God and Science are Incompatible
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- Created on Saturday, 02 February 2013 06:36
- Published on Saturday, 02 February 2013 06:36
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 3566
There was an article on June 26, 2009 in the Wall Street Journal by Lawrence M. Krauss that is headed God and Science Don't Mix . The idea was first published in 1934 by J.B.S. Haldane in "Fact and Faith" and is quoted as follows:
My practice as a scientist is atheistic. That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel or devil is going to interfere with its course; and this assumption has been justified by such success as I have achieved in my professional career. I should therefore be intellectually dishonest if I were not also atheistic in the affairs of the world.
Yet many scientists say that they are Christians or believe in some other Religion. How can that be?
Read more: God and Science are Incompatible
Scientology - book by Lawrence Wright
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- Created on Thursday, 31 January 2013 06:50
- Published on Thursday, 31 January 2013 06:50
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 605
CBC's Neil Macdonald reviewed a book by Lawrence Wright: Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. My first reaction is that both Macdonald and Wright should now be afraid - if not of violence then of being hounded by Scientology lawyers. The leaders of Scientology don't like the truth about them being said in public. Macdonald focuses on the fact that the classification of Scientology as a religion gives it a degree of immunity from Government and the law - much like the Catholic Church has not had its leaders prosecuted for the abuse by its priests. But it's important to spread the word on the facts about the vicious cult of Scientology so below are some extracts from Macdonald's review.
Why hell?
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- Created on Tuesday, 29 January 2013 07:02
- Published on Tuesday, 29 January 2013 07:02
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 575
Some Christians and Muslims really believe in hell as a real place where their merciful, good god sends people after they die. Others say it's simply an absence of god - and they believe that this would be unpleasant - although I can't imagine why. Both versions require that there be a life after death. If you think about it, like many Christians seems to have, it doesn't make sense that the God they preach about would be so cruel as to subject all who reject him, knowingly or unknowingly, to pain for all eternity. But if you are gullible or sadistic, and you still believe in a literal hell, then maybe the problems with the concept have not been properly explained. With the help of an article in the Economist, let me try.
Theology - Dan Dennett tells it like it is
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- Created on Sunday, 27 January 2013 07:06
- Published on Sunday, 27 January 2013 07:06
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 2886
Dan Dennett is an expert on the human mind and how we think. He can explain why the human mind gets sidetracked and misled into believing in gods. He spoke about The Evolution of Confusion at the Atheist Alliance International 2009 Convention in Burbank, California in October 2009 but one of the best parts of his talk has been extracted into a clip where he focuses on theology.
We all wonder how pastors are able to explain difficult passages in the bible and other theological conundrums. Dan explains this and more - in just 6 minutes!
Islam and Science
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- Created on Friday, 25 January 2013 07:01
- Published on Friday, 25 January 2013 07:01
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 554
The Muslim world often points to their history of scientific and mathematical achievements - but that was between the eighth and 13th centuries when Christianity suppressed western progress. They invented the number system we use today along with algebra and understood astronomy better than anyone in the west. But in this century, they are way behind. According to The Economist, "in 2005 Harvard University produced more scientific papers than 17 Arabic-speaking countries combined. The world's 1.6 billion Muslims have produced only two Nobel laureates in chemistry and physics. Both moved to the West. By contrast Jews, outnumbered 100 to one by Muslims, have won 79. The 57 countries in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference spend a puny 0.81% of GDP on research and development, about a third of the world average. The U.S., which has the world's biggest science budget, spends 2.9%; Israel lavishes 4.4%."
Cobourg Atheist's new focus
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- Created on Monday, 21 January 2013 07:03
- Published on Monday, 21 January 2013 07:03
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 532
There are currently something like 1400 articles on this site. They include videos and articles by leaders in atheism like Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Dan Dennett and more. There are articles on problems with Islam, Catholics and Fundamentalists. There are statistics and survey results to show trends and attitudes worldwide. But, sooner or later, most of what needs to be said has been said. Remaining are new events, news, personalities and the occasional new idea.
I recently made improvements to the SEO - that's the ability of the site to be found by Search engines - so I had to look at every article to check for missing videos and links. While most articles were good, there were some that needed to be fixed and they now have been. In doing so, I realised that much of the material was still inspiring, educational and entertaining. Many videos (but not all) have also been upgraded to be more compatible with smartphones and with better resolution. Some videos were also missing because they had been removed from You-Tube. These have been replaced with backup copies.
Ricky Gervais and Noah
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- Created on Wednesday, 23 January 2013 06:41
- Published on Wednesday, 23 January 2013 06:41
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 4498
When Ricky was little, he was sent to Sunday school - and Sunday schools of course tell stories that capture the imagination. Because he was a good kid (!), Ricky was presented with a copy of one of the Books that were used for teaching the stories. It was about Noah and the Ark. Although "based on the bible", it was embellished somewhat - so it makes great material for him. Unless you believe in the story of Noah literally (yes I know, there are some who do), you will find this funny.
Coming soon to a Theatre of War near you
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- Created on Saturday, 19 January 2013 06:49
- Published on Saturday, 19 January 2013 06:49
- Written by Wally Keeler
- Hits: 1054
I have viewed this video several times since I first hooked into it last week. It is graphic and there is gore, like a Tarantino movie, only real, not reel. The entire video is a tour de force of propaganda. However, for those not inured to such Tarantino scenes, read the narrative below and then start from the 4:20 mark of the video to view the most potent scenes of religious belief that are gore-free.
