Michael Shermer, publisher of the Skeptic Society magazine, wrote an excellent article on this question in Scientific American. He eloquently addresses this question and the silly comment Oprah made when she was interviewing Diana Nyad about her epic 110 mile swim from Cuba. Good reading.
The Baloney Detection Kit video at www.skeptic.com (on home page, about half way down) is also great.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Pigs Do Fly I Guess
Pat Roberson, he of the conservative Christian 500 Club show, amazed and surprised me by criticizing the young earth creationists who say the earth is 6000 years old.
Robertson said science and specifically, geology, clearly show the early is much much older. I'm still shaking my head - hard to believe the guy who repeatedly has said that natural disasters are God's wrath about gays - would come down on the side of science. Wow.
And now the uber fundamentalists are accusing Robertson of all things, blasphemy.
What goes around comes around I guess. Or, perhaps the bible should be quoted.
Robertson said science and specifically, geology, clearly show the early is much much older. I'm still shaking my head - hard to believe the guy who repeatedly has said that natural disasters are God's wrath about gays - would come down on the side of science. Wow.
And now the uber fundamentalists are accusing Robertson of all things, blasphemy.
What goes around comes around I guess. Or, perhaps the bible should be quoted.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Deadly Missionary Work
Great article on how fundamentalist Christian missionaries spread homophobic bigotry in Africa. And the moderate/liberal Christians who fight it.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Science & Jesus
This hysterical post sums up nicely why it's hard to take any religion seriously. National Geographic magazine had the same perspective of the universe represented on one of their pull out maps - except the last frame in this post wasn't included.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
The Highest Divorce Rates Are Where?
In the bible belt according to this study.
I've also seen studies that the area of the county, the most religiously conservative, has the highest incarceration rate.
So remember how the divorce rate in America is geographically distributed the next time someone says religion benefits society.
I've also seen studies that the area of the county, the most religiously conservative, has the highest incarceration rate.
So remember how the divorce rate in America is geographically distributed the next time someone says religion benefits society.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
A Hysterical Take On The Trinity
http://youtu.be/mII6-IyaT3o
This is really really funny! It must have required many many reshoots to get the dialogue right.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Costco Attacks Bible!
Or maybe not.
Costco is caught up in controversy after a pastor tweeted that the Bibles for sale in his store were labeled as fiction. The "Christians are being persecuted crowd" quickly took up the cry even though Costco admitted that their supplier made a mistake on a small number of Bibles and they (Costco) should have caught the mistake.
Interestingly, some Christians are starting to push back, arguing that is an honest and simple mistake and it doesn't mean that Christianity is being attacked or persecuted. Nice to see some rational voices among the religious folks.
Costco is caught up in controversy after a pastor tweeted that the Bibles for sale in his store were labeled as fiction. The "Christians are being persecuted crowd" quickly took up the cry even though Costco admitted that their supplier made a mistake on a small number of Bibles and they (Costco) should have caught the mistake.
Interestingly, some Christians are starting to push back, arguing that is an honest and simple mistake and it doesn't mean that Christianity is being attacked or persecuted. Nice to see some rational voices among the religious folks.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Amazing Knife Throwing Video! But Wait, It Get's Better!
An amazing YouTube video of knife throwing. Except it isn't - the video explaining how it was faked is more amazing.
An excellent lesson in critical thinking. Our brains can fool us because we evolved over millions of years to use intellectual shortcuts to reach conclusions. And perhaps we just want to be amazed (see religion). Even the most convincing photos or video should be approached with a critical eye.
As Carl Sagan said,
And with powerful video/photo editing programs in every home, a picture or video no longer rise to the level of extraordinary evidence.
An excellent lesson in critical thinking. Our brains can fool us because we evolved over millions of years to use intellectual shortcuts to reach conclusions. And perhaps we just want to be amazed (see religion). Even the most convincing photos or video should be approached with a critical eye.
As Carl Sagan said,
"extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."
And with powerful video/photo editing programs in every home, a picture or video no longer rise to the level of extraordinary evidence.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Egyptian Atheists
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/27/a_christopher_hitchens_dream_atheism_on_the_rise_in_egypt/
Absolutely fascinating. This gives me hope. Several of the Egyptians interviewed here related stories that resonate with my path to becoming an agnostic.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Losing Ground With Evangelicals?
Hopefully this article represents a trend with evangelicals. The author says she was taught abstinence-only sex "education" ("you shall not have sex before marriage" - end of discussion) and was pregnant the next year - at age 15. I'm particularly struck by this comment by the author:
If you teach ignorance, the results are predictable.
