Owner: Atheist Perspective URL:http://www.atheistperspective.com/ Join Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:50:17 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Putting Atheism, Faith, God and Religion into Perspective Site statistics:Click here
World’s largest cross - WTF? 2007-07-04 17:33:13
This cross is going to be 60 meters tall! That’s big, really big.
standing at 60 meters tall, housing a magnificent church in its center. The Cross will be decorated by some 7.2 million brilliant mosaic tiles of varying sizes, each one with a personal engraving. These tiles will be made of stone from Nazareth,
or platinum, silver or gold.
You can now purchase a personalized tile, choose the location and material for an average price of $50. That’s not bad.
The Nazareth Cross will also become the entrance point to Nazareth Village – an archeological park revealing the most ancient part of Nazareth while presenting a re-creation of its daily life during the
time of Jesus.
If this goes ahead it’s going to be a mighty impressive project.
Christianity, Jesus, Nazareth Read more:World
Crazy Jesus woman 2007-07-04 16:43:12
(Link)
This woman
is crazy!!!! It’s a clip from Trading Spouses, I think she had to stay with an atheist but I couldn’t make much sense of it. Nuts…
Fundamentalism, funny, Jesus Read more:Crazy
Muslim teacher sacked in Germany 2007-07-04 12:16:53 A Muslim
teacher who replaced her head-scarf with a beret pulled down over her ears has been fired from school.
The teacher, who tried to preserve her religious values and at the same time follow Germany
’s social norms lost a lawsuit Friday against a German state which banned religious head-dress from public schools; IRNA reported.
Presiding judge Heike Menche of a labour tribunal in the western city of Dusseldorf upheld a pre-dismissal warning issued to the woman, 35, who trains children in life skills at a city school.
The woman adopted the pink beret after North Rhine-Westphalia state followed the example of Turkey and France by outlawing head scarves in public schools, saying they were a sectarian symbol.
Eight of sixteen states in Germany including the capital have banned Islamic head scarves from public schools.
Interesting stuff.
Via Ahmed Ismail
islam, muslim
Derren Brown - Documentary- Messiah 2007-07-04 10:01:36 This is incredible, it’s a one-hour film with Derren Brown
(I’m almost certain he used to be Darren) in America and:
“attempting to raise questions about the validity of certain religious and spiritual belief systems; belief systems that people are encouraged to base their lives upon - such as new-age faiths and mainstream Christianity.”
I’ve seen clips on YouTube but here’s the full video. It may be a bit long but it really does give some insight into the basis of belief. The idea is to get experts/authority figures to endorse him as the real thing.
Derren explains:
“I approach influential figures at the top of their field and demonstrate to each of them an ability I have which is somehow proof to them of my talents in that particular field. I allow them to decide how much they are going to endorse it and embrace it. If, at any point they ask me if this is some sort of trick I will confess and tell them. The aim is to get pledges of support& Read more:Documentary
, Messiah
Rowan Atkinson on God 2007-07-04 07:23:55 I recently saw Rowan Atkinson driving a Napier Railton at Goodwood (see below). It was raining most of the day but he still got up the hill in a pretty impressive time.
Seeing him reminded me of some of the funny God sketches he’s done. I would have liked to speak with him and ask him about his belief in God but unfortunately he was maxed out with autograph hunters all day. Last year Atkinson was a prominent critic of the religious hate bill.
He said something that put a few people’s backs up:
“No one deserves a right to freedom from criticism. If it generates dislike of that religion’s followers, they need to accept that. They cannot deny responsibility for their practices. They should defend them, justify them or amend them.
Well said!
The man is a comic genius and these two vids will make you chuckle Reed Braden posted them recently and here they are again for those that haven’t seen them.
