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Comments by steveroot


401. Gigantic fossil rodent discovered

Comment #113014 by steveroot on January 18, 2008 at 12:48 pm

27. Comment #112827 by epeeist on January 18, 2008 at 6:38 am

Perhaps the reason god didn't allow A&E to eat the apple was because they had no intestinal fauna to digest it.

Minor correction, please! That would be "flora"; there are sometimes "fauna" in the GI tract, but they are generally there as parasites, and have little to do with digestion. An example would be Giardia lamblia (aka "the little old man"); see
http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasites/giardiasis/factsht_giardia.htm
Steve

402. Ben Stein Bribing Schools to See His Anti-Evolution Movie 'Expelled'

Comment #112971 by steveroot on January 18, 2008 at 10:50 am

104. Comment #112961 by MaxD on January 18, 2008 at 10:41 am
Now I'll be branded as a flip-flopper.
Damnit.

Better that than a "dog-doer"!
Steve

FWIW, I accept your apology on behalf of my diminutive dyslexic god.

403. Ben Stein Bribing Schools to See His Anti-Evolution Movie 'Expelled'

Comment #112942 by steveroot on January 18, 2008 at 10:03 am

88. Comment #112919 by MaxD on January 18, 2008 at 9:26 am

"...the disgusting form that so captivates Paris Hilton."

Hey, MaxD, be careful! My avatar is a Chihuahua! Watch where you step, my friend! ;-)

BTW, you can delete that extra copy of your post. See the little [x] to the left of the [edit] button.
Steve

404. Dinesh D'Souza: Winner of the 2007 Bad Faith Award

Comment #112488 by steveroot on January 17, 2008 at 9:27 am

57. Comment #112383 by Peacebeuponme on January 17, 2008 at 2:41 am

I don't think "bombers" makes them sound more cuddly.

Well, some of us *are* of the "baby bomber generation".
:-)
Steve

405. Dinesh D'Souza: Winner of the 2007 Bad Faith Award

Comment #112323 by steveroot on January 16, 2008 at 8:31 pm

26. Comment #112178 by Double Bass Atheist on January 16, 2008 at 1:56 pm

"A man without a god is like a fish without a bicycle." – Gloria Steinem


In the pedantic interests of accuracy, I must point out that this comparison was made by Irina Dunn in a slightly different form:

Gloria Steinem had this to say in a letter she wrote to Time magazine in autumn 2000:

"In your note on my new and happy marital partnership with David Bale, you credit me with the witticism 'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.' In fact, Irina Dunn, a distinguished Australian educator, journalist and politician, coined the phrase back in 1970 when she was a student at the University of Sydney. She paraphrased the philosopher who said, 'Man needs God like fish needs a bicycle.' Dunn deserves credit for creating such a popular and durable spoof of the old idea that women need men more than vice versa."

Reference:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/414150.html
Steve

406. The Group Delusion

Comment #112289 by steveroot on January 16, 2008 at 6:37 pm

@ The Reverend Dark:

This is abuse.

Wooter you are an utter ignoramus. You would be described as thick as pig shite, but even after we fed a pig a steady diet of toffee and eggs, it was still not able to pony up a turd whose fecal density approached your particular level of tragic stupidity. You would be hard pressed to find your own arse without the assistance of both hands, a flashlight, a highly trained arse sniffing dog and a team of dedicated spelunkers. I would call you an arsehole, but the Royal Order of the Puckered Starfish rejected the application. They have standards and would be mortified to admit a creature so contemptuous to their company.
See the difference?

I could not see my keyboard for a full two minutes after reading this. My hat is off to you, Sir! That is the best abuse I've seen in years.
Pity it's wasted...
Steve

407. Why Christopher Hitchens is not Great

Comment #111691 by steveroot on January 15, 2008 at 12:59 pm

72. Comment #111689 by al-rawandi on January 15, 2008 at 12:55 pm
God damn it.
I meant breasts.

What the fuck are breats?