Today, nearly half of American high schoolers, aged 14 to 18, are sexually active, according to a Centers for Disease Control survey. Even Christians aren’t waiting until marriage. Among unmarried adult evangelicals under 30, 8 in 10 have had sex. Somebody has to say it: Our approach isn’t working, and it’s time to rethink “the talk.”Abstinence-only sex education is worse than worthless - it is counterproductive. Even if conservative parents don't talk to their kids about sex, their kids will get it from other sources - from their friends, the internet, TV, etc. Abstinence-only isn't a conversation with kids about sex, it's basically just a statement - "you will not have sex until you get married". Studies have shown a very high rate of early sex with kids who have only received the a/o talk. A high rate of failure resulting in more teen pregnancies, births, adoptions and worst of all, what evangelicals really don't like - abortions.
If you teach ignorance, the results are predictable.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Anne Frank and Hell
Christians believe that to avoid Hell you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Anyone who does not accept Christ as their Lord and Savior goes to hell according to this doctrine.
I think we can all agree that Adolf Hitler was a truly evil person and if anybody deserved to burn in hell forever it would be him. (Although it's interesting to note that in his autobiography he claimed to be a Christian but never mind.) But what about Anne Frank? She was a Jew so she never accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.
So if you want to tie conservative Christians in knots, ask them if Anne Frank is in hell with Adolf Hitler. And yes, this is a fair question.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Perfect
From an atheist character in the new Netflix show, "Orange is the new Black". I wish I could articulate my viewpoints this well but then I'm not a Hollywood writer with years of experience who goes through who knows how many rewrites to get this:
I can’t pretend to believe in something I don’t, and I don’t [believe in this]… I believe in science. I believe in evolution. I believe in Nate Silver, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Christopher Hitchens, although I do admit he could be kind of an asshole. I cannot get behind some Supreme Being who weighs in on the Tony awards while a million people get whacked by machetes. I don’t believe a billion Indians are going to hell. I don’t think that we get cancer to learn life lessons. And I don’t believe people die young because God needs another angel. I think it’s just bullshit. And on some level, I think we all know that…
I disagree about Hitchens. He was always more or less polite to those who were the same to him. But if they weren't, he could use words like weapons.
I can’t pretend to believe in something I don’t, and I don’t [believe in this]… I believe in science. I believe in evolution. I believe in Nate Silver, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Christopher Hitchens, although I do admit he could be kind of an asshole. I cannot get behind some Supreme Being who weighs in on the Tony awards while a million people get whacked by machetes. I don’t believe a billion Indians are going to hell. I don’t think that we get cancer to learn life lessons. And I don’t believe people die young because God needs another angel. I think it’s just bullshit. And on some level, I think we all know that…
I disagree about Hitchens. He was always more or less polite to those who were the same to him. But if they weren't, he could use words like weapons.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Why millennials are leaving the church
Why millennials are leaving the church – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs
Love the part "and I proceed to bang my head against the podium". Evangelicals (particularly on the right) are all about style changes rather than message changes.
Love the part "and I proceed to bang my head against the podium". Evangelicals (particularly on the right) are all about style changes rather than message changes.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
HPV Vaccine Is Credited in Fall of Teenage Girl’s Infection Rate
Great NY Times article on how this vaccine is rapidly dropping infection rates in teenage girls.
Except of course the numbers won't look so good among girls in religiously conservative households - these parents believe the vaccine promotes sex before marriage so they won't vaccinate their girls. I think Christopher Hitchins put it best - religion poisons everything.
Earlier today I also saw a NYT article about HIV infection rates in the deep south. Much higher than anywhere else in the country. I'm guessing the deep south state governments and cities are not supportive of programs that would reduce infection rates.
Hitchins was right - religion poisons everything.
Except of course the numbers won't look so good among girls in religiously conservative households - these parents believe the vaccine promotes sex before marriage so they won't vaccinate their girls. I think Christopher Hitchins put it best - religion poisons everything.
Earlier today I also saw a NYT article about HIV infection rates in the deep south. Much higher than anywhere else in the country. I'm guessing the deep south state governments and cities are not supportive of programs that would reduce infection rates.
Hitchins was right - religion poisons everything.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A Wonderful Quote
Ingersoll was asked by a reporter from Kansas City if he enjoyed lecturing. Ingersoll replied, "Of course I enjoy lecturing. It's great pleasure to drive the fiend of fear out of the hearts of men women and children. It is a positive joy to put out the fires of hell".
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