Atheist Faith-Heads, Naturally

Will E. »

Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:15 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

"What argument is there which demonstrates in principle that souls, angels, and God could not exist?"

I don't know of any strictly philosophical principle that could rule these out; all I know is that the any reading of ancient history reveals a world awash with demons, spirits, gods, angels, witches, unicorns, cyclops, talking serpents, et. al. This to me is enough evidence that all notions of a spirit/supernatural world is so much rubbish from the childhood imaginings of mankind. "Rubbish" may be too harsh a word; I suppose the study of these myths is interesting in a Jungian/Campbellian way, but as explanations for the real world - i.e., the natural world - they pale in comparison to Democritus, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, Darwin, Mendel, Crick, Hawking, Ventner, etc. I see no good reason to accept the word of Bronze Age Fertile Crescent nomads over the experiments, predictions, confirmations, and physical evidence of these hard-working scientists.

Dawkins Refuses to Debate Intelligent Design Scholars

Will E. »

Wed Oct 14, 2009 1:10 pm Agree: 6   Disagree: 3

"Yet, this is the perfect opportunity for Dawkins to put ID to rest once and for all!!! It's a perfect opportunity for Dawkins to prove to the entire Creation/ID faction that they are wrong!!!"

Yawn. Creation was disproved with the establishment of the theory of evolution by Darwin and others; ID was dismantled by Kenneth Miller for one in his book 'Finding Darwin's God.' There is no reason to keep hashing this out. Again, I say to ID "scientists": do the work, the hard work, not just the PR stuff. Any scientist that could disprove evolution--that is, find another way to explain the rise of species--would become one of the most important scientists to ever live.

Dawkins Refuses to Debate Intelligent Design Scholars

Will E. »

Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:25 am Agree: 54   Disagree: 32

Dawkins for years has refused to debate creationists of any and all stripes, and this is not news. Intelligent design has been dismissed as nonsense by scientists the world over. Michael Behe got owned when he admitted he had read none of the scientific literature on how the bacterial flagellum evolved. If the Disco Institute would spend a fraction of the money and time they do on PR on actual hard research in the lab and in the field, they might have a leg to stand on; as such, they are a laughingstock and worthy of no one's attention.

Simply Unprecedented: President Obama and the Gay Rights Movement

Will E. »

Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:21 am Agree: 5   Disagree: 3

"God's original and only design for marriage which is that of one man and one woman united as one for life in His sight!!"

Somehow He, in all of His infinite wisdom, forgot to make that clear to the Biblical Patriarchs. Oops.

Lodi Council Permits Jesus Prayers

Will E. »

Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:19 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

"During the public hearing on Wednesday, he advocated for permitting not only Christian invocations but also atheist, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist prayers."

"Atheist prayers"! Ha ha, good one. You know what atheist politicians do instead of praying? Their jobs.

Calif. Conservatives 'Disappointed' with New Harvey Milk Day

Will E. »

Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:16 pm Agree: 9   Disagree: 2

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

You've all been saying that for 2,000 years. Not gonna happen. Look, leave behind the superstition of another age and join the modern world.

Calif. Conservatives 'Disappointed' with New Harvey Milk Day

Will E. »

Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:28 pm Agree: 8   Disagree: 4

Once again, bigots are on the wrong side of history. You guys sure enjoy the Dark Ages, don't you? Keep denying gay people their rights as US citizens and see what happens. You cannot keep people down. The tide is changing and your side will lose, relegated to the dustbin of history along with all the other failed beliefs systems of the ignorant and the superstitious.

Simply Unprecedented: President Obama and the Gay Rights Movement

Will E. »

Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:37 pm Agree: 6   Disagree: 2

How does it feel to be on the wrong side of history? You cannot deny people their rights forever--you tried it with women, you tried it with blacks, now you're trying it with homosexuals. You will lose eventually. Every person born in the USA has the right to be married--you are simply denying them that right. It is contemptible. God has nothing to do with it.

Father of 'Reincarnated' WWII Pilot Says Christian Faith Undeterred

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:55 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

Really? Past lives? This is what you're reduced to? Give me a break. How come people's "past lives" are always so awesome and dramatic? Nobody ever recalls their life as a stable cleaner in pre-Revolutionary France, or an impoverished low-caste Hindu in the 15th century. This is ludicrous in the extreme.

