Sam Harris: Why We Should Ditch Religion

Sam Harris on religion:

We have people who think you should throw battery acid in the faces of little girls for trying to learn to read in Afghanistan, so clearly, there are real world correlates of that kind of thinking, that kind of orientation. And it’s not our job to not judge it and say, well, to each his own everyone has to work out their own strategy for human fulfillment, it’s just not true. There are people who are wrong about human fulfillment.

Eloquent as always. A tough argument summed up so that anyone can understand it.

Irish Atheists Publish 25 Well-Known Blasphemous Quotes To Test Ridiculous New Blasphemy Law

January 1st, a brand new blasphemy law takes into effect in Ireland, in which it’s now criminal with fines up to 25.000 euros for:

publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted

In response to this Orwellian feat, a group of Irish atheists have gathered 25 blasphemous quotes to challenge the law, including:

Look, I had a lovely supper, and all I said to my wife was that piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah.

– Matthias, son of Deuteronomy of Gath, in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, 1979.

Nova Documentary On Intelligent Design

It’s no well-kept secret that I’m not fan of the pseudo-science known by some as “intelligent design”, yet it is a guilty pleasure following the ideological tennis match that’s been playing out in American schools this last decade. And so, I loved this — now somewhat old — documentary on the Dover trial on intelligent design. Watch it on your second monitor, and don’t be afraid, it’s got a happy ending.

Exit War President

[zenphoto src="Bush_binoculars.jpg" album="various" width="600"]

George,

Today you cease to be president, and I have to be honest: I will not miss you nor will I remember you fondly. I have, in fact, been waiting for this moment for 8 long years.

I have never been one for “what ifs”; at the very least my imagination has been limited to pondering what life would have been like if Abraham Lincoln had been a killer robot from the future. Having endured you, I now find myself thinking: what if Gore had been president instead… Would we have been in Iraq? Would we have been in Afghanistan? Would the economy have been in the drains?

Of course it can’t all be your fault, can it? Having seen you recount your own legacy on various TV-shows these last few days, I find myself almost feeling sorry for you. That’s when I remember. War, torture, surveillance, Halliburton, civil rights, habeas corpus, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, Katrina. I’m told that even your no child left behind act left children behind.

I remember that these were all important issues and that you completely dropped the ball on each one of them. Of course you could always invoke the looming threat of gays marrying to keep your pawns in the fold. Goodness gracious, what might have happened if there had been a few rainbow weddings? Perhaps if more people could marry we’d see more happy people spending money on flowers, rice and cakes. To me, that translates into revenue, jobs and joy. Oh that’s right, your moral values: torture okay, loving couples marrying not okay. Wait what?

You’ve mentioned countless times that history will be your judge. I believe that is true, but not in the way you’d like it. I will remember your for your excruciating “bring ‘em on” fratboy rhetoric and your misguided religion-based ethics. Mostly, I’ll remember you for your complete lack of finesse. I wish I could point at you and laugh, but it’s just not funny anymore, not even when you talk.

Wishing things had been different,

Joen