(Link)
(Link)
comedy, funny, rowan atkinson
School Board Bans ‘Theory Of Math’ 2007-07-03 14:39:30 The Cogdell SchoolBoard
banned the teaching of the controversial “Theory
Of Math” in its schools Monday. “We are simply not confident of this mysterious process by which numbers turn, as if by magic, into other numbers,” board member Gus Reese said. “Those mathematicians are free to believe 3 times 4 equals 12, but that dun [sic] give them the right to force it on our children.”
Under the new ruling, all math textbooks will carry a disclaimer noting that math is only one of many valid theories of number-manipulation.
Via The Onion. Very good
Creationism, evolution, funny, math
New design live 2007-07-03 09:21:29 Yay! I’ve got the new blog design
up and running. There are still a few bugs that need to be ironed out but I’m pleased and all the basic functions seem to be working as they should. I’m having a few issues with certain plug ins but there’s nothing that can’t be fixed (ignored).
So feel free to pop by, have a cup of tea and let me know what you think!
No Tags
YMCA 2007-07-03 09:00:32 I found the following posted by Hemant on his Friendly Atheist blog. It was too good not to post!
art, funny, religion
Hamas steals Mickey Mouse!! 2007-07-02 18:57:13
(Link)
Using MickeyMouse
to propagate this nonsense is bad enough but, in all seriousness, how sad is it to see these children being used in this way?
allaah, child, islam, youtube Read more:Hamas
, steals
, Mickey Mouse
Man of peace… 2007-07-02 17:55:26
cartoon, funny, islam
Atheist takes on the Mormons 2007-07-08 19:16:55 John Safran, a filmmaker from Australia has had enough. He’s just a little angry at Mormons
knocking at his door at all hours trying to convert him, so he decides to get his own back. He travels to Salt Lake City Utah and tries to convert Mormons to atheism. Strangely, the locals were not pleased.
That took some guts! I’m surprised he wasn’t lynched.
atheism, funny, mormons, youtube Read more:Atheist
Buy a Bible signed by Jesus Christ! 2007-07-08 19:03:01 Today, for only $1,000,000.00 YOU have the opportunity to purchase a Bible signed by JC himself!
Click!
Exclusive to eBay. This rare Bible ( discovered by a shepherd in the NW of Lake Gennesaret ) has been carbon dated by the Institute Of History, Ohio, USA and is said to originate from around 60AD. Further tests have been conducted in association with Bibliotheque National experts. Theologian Jessica Wycliffe has said, after reading the research, ” There is a definite possibility this is the real deal.” So do not miss out on this thrilling offer. Bid now!
I love eBay
bible, ebay, funny, Jesus Read more:Christ
, Jesus Christ
Carl Sagan Cosmos - Online in Hi-Def! 2007-07-07 20:52:15 Okay, This is cool. Stop whatever you’re doing, make a cup of tea, let the cat out, and wave your normal Sunday activities goodbye. Carl Sagan’s Comos is online for your viewing pleasure!
If I’d have known this I wouldn’t have spent $100 buying the DVD! (alright, yes I would but you get the point)
I my opinion Carl Sagan is one of the greatest men ever to have lived. An inspiration for a generation. Sagan showed us the joy of wondering, and sparked excitement in the minds of all he touched. He was, and still is, a candle in the dark.
Cosmos
is the kind of show that should grace out screens regularly but sadly, I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like it again.
Enjoy…
Episode 1. Episode 2. Episode 3. Episode 5.
Episode 6. Episode 7. Episode 8. Episode 9.
Episode 10. Episode 11. Episode 12. Episode 13.
carl sagan, cosmos, Education, science, space, universe
Christopher Hitchens - Point of Inquiry 2007-07-07 08:08:34 Christopher
Hitchens is this week’s guest on Point of Inquiry
. He discuss ‘God is Not Great’ with D.J. Grothe. He explains his aims behind writing the book and how it fits in with the current wave of atheist bestsellers.
