101. GOD VS. SCIENCE: A Debate Between Natalie Angier and David Sloan Wilson

Comment #91992 by Duff on November 29, 2007 at 5:01 pm

Home,
I don't have a clue what your talking about, but I think David Sloan Wilson is on the hunt for the next Templeton Prize. Suck up, David.

102. Response to Orr

Comment #91712 by Duff on November 29, 2007 at 3:29 am

Well, maybe not god, but Dennett is at least Santa.

103. This Friday: Debate between Dan Dennett and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #91530 by Duff on November 28, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Dennett bulldozed. I don't think so. He has one of the best minds in the business and has a quick wit. Should be very interesting.

104. 'Muhammad' teddy teacher arrested

Comment #91223 by Duff on November 27, 2007 at 5:05 pm

You bad people, stop denigrating Islam. They don't need your help.

105. Discover plagiarism at the Discovery Institute

Comment #91220 by Duff on November 27, 2007 at 4:53 pm

Evil, in the defense of Jesus' truth is not evil. By golly, by gosh!

106. Golden Compass author hits back

Comment #91218 by Duff on November 27, 2007 at 4:32 pm

"Why do kids put beans in their ears...just cause their folks say no." Thanks Billy Donahue, you, who reminds me of the archtypal catholic priest/child molester. What a great spokesperson for that nasty little pope in Rome.

107. Mitt the Mormon

Comment #91217 by Duff on November 27, 2007 at 4:23 pm

One additional thing, if I may.
If Bill Clinton can be asked about his underwear, can't Romney be asked about his? And even more important, can he be asked what he uses to dye his hair...except for his sideburns, of course.

108. Mitt the Mormon

Comment #91214 by Duff on November 27, 2007 at 4:18 pm

There are two pertinent things mention in this article that are true about Mormonism and not generally known by non-Mormons.
Mormons do believe that the garden of eden was in Missouri. They also believe that they will someday be summoned to pick up and move to the new Zion, you guessed it, in Missouri. To be very specific, they believe it is in Far West, a town near Independence. That is one of the reasons that Mormons keep a healthy supply of canned goods. Some will say it's in case of emergencies, but I clearly remember being taught it was for an emergency transit back to the garden.

The other thing Mormons believe is that the "priesthood" will someday save the constitution. I forget which "revelation" this was from Joseph Smith, but Mormons have always believed that someday a member of the church will become president of the US. Joseph Smith had declared himself a candidate, but was assassinated. Wow, did god give him the short end of the stick! When Mitt's father, George, became a candidate, Mormons felt the prophesy was going to come to pass and you can believe they really believe it is going to finally happen with Mitt. I fear their hopes are going to be dashed again.

When is god going to get his own president and, no less important, when is HIS team going to win the super bowl?? God can't seem to catch a break.

109. Rock of Ages, Ages of Rock

Comment #90802 by Duff on November 26, 2007 at 12:00 pm

I can't help but have a little sympathy for these poor christian "scientists". The cognitive dissonance must be causing some pretty serious stress. Well, not too much sympathy.

110. Taking Science on Faith

Comment #90558 by Duff on November 25, 2007 at 2:08 pm

I'm not a physicist, a scientist, or even particularly well educated and I immediately read Davies as a godly apologist. Trying for the Templeton??? Who would be surprised?

111. Taking Science on Faith

Comment #90393 by Duff on November 25, 2007 at 1:57 am

Yes, yes. We all know scientist's faith is just the same as the religionist's faith. Except that quantum uncertainty doesn't keep scientists from making incredible predictions and measurements. Lets see you make any kind of a prediction with your pathetic religious faith.
What a pathetic piece. But what does one expect from a scientist who has chosen to commit intellectual suicide because he can't throw of his childhood brainwashing.

