Stewart Lee: Comedy Vehicle - Religion (1 of 3)
2 of 3
3 of 3
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Paxman Meets Hitchens: A Newsnight Special
In a wide-ranging special interview, Jeremy Paxman talks to Christopher Hitchens about his cancer diagnosis, his life, his politics and his writing.
Video 1/2
Video 2/2
BBC2 29 November 2010
Video 1/2
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BBC2 29 November 2010
Why the fuss about Darwin and evolution?
Evolution is the key to understanding virtually every aspect of biology, from biochemistry to ecology. Yet teaching evolution is still controversial in the U.S. Genie Scott explores the unique political, religious, and social obstacles.
Where: Indiana University/Purdue University. When: September 8, 2010
Read the book Voices for Evolution
• The Panda's Thumb
• Talk origins
• Response to the "Intelligent Design"
Where: Indiana University/Purdue University. When: September 8, 2010
Read the book Voices for Evolution
• The Panda's Thumb
• Talk origins
• Response to the "Intelligent Design"
Michael Shermer: The pattern behind self-deception
Michael Shermer says the human tendency to believe strange things -- from alien abductions to dowsing rods -- boils down to two of the brain's most basic, hard-wired survival skills. He explains what they are, and how they get us into trouble.
Monday, November 29, 2010
A Virus Walks Into a Bar...' and Other Science Jokes - Brian Malow
Science comedian Brian Malow jokes that a virus is "the ultimate David and Goliath" when compared with humans. He then rattles off a series of science-related jokes. "Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, and doesn't."
Complete video at fora.tv/2009/11/08/Science_Laughs_Science_Comedian_Brian_Malow
Complete video at fora.tv/2009/11/08/Science_Laughs_Science_Comedian_Brian_Malow
How the Bible Explains Suffering
Bart Ehrman is renowned for his contributions to the field of religious studies, focusing on New Testament interpretation and the history of ancient Christianity in the first three centuries AD.
Series: UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lectures 9/2008
Series: UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lectures 9/2008
Irreducible complexity cut down to size
Explaining how complexity can arise through gradual evolution and debunking anti-evolutionist arguments
American Atheists' David Silverman on Fox & Friends
David Silverman from American Atheists debates Christmas billboards on Fox & Friends
Aired November 28, 2010 on Fox News
Aired November 28, 2010 on Fox News
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Baba Brinkman - Rap Guide to Evolution at TED
Baba Brinkman is a Canadian actor and rap artist and former tree‑planter who has personally planted more than one million trees. Baba Brinkman has received international acclaim for his rap comedy theatre shows, which cover topics as diverse as evolutionary psychology, the Canterbury Tales, democracy, and civil disobedience.
2009 Baba Brinkman won the Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for his "Rap Guide to Evolution," which is transferring to New York in 2011. When he is not on tour, Baba resides in his hometown of Vancouver.
2009 Baba Brinkman won the Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for his "Rap Guide to Evolution," which is transferring to New York in 2011. When he is not on tour, Baba resides in his hometown of Vancouver.
News Updates From Freethought Radio for November 27, 2010
Clips from Freethought Radio, November 27, 2010
Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker, Co-Presidents
Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker, Co-Presidents
Munk Debates: Tony Blair vs Christopher Hitchens
In a world of globalization and rapid social change does religion provide the common values and ethical foundations that diverse societies need to thrive in the 21st century?
Or, do deeply held religious beliefs promote intolerance, exacerbate ethnic divisions, and impede social progress in developing and developed nations alike? To encourage a far-ranging discussion on one of human kind’s most vexing questions, the 6th semi-annual Munk Debate will tackle the resolution: be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world.
Tony Blair
Religious faith has a major part to play in shaping the values which guide the modern world, and can and should be a force for progress.
Christopher Hitchens
If religious instruction were not allowed until the child had attained the age of reason, we would be living in a quite different world.
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6/9
The official resolution, "Be it resolved, religion is a force of good for the world".
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9/9
Friday, November 26, 2010. Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada.
Or, do deeply held religious beliefs promote intolerance, exacerbate ethnic divisions, and impede social progress in developing and developed nations alike? To encourage a far-ranging discussion on one of human kind’s most vexing questions, the 6th semi-annual Munk Debate will tackle the resolution: be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world.
Tony Blair
Religious faith has a major part to play in shaping the values which guide the modern world, and can and should be a force for progress.
Christopher Hitchens
If religious instruction were not allowed until the child had attained the age of reason, we would be living in a quite different world.
1/9
2/9
3/9
4/9
5/9
6/9
The official resolution, "Be it resolved, religion is a force of good for the world".
7/9
8/9
9/9
Friday, November 26, 2010. Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada.
Imagine a world without god
Theists, I know you don't think the world would exist without God. I'm just asking you to imagine for moment what it would be like if it did...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Christopher Hitchens interview 26/11-2010 - BBC Newsnight
The full interview - 'Paxman Meets Hitchens: A Newsnight Special' will be broadcast on BBC2 on Monday 29 November.
Newsnight BBC2 26 November 2010
Newsnight BBC2 26 November 2010
Free Your Mind!
It is easy to get seduced by the world you see ever day of your life. The Sun rises, and Sets, and many are not even aware of a similar motion of the stars, or the march of the moon around the sky. Yet all it takes is to open the minds eye and translate one frame of reference into another and you get so much more of a fantastical view of things. The pulse of the solar system, as it spins within our galaxy, within the Milky Way.
Maybe one of the funkier ways to do this is to get a telescope to track the stars all night long, then realize that the telescope is not really moving, well in orientation at any rate, and that all you are really looking at is the Earth spinning in the foreground.
To make things even more fun you can look across to our nearest gas giant neighbor, the mighty Jupiter, one of the brightest objects in the sky! Even the smallest of telescopes will show you its moons, and reveal Jupiter as a disk: indeed even a modern camcorder (2010) on ~60x zoom will show the moons of Jupiter! Modest telescopes, 3-6 in (75-150mm) will reveal structure on Jupiters cloud tops and show the shadows of the transiting moons. Jupiter rotates quickly, about once every 8 hrs, which in principal means its possible to watch an entire rotation of the planet over a single evening.
In this case I used a CPC11, a fairly sophisticated telescope (~3000 bucks), I forget the eyepiece, but a tele-extender and a 2 year old HD camera (vixia HF10 ~$300 now). Turns out this setup was far from ideal, but it was kinda thrown together in middle of nowhere. Problem was to get the right magnification, the image was too bright (newer camcorder have better brightness ranges, but I didnt have the right adaptor to mount a newer camcorder), so I had to put a lunar filter in the optical train, and then correct the color in editing. After that take about 10 seconds of video, and import it into a program called Registax, a wavelet based, quasi-adaptive optics based image enhancement program. Its free, and the developers deserve a lot of kudos for their efforts on this.
