Slashdot Mirror

there is also no hard proof of species converting to other either

Apart from of course just about the entire field of microbiology.
Evolution has NOTHING to do with religeon or theology, it's just used as an emotive soft target when religeous figures want to dabble in politics. It comes down to arguements over the lack of dignity of being distantly related to animals, but as many have said, we are all Gods creatures so it doesn't matter anyway.
The usual suspects that start the attack on evolution also attack the idea of an educated clergy - they are horrified by both Jesuits and scientists because either could bring down their fragile pile of lies. You've simply been sucked into political bullshit spread by Christianity Lite where the poor and homeless are damned to hell for all eternity - money and power are the real objects of veneration in the extremes that push the ID bullshit which is Godless Genesis Lite.

Weird, strange, sick, twisted, eerie, godless, evil stuff.

And I want in.

The biggest difference is that there is complete class mobility. Nobody tells you that you are limited to the class in which you are born.

Uh huh...

Doesn't mean you can move up the economic ladder with ease, but it does mean you can.

Ah, here it comes. "Of course the more privileged can get better jobs more easily but that doesn't mean the system is somehow unfair, AMERICAN DREAM WITH US OR AGAINST US GODLESS COMMIES!!11 Err, I mean TURRRRRISTS!!! HATE US FOR OUR FREEDOM!!1" (sorry about the caps, just trying to accentuate how this comes off sounding like to a non-american)

The above is still all true and most likely sums up whatever weasel managed to get ID into the draft National Curriculum.
He left out the bit that many of the earlier corrupt "Godless Christian" government (they pretended to be devoutly Christian but forbid the Catholic and Anglican Archbishops in the state from stepping onto school property due to supposed "Communist" sympathies) ended up in jail for stealing from the public purse.
It was and still is to a degree redneck central, but that doesn't mean we all are just as in Alabama.

And if they don't, the godless left will invent new reasons to hate them.

How do you feel about Scientologists? Do you want to see them take over the government?

No?

Well, now you know how the "godless left" feels about you.

Don't worry, the religious right will invent knew reasons why this research is an abomination.

And if they don't, the godless left will invent new reasons to hate them.

1. How many civilian building and civilians have been killed by the armed forces of non-Moslem countries in the countless wars and battles of the 20th century?

I'll ask a better question -> how many civilian buildings and civilians have been killed by the armed forces of non-moslem countries because someone insulted someone? I'll be the first to critique any and all other religions who have warred upon others, from Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Zoarasterians, and even godless Communist atheists. But killing people because of a cartoon?

2. How long have our civilised Western countries had equal employment for women, the right for women to vote, laws around female equality etc.?

In the US, around the 1920s. I guess this begs the question though -> do those who profess sharia law assert that this is a desirable thing, or that it should be fought tooth and nail? And if they do believe in eventual equality between men and women, where is the plan for getting there?

Why focus on fervently opposing religion, when it is unscientific to spout rhetoric either way?

The existence/non-existence of God is a moot point as far as science is concerned, because no experiment can prove either side right. Thus, it is not scientific to make any such assertions. What a scientist chooses to believe behind closed doors is their business, as long as it does not interfere with their scientific objectivity.

(related, on religion bashing)

Really, Atheists believe that a person's purpose is specific to the individual person, and that person's individual will. (as opposed to glorifying or appeasing some deity.) The religious CHOOSE to pander to a deity, and regardless of if that deity is real or not, that is their choice. Why are the atheists so down on the theists?

Some atheists claim it is because the theists are evangelical about their beliefs, but from where I sit, that is quite a specious argument; The mere existence of the "darwin fish" bumper ornaments illustrates this fact.

If you ask me, it is because the Atheists believe they need to liberate the superstitious from their beliefs, and "set them free", just as strongly as the religious feel they need to "Spread God's Word", and "Bring Salvation" to the masses.

In short, BOTH believe they are "Right", and argue that fact to the annoyance of everyone else around them.

The actual atheist, (the one that feels personal choice is king) would have no problem with religious people, because those people CHOOSE to be religious.

I don't know what to call the evangelical "atheist", but they are every bit as hypocritical and annoying as the evangelical religious types, and for exactly the same reasons-- Both are actively trying to tell you what you should think, and purporting themselves as being "Right."

Regardless of who is castigating whom; ("Godless Heathen!", and "Stop believing in the tooth fairy!" are equivalent slurs in my estimation.) the mode of operation is the same, so denouncing that behavior whilst simultaneously engaging in it is the very definition of hypocrite.

I have nothing against actual atheists, and I have nothing against quiet religious practitioners. What I have a problem with is evangelists, who seem intent on trying to "Convert" me. I am quite capable of making up my own mind, thank you. Sadly, this is true of both sides of this rather sordid little coin.

