201. Our Lives, Controlled From Some Guy's Couch

Comment #63794 by pewkatchoo on August 15, 2007 at 11:52 pm

Russell, just bang yourself on the head a few times. Does it hurt? Does that pain feel real? Apply Bill O's shaving utensil!

202. After 60 Years, Will Pakistan Be Reborn?

Comment #63674 by pewkatchoo on August 15, 2007 at 9:58 am

USA_Limey. Of course there is another way of looking at it. The British empire may have been responsible for keeping the peace for all those years. When they left, those countries then reverted to their natural states, war and chaos. Just a thought.

203. After 60 Years, Will Pakistan Be Reborn?

Comment #63662 by pewkatchoo on August 15, 2007 at 8:58 am

It would also be nice if they stopped blowing us up too!

204. Church and State: Divided we stand

Comment #63626 by pewkatchoo on August 15, 2007 at 6:10 am

Karelan, there is one major discrepancy in the UK and that is that the head of state, the Queen, is also the Defender of the Faith (the protestant church). In addition, the fact that Bishops sit in the House of Lords, and can therefore help to pass or prevent laws, for no reason other than that they are Bishops is a national disgrace.

The profusion of state backed faith schools is also an anomaly that should be fixed. Then ther is the tax free status conferred on churches. So it is still a problem in the UK.

So I don't think that we have reason to be too smug.

205. Atheists and believers have got religion wrong

Comment #63625 by pewkatchoo on August 15, 2007 at 5:58 am

Nothing much to add to what has already gone before. Hungarianelephant sums up my position.

Mark Steel is unfunny. Sorry.

Profrock: "take responsibility for what you think!" Excellent.

206. These preachers of hate must be exposed

Comment #63604 by pewkatchoo on August 15, 2007 at 3:59 am

Yes Philip, you have made a mistake. Unfortunately now you have given her a get out of jail free card. She will simply draw your attention to your mistake and ignore the rest. One has to be very careful when dealing with duplicitous politicos.

I also wrote to my MP Paul Barcow (also Tory) but I kept it very short and to the point, they have short attention spans, and suggested that he question the validity of the police actions in the house.

207. Richard Dawkins, TV evangelist

Comment #63472 by pewkatchoo on August 14, 2007 at 12:52 pm

What I would like to know is how such specious articles get past the editing stage! It is such piss poor journalism. Not even reasonable opinion. Just what do chief editors do to earn their money?

208. Our Lives, Controlled From Some Guy's Couch

Comment #63448 by pewkatchoo on August 14, 2007 at 11:53 am

Hmmmm, I thought that all existentialist arguments had been killed off in the 80s.

209. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #63332 by pewkatchoo on August 14, 2007 at 12:52 am

Darwin2 is like the wee flea and Bizarro, totally incapable of independent thought. Their intellects are on total suspension and so it is worthless debating with them. They are noisy but ultimately nonsensical distractions. We can never change them because they do not want change. They will never seek the truth because the truth would scare them half to death. Best policy, ignore them totally.

210. Amnesty to defy Catholic church over rape victims' abortion rights

Comment #63117 by pewkatchoo on August 13, 2007 at 6:34 am

Well this is actually old news as I read this somewhere several weeks ago.

But how is it that an organisation whose higher echelon have been guilty of the most horrific acts of seduction and rape of children feels that it still has something to say in such matters?

They really should be keeping their mouths, and their trousers/cassocks, firmly closed.

What poetry it would be if it was discovered that the chief Rat was also guilty of such acts. Not that I wish this on any other children, but it would be the end of the RC church for ever.

211. Why Richard Dawkins is right on alternative medicine - but not when it comes to religion

Comment #62489 by pewkatchoo on August 10, 2007 at 1:16 am

Dominic Lawson is living in a little England dream world. The world, uncooperatively, contains a few more than the millions that come under the fluffy Church of England banner. He really needs to get out into the broader world. In Brasil for example, the fire and brimstone merchants, both RC and Evangelical, hold total sway over a poverty stricken people demanding ever greater tribute, from them who can afford it least, to build their giant gold encrusted shrines to a non-existent deity, not to mention to pay for the increasingly luxurious lifestyles of the grand movers.

