Some research results on prayer: "Prayer Can Help People Handle Difficult Emotions, Study Suggests" http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101214085328.htm "Feeling Angry? Say a Prayer and the Wrath Fades Away, Study Suggests" http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110321134714.htm "Praying Online Helps Cancer Patients, Study Suggests" http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2...more

Some research results on prayer:

"Prayer Can Help People Handle Difficult Emotions, Study Suggests"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101214085328.htm

"Feeling Angry? Say a Prayer and the Wrath Fades Away, Study Suggests"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110321134714.htm

"Praying Online Helps Cancer Patients, Study Suggests"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070103201245.htm

"Does God Answer Prayer? Researcher Says 'Yes'"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070314195638.htm

On the critical side:
"Prayers Don't Help Heart Surgery Patients; Some Fare Worse When Prayed For"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060403133554.htmless

Here's a different take on those two BBC reports: "The BBC puts out two spurious reports about religion dying out, just before the Census. How strange." http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100081185/the-bbc-puts-out-two-spurious-reports-about-religion-dying-out-just-before-the-census-how-strange/

"Atheists are all deeply immoral, perverse relativists who hate Christianity because they want to live lives of unpunished, unbridled hedonism." Well, one atheist philosopher argues that under atheism, there really is no basis for any morality at all: "...So was I, until I experienced my shocking epiphany that the religious fundamentalists are correct: without God, there is no morality. But ...more

"Atheists are all deeply immoral, perverse relativists who hate Christianity because they want to live lives of unpunished, unbridled hedonism."

Well, one atheist philosopher argues that under atheism, there really is no basis for any morality at all:

"...So was I, until I experienced my shocking epiphany that the religious fundamentalists are correct: without God, there is no morality. But they are incorrect, I still believe, about there being a God. Hence, I believe, there is no morality......But the problem with morality, I now maintain, is that it is in even worse shape than religion in this regard; for if there were a God, His issuing commands would make some kind of sense. But if there is no God, as of course atheists assert, then what sense could be made of there being commands of this sort? In sum, while theists take the obvious existence of moral commands to be a kind of proof of the existence of a Commander, i.e., God, I now take the non-existence of a Commander as a kind of proof that there are no Commands, i.e., morality."

http://www.philosophynow.org/issue80/An_Amoral_Manifesto_Part_Iless

What happens if it gets discovered that opposition towards homosexuals is genetic/biological in nature? While nobody has claimed this as yet, I do recall reading how people's political preferences is influenced by their genetics: http://www.livescience.com/4454-political-preference-genetic.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7315656.stm And since some people's political cause is to oppose h...more

What happens if it gets discovered that opposition towards homosexuals is genetic/biological in nature? While nobody has claimed this as yet, I do recall reading how people's political preferences is influenced by their genetics:
http://www.livescience.com/4454-political-preference-genetic.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7315656.stm
And since some people's political cause is to oppose homosexuals, what then?less

More from Johnzon: "who/what made god??" Answered here: (http://creation.com/if-god-created-the-universe-then-who-created-god) "...xianity is antithetical to the notion of love if it promises eternal torture to all those that don’t happen to believe Xian club stuff." Answered here: (http://rationalchristianity.net/hell.html) "Perhaps a modern day demonstration might be in order to sho...more

More from Johnzon:

"who/what made god??"
Answered here: (http://creation.com/if-god-created-the-universe-then-who-created-god)

"...xianity is antithetical to the notion of love if it promises eternal torture to all those that don’t happen to believe Xian club stuff."
Answered here: (http://rationalchristianity.net/hell.html)

"Perhaps a modern day demonstration might be in order to show its true, after 2000 years story getting old."
I understand but your statement got me thinking: if somebody doubts the Pearl Harbour attack ever happened, would the proper response be to organise a full-scale Japanese attack all over again to convince the unbeliever?

"BTW, your comments would be considered very offensive to the followers of islam and Mormonism..."
That's rich, coming from you, who is hostile and contemptuous towards all religions.less

Johnzon said " BTW, bible not data". Let's see. A dictionary meaning of the word "data" means "information" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/data). With that in mind, the Bible is already data. Accept it. It's certainly proven in certain archaeological issues already (http://www.aish.com/jl/li/a/) and (http://rationalchristianity.net/historical_evid.html)

Johnzon said "disbelief in magic, superstition tells me it's not going to happen". Your personal disbelief is not going to stop it from happening. "If i dont put my seat belt on government will torture me??" I invite you to come to Western Australia and drive around with no seat belt on. I didn't know you want to lose hundreds of dollars so badly.

