401. Catholic condom ban helping AIDS spread in Latam: U.N.

Comment #80947 by kaiserkriss on October 23, 2007 at 3:44 pm

I wish the UN or some other international organization would bring the Roman Catholic Church up on charges of promoting racism, complicity to homicide and knowingly spreading of misinformation with regards to the whole condom and HIV issue.

At the very least, the negative publicity and costs associated with defending themselves should hopefully shut them up from spreading this clap trap forever. jcw

402. Egypt's fight against female circumcision clashes with tradition

Comment #80657 by kaiserkriss on October 22, 2007 at 2:09 pm

The question that begs asking is how do doctors in Muslim countries, often trained in the west, justify performing this barbaric practise??? (This is being unkind to the Barbarians by the way).
That some local witch doctor or shaman can get away with the warped thinking in their minds, might be understandable, but University trained Doctors (even in the Muslim world) is a different matter. Shame on them! It is these cases that make me (almost) wish for a hell these people would be condemned to once their lives are over.. jcw

403. Atheists aren't a bad lot

Comment #80603 by kaiserkriss on October 22, 2007 at 10:01 am

Good article.. Just want to remind my fellow posters, who might not know, that Lethbridge is a hot bed of individuals of the Mormon faith. Not sure if Reggie is one of them though.

IF he conducted his poll in Southern Alberta, his data is skewed and not representative of even Alberta, let alone Canada, the US, or the rest of the world.. jcw

404. God's honest truth?

Comment #79963 by kaiserkriss on October 19, 2007 at 9:11 am

The proposal by the Swedish government looks intriguing, however as others have pointed out, the potential for Orwellian scenarios are always present with any type of legislation, when the SPIRIT of the law is forgotten, by unscrupulous individuals. After all we live in a dynamic world, and language is dynamic as well. A potential safety valve would be for ALL legislation to have a mandatory 25 year review to see if it is still applicable, or require modification or dropping altogether.

mmurray post 67 above, if you don't like any of the candidates on the ballot, might I suggest you spoil your ballot as a protest vote. If enough people do it, and politicians made aware of what spoilt ballot mean through a public awareness campaign, they just might start listening more to the electorate.

RD, great rebuttal, make that setting the record straight by calling a spade a spade! Keep up the good fight. After watching your acceptance speech of the Deschner prize, a good friend of mine commented on the clarity, wisdom and heart felt delivery of your speech. I concurred. jcw

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

Comment #79500 by kaiserkriss on October 17, 2007 at 1:01 pm

"In His Grace" etc. etc. What a presumptuos twit!! jcw

PS President and CEO = Business title, so this is ALL about making money for Coral Ridge Ministries, not "saving souls". What a bunch of hypocrites!

406. Debate between Christopher Hitchens and Alister McGrath

Comment #79259 by kaiserkriss on October 16, 2007 at 3:34 pm

Well done Hitch, as for McGrath, sorry, I can only take so much animated Monty Python action with out the sarcasm and satire in one go.

Had I not heard of McGrath before, and what he stands for, I might have been able to see this presentation as a poor interpretation of Eric Idle and the boys...jcw

407. Richard Dawkins receives the Deschner Prize

Comment #78959 by kaiserkriss on October 15, 2007 at 2:17 pm

USA_Limey... Missed your link. Point WELL taken.jcw

408. Richard Dawkins receives the Deschner Prize

Comment #78955 by kaiserkriss on October 15, 2007 at 2:09 pm

Steve, Nick, Brian.. Firstly, THANKS for hijacking this thread and going so off topic it isn't funny anymore..

Secondly, Steve and Brian, Using your argument, PHds in Climatology should have absolutely no expertise and should NOT comment on all the other scientific disciplines that make up much of the data (Geology for example come to mind with its many sub categories) Climatologists actually use. A Climatologist is NOT an expert in ALL the fields that make up the vastly complex fields associated with the pros and cons of human influences on global changes in temperature. They are only experts in a very specific field. They derive their data from many sources in which they are definitely NOT experts...

To Quote Wikipeidia "Phenomena of climatological interest include the atmospheric boundary layer, circulation patterns, heat transfer (radiative, convective and latent), interactions between the atmosphere and the oceans and land surface (particularly vegetation, land use and topography), and the chemical and physical composition of the atmosphere. Related disciplines include astrophysics, atmospheric physics, chemistry, ecology, geology, geophysics, glaciology, hydrology, oceanography, and volcanology." Flame away..jcw

409. Richard Dawkins receives the Deschner Prize

Comment #78927 by kaiserkriss on October 15, 2007 at 12:25 pm

Congrats to RICHARD DAWKINS for being nominated and accepting the Deschner Prize. His acceptance speech was FANTASTIC. Wish I could have been there instead of enjoying one of the last days of warm weather on the golf course in Western Canada.

