Which is the biggest planet?
"there are planets over 100 times the size of our sun out there"
Um, no. Anything with much more mass than jupiter is heavy enough that the pressure at the center starts fusion and it turns into a star. There are stars with mass over 100 times our s...
Can anyone else see or feel spirits
No. There's no credible evidence of anyone being able to see "spirits" - or even of the existence of such things.
Cuss words
Christ no! Er, I mean hell no! Er, that is to say...
How do I tell them I dont want Confirmed ?
You have to decide for yourself how much it matters to you. If you're atheist or agnostic, being 'confirmed' is just a meaningless ritual. It may seem pointless, and offensive to reason, but it doesn't really matter a great deal. On the other hand, if ...
National Guard and my religion(0.00%)
I've heard claims that "thou shalt not kill" is supposed to mean "thou shalt not kill _believers_". If you take that interpretation, though, christianity's claim to be "loving and forgiving" is pretty transparently bunkum, though.
Why is islam the fastest growing religion
You're still trying to make this distinction between "cultural acts" and "religious acts" in the context of a religion. As far as I can tell, the only thing that distinguishes the two is that you don't always agree with the former. It's plain, though, ...
Why should I respect your religion?
"You don't have the right to mock religions, but, you don't have to show tolerance either."
Of course you do. Part of free speech is the right to mock whatever you please, basically. Why should religion be any different? This is more or less the who...
Why should I respect your religion?
ty: That's an oversimplification. People do use religion to justify their beliefs and actions, yes, but they also modify their actions based on religion.
"People dont wear the same clothes"
Burkas.
"they dont eat the same food"
Halal. Koshe...
Why is islam the fastest growing religion
ty: Why, should I? You're making a spurious distinction between 'cultural' and 'religious' acts, where a 'cultural' act is any that disagrees with _your_ interpretation of scripture, even if the people doing it are doing it under their own interpretati...
Why should I respect your religion?(100.00%)
I think the question is more one of why religion should get _more_ respect than other opinions and beliefs. You can make a plausible case for just about any level of respect for other peoples' opinions, but it's a lot harder to make a case that religio...
What is a scientologist?
Scientology is a cult that believes, in a nutshell, that everyone is possessed by 'thetans', which are the ghosts of billions of aliens who were shipped to earth billions of years ago by Xenu, an alien emperor suffering an overpopulation problem, who s...
does god care?
luthien: There are good, caring people in all faiths (and none). That says far more about those people than it does about the catholic church.
Bible and the Homosexuality
"Sorry to whoever said stop living in the past . but your so wrong Evil will always be Evil in Gods eyes . and sin will always seperate you from God."
Still stoning adulterers and unruly children, not wearing cloth of mixed fiber, and avoiding anyth...
Do you choose magic or does magic choose you?
You don't have to go visit him. Contact them and they'll arrange a demonstration under controlled conditions at a time and place convenient to you. Any other excuses?
"and magic does affect elecrritcy I read about it
and there was scienfific explan...
Bible and the Homosexuality
Alright, I'll get a dictionary. From the American Heritage Dictionary:
"ho·mo·pho·bi·a
n.
1. Fear of or contempt for lesbians and gay men.
2. Behavior based on such a feeling."
You. Are. Homophobic.
"But take a tree for EG.. If it is me...
Bible and the Homosexuality (100.00%)
"Freaks of Nature.. No body was designed to do Both.. So if some one is born with Both parts.. then that is not normal.. So being born wanting to be with the same sex is wrong.. It is something in nature that went wrong.."
"Same sex adopting is anot...
Does the bible really say that homosexuality is wrong?
"In the beginning, God created man and then He created a woman to be man's helpmate. I imagine that if God had thought homosexuality was okay, then he would have created another man...or just two women. But He didn't, so that's the beginning."
Clear...
Bible and the Homosexuality
As the answers here so graphically show, people will find a way to justify their prejudices, and use whatever support they can find. It's not a matter of (some) christians being anti-homosexuality because the bible says so, they're simply homophobic an...
Why is pluto no longer a planet?
laurele: There's no one "right" definition of planet. How we define it is a matter of consensus, and if we include Pluto as a planet, as you point out, we have to include a bunch of other previously unknown lumps of rock. That may not be a bad thing, b...
