201. Fleabytes

Comment #145653 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 11:02 pm

kaiserkriss -Sorry to disappoint you, but I am NOT "clairpenser". And no self-respecting French speaker would have dreamed up "clairpenser" as a translation of "clearthinker".
"Le Clair Penseur" is no better.
I would have used "Penseur Lucide" - in French, the adjective is nearly always after the noun. One interesting exception is, in fact "libre-penseur" - free-thinker



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

202. Two More Fleas

Comment #145422 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 3:01 pm

Comment #145403 by Calilasseia



Indeed, a remarkable post. Unfortunately, in order to fully appreciate it, I will have to save it and come back to it when I have mastered Lolspeak.
What?
Have I said something wrong?
Stop pushing me towards the door!
And I didn't bring a f***in' coat!

203. Fleabytes

Comment #145418 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 2:51 pm

Just look around you, at our young, at the depravitty and FILTH in human nature!

Well, I looked around me and saw my wife and my two sons.
Oh,and "Ugly Betty" on the television.
You fail. (I hope!)

204. Fleabytes

Comment #145406 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 2:42 pm

Steve Zara - I STAND REBUKD AN HANG MAH HED IN SHAIM
(Still can't work out where to put the circumflex accents...)

annabana Look what you have done to:


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes


IZ YOR FOLT

205. Fleabytes

Comment #145364 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 2:08 pm

annabanana

o hai, srsly.

When theists do it, it's bad spelling and bad manners; when we do it, it's Lolcat.
Just wanted to be clear on that point.

(Just joking, Anna! rly srsly Joe King)
Steve Zara :

I don't know much about Paula, but I am sure she is not a Dalek (well, pretty sure).

Evidence, please.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

206. Fleabytes

Comment #145307 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 1:19 pm

Pathfinder

I take grave exepttion to the idea we crawled out of the PRIMEVIL slime.

We didn't all make it all of the way out. Well, not on a permanent basis. Just brief forays to come and post on this site.





http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

207. New Atheists Are Not Great

Comment #145305 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Silent Mike

al-rawandi

Please stop that. You'll give everybody here nightmares.

No, don't stop - it's not every day that we have eye-witnesses for miraculous events!

208. New Atheists Are Not Great

Comment #145293 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 1:08 pm

al-rawandi

The guy slept with Ann Coulter.

There are some people who are lucky ebough to be able to go to sleep in the most trying circumstances.
I certainly think it's preferable to staying awake with her.




http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

209. Fleabytes

Comment #145286 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Pathfinder

C'mon guys I am a bit apalled at this hoobris.

If you can't stand the heat, kitchens do have doors, you know.

210. Fleabytes

Comment #145265 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 12:37 pm

mikejswalker : The Bible says - "Can any good thing come out of Rossendale?" (I'm not 100% certain that the KJV mentions Rossendale, but earlier versions etc etc).
Well, with your appearance here we have the answer to that question : a huge YES!
As regards your recent posts, all I can add is "Me too."
When I read Paula's explanation, I felt like a wishy-washy wimp. Because I am constitutionally incapable of despising anybody.
This, I realise is not a quality.Wars are not won, and dictatorships are not overthrown by people like me.
But just as there are many types of gods, many varieties if theists, so are the rest of us a motley crew.
And, frankly, I wouldn't wish it to be any other way.
al-rawandi and Steve Zara, Diacanu and Paula Kirby, mikejswalker and irate_atheist..
I would like to steal Shakespeare's words and say of this site :

the elements
So mix'd in it that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world 'This is a thread!'

211. Fleabytes

Comment #145261 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Geoff - you're a gentleman!
Although I had very little to do with the Welsh success, I still felt very happy about the results.
And your comment prolongs my pleasure.

212. Fleabytes

Comment #144964 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 5:37 am

Steve Zara

Maybe we should introduce the idea of atheist Saints, ensuring that they get praise and lots of lovely feasting while they are still alive.