Also credit should be given to those posters who have woken up to the fact that there is a world outside of the English speaking world that does actually contribute significantly to Humanism and Critical thought.

As I pointed out on a previous thread the children's book being released in Germany by Michael Schmidt-Salomon "Wo bitte geht's zu Gott? fragte das kleine Ferkel" (freely translated as Where is the way to God? asked the little piglet)should be translated into every language to counteract the "virus" currently fed to our offspring at a young age.

Richard, I hope sincerely you would support such an endeavour. jcw

410. Teachers 'fear evolution lessons'

Comment #76890 by kaiserkriss on October 7, 2007 at 3:45 pm

Slightly off topic, but still to do with education: I happened to notice Richard Dawkins is to receive the Deschner Prize in Frankfurt, Germany next Friday.

One of the contributors to the event is Prof. Michael Schmidt-Salomon who is currently releasing a delightful children's book, albeit in German, freely translated as "Where is the way to God asked the little piglet?"

According to the press release, this book for young and old breaks the even greater tabu of Dawkins (religion as delusional systems)by informing children of such. http://www.schmidt-salomon.de/homepage.htm

I hope this book is translated into every conceivable language and becomes a best seller, just as the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Congratulations RD you are also making waves in the non English speaking parts of the world!!! jcw

411. Scandal brewing at Oral Roberts U.

Comment #76661 by kaiserkriss on October 6, 2007 at 3:53 pm

veronique: Well put, my sentiments exactly, wish I were so eloquent.

Richard Morgan : LOVE your new Avatar!! jcw

412. Teachers 'fear evolution lessons'

Comment #76660 by kaiserkriss on October 6, 2007 at 3:50 pm

discipline: I know what you mean, actually, I live in Canada and have visited the US quite often. "Jesus land" is quite remarkable in many ways, it surprises me, given the amount of conformity to NOT think outside the box, such progress has been made in the past. I hate the LCD principle with an absolute passion. As semi intelligent animals we should strive to better ourselves by at least recognizing the fallacy of the LCD principle.

I'm reminded of a poster I saw 20 years ago "How am I supposed to soar with Eagles when these Turkeys are dragging me down", and believe you me, there are way to many Turkeys in the world. jcw

413. Scandal brewing at Oral Roberts U.

Comment #76652 by kaiserkriss on October 6, 2007 at 3:28 pm

Mother2eight: You seem to be missing the point. These charlatans and hypocrites, who prey on the weak minded, are the first to point fingers and condemn others who do not follow their creed.
They have basically become psychopaths who believe they are entitled to fleece their flock and live the good life, with no real compassion for their fellow man. Absolutely disgusting, and not worthy of any compassion.
In a sense they are no better than suicide bombers(realizing I've probably opened up a can of worms with that remark). jcw

414. Scandal brewing at Oral Roberts U.

Comment #76374 by kaiserkriss on October 5, 2007 at 4:27 pm

Another case of power corrupting weak individuals, leading to an attitude of "entitlement" . Disgusting!!
Hope all the Roberts family end up as paupers. jcw

415. Teachers 'fear evolution lessons'

Comment #76366 by kaiserkriss on October 5, 2007 at 3:55 pm

"The number of Muslim students has grown considerably in the last 10 to 20 years and a higher proportion of Muslim families do not accept evolutionary theory compared with Christian families."

So now children are educated by the lowest common denominator principle?? Is it any surprise the level of scientific understanding in the population as a whole is decreasing when we lower our standards to the lowest common denominator of the population. A classic case of dumbing down.. Pity.. jcw

416. Christianity's Image Problem

Comment #76100 by kaiserkriss on October 4, 2007 at 5:43 pm

82abhilash: Boy are you quick!! Posting a response at the same time as my original post(3:35pm). I hope you are correct, I was just being conservative after noticing the gap in the data for 30-41 year olds...

Veronique: Agreed, we can NEVER sit on our laurels, as soon as we do that, we become fat, complacent and die off. jcw

417. Christianity's Image Problem

Comment #76074 by kaiserkriss on October 4, 2007 at 3:35 pm

"His study found that 23% of Americans over 61 were non-Christians; 27% among people ages 42-60; and 40% among 16-29 year olds."

