Ray's epic fail; creationists just don't get it.

Less than 2 weeks after it went on sale, Ray Comfort's book "You Can Lead An Atheist To Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think," has plummeted to number 1,366 on Amazon's book sales rank at the time of this writing. I've reviewed some of the commentary about this book, and even left some commentary myself. It should come as no surprise that this book has only garnered a whopping 2 out of 5 stars by it's reviewers.

As expected, the apologists for creationism have offered their best arguments. And as usual, they have failed. The usual tactics were used; quote mines, misquoting the Bible, taking quotes out of context (for some reason they love quoting Hawking), and ad hominem attacks. But they've come out with a new argument that I haven't heard before; atheists and agnostics just hate logic and science.

But the tactic that I love the most, is their invocation of creationists as part of their argument. Let me be the first to admit that, yes, creationists have done and continue to do great things for the advancement of science. Most notable of these creationists is Raymond Damadian, the inventor of the magnetic resonance imaging system, or MRI. You have to give credit where credit is due, and Mr. Damadian certainly deserves credit. By the boatload.

But creationists, don't stop with Damadian. They're quick to tell you about every other creationist who have made great contributions to science, as well as their status, what they've done, where they've been, where they're going, publications, political opinions, birthdays, and blood type. For instance, one poster at Amazon had this to say:

"Dr Raymond V. Damadian-Inventor of the MRI (The Nobel Committee snubbed him-probably because he is a creationist-and instead awarded Lauterbur and Mansfield, for their discoveries concerning MRI scans.)
Dr. John R. Baumgardner (Geophysicist) "the world's preeminent expert in the design of computer models for geophysical convection."
Dr Ian Macreadie (Molecular Biologist and Microbiologist) Australia's Principal Research Scientist.
Dr. Ben Carson- the World's foremost Pediatric Neurosurgeon (the brain cannot be an accident of evolution)
Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith (3 Doctorates and a 3-star NATO General) A former Evolutionist, Dr. Wilder-Smith debated various leading scientists on the subject throughout the world. In his opinion, the Evolution model did not fit as well with the established facts of science as did the Creation model of intelligent design.
Dr. Robert Gentry- the world's leading authority of nuclear physics research. When he began his research, he was an evolutionist. Today, Dr. Gentry is a fully convinced young earth creation scientist.

Shall I go on? There are thousands of brilliant Creationist Scientist. And what about the Creationist Scientific Heroes of the past? Take a look:

Louis Pasteur- Father of Modern Microbiology, invented the pasteurization process and opposed evolution theory
Johann Kepler- Father of Physical Astronomy
Robert Boyle-Father of Modern Chemistry
William Kirby -Father of Entomology
James Clerk Maxwell -Father of Electromagnetic Theory
Charles Bell-Premier Anatomist and Surgeon
Michael Faraday-Father of Electromagnetism
Gregor Johann Mendel-Father of Modern Genetics
Isaac Newton -Father of Universal Gravitation
George Washington Carver-Father of Modern Agriculture
And many, many more."

The logical fallacies in this argument are blatant, but Christian creationists are so blinded by their own smug sense of superiority that they will never see them. First, and perhaps the easiest to see, is that these creationists used their logic and reason to make their mark in science; not their faith. Aside from that, most of the scientists that creationists will mention have died long before evolution gained solid scientific ground. Secondly, for every scientist that accepts creationism, there are 20 that dismiss it. Thirdly, they'll never mention an Islamic creationist who has done great things for science, like Ulugh Beg (astronomer), Abu Rayhan Biruni (earth science), or Ibn Zuhr, who was performing experimental surgeries and dissections around 1130 C.E. If he were Christian, he'd likely have been convicted of crimes against God and humanity and subsequently drawn and quartered, or forced to spend the rest of his natural life under house arrest like Galileo.

I don't know about you, but I love when creationists use people they've never met, and mention sciences that they have no concept of, to support their argument. They'll never, ever open a textbook to do any real research, and offer a scientific alternative to evolution. But they'll spend hours looking for quotes to bolster their argument, while bashing people who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of science just because they don't subscribe to their particular creationist worldview. What's worse, some have even started to refer to Ray as "Dr. Comfort," or "Professor Comfort." At which point I must remind them that even Ray is honest enough to admit that he's never received formal training in any of the sciences at anytime in his life.