Really, the BEST solution, is to just leave it well enough alone, and to stop feeding the trolls. Why should it matter what my personal beliefs are? Even for a scientist, it doesn't make any sense to make this into an issue, except to sell magazines, news articles, and to instigate scandal and sensationalism. If the scientist can do his or her job, and do so in an emprically validated, and fully rigorous methodology, what difference does it make if they worship XENU, Christ, Vishnu, Shiva, $Deity, or no deity at all?

That's right-- it DOESN'T. Thus, this is a NON ISSUE, and matters only to people who want to feel "RIGHT", about something that can be logically proven, that nobody is "RIGHT."

I REALLY hate stories like this one.

I think part of the problem here is that the ability for a human to be quickly and effectively indoctrinated by their parents is a survival skill. Little johnny, who listens to his momma and stays away from the river because of the crocodiles, is going to grow up big and strong while little bob, who is a hair more skeptical, is gonna be reptile food. This kind of indoctrination happens in peer groups for adults too, with left-wing scientist after left-wing scientist believing in global warming caused by humans, and right-wing pundit after right-wing pundit believing that gays in the military will destroy morale. Most of both of those beliefs are based on peer pressure and bullshit.

The funny part is when those who label themselves as godless find an unfounded faith, and when those who label themselves as devout end up defending the scientific method. Truly baffling.

Let's get with the /. flaming the private sector.

Oh noes, one company gets flamed and now the whole private sector is under rhetorical attack! Is nothing sacred in this godless commie nation anymore?

Yup.

Although you left out one thing. 'Cursing' was an actual thing like 'May you break your leg', which we don't tend to do that much in this society except to actors. ;)

So all the quotes there are talk about either a) falsely swearing on the name of the Lord, b) malicious gossip and lies, or c) wishing harm on others.

Or d), the first one, which is regarding insulting people to their face, with subjective names, not 'lies'. Which is incidentally the only Jesus quote. He is, obviously, against it.

Although no one knows what exactly he's talking about, because no one can figure out the difference between 'Raba' and 'fool'. 'Raba' means 'empty-headed' as far as anyone can figure out, and was a mild term of reproach, whereas 'moros', the word translated as fool, seems to be the same thing. Both of them seem to be ways of calling people 'dumb'.

Why one is deserving of condemnation by God and the other is not is unknown. Theories abound. Moros can also mean 'godless', so it's a possibility that is what Jesus mean. Don't say other people are not true followers of God. (Man, Jesus is so pissed at me right now.)

The safest bet for Christians is probably not to insult people at all, which seems to go along with other Jesus teachings.

Political correctness is a (godless) religion. It is not science. In most countries which have adopted it, it is now the state religion. All over the once-free world, people are going to jail for breaking language laws, lesbian laws, gun laws, hate laws, economic laws and whole reams of laws that violate political correctness. The governments love this as each law gives them access to more tax dollars and bureaucratic expansion and power. The communism that invented political correctness for this purpose has been wildly successful, prisons sprouting up everywhere.

This is nothing short of an attempt to implement thought control in the US by selective control of information to brainwash the next generation. These are the very people who worship McCarthy and vilify "godless communism", and they're engaging in the very same practices they condemn. Their hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me.

In Japan, school children learn about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but aren't told about the Nanking Massacre, Pearl Harbor, or the Bataan death march. As a result, when they talk to outsiders about WWII they have a very warped view of what happened and why it happened that way. We all need to know as much of the truth about history as is possible, whether we like it or not, or we're going to tackle the future from a very warped and distorted viewpoint. Good decision making is based on knowing the facts, including the context, not on wishful thinking about the way the world ought to be.

No. This is the Internet. We can't allow people being wrong here slide. What would generate the entertainment here if we behaved like mature, reasonable adults?

You forgot to invoke Godwin Law, or at the very least, compare me to the godless Communists in Soviet Russia. ;)

My observations (ie: opinions based on anecdotal observation) is that:

1. The higher the education, the less likely someone is to be a practicing Christian or Jew (Muslims seem to buck this trend)
2. Atheists/deists/pantheists/etc tend to have an average education level higher than the general public. Perhaps this is because the more educated you become, the more likely you are to question the status quo. It does NOT mean that religious people are dumb, however.
3. The world is getting more and more educated, and this trend is likely to continue, on average, into the future.

This would tell me that that some form of deism, pantheism/panentheism or atheism would be more common, although not necessarily the majority. (Buddhism and Taoism would be constant with this as well). Personally, I lean deist. I think an architect makes sense from a scientific point of view (although there is no direct evidence as of yet), and I can't see a 'god' that gets involved with day to day matters. Pray for a miracle? Does that mean that god saved little Mary from leukemia with a miracle, but not Sally because Sally's parents are Buddhists and they didn't pray to the right god? That would be a deity that picks winners and losers, or to put it another way, malevolent.