There is hope!! All we have to do is wait for us oldtimers to die off, and in about 100 years the US will probably be a more secular society. jcw

418. Why are we Muslims so self-destructive?

Comment #73938 by kaiserkriss on September 26, 2007 at 4:38 pm

My, my children, don't we all have our proverbial knickers in a twist over rather trivial matters in the overall scheme of things (apologies to NortherBright, Veronique and any other females I might have offended).

RichardM, Prufrock, might I suggest you both grow up, act your age, get off both of your high horses and start acting like the responsible adults you both clearly are, judging from both of your previous posts on other threads.

This is embarrassing, with fleas probably rubbing their hands in glee at the sight of the heathen arguing over psydonyms on the net and trading personal insults. This is something one would expect from Xtians or Muslims etc. arguing about their specific "brand of Cornflakes" they have for breakfast being better than the others brand.

AS others have pointed out this forum should be big enough to include diverse opinions without trading insults, something one would expect a forum of reason, and reasonable individuals to respect. We should not fall into the same trap as the religious fanatics, or is that just another unavoidable human characteristic we try to suppress, sometimes with less success??

As for my own "net name" I'm "hiding" behind, does say something about myself: Yes, I'm of German background living almost exclusively in the English speaking world, and have been referred to as "Ze Kaiser" by some of my friends, both presently and in the past. Any one who really wants to find out more about me, just has to read all the posts I've made in the past, and you'll get a good idea who I actually am. Kriss is the name I actually go by on a daily basis. Can't use my real name since many of my clients are die hard Christians who would frown upon dealing with a die hard atheist.jcw

419. Good News: Both our Foundations are now Officially Recognized as Charities

Comment #70270 by kaiserkriss on September 14, 2007 at 4:29 pm

Try again..(after having one of my posts disappear on me on another thread)... WOOOO HOOOO!!
Now the same for Canada and the other Colonies in the English speaking world. jcw

420. In God we doubt

Comment #67516 by kaiserkriss on September 3, 2007 at 4:37 pm

NorthernBright: Great piece, your experiences when dealing with theists is EXACTLY the same as mine. Thanks for verbalizing many of my own thoughts.

You have touched on several key issues. When I first read TGD about a year ago, even though I was an atheist before, I like many religious reviewers at first thought the tone to be rather shrill, mistaken passion in the subject with a condescending tone. Since reading more of RD's works, and hearing him talk, together with his posts on this board, I have changed my mind and find him to be exactly as well mannered and even tempered as most others on this forum

As others have pointed out, as a society we are conditioned to accept and be pious towards other points of view especially when dealing with religious issues. I have changed my own stance, so much so, that I'm being accused of trying to make everybody else an atheist as well.

My response is something long the lines of asking people to think critically for themselves rather than take everything presented at face value.

Just as we despise the term militant atheist, with its connotation of strict military dogma, we should turn the tables and start referring to military Christians, military Jews and military Muslims, where the term actually applies.

The so called military atheists just don't conjure up an image of a jack booted Sargent Major as clearly as a cassock-ed priest, mullah or rabbi spewing forth their hateful froth from a pulpit, minaret or synagogue. Now that is military dogmatism at its best. jcw

421. In God we doubt

Comment #67407 by kaiserkriss on September 3, 2007 at 10:34 am

I won't comment on Uncle John's bedside story, since just about everybody else has lambasted it for all it is worth, however I will comment on the "foul language" issue brought up devolved and Monoape...

Foul language is in the eye of the beholder; one can take offence to just about any combination of letters and their meaning. Just because in English "foul language" tends to be of a sexual nature has probably more to do with past insecurities of a sexual nature among the anglo- saxon population. To equate the truly pleasurable act of copulation with something bad or foul must surely be a left over meme that needs eradicating.

French and Italian foul language is more associated with religion, whereas German fould language tends towards the animistic. Be that as it may, languages are dynamic and change, the most important thing about them is that the majority of us know what one is trying to express when using specific words.

Yorker has the right idea, an occasional swear word, used at the right time makes life interesting by emphasizing a specific point. However, overuse of swearing ultimately dulls the senses and the actual point is lost. jcw

422. Review of Darwin's Angel: An Angelic Response to the God Delusion

Comment #67216 by kaiserkriss on September 2, 2007 at 5:15 pm

Thanks CORYLUS, I did.. which was one of the reasons I made my observation about the inverse relationship between intelligence and religiosity. I have to keep reminding myself that for every person with an IQ of 125, there is some poor soul (excuse the pun) with an IQ of 75.