Johnzon said "what i do object to however is Xian attempts to impose their religion on others." I don't know exactly what is meant by "imposing a religion" but Christians are commanded to spread the good news of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). If you are against this, it means you are actively opposed, not "couldn't care less". "..it is nothing more than faith and belief with no evidence". Depends ...more

Johnzon said "what i do object to however is Xian attempts to impose their religion on others."
I don't know exactly what is meant by "imposing a religion" but Christians are commanded to spread the good news of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). If you are against this, it means you are actively opposed, not "couldn't care less".

"..it is nothing more than faith and belief with no evidence".
Depends on what you mean by evidence. If someone asks "what is the evidence that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii" or "what is the evidence that Mount Rushmore was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum" what counts as evidence?less

Johnzon said " Not going to happen". Who are you to say it's not going to happen? "...the essence of Xianity- threats & punishment" The essence of seat belt legislation - threats & punishment: "Put on a seat belt or else get punished or else get killed or seriously injured". I don't know about other places but in Western Australia where I live, you can get a massive fine for not wearing seat ...more

Johnzon said " Not going to happen".
Who are you to say it's not going to happen?

"...the essence of Xianity- threats & punishment"
The essence of seat belt legislation - threats & punishment: "Put on a seat belt or else get punished or else get killed or seriously injured". I don't know about other places but in Western Australia where I live, you can get a massive fine for not wearing seat belts (http://www.ors.wa.gov.au/TOPICSROADSAFETY/Pages/SeatBelts.aspx#penalties). Threats and punishemnt indeed.less

Ephesians 6:9: "Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites." Masters are to treat their slaves with deep respect and fear and not to threaten them.

SBellam sure likes talking nonsense: "…. even though every valid scientific study shows that prayer has absolutely no effect.” So you won’t accept these: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070314195638.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101214085328.htm “Myths like these grossly skew your thinking about the future of our species.” Since when has the futu...more

SBellam sure likes talking nonsense:

"…. even though every valid scientific study shows that prayer has absolutely no effect.”
So you won’t accept these:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070314195638.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101214085328.htm

“Myths like these grossly skew your thinking about the future of our species.”
Since when has the future of our species been of concern to unbelievers? Discovery Channel building attacker James Jay Lee (an atheist according to his old Myspace page) believes the best thing is for humans to completely cease to exist (“The humans? The planet does not need humans” at http://www.scribd.com/doc/36771069/Save-the-Planet-Protest-Com)

“They also slow scientific progress”
Certain modern scientists and philosophers (like British astrophysicist Sir Martin Rees) are speculating we may all be nothing more than a giant computer simulation program programmed and run by ‘somebody’. You want to tell me how progressive and rational that sort of proposal is?

“Why is it that every scientific study shows that prayer is a superstition?”
Already answered above:

“Why is that you, as a rational human being, would believe in a completely imaginary place like heaven?”
Because it isn’t imaginary in the first place. But let me ask you, why is heaven so difficult to accept when even the scientist types are claiming there are such things as alternate universes, parallel realms and hidden higher dimensions, their own counterparts to heaven (as otherworldly realms?)

“Why would you believe in a being named "god" for whom there is absolutely no empirical evidence?”
That depends what you mean by empirical evidence. If someone asks “what is the empirical evidence that Hannibal Barca ever existed” or “what is the empirical evidence that US President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii”, what counts as empirical evidence?

Here’s something else; “A Queensland Health employee has been disciplined after demanding staff who did not go to work during the floods show proof they were victims.” (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/23/3119106.htm?section=justin)
Would you denounce Australians for being irrational and maybe fostering gullibility by not using “proof” ?less

Vox day has his own answer to the "one less god" argument: http://voxday.blogspot.com/2011/01/mailvox-one-less-god-and-banana.html

And here’s 423 ways to know you are a fundie atheist: http://www.tektoonics.com/etc/parody/fundyath.html A few highlights: 22. You complain when Christians appeal to their emotions when justifying their belief in God yet you feel justified on appealing to your emotions for lack of belief in God. 30. As a member of the Skeptic's Society you pride yourself on being skeptical of extraordi...more

And here’s 423 ways to know you are a fundie atheist:
http://www.tektoonics.com/etc/parody/fundyath.html

A few highlights:

22. You complain when Christians appeal to their emotions when justifying their belief in God yet you feel justified on appealing to your emotions for lack of belief in God.

