by d 281 Replies latest members politics
He says that around 40% of Americans believe that the universe is less than 10,000 years old. If I believed in the concept of sin, I would say the gravest sin that religion is guilty of is holding the masses in utter ignorance.
disclaimer: since some comments are taken personal: I understand that not all religious people believer this. BUT THIS IS 40% OF AMERICANS---and that blame rests solely on the shoulders of religion.
NC
The lecture by Dawkns was good. We need more people like him in this world.
It was a great lecture. He pointed out something that I guess I knew, but never put it into words. America's constitution was secular, and it was a first! WE have the wall between church and government. That's not a common concept and we gave a gift to the world showing how it was done. It is more important than ever we don't let the christian right corrupt that special privilige. I feel quite inspired.
Minchin did a lot of songs there---I was surprised at some of them---I thought he might feel compelled to tone it down. And the audience was screaming out some of the lyrics! I really wish I could have been there. There were so many great people I could have met----cuz it's hard to meet them in everyday life.
Now for the fun part! The BACKLASH! PERSECUTION---ATHEISTS GOT TOGETHER AND TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THEIR RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT---PERSECUTION!
nc
"I don't get reception on that either from more fundamentalist believers or from atheists. ..." FHN page #3
"I don't understand that sentence. ...." New Chapter page#3
It's like the reception on satellite dish TV....
"Hopefully in due time religion will buckle and collapse under the weight of sanity and truth".-d
"Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion that has ever infected the world." James A. Haught in "Honest Minds, Past and Present" Talks for History of Freethought conference Sept
I can only wonder what science would have done had religion not gotten in the way?
I think about that too d. And I also wonder how much more it COULD do if we taught our children to have a bit more confidence in science, instead of tearing it down with mythical teachings. I mean only an evidenced based kind of person would do well in science, and since they teach their children to ignore evidence, who knows how many Einsteins have been permanently dwarfed? A mind is a terrible thing to waste---it is a sin (LOL, I don't believe in sin) to murder intelligence.
NC
This is so true we stifle free thought in children because in a sense they are a threat to the religous power structure..
who knows how many Einsteins have been permanently dwarfed? . . . NC
I agree passionately with what you guys are saying. Einstein once said; I'm no smarter than anybody else . . . I just stay with problems longer (or similar). We raise children with a huge religious, political and economic bias . . . to be mere participants, rather than changers, in a ridiculously flawed social structure. I'd rather see them given the skills to think freely and critically . . . and the courage to act on it.
disclaimer: since some comments are taken personal: I understand that not all religious people believer this. BUT THIS IS 40% OF AMERICANS---and that blame rests solely on the shoulders of religion.
It rests soley on the shoulders of some fundamentalist Christian sects. That would be a more accurate statement. Yours is a blanket statement.
It's like the reception on satellite dish TV....
I think maybe you missed the post where I said I missed typing the word "A" before good. I probably messed that up, too. Perhaps in your region your dialect doesn't include this use of the word reception. "Do you get a good reception when you talk to people like this face to face?"
I lived, for part of my childhood, in SE Louisiana: 1st through 5th grade. Their dialect tends to leave off articles and prepositions. You don't slam on your brakes. You slam on brakes. You don't get out of the car. You get out the car. You don't "get a good reception." You get good reception. Example: "I get good reception in this community when I give my lectures." Zidd, I generally enjoy your posts. But the lack of filter you have on this type of subject tends to leave me . I don't begrudge you your opinions or feelings at all. I also understand that I am not always the most tactful poster myself. So, I have fellow feeling. I think you're a looser cannon than even me though. And that's saying a lot.