I do like his point that if you want to see something that’s marvelous and awe inspiring, take a look through the Hubble telescope, once you have, you can’t really be impressed by the ‘burning bush’. As he says:
“We do have a need for the transcendent but that doesn’t mean we have a need for the supernatural.”
He also talks about the immorality of the Bible, how religion is bad for one’s health and the war between the West and Islamism.
You can subscribe to POI podcast here or listen to the MP3 here.
christopher hitchens, god, islam, relgion
Tribute to Kent Hovind 2007-07-07 07:10:14
(Link)
This tribute to Kent Hovind is superb. I love it!
To get an insight into both his state of mind and character it’s well worth having a listen to the recordings that were made of him speaking with his family from prison. The man obviously has issues and I do feel sorry for him, if only because he really does seem to have lost the plot completely.
Tape 1
Tape 2
Tape 3
Tape 4
Creationism, dinosaur, evolution, Kent Hovind, young earth
Songs of Praise (subtitled) 2007-07-06 08:23:09 I think it’s time for some stupid Friday religious fun. Stupid maybe, but it should make you laugh.
(Link)
Here’s a little secret, I once appeared on Songs of Praise
!
comedy, funny, religion
Few UK imams ‘come from Britain’ 2007-07-06 05:09:44 Only eight per cent of imams
preaching in British mosques were born in the UK, BBC-commissioned research suggests.
“The research, for BBC News and the BBC Asian Network, also suggests that only 6% of imams in Britain
speak English as a first language. And almost 45% of imams have been in the UK for less than five years, the report adds. Some 66% of imams speak Urdu as a first language with 52% giving sermons in the language.
It also suggests that 6% of imams arrived in the UK in the past 12 months with 23% being in the UK for more than 10 years.”
Professor Geaves said:
“The study reveals a deeply conservative body of individuals maintaining traditional languages, types of qualification and still largely recruited from the place of origin. The imams were “overwhelmingly” qualified in the traditional Islamic curriculum, which he said had changed little since medieval times. Although there are social religious and political reasons that drive a need to transf
Lesbians love Hilary 2007-07-05 18:10:38
(Link)
This is too good not to post! But it’s not a shameless excuse to gawk at hot young lesbians singing in their underwear, there is a point to this, erm…
Oh yes, Hilary
Clinton and her ‘faith’.
She recently stated that her faith gave her the courage to deal with President Clinton’s cigar fetish:
“I am very grateful that I had a grounding in faith that gave me the courage and the strength to do what I thought was right, regardless of what the world thought. I’m not sure I would have gotten through it without my faith,”
Hilary Clinton could become President. It worries me that she needs her religion to deal with trauma and difficulties in her life. It worries me even more that she is just as likely to rely on faith when dealing with issues of national security when having to make extremely difficult decisions that affect all of us.
Relying on superstition to forgive Bill for straying is one thing but for running the country? I’d like
Why Richard Dawkins is Wrong About Religion 2007-07-05 16:41:18 The latest issue of eSkeptic features an article written by David Sloan Wilson called Beyond Demonic Memes.
Wilson states:
“In The God Delusion Dawkins
makes it clear that he loathes religion for its intolerance, blind faith, cruelty, extremism, abuse, and prejudice. He attributes these problems to religion and thinks that the world would be a better place without it. Given recent events in the Middle East and even here in America, it is understandable why he might draw such a conclusion, but the question is: What’s evolution got to do with it?”
It’s a really good article and the first decent rebuttal of ‘The God Delusion’ that I’ve come across. As a Sherlock Holmes fan I particularly like his comparing Dawkins with Mycroft Holmes,
“…who sat in his armchair and let his younger brother Sherlock do the legwork.”
Wilson does agree with Dawkins on a lot of issues, especially on the seperation of Church and State and religion’ Read more:Richard
, Wrong
, Religion
Sam Harris - The Clash Between Faith and Reason in the Modern World 2007-07-13 05:42:35
Sam recently spoke at the Aspen Institute, at their third annual Ideas Festival.