Do you choose magic or does magic choose you?
First: http://www.randi.org/research/index.html
"At JREF, we offer a one-million-dollar prize to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event."
So if you or your friend r...
Do you choose magic or does magic choose you?
Sure there is. You could start with a video. It wouldn't be conclusive, but it might help. Better, go to James Randi, demonstrate your paranormal powers, and claim your million dollar prize.
The only reason I can think of that you'd consistently ref...
does god care?
"HE DIED ON A CROSS FOR U!"
I didn't ask him to, so he doesn't get to guilt-trip me over it. (And nor do you.)
evil music
If listening to slipknot can give you the power to fling things around the room with your mind, I really need to find one of their CD.s That would be _awesome_.
Can you believe in evolution *AND* Godzilla?
Well, even without evolution, it seems pretty unlikely there's a whole race of giant monsters out there, breeding undiscovered. So I think that clearly, intelligent design is the only plausible explanation for the existence of Godzilla.
What's with religion
toadaly: If there were only a million christians, I don't think it'd be worth worrying about. There's got to be at least a million pastafarians out there. ;)
Your reaction to agnosticism/atheism is...?
As toadaly points out, if you define "atheist" to be the position that you are absolutely sure something doesn't exist, the definition becomes meaningless, since no rational person takes a completely immovable stance on the existence of anything, howev...
does god care?
The catholic church doesn't give money to third-world countries. Instead, it sets up anti-condom disinformaion campaigns, ensuring thousands of unnecessary deaths from HIV.
The catholic church is already absurdly rich, without sending the statues to...
Do you choose magic or does magic choose you?
Perhaps I wasn't clear enough: It's not our job to verify absurd claims - it's yours, if you want to be taken seriously. Especially when they're in the nature of "I/someone can do something never seen before and which should be physically impossible". ...
Gamma rays
"Did you know that with a Supa Nova that it sends out tinny molecules that travel straight through solid objects and can start.. stop.. or even change evolution."
Er, what? None of that makes any sense.
What really happens after you die?
"if you are a christian, you go to heaven, if not, you go to hell.
no "unfinished business" you dont turn into a ghost, you either go up or down.
its your choice, accept Jesus and go to heaven, or live in ignorance and go to heaven."
Including a...
Do you devote your life to your religion?
I grew up in a largely non-religious family, but got sucked into sunday school and church in a big way for a while. After a while, I stopped going, and my path from there to my current atheism has been a gradual one, as I've developed and refined my cr...
I'm afraid of death.
There's no reason to be afraid of death. If you're dead, you won't notice, and if you're alive, there's no point worrying about it. Fear of pain, on the other hand, I can completely understand.
Of course, if you're a christian, you have the constant...
I need help standing up for my faith?
As toadaly said: Any omnipotent being wouldn't need us to 'stand up' for it in the first place. So either god exists and doesn't require your help, or he doesn't exist and any attempt to do so is pointless.
Gamma rays
Gamma rays travel at exactly the speed of light - they are EM waves, just like light is. So yes, they are now striking the earth. In fact, that's the only way we could know that such a thing happened in the first place.
Do you choose magic or does magic choose you?
There's no burden to 'prove' an anecdote. If I tell you I can fly, with no evidence to back it up, there's no expectation that you have to prove me wrong somehow.
Seriously, if he really does the things you claim, that million dollars is his.
Why is islam the fastest growing religion
ty: Who defines what _is_ demanded by scripture, then? You claim that their actions aren't supported by _your_ religion, but that's only because of your interpretation. Others take other interpretations which lead them to other conclusions. You're esse...
Meat-eating christians?
camppapa: red_rose_mafia didn't say anything about a single lamb, she said that "the streets ran red with blood". You don't find that kind of sick? I do, and I have no problem with eating meat.
Do you choose magic or does magic choose you?
"magic is diffrernt to suppernatural abilities, when I say magik im not talking about telekaniesis or telepathic things wih you can test, anyway how the hell can you test someone for power?"
So if it's not anything you can test, in what sense does i...
Do you choose magic or does magic choose you?
Really? James Randi has a million dollars with your name on it if you can prove you have paranormal powers in an independent test. You'd think all those people who can do 'magik' would be leaping at the opportunity...
