Are you planning on heading out into the world to tackle some evil atheists? If so, don't forget your Armor of God. I'm willing to bet that shield pillow is super fluffy to wrap around your ears to make extra sure you can keep out those deadly atheist weapons like logic.
Also be sure to stop by the "About Us" page. It's got some more gems like the new Christian math in which they affirm that there's 1 God that equals 3 (I've seen proofs for 2+2=5, but 1=3 is a new one to me).
They also assert that everything is created by God. So I wonder why they're the ones making the money...
Ah, another SomethingAwful fan. Are you also a registered Forum Goon?
ReplyDeleteIf you're new to SA, I highly recommend downloading and watching Lowtax's presentation to a group of undergraduates at the university of Illinois.
http://www.somethingawful.com/index.php?a=3318
Remember, SA is the 7th largest forum community on the internet.
I didn't actually get this from SA. I found it through a livejournal group. I am familiar with SA though and have occasionally visited there and seen Lowtax's presentation before. However, I'm not inclined to pay to be a member of their forums. I waste more than enough time on others as it is.
ReplyDeleteWell, not all Christians are screaming idiots. I have my beliefs and they are mostly christian, but I don't let that get in the way of sound logic or reason. I don't let god become my answer for everything unexplaned; I look for real answers. Sadly, it seems, I am in the minority of christians in that respect.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, so keep up the good work! Thanks!
I am a Christian who also happens to be an Astronomy professor. I got onto this blog from Bad Astronomy because it deals with a lot of the anti-scientific garbage, both Christian and otherwise, that creates so many problems today. Lately, though, it seems like a lot of the posts have been just pointless Christian-bashing without any real connection to science or astronomy. You obviously have a right to say whatever you want on your own blog, but keep in mind that many Christians are on your side in many respects, and an antagonistic attitude towards all Christians only reinforces the "us vs. them" mentality at the root of much of the current anti-science.
ReplyDeleteThanks for responding, and I do recognize that your are not only targeting Christians. For the most part, I think you do a pretty good job of making the distiction of not attacking Christianity in general, and I think I do a pretty good job of not taking it personally. I posted here, but in fact the statement that really got me thinking about this was a couple of posts later when you said, "...he did what we'd all expect from Christians those with a severe delusion; he filed a lawsuit." (Sorry, the strikethrough of "Christians" was lost). In effect, the strikethrough pretty much says "Christians = people with a severe delusion". The post wasn't even about Christians, so it is hard to interpret it other than a general insult to Christians. I'm not asking you to pull any punches when you see stupidity in any form, but please don't lump me (and as you say, the majority of us) in with them.
ReplyDeleteIt would be easier not to dump on the majority of Christians who are rational if they'd police their co-religionists themselves instead of muttering about how those folks aren't representative. And by "police" I mean speak up, loudly and publicly, denouncing the lies and the anti-science and the "making the whole faith look bad" by showing how they're aren't, in fact, representative. Otherwise, they're the ones who will look like the spokesmen...
ReplyDeletewayne, I think the problem with the case you pointed out was a certain ambiguity in the writing. My meaning got lost. The only thing I meant to replace the word "Christians" was "those" whereas you took it as "those with a severe delusion." As I'd intended it, without strikethrough and word repacement, it would have read "Christians with a severe delusion" and was meant to still set aside the loud mouthed branch of Christians ruining the good name of many others.
ReplyDeleteThus, why use strikethrough at all? It was really meant as a not-so-subtle reminder that, although it's certainly not the majority, these type of people seem to be far more prevalent amidst the Christian faith. At least as I see things from my seat here in the US.
Ridger: I whole heartedly agree with your comments. When moderate Christians sit by and let others negatively define the perceptions of their faith, I feel that they bear the blame as well.
Instead moderate Christians tend to sit back and take a "boys will be boys" attitude towards the funadmentalists. The only thing that I've noticed that will get them riled is a (percieved) attack on their faith in general. A great example of this is the Mt. Soledad cross. It's being played off as an attack on Christianity and the moderate Christians are up in arms, but sit idly by at other times.
Another example is the incident with Dr. Mirecki last November in which his comments were explicitly worded as an attack on fundamentalists, but even the moderates here in Kansas decided they wanted to feel insulted too and took it as a personal insult.
If moderates would really take a look at such incidents and realize that it's not an attack on faith itself, but only faith sticking its nose where it doesn't belong, and saved their energy to fight the hypocrites who think God's love is hating fags and abortion clinincs, then I think this country would be a much better place.
I'm glad to know I was not parsing that sentence the way you intended, strikethrough gags can be a bit hard to decipher. I'd like to think that I'm not one of those who "sit by" while others make us look bad, but I understand the sentiment. For the most part, people have a right to believe what they want, and if their faith isn't strong enough to allow for an old Universe then I don't want to be the one to disalusion them altogether since many take an all-or-nothing approach to their interpretation of the Bible. At the same time, I teach the Big Bang, stellar evolution, and other secular ideas at a Christian university and try to model the attitude that scientific thought is not in conflict with faith. People can get their beliefs and interpretations so wrapped up with their faith that it's hard to attack one without attacking the other, and I can't model a Christian lifestyle while I'm seen to attack another's faith, so it puts us moderates in a very difficult situation. I promise to continue to promote the concept that the truth is not to be feared in the trenches of the Bible Belt, but you will be doing your part to help me by being as careful as possible not to alienate those I may send to your blog for the skeptical perspective.
ReplyDeletewayne, I think the problem with the case you pointed out was a certain ambiguity in the writing. My meaning got lost. The only thing I meant to replace the word "Christians" was "those" whereas you took it as "those with a severe delusion." As I'd intended it, without strikethrough and word repacement, it would have read "Christians with a severe delusion" and was meant to still set aside the loud mouthed branch of Christians ruining the good name of many others.
ReplyDeleteThus, why use strikethrough at all? It was really meant as a not-so-subtle reminder that, although it's certainly not the majority, these type of people seem to be far more prevalent amidst the Christian faith. At least as I see things from my seat here in the US.
Ridger: I whole heartedly agree with your comments. When moderate Christians sit by and let others negatively define the perceptions of their faith, I feel that they bear the blame as well.
Instead moderate Christians tend to sit back and take a "boys will be boys" attitude towards the funadmentalists. The only thing that I've noticed that will get them riled is a (percieved) attack on their faith in general. A great example of this is the Mt. Soledad cross. It's being played off as an attack on Christianity and the moderate Christians are up in arms, but sit idly by at other times.
Another example is the incident with Dr. Mirecki last November in which his comments were explicitly worded as an attack on fundamentalists, but even the moderates here in Kansas decided they wanted to feel insulted too and took it as a personal insult.
If moderates would really take a look at such incidents and realize that it's not an attack on faith itself, but only faith sticking its nose where it doesn't belong, and saved their energy to fight the hypocrites who think God's love is hating fags and abortion clinincs, then I think this country would be a much better place.
Well, not all Christians are screaming idiots. I have my beliefs and they are mostly christian, but I don't let that get in the way of sound logic or reason. I don't let god become my answer for everything unexplaned; I look for real answers. Sadly, it seems, I am in the minority of christians in that respect.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, so keep up the good work! Thanks!
I didn't actually get this from SA. I found it through a livejournal group. I am familiar with SA though and have occasionally visited there and seen Lowtax's presentation before. However, I'm not inclined to pay to be a member of their forums. I waste more than enough time on others as it is.
ReplyDelete