112. The absurd world of Martin Amis

Comment #90388 by Duff on November 25, 2007 at 1:43 am

Wow! Thank you Mr. Morris for clearing that up for us. I'm so relieved to learn that muslims don't really hate jews and that it's an exaggeration to think they are misogynists. And to learn that political islam has nothing to do with terrorism. That is really comforting! I'll sleep better tonight.

113. Tony Blair: Mention God and you're a 'nutter'

Comment #90386 by Duff on November 25, 2007 at 1:30 am

If Iraq is the result of the prayers of our elected officials, it is clear evidence that god either does not exist, or, god and his elected officials are all nutters.

114. Romney's Mormonism is fair game

Comment #90359 by Duff on November 24, 2007 at 2:55 pm

jhylkema,
Well, of course the church has fallen away from the church Joseph Smith established. Count your blessings.

115. Romney's Mormonism is fair game

Comment #90292 by Duff on November 24, 2007 at 3:26 am

I'll only say this once, so pay attention! Warren Jeffs is NOT a mormon. Did you get that?

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints is a far far cry from mormonism. I'm not saying mormons didn't used to be that way, but they have become so mainstream, so homogenized they are in no way the same as those crackpots who live on the Utah Arizona border.

116. Romney's Mormonism is fair game

Comment #90231 by Duff on November 23, 2007 at 3:40 pm

There is no question that Joseph Smith was a consumate con man. However, having grown up as a mormon, I can tell you that the average mormon is a very considerate, kind, thoughtful citizen of which ever country he comes from. The fact that they are delusional and seriously wrong has nothing to do with the society as a whole. They are philosophically basket cases, but their hearts are in the right place. They may be wrong, but they seriously believe they are a good influence on the comity a wellness of the United States. Denigrate their beliefs, if you wish, and they should be denigrated, but they are pretty good people, as people go. I guess what I'm trying to say is that mormons aren't going to become suicide bombers or anything sick like that. There are a lot more seriously delusional religious types out there whom we should be afraid of.

117. Are the 'New Atheists' avoiding the 'real arguments'?

Comment #90228 by Duff on November 23, 2007 at 3:25 pm

What a marvelous article and many very pointed and telling comments. Finally a slam at the religionists who claim the atheists don't get theology.

Perhaps the comment that pleased me the most was by WARDSIE, who questioned whether the good Rowan Williams' adherents could be required to have a working knowledge of theology in the same way he demands of the anti-theists. Touche', Wardsie.

118. Romney's Mormonism is fair game

Comment #90066 by Duff on November 22, 2007 at 4:08 pm

I can guarantee you that Romney is always wearing his "special underwear", called garments by the faithful. Every faithful mormon who has been "through the temple", that is, has either been married in the temple, or been ordained an elder in the church, always wears their garments. It is a sign to god that you are faithful to "his" church and to "him".

As ridiculous as mormonism is, and believe me, it isn't anymore ridiculous than any other religion, I don't think any of you need worry too much about Romney's obedience to the church being a problem. The leaders of the church, as much as they claim direct revelation from god, aren't fools. They are keenly aware of the delicacy of the situation and will bend over backward not to appear to influence Romney in any way. I can't imagine any situation where they would bring influence upon him that isn't already brought by his unique view of the world that is influenced by his upbringing. That upbringing will dictate that he will work exceedingly hard in such a responsible position. It will require that he be honest and forthright. It will force him to "give unto caesar" with his utmost effort. He will be a tireless, diligent president, and certainly one who would be degrees of magnitude better than the current president. (But then who wouldn't?)

I think Romney would be a hard working, diligent servant of the people of the United States. And the fact that he is a mormon will make him work even harder so make the non-believers realize that he isn't beholding to the church.

All that being said, I wouldn't vote for him unless the only other candidate was a dunce like Huckabee. Clinton or McCain would be much better presidents than he.

119. The Transcendental Argument for God

Comment #88485 by Duff on November 17, 2007 at 3:31 am

DG,
God is this, and God is that??
I thought that to give god attributes is to limit him/her. You are a limiter of the first magnitude. Shame on you, you god limiter you.

