1101. One side can be wrong

Comment #40762 by BAEOZ on May 14, 2007 at 11:22 pm

"Let's start with how life got started."

Trolling devolved?
Abiogenesis is a separate theory to evolution. How life got started is immaterial to how evolution functions. I'm pretty sure you know this and are just trying to be a pain.

1102. Lou Dobbs w/ Hitchens on Al Sharpton's Bigoted Remark

Comment #39478 by BAEOZ on May 10, 2007 at 8:36 pm

Hitchens' book arrived in the post yesterday from Amazon. It's a great read. The man can write. I'm nearly finished and I haven't had it 24 hours.

1103. Supporters of abortion have no future in Church, Pope tells faithful

Comment #39058 by BAEOZ on May 9, 2007 at 9:52 pm

"Selfishness and fear are at the root of pro-abortion legislation"
As Christopher Hitchens described this nong: "an undistinguished person".

1104. Gene mutation linked to cognition is found only in humans

Comment #39012 by BAEOZ on May 9, 2007 at 6:20 pm

Another nail in the coffin for man as the height of creation? Probably not, literalist will just ignore it. But I love this kind of science. Rock on!

1105. Hitchens, Sharpton and Faith

Comment #38964 by BAEOZ on May 9, 2007 at 4:31 pm

post #5: "the other half is to disprove the existence of god itself."
I don't like this idea that we have to disprove god. It means that the theists have taken the position of being most likely right and we are the n'er do wells who are trying to disprove the probable. The reality as I see it is that god is such an improbability that his existence is not worth considering. The theists have to be put in the position of proving his existence.

1106. The torture of the grave Islam and the afterlife

Comment #38011 by BAEOZ on May 6, 2007 at 4:26 pm

Wont the guys who passed the angels' test be pissed when worms nibble the behinds anyway? The worms don't get religion I guess.

1107. 'No proof Jesus heals Aids'

Comment #37766 by BAEOZ on May 5, 2007 at 4:23 pm

Nails, just watched that video link. That is hilarious. Jesus the avenger.

1108. Your favorite book in the last 25 years?

Comment #37208 by BAEOZ on May 3, 2007 at 4:50 pm

I'm not sure if it's in the right time period but
Cien años de soledad - Gabriel Garcia Marquez was pretty good for fiction.
Apart from that, I concur with the Dawkins/Hawkins/Harris/Penrose et al nominations.

1109. Your favorite book in the last 25 years?

Comment #37204 by BAEOZ on May 3, 2007 at 4:34 pm

"Crikey, that stingray was fast" Soon to be released, posthumously written autobiography - Steve Irwin.

1110. Why the Gods Are Not Winning

Comment #36349 by BAEOZ on May 1, 2007 at 1:24 am

"First if there is a God " a huge stretch there devolved. If there is a God, it won't be like any described by a human. They are all so pathetically human as to be ungodlike (read the bible if you need proof).

"Have a look at the book of Judges in the Bible" Why not have a look at the Illiad? Just as factual, much more interesting and it had people being punished for not believing in imaginary beings.

1111. Why the Gods Are Not Winning

Comment #36315 by BAEOZ on April 30, 2007 at 10:51 pm

Good article. Since reading the God Delusion, I've wondered how the hell we can secularize people. They seem so in love with their faith. Arguing with a devout believer is like arguing with someone who's madly in love. They won't tolerate critism of their lover.
From my understanding of this article, if we can improve people's living conditions and education (both very worthy efforts in their own rights) people will not need their lover to make them feel good and dump the deadbeat!!!
Does that sound reasonable?
Anyway, here in OZ we have a mendacious, conservative PM who is taking away unfair dismissal rights from employees and dismantling our basically fair social security/health system. That's it! He's not getting my vote next election.

1112. Two idiots get a forum

Comment #35735 by BAEOZ on April 28, 2007 at 4:17 pm

Thanks Shuggy.

"I'm ashamed to say - a New Zealander" mmm, strange I generally view kiwi's as like aussies but without the FIGJAM (F**k I'm good just ask me) effect that seems so prevalent in oz these days. Oh well, he's still a dickhead.

1113. Two idiots get a forum

Comment #35725 by BAEOZ on April 28, 2007 at 3:10 pm

Just an aside. That comfort guy seemed to have something quite like an Aussie accent. I hope not, my country already has unleashed enough dickheads on the world. At least it wasn't the late Steve Irwin wrestling the banana and saying crikey, that banana nearly had me......