Then there is the USA of course, 300 million, of which a huge amount are RC and evangelical, equally mad as hatters.

There are many other countries creaking under the weight of this nonsense. Even so-called secular Europe is still suffering. Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain all have laws that have been passed to protect the religious at the cost of the non-r. The UK also still has certain advantages to bestow on those of a religious bent. Membership of the second highest level of government comes as a promise for those who make it to the top of the greasy ecclesiastical pole, assuming they have not been done for kiddy fiddling along the way. And then there are the tax benefits that accrue to a religious organisation that do not necessarilly acrue to other non-r organisations.

Wake up mr Lawson.

212. Arrogance, dogma and why science - not faith - is the new enemy of reason

Comment #62020 by pewkatchoo on August 8, 2007 at 12:41 am

To my shame I used to read the Mail. But I have to say that I did so because I quite like Andrew Alexander and his financial comments and that old curmudgeon Keith Waterhouse made me smile. Also, the racing section was the best of all the newspapers (I like horses what can I say). However, I always used to read about two lines of Philips and then gave up. She will never change and everything she writes is informed by her religious stance, irrational to loonytunes.

213. Arrogance, dogma and why science - not faith - is the new enemy of reason

Comment #62016 by pewkatchoo on August 8, 2007 at 12:31 am

-J-
You have carpets in your kitchen? How odd!

Otherwise I like the analogy.

214. Imagine No Religion

Comment #61735 by pewkatchoo on August 6, 2007 at 3:05 pm

oh bloody hell, we have another one of the mindless 'weeflea' type nutters in here talking ballocks. Yet another one who thinks he understands the purpose of religion better than the assembled cast of this website. I have given up with them and will simply treat their rantings with contempt. Someone else, I am sure, will take up the challenge of trying to get sense out of the senseless.

215. The Gullible Age: Review of 'The Enemies of Reason'

Comment #61667 by pewkatchoo on August 6, 2007 at 7:56 am

Dr Benway
I don't disagree with what you say. As I said, it is only my tuppenceworth. But I just think that we are getting ourselves a bit of a rep as busybodies and spoilsports, which I am not so sure is a good thing. I quite understand where you are coming from, but I think there are enough people out there already tackling this sort of gobbledygook head on, without prof Dawkins coming in for any more criticism. You can over-egg the message sometimes and that just p1sses people off.

Sure, when he is questioned about such matters then he should be clear in his position, I just don't know if he needs the grief that will come with this. But I could be talking sh1te of course.

216. After Blair, Labour MPs opt for 'God Delusion'

Comment #61636 by pewkatchoo on August 6, 2007 at 3:54 am

Actually, who cares what they are reading! Just so long as they are on holiday and not screwing up the country for a while.

217. New age therapies cause 'retreat from reason'

Comment #61633 by pewkatchoo on August 6, 2007 at 3:47 am

Harold Tits publishing! Shum mishtake shirley.

218. New age therapies cause 'retreat from reason'

Comment #61628 by pewkatchoo on August 6, 2007 at 3:36 am

Why is it that nearly all these female new age gurus have long grey hair, staring eyes, chubby cheeks and bad teeth? Is it a uniform or something?

219. After Blair, Labour MPs opt for 'God Delusion'

Comment #61620 by pewkatchoo on August 6, 2007 at 2:59 am

Hahhahaha. I think Eamonn hit it on the nail. They are probably reading TGD because they got given a copy for free. Tight fisted gits would never spring for their own copy.

220. The Gullible Age: Review of 'The Enemies of Reason'

Comment #61619 by pewkatchoo on August 6, 2007 at 2:52 am

Fairynuff Goldy. But it is not a huge amount of children that are suffering as a result of new age gobbledygook. It is not on the level of Darfur, or the twits of the Witnesses, and a thousand other examples.

The example you quoted here could be handled quite easily by the government passing a simple law (or there may even be an existing law that could be adapted) to prevent parents from making life or death decisions to do with their childrens health. Charge them with 3rd degree murder, whatever it takes.