120. 'Expelled' Movie: The Extended Trailer

Comment #88427 by Duff on November 16, 2007 at 3:03 pm

Anyone, and I mean anyone, who gives an actor credence simply because he/she is an actor deserves to be dope slapped for being so stupid. Having been an actor for thirty plus years and having dealt with actors of every stripe, I'm telling you here and now, actors are, with rare exceptions, uneducated, poorly read and pathologically drawn to new age idiocy.
The first rule is to discount anything an actor says, then if they prove to be smart and well read, (you must be very careful here) you are allowed to cut them a little slack. But if you believe that because they are famous they have something meaningful to say, you deserve to be led down that famous path.

121. For the glory of God

Comment #88423 by Duff on November 16, 2007 at 2:42 pm

The Dalai Lama (it should be Llama) says that the believers that do these sort of things are "not sincere". They are the most sincere believers there are. They are true believers. The worst kind. Spare us from the true believers in all their permutations and stripes! Would it be too much to ask for a pox on all true believers?

122. 'Expelled' Movie: The Extended Trailer

Comment #88273 by Duff on November 15, 2007 at 4:53 pm

I am Ben Stein. I'm stupid. Really. I'm not mud, but I'm close to mud. The evidence shows that I am not even close to Galileo, or Einstein because I can't get tenure, simply because I don't believe in Darwin. I'm smart, but I've been warned because I don't believe in facts or science I'm going to be disregarded.
It's my duty to get the word out. If you're stupid, you won't be granted tenure. And then who will fight this battle for the stupid, simple people?
I'm Ben Stein. Believe me, I know I'm Ben Stein, because I'm stupid.

123. Secular Fundamentalists: There is no such thing...and the AAI conference doesn't make atheism a movement, either.

Comment #88267 by Duff on November 15, 2007 at 4:30 pm

Kelly,
Are you telling us this religious person is being dishonest!!! I'm shocked, I tell you! Shocked! A representative of the religious, simple people dishonest??? This just might destroy my faith in religion. Well...if I had any faith in religion it would destroy it. Well...if the religionites had any credibility it would be diminished by this...so, if they are slimy and slippery, I shouldn't be surprised, should I? Are you telling me they are a bunch of fuckwits after all? Shocked!!

124. Why Science Will Triumph Only When Theory Becomes Law

Comment #88169 by Duff on November 15, 2007 at 3:10 am

Why not let both camps keep "theory" in their descriptions. Lets say Evolution Theory is for grown ups and ID theory is for the simple people.

125. Georgia plans service to pray for rain

Comment #86734 by Duff on November 10, 2007 at 3:22 am

Isn't it wonderful how these simple people start praying after the drought has been going on for a while and then, just like magic, it rains and they think god has finally noticed their plight and has decided to answer their prayers and give them a little rain.
We'd all be more impressed if they would pray for rain to fall every wednesday and god answered that prayer.

126. Church row evolves over fossil boy

Comment #86538 by Duff on November 9, 2007 at 1:41 pm

And people still continue to say we should be gentle with the creationist f**kwits. I say, in their face!

127. Same Flea, Different Name?

Comment #86057 by Duff on November 8, 2007 at 2:54 am

"Crean...uses evidence and reason to prove miracles..."!
In that case, since we now have "evidence", faith is superfluous.

128. Mother dies after refusing blood

Comment #85628 by Duff on November 6, 2007 at 2:18 pm

Cerbera,
I can assure you that the bereaved will not question their decision. They will be assured by their pastors and the congregation that they made a decision that was not only pleasing to god, but was the only decision they could have made since god had called that woman to him and she had no choice but to go.
There are a million rationalizations available to the simple minded.

129. Response to Dinesh D'Souza op-ed

Comment #85619 by Duff on November 6, 2007 at 2:03 pm

Kelly,
...well, never mind. Just keep on doing what your doing. It was a fun, well written article.