1114. One Hell of a Religious Read

Comment #34479 by BAEOZ on April 24, 2007 at 7:28 am

Thanks again John A. Michon.
Don't post modernists want us to think that the guy assaulting us isn't being violen, it's just a cultural thing ;-)
As for the Catholic Church well, they just said unbaptized babies go straight to heaven now, no limbo. I'm sure that'll make a lot of dead parents who sorrowed during their now finished over their unbaptised babies lives a lot happier, if they too made it to heaven. Bastards.
Cheers.

1115. One Hell of a Religious Read

Comment #34457 by BAEOZ on April 24, 2007 at 6:05 am

Oh, by the way. Pieter, I've read some quotes by Bertrand Russell and they make me wish I knew the man. Thanks dude.

1116. One Hell of a Religious Read

Comment #34456 by BAEOZ on April 24, 2007 at 6:02 am

John A. Michon: Thanks for your welcome contribution. I'll look those references up. I must confess, I know little of philosophy, but do wish to learn. I knew that there was a dutch philospher called Spinoza, (I dearly hope that he was indeed Dutch and not Italian as his name suggests, lest I be smitten/smote by your indignance (just kidding) can I do double parenthesis with out being redneck? ). As they say in spanish, En fin pensé que el que se puso de Spinoza sabría de Spinoza, si me captas... ;-)
Thanks again. One of your quotes said Spinoza didn't invent the modern world. That idea strikes me as curious. I would've thought the Greeks did, but just didn't realize it. Thanks again.

1117. One Hell of a Religious Read

Comment #34361 by BAEOZ on April 23, 2007 at 9:51 pm

Hey Spinoza, as an atheist philosopher in the making (I aspire anyway) can you point me to some good introductory texts? I've read Dawkins', Harris', Denetts' books and a few others in the last few months and am developing a hunger for the philosophical underpinnings of this. Any recomendations to help me along in my self study would be cool. Thanks.

1118. Pope abolishes limbo

Comment #34272 by BAEOZ on April 23, 2007 at 5:26 pm

Hey Rtambree, I agree with you that it's pointless, but I get frustrated with this ignorance as knowledge BS and sometimes argue in vain against it. It's a failing I know, I'd love to have a better weapon to combat this mindless bunk.
Although I'd like to see how a human could climb higher than more agile land animals, or fish and other aquatic life that swim. Shouldn't they be able to swim long after mankind has succumbed to the water that drowned whatever peaks he was able to scale? Why aren't trilobytes higher than man in the strata? Where are the plesiosaurs that swam after man? Maybe they did! That explains the Loch Ness Monster, next myth please....

1119. Pope abolishes limbo

Comment #34263 by BAEOZ on April 23, 2007 at 4:53 pm

When I say most complex, I'll get shot down, I should say more recent/evolved. D'oh!

1120. Pope abolishes limbo

Comment #34262 by BAEOZ on April 23, 2007 at 4:52 pm

"A creationist would argue that there is no gap in the fossil record because it represents the result of a catastrophic global flood about 4,500 years ago."
Can you explain how the fossil record, goes from simplest organisms to most complex organisms as we ascend in the rock strata and that man is only seen at the very top? If it was desposited in a great flood, wouldn't be all mixed up? Humans don't float well, compared to other organisms, wouldn't they be in lower strata? And how did all the plants survive this great flood? They didn't hitch a lift on the arc, and aren't very aquatic....

1121. Pope abolishes limbo

Comment #34231 by BAEOZ on April 23, 2007 at 3:07 pm

I think I posted this a moment ago, but it hasn't appeared.
I agree with devolved's comments, and would add that regarding the anthropic principle, I recently read a good argument from David Mill's "Atheist Universe" that if you have a hole in a cold clime, that is filled with water that then freezes, from the ice's point of view the hole seems amazingly suited to its shape, perfect in every detail. The Anthropic principle is the same looking back and noticing that we have the right conditions for life. Of course we do, we evolved in this location to suit the conditions. We'd suck at living on another planet or even most of this planet without artificial life support.