For the record, the nights seeing was not particularly good, as is evident from the high cloud that comes in later on the timelapse, and so the results here are well below optimal, however I was traveling at the time and had limited windows of opportunity, and it takes a night of work to do something like this. Really I should have done this from a dark and stable site, but there just wasn't the opportunity.
And now comes the point where you can really put it all together, a nights observing, and the telescope tracking Jupiter, then make a timelapse of both Jupiter and the telescope tracking it, and superimpose one on the other, and you have a whole rotation of Jupiter, as seen from the terrestrial merry-go-round. Further I really lucked out here, with both Io giving a show of a transit, at the same time the Great Red Spot arced around the planet!
Cute thing is that with 4 telescopes at good observing sites around the world, a little automation, and you could get 6 months continuous footage like this each year. Further a telescope in a higher earth orbit, or out in the LaGrange points could basically relay continuous footage like this.... however thats really a project for someone with real funding :-)
(or maybe a project for next year!)
Maybe one of the funkier ways to do this is to get a telescope to track the stars all night long, then realize that the telescope is not really moving, well in orientation at any rate, and that all you are really looking at is the Earth spinning in the foreground.
To make things even more fun you can look across to our nearest gas giant neighbor, the mighty Jupiter, one of the brightest objects in the sky! Even the smallest of telescopes will show you its moons, and reveal Jupiter as a disk: indeed even a modern camcorder (2010) on ~60x zoom will show the moons of Jupiter! Modest telescopes, 3-6 in (75-150mm) will reveal structure on Jupiters cloud tops and show the shadows of the transiting moons. Jupiter rotates quickly, about once every 8 hrs, which in principal means its possible to watch an entire rotation of the planet over a single evening.
In this case I used a CPC11, a fairly sophisticated telescope (~3000 bucks), I forget the eyepiece, but a tele-extender and a 2 year old HD camera (vixia HF10 ~$300 now). Turns out this setup was far from ideal, but it was kinda thrown together in middle of nowhere. Problem was to get the right magnification, the image was too bright (newer camcorder have better brightness ranges, but I didnt have the right adaptor to mount a newer camcorder), so I had to put a lunar filter in the optical train, and then correct the color in editing. After that take about 10 seconds of video, and import it into a program called Registax, a wavelet based, quasi-adaptive optics based image enhancement program. Its free, and the developers deserve a lot of kudos for their efforts on this.
For the record, the nights seeing was not particularly good, as is evident from the high cloud that comes in later on the timelapse, and so the results here are well below optimal, however I was traveling at the time and had limited windows of opportunity, and it takes a night of work to do something like this. Really I should have done this from a dark and stable site, but there just wasn't the opportunity.
And now comes the point where you can really put it all together, a nights observing, and the telescope tracking Jupiter, then make a timelapse of both Jupiter and the telescope tracking it, and superimpose one on the other, and you have a whole rotation of Jupiter, as seen from the terrestrial merry-go-round. Further I really lucked out here, with both Io giving a show of a transit, at the same time the Great Red Spot arced around the planet!
Cute thing is that with 4 telescopes at good observing sites around the world, a little automation, and you could get 6 months continuous footage like this each year. Further a telescope in a higher earth orbit, or out in the LaGrange points could basically relay continuous footage like this.... however thats really a project for someone with real funding :-)
(or maybe a project for next year!)
Jimmy Carter: Religion is a Basic Cause of Violations of Women's Rights
Jimmy Carter on the impact of religion and tradition on the lives of women and girls: Religion is one of the 'basic causes' of violations of women's rights
Friday, November 26, 2010
Billboard: "You KNOW It's a Myth"
American Atheists has paid for a huge billboard on Route 495 outside the Lincoln Tunnel in North Bergen, N.J., that is raising some eyebrows.
The billboard shows a silhouette of the Three Wise Men approaching the Nativity, with the words: "You KNOW it's a Myth / This Season, Celebrate REASON!"
20.000 US Dollars? No way!
November 24, 2010 on Fox NY
Se also earlier post You KNOW it's a Myth!
The billboard shows a silhouette of the Three Wise Men approaching the Nativity, with the words: "You KNOW it's a Myth / This Season, Celebrate REASON!"
20.000 US Dollars? No way!
November 24, 2010 on Fox NY
Se also earlier post You KNOW it's a Myth!
Onward Christian Athletes
In this month's audio podcast, "Onward Christian Athletes" author, Tom Krattenmaker, presents his book to AHA's 69th Annual Conference attendees. Also learn more about the largest non-religious ad campaign, launched earlier in November by the American Humanist Association.
Direct Download: http://aha-files.s3.amazonaws.com/63/be/a/1747/thh56.mp3 (right click the link to save the mp3 file or left click to listen).
About "Onward Christian Athletes":
Players pointing triumphantly to the heavens. Lavishly paid pro athletes proclaiming their Christianity in public every chance they get. Faith Nights at professional sports events. The hand of God proclaimed in every win streak. Pro sports teams are supposed to provide a civic rallying ground where fans of widely varying background and faiths come together. In Onward Christian Athletes, religion expert and commentator Tom Krattenmaker takes us behind the scenes of the conservative Christian movement to evangelize in the club house and enlist pro athletes to promote a specific brand of Christianity outside the mainstream of a religiously and politically diverse America.
Notes from this month's episode:
Margaret Downey from Freethought Society
Tom Krattenmaker
Consider Humanism
Music from this month's episode: The Humanist Hour Theme Song: "Sound Scientist" by Bill
Direct Download: http://aha-files.s3.amazonaws.com/63/be/a/1747/thh56.mp3 (right click the link to save the mp3 file or left click to listen).
About "Onward Christian Athletes":
Players pointing triumphantly to the heavens. Lavishly paid pro athletes proclaiming their Christianity in public every chance they get. Faith Nights at professional sports events. The hand of God proclaimed in every win streak. Pro sports teams are supposed to provide a civic rallying ground where fans of widely varying background and faiths come together. In Onward Christian Athletes, religion expert and commentator Tom Krattenmaker takes us behind the scenes of the conservative Christian movement to evangelize in the club house and enlist pro athletes to promote a specific brand of Christianity outside the mainstream of a religiously and politically diverse America.
Notes from this month's episode:
Margaret Downey from Freethought Society
Tom Krattenmaker
Consider Humanism
Music from this month's episode: The Humanist Hour Theme Song: "Sound Scientist" by Bill
Thanksgiving as a Jewish concept?
Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald: In the days of the Holy Temple, the Priests, on behalf of the people of Israel, would bring up two burnt offerings (sacrifices) each day. Today, Jews pray three times a day, morning (Shacharit), afternoon (Mincha) and evening (Maariv). These sacrifices and these prayers basically represent a way for Jews to give thanks to God on a regular basis, each and every day.