THAT is the big problem I have with the Abrahamic religions in general, and I have read the bible many times (raised Catholic) and read the koran a few times as well (know thy enemy): The Abrahamic religions make god sound like a vengeful asshole. That just makes no sense if "god" is all knowing, all powerful and all merciful, which they all claim he is. Anyway, if I'm wrong, oh well, I guess I will be smoking a turd in purgatory for half a forever. ;)

Agreed! This whole thing is disgusting! It mocks every single Muslim, not just the handful of people who threatened the lives of cartoonists in the past. It does not defend free speach it actively represses it. No one should be ridiculed for their beliefs and every non-violent person should be respected. But whatever about that, this stupid project is doing damage to real life people. It will give the dictators in Iran an excuse to block free media that everyone can agree with. It makes social networking an enemy to the people it should be liberating. Youtube is banned in many countries for political reasons. The censored internet is being used as a tool of political oppression and a place to spread propaganda, people are being told that the west hates them and western media exists to corrupt their children and make them shallow and godless consumers. And you know, this campaign makes me think they are right. It's so horrible to mock someone else belief, anyone who does it is no better than a schoolyard bully. Damn the sense of superiority. Damn this idea that nothing is sacred. Look at the "will it blend" video for the iPad. Look at the complaints! That is what is sacred to us! It is empty and meaningless and we don't even care about it! And yet we feel superior muslims!? How and why! What the hell makes this okay!??

The findings have been independently verified by scientists from across the world.

Doesn't it bother you when the CRU is found to have shoddy code with artificial adjustments inserted to create warming trends when none exist, and your supposedly independent scientists elsewhere get the same result? It seems much more likely that all of them are wrong, rather than to imagine that CRU cheated in just the right way to get the right answer :)

And again, you did hear Phil Jones admit that none of the people who ever peer reviewed his work EVER asked for his data, right? How could they possibly verify his results without his data?

You are aware that different researchers do their own research, right? And that research matches up.

Look, if I had three people weigh a rock, and they all figured it was 10 pounds, then I found out that one of them had been putting his thumb on the scale, and that without that thumb it would have weighed 5 pounds, should I believe that 10 pounds is the right answer, or 5 pounds?

I'll give you a hint, the answer isn't what you think it is.

In fact, creationists make up a significant portion of the denialist industry.

Which is the funniest thing since Family Guy. Who would've imagined that the supposedly godless liberal socialists would create a world religion based upon CO2 worship, and it would be the bible thumping creationists that were advocating for and defending the scientific method! It is incredible to me that this kind of hypocrisy is even possible -> it's like people who are anti-abortion but pro-death penalty (catholics being the one example of consistency on that issue).

Did you just pick your side on this issue because of who was on the other side? Or did you really think this one through?

The Ayn Rand wing of the GOP would vomit profusely if forced to conform to that form of capitalism as a religion. These people are already practically in tears trying to explain why the golden age of godless exploitation ever had to end.

Actually, I hope you're off on your percentages -- I was hoping it was more like 20% right-wing fanatics pushing their religion vs 20% of the left-wing fanatics wanting a godless, socialized state with the rest of the 60% of us reasoning people in the middle. Meanwhile, a very small percentage of jihadist-wing Islamic whackos are trying to kill us all. I very much sympathize with AZ - it's our worthless, spineless government over the last 20 years who have ignored the basics of the original constitution. Yes, our government is a mess, the alternatives suck even more. What IS the answer?

While I was in seventh grade, I missed a week of school due to an illness. My first day back in English class, we were told spend the hour writing an essay about the evils of plagiarism. In retrospect, it's obvious what happened in my absence, but at the time I didn't know what the word meant, just that it was bad. So, I wrote an essay on the evils of satanism, substituting the word plagiarism throughout. Yes, I discussed the possibility of godless satanists taking over the country and forcing a satanist regime upon the American people. I don't think we got a grade for it, but the teacher thought it was pretty hilarious.

While I was in seventh grade, I missed a week of school due to an illness. My first day back in English class, we were told spend the hour writing an essay about the evils of plagiarism. In retrospect, it's obvious what happened in my absence, but at the time I didn't know what the word meant, just that it was bad. So, I wrote an essay on the evils of communism, substituting the word plagiarism throughout. Yes, I discussed the possibility of godless plagiarists taking over the country and forcing a plagiarist regime upon the American people. I don't think we got a grade for it, but the teacher thought it was pretty hilarious.