New to the site...
Offline I was directed to this site after looking up and watching the "Rational response squad vs Kirk Cameron/ Ray Comfort debate" (old news I know). It's comforting and refreshing to know that there exists a huge community of atheists that is (one hopes) constantly growing. Doing my best to spread the good (non)word here in my little corner of Canada. The biggest concern at the moment is the growing creationist lobby movement. We don't seem to have as large a problem as the U.S. - for example our politicians rarely talk about religion and as a matter of fact I have no idea what religion our prime minister practices (though I am sure it is some type of christianity...he is definately not an atheist). However there are heavily funded Intelligent Design (i.e. magic man creationism) lobby groups in every province now...very worrisome.
I knew I was in trouble at nine years old when in "advanced bible studies" class in Sunday school (during a genesis "lecture" ) I was punished and sat in the corner after innocently asking "but what about the dinosaurs miss?".
Thanks Rational Responders for giving us a place to share our views, seek advice, discuss issues.
Favorite websites - besides this one of course - http://darwin-killed-god.blogspot.com/ the Richard Dawkins site and http://www.nobeliefs.com/index.htm The Darwin Killed God site is extremely entertaining and one of the few blogs I read besides Pharyngula.
"Atheist" book which most influenced me: god is Not Great (Love Hitchens and also share his taste in scotch).
Cheers and hello.
Inver
Time and I against any other two. - Beltazar Gracian
Beware the fury of a patient man. - John Dryden
It requires ages to destroy a popular opinion. - Voltaire
There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world: and that is an idea whose time has come. - V. Hugo
When in doubt, squat and run hills. - Jim Wendler
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It's nice to see another Canadian on site, there are severaal of us here. I'm from Mississauga #10 & Eglinton area. Where are you from?
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
From Nova Scotia, just outside Halifax. I work for a University but even there you wouldn't believe (or maybe you would haha) how hard it is to find like minded individuals.
Thank Jeebus for the internets.
Inver
Time and I against any other two. - Beltazar Gracian
Beware the fury of a patient man. - John Dryden
It requires ages to destroy a popular opinion. - Voltaire
There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world: and that is an idea whose time has come. - V. Hugo
When in doubt, squat and run hills. - Jim Wendler
Man, I do relate to the whole dinosaurs debate . I was going to a catholic school,but on the weekends a group of very nice Mennonites would take us to the art museum,and the natural history museum.We were considered poor since we lived in the projects and these religious people were very kind.Now one day after visiting the natural history museum,the following Monday,I was in school and the nun was telling us about how old the earth was,I said well that don't make any sense,cause the man at the museum said that the dinosaur(it was on display,and it was huge)was a few million years old.That's when the nun said to me "you'll do better in public school,you ask to many questions".Anyway Welcome to the machine !
Signature ? How ?
here, Inver. My mum now does believe in dinosaurs. For about ten years I've been leaving my used copies of new scientist around at her place and she must have read some of them. She was a missionary teacher and a primary school teacher in NZ and admits to telling the kids she taught in the 60s and 70s that dinosaurs were a joke and never existed. Instead she taught bible creation in class. Lol. You can just imagine what it was like at home with tales of the evil scientists inventing evolution so they could 'live life in their own way without bowing to god'.
I can remember sunday drives in the car with mum and dad seriously talking about satan as a force in the world blinding people and perpetrating his sinister plans and no one knowing he was there because they were sooooooo blinded. Prob no different to what the fundies still believe. Christians are barking mad, if you ask me.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
Welcome to the site inver, I really don't understand how people can deny things such as the dinosaurs, I guess ignorance really is bliss.
Also just a comment on the one blog site you posted, no offense but the blogger is a bit of an extremist. I mean sure I'll agree that religion is an excuse for ignorance but at the same time I don't agree when he says that the need to be wiped of the face of the earth. Unfortunately we would have very few people left on this earth if his wish came true. It seems to me though, like he is the kind of person who is TOO confrontational. Instead of using facts and truths, he more or less seems to handle religion with sarcasm and act like any one who worships a god is a utter idiot, which I know from experience is not that case. I have met some genuinely intelligent people that believed in god. I'm just saying that I hope you don't take the same views as him, as it doesn't really get atheists farther in the world.