How many kids die of obesity from eating your large chocolate bars, or as a result of underage drinking? You can draw comparisons endlessly, but by far the most dangerous are the mainstream religions.

221. The Gullible Age: Review of 'The Enemies of Reason'

Comment #61607 by pewkatchoo on August 6, 2007 at 2:01 am

My view is that if adults want to believe in this sort of nonsense then they are welcome to do so. It is none of our business. New Age is not something that children are indoctrinated into. It is one thing to occasionally put some reverse propaganda out to debunk this stuff, but an all-out attack on it is going to make us out to be just a bunch of opinionated jerks. We can make too many enemies too soon.

Ignore this stuff for now, even if you think it is harmful, it is not as harmful as a plane flying into a building. We are not the British government who seem to want to ban everything that people enjoy just to score political points. There will always be charlatans, leave the debunking of them to the likes of Randi, et al.

Professor Dawkins should continue to concentrate his energies on promoting science and on being one of the UKs foremost thinkers. If he continues with this he will start to come over as just one more interfering busybody, which will dilute his effectiveness as a spokesman against religion.

Just my tuppenceworth.

222. Interview with Michael Behe

Comment #61144 by pewkatchoo on August 3, 2007 at 11:55 pm

What a twat!

223. Islamic creationist group launches glitzy, global blitz

Comment #61143 by pewkatchoo on August 3, 2007 at 11:45 pm

Ho hum. Let's spread a little ignorance and stupidity. This puts the lie to the myth that Islam was ever an enlightened religion. There can be no such thing.

224. Could these books be part of the problem?

Comment #60927 by pewkatchoo on August 3, 2007 at 6:23 am

er Russell, I hate to burst your bubble but they did:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-R-Evolution/dp/0028642260/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-8937944-1220709?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186147262&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Dummies-Math-Science/dp/0470117737/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8937944-1220709?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186147388&sr=1-1

225. Could these books be part of the problem?

Comment #60868 by pewkatchoo on August 3, 2007 at 3:08 am

You couldn't make it up. And I thought that my avatar was just a p1sstake. These guys do a better job of ridiculing themselves than we ever could.

226. God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy: 'No' Says God

Comment #60807 by pewkatchoo on August 2, 2007 at 10:33 pm

Is it my imagination, or did he just wiggle his toes?

227. The Flea Circus Invites a Newcomer!

Comment #60329 by pewkatchoo on August 1, 2007 at 3:37 pm

So far as I can see, there have been 6 atheistic books in the last year. There seems to have been about 6 books from the god squad claiming to refute the contents of each one of these books, each with absurd takes on the titles of the original. What is wrong with these people? Are they so lacking in confidence that they cannot allow one atheistic book to be published without endlessly challenging it? We do not do that to their books. Why, indeed, would we bother! Have they not worked out how pathetic they are? They are like kids in the playground; Miss, Miss, Richard and Sam said some nasty words. Miss are you going to punish them?

228. The Flea Circus Invites a Newcomer!

Comment #60325 by pewkatchoo on August 1, 2007 at 3:22 pm

mr robertson, at least two of the people on this site have read your book and were so scathing that I for one would not bother. I think most of us have read the most important book on religion out there anyway, namely the bible. And that was crap, so what is the point of reading your nonsense. We all know what you are going to say anyway and you are lousy writers too. At least professor Dawkins has some interesting scientific points to make, you just talk shite.

229. The Out Campaign

Comment #60319 by pewkatchoo on August 1, 2007 at 3:12 pm

WeeFlea
Getitrightupyez ye big girls blouse. I am not going to waste my time on you anymore because you do not answer questions fully, only the bits that you think allow you to look good. As a human being you are a waste of good oxygen.

230. God-Fearing People: Why are we so scared of offending Muslims?

Comment #60125 by pewkatchoo on August 1, 2007 at 4:29 am

Do you all remember the event in Glasgow where those guys piled into the terrorist nutters? Well it made me think about muslims in Scotland. I think that, for the most part, muslims who moved to Scotland have pretty much integrated into the society and there are, so far as I am aware, no islamic ghettos there. In fact, it is a fair bet that Scottish muslims would have piled into those clowns too if they had been around. I don't know why this is or even if it is an incorrect perception.