Also, something that many Christian creationists do not realize, or will never admit, is that some of the icons they use to strengthen their argument were occultists. For instance, Galileo and Newton were practicing occultists throughout their lives. Newton even sent several men to their deaths because of fraud and forgery. Christians will say that this was a very Christian thing to do, of course, to which I ask, didn't Jesus implore us to forgive our debtors instead of killing them?

Or take Jack Parsons, the brilliant rocket scientist who gave us solid rocket fuel, and co-founded JPL. If it weren't for Parsons, our space program would not be as advanced as it is. It should be noted that Parsons was hand-picked by Alistair Crowley to help lead the Ordo Templi Orientis. Parsons was a devout occultist, and even prayed to the god, Pan.

Other notable occult scientists were John Dee, Francis Bacon, and Franz Mesmer, from where we get the term, mesmerize.

All the time that creationists spend looking for quotes to support their lame, antiquated, misleading arguments and reading Ray's books would have been better spent reading an actual biology book.

Good luck with that.

200 years in the making; Happy Birthday, Mr. Darwin!

What a day.

Between helping my ailing wife, boning up on my geopolitical intelligence, and cooking, I took some time today to read some of the commentary about Charles Darwin, the man of the day, 200 years after his birth. It appears that the nation is still sharply divided over the evolution "controversy," even though there is no such thing. From those celebrating "Darwin Day," to "Academic Freedom Day," aka., "Academic Make-Up-Whatever-The-Hell-You-Want Day," I took in as much as I could.

Deciding to take a break from my homework, I sat rooting through the various cable news networks. MSNBC, Faux, when lo' and behold, whose face do I see gracing my television set; none other than Ray Comfort himself!

Ray was a guest opposite Pat Robertson on the 700 Club this morning doing his usual best to indoctrinate the masses and pimp his new book mentioned in my previous post. The interview kicked off by Robertson imploring, "Tell me about the essentials of Darwinism."

Ray responded, "Well, Darwin was a very bitter man who went into the ministry, fell away, never knew the Lord, lost his daughter at the age of 12, became very bitter at God, denied his faith and came up with this fairy tale for grown-ups." Personally, I can think of no greater fairy tale for grown-ups than that a man was made from dirt.

He continues, "It's basically idolatry, creating god in your own image. A god that doesn't demand moral accountability, and that's why it's so embraced by this generation." He goes on to say that atheists lack common sense, and are "not intelligent."Ray seems to be missing the well-established inverse relationship between fundamentalism and morality/intelligence; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

I'm not an atheist, but the last statement really cheesed me off. How much more insulting can you be, Ray? I'd like to see you tell Hawking that. You wouldn't last a nanosecond.

In short, the interview is 6 minutes of Ray verbally eviscerating those who don't believe as he does; that atheists are trying to take over the world and are immoral, evolution is evil, and anyone who "believes" in evolution is un-intelligent. I don't "believe" in evolution, Mr. Comfort; I accept it as a scientific fact.

Anyway, I just wanted to toss in my two cents and say thank you, Mr. Darwin. And Happy Birthday.

Watch Ray make a complete ass of himself below. Fast forward to 10:10.

Parents ignore medicine; God gets a house call

A few days ago I came across this story in the WND, regarding a devout Catholic New York couple that have decided it would be best to forego their child's health by denying him a vaccination. Instead, they believe that vaccinations "represent fear, anxiety, and mistrust in God."

On behalf of the Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District, Attorney David Cohen has been part of an ongoing battle with and Ron and Rita Palma over what has been called a "mandatory" vaccination. Nearly every question that Attorney Cohen asks the Palma's is met with stiff resistance and suspicion.

At one point in the video Cohen asks, "If God gave man the wherewithal to create these immunization agents, and the purpose of those is to combat disease, then why would using them represent a mistrust in God?"