It seems as though that most contributors on this board are of above average intelligence, despite the occasional deluded Bizzaro bringing the average down.

Be that as it may, it would seem the average Joe or Jane, especially among the younger crowd that have the benefit of a dozen or so years of education, even in faith schools, don't give a "flying copulation" about religion, its irrationality, and rational thought.

There are too many other things to worry about in the so called civilized world by the young, such as an education that will give them decent earning power to give them an acceptable standard of living, besides the usual young adult issues of how to deal with the opposite sex. The lack of rationality of religion, although recognized is of low priority.

So there is hope, with education and a raised standard of living to get out of the current mess we have with regards to the preponderance of influence of religion. As in other things, it is always the vocal minority that get the attention.

Getting back on topic then, Salley's piece is more of an embarrassment to the Times for publishing such rubbish and recognized as such by the readership that matters, namely those currently in their 20ies and 30ies, the decision makers of the future. jcw

423. Review of Darwin's Angel: An Angelic Response to the God Delusion

Comment #67176 by kaiserkriss on September 2, 2007 at 12:56 pm

My first reaction to this article was to mouth the copulatory expletive and I vented my view on the Times website.
Upon further refection brought on by DRBENWAY and others, I'm almost at the point where I'm willing to give Sall-ey the benefit of the doubt, especially after reading NorthernBright's wonderful parody / recipe (Brilliant by the way).

Let me explain:

Editor: Salley, we need a review of that new book by John Cornwell for tomorrow's edition. Since you have written about Angels and religion before, you just got volunteered. By the way, I need the review on my desk in tomorrow morning..

Sallye: But, but I haven't read the book yet, let alone thought of a review. Besides that, I have several functions to attend this evening.

Editor: Who cares, just write SOMETHING...

After attending several of her functions, and enjoying some of the more liquid hospitality, Sallye gets to "work" by reading the second paragraph of every chapter and turns out the piece of tripe we have all been amusing ourselves with.

Unfortunately one cannot review a book by only reading every second chapter, so Salley has to make up from her inebriated memory what she read whilst "reviewing" the God Delusion with the thought that most "morons" who actually read reviews in the Times don't bother actually reading the original, will swallow anything presented to them hook, line and sinker. Or at the worst issue forth a loud Harrumph.

The point being, somehow I doubt Salley ACTUALLY read either The God Delusion, or the critique by Cornwell...jcw

PS This forum does seem to show that there is an inverse relationship between religiosity and intelligence, judging by some of the wonderful pieces of poetry written by the contributors to this site.

424. Review of Darwin's Angel: An Angelic Response to the God Delusion

Comment #67050 by kaiserkriss on September 1, 2007 at 2:50 pm

I posted my 2cents worth on the Times website, suggesting that either the book reviews got mixed up (God Delusion vs Darwin's Angel)just as the paper went to press, or that what we have in this reviewer, a jealous, lazy individual, who couldn't be bothered to get her facts correct, and thus chooses to write fiction.

WeaFlea, Glad to hear that you seem to be mostly onside with the comments posted here. Are you coming over to the "dark side"?? Let me rephrase that, the ENLIGHTENED side??jcw

425. Only secular schools will overcome sectarianism

Comment #65759 by kaiserkriss on August 26, 2007 at 10:56 am

Comment 19 by Student Grant: I totally agree with you. By society concentrating on what makes us different from one another, be it religion, ethnic background etc., rather than building on the things we have in common, we (the collective we) are propagating all sorts of bigotry, and currently reaping the rewards of these policies.

As an aside, I always thought (catholic) primate referred to the biological "order" to which our "genera" belonged.

Just like the church to butt in. Can't they just leave it at Archbishop, or do they a separate biological classification?? (just kidding)jcw

426. Scientists should unite against threat from religion

Comment #65053 by kaiserkriss on August 22, 2007 at 6:32 pm

Bizarro strikes again, and we ALL fall for the bait.. (Was it the details of his non existent sex life that piqued everyone's interest??)

This thread, if I remember correctly was about Sam Harris lambasting the editorial staff of Nature for putting a positive spin on a book that will probably become a compulsory text book at Lehigh University...