Brilliant idea.
Send me your birthday dates and I'll work out a Calendar.
But I don't think that we can dispense with the need for atheist miracles before proceeding with beatification.
I will personally take care of verifying the evidence of the miracles, and accord Sainthood only to worthy atheists.
Proof of an atheist miracle would be, for example:
Not praying to get rich, and staying poor;
Not praying to be healed, and remaining sick (medical certificates required for this one);
Turning wine into water, but uniquely by adding water until only homoeopathic quantities of wine remain (residents of the Bordeaux region are disqualified from claiming this miracle for obvious reasons);
having a premonitory dream about an earthquake or a tsunami, at least ONE WEEK AFTER the event.
Staying dead for at least an entire weekend after dying.
Becoming pregnant by having sex.
Over to you!

213. Fleabytes

Comment #144926 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 4:02 am

Steve Zara :

Change is inevitable. As the seasons progress, so does headgear.

A Time for Everything


1 To every hat there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11 It sucks.

214. Two More Fleas

Comment #144904 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 2:54 am

frderik

the Purple Teapot circling the sun is not imaginary, it is real! What's more, the intelligent Teapot created the universe.

More unfounded drivel from a fundamentalist Purple Teapotter!"

Official statement issued by: The Reformed United Congregation of Multi-coloured Kettles.

215. Fleabytes

Comment #144899 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 2:47 am

Paula

But there's always next time.

I just hope that you're not going to regret that public promise one day.
Do you have a Myspace or anything like it? A blog, perhaps?
A little site, uniquely Paulakirbyan would bring joy to many a lost atheist soul.
(Not mine, of course, I'm speaking for all the others...)

216. The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing

Comment #144897 by Richard Morgan on March 17, 2008 at 2:43 am

DamnedAtheist

This will likely be my first introduction to many of the listed contributors as I am an uneducated oaf, hopefully this will soon be remedied.

Good on yer, mate!
Soon you'll be a truly educated oaf - and thus, in good company here!
Read on!

217. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144839 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 8:44 pm

Goldy - sorry, I'd forgotten you lived in NZ.
Talking about the use of the f*** word - do you give lessons?

218. The atheist delusion

Comment #144837 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 8:40 pm

SPS

...J.Maynard Keynes...the most wickedest of men

How the heck can you take seriously anyone capable of saying "the most wickedest"?

219. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144834 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 8:33 pm

Goldy

Richard, I notice a large increase in the frequency of the word fuck (and it's derivatives) in your posts.

Three reasons for this:
1. I've been reading too many threads on RDNet.
2. I've just finished reading "I am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe, and
3. I am quite seriously thinking of organising an RDNet knees-up somewhere in Europe like Juan-les-Pins or Piraeus or Copacabana-on-Tyne or Llanymynech-under-Nurisht or somesuch, and I don't want to be considered as conversationally handicapped by my fellow RDNutters,oops, I mean RDNetters.
So, fuck you, Jimmy.
Or Goldy.
Shouldn't you be in bed, anyway?

220. Fleabytes

Comment #144811 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 7:10 pm

Dr Benway - Cornwell not Cornwall. He's a well, a source of living water, etc etc, not a "wall" that makes good neighbours. Or is that fences?

221. The atheist delusion

Comment #144807 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 7:07 pm

Dr Benway

I smell bullshit.

Means you're talking to the wrong end of the bull.

222. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144804 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 7:01 pm

Gmork

"Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead"

What a fuckin' coincidence. She must have the same students as I do. WTF - the same entire classes!

223. Fleabytes

Comment #144802 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 6:58 pm

Dr Benway

Y'all are in rare form tonight.

Thank you for pointing out that it's rare. You sure know how to make a gal feel desirable.

224. Fleabytes

Comment #144798 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 6:43 pm

_J_

Shit's shit whether it's got wings and a halo or not

Have you been eating too many baked beans again?

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

Comment #144788 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 6:22 pm

Goldy :

Need to see how omeprazole inhibits cyclophosphamide metabolism.

For crissake, man. Just fuckin' ask it!
Record its answer, then concentrate on serious stuff like posting here on RDNet.
Anyway, I always though that "Oh, me prazole!" was what a Mexican shouted when he got kicked in the goolies. No?

226. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144784 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 6:12 pm

Believing in God's healing powers doesn't require asking him to grow an amputated limb back, or recycle WeeFlea's brain. Faith means that God can make you happy with the one leg you have left or a brain that isn't firing on all cylinders.
Unfortunately, neither God nor magic can make you dead - for that, it takes brute force, cunning or technology.
Or genes that are not programmed to make you live forever. Selfish little bastards aren't they?
You let them live in your body for a few years, then when you've carried them around long enough for them to make other gene-carriers, it's "So long and thanks for all the fish" or whatever.
But what I like about us rationalists is that, even if Sanal Edamaruku had actually dropped dead at some point during the experiment, like for example, in the middle of an "Om lingalingalingalinga, kilikilikili…." (once more with feeling), we cynical ol' sods would have said, "Yeah, well, it's just a fuckin' coincidence, because the guy had heart problems anyway. If it's not repeatable, it doesn't prove any-fucking-thing.
If he can do it on the entire Bolton Wanderers football team, in scientifically-controlled conditions, thern we might believe it."

And if he succeeded in doing that, we'd say, "He must have been cheating! It can't have been just the cabbalistic signs he was scrawling on his football polls coupon. Do it again, this time, with, say The Red Army Choir, or the Conservative Party."

And if he succeeded that, and so on, and so forth.
We are really a bunch of spoilsports, aren't we?
And I just love it!

227. Fleabytes

Comment #144745 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 5:12 pm

mixmastergaz :

Tea the instigator, Marmite the off-shoot and Bovril the holy-undrinkable.

And to think I was feeling guilty about mentioning my music in this thread.
Bovril!!!
At least we have created a thread where "off-topic" no longer has any meaning whatsoever.
Just pass the flea-spray will, you please?
Yes, that's right, the Bovril scented one.
U R PWND!

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

Comment #144740 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*


Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas


I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

229. In Britain, creationist theory is evolving

Comment #144726 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:42 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*


Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas


I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

230. The atheist delusion

Comment #144725 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:40 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*


Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas


I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

231. Two More Fleas

Comment #144724 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:39 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*


Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas


I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

232. Fleabytes

Comment #144722 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*


Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas


I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

233. Richard Dawkins' US Tour begins this week

Comment #144714 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:30 pm

Oops! A "last" last music update:

(I'm sorry, I know I promised. I repent. I'll go into the garden to eat worms.
But this last piece was screaming to be expressed. Or as Prospect magazine might have said, but didn't, I've "had it in me" for a long time.)
*Buttons coat and picks up brolly and heads for the door.*


Richard Dawkins:

What would music inspired by the fleas sound like?
Something to make them seem ridiculous, pathetic, desperate?

I felt there was also a need for bombast and chaos and a little dose of hollowness!

Past Fleas


I decided to keep the title "Past Fleas" because, one day soon, that's what they will all be.
Past fleas.
Les puces du passé

Whilst The God Delusion will remain a benchmark publication for future generations, the fleas have produced no more than toilet seat dribbles that will trickle between the cracks of the public memory and quickly evaporate, leaving only a briefly lingering unpleasant smell.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

234. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144661 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 2:28 pm

Bonzai

To attribute religion entirely to childhood upbringing (or any single cause for that matter) is a complete non starter.