The American people celebrate Thanksgiving once a year. What's more important is that we remember to say thank you everyday to those who have helped us, nurtured us, who raised us, cared for us and work with us.
Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, director of Jewish Treats' parent organization, the National Jewish Outreach Program, takes this opportunity to thank the staff members at NJOP who are always there for him each day and are also there to help the Jewish people.
The American people celebrate Thanksgiving once a year. What's more important is that we remember to say thank you everyday to those who have helped us, nurtured us, who raised us, cared for us and work with us.
Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, director of Jewish Treats' parent organization, the National Jewish Outreach Program, takes this opportunity to thank the staff members at NJOP who are always there for him each day and are also there to help the Jewish people.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Atheist Experience number 684 Viewer Calls
Martin and Matt take viewer calls about religion and being atheist.
The Atheist Experience TV Show - Atheist Experience #684: Viewer Calls
Host: Matt Dillahunty
Co-host: Martin Wagner
2010 November 21
The Atheist Experience is a weekly cable access television show in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist audience. The Atheist Experience is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin.
The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.
DVDs of the Atheist Experience can be purchased via atheist-community.org/products.
The Atheist Experience TV Show - Atheist Experience #684: Viewer Calls
Host: Matt Dillahunty
Co-host: Martin Wagner
2010 November 21
The Atheist Experience is a weekly cable access television show in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist audience. The Atheist Experience is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin.
The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.
DVDs of the Atheist Experience can be purchased via atheist-community.org/products.
Special Announcement: The Future of Ask an Atheist
In this video filmed a bit ago, we discuss the future of the show following the (very likely) demise of SCAN TV. We discuss the future location of the show, how we will appear on the internet, and how you can help.
For more information about the "Ask An Atheist SOS" comedy benefit.
For more information about the "Ask An Atheist SOS" comedy benefit.
Ex-Priest Held in Plot to Kill Sex Abuse Victim
Nov 23, 2010. Catholic Priest Arrested Murder for Hire of Sex Abuse Victim Plot, Sexual Assault. Boy Suing Diocese of San Antonio Texas + Diocese of Omaha Nebraska.
Rev John M. Fiala-Assignment Record
Police: Priest solicited murder of boy accusing him of sex abuse. A Catholic priest, facing criminal charges and a lawsuit alleging that he sexually abused a teenage boy, is now charged with attempting to hire someone to kill the youth, authorities said Tuesday.
The Rev. John M. Fiala was in the Dallas County, Texas, jail on Tuesday, charged with one count of criminal solicitation to commit capital murder, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the jail's website. He also is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bail totals $700,000.
Fiala, 52, of Dallas, was out on bond on other sexual assault charges involving the youth, now 18, when he allegedly attempted to negotiate the boy's murder, said Tom Rhodes, the teen's attorney.
He was arrested last week after he offered an undercover agent with the Texas Department of Public Safety $5,000 to kill the teen, according to department spokeswoman Lisa Block.
"This guy," Edwards County Sheriff Don Letsinger said, "is an evil man."
The youth met Fiala in 2007. The priest started "grooming him," buying him gifts including a computer and a car. In early 2008, when the boy was 16, under the guise of providing private catechism lessons, Fiala "gained access to him and began to sexually abuse him once or twice a month, including on church grounds," Rhodes, the attorney, said.
At the time, Fiala was administrator of Sacred Heart of Mary in Rocksprings, Texas, which is in Edwards County. The alleged abuse occurred in two counties - Edwards and Howard - and included the youth's rape at gunpoint, the attorney said.
Fiala allegedly threatened to kill the youth if he told anyone - threats he repeated in daily text messages, Rhodes said, and Fiala also threatened to kill himself, telling the teen they would "go to heaven together."
The teen, after struggling with the abuse, told a school counselor, who notified authorities, Rhodes said. He filed suit in April against Fiala, as well as the archdioceses of San Antonio, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska - where Fiala was before Texas - and Fiala's religious order, the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, the attorney said.
The suit claims that all three covered up Fiala's record of abuse. All three have denied doing so. When former San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez and the religious order learned of the police investigation into Fiala's relationship with the teen, he was removed from active ministry in October 2008, San Antonio, Texas, Express-News reported.
In September, an Edwards County grand jury indicted Fiala on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault by threat. Fiala was arrested in Kansas by a fugitive task force and was extradited to Texas, where he posted bail on September 27. He then moved to Dallas County.
A grand jury in Howard County handed up an indictment last week on the two aggravated sexual assault charges, the Express-News said.
Meanwhile, "approximately a week ago, we got an anonymous phone call from someone saying, 'Look, I'm living in a building with this guy, and he's talking about killing this young man,' " Rhodes said. "Our response was, 'You need to call police.' "
Letsinger said he got a call November 11 from the neighbor. The man at first just told authorities they should "be looking at this guy," the sheriff said, but later said Fiala had offered him $5,000 to kill the teenager. The allegation surprised him, Letsinger said.
The Department of Public Safety and its Texas Ranger Division got involved, sending the undercover agent to speak with Fiala, Rhodes said. The conversation was caught on video and audiotape.
Rhodes said his client was relieved to hear of Fiala's arrest. He was attending college but had to withdraw and be spirited away somewhere safe because of the threats, he said.
"He's still very afraid, but he is hoping that this time Fiala will stay behind bars," Rhodes said.
A hearing on the lawsuit was held Monday, he said. The Omaha diocese had argued it should be sued in Nebraska rather than Texas. The judge rejected that argument, Rhodes said.
"I think he's cooked his goose now," Letsinger said of Fiala. "We know that pedophiles sometimes threaten their victims to keep them quiet. But this is kind of an older victim, and you wonder sometimes why they wouldn't come forward. ... I can see now the evil in this guy is pretty bad."
April 20, 2010, Ex-Omaha priest accused of sex assault 16YO boy at gunpoint + at private catechism
November 24, 2010 on Fox News
Rev John M. Fiala-Assignment Record
Police: Priest solicited murder of boy accusing him of sex abuse. A Catholic priest, facing criminal charges and a lawsuit alleging that he sexually abused a teenage boy, is now charged with attempting to hire someone to kill the youth, authorities said Tuesday.
The Rev. John M. Fiala was in the Dallas County, Texas, jail on Tuesday, charged with one count of criminal solicitation to commit capital murder, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the jail's website. He also is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bail totals $700,000.
Fiala, 52, of Dallas, was out on bond on other sexual assault charges involving the youth, now 18, when he allegedly attempted to negotiate the boy's murder, said Tom Rhodes, the teen's attorney.
He was arrested last week after he offered an undercover agent with the Texas Department of Public Safety $5,000 to kill the teen, according to department spokeswoman Lisa Block.
"This guy," Edwards County Sheriff Don Letsinger said, "is an evil man."