Please dont hate muslims(50.00%)
What frustrates me is that while I'm free to criticise Christianity without (many) people trying to tell me I can't, it seems that frequently, any attempt to criticise Islam is met with accusations of being an islamophobe, or of "hating muslims", and s...
arachnid's Advice page 3
"there are planets over 100 times the size of our sun out there" Um, no. Anything with much more mass than jupiter is heavy enough that the pressure at the center starts fusion and it turns into a star. There are stars with mass over 100 times our s...
No. There's no credible evidence of anyone being able to see "spirits" - or even of the existence of such things.
Christ no! Er, I mean hell no! Er, that is to say...
You have to decide for yourself how much it matters to you. If you're atheist or agnostic, being 'confirmed' is just a meaningless ritual. It may seem pointless, and offensive to reason, but it doesn't really matter a great deal. On the other hand, if ...
I've heard claims that "thou shalt not kill" is supposed to mean "thou shalt not kill _believers_". If you take that interpretation, though, christianity's claim to be "loving and forgiving" is pretty transparently bunkum, though.
You're still trying to make this distinction between "cultural acts" and "religious acts" in the context of a religion. As far as I can tell, the only thing that distinguishes the two is that you don't always agree with the former. It's plain, though, ...
"You don't have the right to mock religions, but, you don't have to show tolerance either." Of course you do. Part of free speech is the right to mock whatever you please, basically. Why should religion be any different? This is more or less the who...
ty: That's an oversimplification. People do use religion to justify their beliefs and actions, yes, but they also modify their actions based on religion. "People dont wear the same clothes" Burkas. "they dont eat the same food" Halal. Koshe...
ty: Why, should I? You're making a spurious distinction between 'cultural' and 'religious' acts, where a 'cultural' act is any that disagrees with _your_ interpretation of scripture, even if the people doing it are doing it under their own interpretati...
It's enjoyable, so, at least according to some christian sects *cough*catholicism*cough* it must therefore be a sin.
I think the question is more one of why religion should get _more_ respect than other opinions and beliefs. You can make a plausible case for just about any level of respect for other peoples' opinions, but it's a lot harder to make a case that religio...
Scientology is a cult that believes, in a nutshell, that everyone is possessed by 'thetans', which are the ghosts of billions of aliens who were shipped to earth billions of years ago by Xenu, an alien emperor suffering an overpopulation problem, who s...
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/ is a good one.
luthien: There are good, caring people in all faiths (and none). That says far more about those people than it does about the catholic church.
"Sorry to whoever said stop living in the past . but your so wrong Evil will always be Evil in Gods eyes . and sin will always seperate you from God." Still stoning adulterers and unruly children, not wearing cloth of mixed fiber, and avoiding anyth...
You don't have to go visit him. Contact them and they'll arrange a demonstration under controlled conditions at a time and place convenient to you. Any other excuses? "and magic does affect elecrritcy I read about it and there was scienfific explan...
Alright, I'll get a dictionary. From the American Heritage Dictionary: "ho·mo·pho·bi·a n. 1. Fear of or contempt for lesbians and gay men. 2. Behavior based on such a feeling." You. Are. Homophobic. "But take a tree for EG.. If it is me...
"Freaks of Nature.. No body was designed to do Both.. So if some one is born with Both parts.. then that is not normal.. So being born wanting to be with the same sex is wrong.. It is something in nature that went wrong.." "Same sex adopting is anot...
42.
"In the beginning, God created man and then He created a woman to be man's helpmate. I imagine that if God had thought homosexuality was okay, then he would have created another man...or just two women. But He didn't, so that's the beginning." Clear...
As the answers here so graphically show, people will find a way to justify their prejudices, and use whatever support they can find. It's not a matter of (some) christians being anti-homosexuality because the bible says so, they're simply homophobic an...
laurele: There's no one "right" definition of planet. How we define it is a matter of consensus, and if we include Pluto as a planet, as you point out, we have to include a bunch of other previously unknown lumps of rock. That may not be a bad thing, b...
First: http://www.randi.org/research/index.html "At JREF, we offer a one-million-dollar prize to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event." So if you or your friend r...