Generally speaking I would agree that to attribute something as vast and as imprecise as "religion" to any single cause is unsound reasoning.
Would you say that a person's being Muslim could be entirely attributed to his being born in Saudi Arabia?
Probably.
Though I have no statistics to bear me out, I suspect that an adult who "becomes" religious has probably been exposed to the cognitive dissonance of some "invisible" entity in childhood.
Recently I asked to hear from "converts" to atheism who had actually been dyed-in-the-wool "believers" since childhood before becoming atheist.
So far I have had no replies.
Similarly, I would like to know of an adult who suddenly "sees the Light" and becomes religious, but who had grown up in social/family environment completely free of any religious/sky-daddy thinking, or even tradition.
I suppose somebody is going to say that such an environment is likely to be extremely rare.
All the same, it would be interesting to check.
I have a rather sad personal story concerning the childhood influence phenomenon.
Thirty years ago I was a raving Evangelical. It lasted about five years. During that time I had two sons with a wife from whom I was divorced when the children were still very, very young.
The older boy had the time to be exposed to hallelujah-full-praise-rowdy sessions which he loved.He was singing along with all the songs, and praying in "tongues" with great gusto by the age of four.
After the divorce, my ex-wife abandoned her religious activities, mostly because she had only started as a result of my pressure. (yeah, I know, I was a real fundie shit, I know, I know.)
I was totally separated from my sons in rather weird circumstances for over 20 years, and only found them again thanks to... Google.
And guess what - the son who was still only a tiny baby at the time of the divorce has become a non-religious scientist, but the older son "found Jesus" at the age of 23. And of course, he claims to have absolutely no memories at all of his early exposure Evangelical Christianity. In fact, he refuses the idea that his early experiences could have influences his adult choices.
What do you think?
Sure, I have no proof, but I am certainly not surprised.
OK, an anecdote is not verifiable evidence, but all the same....



PS The good news : my son is a very intelligent young man who loves reading. Already he has moved from Evangelical Christianity to ideas of becoming a Catholic. To my mind, he's evolving in the right direction, and if he continues reading and searching he will probably drift towards 99% god-free Anglicanism and then....?
Well, he has accepted all the Dawkins books I've sent him, so I remain hopeful.
"L'espoir fait vivre." as we Frenchies say!

235. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144570 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 10:52 am

kaiser

And the hypnosis skills in India are much higher than in the western world.

"Hypnosis skills"?
Oh dear - I do hope you don't really believe that.
If so, perhaps you have been hypnotised into believing it!
Exploiting pre-existent belief structures, ok, but "skills"?
(I am speaking from considerable experience of "Ericksonian hypnotherapy" and "Sophrology" and "NLP" and other woo-woo wonders of the New Age. And India, its people and cultures.)

236. Fleabytes

Comment #144469 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 6:42 am

Calling :
mixmastergaz
MPhil, and
mikejswalker
PMs in your inboxes.
Ready when you are.

237. Fleabytes

Comment #144465 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 6:17 am

Yesterday I asked my son if he was familiar with Lolcat.
He looked at me as if I had just arrived from another planet and said, "Everybody knows what Lolcat is. It's an internet meme, a sort of language for talking to the Ceiling Cat. Do you know what a meme is, Dad?"
Ah, what it takes to bridge the generation gap!

238. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144441 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:47 am

A LAST MUSIC UPDATE
(I promise - it really is the last!)
I announced earlier that everything that I have composed for and about RDNet subjects are now posted on the fleabytes Music Myspace.
Some of you have complained of only finding six!
Well,in the official standalone player there are six musical portraits (the maximum for their player), but if you scroll down the page, there is another player with seven other pieces, including my montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale (with Richard's voice) and The Salamander's Tale (spoken by Lalla Ward)
That's all folks!
I've got me coat.
But no hat.
I'm off to Ilkley Moor...


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

239. Two More Fleas

Comment #144438 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:45 am

A LAST MUSIC UPDATE
(I promise - it really is the last!)
I announced earlier that everything that I have composed for and about RDNet subjects are now posted on the fleabytes Music Myspace.
Some of you have complained of only finding six!
Well,in the official standalone player there are six musical portraits (the maximum for their player), but if you scroll down the page, there is another player with seven other pieces, including my montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale (with Richard's voice) and The Salamander's Tale (spoken by Lalla Ward)
That's all folks!
I've got me coat.
But no hat.
I'm off to Ilkley Moor...


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

240. Fleabytes

Comment #144437 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:44 am

A LAST MUSIC UPDATE
(I promise - it really is the last!)
I announced earlier that everything that I have composed for and about RDNet subjects are now posted on the fleabytes Music Myspace.
Some of you have complained of only finding six!
Well,in the official standalone player there are six musical portraits (the maximum for their player), but if you scroll down the page, there is another player with seven other pieces, including my montages of excerpts from The Lava Lizard's Tale (with Richard's voice) and The Salamander's Tale (spoken by Lalla Ward)
That's all folks!
I've got me coat.
But no hat.
I'm off to Ilkley Moor...