The youth met Fiala in 2007. The priest started "grooming him," buying him gifts including a computer and a car. In early 2008, when the boy was 16, under the guise of providing private catechism lessons, Fiala "gained access to him and began to sexually abuse him once or twice a month, including on church grounds," Rhodes, the attorney, said.
At the time, Fiala was administrator of Sacred Heart of Mary in Rocksprings, Texas, which is in Edwards County. The alleged abuse occurred in two counties - Edwards and Howard - and included the youth's rape at gunpoint, the attorney said.
Fiala allegedly threatened to kill the youth if he told anyone - threats he repeated in daily text messages, Rhodes said, and Fiala also threatened to kill himself, telling the teen they would "go to heaven together."
The teen, after struggling with the abuse, told a school counselor, who notified authorities, Rhodes said. He filed suit in April against Fiala, as well as the archdioceses of San Antonio, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska - where Fiala was before Texas - and Fiala's religious order, the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, the attorney said.
The suit claims that all three covered up Fiala's record of abuse. All three have denied doing so. When former San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez and the religious order learned of the police investigation into Fiala's relationship with the teen, he was removed from active ministry in October 2008, San Antonio, Texas, Express-News reported.
In September, an Edwards County grand jury indicted Fiala on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault by threat. Fiala was arrested in Kansas by a fugitive task force and was extradited to Texas, where he posted bail on September 27. He then moved to Dallas County.
A grand jury in Howard County handed up an indictment last week on the two aggravated sexual assault charges, the Express-News said.
Meanwhile, "approximately a week ago, we got an anonymous phone call from someone saying, 'Look, I'm living in a building with this guy, and he's talking about killing this young man,' " Rhodes said. "Our response was, 'You need to call police.' "
Letsinger said he got a call November 11 from the neighbor. The man at first just told authorities they should "be looking at this guy," the sheriff said, but later said Fiala had offered him $5,000 to kill the teenager. The allegation surprised him, Letsinger said.
The Department of Public Safety and its Texas Ranger Division got involved, sending the undercover agent to speak with Fiala, Rhodes said. The conversation was caught on video and audiotape.
Rhodes said his client was relieved to hear of Fiala's arrest. He was attending college but had to withdraw and be spirited away somewhere safe because of the threats, he said.
"He's still very afraid, but he is hoping that this time Fiala will stay behind bars," Rhodes said.
A hearing on the lawsuit was held Monday, he said. The Omaha diocese had argued it should be sued in Nebraska rather than Texas. The judge rejected that argument, Rhodes said.
"I think he's cooked his goose now," Letsinger said of Fiala. "We know that pedophiles sometimes threaten their victims to keep them quiet. But this is kind of an older victim, and you wonder sometimes why they wouldn't come forward. ... I can see now the evil in this guy is pretty bad."
April 20, 2010, Ex-Omaha priest accused of sex assault 16YO boy at gunpoint + at private catechism
November 24, 2010 on Fox News
Separation of Church and State
Scott and Casey explore the United States' widely cheered and widely challenged separation of the church and the state, while facing a hail of phone calls and technical difficulties.
Ask an Atheist Season 2, Episode 8, Part 1: Separation of Church and State
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Leave Us Voice Mail: 206-420-0997
Go To the tv-programs website: askanatheist.tv
Ask an Atheist Season 2, Episode 8, Part 1: Separation of Church and State
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Leave Us Voice Mail: 206-420-0997
Go To the tv-programs website: askanatheist.tv
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
What Are the Odds?
What are the odds of evolution happening and making human beings?
The odds are irrelevant.
The odds are irrelevant.
Genesis (take #2)
Yahweh still can't seem to get the universe working the way he really wants it. Here's another attempt that He has to end up scratching.
We Need MORE Airport Security!
Benjamin Franklin wrote, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Still, the government should be able to take a naked picture of you.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Anti-Semitic texts found in UK schools
Investigation which uncovers disturbing evidence that some Muslim children are being exposed to extremist preachers and fundamentalist Islamic groups. We also expose the part-time schools where hate is on the curriculum. The programme asks why school inspectors have missed the warning signs and examines the impact this could have on young Muslims' ability to integrate into mainstream British life.
BBC Panorama - British Schools, Islamic Rules
Promo
BBC Panorama - British Schools, Islamic Rules 1 of 2
BBC Panorama - British Schools, Islamic Rules 2 of 2
November 22, 2010 on BBC News
BBC Panorama finds anti-Semitic texts in schools
BBC John Ware asks: How do you define extremism?
BBC Panorama - British Schools, Islamic Rules
Promo
BBC Panorama - British Schools, Islamic Rules 1 of 2
BBC Panorama - British Schools, Islamic Rules 2 of 2
November 22, 2010 on BBC News
BBC Panorama finds anti-Semitic texts in schools
BBC John Ware asks: How do you define extremism?
Power Balance called out
Congratulations to Today Tonight for reporting the truth about Power Balance Bracelets
The World's First Synthetic & Self-Replicating Species
J. Craig Venter interview by 60 Minutes.
60 Minutes, CBS, November 21, 2010
60 Minutes, CBS, November 21, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Steve Hassan clip on Scientology
Steve Hassan talks about Scientology in this brief excerpt from an interview conducted for my feature film about Scientology.
Woman to be hanged for insulting Muhammad
General principle: those who retain power through the propagation of falsehoods fear criticism and truth. Those who protect falsehoods through murder can expect both criticism and contempt.
In this village in Pakistan's Punjab province a tearful 12-year-old girl ponders if the Pakistani government will soon hang her mother.
"Whenever I see her picture I cry," Isham Masih told CNN. "I want my mother back. That's what I'm praying for."
This month a Pakistani court sentenced Isham's mother, 45-year-old Asia Bibi, to death, not because she killed, injured or stole, but simply because she said something.
Prosecutors say Bibi, who is a Christian, broke Pakistan's strict blasphemy law by insulting Islam and the prophet Muhammad, a crime punishable by death or life imprisonment according to Pakistan's penal code.
The alleged incident happened in June 2009 when Bibi, a field worker, was picking fruit in a village two hours west of Lahore. Prosecutors say when Bibi dipped her cup into a bucket of drinking water during a lunch break, her co-workers complained the water had been contaminated by a non-Muslim.
Court records show the women got into a heated argument.
Mafia Satar said she was there and heard Bibi's insults.
"She said your Muhammad had worms in his mouth before he died," Satar told CNN, a crude way of saying Muhammad was no prophet.
The town cleric, Qari Muhammad Salim, reported the incident to police who arrested Bibi. After nearly 15 months in prison came her conviction and the death sentence.
"When I heard the decision my heart ached," Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih told CNN.
Masih denies his wife ever insulted Muhammad. He said death threats forced him and his daughters, one of them disabled, to flee their village.