Janus,
If you're going to take your writerself so seriously, and feel you actually have something to add to the debate, get it out there and we'll judge how well you write. Talk is cheap.

130. Gorilla slaughter sparks campaign

Comment #85387 by Duff on November 5, 2007 at 5:01 pm

Isn't it interesting that if we saw some Homo sapien sapien splayed out on bamboo frames we would be less mortified than to see these poor gorilla gorillas. Maybe because there is an over abundance of sapiens and so few gorillas. When the last one is killed for "bush meat", I hope the last african who eats it, chokes to death.

131. Response to Theodore Dalrymple

Comment #85384 by Duff on November 5, 2007 at 4:44 pm

Professor Blackford,
You may not be a professor, but I think of you that way.
You may think a "sudden universal loss of religion" would cause problems, but I think you fret too much.
Why would a sudden abandonment of superstition be a bad thing? If the unwashed, simple people, suddenly realized the nonsense they have always believed is false, it could only be because they have seen the light of something much more edifying. Seeing the light would be such an "enlightening", freshening thing, it would change the world.
I won't hold my breath.

132. The Turning of an Atheist

Comment #85121 by Duff on November 5, 2007 at 3:12 am

I think we're all getting a bit too excited about this Flew business. If they did in fact hijack a demented old man, it will come back to haunt them. They will look like the troglodytes they surely are.

133. The truth in religion

Comment #84882 by Duff on November 4, 2007 at 2:49 am

Perhaps this good reverend doesn't so much believe his own apologetics but is nearing retirement and could use a nice cash infusion. He hasn't already won the Templeton has he? He could share it with the good professor Anthony Flew, who, apparently, in an alzheimerish fog has reverted to his childhood beliefs.

134. The Year of Living Biblically

Comment #84820 by Duff on November 3, 2007 at 5:50 pm

Set the bears on those disobedient little children. Let's see him live up to that biblical injunction. What a freak!

135. Jesus Rides the Number 7 Train

Comment #84817 by Duff on November 3, 2007 at 5:34 pm

To mention State Department press releases and New York Times editorials in the same sentence is a bit much. Otherwise, it was a cute piece.

Satanburiedfossils, how dare you minimize the neat trick of Mary appearing in a hard water stain. I'll have you know that is very difficult to pull off. Getting your face in a tortilla is a piece of cake, so to speak, but staining a window with a sprinkler takes time and a lot of special powers.

136. What the New Atheists Don't See

Comment #84432 by Duff on November 2, 2007 at 3:30 am

Aside from some nice buildings and some great music (something non-theists have also produced) name one positive thing religion has brought to western civilization.

137. Believe it or not, courtesy counts

Comment #84035 by Duff on November 1, 2007 at 3:31 am

All I can say is god has certainly made a hash of his sacred texts. Some god! Some sacred texts!

138. Jury Awards Father $11M in Funeral Case

Comment #84028 by Duff on November 1, 2007 at 3:17 am

I'm certainly not advocating violence, but it is amazing to me that these people are not so beat up they can't get around anymore. They have been at this for years now and I'm astounded a grieving family member or friend hasn't visited upon them the "wrath of god" they so obviously believe in.

I'm afraid this is going to be overturned, but couldn't it be argued that they, like most true believers, are mentally incompetent and should be locked up to protect them from physical harm?

139. Tests of faith over 'The Golden Compass'

Comment #83623 by Duff on October 30, 2007 at 5:17 pm

My next candidate for the Zealot Scratch Test is William Donahue. "Scratch a zealot and underneath you will find a hypocrite". There is something far too zealotriotic about that guy. Within the next couple of years it will be revealed he is some kind of pervert. You heard it here first.

140. Pope's 'morning after pill' speech criticized

Comment #83618 by Duff on October 30, 2007 at 4:47 pm

This pope is the perfect christian counterpart to the iron-aged muslim simple people who want to behead apostates. The catholics deserve their mirror image, fuckwit, muslim brethren.