Breatwurst. Great with sauerkraut!


BTW, you *can* edit your errors away... or should I say, "redact"? :-)
Just like the scribes did with the bible!
Steve

408. Why Christopher Hitchens is not Great

Comment #111688 by steveroot on January 15, 2008 at 12:55 pm

45. Comment #40833 by scooternyc on May 15, 2007 at 4:32 am
These are some good sites ...

www.godisimaginary.com

www.godvsthebible.com

If anyone knows of other good ones, I'm always wanting to add to good research.

This one is probably already known to you, but:

http://www.whydoesgodhateamputees.com

Steve

409. Why Christopher Hitchens is not Great

Comment #111681 by steveroot on January 15, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Blockquote>31. Comment #40689 by the great teapot on May 14, 2007 at 5:18 pm
is the author ( of this article) actually aware that God is Great is the final mantra of all homocide bombers.
I think you meant "hom_i_cide"...
Freudian slip? lol!
Steve

410. Why Christopher Hitchens is not Great

Comment #111673 by steveroot on January 15, 2008 at 12:29 pm

Christians are happy, filled with joy, secure in their purpose and direction. They are "enthusiastic." Which is a very accurate depiction of Christianity.

How does Kevin McCullough suppose this applies to people of (the One, True) faith, when many of *us* non-theists could be described in exactly the same terms?
Steve

411. George Scales, War Hero and Generous Friend of RDFRS

Comment #111424 by steveroot on January 14, 2008 at 2:44 pm

Best wishes from the Colonies for a rapid and complete recovery. My thoughts are with you (no middleman involved!).

Regards,
Steve Weeks, DDS

412. The Moral Instinct

Comment #111316 by steveroot on January 14, 2008 at 10:10 am

259. Comment #111303 by al-rawandi on January 14, 2008 at 9:04 am

Steve,
How shall I submit it?

Send it to Josh at "design@richarddawkins.net"

Scary stuff there!
Steve (not *that* Steve, but another... :-) )

413. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #111263 by steveroot on January 14, 2008 at 7:19 am

25. Comment #111156 by Goldy on January 13, 2008 at 6:57 pm
You can take the horse to water, but you can't make it drink. same with cretinists - show them the evidence they'll poo-poo it.

Don't be too hard on them- they retain a vestigial (but in them, slightly functional) feature from their "icthus" phase: a valve that closes their mind when they see a bible. ;-)

@Bluebird
Yes the Shedd is amazing. We have a family membership and try to go there a few times a year. The Field Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry are also good to visit. Of course, none of them can hold a candle to the creation museum in Tennessee! LOL
Steve

414. The Group Delusion

Comment #111222 by steveroot on January 14, 2008 at 4:25 am

111. Comment #111215 by Steve Zara on January 14, 2008 at 3:50 am

Steve, you beat me to the punch... no, "punch" isn't quite right (more like feeding a black hole!).

Here's something about the Earth's magnetic field and its inconstancy:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/29dec_magneticfield.htm

I forget: did the clever folks that wrote the bible know about magnetism?
Steve

415. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #111105 by steveroot on January 13, 2008 at 3:52 pm

The first one is called "Adam to Ahab- Myth and History in the Bible", and the second is "Myths, Dreams, and Theology in Early Christianity". The author, Fred Stitt, has a long career in the insurance industry. He took divinity courses at the University of Chicago. He learned Hebrew, Aramaic and Cuneiform as part of his studies. It is amazing to hear him talk about this stuff. He says his interest in the bible is purely historical and points out that he is *not* a theologian. In fact, he claims to be a practicing episcopalian. He speaks at local churches occasionally on topics related to his studies- I heard him this morning at his own church. He gets some heat about his point of view, even from his relatively liberal episcopal church; he gets a lot of support as well. Some fundamentalists I have shown the books to don't like them much :-). I think you can find these books here:

