Kara Connor

Happy Birthday President Jimmy Carter. You are a great example of what a good Christian should be. I know you look forward each week to Sunday School too.

Thanks Reg!!

Have a great week!

Truth does not demand belief. Scientists do not join hands every Sunday, singing, “Yes, gravity is real! I will have faith! I will be strong! I believe in my heart that what goes up, up, up must come down. Amen!” If they did, we would think they were pretty insecure about it.

–Dan Barker

Well, it’s a mixed bag.  On the one hand it can be paranoid, aggressive and arrogant, responsible for the very worst that humans can do.  On the other, it’s a beacon of light.

what i think needs to be exposed is the dominant role of human nature in power dynamics and in adoption of beliefs.

Yes, why does it bring out the worst in people as well a…[Read more]

jakelafort wrote:
Simon, does not seem like the reaction to Muslims in UK is racist or xenophobic.

It’s a right wing trope – “we hate Muslims”.  Draw your own conclusions.

The abuse of vulnerable girls seems to be disproportionately done by Muslims, it’s true.  Although, everyone and his dog seems to be at them, because they’re vulnerable g…[Read more]

One of the stated tenets of Atheist Ireland is “You have Rights, your beliefs do not”.

jakelafort wrote:
islamophobia

I don’t know what it’s like in the US, but in the UK we have quite a lot of Muslims.  Some right wing people are forever going on about Muslims this and Muslims that.  Muslims are going to take over.  Muslims are going to declare Sharia Law.  Muslims are a bunch of evil freaks.  I hate Muslims.  That is Islam…[Read more]

jakelafort wrote:
Robert is describing the doctrine, belief and practices of that tiny cult. Is he tarring all 900 members of the cult? Or is he exposing the cult for what it is in simply describing it?

You can say that a cult has x, y and z doctrines, beliefs and practices.  But you can’t say that all the people in it are the same.

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
Scientifically speaking, there is only one human race: Homo sapiens. The concept of different “races” is a social construct, not a biological one.

The different ethnic groups look different and are different colours.  But I agree, those are superficial differences.

@jakelafort – Reg, do you think most of the deconverted are happy to have had their world view challenged and deconstructed?

In the long run, yes.  When Andy Dufresne escaped from Shawshank prison, he may have missed the social life he had with his friends inside but he never thought that returning to jail would be a solution. Returning…[Read more]

But it’s the same thing, to tar a whole group with the same negative brush.

Scientifically speaking, there is only one human race: Homo sapiens. The concept of different “races” is a social construct, not a biological one. We share more than 99.9% of the same DNA. Any physical differences are superficial and not indicative of any fundamental b…[Read more]

_Robert_ wrote:
Ah, OK. A religion is a race now.

Religion is not a race, and therefore you’re not being racist.  But it’s the same thing, to tar a whole group with the same negative brush.

I was only talking about this last week with a friend who is a medical doctor from Pakistan. Marrying someone related to you is very common. I learned a new term during that conversation…..consanguineous marriage…read more here.

I agree, perfection is just a subjective opinion. A living entity just needs to evolve to be the fittest for its environment. That is, it has adapted to survive in the environment it exists in.

Yes, I have helped some to de-convert themselves. These would be mostly ‘cultural Muslims’ whose parents were immigrants to Ireland. I guess many were halfway out the door and just needed to be able to reason themselves the rest of the way. There seems to be a brain fog zone where we know something is not true but can’t quite put our finger on…[Read more]

One of the best answers is “I don’t know”.

It can be a good answer. It is better than pretending to have certainty. But humans prefer to have an answer, even if it is the wrong answer. It is like the post during the week about not wanting to think. Many no longer seem to possess any ability to do so and apart from their basic executive funct…[Read more]

Thanks, Reg!!