Good for Sam for calling a "spade a spade" and pointing out the deficiencies not only in the book, but also of the editorial dunderheads at Nature, who should probably move on to writing editorial book reviews for The Watch Tower and Readers Digest. jcw

427. Sikh girl will convert for a place at Catholic school

Comment #64468 by kaiserkriss on August 20, 2007 at 6:53 am

Is this not discrimination on the grounds (freedom) of religion?? The child is being denied admittance into the school because she and her parents are NOT catholic.

This is something that has always flabbergasted me, how come religious institutions may discriminate on the grounds of their religion against others, yet when they perceive being discriminated against, they call foul immediately. jcw

428. The Out Campaign: Interview with Josh Timonen

Comment #64165 by kaiserkriss on August 18, 2007 at 8:34 am

Josh.. Congrats on your excellent interview, and for showing us another interesting website (dogmafreeamerica).
Your efforts and contributions to rational thought, freedom of expression, and freedom from irrational (religious ) persecution, while not in the lime light is just as valuable and appreciated as the more colourful characters writing the best sellers. THANK YOU for your hard work! jcw

429. Richard Dawkins, TV evangelist

Comment #62900 by kaiserkriss on August 12, 2007 at 8:35 am

Gordon Lynch is just becoming another obnoxious, publicity seeking "flea" trying to justify his continued position at the Guardian. Can you blame him?? Poor sod is just trying to make a not so decent living, something he probably could not do out in the real world.jcw

430. Science and the Islamic World

Comment #62821 by kaiserkriss on August 11, 2007 at 5:30 pm

Russell: Thanks for elaborating on my point above (unwittingly maybe), however for exactly the reasons you verbalized, we as so called enlightened individuals should embrace and encourage the more educated and rational individuals in the Muslim world, rather than slag these people by arguing about the pros and cons of any golden age.

The though that ANY theocratic society, including our big neighbour to the south (I live in Canada)has the potential to obliterate (all) life on this planet in a fit of religious rage, lunacy, or whatever should scare every rational thinking person.

To repeat myself we should reach out to the more rational and encourage the type of debate expressed in the last paragraph of the subject article. jcw

431. Science and the Islamic World

Comment #62784 by kaiserkriss on August 11, 2007 at 12:20 pm

I agree with epeeist above, Professor Hoodbhoy deserves all the support we so called clear thinkers can give him. He has literally put his balls on the line, together with those of his family, by even contemplating and publishing his thoughts on the subject.

Yet here we are (look in the mirror guys) arguing about trivia, and missing the overall message this person is sending... Anyone bother actually reading the last paragraph before posting some of the nonsense in previous posts??

To paraphrase, "There but for a biological accident go I". Here in the west we take so many things for granted, including freedom of speech and education. Don't fee so superior, and get get off the high horse by recognizing your good fortune to have been conceived and born in a society that more or less provides a good living compared to many other parts of the planet...

PS ThirdChimpanzee the British equivalent to un-American is simply the statement "We're British". jcw.

432. Atheists of the world: unite!

Comment #61328 by kaiserkriss on August 4, 2007 at 5:08 pm

The following was posted at the Guardian website...jcw

It is about time the "godless heathen" showed the intestinal fortitude to stand up for their beliefs in public, and identifying themselves as a group of non believers in a world where every self appointed Wacko (Waco??)is shown more respect by the main stream media and our "fearless political leaders".

The red stylized capital "A" should become a symbol for freedom from religious oppression, clarity of thought to a world still largely courting muddled thinking and belief in millenia old scientifically unproven folklore.

Congratulations to Dr. Dawkins and his organization for providing the catalyst and support to the OUT campaign.

433. Public Debate on Complexity and Evolution

Comment #61218 by kaiserkriss on August 4, 2007 at 7:57 am

gcdavis,uzi,Atticus : Richard discusses the evolution of wings, eyes etc. in "The Blind Watchmaker".

AS one of you pointed out, the argument goes along the lines of 1% wing, although no where near as useful as a 100% wing, is better than no wing. Ditto for a 10% wing etc. Same arguments for vision, echo location. When you think about it the argument is quite simple and elegant. JCW

434. The Flea Circus Invites a Newcomer!

Comment #60566 by kaiserkriss on August 2, 2007 at 9:10 am

Wea Flea is such great entertainment, who brings out both the best and worst in many posters here. While debate is healthy, both Wea Flea and some others allow their personal feelings to get the better of them, and end up trading slander and ad hominem attacks, rather than debate specific issues.