Neither the Koran nor the prophet Muhammad's teachings in the Hadith call for the execution of blasphemers, but Islamic scholars and jurists from generations past included the death sentence when drafting Islamic law.
Human rights groups have long blamed Pakistan's blasphemy laws for persecution and violence against religious minorities like last year's attack on a Christian village in Punjab Province and recent bombings of minority Muslim mosques.
Activists say the government has refused to amend the law for fear of backlash from Islamist groups and their followers who deem scrapping the law as un-Islamic.
At the time this report was filed, Pakistan's law minister had not responded to CNN's request for an interview.
Bibi has appealed her death sentence and asked for bail, the chief prosecutor of Punjab province told CNN.
The prosecutor, Chaudhry Muhammad Jahangir, said the appeal will be heard by the Lahore High court and a decision could be months away.
Pakistan has never executed someone convicted of blasphemy but in Bibi's village public opinion was unanimous.
"Yes, she should be hanged," a group of villagers cried out.
The town cleric, who made the initial complaint against Bibi, called her death sentence one of the happiest moments of his life.
"Tears of joy poured from my eyes," Qari Salim told CNN.
The clerics tears are in stark contrast to those shed by Bibi's daughter Isham, who wants her mother to live.
November 18, 2010 on CNN
In this village in Pakistan's Punjab province a tearful 12-year-old girl ponders if the Pakistani government will soon hang her mother.
"Whenever I see her picture I cry," Isham Masih told CNN. "I want my mother back. That's what I'm praying for."
This month a Pakistani court sentenced Isham's mother, 45-year-old Asia Bibi, to death, not because she killed, injured or stole, but simply because she said something.
Prosecutors say Bibi, who is a Christian, broke Pakistan's strict blasphemy law by insulting Islam and the prophet Muhammad, a crime punishable by death or life imprisonment according to Pakistan's penal code.
The alleged incident happened in June 2009 when Bibi, a field worker, was picking fruit in a village two hours west of Lahore. Prosecutors say when Bibi dipped her cup into a bucket of drinking water during a lunch break, her co-workers complained the water had been contaminated by a non-Muslim.
Court records show the women got into a heated argument.
Mafia Satar said she was there and heard Bibi's insults.
"She said your Muhammad had worms in his mouth before he died," Satar told CNN, a crude way of saying Muhammad was no prophet.
The town cleric, Qari Muhammad Salim, reported the incident to police who arrested Bibi. After nearly 15 months in prison came her conviction and the death sentence.
"When I heard the decision my heart ached," Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih told CNN.
Masih denies his wife ever insulted Muhammad. He said death threats forced him and his daughters, one of them disabled, to flee their village.
Neither the Koran nor the prophet Muhammad's teachings in the Hadith call for the execution of blasphemers, but Islamic scholars and jurists from generations past included the death sentence when drafting Islamic law.
Human rights groups have long blamed Pakistan's blasphemy laws for persecution and violence against religious minorities like last year's attack on a Christian village in Punjab Province and recent bombings of minority Muslim mosques.
Activists say the government has refused to amend the law for fear of backlash from Islamist groups and their followers who deem scrapping the law as un-Islamic.
At the time this report was filed, Pakistan's law minister had not responded to CNN's request for an interview.
Bibi has appealed her death sentence and asked for bail, the chief prosecutor of Punjab province told CNN.
The prosecutor, Chaudhry Muhammad Jahangir, said the appeal will be heard by the Lahore High court and a decision could be months away.
Pakistan has never executed someone convicted of blasphemy but in Bibi's village public opinion was unanimous.
"Yes, she should be hanged," a group of villagers cried out.
The town cleric, who made the initial complaint against Bibi, called her death sentence one of the happiest moments of his life.
"Tears of joy poured from my eyes," Qari Salim told CNN.
The clerics tears are in stark contrast to those shed by Bibi's daughter Isham, who wants her mother to live.
November 18, 2010 on CNN
The Source of Human Morality Debate
Part One of "the Source of Human Morality" debate held at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on 11/16/2010.
Part two of nine
Part 3 of 9
Part Four of 9 of "the Source of Human Morality" debate
Part 5 og 9
Part 6 of 9, open Q & A
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Part 8 of 9
Part 9 of 9
Matt Dillahunty is the president of the Atheist Community of Austin, and host of the popular public access television and internet show "The Atheist Experience." He was raised as a fundamentalist Baptist, and was on track to become a minister until he started asking questions about the reasons for his belief. He rejected religion, and now serves as a public voice for rationality and secular morality.
Father Hans Jacobse is an Antiochian Orthodox Priest, who administers the website Orthodoxy Today and heads the American Orthodox Institute. Fr. Hans is convinced that Orthodox Christianity has an important part to play in American moral renewal. He views the current world as a battle between competing moral visions of the secular and the sacred, and hopes that Christianity can restore the moral tradition of the gospels.
Hosted by UMBC's Orthodox Christian Fellowship and Secular Student Alliance.
Part two of nine
Part 3 of 9
Part Four of 9 of "the Source of Human Morality" debate
Part 5 og 9
Part 6 of 9, open Q & A
Part 7 of 9
Part 8 of 9
Part 9 of 9
Matt Dillahunty is the president of the Atheist Community of Austin, and host of the popular public access television and internet show "The Atheist Experience." He was raised as a fundamentalist Baptist, and was on track to become a minister until he started asking questions about the reasons for his belief. He rejected religion, and now serves as a public voice for rationality and secular morality.
Father Hans Jacobse is an Antiochian Orthodox Priest, who administers the website Orthodoxy Today and heads the American Orthodox Institute. Fr. Hans is convinced that Orthodox Christianity has an important part to play in American moral renewal. He views the current world as a battle between competing moral visions of the secular and the sacred, and hopes that Christianity can restore the moral tradition of the gospels.
Hosted by UMBC's Orthodox Christian Fellowship and Secular Student Alliance.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
How To Beat Your Slave
It's one of the age-old questions that nags at all of us. Fortunately, the Holy Bible provides some helpful guidelines.
Is Evolution Wrong?
Christian young earth creationist Phil Robinson from Creation Ministries International. Plese do not judge him because he is unable to speak English correct and understandable. Judge him because he is an uneducated nutjob.
And because Phil Robinson has no manners.
Bio-scientist Jeremy Pritchard from Birmingham University
Sunday Morning Live - 21 November 2010 BBC1
And because Phil Robinson has no manners.
Bio-scientist Jeremy Pritchard from Birmingham University
Sunday Morning Live - 21 November 2010 BBC1
Interview With Mr. Deity
The Creator Himself will be our guest for this special evening podcast. The Mr. Deity satire website and videos are clever, insightful and wildly entertaining. We'll talk about the site, the show, the hate mail, and your calls.