Adam to Ahab...
http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Ahab-Myth-History-Bible/dp/1557788529/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200267344&sr=1-1

http://www.paragonhouse.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=387

Myths, Dreams...
http://www.amazon.com/Myths-Dreams-Theology-Early-Christianity/dp/1419641247
Steve

416. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #111095 by steveroot on January 13, 2008 at 2:52 pm

13. Comment #111094 by kraut on January 13, 2008 at 2:49 pm
This is why the denial of so called "ID scientist" of the fact of evolutionary mechanisms makes them utterly incapable of performing any task in biological research - except sweeping the floors and keeping the labtable clean.

Would you trust one of them even to do *that* in your lab?
Steve

417. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #111092 by steveroot on January 13, 2008 at 2:44 pm

I feel like I finally made a contribution here! :-)

I was sent this article by my father-in-law, who has written and published two books on mythology and history in the bible. He can make a pretty darned good case for the bible *not* being the inerrant word of god.
Steve

418. The Group Delusion

Comment #110591 by steveroot on January 11, 2008 at 2:41 pm

52. Comment #110440 by Richard Morgan on January 11, 2008 at 7:03 am

Richard, thanks for reminding me of those limericks! They were written by Monsignor Ronald Knox (1888-1957), an English Theologian. According to "The Lure of the Limerick- an uninhibited history", by William S. Baring-Gould, Msgr. Knox persuaded an unwary newspaper editor to run the following, as a "classified advertisement":

Evangelical vicar in want of a portable second-hand font, would dispose of the same for a portrait (in frame) of the Bishop-Elect of Vermont.
Steve

419. New attempt to end blasphemy law

Comment #109735 by steveroot on January 9, 2008 at 3:21 pm

1. Comment #109662 by Devolution on January 9, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Great! Now you Brits can say "Suck my balls God" just like us Yanks say in the states. Give it a try, it feels good.

What ever happened to the "Suck it, Jesus!" campaign? And would that be legal in the UK?
Steve

420. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #109733 by steveroot on January 9, 2008 at 3:17 pm

Well, I don't know math from a hole in the ground! ;-)

This one goes on my "to read" list.
Steve

421. Hook, line and rapture

Comment #109219 by steveroot on January 8, 2008 at 3:32 pm

"...the sucker still thinks he's going to take the big prize..."

This guy brings tears to my eyes. He does not waste a single word. Priceless.
Steve

422. Mother Nature is Not Our Friend

Comment #108380 by steveroot on January 6, 2008 at 4:14 pm

302. Comment #108365 by qster on January 6, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Or F-off and find another planet to populate - good luck, I'm sure there are some out there.

Sorry, most of us here are not mormons!
Steve

423. Sam Harris debate with Rabbi David Wolpe

Comment #107942 by steveroot on January 5, 2008 at 3:45 pm

91. Comment #107626 by Don_Quix on January 4, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Thanks Rtambree. I will do that. :) I just recently read The Varieties of Scientific Experience, which was based on Carl Sagan's 1985 Gifford Lectures (edited by Ann Druyan and published posthumously).

I recently found that one and am about halfway through it. Sagan was soooo good at explaining things. I'm sort of alternating between that book and David Mills' "The Atheist Universe" (introduction by Dorion Sagan, coincidentally).
Steve

424. Sadly, an Honest Creationist

Comment #107489 by steveroot on January 4, 2008 at 3:53 pm

76. Comment #107202 by Tyler Durden on January 4, 2008 at 9:10 am
...and the fact the image we perceive is upside down until the retina turns it right-way up?

Isn't the image reversed in the visual cortex?
Otherwise, great comments!
Steve

425. Huckabee: Guns, God and rock'n'roll

Comment #107482 by steveroot on January 4, 2008 at 3:45 pm

I just saw Huck quoted on the news something to the effect that there would be a revival tent set up on the lawn, everyone would be converted to evangelicalism and then they would win. Words to that effect; sorry I couldn't transcribe it exactly.

