101. It was a bad year for God.

Comment #109473 by ianmkz on January 9, 2008 at 5:36 am

All these references to rules of the road! Sorry of this is completely off topic, but it has been observed that people become vastly better drivers if you REMOVE the rules of the road

Several years ago, Monderman ripped out all the traditional instruments used by traffic engineers to influence driver behavior - traffic lights, road markings, and some pedestrian crossings - and in their place created a roundabout, or traffic circle. The circle is remarkable for what it doesn't contain: signs or signals telling drivers how fast to go, who has the right-of-way, or how to behave. There are no lane markers or curbs separating street and sidewalk, so it's unclear exactly where the car zone ends and the pedestrian zone begins. To an approaching driver, the intersection is utterly ambiguous - and that's the point.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/traffic.html

102. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #109183 by ianmkz on January 8, 2008 at 2:16 pm

Shouldn't the "word of God" contain something a bit beyond 2,000 year old thinking?

The code... you seek the Bible Code

103. It was a bad year for God.

Comment #109149 by ianmkz on January 8, 2008 at 12:43 pm

If God created the universe and therefore exists outside the universe, he also exists outside of time

so God can't have a year, good, bad or otherwise.

104. US 'doomed' if creationist president elected: scientists

Comment #109081 by ianmkz on January 8, 2008 at 9:37 am

Regarding religiosity in Canada

British Columbia was the only province, other than the Yukon Territory, that had no religion as the most frequent response reported in the 2001 Census. Just under 1.4 million British Columbia residents reported that they had no religion, a 39% increase since 1991. They accounted for 35% of the population in 2001, compared with 30% in 1991.

http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/bc.cfm

105. US 'doomed' if creationist president elected: scientists

Comment #109010 by ianmkz on January 8, 2008 at 6:44 am

Evolution says we were once monkeys and now we're human.

I really don't find this that much of a stretch. Better no doubt if stated "evolution says we were once LIKE monkeys and now we're human." Like monkeys we were, like monkeys we in many respects remain.

106. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #109006 by ianmkz on January 8, 2008 at 6:31 am

They are still rowing cheerfully when a gust of wind drives them against the rocks.

A chilling image. But if there is no steamer, only the belief in a steamer then is it riskier to row or not?

107. Blind Faiths

Comment #108992 by ianmkz on January 8, 2008 at 5:15 am

People saying that Islam is much worse than Christianity don't realize that when Christianity was as old as Islam is now, it was much worse and with much inferior technology.

I don't think that the age of a religion or the age of a nation is a reasonable excuse for poor behaviour. Does Scientology have a license to behave like an ass for 1500 years before it is obliged to settle down to a sedate and responsible middle age.

108. Could there be a Darwinian Account of Human Creativity?

Comment #108990 by ianmkz on January 8, 2008 at 5:08 am

Wooter, I understand little of what you write, but I admire your typing speed.

The chance that one protein chain's coming into existence by is 10243

What does this mean? If I said the chance was 5 not 10243 how would you prove me wrong?

109. US 'doomed' if creationist president elected: scientists

Comment #108837 by ianmkz on January 7, 2008 at 5:45 pm

How can you distinguish divine revelation from imagination, wishful thinking, dishonesty or insanity upon the part of the revealee?

What if everyone in the world had the same dream tonight?
And despite the fact that you are quite right and it's a load of horseshit, it seems quite apparent that a very significant proportion of Christianity is based on what the Apostle Paul (who never met Jesus, and as I understand it never quotes Jesus) picked up through his God Antenna.

110. US 'doomed' if creationist president elected: scientists

Comment #108830 by ianmkz on January 7, 2008 at 5:28 pm

Theology asserts that which it cannot possibly know and is proud of its ignorance

What about divine revelation as a source of knowledge?

111. Did mozzies, not a meteor, do for the dinosaurs?

Comment #108824 by ianmkz on January 7, 2008 at 5:10 pm

say scientists...say husband-and - wife team George and Roberta Poinar

I don't think a husband and wife team should count as "scientists." It's not really peer review.

112. US 'doomed' if creationist president elected: scientists

Comment #108621 by ianmkz on January 7, 2008 at 11:03 am

Once again with my pet peeve - evolution is not to believed, it is to be understood.

So you don't believe in evolution?!;)

113. US 'doomed' if creationist president elected: scientists

Comment #108618 by ianmkz on January 7, 2008 at 11:00 am

believing in evolution

I think this is reasonable shorthand for "believing that the history of the world that is painted by evolutionary theory is correct."

114. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #108506 by ianmkz on January 7, 2008 at 5:12 am

Why did you stop being such a happy kid with all your christian friends?

It sounds like his concern is not just for your faith (or lack thereof) but also for your happiness. As a fatuous piece of free advice (worth every penny I'm sure) try being a little more cheerful around him.

115. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #108367 by ianmkz on January 6, 2008 at 2:51 pm

We know that God doesn't really take sides in sports or war because if he did we could measure the correlation between righteousness and victory... and then he wouldn't be intangible. And if there's one thing I've learned from theist postings it's that God is intangible.

116. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #108361 by ianmkz on January 6, 2008 at 2:44 pm

One of the contingent consequences is that the victim, supposing they have survived, can later offer others who have gone through similar traumas the kind of consolation which cannot be offered by someone who has never been there.

Odd. That's the second time I've heard the argument today. The first was in a CBC Radio documentary about The Secret. It was pretty chilling then as well.

117. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #108213 by ianmkz on January 6, 2008 at 9:06 am

The enshrinement of faith above all other human attributes as the determiner of eternal reward or damnation seems to me the obvious construction of a tyrant to control the masses. Stifle rational inquiry (label it even the work of the devil) and declare poverty, misery and disease to be blessings from above. Pathetic and transparent.

118. Researchers use neuroimaging to study ESP

Comment #107913 by ianmkz on January 5, 2008 at 3:01 pm

They should have studied people with ESP!

119. Sam Harris debate with Rabbi David Wolpe

Comment #107904 by ianmkz on January 5, 2008 at 2:55 pm

The flood may be such a case. If the writer says that the whole earth was flooded and everyone on it destroyed....that may well have been his understanding from his limited point of view.

But if the whole earth ISN'T flooded, if it's just a local flood... well, why do you have to drag God into it? What's the point of the story?

120. Sam Harris debate with Rabbi David Wolpe

Comment #107826 by ianmkz on January 5, 2008 at 12:46 pm

Harris and Wolpe are both very likeable and the discussion was most civilized. Didn't leave me angry for a change.

Interesting when Harris asked what God it was that Wolpe was defending... quite a nebulous one as it happened. I'm always curious to know if they REALLY believe in Noah's Ark.

All things bright and beautiful, the Lord God drowned them all.

121. Mother Nature is Not Our Friend

Comment #107822 by ianmkz on January 5, 2008 at 12:32 pm

would there be noticeable effects with respect to a woman from the year 1000AD, 0AD, 5000BC, 10000, 20000BC? etc. Or does the effect only start to become noticeable much further back in time?

According to Wikipedia, Indigenous Australians (as it were) arrived there 40,000-70,000 years ago. In theory I suppose you could compare fertility rates of mixed race couples to non MRCs, but such is forbidden knowledge and we will not speak of such things.

122. Sam Harris debate with Rabbi David Wolpe

Comment #107773 by ianmkz on January 5, 2008 at 9:18 am

The absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence.

Only if you haven't gone looking for evidence. If I open my fridge and there is absence of evidence for beer, that is evidence for absence of beer.

Did you check the egg compartment?

123. Sam Harris debate with Rabbi David Wolpe

Comment #107760 by ianmkz on January 5, 2008 at 8:37 am

That Harris eyebrow thing reminds me of Mr Spock... or maybe Dr. McCoy. Indeed his rational/spiritual duality suggests a transporter accident involving the aforementioned.

124. Mother Nature is Not Our Friend

Comment #107279 by ianmkz on January 4, 2008 at 10:57 am

Humans are destined to eventually change into another species anyway - that's what evolution does.

Doesn't evolution require isolated breeding colonies for speciation(sp?) to occur? I'm not sure evolution by natural selection isn't over for us.

125. The OUT Campaign has its own Flea!

Comment #106835 by ianmkz on January 3, 2008 at 2:39 pm

Sorry to quote scripture. Won't do it again;)

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/index.htm
A most amusing site. (perhaps I got this link from someone here... I forget. Oh well, props to whomsoever)

126. The OUT Campaign has its own Flea!

Comment #106831 by ianmkz on January 3, 2008 at 2:34 pm

There is NOTHING in the Bible that could be remotely construed as providing a mandate or even a pretext for child abuse or any other kind of abuse.

Well the "off the top of my head" bits were

Proverbs 13-24 (King James Version):
He that spareth his rod hateth his son.

And where I live he that swingeth the rod findeth himself in front of the Magistrate.

The other child abuse example was Abraham trussing up his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God - but further research shows that as the lad was in his twenties its just assault and forcible confinement.

We'll skip God smiting all the first-borns in Egypt as he does the job himself.

I don't understand how anyone could ever have used the Bible to justify slavery. Well, maybe a bit, since it does.

Leviticus
25:45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
25:46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever.

127. The OUT Campaign has its own Flea!

Comment #106707 by ianmkz on January 3, 2008 at 9:36 am

So when atheists like Dawkins rail against the "immorality" of child abuse, genocide or anything else they regard as immoral, what we are hearing is not atheism but theism by another name

Now I'm not an expert on these things, but I can think of several biblical instances apparently in favour of child abuse and genocide... can't think of any against... off the top of me 'ead.

128. Sadly, an Honest Creationist

Comment #106539 by ianmkz on January 3, 2008 at 5:42 am

Shows you what a PhD is worth.

129. The OUT Campaign has its own Flea!

Comment #106352 by ianmkz on January 2, 2008 at 5:49 pm

I can't imagine why anyone would be embarrassed to be a Christian.

130. Mother Nature is Not Our Friend

Comment #106103 by ianmkz on January 2, 2008 at 11:04 am

Bach + Skiing Accident = Sam Harris?
Perhaps.

Sam Harris + Nucleic Acid Modification = Bach?
I doubt it.

131. Mother Nature is Not Our Friend

Comment #105914 by ianmkz on January 2, 2008 at 6:14 am

While it may be obvious to us that some human conditions are in need of "fixing" or enhancement, we have our biases... and some of them are rather shallow. Even our most noble biases are not as solid as we might believe. You'd think that giving hearing to the deaf would be a no-brainer, yet cochlear implants remain a contentious issue among those whose world is silent.

It's inevitable, but it'll probably cause more misery than joy. Not that Mother Nature will care either way.