Interview with Mr. Deity - The Thinking Atheist Podcast #10
Original Air Date: November 18, 2010
Interview with Mr. Deity - The Thinking Atheist Podcast #10
Original Air Date: November 18, 2010
First Day of Filming of Scientology Documentary
Work has begun on my new feature film about Scientology fraud and abuse. Please donate what you can at www.indiegogo.com/Scientology-Documentary-Phase-2
Crushed by Scientology
Crushed by Scientology
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Does a good god exits debate
Does a good god exits debate with Christopher Hitchens and William Dembski at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, USA in november 2010.
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The Dallas Morning News Despite cancer, celebrated atheist Christopher Hitchens remains firm in his non-belief
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The Dallas Morning News Despite cancer, celebrated atheist Christopher Hitchens remains firm in his non-belief
God Bless America
The width of the copy room door at my work is spanned by a poster of a USA flag with the words "GOD BLESS AMERICA" in bold font below. It's bad enough that requests for blessings are being posted in a government building like where I work, but that complaint is superseded by the bible on the bookshelf inside of the copy room. My complaint is with the phrase "God bless America" in and of itself.
I find it difficult to understand why people who worship a being whom they think created the entire cosmos and designed every human who ever existed for a unique and individual purpose, really believe that God cares about one country over the other.
The idea of borders and property lines are completely designed and maintained by man. Humans are the ones who decided what property belongs to whom, through diplomatic, financial, and militaristic means all around the world. Can any theist really justify thinking God would or could ever bless a single country over another one? Not only is it impractical to believe that God would favor one man-made nation over another because he appreciates one nation's religious tendencies or governmental policies more than the rest, but it's incredibly selfish to only wish a blessing upon your own country. If you feel you can sway God to bless an entire nation of people, why stop there? Why not ask God to bless the entire planet, or the entire human race? Does that seem like too big of a request for him, or does the rest of the world not seem as worthy of God's blessing as America apparently is?
If God was real and I was God, I'd be frustrated by America. Its leaders have claimed to go to war with my support, even when I didn't give it to them. Its people are among the most likely to express their faith in me, but the least likely to actually read my holy text. They have pretentiously pestered me with prayers for trivial matters like promotions at work while other nations were asking for things like food and clean water. They bragged the most about their love for my alleged son, but ignored his basic teachings of generosity and selflessness the most. They have collected millions of tax exempt dollars in my name, but never given me a cent. Putting myself in the position of a God, I see no reason that America of all places deserves any variety of blessing at all- let alone more than the other countries.
It is typical that nationalism would run through our American veins enough to make us vain enough to believe that God would prefer us. It's natural for humans to categorize ourselves into groups and to associate a loyal pride to that group to solidify ourselves in the advantages of group survival. From a young age we teach or children to have family, ethnic, school, religious, and of course national pride. We teach this as if the child has any choice as to what family and ethnic group they're born into, what school or religion they belong to at a young age. As if they could be proud of the decision to be born in the country they were. We teach them to behave as if those arbitrary things about their ethnic and geographic locations are accomplishments for them to gloat over. So it's understandable that children injected with false pride at a young age would grow into ignorant adults who expect some God to bless their country and only their country, just because that's the country they happen to have been born in. I prefer to reserve my pride for things that I actually had some choice in or effect on.
I find it difficult to understand why people who worship a being whom they think created the entire cosmos and designed every human who ever existed for a unique and individual purpose, really believe that God cares about one country over the other.
The idea of borders and property lines are completely designed and maintained by man. Humans are the ones who decided what property belongs to whom, through diplomatic, financial, and militaristic means all around the world. Can any theist really justify thinking God would or could ever bless a single country over another one? Not only is it impractical to believe that God would favor one man-made nation over another because he appreciates one nation's religious tendencies or governmental policies more than the rest, but it's incredibly selfish to only wish a blessing upon your own country. If you feel you can sway God to bless an entire nation of people, why stop there? Why not ask God to bless the entire planet, or the entire human race? Does that seem like too big of a request for him, or does the rest of the world not seem as worthy of God's blessing as America apparently is?
If God was real and I was God, I'd be frustrated by America. Its leaders have claimed to go to war with my support, even when I didn't give it to them. Its people are among the most likely to express their faith in me, but the least likely to actually read my holy text. They have pretentiously pestered me with prayers for trivial matters like promotions at work while other nations were asking for things like food and clean water. They bragged the most about their love for my alleged son, but ignored his basic teachings of generosity and selflessness the most. They have collected millions of tax exempt dollars in my name, but never given me a cent. Putting myself in the position of a God, I see no reason that America of all places deserves any variety of blessing at all- let alone more than the other countries.
It is typical that nationalism would run through our American veins enough to make us vain enough to believe that God would prefer us. It's natural for humans to categorize ourselves into groups and to associate a loyal pride to that group to solidify ourselves in the advantages of group survival. From a young age we teach or children to have family, ethnic, school, religious, and of course national pride. We teach this as if the child has any choice as to what family and ethnic group they're born into, what school or religion they belong to at a young age. As if they could be proud of the decision to be born in the country they were. We teach them to behave as if those arbitrary things about their ethnic and geographic locations are accomplishments for them to gloat over. So it's understandable that children injected with false pride at a young age would grow into ignorant adults who expect some God to bless their country and only their country, just because that's the country they happen to have been born in. I prefer to reserve my pride for things that I actually had some choice in or effect on.
Pope Benedict XVI speaks out against Internet
The pope speaks out against the Internet, a middle school football team pulls off the greatest trick play, and Joseph Gobbles deals drugs to Jay the Intern.
Aired on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at the Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Tip/Wag - Pope Benedict XVI, Trick Play & Joseph Gobbles | ||||
| ||||
Aired on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at the Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central
Friday, November 19, 2010
If God was a Car
Theists, if you can understand why I wouldn't buy a car from these people, then you can understand why I won't buy God from you. SHOW ME THE MONEY! You ever notice that people never argue for the existence of things that actually exist? Why is that? Maybe it's because that's fucking dumb. If it exists, and we know about it, then there's a definite - and usually easy - way to show it that is apparent to EVERYONE. Apologists are trying to sell the invisible/intangible car.
Christopher Hitchens on ABC1 Lateline, part 2
In this second part Christopher Hitchens talks about his public life, battles and some of the events in recent history which led to his break with the left.
Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
CNN Interviews Prosecutor Behind the Blasphemy Death Sentence in Pakistan
Aired November 18, 2010 on CNN
Atheist intolerance
CNN's Delia Gallagher talks with atheists who say society has no tolerance for nonbelievers.
CNN on Feburary, 25, 2007
CNN on Feburary, 25, 2007
Thursday, November 18, 2010
2 Minute Buddhist Meditation
Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.
Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it.
Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.
Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.
~ Buddha
Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it.
Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.
Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.
~ Buddha
Science and Religion: Confrontation or Accommodation?