"How do you know God gave the wherewithal to create them? How do you know the devil didn't?" was the reply that came from the defense.

Listening to people like this is like listening to dentist's drill on a chalkboard.

In related news, a Wisconsin couple are awaiting trial on the death of their daughter after being denied treatment for diabetes, opting instead to let God heal her. They're being charged with reckless endangerment. If convicted they're facing 25 years in prison.

Watch the Palma's embarrass themselves below.

Christians in Virginia seek to by-pass the Constitution

Over at God's news site, Bob Unruh released an article in which 6,805 Christians have sent an petition to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to allow Va State Police Chaplains to invoke the name of Jesus during public prayer. It should be noted that about 1/3 of these Christians are not Virginia residents. So, out of 7.7 million Virginians, that brings the percentage who signed this petition to just about .05%.

Here are some of the statements that accompany the petition:

• "Since when is it OK to be prejudiced against Christians? We are good people."
  
  
• "Sir, I will pray in Jesus' name for you and our state. Do the right thing by our State Troopers and the Chaplains."
  
  
• "Someday we will all have to give an account before God for the things we have done while here on earth. What will you say?"
  
  
• "Please remember the examples of other Virginians like Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Thomas Jefferson who, though different in opinions, understood the importance of religious freedom. Virginia's Declaration of Religious Freedom was one of the first government documents to codify this essential human right. … PLEASE, don't go down in history as the man who undermined Virginia's heritage and leader on this issue."
  
  
• "I am tired of Christians being treated like second-rate citizens."
  
  
• "Thank you Gov. Kaine for stirring up Christians like myself who otherwise become complacent in our faith. It must be a very difficult job in which you try to please everyone. Take heart Gov. Kaine there is only one that you need to please and that is GOD in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will keep you in my prayers and hope that you will find courage to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the author of truth before all men and reinstate the State Police Chaplains acknowledging Jesus Christ."
  
  
• "The Founding Fathers are very disappointed in Virginia."
  
  
• "Shame on you, Gov. Kaine."
  
  
• "This is outrageous!!"

• "To put a limitation on prayer is an outrage! This country was founded on Christian principles and to ban certain aspects of prayer is a disgrace."

I think the first statement is my favorite; as if anyone with a different religious or worldview are not good people? And will someone please tell these people that most of the Founders weren't Christian, and that this country was founded on Greco-Roman principles?

Said petition is going to be delivered by former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt personally. Says Klingenschmitt in a series of letters to Gov. Kaine,

"Sir, as you're aware, the Virginia House just passed HR2314 by a 66-30 vote to reinstate Virginia State Trooper Chaplains' right to pray publicly according to conscience, including prayers 'in Jesus name.'"

Here's the funny part:

"You may be tempted to veto such a reasonable pro-faith bill, however, attached is a spreadsheet with the names of 6805 people (two-thirds are Virginia citizens) who signed our petition to you, asking you to reinstate your police chaplains' right to pray publicly 'in Jesus' name.' We have thousands more coming in by direct mail this month."

Personally, I'd wait until I had collected all of the signatures for the petition, as opposed to waiting for "thousands" more to arrive. I wouldn't hold my breath for those signatures, Mr. Klingenschmitt.

At Klingenschmitt's website is a link to sign the petition, as well as communications from Gov. Kaine, himself. The site states that 76% of the citizens of Virginia support a police chaplain's "right" to publicly pray in the name of Jesus. Suspecting that there is something fishy about these numbers, I decided to do more digging. I clicked on the link that supports this claim, and found a .pdf file with the results of an online poll stating that 933 out of 1,228 Virginians support the public invocation of Jesus.

1,228 people? It gets better than that.

The poll was held by hamptonroads.com on September 27, 2008. And wouldn't it just so happen that I used to live in Hampton Roads. Langley AFB to be exact. The religious fabric of Hampton Roads is comprised predominantly of evangelicals, not to mention the fact that the 700 club is in Va Beach. I should know, I went to a Baptist church when I lived there. So, according to Klingenscmitt, out of a population of 1,658,754 only about .05% of the citizens of Hampton Roads actually support this frivolous petition. See poll results below.