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

241. Fleabytes

Comment #144432 by Richard Morgan on March 16, 2008 at 4:28 am

mixmastergaz

Does anybody know of any good songs with an atheistic point of view?

Sounds like fun!
Are there any wordsmiths here who would like to "collaborate" with me in writing such a song or five?

242. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #144354 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 5:35 pm

Steve Zara - I am wondering if you still think the "Someone knows where an atomic bomb is hidden. " scenario is a valid one? Or whether, on thinking it through, you have realised that it was not a very judicious example?
You know the opinion I hold of most of your insights and judgements, but this one looks like a rare lapse. I was about to type out almost the same things as ungodly atheist.
(Comment #144347 by ungodlystheist on March 15, 2008 at 5:07 pm)
Sorry about that. But I would be reassured to learn that you have had second thoughts on this one.
Ready when you are. Holding my breath.

243. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144351 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 5:18 pm

Mark Smith

I am saying that by seeming to believe essentially that believers are stupid, RD is giving people grounds for thinking RD is wrong, perhaps even 'stupid' himself in this regard, and therefore to dismiss other things he has to say.

"people"?
Which "people"?
And in any event, every time RD opens his mouth, he is giving somebody grounds for thinking that "RD is wrong".
I guess what you're trying to say is that mocking the stupidity of certain beliefs is counter-productive to the atheist cause. If so, by the same token would you consider calling indoctrinating children "evil" damage the cause?
If not, why not?
Why would it be acceptable to say :"It is evil to do this." but counter-productive to say : "It is stupid to believe this."?

244. The atheist delusion

Comment #144195 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 9:43 am

MUSIC UPDATE


Excuse my off-topic : all my RDNet compositions are now posted on:


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

245. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144194 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 9:42 am

MUSIC UPDATE


Excuse my off-topic : all my RDNet compositions are now posted on:


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

246. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144187 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 9:32 am

Mark Smith

I wish he would not imply, or at least seem to imply, that believers must not be very intelligent

I think RD fully acknowledges the fact that very intelligent people can believe stupid things. The whole question of why "intelligent people believe weird things" is a very interesting one, and has been treated by several authors.
You know the old saying : "behind every successful man, there is a wonderful wife and a surprised mother-in-law"? As in "How could an intelligent girl like my daughter marry an idiot like him?" Many very important aspects of our life-styles and world views are determined more by feelings than by reason.
(Steve - Pax!)
However, I can't help but feel that it is actually quite useful to point out the silliness of religious beliefs, even if that offends most of the time.
A bit of "shock treatment", y'know what I mean?

247. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144083 by Richard Morgan on March 15, 2008 at 4:02 am

I have sent an mp3 without commercials to Josh.

Then there's some in the middle who take a relatively sensible view...

In,this context, relativity takes on a whole new meaning, like, "We can't actually lock them away today..."

248. Full house captivated by atheist Dawkins' take on religion

Comment #143918 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 3:51 pm

MUSIC UPDATE - MPHIL


As I am in my period of R & R, I asked my son, Anthony to have a look at MPhil's style.
MPhil likes the electric guitar - Anthony plays and composes for the electric guitar. He has produced this little medley, just for... MPhil



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

249. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #143917 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 3:50 pm

MUSIC UPDATE - MPHIL


As I am in my period of R & R, I asked my son, Anthony to have a look at MPhil's style.
MPhil likes the electric guitar - Anthony plays and composes for the electric guitar. He has produced this little medley, just for... MPhil


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

250. Two More Fleas

Comment #143916 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 3:48 pm

MUSIC UPDATE - MPHIL


As I am in my period of R & R, I asked my son, Anthony to have a look at MPhil's style.
MPhil likes the electric guitar - Anthony plays and composes for the electric guitar. He has produced this little medley, just for... MPhil



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes