atheism

PZ on YouTube – Confrontation and Education

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PZ is well-known, and also well worth listening to, not just because he is somebody who can communicate effectively, but also because he actually has something worth listening to, so it was a delight to see him coaxed him out of his academic seclusion for a trip to Ireland and also, on his way back, to a Skeptics In the Pub in Glasgow.

I have two treats for you today. The first is a direct confrontation with some Muslims who stuck a camera under his nose while he was out for a walk, the second is his complete talk at Skeptics in the Pub in Glasgow.

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Richard Dawkins – strident and intolerant?

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Today I have a great pointer for you, specifically to an article I found in the Independent (the Irish one). Kevin Myers has done a great job debunking a popular myth regarding Richard Dawkins Quite often, you hear folks refer to Richard as strident, aggressive, intolerant and arrogant, and it does personally annoy the hell … Read more

Miraculous Healing is myth and not real

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The earlier blog posting (here) regarding the faith healing cult that refuses all medical care for their children prompts me to now step back and think about the entire faith healing concept. Of all the possible spiritual gifts that religious folks claim, this one is perhaps the best hope for yielding solid proof that a spiritual realm really exists outside our current understanding of reality. Many of those who attend healing crusades have officially diagnosed illnesses, so all that is needed is a quick trip back to the doctor to verify that the illness has now vanished. If looking for solid proof, don’t just go for something vague such as back pain. Instead look for something dramatic and very easily verified such as a blind man who can now see, or somebody who turned up in a wheelchair and then walked out.

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Religious discrimination in a secular culture

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The recession in the UK (are we allowed to call it that) has motivated the powers that be to seriously consider finding god. Well not quite, what they are doing is starting to look upon religious groups as potential service providers. The most obvious example is of course education. Many non-believers are eager for their offspring to enroll within Church schools simply because they have better exam results, and perhaps also with the thought that they will be instilled with good moral guidance. I need not point out the reality, but what the heck, I’ll do so anyway:

Book Pointer -> “Forged” by Bart Erhman

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If you are a believer, then you should seriously consider reading a book by Biblical scholar, Bart Erhman. His latest publication “Forged” is a great introduction to the reasons why scholars are persuaded that a significant number of works in the New Testament are not by their purported authors. He also explains why some of the ideas we embrace today do not actually come from the bible at all, but were instead added in later.

As an example, we have a truly crazy idea that many accept as reality. Its the bizarre concept that there is one God that has three different forms, Father, Son and Spirit. We are all familiar with this concept today, it is part of our cultural baggage. However, what really surprised me is that this idea does not exist anywhere in the bible at all … except for one reference in 1 John 5:7-8.

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No rapture – So what happens now in the minds of the believers?

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Its official, the clock here in the UK just passed 6pm, and …No rapture!! … except of course on twitter where we have an armageddon of users expressing their mock disappointment at the lack of dead people rising from their graves, but then again perhaps it has been a rather quiet rapture – the type that passes unnoticed. God popped down,  took a quick look around, decided none of us were worth bothering with, was also rather keen to watch Dr Who today (on in 10 minutes if you happen to be in the UK), and so  decided to give it all a miss.

Of all the tweets I’ve seen so far, my favorite just has to be Professor Brian Cox who tweeted … “I think we should all pretend the #rapture is happening so that when Harold Camping gets left behind later today he’ll be livid.“.

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