But doesn't it seem as if an opportunity exists for an elegant comparative "clinical" trial? How can the Huckster lose if even a single sincere believer prays for his victory?

Remember the possible outcomes:
"Yes"
"No"
"Wait"

Steve

426. Huckabee: Guns, God and rock'n'roll

Comment #107465 by steveroot on January 4, 2008 at 2:57 pm

I just drove back to the Chicago area from Iowa, where my daughter (a student) participated in her first caucus. She stood for a winner (hint: not the Huckster). What a strange process compared to a "regular" primary; exciting to watch as an "observer".

When I saw this:
"The former governor of Arkansas and Baptist preacher then strapped on a __________ ",
I was glad it was a bass guitar, but it struck me that the possibilities are endless, especially for a clergyman! :-)
Steve

427. What have you changed your mind about? Why?

Comment #105656 by steveroot on January 1, 2008 at 12:40 pm

28. Comment #105650 by roach on January 1, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Cool article. But I've heard that no one gets to change his/her mind. It's more accurate to say that your mind is changed for you. Does anyone find this compelling?

That sounds like a clever way of saying that one's mind is changed "by" (as opposed to "in response to") outside influences (like *evidence*). I like to think that the mind (mine, at any rate) is changed by its owner. Maybe Dr. Benway will illuminate us here.
Steve

428. A War On Science

Comment #105622 by steveroot on January 1, 2008 at 9:08 am

53. Comment #105594 by Roger Stanyard on January 1, 2008 at 6:32 am

See Truth in Science whinging at http://www.truthinscience.org.uk/site/content/blogcategory/51/63/ about how hard done to it is.


Well! It looks like we're *not* descended from an ancestor shared with the apes! See:
http://www.truthinscience.org.uk/site/content/view/251/63/

There was a quote from a guy named Richard Dawkins in the corner (the quotes rotate, so may be different now), so you *know* they're telling the truth!
Steve ;-)

429. It is possible to be moral without God

Comment #105076 by steveroot on December 30, 2007 at 2:08 pm

64. Comment #105059 by Steve Zara on December 30, 2007 at 1:24 pm

If that was the stamen, then this was the wrong anther.

Thteve, you mutht do thumthing about that thpeech impediment! ;-)
That guy has a whole lot of wrong *anthers*.
Steve

430. It is possible to be moral without God

Comment #105044 by steveroot on December 30, 2007 at 12:49 pm

26. Comment #104981 by rafael184 on December 30, 2007 at 9:14 am
THE ATHEIST MENTAL DISORDER
http://scientistcanotcalculateearth.blogspot.com/


Josh, thanks for leaving the link. I didn't read the whole diatribe- just enough to realize the poster is a botanist with the ability to read truth using the sex parts of plants:

Do you Atheist hold at what you believe?

Of course not Richard Dawkins has called himself, a cultural Christian. If he is against Christians how he dares to call himself a Christian of any kind, I do believe in God I will always say that I do love God as my Father. But your stamen's shows that you are not firm in your believe rather, you are liar therefore immoral.
Steve :-)

431. 'Boycott Worked': Compass Flops - Opening Weekend $26 Million; Narnia $63 Million

Comment #104847 by steveroot on December 29, 2007 at 4:41 pm

I just got back from the movie. It did end sort of unsatisfactorily (can you say "sequel"?); my daughter, who has read the book, said there was more in the book at the end which should have been included. Otherwise, and except for some cutting and pasting, it was fairly close to the book. I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Apparently I missed where they cut out the "anti-church" bits. :-)
Steve

432. Happy Newton Day!

Comment #104081 by steveroot on December 27, 2007 at 8:36 pm

298. Comment #104067 by Steve Zara on December 27, 2007 at 6:13 pm

Then you are not going to much like my claim that Aristotle was simply an embarassment to his friends when the subject of String Theory was brought up. I mean, he should have been able to discuss this because some greek bloke mentioned something to do with atoms, didn't he?

