Alf the Sacred Neuman

says a recent survey. Is there anybody out there that did not already know this?

http://news.yahoo.com/low-iq-conservative-beliefs-...

Do you think trees enjoy being sawed in half? I wonder if a tree has any sensation when the axe bites deep into its flesh? The official tree of winter solstice should be a fig tree because as we all know, god hates figs.

This is a question I read yesterday that was directed toward atheists:

"Do atheists make all their comments and statements about christianity based on what they actually know and experience or do they just repeat things said by others?"

Consider this, religions tell their followers how to act, think, live, and often as not how to dress. What the bible "really means" when it says something totally different. What movies they should not watch, what music is off limits, what they should or should not eat or drink, how to date, when to date, who they should or should not marry.

Most religions specify what type of people should or should not be associated with and whom to vote for. What school subjects to believe or not to believe, where and how to educate their children. How they should behave when out the eyesight of the church leaders, how much of their money to donate to the church. There is at least one religion that goes so far as to dictate what undergarments are to be worn!

This is only a partial list but it is clear that most religious people have very little free will compared to atheists, almost every facet of their life is tightly controlled. If that is the way believers choose to live their lives it’s fine by me, but I don't think there are many theists in a position to accuse others of any of it.

what are the chances of a vaginal delivery?

After a 3 year battle Austrian Niko Alm was able to have his driver's license picture taken wearing his religious head gear, a spaghetti strainer, colander to the unaffiliated.

Question: Who believes pastafarianism should not be considered a religion and why not?

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/weirdest-...

Of course I know of theism and atheism, I'm also aware of monotheism and polytheism. Just today I learned of maltheism and misotheism and while reading about those I stumbled across eutheism, dystheism, antitheism and post-theism. Are there any others you can think of?

because he has done so many terrible things?

and if that smoking gun came straight from the Vatican? I'm not the one pointing fingers, just interested in what affect this news has on the Catholic world view.

"DUBLIN – A newly revealed 1997 letter from the Vatican warned Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police — a disclosure that victims groups described as "the smoking gun" needed to show that the Vatican enforced a worldwide culture of cover-up."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110118/ap_on_re_eu/eu...

These Jehovah Witnesses were hit with a couple water balloons and became violent. Were the JWs acting within their guidelines when they began throwing punches?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHt5USBMxkc

“Intelligent Design is neither sound science nor good theology.” International Society for Science and Religion

"People who oppose evolution, and seek to have creationism or intelligent design included in science curricula, seek to dismiss and change the most successful way of knowing ever discovered. They wish to substitute opinion and belief for evidence and testing. The proponents of creationism/intelligent design promote scientific ignorance in the guise of learning. As professional scientists and educators, we strongly assert that such efforts are both misguided and flawed, presenting an incorrect view of science, its understandings, and its processes." Botanical Society of America

"Evolution and cosmology represent two of the unifying concepts of modern science. There are few scientific theories more firmly supported by observations than these ... We do our children a grave disservice if we remove from their education an exposure to firm scientific evidence supporting principles that significantly shape our understanding of the world in which we live." American Association of Physics Teachers

"To teach kids that creationism explains something about the world is no different than teaching them that the earth is flat." Alan Wolfe, director of the Boisi Center for Religion and Public Life at Boston College

"Those who would legislate against the teaching of evolution should also legislate against gravity, electricity and the unreasonable velocity of light, and also, should introduce a clause to prevent the use of the telescope, the microscope and the spectroscope or any other instrument of precision which may in the future be invented, constructed or used for the discovery of truth." Luther Burbank

"Evolution lies at the heart of biology. It is seamlessly and continuously linked to health research to better understand such conditions as AIDS or bird flu or Parkinson's or cancer or heart disease. Every biomedical experiment, every tiny advance, every major breakthrough ultimately connects to the principles first postulated by Darwin." Huntington F. Willard of Duke University, author of the textbook Genetics in Medicine, Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy

"Evolutionary biology is no more an atheistic theory than is nuclear physics, relativity theory, or astronomy." Peter Olofsson, PhD

"If we are going to teach 'creation science' as an alternative to evolution, then we should also teach the stork theory as an alternative to biological reproduction." - Judith Hayes

"We would be 1,500 years ahead if it hadn't been for the church dragging science back by its coattails and burning our best minds at the stake." Catherine Fahringer

There was a question asked on Y!A recently about something the Bible prohibits, but Christians often do anyway. I can't remember what the question was, I think it was related to food, but that is not important. What I'm getting at is, one Christian answered something like "the Bible is a very large book, and it is only mentioned twice, so that is why I continue to do it."

Sounds "pick and choose" to me, only mentioned twice so it is OK? How many times is homosexuality mentioned in the New Testament? I would be willing to bet he would do an about face on that one.

or are they blinded by that one detail?

I was reading an online article about Elton John and his husband's new baby. The article was about name choice for the new born whom I believe was born via a surrogate. The comment section of the article was full of vile, hateful, self righteous language that more often than not referred to the Christian God and Bible as their supporting references.

So I did a quick check to see what kind of charitable person Sir Elton is. First there is the Elton John AIDS Foundation that has raised $125 million to support AIDS programs in 55 countries.

"In 2004 he donated over $43 million to organizations around the world, making him the most generous person in music for that year – a title he retains year after year.

Do you think Jesus would look first at his sexual situation or the following achievements?

Charities supported;

•Aids Life

•American Foundation for AIDS Research

•Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation

•Breast Cancer Research Foundation

•Bridge School

•Caudwell Children

•Children's Tumor Foundation

•Elton John AIDS Foundation

•Exploring The Arts

•Food Bank For New York City

•Gus Dudgeon Foundation

•HELP USA

•Hillsides

•Joey Dipaolo AIDS Foundation

•Kids

•Love Our Children USA

•mothers2mothers

•Move For AIDS

•MusiCares

•National Youth Theatre

•Oxfam

•PDSA

•RADD

•Rainforest Foundation Fund

•Riders For Health

•Sporting Chance Clinic

•Starkey Hearing Foundation

•Terrence Higgins Trust

•The Lunchbox Fund

•The Rainforest Foundation

•True Colors Fund

•Volunteering England

•War Child

•Women's Sports Foundation

•World AIDS Day

and the following causes supported;

Abuse, AIDS, Animals, At-Risk/Disadvantaged Youths, Cancer, Children, Creative Arts, Disaster Relief, Education, Environment, Family/Parent Support, Gay/Lesbian Support, Health, Homelessness, Human Rights, Hunger, Mental Challenges, Miscellaneous, Peace, Physical Challenges, Poverty, Rape/Sexual Abuse, Sports, Substance Abuse, Unemployment/Career Support, Women

how would that affect atmospheric pressure? Would a new standard atmospheric pressure be established near the summit of Everest or would a large portion of our atmosphere escape Earth's gravity and be lost forever? If 29,000 feet of atmosphere was actually lost then Noah and the animals would have to survive very thin air. The atmospheric pressure at the summit of Everest is about 30 kpa or 4.35 psia. What about temperature, would Noah have to survive -40 C or F?