This is not to say that all is sweetness and light in weegie land, it is not. They have their own sectarian lunacy with Rangers and Celtic keeping the whole 'Prods versus Tims' idiocy going. They don't need to import a whole new brand of sectarianism to an area that is already rife with it. Long may this continue.

231. God-Fearing People: Why are we so scared of offending Muslims?

Comment #60117 by pewkatchoo on August 1, 2007 at 4:05 am

Speak for yourself Hitch! I am not scared of offending anyone and do it quite a lot!

I have just managed to get hold of your book and see that you are doing quite a bit of offending yourself. Great stuff. I particularly liked the Heaven Hates Ham bit. So much so that I immediately registered it as a .com domain. I will be using it for pointing out the absurdities of god and religion and for anti-religious humour, so I hope you don't mind my being so presumptious. Wait up for some Heaven Hates Ham t-shirts.

232. Beyond Belief: Atheism (with AC Grayling)

Comment #59966 by pewkatchoo on July 31, 2007 at 8:49 am

Wadsworth
Excellent post. I hope that will keep darwin2 quiet for a while.

233. The Out Campaign

Comment #59960 by pewkatchoo on July 31, 2007 at 8:32 am

WeeFleaInTheEar

What part of a free society didn't you understand? Professor Dawkins and everyone else here is at liberty to do pretty much what they like so long as it does not cause actual harm to others. But then I forgot, you lot are so used to burning people like us at the stake as heretics and blasphemers so have a bit of a problem with the values of liberty don't you?

I don't think that these activities even impinge on the prof's scientific work. So basically, what I am saying is, it is none of your flaming business. Your questions are illegitimate because you are not qualified to ask them. Now be a good chap and go and have a nice cup of tea.

234. The Out Campaign

Comment #59918 by pewkatchoo on July 31, 2007 at 5:34 am

Henri

We first have to get ordinary people thinking about these issues. One of the best ways to do that is through humour. Dave Allen and Monthy Python (Life of Brian was a clear case of the movie being much better than the book) came in for a lot of outrage in the 60s and 70s but I think that they helped to foster a sea-change in how religious matters were viewed in the UK because they were aimed at ordinary people. Shame it never filtered through entirely to the establishment but it did stop the establishment from using the power of the church to get their way.

I am going to be working on a new pukiemon story over the next week or two aimed at ripping it out of faith schools. I will post a link here when it is done. The more we draw attention to the absurdity of the situation the more we are likely to dissuade the government from opening other such schools.

235. Philip Kitcher - Living with Darwin

Comment #59892 by pewkatchoo on July 31, 2007 at 3:20 am

Why is it that philosophers and bishops always seem to be touted as eminent?

This, for me, is of the same level as PR or marketing types referring to themselves as professionals.

I have my own humorous website which gets a lot of visitors in a week and gives me quite a bit of exposure. Does that entitle me to call myself an eminent humorist? Or just a mouthy git?

236. The Out Campaign

Comment #59863 by pewkatchoo on July 31, 2007 at 12:43 am

I am very uncomfortable with the big red A.


I see it as very cultish and actually quite twee, a bit like I view the Brights. It denotes a lack of confidence in our position. However, as I live in the UK it does not really apply here. Like Henri I can see that it has value in the US as they are facing a much more childish yet dangerous threat from religious influence.

I have always thought that humour and, if necessary ridicule, is the best weapon against the religious orthodoxy. Basically, the ultra-religious are totally lacking in humour, especially when it is being aimed at them, and tend to react to this. Here in the UK we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the late great Dave Allen (died 2005) and to the Monty Python team who totally demystified and debunked the religious twaddle that we used to have to endure. Then of course along came Father Ted to effectively pour scorn on the RC priesthood.