As pointed out by someone else, if you don't like the Flea's remarks, don't give him an audience and encourage him. There really is nothing new to his arguments since his first posts here.

I do feel saddened though that what appears to be a reasonable individual,(check out his video, link posted above) before taking "pen to paper" or opens his mouth has such passion to save ourselves from ourselves, rather than live and let live.

Not surprisingly he also, in a typical fashion when arguing from a weak position, refuses to address specific pointed questions, or twists the answers to these questions to have no relevance to the question in the first place. Rather than encouraging rational debate, this tactic encourages vitriol and frustration and is counter productive.

Still, as others probably do as well, I DO enjoy the passion displayed by having WEA FLEA posting on this site of unbelievers, if not the quality of the debate... JCW

435. Inferior Design: Richard Dawkins reviews Behe's lastest book

Comment #53260 by kaiserkriss on June 30, 2007 at 12:20 pm

Great piece by Richard Dawkins.. His views or similar should have been part of the peer review process the scientific method prides itself upon. The publisher of Behe's book of nonsense has lost total credibility, and should stick to comic books or flyers in the future.

What kind of review process did Behe's book go through? None I would suspect.

D'Arcy: I find your comment rather broad brush and disingenuous, as well as insulting to the many good scientists working in the oil industry, and pharmaceutical industry who DO NOT prostitute their views to a particular cause. That some do not happen to agree with your views in an ongoing debate is not a good enough reason to insult the integrity of the majority of Scientists who are true to science for the sake of science and not to the almighty $. jcw

436. Science of the Soul? 'I Think, Therefore I Am' Is Losing Force

Comment #52937 by kaiserkriss on June 28, 2007 at 2:54 pm

Well put D'arcy! The only "soles" I have are at the bottom of my feet, and like the whole religious argument, they get weary every once in awhile.

Also I do enjoy eating Sole as as well as Soul music, however I do NOT have an immortal soul, nor does any other animal. The whole concept is so full of holes just like the socks covering a vagrant's feet. jcw

437. Science of the Soul? 'I Think, Therefore I Am' Is Losing Force

Comment #52885 by kaiserkriss on June 28, 2007 at 11:44 am

Russell Blackford wrote" I can't express adequately how much I HATE that expression "people of faith", as if religionists are analogous to "people of colour" in having to put up with hostility, oppression, and the legacy of historical injustices. Nothing could be more opposite to the truth. My one-person campaign against the expression isn't making much headway, but I'll continue to whine about it whenever I can"

I understand your "pain" to the fullest. Some expressions I hate just as much are the terms "Vandals, Vandalized" or similar absolutely racist expressions, quite common in the acceptable English language. (Whop, jewed also come to mind).

Just because the Vandals "sacked" Rome, makes them no worse or better than a Ghengis Khan, Attila, Hannibal, Charlemagne or other "tribe" that conquered other tribes in the past. Why pick on the Vandals when they cannot even defend themselves any more?

For thinking individuals, this type of language is just as irrational as scientists still believing in bronze age campfire stories.jcw

438. The infinite wisdom of Richard Dawkins

Comment #51754 by kaiserkriss on June 24, 2007 at 5:13 pm

atheist_peace: I can't talk for Ontario or Quebec, however BC is an entirely another matter. The number of nut job believers there is incredible, stating with the Sons of freedom Dukabors via various radical Mormon sects, to quite poorly educated in the sciences new immigrants in Vancouver from Asia.

I have quite a few WELL educated east Asian acquaintances who are quite fundamental in their practices and outlook. They are in fact quite shocked by the fact that I'm an atheist, since they regard my morals above reproach..

As for Alberta, yes there are a few older generation believers around, who can be quite vocal, however better education of the young, has left enough of an impact for many to be quite sceptic about religion, more so those in the sciences.

Even individuals who went to Religious schools are quite unsure of their faith when the hypocrisy and irrationality of religion is POINTED out to them.