Mr. Klingenschmitt, you might want to buy this book and read it well. Your claims are about as bogus as creationism itself. You might also want to read the following:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

US Constitution: Amendment 1

Yes, you have the right to exercise free speech, and peacable assembly, and petition the Government with ridiculous grievances such as the one you're whining about. However, in the United States of America, you do not have the right to pray publicly and invoke the name of Jesus with approval from the government. Furthermore, look past your own hatred and bigotry, and realize that "liberals, atheists, and homosexuals" are human, too, and are protected by the very same Constitution that you seem to know so little about.

I want you to imagine a Wiccan giving a blessing over the Va State Police. Or a Muslim. Or a Jew, Shintoist, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Satanist, or even an atheist simply wishing good fortune. It makes you angry, doesn't it? Hopefully, now you understand why there needs to be a separation of Church and State. You can't have it both ways.

Now, I don't have a problem with chaplains invoking the name of Jesus behind closed doors (there's a joke in there somewhere), but when it crosses the Constitutional barrier of public freedom and respect, then I have a problem with it.

Pro-Darwin billboard inflames Ray Comfort

Creationist fraudster Ray Comfort is releasing a book on February 12th entitled, You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence But You Can't Make Him Think. This title has got to be the mother of all ironies. For those of you who don't know, Ray Comfort believes that mankind walked along dinosaurs and the Universe is around 6,000 years old. He also believes that the banana is the "atheists' nightmare" because:

1. It has a non-slip surface.
2. It is curved so that it can be eaten easier.
3. It has multiple sides for a better grip, thereby fitting perfectly in your hand.
4. It has an tab at the top, so that you can pull the skin away.
5. It's color-coded.
6. Once the skin is pulled away, it hangs eloquently in over your hand.

What Ray doesn't tell his audience is that the banana has been domesticated for at least 5,000 years, and that the wild banana is inedible. Listening to him speak is truly a "facepalm" moment.

Meanwhile, the Freedom From Religion Foundation has recently posted a billboard celebrating the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin. Not to be outdone, Ray has posted his own billboard calling Charles Darwin an atheist. Ray lies to his audience once again by leading them to believe that Darwin was an atheist, even though he was not.

"An agnostic would be the more correct description of my state of mind.”

Charles Darwin - 1879

Ray, if you're reading this pay close attention. An atheist is someone that does not believe in the existence of a deity of any kind, while an agnostic is someone who believes the existence of a deity cannot be proven nor disproven; in short, they just don't know for certain.

Anyway, leave it up to Ray Comfort to trash 200 years of scientific research for the sake of espousing his particular religion. Read more about this story here.

Watch a hysterical parody of the "atheists' nightmare" below and laugh at Ray. He deserves it.

SEC, Madoff agree on settlement. WTF??

I'm scratching my head over this one.

This con-man steals tens of billions of dollars that the government knows about, takes a nice steaming dump on the US taxpayers, and kicks all of us while we're down, tramples on the hearts of those who loved him, and the SEC and the US Justice Department are coming to an agreement with this guy? Meanwhile, he sits in the safety of his home in Manhattan under house arrest awaiting word from the Feds.

Are you freaking kidding me?!

Why this man hasn't been tossed in jail with an 800 pound homosexual gorilla for the rest of his life is beyond me.

Read this mind-bending story here.

Unfreakingbelievable.

An open letter to Christian Bale

I've been a fan of Mr. Bale's for some time now. The first movie I remember seeing him in is Reign of Fire. Then Equilibrium, Batman Begins, followed by The Dark Knight. I have to say, I've never seen him in a bad movie. His acting skills are more than convincing, and I think it's safe to say that most of us like him. But when I heard that assault charges were being brought against him by his own mother and sister, it raised my eyebrow. Surely, a guy who's at the top of his career wouldn't jeopardize it. "Nah," I thought. "His family is probably just jealous of his success."

Since then I haven't given it much thought. Until I heard this.

