Comments on: And.. Voila!

By: Kip W

Kip W — Mon, 28 May 2007 22:08:40 +0000

Paraphrasing Linus Van Pelt, we could have described Falwell’s view as, “I love Israel. It’s just Jews I can’t stand.”

Off ya go, Jerry. Enjoy the trip. You know that’s not a waterslide you’re on, right?

By: owlbear1

owlbear1 — Sat, 19 May 2007 08:23:41 +0000

Speaking of Hawking.

http://www.planetary.org/news/2007/0427_Stephen_Hawking_Flies_into_ZeroG_and.html

By: wordyeti

wordyeti — Sat, 19 May 2007 05:38:03 +0000

I believe the Port Ellen (when you can get it) is the best Islay malt, period. I believe the Higgs Boson will be 134Gev. Whatcha got?

Geez Mikey, whatcha goin’ and gettin’ all smart on us now? Here we wuz, innocently dreaming about Pammy wrinkling her (scar-tissue) nose at a platterful of sweet possum pie and grits, weaving a little on her green&white webbed lawn chair in front of the stolen rest stop picnic table … honking plaintively, “Ewww, gross. I’m not eating that rat. Anyone got a menu for the nearest Chinese takeout joint?”

…and then here you come, talking your Bosonic trash. Intermediate vector or not, don’t come crying to us when they swipe your Lagavulin and run up your credit cards prank-calling Stephen Hawking…

By: mikey

mikey — Fri, 18 May 2007 19:00:20 +0000

Get me started about Islay whiskies or quantum theory

Okay, Dok, let’s rocknroll. I believe the Port Ellen (when you can get it) is the best Islay malt, period. I believe the Higgs Boson will be 134Gev. Whatcha got?

mikey

By: a different brad

a different brad — Fri, 18 May 2007 17:10:25 +0000

Atheists are not dogmatic. Saying superstitions are untrue isn’t a dogma, it’s an empirical observation.
What we aren’t is easy prey for cults.

By: William K. Wolfrum » Blog Archive » Time to hire a Justice Czar

William K. Wolfrum » Blog Archive » Time to hire a Justice Czar — Fri, 18 May 2007 10:23:52 +0000

[...] recent testimonies were roughly as sincere as Jerry Falwell grudgingly admitting that, sure, God does hear the prayers of non-Christians. And just about as convincing. That [...]

By: atheist

atheist — Fri, 18 May 2007 10:14:06 +0000

atheists are boring and make for very poor conversationalists â€¦ they are just as dogmatic as the Taliban.

But I never shot anyone for listening to music!

Well, except for that one time…

By: zebbidie

zebbidie — Fri, 18 May 2007 10:13:51 +0000

Easily Offended said,

May 18, 2007 at 6:59

atheists are boring and make for very poor conversationalists â€¦ they are just as dogmatic as the Taliban.

Where the hell have you ever talked to a Taliban? Do you speak Pashtu? Or Persian? Are you in fact a stupid person throwing off the first adverse comparitive you could think off?

I think the answers are never, no, no and “yes, I am ashamed to admit that I was lying about the atheist-Taliban thing, and now I have made baby Jesus cry, so I will not be dispensated, premillinerianly or otherwise. In fact I have damned my immortal soul all for the sake of a cheap shot.”

May Caspar the Friendly Ghost have mercy on your soul.

By: Herr Doktor Bimler

Herr Doktor Bimler — Fri, 18 May 2007 08:53:02 +0000

Yes, but we’re dogmatic about different things. Get me started about Islay whiskies or quantum theory and I’ll give you dogmatism.

By: Easily Offended

Easily Offended — Fri, 18 May 2007 04:59:14 +0000

atheists are boring and make for very poor conversationalists … they are just as dogmatic as the Taliban.