At least in the urban centers of Alberta, I would suggest that Angus Reid poll would show a significantly lower percentage than the 42% suggested. jcw

439. The infinite wisdom of Richard Dawkins

Comment #51750 by kaiserkriss on June 24, 2007 at 4:55 pm

Shuggy... sorry for the confusion. Albertans tend to be regarded as die hard rednecks with very little tolerance for Ontarians. Many Canadians refer to Harper as an Albertan, when in fact he was raised in Ontario.
Ontario as we all know is the self proclaimed "Center of the Universe" (dig,dig)and epitomises rational / liberal thought in the view of its inhabitants, so my reference to Harper as a pragmatist stems from the combination of his Ontarian liberal, worldly upbringing and the Western redneck he is now mistaken for. Make more sense? jcw

440. The infinite wisdom of Richard Dawkins

Comment #51734 by kaiserkriss on June 24, 2007 at 12:05 pm

Quote: Spotting an opening, Mr. Manning idly pondered whether atheism's inquisitors were intent on moving in on Canada's most spiritual sector, the aboriginal peoples: "...To suggest that their children should be taken away from them and re-educated in some sort of scientific residential schools," he wrote, "would be to make a grievous mistake."

Substitute the word "scientific" with the word religious...Is this not EXACTLY what ALL Religious based schools have done in the past, and still do today??
I say "what is good for the goose is good for the gander."

Preston is once again wrapping himself and his cause in the mantle of righteousness, and EVERBODY is falling for it.jcw

441. The infinite wisdom of Richard Dawkins

Comment #51710 by kaiserkriss on June 24, 2007 at 8:57 am

Shrunk... I totally agree with RD that "Doris Day" is a complete faith induced moron with about as much grey matter between his ears as a tadpole.
Harper on the other hand is a pragmatist, who grew up in Ontario and moved to Alberta.

He seems to be more moved by the principles of fairness and fiscal responsibility, taking responsibility for your own actions, than any religious fervour. Not even sure he attends church regularly, if at all, unlike Cretien and Martin, who Both made a big deal about how catholic they were.

Most of the support in the west for Harper and co comes from their policies with regards to freedom of economic activity, low taxes, the usual right wing rhetoric, not from religious zeal.

Yes, there are a few religious nuts out here, including Preston, but unlike in the USA, in most cases, they don't try to force it down other peoples throats. It just seems that way, as is usual for the vocal minority.
The silent majority, and I blame our education system, probably tend to be closer to agnostic than religious, because they really haven't thought much about the issues. Once confronted with how irrational their views are, they have atheist views, but don't call themselves that, because it really is not important to them to attach a label to the issue, and not wanting to offend the "establishment". jcw

442. The courage of their convictions

Comment #51048 by kaiserkriss on June 21, 2007 at 9:30 am

This is a big step forward for ex Muslims. Their bravery must be commended, their actions supported. The very fact that such organisations exit should also be spread to other parts of the world (Canada and the US come to mind)and similarly encouraged to set up shop to counter the vitriol and hatred spewed forth by many imams on a daily basis. jcw

443. Christopher Hitchens on The Hour

Comment #49569 by kaiserkriss on June 12, 2007 at 12:12 pm

Just reading "god is not great" and greatly enjoying it. Well done Hitch!
After this interview, I just might have to watch more CBC than just "Hockey Night in Canada". jcw

444. Why Do Some People Resist Science?

Comment #46248 by kaiserkriss on May 30, 2007 at 4:45 pm

WeeWullie: to reiterate, " it is the argument that sways people".. probably should have added something along the lines of "who have 'converted' or now understand RD's reasoned arguments".

Okay you got me, I didn't express my view very clearly. I was trying to give your argument a modicum of credit that a certain minuscule irrational minority of individuals are shallow enough to fall for a person's status. Is that still too woolly?

Further I would suggest most individuals, at least in my circles, are open enough to be persuaded by rational argument and evidence than unsubstantiated hearsay and flash. jcw

445. Why Do Some People Resist Science?

Comment #46231 by kaiserkriss on May 30, 2007 at 4:08 pm

WeeWullie wrote "It definitely appears to be the case that much of the impact that RD has had on many of his converts is down to his personal impact - his good-looks, his intelligence, his ability to articulate his arguments, his certainty, his academic status and, of course, his British accent!"

Puhleeese, that is "woolly" thinking! How shallow do you think people are?? Professor Hawking for example has hardly any of the "qualities" you describe, yet has a huge following because of his ability to think rationally.

Indeed, there might be some "hero worship" involved, however, it is the argument that sways people.
If what you suggest is true, Scientology with its Hollywood stars would win hands down. jcw

446. Aiming for knockout blow in god wars

Comment #45384 by kaiserkriss on May 27, 2007 at 1:58 pm

"He is a dangerous man who is causing me disturbed, sleepless nights,"

Its the nutters (ad hom?)like Smallville, Falwell, Bin Ladin, radicals, clergy of any stripe advocating violence against their fellow man etc. who are dangerous and causing ME disturbed and sleepless nights.

People like Professor Richard, Hitchens, Dennet, Harris give me hope, and ALLOW me to sleep at night.

Bremas, Bonzai: It took me the better part of 6weeks to actually FIND a copy of GD here in Calgary, even though it had been on the National( read Toronto) best sellers list for 6 weeks. I have yet to find a copy of Hitchens latest.

Richard: Seriously, I'm not surprised you cannot remember your exchange with Smallville, or more appropriately Smallfry. One cannot remember everything, it would seem obvious her arguments were weak to have made such a forgetful impression on you. jcw

447. Baby's 'miracle' recovery in British hospital to give Malta its first saint

Comment #44682 by kaiserkriss on May 25, 2007 at 7:16 am

mad_monk: Having lived for 8 years as a child in Malta many years ago, as well as having attended St. Aloysius college for 4 years, I feel you don't give your fellow countrymen enough credit.
I found the Jesuits to have an excellent understanding of the sciences and could differentiate between religion and science.

Where they fell down was by compartmentalizing their knowledge, rather than merging the two together, and quite often failing to pass this knowledge on to the flock, unless specifically challenged to do so.

I do agree with you though, even to this day, the Catholic church has too much influence in the day to day activities of the population, and holds too much political power.

As for the government subsidizing flights to Rome, what can I say- it is disgusting. Where is the division between church and state??
If anything, the church should be giving back some of what it has taken, and subsidizing flights, if it wants its sheep to attend any religious ceremony. jcw

448. I Don't Believe in Atheists

Comment #44423 by kaiserkriss on May 24, 2007 at 4:44 pm

Russell Blackford Quote"But I think it's about time we all simply faced up to the truth, however "bleak" it may appear to some: we live in a disenchanted universe - albeit one that is full of beauty and majesty, if we see it that way. There are no "meanings" save those that we create ourselves. It's entirely up to us how we live our lives, individually and collectively. There is no sky god to tell us what to do. Nor are there spooky transcendent meanings, or strange objectively prescriptively entities, somehow Out There. It really is up to us." Unquote

I couldn't have put it better myself!! Once the majority of people realize this first step of taking responsibility for our own actions, the next step to atheism is a relatively small and logical one. jcw

449. Global Warming (includes commentary about creationism)

Comment #43734 by kaiserkriss on May 22, 2007 at 11:41 am

My, my we are getting vicious children...

Regardless of which side of the debate one sits on, it boils down to how SIGNIFICANT potential AGW is. Every molecule on this planet has an effect on its surroundings to a greater or lesser extent.

What everybody seems to agree upon is the fact that changes ARE occurring, be they due to long term still not fully understood natural cycle effects or more recent contributing effects caused by human activity.

Give the statistical insignificant amount of hard data at our disposal, given the age of the planet, we must make significant assumptions when trying to understand the complex processes involved that make up global climate.

Are we as a species deserving to potentially change these systems to suit ourselves and our survival,remains open? We do live in a dynamic world.

It is unlikely our humanoid ancestors could have survived because of a lack of oxygen in the atmosphere during the Devonian period. Maybe it is the planet's destiny to return to a similar state, and all our attempts to stem CO2 pollution from human activity will be for nought. No one REALLY knows, and if they claim to, they are lying, or delusional given the current state of our understanding of the science involved.

Regardless, whatever the future holds in true Darwinian fashion, it will be a case of survival of the fittest.

Also as individuals and good citizens of the planet we should strive and keep our "footprintS" to a minimum. jcw

450. Television evangelist Falwell dies at 73

Comment #41534 by kaiserkriss on May 16, 2007 at 8:44 am

Bizarro: You missed the irony in my statement, admittedly I did make it difficult for you since I had a typo in there
-"realized he had not only wasted his own LIFE, but contributed to many of his followers doing the same." I feel the same way about suicide bombers who don't find the 70 virgins waiting for them on the other side, because the other side, DOES NOT EXIST.


This is no different from wondering, and NOT being able to actually see, who attends one owns wake when one owns time comes to return to the basic elements.

Compared with Falwell's own bigotry and intollerence of his fellow man this is quite tame and not really over the top as you have suggested for such a controversial person.

As for some of the other comments posted here, they might be a little out there, but they are just "giving back what Falwell himself gave". jcw