Science flies people to the moon, Religion flies people into buildings.
Thanks for the welcome guys, I appreciate the sentiments.
Adams.v I agree with you somewhat about that site, and of course I don't agree literally with some of what he writes. I don't want religious people to be persecuted anymore than I want to be persecuted as an atheist.
Maybe I am reading that site wrong, but I take a lot of what he says on that blog as satire and sarcasm, with an undercurrent of frustration as to the stubborness of religious belief. I don't think he (or she?) literally means much of what is writen, besides the science bits...I take it as he just wants evolution deniers to be quiet and stop meddling in academics and politics. To me the way the blog was written was a humorous and profanity laced series of rants with some evolution science thrown in. It was an interesting change from most of the pro-evolution sites I have seen, that's all. I think most is tongue in cheek but I could be wrong.
Thanks for your comment.
Inver
Time and I against any other two. - Beltazar Gracian
Beware the fury of a patient man. - John Dryden
It requires ages to destroy a popular opinion. - Voltaire
There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world: and that is an idea whose time has come. - V. Hugo
When in doubt, squat and run hills. - Jim Wendler
Going back to that site and looking over it again I do see quite a bit a satire and sarcasm. Once again text does not convey them very well, especially when said reader is still waking up
I completely agree with the writer on the fact that SCIENCE should be taught in school. And said science should have no religious undercurrents. Unfortunately, especially here in the states with all the ignorance and stupidity aboud, this is a very difficult step. I mean really, when you can convince people that the earth isn't over a MILLENIUM old, there is a serious problem. Who's word should I be taking, a book with thousands of contradictions and flat out lies, or an expert, who went to school many many years and has other experts in the field verify his work. The answer should be painfully obvious, but it's not sadly.
The only real problem I have with his site is the amount of profanity. Now I have absolutely NO problem with profanity, I just don't think that every sentence needs it. Use it effectively and drive points home with it, it makes it much more effecient in context. Also is the fact that when Hardcore fundamentalists get a hold of the blog, and the DON'T see the satire and humor (which they probably won't) they accuse us of persecuting them, which is rarely the case.
Science flies people to the moon, Religion flies people into buildings.
It isn't really every sentence, especially if you mean actual cuss words - other sentences have words which are still abusive and/or insulting, but not actual profanity.
I think a range of approaches from that sort of strong language to the more gentle "make 'em welcome", softly-softly way are needed, different people respond differently.
'Shock treatment' can definitely be effective in some cases - sometimes it takes the shock of seeing someone who makes it clear just who strongly he feels about the issue to make someone start thinking again.
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
Gee, a whole mini discussion about dinosaurs, cussing and religion and not once did anyone call me a Godless heathen haha. I like this place!
A lot of the University students I deal with are international students, the range and variation of beliefs is interesting (and in my opinion all the evidence I need that god and religion is man made). I had a discussion with one of our varsity basketball players who is from Nigeria who was absolutely thunderstruck that I didn't believe in god and also had doubts - serious ones - about the historicity of jesus.
To him these thoughts were unfathomable - he said he would pray for me though haha.
Ken G and Atheistextremist - in Newfoundland where I grew up, we went to church based schools all they way up (I was in a protestant school, some of my friends went down the street to the catholic school). We still thankfully learned about evolution in biology class, but boy - try wearing an Iron Maiden shirt to class. My parents even got called about that one. Oh how times have changed. Just one integrated school now.
Cheers fellas.
Inver
Time and I against any other two. - Beltazar Gracian
Beware the fury of a patient man. - John Dryden
It requires ages to destroy a popular opinion. - Voltaire
There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world: and that is an idea whose time has come. - V. Hugo
When in doubt, squat and run hills. - Jim Wendler
Welcome to the forum Inver Stone. ( your two Boston Terriers are damned cute. )