Does being pro-science mean being anti-religion? How should secular humanists respond to science and religion? How do you best deal with conflicts between religion and evolution education?
A wide-ranging discussion featuring Genie Scott, PZ Myers, Chris Mooney, Victor Stenger, and Jennifer Michael Hecht.
Sponsor: Council for Secular Humanism. Event date: November 8, 2010
A wide-ranging discussion featuring Genie Scott, PZ Myers, Chris Mooney, Victor Stenger, and Jennifer Michael Hecht.
Sponsor: Council for Secular Humanism. Event date: November 8, 2010
Christopher Hitchens on ABC1 Lateline
Christopher Hitchens talks to Tony Jones about living with cancer and not seeing any valid reason to change his beliefs close to death.
Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Apostasy In Islam Carries The Death Penalty
Richard Dawkins finally gets the truth on Apostasy.
From Big Debate
From Big Debate
Sam Harris: Pastor Terry Jones is Right About Islam
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Adolf Hitler: The Ateist (Quiz Show)
See below for footnotes.~~~ So here I go again, addressing the absurd claim that Nazi atrocities are inextricably linked to atheism.
FOOTNOTE 1: "I am ...a catholic...."
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
FOOTNOTE 2: "God's will...":
Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf" Vol. 2 Chapter 10
FOOTNOTE 3: "my conduct..."
Adolph Hitler, _Mein Kampf_, pp. 46
FOOTNOTE 4: "God With Us":
McConnel, W 1998 "A Companion to the Nibelungenlied" Boydel & Brewer, New York, p.1
FOOTNOTE 5: "I pledge never to tie myself..."
The Speeches of Adolph Hitler, 1922-1939, Vol. 1 (London, Oxford University Press, 1942), pg. 871-872
FOOTNOTE 6: German Freethinkers' League
New York Times, May 14, 1933, page 2
FOOTNOTE 7: Pope Aggressive secularism: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aab5fc5a-c1c3-11df-9d90-00144feab49a.html
FOOTNOTE 8: Hitler's Birthday:
Stevenson, J 2006 "Hitler's Home Front" Hambledon Continuum, London, p.355
FOOTNOTE 9: Woman priest excommunicated: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0508/524380.html
FOOTNOTE 10: Pedo priest http://www.theage.com.au/national/saint-took-no-vow-of-silence-over-sex-scandal-20100925-15ro4.html
FOOTNOTE 11: Abortion for raped 9 year old: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29531755/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142292.php
FOOTNOTE 12: Concordat:
Cornwell, J. 1999 "Hitler's pope: the secret history of Pius XII" Pengiun pp6-7 and
Kreig, R. A. (2003) "The Vatican Concordat with Hitler's Reich" in America; the National Catholic Weekly, Sept 1, 2003
http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=3131
FOOTNOTE 13: The heaviest blow.... etc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_Table_Talk
FOOTNOTE 14: 1 Sam 27:8-12, 1 Chron 18:5, 2 Sam 8:5, Numbers 31, Judges 12: 6, Judges 7-8
FOOTNOTE 1: "I am ...a catholic...."
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
FOOTNOTE 2: "God's will...":
Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf" Vol. 2 Chapter 10
FOOTNOTE 3: "my conduct..."
Adolph Hitler, _Mein Kampf_, pp. 46
FOOTNOTE 4: "God With Us":
McConnel, W 1998 "A Companion to the Nibelungenlied" Boydel & Brewer, New York, p.1
FOOTNOTE 5: "I pledge never to tie myself..."
The Speeches of Adolph Hitler, 1922-1939, Vol. 1 (London, Oxford University Press, 1942), pg. 871-872
FOOTNOTE 6: German Freethinkers' League
New York Times, May 14, 1933, page 2
FOOTNOTE 7: Pope Aggressive secularism: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aab5fc5a-c1c3-11df-9d90-00144feab49a.html
FOOTNOTE 8: Hitler's Birthday:
Stevenson, J 2006 "Hitler's Home Front" Hambledon Continuum, London, p.355
FOOTNOTE 9: Woman priest excommunicated: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0508/524380.html
FOOTNOTE 10: Pedo priest http://www.theage.com.au/national/saint-took-no-vow-of-silence-over-sex-scandal-20100925-15ro4.html
FOOTNOTE 11: Abortion for raped 9 year old: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29531755/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142292.php
FOOTNOTE 12: Concordat:
Cornwell, J. 1999 "Hitler's pope: the secret history of Pius XII" Pengiun pp6-7 and
Kreig, R. A. (2003) "The Vatican Concordat with Hitler's Reich" in America; the National Catholic Weekly, Sept 1, 2003
http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=3131
FOOTNOTE 13: The heaviest blow.... etc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_Table_Talk
FOOTNOTE 14: 1 Sam 27:8-12, 1 Chron 18:5, 2 Sam 8:5, Numbers 31, Judges 12: 6, Judges 7-8
Joe Nickell iInvestigates Alcatraz
Is "The Rock" home to orb-causing spirits, ghosts of former prisoners, or other unexplainable phenomena? Paranormal investigator Joe Nickell offers insight on the former prison after his recent visit.
Nickell traveled to Alcatraz to examine some of these claims of alleged supernatural activity on the island. Skeptical Inquiry.
Nickell traveled to Alcatraz to examine some of these claims of alleged supernatural activity on the island. Skeptical Inquiry.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
God on DVD?
Take a trip back in time a couple thousand years ago. You're a pagan farmer living your life the best you know how. This trend called "reading" is starting to catch on in your area, especially with the recent advent of the printing press. However, life is tough and you don't have much leisure time to learn reading. Despite your own busyness, reading has become the popular way for educated people to express and share ideas with each other over wide spans of distance, rather than having to travel themselves and give public speeches. Your educated friends tell you about this book called The Holy Bible, the first book printed in mass quantity. They explain its page turning tales of David and Goliath, Noah and his Ark, Joana and the whale. Most importantly, the book has taught them that you're responsible for the mistakes of your ancestors, but a man has recently died to take the heat for you. All you have to do is accept his sacrifice, and worship him to maintain your rights of forgiveness.
The book has everything you need to live your life properly, including listed instructions, and the origin of human kind. You ask who wrote the book and how one author could possibly know so many things with such certainty. Your friends say it was written by multiple authors, all of whom were divinely inspired by the almighty creator of the universe himself, despite the book's outlandish claims and multiple contradictions. Everyone seems to be doing it so you jump on board, because you don't know any better. The scientific method isn't there to challenge the claims, and the book was written by people smarter than you. Of course, you can't read, so in order to get this information you have to go to building every Sunday and pay people to read and interpret it for you. It saves you time, and it's worth the money to learn about what will either lead you to the eternal paradise or eternal suffering the book promises.