In a nutshell, leave your religion out of it. You'll alienate fewer people that way.
Sure there is. You could start with a video. It wouldn't be conclusive, but it might help. Better, go to James Randi, demonstrate your paranormal powers, and claim your million dollar prize. The only reason I can think of that you'd consistently ref...
"HE DIED ON A CROSS FOR U!" I didn't ask him to, so he doesn't get to guilt-trip me over it. (And nor do you.)
Sorry, that last paragraph should read "that said, like filletofspam..."
If listening to slipknot can give you the power to fling things around the room with your mind, I really need to find one of their CD.s That would be _awesome_.
Well, even without evolution, it seems pretty unlikely there's a whole race of giant monsters out there, breeding undiscovered. So I think that clearly, intelligent design is the only plausible explanation for the existence of Godzilla.
toadaly: If there were only a million christians, I don't think it'd be worth worrying about. There's got to be at least a million pastafarians out there. ;)
As toadaly points out, if you define "atheist" to be the position that you are absolutely sure something doesn't exist, the definition becomes meaningless, since no rational person takes a completely immovable stance on the existence of anything, howev...
The catholic church doesn't give money to third-world countries. Instead, it sets up anti-condom disinformaion campaigns, ensuring thousands of unnecessary deaths from HIV. The catholic church is already absurdly rich, without sending the statues to...
Perhaps I wasn't clear enough: It's not our job to verify absurd claims - it's yours, if you want to be taken seriously. Especially when they're in the nature of "I/someone can do something never seen before and which should be physically impossible". ...
"Did you know that with a Supa Nova that it sends out tinny molecules that travel straight through solid objects and can start.. stop.. or even change evolution." Er, what? None of that makes any sense.
"if you are a christian, you go to heaven, if not, you go to hell. no "unfinished business" you dont turn into a ghost, you either go up or down. its your choice, accept Jesus and go to heaven, or live in ignorance and go to heaven." Including a...
I grew up in a largely non-religious family, but got sucked into sunday school and church in a big way for a while. After a while, I stopped going, and my path from there to my current atheism has been a gradual one, as I've developed and refined my cr...
There's no reason to be afraid of death. If you're dead, you won't notice, and if you're alive, there's no point worrying about it. Fear of pain, on the other hand, I can completely understand. Of course, if you're a christian, you have the constant...
Fundamentalist christians have been expecting the rapture for, oh, about 2000 years now. It's still scarce.
As toadaly said: Any omnipotent being wouldn't need us to 'stand up' for it in the first place. So either god exists and doesn't require your help, or he doesn't exist and any attempt to do so is pointless.
Nothing. Death is the end of your consciousness. Sad but almost certainly true.
Gamma rays travel at exactly the speed of light - they are EM waves, just like light is. So yes, they are now striking the earth. In fact, that's the only way we could know that such a thing happened in the first place.
There's no burden to 'prove' an anecdote. If I tell you I can fly, with no evidence to back it up, there's no expectation that you have to prove me wrong somehow. Seriously, if he really does the things you claim, that million dollars is his.
This is a science question, not a place to preach at people.
ty: Who defines what _is_ demanded by scripture, then? You claim that their actions aren't supported by _your_ religion, but that's only because of your interpretation. Others take other interpretations which lead them to other conclusions. You're esse...
lanternoflight: Did you mean to post that somewhere else? I don't see what god has to do with the Large Hadron Collider.
camppapa: red_rose_mafia didn't say anything about a single lamb, she said that "the streets ran red with blood". You don't find that kind of sick? I do, and I have no problem with eating meat.
"magic is diffrernt to suppernatural abilities, when I say magik im not talking about telekaniesis or telepathic things wih you can test, anyway how the hell can you test someone for power?" So if it's not anything you can test, in what sense does i...
Really? James Randi has a million dollars with your name on it if you can prove you have paranormal powers in an independent test. You'd think all those people who can do 'magik' would be leaping at the opportunity...
What frustrates me is that while I'm free to criticise Christianity without (many) people trying to tell me I can't, it seems that frequently, any attempt to criticise Islam is met with accusations of being an islamophobe, or of "hating muslims", and s...
Neither. Magic doesn't exist, so the best you can do is pretend.