 humans and 50 lions? I bet it'd be lion burgers all round.
75. Canadian fossil makes waves in Huckabee's presidential run
Comment #111960 by Azven on January 16, 2008 at 4:51 am
If you want to believe that you and your family came from apes, I'll accept that
Mr. Huckabee has, as usual, missed the point. It's obvious that he's soft-pedaling here (if not actually back-pedaling) because of the interviewer and the audience du jour, but he's well known for a harder line on the Creationism/Evolution question and anyway, as Athegan said, "It was enough when he raised his hand on that question about evolution".
But the point he's missed is that it doesn't matter what I believe about where I and my family came from, what matters is what does the evidence tell us?
I've always wanted to be descended from a dinosaur, but, hey, I go where the evidence leads
76. Whale 'missing link' discovered
Comment #101893 by Azven on December 21, 2007 at 5:16 am
The stable-oxygen-isotope composition of its teeth suggest that the animal spent much of its time in water
Don't-cha just love science. No amount of prayer would ever have told me this!
Comment #99332 by Azven on December 16, 2007 at 10:33 am
Happy Noel Edmond's day!
Comment #67059 by Azven on September 1, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Jesus' love is scary love.
It's the love a stalker.
You want to say... "don't love me so much; go and find another occupation and let me live my life".
79. Shop targets U.S. hunters with camo Bibles
Comment #65709 by Azven on August 25, 2007 at 11:51 pm
I want my Bible to be camouflaged as a Harry Potter book so that I can read the good word on the tube without being attacked by fundamentalist atheists.
OK... Joking!!!
80. Researchers find fossils of 10-million-year old ape
Comment #65405 by Azven on August 24, 2007 at 4:27 am
Some one once described the Earth of 10 million years ago as the planet of the apes.
I imagine a vast forest that covers the whole of North Africa and Saudi Arabia and further west to India, with apes of hundreds of different species coming and going, East to West, unconcerned as to how complicated they're making their family tree look to us!
81. Researchers find fossils of 10-million-year old ape
Comment #65403 by Azven on August 24, 2007 at 4:17 am
It's the out, in-and-out, in-and-out, in-and-out of Africa theory.
82. Heliocentrism is an Atheist Doctrine
Comment #44629 by Azven on May 25, 2007 at 5:53 am
If this is not a joke then does Sisyphus believe that the moonwalkers could feel the Moon moving through space? When they looked at the Earth and saw it moving and reported back to Huston which was correct (a) the stationary Moon; (b) the stationary Earth; (c) both; (d) neither; (e) any one body?
83. Lightning damages Jesus statue
Comment #44410 by Azven on May 24, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Where was the lightning conductor? They probably decided not to attach one so as not to stain that lovely white stone with the green stains of copper.
84. Would the World Be Safer Without Religion?
Comment #43471 by Azven on May 21, 2007 at 2:46 pm
My spouse once asked me if I would believe in God if an angel appeard to me. I said I wouldn't believe in God if God appeared to me.
After a bit of thought I said if He appeared to me plus some other witnesses and a camera and was prepared to answer some questions and then afterwards the camera and the witnesses all agree with each other then I might have some doubts.
85. Cult leader sparks Sikh riots with 'guru' stunt
Comment #43334 by Azven on May 21, 2007 at 6:13 am
I think I'm going to look up some confirmations of this story as I find a lot of its elements unbelievable. I also picked up on the ceremonial dagger comment. It's well known that Sikh's carry daggers as one of the five Ks, but all the dagggers I've seen are less than an inch long and less sharp than a ball point pen.
Who benefits from this strory? A government that can point to 'those Sikhs, fighting amongst themselves again' perhaps!
I'm off to Google...
86. Would the World Be Safer Without Religion?
Comment #43326 by Azven on May 21, 2007 at 5:58 am
Let's say one position was arbitrarily designated "Orange" and the other "Green." Do you think the conflict would instantly end? No, it would continue as before, if not worsen
This question of what would happen if all religion disappeared is often raised (usually by the theists). But as Easterbrook says, above, it will imediately be replaced by a new in-group/out-group characteristic. However, it seems to me that this is yet another example of faith. I have 'faith' that we Orange-men are better than you Green-vermin!