Steve, how *do* you think of these excellent rejoinders? I fear they may be wasted on their intended recipient, however. Keep up the good work!
(Other)Steve

433. Disquiet over schools' moment of silence

Comment #103512 by steveroot on December 26, 2007 at 3:20 am

63. Comment #103492 by Bueller_007 on December 25, 2007 at 8:44 pm

Thaks, Bueller! That's the one I was thinking of (#14).
Courteous lot, aren't they?
Steve

434. Disquiet over schools' moment of silence

Comment #103053 by steveroot on December 24, 2007 at 8:58 am

"What's the problem? Every single time we meet on the Senate floor, we open up the session with prayer -- whether it's given by a rabbi, or a priest, or a Buddhist or a minister," Lightford said.

Somewhere on YouTube is an example of what can happen if the prayer is not specifically christian. Not very pretty, as I recall.

BTW, I live in Illinois, and the moment of silence does not bother me much. The language was pretty explicit that it was *not* for religious purposes. My son, a sophomore in high school, says he and most of his friends think it's "stupid".
Steve

435. 'Christian God is not to blame'

Comment #102965 by steveroot on December 24, 2007 at 4:19 am

44. Comment #102931 by MuNky82 on December 24, 2007 at 2:07 am

There is that h-word again, same with the f-word (faith).

O, thou of most inscrutable handle ;-)

You're leaving out the "c" word: CHARITY...
as in "send us your money"!
Steve

436. 'Christian God is not to blame'

Comment #102892 by steveroot on December 23, 2007 at 8:26 pm

13. Comment #102680 by leodavinci on December 23, 2007 at 11:54 am
"Babies are vulnerable, more helpless initially than any of the animals"

...Human babies are more vulnerable than other animals because the adult females pelvis has rotated to allow for bipedal locomotion...

I thought that was "intelligent design"!
Steve ;-)

437. Survey finds most Americans believe Jesus born of virgin

Comment #102570 by steveroot on December 23, 2007 at 8:45 am

Except for atheists and agnostics, of whom just 15 percent took the virgin birth story as historically true, a majority of all other subgroups believed it to be factual.

In my universe, this amount of variation in the "negative control" would call the results ito question.
Steve

438. Survey finds most Americans believe Jesus born of virgin

Comment #102564 by steveroot on December 23, 2007 at 8:35 am

38. Comment #102553 by glittergulch on December 23, 2007 at 8:04 am
Tom Waits said it, I believe it, that settles it!

...'Tom, is it possible for a girl to get pregnant without intercourse?'

Well, snopesdotcom is at least as credible as Tom Waits, which is to say *vastly* more credible than holy scriptures. See:

http://www.snopes.com/pregnant/bullet.asp

The show "Mythbusters" addressed this claim and came to the same conclusion, FWIW.
Steve

439. 12 Year Old Girl Prodigy Paints Pictures of God

Comment #102155 by steveroot on December 21, 2007 at 8:05 pm

I know this should have happened at easter, not christmas, but-
Lo, this thread has risen from the dead! PTL!!
Steve

440. For the Love of Christ

Comment #102037 by steveroot on December 21, 2007 at 12:56 pm

52. Comment #101913 by Goodwithwood on December 21, 2007 at 6:43 am
Debate him. No way, he's a master debater.

No, he said he gave that up. ;-)
Steve

441. Do the laws of God trump those of man?

Comment #101866 by steveroot on December 21, 2007 at 3:44 am

125. Comment #101816 by wooter on December 21, 2007 at 2:16 am
To; steveroot

what about wading in a delusional DNA soup where nobody dared to explain how it happened so far? Nobody would.