There aren’t any short clips, but you can download the full one hour talk here.
He made many of the same points as in his earlier Idea City presentation, but there are a few nice gems in there.
“They (religions) can’t all be true, given the sheer diversity of the religions on offer, even if we knew that one of them was absolutely true, that this was God’s multiple choice exam: A) Christianity, B) Islam, C) Judaism, every believer should expect to wind up in hell purely as a matter of probability”.
He talks about the criticism of religion, the problems of Islam in the modern world, whether religion can be useful, the consequence of religious beliefs and atheism as a non-belief.
He also covers many of the same issues that we hear in our day to day discussions with theists or apologists, ‘atheism is just another religion’ or ‘atheism is responsible for more e Read more:Harris
, Clash
, Faith
, Reason
, Modern
, World
, Sam Harris
Butterfly shows evolution at work 2007-07-13 04:53:08 Scientists say they have seen one of the fastest evolutionary changes ever observed in a species of butterfly.
The tropical blue moon butterfly has developed a way of fighting back against parasitic bacteria.
Six years ago, males accounted for just 1% of the blue moon population on two islands in the South Pacific.
But by last year, the butterflies had evolved a gene to keep the bacteria in check and male numbers were up to about 40% of the population.
Scientists believe the comeback is due to “suppressor” genes that control the Wolbachia bacteria that is passed down from the mother and kills the male embryos before they hatch.
evolution, science Read more:Butterfly
Too many gaps 2007-07-12 06:48:49
Comic created by SaintGasoline.com
You can even buy the t-shirt.
I love the comment that accompanies the cartoon…
“When creationists play Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak knows he’s going to be in for a long, long night. Because, apparently, no one can solve a puzzle until ALL the gaps have been filled in, regardless of how well the existing evidence points to a correct and obvious conclusion! Oh, and also, the solution to the puzzle must accord with a literalist reading of a book written thousands of years ago in a pre-scientific age which contradicts itself as well as history quite repeatedly. Or else you’ll go to hell.
Creationists are just too easy to mock sometimes. I could literally write billions of comics mocking them. They are a never-ending source of inspiration and idiocy!”
comic, Creationism, evolution, funny
“They’re teaching kids lies”! 2007-07-12 06:26:59 The Palm Beach County School Board refused to pull 80 books referencing homosexuality, atheism and abortion from the library shelves of two high schools.
But the mother fighting since September to ban them refuses to give up
“To me, it doesn’t end here. This is just the beginning,” said the West Palm Beach mom.
Oh oh..
“They’re teaching kids the Big Bang. They’re teaching kids lies,” she told the board. “The world was created 6,000 years ago. In my son’s elementary school book, it says the world was created several million years ago.”
I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but see some lunatic crazy woman jumping up and down screaming “IT’S A LIE”. I imagine she’s not unlike ‘Crazy Jesus Woman’.
Reminds me of Basil Fawlty He would have made a great crazy creationist. Here’s a fun clip of Basil going mad. Comedy at it’s best!
Christianity, Creationism, Fundamentali
Richard Dawkins Replies to David Sloan Wilson 2007-07-11 17:07:49 A few days ago I blogged about David
Sloan Wilson
’s criticism of RichardDawkins
’ The God Delusion.
Today eskeptic has posted a short reply from Dawkins.
He focuses on this point made by Wilson:
When Dawkins’ The God Delusion was published I naturally assumed that he was basing his critique of religion on the scientific study of religion from an evolutionary perspective. I regret to report otherwise.