So Henri, you asked how to hit the Faith School thing in the UK. I say do it with humour. It is an absurd anacronism. I remember 'Call me Dave' and his mob, when they described the Grammar School system as an out-of-date 50's solution to a 21st century problem. Yet they seemed to be totally unaware of the absurd irony in their position of support for faith schools, a 15th (and older) century solution to a 21st century problem. Clearly showing that the only thing more ridiculous than the clergy are the politicians.

Humour.

237. Come Out!

Comment #59684 by pewkatchoo on July 30, 2007 at 7:16 am

I agree with Charlie Wiederhold and for the same reasons will not be buying this t-shirt. Take off the link to Richard Dawkins and replace it with the Out org and I will buy one.

238. Don't eat at the Outback Steakhouse on Route 3...

Comment #59038 by pewkatchoo on July 27, 2007 at 3:13 am

Alovrin
Heheheh. That was more a device to show that I am completely disinterested in anything that was said in that video rather than just a criticism of your vocabulary.

239. Don't eat at the Outback Steakhouse on Route 3...

Comment #59017 by pewkatchoo on July 27, 2007 at 1:42 am

Why do so many people not seem to know the difference between 'prosecute' and 'persecute'?

240. The hitch in Hitchens' thinking

Comment #58715 by pewkatchoo on July 26, 2007 at 12:10 am

And here was me thinking that god was a metaphor. Dearie me, shows how much I know then.

The question is not whether God exists. The question is whether we concern ourselves with, or are utterly indifferent to, the sanctity and ultimate transcendence of human existence. God is that mysterious force that works upon us and through us to seek and achieve truth, beauty and goodness. God is a verb. God is a process accomplishing itself, not an asserted existence. And God is inescapable.

241. In defense of dangerous ideas

Comment #58582 by pewkatchoo on July 25, 2007 at 8:57 am

MagratGarlick
Ah the good old racism trump card. Well done. Nice to see it played so skillfully.

How about a game of tiddlywinks instead.

242. Islamic Creationist and a Book Sent Round the World

Comment #58549 by pewkatchoo on July 25, 2007 at 7:04 am

Philip
I think he is getting in touch with his spiritual side.

243. In defense of dangerous ideas

Comment #58325 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 1:16 pm

jonecc
"people like you"

Nice. You know sweet fuck-all about me, so what does that fascinating piece of cerebrelisation represent?

244. In defense of dangerous ideas

Comment #58265 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 7:22 am

jonecc
I am in the Netherlands. Unfortunately you are talking tosh. There was no real need for immigration in the scale that eventually occurred. It was all short-termist and Powell knew this.

As for immigration being a raging success. I suggest you ask some of the people who had to move out of the areas that became muslim ghettos. Or some of the people who live close by to some of these areas.

As for economically. I don't think that importing whole families, many members of which are economically inactive is a plus for the economy.

245. The new preface to The God Delusion paperback and Q&A

Comment #58260 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 7:06 am

Ash Roskell is an idiot. He got caught out with a slip in getting Professor Dawkins first name wrong and then tried to cover up his embarrasment by inventing a tenuous link to some martyred geek in the bible. What a plonker.

246. The new preface to The God Delusion paperback and Q&A

Comment #58256 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 6:54 am

I wonder if friar william would be happy that his supposition is now used as a basis for arguing against the complexity of god! Poetic justice or what?

Note to self: must read more Popper.

247. In defense of dangerous ideas

Comment #58245 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 6:05 am

Margrat

Until we have a sample of male and female humans who have not been subjected to any differences in their upbringing whatsoever, an experiment which is not only unethical but impossible, we will never know.

248. In defense of dangerous ideas

Comment #58211 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 3:06 am

sbooder
"That Sir is a loaded question."

That is exactly what it is not. It is a statement not a question.

249. Can the rest of us have our planet back?

Comment #58208 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 2:59 am

phil rimmer
I am sure that they will send Boris Johnson to Liverpool to apologise in his stead.

250. In defense of dangerous ideas

Comment #58207 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 2:51 am

Steve99
Why did you add the codicil 'though natural'? It is surely superfluous in the context of its purpose and really only reflects your own particular bias. You have to be careful with these things. Also, the statement should be phrased as a question.