Proposed Policy to Put Religion Back in Iowa Schools

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:33 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 2

If God wanted religion in schools I'm sure He could figure out a way to do it, don't see how the Board of Education could stymie Him.

Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:55 am Agree: 2   Disagree: 3

Jesus "came to earth" because that is what deities did in the ancient world, which is full of mythologies of gods incarnate, birthed of virgin women, risen from the dead, and scapegoated to take on the world's sins. Blood sacrifice, sacred kings, and otherworldly abodes are the province of a superstitious and ignorant people, not the purview of a modern world.

Prophecy Conference Examines Signs of End Times

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:15 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

Christians have been psychotically desiring the end of the world since Jesus' time. Didn't happen then--obviously--and it's not going to happen now.

House Rejects Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:09 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 2

You realize of course that Planned Parenthood supplies women with health advice, prenatal care, and other services they may be too poor to pay for? It's not like they only "kill babies."

Secularism: One of America's Great Strengths?

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:02 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

What is so hard to understand about secularism? One can be religious and secular at the same time; it simply means the public square must be neutral when it comes to religion. The government can take no stand on religion. A private individual or group can espouse religious beliefs but a government cannot. The irony of wanting a religious government is that it will be the "wrong" religion, and people will complain about that.

Creation '09 Northwest Wraps Up 12th Year

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:51 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

I went to Creation once many years ago in the mid-'80s. There was a seminar on the "evils" of rock'n'roll. It was sadly out of touch and paranoid. It was so factually wrong that I had a talk with the speaker afterward. He thought Iron Maiden was satanic because they sang about Egyptian mythology (which predates Xian concepts of Satan by thousands of years), said Slayer was putting out an album on the K-Tel label (look it up if you don't remember them), and didn't get the double-entendre of AC/DC's "Big Balls." Then my youth group leader tried to tell us teenagers during a nice relaxing campfire that THE EXORCIST was real and the devil could possess us. Really? Come on now.

Obama: I Pray All the Time Now

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:43 am Agree: 4   Disagree: 3

Flagged as inappropriate. show Why are you here posting instead of *praying*? What does God gain by people praying without ceasing? Can't he read people's minds anyway? Actually these don't sound like God's commands; they sound like rich and powerful priests and kings who want their subjects to STFU, keep working and not cause any trouble. hide

Obama: I Pray All the Time Now

Will E. »

Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:56 am Agree: 3   Disagree: 5

Flagged as inappropriate. show Imprecatory prayer makes no sense. If God is in control and aware of what's going on on this little planet, then he's gonna do what he's gonna do whether one prays or not. Also, abortion clinics are not criminal; they are protected by law. Whether you like it or not is another matter. hide

Survey: 1 in 3 Scientists Believe in God

Will E. »

Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:14 pm Agree: 4   Disagree: 1

"For bench top atheism, Rana explained, even if a scientist believes in God he has to act as if he does not while engaging in science. And under methodological naturalism, a scientist is forced to explain events through naturalism."

Nobody is "forcing" any scientists to do anything, not telling them they have to "act" a certain way. Science simply doesn't work if we use anything but a naturalist view. Invoking a God as the creator of cancer cells or dinosaurs or global warming does nothing for anyone; the scientist in the lab or in the field doesn't take a for-or-against position on God, but simply a neutral one. That's the position that gets results.

Many Believe God's Intervention Can Revive the Dying

Will E. »

Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:42 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

It seems the only "medical miracles" God performs are those which could have occurred naturally, i.e., cancer goes into remission, grievous wounds heal, people come out of comas, tumors recede, diabetes handled through diet and exercise, etc. But you'll notice a limb lost in an accident never grows back. Why is that?

'Atheism Remix' - Understanding and Answering the New Atheism

Will E. »

Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:01 pm Agree: 10   Disagree: 1

This is, surprisingly, an even-handed and fair assessment of "new atheism." As an atheist, I get tired of reading theists' arguments that misunderstand or dishonestly portray the atheist point of view. Mohler may be an "opponent" but he seems to be an honest one.