1122. Pope abolishes limbo

Comment #34228 by BAEOZ on April 23, 2007 at 3:03 pm

Devolved beat me to it "How on earth is the fact that you personally cannot (or will not) explain something be seen as evidence of design?"
The only other thing I would add about the anthropic principle is what I recently read in David Mills' "Atheist Universe" Where, I recall, he said that if you had a hole in the ground, then later it was filled with water, how astonishing it would seem from the point of view of the water that the hole is perfectly suited to it. The Anthropic principle is looking back at the environment and conditions and noticing that we evolved to suit them, then saying "oh wow, these conditions suit us!". Of course they do. They weren't here for us, we we molded by them.
Hopefully that makes sense.

1123. Here Comes the Fourth Musketeer.

Comment #33699 by BAEOZ on April 21, 2007 at 7:17 am

"I think there is a lot of uncalled for reverence of the so called musketeers bordering on personality worship."
Guys, we aren't a faith. Respect the wisdom or genius of those whose shoulders we stand on, but don't worship them. We don't need 4 musketeers no more than we need a trilogy. And I say that with the greatest respect to any of the putative triumvirate and additions. They are good men, they don't deserve to be denigrated as modern demigods. Fighting faith with faith doesn't work.

1124. The Empty Wager

Comment #32966 by BAEOZ on April 18, 2007 at 9:34 pm

Is it just me, or is that photo of Sam Harris creepy? Nothing to do with the post I know, just creeps me out. Anyway, the man is a genius, so I guess he can looked pleased with himself.

1125. Sam's Flea!

Comment #32690 by BAEOZ on April 18, 2007 at 3:21 am

Hey SteveN, you're right, I meant Breakin the spell. Thanks

1126. Sam's Flea!

Comment #32673 by BAEOZ on April 18, 2007 at 1:37 am

Hey Grandpop, thanks for the comments. My frustration isn't with them not considering that they change their beliefs. I can't even get them to accept that I don't believe in evolution, that it's just an explanation for an observable phenomenon. I think because to admit I don't believe in my ideas, they can't posit the argument as one god against their god.... anyway, it doesn't matter.
I do enjoy sharpening my quite weak logical skills. In the last month or 2 I've read RD's God Delusion, Daniel Dennet's End of Faith and a few similar books which have helped me clarify arguments in my head. I too was raised by a pretty devout catholic family, but I never believed, just couldn't say so without being punished. But I grew up and moved :)

1127. Sam's Flea!

Comment #32652 by BAEOZ on April 17, 2007 at 11:22 pm

I look at the excertps from the site and they were brief to say the least. It didn't really seem to say much at all, except that he's a creationist and he likes it when go gets michevious (I would've thought a perfect being to be incapable of that)....
I did like the title of the post here "SAM'S FLEA". I think though we are preaching to the choir and so is that guy to his respective choir. They'll lap up his dogma and bull and laugh at how we all are going to suffer eternal damnation for not seeing their truth. I chat on another site with religious types (www.religiousfreaks.com) and I can't even get them to recognize their own quite obvious fallacies and much more. Not sure how to deal with people who filter out all that doesn't agree with their world view. Any suggestions?

1128. Atheism isn't the final word

Comment #32333 by BAEOZ on April 16, 2007 at 10:28 pm

Just on the secular conterparts to the Pope and Mother Teresa, would you want ones? I mean the pope condemed female believers to unwanted pregnancies and people to catching aids because the were forbidden to use condoms. Mother Teresa wanted people to suffer and thought abortion was the biggest crime committed against mankind. Not sure we need secular counterparts to that kind of backward amoral thinking.

1129. Atheism isn't the final word

Comment #32323 by BAEOZ on April 16, 2007 at 9:24 pm

"All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?" Had Twain been a believer, he might have answered his own question."
Lovely, this after the fact reasoning. If it had of been Woden/Wotan and his mob that survived and became the main source of current belief he would've said the same things, but substitued Jew for Norseman. Doesn't mean a thing. Just rubbish.

1130. New Primate Species Found In 42 Million-year-old Texas Fossils

Comment #32296 by BAEOZ on April 16, 2007 at 6:21 pm

I just checked that site posted by maton100 and feel the urge to squeeze that guys throat! I don't know how RD or any of the other guys put up with the lies these guys spread.
I don't believe in non belief (Atheism). I don't believe in evolution. Evolution doesn't posit that things just appeared. Evolution is an explanation of a natural, observable phenomenon. And whilst I admire professor Dawkins, I certainly don't worship or believe in him.
Should be illegal this crap, but I guess that's the world we live in.