What is missing is critical thinking and this is suppressed during childhood by religious indoctrination. If curiosity were taught instead of religion then there might be less in-group/out-group thinking.
But I'm not going to hold my breath...
87. Christopher Hitchens Is a Treasure
Comment #43314 by Azven on May 21, 2007 at 5:21 am
that there is a living intelligence deep down in everything on earth and in the skies above. All earthly things are alive with reasons, connections, and also with oddities yet to become better understood, puzzles yet to be solved.
Novak is using the worf 'alive' in the sense of abundant, but in this context (after using the expression 'living intelligence') he is [purposely?] mixing the meanings.
He starts off with a living God and ends up with an Einstienian God. As others have commented here, he is getting his Gods mixed up.
Comment #42393 by Azven on May 18, 2007 at 6:40 am
Perhaps we are soft-wired to find causes not necessarily look for them. If a cause is not immediately evident then make one up!
89. Antarctic 'treasure trove' found
Comment #42080 by Azven on May 17, 2007 at 3:17 pm
I knew that sponges would attack each other; is this what's meant?
90. The Colbert Report: The Intolerant
Comment #42061 by Azven on May 17, 2007 at 2:46 pm
"Gay-bashing bashing"; priceless!
91. The Official Infidel Guy Podcast Page
Comment #40613 by Azven on May 14, 2007 at 3:29 pm
I've been a fan of Reginald Finley Sr for about four months now. He seems to achieve a great deal with what seems to be very little money. He is very much on the front line in the fight against all kinds of crazy, uncritical thinking.
Catch the Bible Geek podcasts. They're gems...
92. A Split Emerges as Conservatives Discuss Darwin
Comment #38281 by Azven on May 7, 2007 at 12:02 pm
If an experiment in social Darwinism goes wrong it will have a backlash on actual Darwinism.
In any case, evolution is extremely wasteful and should not be used in social situations.
At this point I was going to say something about Thatcherism, but I don't want to give myself a stroke...
93. Unholy row at clergy soccer game
Comment #38278 by Azven on May 7, 2007 at 11:32 am
So who won? That is, who pulled out first and let the other team win by default?
(The tactical thing to do would be for the Christian team to be all women and have the Islamic team refuse to play and therefore lose)
Comment #38112 by Azven on May 7, 2007 at 2:29 am
Maybe this is a bit long for a T-shirt but this sentence stuck out for me as I think it expresses how we (atheists) feel...
If you claim that something is true, I will examine the evidence which supports your claim; if you have no evidence, I will not accept that what you say is true and I will think you a foolish and gullible person for believing it so
95. My response to the GOP evolution question
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.
96. 'No proof Jesus heals Aids'
Comment #37713 by Azven on May 5, 2007 at 2:07 pm
(and for the older, British members of this site)
I don't believe that Jesus can heal Aids. Once a slimming biscuit is broken it stays broken...
97. God Exists. A Formula Proves it.
Comment #37711 by Azven on May 5, 2007 at 2:00 pm
GBile, I expect the Self replicating Robots (SRRs) will report back that the universe is full of SRRs!
At least when local popuations of SRRs become dense it will become obviouse that evolution is true.
98. God Exists. A Formula Proves it.
Comment #37703 by Azven on May 5, 2007 at 1:43 pm
"Oh! That was easy", says man, and goes on to prove that black is white, and gets killed on the next zebra crossing...
99. My response to the GOP evolution question
Comment #37694 by Azven on May 5, 2007 at 1:22 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.
100. My response to the GOP evolution question
Comment #37684 by Azven on May 5, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Oooh... Ooooh...
I saw my avatar! Am I famous???
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Over 1.5 million copies sold
Books by Richard Dawkins
The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing
by Richard Dawkins
The Selfish Gene
by Richard Dawkins
The Blind Watchmaker
by Richard Dawkins
The Ancestor's Tale
by Richard Dawkins
Unweaving the Rainbow
by Richard Dawkins