By: Herr Doktor Bimler

Herr Doktor Bimler — Fri, 18 May 2007 01:01:57 +0000

it seems so self evidently true to me that there is no God that giving that conviction a special title, somehow dignifies what it denies.
Someone suggested ‘Ignostic’ to capture that sense of “I don’t find your sky-fairy delusion sufficiently interesting to bother with having an opinion about it”.

By: STH

STH — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:33:59 +0000

I’m with you on that one, mikey. Many people will actually physically shrink back from you when you use that word to describe yourself, and I admit I find that amusing, in a not-very-nice sort of way. Hell, I got chubby cheeks, how else am I gonna give people the willies?

I definitely recommend using “atheist” when the Witnesses or Mormons come to the door. “Antitheist” is a wonderful and useful word, but they wouldn’t understand it. “Atheist” has a Pavlov’s dog sort of effect on them, and running away in terror is good exercise.

By: kingubu

kingubu — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:25:50 +0000

Quoting Jonathan Miller from a recent edition of Bill Moyers' Journal:

I'm reluctant to use the word 'atheist' to describe my own unshakeable disbelief and that's not because I'm ashamed, afraid or even embarrassed, but simply because it seems so self evidently true to me that there is no God that giving that conviction a special title, somehow dignifies what it denies. After all, we don't have a special word for people who don't believe in ghosts or witches.

Yup.

By: mikey

mikey — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:06:53 +0000

I like to refer to myself as an “atheist” not because it is the most accurate descriptor, but precisely for its accumulated baggage. It is truly a big smelly turd in the social punchbowl. For a long time I have used the word “heroin” in public/social situations the same way – to light ‘em up. As in “my husband just got a raise at work”. “Oh yeah? That’s great! Now he can afford to buy better heroin”….

mikey

By: a different brad

a different brad — Thu, 17 May 2007 22:48:38 +0000

Nah, not rationalist. I’m not big on ist or isms. Humanist isn’t bad as far as they go, but has so much historical baggage.
Systematization as the basis of understanding the world is well and good, it’s just not me.

By: Robert Green

Robert Green — Thu, 17 May 2007 22:44:40 +0000

yeah, and while ADB’s point is well taken (how come theism is the default) it doesn’t change the fact that theism IS the default. given that this remains the case, “humanist” or “rationalist” don’t grapple with what really matters–one’s opposition to fairy tales as central components of one’s (personal or societal) world view. they just are nice concepts in and of themselves.

so thus “antitheist” says “i’m specifically calling you out on your godfairy stuff.” and, to an extent (more passively) so does “atheist”. but i like mine better because i made it up.

By: Herr Doktor Bimler

Herr Doktor Bimler — Thu, 17 May 2007 22:44:01 +0000

Their blind loyalty to their leaders, honed like a samurai sword
For some reason I can’t help thinking of Paul the Samurai, who “regularly carries his sword baked into a loaf of French bread in order to avoid problems with local police.” Spoon!

By: billy pilgrim

billy pilgrim — Thu, 17 May 2007 22:16:36 +0000

adb-

Rationalist works.

I always liked Humanist. Kind of emphasized that I regard human potential as the ideal. Whether it’s rational endeavours, or inspired irrationality in art, whatever.

By: MzNicky

MzNicky — Thu, 17 May 2007 21:28:05 +0000

“make her go live in deepest, darkest Tennessee…”

Hey pal, we’ve got enough dipshits down here to deal with already.

On the other hand, it would be kinda fun to make Polythene Pam pray over a dinner of roadkill possum. Yeah, that’s right! We Tennesseans have a law that says you get to scrape kilt varmints off’n the road and eat ‘em if you want! Someone got a PROBLEM with that?

By: Mostly Cillious

Mostly Cillious — Thu, 17 May 2007 21:02:22 +0000

Hookworm, filiariasis and Guinea worm vids always turned the heads or had someone running from the room. I always wonderd to myself, â€œThese folk want to be nurses? Wait â€™til they get a look and wiff of a septic decubitusâ€?)

Dude, come on! I’m eatin’ sushi, here!