Dawkins responds:
Why would Wilson ‘naturally assume’ any such thing? Reasonable, perhaps, to assume that I would pay some attention to the evolution of religion, but why base a critique on an evolutionary perspective, any more than on Assyrian woodwind instruments or the burrowing behaviour of aardvarks? The God Delusion does, as it happens, have a chapter on the evolutionary origins of religion. But to say that this chapter is peripheral to my main critique would be an understatement. When I was asked to prepare an abridgment for the British audio recording, I had to d Read more:Richard Dawkins
Stellarium + astronomy 2007-07-11 14:58:45 I’ve been looking at getting into astronomy for some time now but am struggling to justify the cost and I’m a little bit worried about the learning curve. It’s less of a hobby and more of a full time job! Just choosing the right equipment is a daunting task. I tend not to do things by halves and looking at the costs, I’d probably need to spend upwards of £2k/$4k to find a telescope which will meet my expectations. I’m also not too patient and buying binoculars probably isn’t going to be all that satisfying for me even though that’s the advice I’ve been given. Starting off small and progressing is just not me
The thought of navigating the night skies and seeing images such as this is so exciting.
(Image courtesy of Meade)
This was taken with a Meade LX90 which retails at about £2500/$4500.
Obviously you need more than the equipment to get those kinds of images, it takes an awful lot of learning and that’s partly what I’m w
Where The Naming Convention Breaks Down 2007-07-11 10:11:26 I was just sent this by thadguy.com
Believing in Athena is not all that bad I guess! After all she is the goddess of wisdom and her wisdom also includes the ‘cunning intelligence’!
comic, funny Read more:Naming
, Convention
Al-Qaeda threat over Rushdie 2007-07-10 19:23:24 Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has threat
ened to retaliate against Britain for giving a knighthood to novelist Salman Rushdie
.
In a 20-minute recording, the al-Qaeda
second-in-command said the group was preparing a “very precise response” to the British knighthood.
In the speech, entitled Malicious Britain and its Indian Slaves, Zawahiri was quoted as warning Mr Brown:
“If you did not learn the lesson then we are ready to repeat it, God willing, until we are sure you have fully understood.”
Oh goody.
I know this sounds a bit selfish, but to you guys ready to defend your God by killing us, would you mind perhaps this time not picking on London? After all there are other parts of the UK and you’ll have some great opportunities during the Olympics. I feel a bit discriminated against if I’m honest. Always bloody London. It’s not really fair now is it? I feel like I’m playing battleships every-time I go out and it would b
Exploding 747’s, Shattered Watches, and Paintings in Forests 2007-07-10 13:24:00 Time and time again a creationist will compare evolution to the assemblage of a 747 from spare parts through the result of an explosion, or they will suggest that evolution is assuming a found watch ‘grew’ itself to complexity, or that if a painting in a forest must have a creator, so must the earth. These are all inaccurate and inapplicable analogies. Shortly put, none of these things are alive and none of them engage in sex. Sex and natural selection are what allow biological diversity. Comparing them to dead objects is silly and worthless.
The staunchest creationist would allow that there is some degree of adaptation. 747’s, paintings, and watches do not adapt. In fact, they are the most perfect the moment they are made. After that, they are constantly degrading. Biology is the opposite. Bodies do eventually break down, but the body is constantly growing and living. A 747 is not born small only to grow up and eventually decline. If a 747 crashes it isn’t tak Read more:Paintings
Why Atheism? 2007-07-09 16:57:49 I’ve been asked this question a few times, not only on this blog but also in one of my favorite blogging communities, 9rules.
I wanted to quickly to clarify my position.
First, what is atheism? I won’t delve into lots of dictionary definitions because ultimately they say very much the same thing. Simply put, atheism is a lack of belief in a God or gods.
So why do I take this position? Well, the simple answer is that I have no choice. I don’t think one can choose to believe in God no more than one can choose to believe in anything supernatural. You either believe or you do not. You are either a person that bases their beliefs on empirical evidence or you are someone that believes more on the basis of experience. Of course there are reasons why I do not believe, I interpret the evidence in one way and find it difficult to take anything on faith or some else’s say so. I’ve never been convinced by arguments from ignorance.
atheism, blog, god, religion Read more:Atheism
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