Fast forward to the present day
In humoring the existence of God/Jesus, what if Christ had came to mankind during this current, modern generation, rather than a couple millenniums ago? What median would be used to spread the word of his sacrifice and the other fantastic events that nobody has historical record of or evidence for? Surely it would have made more sense for Christ to arrive during this era of mass communication, globalization, video recorders, internet capabilities etc. People in the modern age could have learned Christ's story no matter what age, education, or socioeconomic level they are, through radio, television, DVD's, books, pod casts, youtube videos etc. Even if God had waited until the tape recorder was invented, his inherent, inspired words could have been recorded for audio book in a way that would be much harder for people to alter or deny the original format. So why not wait until now when so much doubt could have been alleviated, or at least make a second trip at this time to clear up any errors, or misinterpretations?
I'm also curious that if Christ were to have come during this era and a more modern method of information sharing was used to tell his message- would you believe it? If multiple script writers were to come together with multiple divinely inspired actors/actresses to tell the tale of a modern messiah, and publish it in a DVD for all to see, would you consider the words and scenes of that DVD to be the inspired word, and inherent truth of an omniscient God? Theists: if your answer is no, in this age of more legal transparency, scientific education, and free exchange of ideas, then why believe the words of a holy text penned in an age when only the rich were educated enough to read and write, the masses believed what they were told at face value, and science was so decrepit that the concept of microwaving popcorn or placing a phone call would have seemed like dark sorcery. You tell me.
The book has everything you need to live your life properly, including listed instructions, and the origin of human kind. You ask who wrote the book and how one author could possibly know so many things with such certainty. Your friends say it was written by multiple authors, all of whom were divinely inspired by the almighty creator of the universe himself, despite the book's outlandish claims and multiple contradictions. Everyone seems to be doing it so you jump on board, because you don't know any better. The scientific method isn't there to challenge the claims, and the book was written by people smarter than you. Of course, you can't read, so in order to get this information you have to go to building every Sunday and pay people to read and interpret it for you. It saves you time, and it's worth the money to learn about what will either lead you to the eternal paradise or eternal suffering the book promises.
Fast forward to the present day
In humoring the existence of God/Jesus, what if Christ had came to mankind during this current, modern generation, rather than a couple millenniums ago? What median would be used to spread the word of his sacrifice and the other fantastic events that nobody has historical record of or evidence for? Surely it would have made more sense for Christ to arrive during this era of mass communication, globalization, video recorders, internet capabilities etc. People in the modern age could have learned Christ's story no matter what age, education, or socioeconomic level they are, through radio, television, DVD's, books, pod casts, youtube videos etc. Even if God had waited until the tape recorder was invented, his inherent, inspired words could have been recorded for audio book in a way that would be much harder for people to alter or deny the original format. So why not wait until now when so much doubt could have been alleviated, or at least make a second trip at this time to clear up any errors, or misinterpretations?
I'm also curious that if Christ were to have come during this era and a more modern method of information sharing was used to tell his message- would you believe it? If multiple script writers were to come together with multiple divinely inspired actors/actresses to tell the tale of a modern messiah, and publish it in a DVD for all to see, would you consider the words and scenes of that DVD to be the inspired word, and inherent truth of an omniscient God? Theists: if your answer is no, in this age of more legal transparency, scientific education, and free exchange of ideas, then why believe the words of a holy text penned in an age when only the rich were educated enough to read and write, the masses believed what they were told at face value, and science was so decrepit that the concept of microwaving popcorn or placing a phone call would have seemed like dark sorcery. You tell me.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
There Goes the Science
Barton: The Bible proofs there will not be global warmin
Joe Romm from Climate Progress: People Who Are Beyond Rational
Countdown with Keith Olbermann, November 10 2010
Joe Romm from Climate Progress: People Who Are Beyond Rational
Countdown with Keith Olbermann, November 10 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Statue of Jesus
America needs a bigger Jesus because God is looking down from space trying to figure out who loves him the most
Aired: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 on The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Statue of Jesus | ||||
| ||||
Aired: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 on The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert
Buzzwords: "Christian Nation"
Don talks about the buzzword of ignorance, "Christian Nation".
The Atheist Experience TV Show
Atheist Experience #682: Buzzwords: "Christian Nation"
Host: Matt Dillahunty
Co-host: Don Baker
2010-11-07
The Atheist Experience TV Show
Atheist Experience #682: Buzzwords: "Christian Nation"
Host: Matt Dillahunty
Co-host: Don Baker
2010-11-07
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Quran
Christoph Luxenberg is the pseudonym of the author of The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran: A Contribution to the Decoding of the Language of the Qur'an (German edition 2000, English translation 2007) and several articles in anthologies about early Islam.
Luxenberg came into the public eye in the years after 2000, following the publication of his first book (or at least the first one under this pseudonym), The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran, which asserted that the language of the early compositions of the Qur'an was not exclusively Arabic, as assumed by the classical commentators, but rather is rooted in the Syro-Aramaic dialect of the 7th century Meccan Quraysh tribe, which is associated in the early histories with the founding of the religion of Islam. Luxenberg's premise is that the Aramaic language, which was prevalent throughout the Middle East during the early period of Islam, and was the language of culture and Christian liturgy, had a profound influence on the scriptural composition and meaning of the contents of the Koran.
Luxenberg remarks that the Qur'an contains much ambiguous and even inexplicable language. He asserts that even Muslim scholars find some passages difficult to parse and have written reams of Quranic commentary attempting to explain these passages. The assumption behind their endeavours, however, has always been that any difficult passage is both true and meaningful, and that it can be deciphered with the tools of traditional Muslim scholarship. Luxenberg accuses Western academic scholars of the Qur'an of taking a timid and imitative approach, relying too heavily on the biased work of Muslim scholars.
Luxenberg came into the public eye in the years after 2000, following the publication of his first book (or at least the first one under this pseudonym), The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran, which asserted that the language of the early compositions of the Qur'an was not exclusively Arabic, as assumed by the classical commentators, but rather is rooted in the Syro-Aramaic dialect of the 7th century Meccan Quraysh tribe, which is associated in the early histories with the founding of the religion of Islam. Luxenberg's premise is that the Aramaic language, which was prevalent throughout the Middle East during the early period of Islam, and was the language of culture and Christian liturgy, had a profound influence on the scriptural composition and meaning of the contents of the Koran.
Luxenberg remarks that the Qur'an contains much ambiguous and even inexplicable language. He asserts that even Muslim scholars find some passages difficult to parse and have written reams of Quranic commentary attempting to explain these passages. The assumption behind their endeavours, however, has always been that any difficult passage is both true and meaningful, and that it can be deciphered with the tools of traditional Muslim scholarship. Luxenberg accuses Western academic scholars of the Qur'an of taking a timid and imitative approach, relying too heavily on the biased work of Muslim scholars.
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