Ask god to heal your next toothache. Please use lower case. And for the love of Pete, read something besides Eric Carle.
Steve ;-)

442. Borders Tags Atheist Book with 'O Come All Ye Faithless' Cards

Comment #101368 by steveroot on December 20, 2007 at 9:25 am

83. Comment #100615 by The Truth, the light on December 19, 2007 at 1:56 am
Roy_H wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-ZnPE3G_YY
I just love it!

Absolutely brilliant. I was laughing so hard, I had tears streaming down my face.

However, it's certainly not offensive.

After the tears, I couldn't stop hiccuping for 5 minutes! I think some might be offended. F**k 'em if they can't take a joke.
Steve

443. Do the laws of God trump those of man?

Comment #101353 by steveroot on December 20, 2007 at 9:11 am

87. Comment #101201 by wooter on December 20, 2007 at 5:01 am
Reading your posts is like wading through treacle.

Treacle is nice with your DNA soup! :-)
Steve

444. Do the laws of God trump those of man?

Comment #101186 by steveroot on December 20, 2007 at 4:22 am

76. Comment #101173 by wooter on December 20, 2007 at 3:48 am

4. Still I am waiting for your explanation for DNA soup. Tell me through using logic and reason, then I can understand it and tell my primary school kids. Don't be evasive.

You teach kids? You scare the crap out of me!
Steve

445. This Week's Flea

Comment #101100 by steveroot on December 19, 2007 at 8:32 pm

78. Comment #101086 by Inferno on December 19, 2007 at 7:35 pm

In addition, why is it always one god? Surely if you can have one, there could be more. This is never addressed. And why a loving god? Considering 99% of the universe is deadly to humans this seems like a bold claim.

See what kind of trouble you get in when you think things through? :-)

79. Comment #101092 by yogibear on December 19, 2007 at 7:56 pm

How do i put the box around quotes?

See the [Comment Posting Guidelines] at the top of the text entry box!

Steve

446. Clegg 'does not believe in God'

Comment #100825 by steveroot on December 19, 2007 at 11:58 am

25. Comment #100808 by epeeist on December 19, 2007 at 11:21 am

What a great story!
...and you grew up to play with sharp things?
Steve ;-)

447. Borders Tags Atheist Book with 'O Come All Ye Faithless' Cards

Comment #100527 by steveroot on December 18, 2007 at 7:57 pm

60. Comment #100438 by Gondooley on December 18, 2007 at 3:51 pm

We Three Kings of Orient are/smoking a loaded cigar...

Well, since 'tis the season...
When I was young, we sang that as a shorter version of "99 bottles":

"We three kings of orient are
Tried to smoke a rubber cigar...
It was loaded, it explo-oded...
BANG!!

"We two kings of orient are..."

You get the idea! :-)
Steve

448. CBC News: Sunday - Richard Dawkins

Comment #100525 by steveroot on December 18, 2007 at 7:48 pm

It's The Steve Club! :-)
Steve

449. CBC News: Sunday - Richard Dawkins

Comment #100497 by steveroot on December 18, 2007 at 6:08 pm

142. Comment #100452 by Steve Zara on December 18, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Thanks, Steve. I appreciate your frankness and your remarks. I regard you as one of the "heavies" here. Your contributions are instructive to me. Keep up the good work!

Steve Weeks (former choirboy, descendant of protestant clergy, bicycle-commuting endodontist)

450. CBC News: Sunday - Richard Dawkins

Comment #100418 by steveroot on December 18, 2007 at 3:23 pm

A tasteful tip of the hat to Dr. Dawkins for his composure and elegant answers in the face of his dipthong* interviewer.

The explanation of how charity toward others evolved makes perfect sense to me. What's more, we have evolved the ability to _imagine_ ourselves in the place of the objects of our charity. This means that the charitable act does not have to be completely a "mis-firing" of a Darwinian impulse, but at least in part a conscious choice by virtue of our capacity to think outside our own personal "boxes".
Steve

*a polite euphemism for "fucktard".

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