30. As a member of the Skeptic's Society you pride yourself on being skeptical of extraordinary claims. You also pride yourself on silencing everyone who is skeptical of the extraordinary claims of evolution.

32. When you watch a punt returner run a 93 yard touchdown, you marvel at what evolution has done for the human race. But when someone gets cancer, you blame God for it.

51. You think that every scientist who believes in Creationism and doesn't mindlessly accept evolution as a fact is a "kook," but you believe that Francis Crick (Nobel Prize winning co-discoverer of DNA), who reached into his nether regions and pulled out the "theory" of Directed Panspermia (which states with absolutely no support that aliens seeded the earth with life - see the movie "Mission to Mars"), is a great evolutionist scientist.

110. You assert that the 300 Protestants put to death under the reign of "Bloody Mary" in 16th century England stand as absolute proof of the inherent evil of Christianity but the tens upon tens of millions killed by Marxist regimes under Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot in the 20th century have absolutely NOTHING to do with the profound atheism inherent in these regimes.

149. You think Christians are narrow-minded for believing in only one religion, but atheists are open-minded for believing in absolutely none.

153. You are disgusted with Doctor Paul Vitz's book "Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism" because an educated person with a degree has linked atheism as a psychological condition. Yet, you have no remorse when you tell believers that they are a product of brainwashing, psycho conditioning and wishful thinking.

154. You believe Freud's theory that all religious experiences are delusions, as the most revolutionary and truthful thought of all times. Yet, you overlook his heavy use of cocaine because "it can't be proven."

228. You claim to hold no Dogma. Yet, you're just as rigid and stubborn with your beliefs as any Dogmatists.less

"...absence of evidence ..." Well it all depends on what exactly is meant by the word "evidence". If somebody asks "What is the evidence that US president Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, as is supposedly the case", what counts as evidence?

" The whole idea of heaven and hell are human constructs that have never been proven." And yet scientist types like to say there are such things as alternate universes and hidden higher dimensions (their own equivalents to heaven and hell). " I choose to live in a world where hypotheses need to be proven before I accept them as fact." The very concept of "unless it's proven I won't accept it"...more

" The whole idea of heaven and hell are human constructs that have never been proven."
And yet scientist types like to say there are such things as alternate universes and hidden higher dimensions (their own equivalents to heaven and hell).

" I choose to live in a world where hypotheses need to be proven before I accept them as fact."
The very concept of "unless it's proven I won't accept it" has not been "proven" by any known means, as far as I'm aware.less

Rhi Bran said "People who are told they must ignore reality...." According to some scientists and philosophers (including prominent British astrophysicist Sir Martin Rees) reality is probably just a giant computer simulation program. In short, reality isn't real. Why bother with reality then?

By the way, my post is directed to johnzon.

But Islam must be doing something "right" since an increasing number of Britons (including a very high proportion of white women) are becoming Muslims: "A report this week suggested the number of converts had doubled in the past 10 years from about 60,000 in 2001 to up to 100,000 with around 5,200 people converting to Islam in the UK last year. These figures come with a health warning – they ar...more

But Islam must be doing something "right" since an increasing number of Britons (including a very high proportion of white women) are becoming Muslims:
"A report this week suggested the number of converts had doubled in the past 10 years from about 60,000 in 2001 to up to 100,000 with around 5,200 people converting to Islam in the UK last year. These figures come with a health warning – they are estimates derived from extrapolations – but if we accept that increasing numbers of British men and women are turning to Islam, it does lead to questions of why: why are people voluntarily signing up to a faith that is, if you believe what you read, a cesspit of misogyny, violence and hate?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/jan/06/muslim-islam-uk-pakistan

See also:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12094375

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/record-numbers-of-britons-embrace-muslim-faith-15045233.html

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/01/05/growing-numbers-in-britain-convert-to-islam-91466-27934151/less

Maybe a better term is multi-ethnic and multi-lingual.

What should we make of American physics professor Robert Park, who thinks much manned spaceflight is a waste of time, money and effort?