141. Lessons in hate found at leading mosques

Comment #83617 by Duff on October 30, 2007 at 4:42 pm

If you, by choice, drive a gas guzzler, and if you, by choice, waste resources, you enable these arab, stone-aged, simpletons. You make the choice. No one lives in a vacuum these days.

142. Face to faith

Comment #82908 by Duff on October 28, 2007 at 8:22 am

To say science is limited is the same thing as saying knowledge is limited. We are a very long way from knowing everything there is to know about the universe, so I think it is a bit premature to decry science/knowledge as "limited".
Fifty years from now, we will astounded at how much "science" has advanced. Religion will still be the same; stuck in the iron age with not a single factoid to prove it.

143. Don't write off religion - it can be the key to a stable family

Comment #82626 by Duff on October 27, 2007 at 3:16 am

Isn't it cute how she says it ok for parents to teach their children things that are not "purely rational". Everyone knows a little ignorance and stupidness makes for a well balanced child.

144. AAI 07

Comment #82579 by Duff on October 26, 2007 at 7:31 pm

Might I suggest, that at the next conference - showcasing the best that atheism has to offer - someone might be able to provide a suitable microphone/microphones attached to the podium so that the speakers don't have to use half their energy and concentration holding a mike. Is that too much to ask of the people who claim to have a corner on science and technology? Imagine a half-baked televangelist struggling to gesture with both his hands, while he has to hold the microphone close enough to his lips so the simple people can hear him. Surely, we can do better!

145. American kids, dumber than dirt: Warning: The next generation might just be the biggest pile of idiots in U.S. history

Comment #81689 by Duff on October 25, 2007 at 3:27 am

Perhaps a bit of an over reaction, this article.
I'm smarter than my parents and my children are a heck of a lot smarter than I. There was a recent survey conducted somewhere her in America and it found the one thing these young people were most interested in was becoming good parents.
I wouldn't be so upset, if I were you.

146. Prejudicial concerns

Comment #80924 by Duff on October 23, 2007 at 2:13 pm

I'm waiting with bated breath for the first bloviating religiousite to actually come out and proclaim himself (it will be man) a literal believer in the old testament and advocate stoning of those wicked gays.

147. Debate between Michael Shermer and Dinesh D'Souza

Comment #80405 by Duff on October 21, 2007 at 4:37 pm

9/11 caused by Hillary and Brittany Spears???

I think by now it is clear to everyone who has any knowledge of 9/11 that those towers were brought down by Brittany and Brad Pitt!! If you don't believe that, then just ask yourself; where were Brittany and Brad in the weeks leading up to 9/11?? No body knows!!! That should be proof enough.

148. Help Counter the New Atheist Crusade to 'Evangelize' America!

Comment #79459 by Duff on October 17, 2007 at 10:02 am

Please! No one in this world should be surprised that making money is central to all religions. This is the God Business, after all. If one suggests to these pontifical bloviators that their beloved Jesus recommended they leave their worldly goods behind and follow him, they will hem and haw and shrewdly tell you it takes a lot of money to support the "mission of the ______",(fill in the blank) which supports the flock. You are never allowed to find out how much they skim off the top.

149. Patience, fairness and the human condition

Comment #78544 by Duff on October 13, 2007 at 2:25 pm

Artemisa,
The chimp is us!! At least a "few" years previous.

150. A Revelation

Comment #78303 by Duff on October 12, 2007 at 11:40 am

Most any article concerning a debate, printed in the Wall Street Journal, will of necessity demonstrate a bias in favor of whomever is more conservative, be it a political, commerce, or even a religious debate. Professor Dawkins, in the eyes of America's conservative press, is about as liberal as one can be, and he, therefore, will automatically get the sharp end of the biased stick. This girl probably doesn't know squat about the nuances of the topics being debated.