Bale has since apologized emphatically for his meltdown, blaming it on having a bad week. I think we've all had a bad week, but come on; verbally disemboweling a stagehand for moving a light post on a stage set isn't a slip up, or a mistake. It's embarrassing. States Bale, "Please, I am asking people, do not allow my onetime lapse in judgment, my incredibly embarrassing meltdown, to overshadow this movie...I ask everybody to sit down and ask themselves, 'Have they ever had a bad day and ever lost their temper and really regretted it immensely?'"

Yes, I've had a bad day, but I've never taken out my frustrations out on someone with a 36 f-bomb meltdown. Which leads me to ask, are you truly sorry to this man that you ripped up one side and down the other, or are you just sorry because you got caught, and embarrassed yourself in front of the world?

The stark irony throughout this whole rant, is that Mr. Bale is threatening to kick this poor man's ass, calling him a prick, then asking if he's a professional.

You're an actor, Mr. Bale. Not a doctor, a policeman, scientist, or even a construction worker. You don't have the right to treat another human being as if he or she is your footrest. If you're going to rant at someone, save it for shooting films, not a stagehand who's just trying to put a roof over his head and food on his table.

Anyway, I'm sure your family must be proud. I'll be seeing the next Terminator when it comes out on late night cable. Thanks for ruining it for me.

At least someone gets it.

I came across this article in Yahoo news this morning. Let's hope State College and surrounding areas read this article as well, and dark skies can be preserved for all.

There's a reason it's called Shamwow!

Certainly by now, you've seen ads showcasing the great and powerful Shamwow! If you're considering buying this yellow wonder cloth, don't whip out your plastic just yet. I have something to show you.

But first, check out this video clip on Youtube.

Did you see it? Ok, good. Now, look again, but this time pay close attention from about :41 to :45. You'll see soda soaked through the carpet. It's clearly visible.

Ok, now look at the clip again and watch :46 into the clip. No more soda. But he lays down the chamois after the soda is gone. Anyway, I thought I'd bring this to your attention. You can thank me later.

Netherlands Parliament member jailed for 2 years; Muslims celebrate, make death threats.

Meet Geert Wilders. Geert is a member of the House of Parliament in the Netherlands. You may not agree with his politics, but if you believe in freedom of speech then he deserves your attention.

In 2008 Geert released Fitna, a 17 minute documentary about fundamentalist Islam. Prior to the release of Fitna, fundamentalist Muslims wanted Wilder's head on a lance, just for speaking out against the evils that its adherents do in the name of Islam. In this movie he examines 5 verses from the Qur'an. They are as follows:

Sura 4: The Women

56: Lo! Those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall expose them to the Fire. As often as their skins are consumed We shall exchange them for fresh skins that they may taste the torment. Lo! Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.

89: They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them,

Sura 8: The Spoils of War

39: And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah. But if they cease, then lo! Allah is Seer of what they do.

60: Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside them whom ye know not. Allah knoweth them. Whatsoever ye spend in the way of Allah it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.

Sura 47: Muhammed

4: Now when ye meet in battle those who disbelieve, then it is smiting of the necks until, when ye have routed them, then making fast of bonds; and afterward either grace or ransom till the war lay down its burdens. That (is the ordinance). And if Allah willed He could have punished them (without you) but (thus it is ordained) that He may try some of you by means of others. And those who are slain in the way of Allah, He rendereth not their actions vain.

Of course, there are tons of apologists on media outlets like Youtube that defend these verses, and state Wilders takes these passages out of context. But they conveniently ignore the following acts/pictures in the film:

1. A man's head being cut off with a knife.
2. An unarmed woman being shot in the back of the head.
3. Praising Hitler.
4. Cutting childrens' heads open with knives (and their presumable parents are smiling about it) celebrating the Day of Ashura.
5. A woman's uterus torn from her body.
6. Blowing up a train station.
7. 9/11.
8. A woman's decapitated head laying on the floor.
9. Calling for the deaths of family members, if that's Allah's will.
10. Two men being executed, just for being homosexual.
11. Calling for the deaths of non-Muslisms, with no discrimination to men, women, children All are targets.
12. Bodies blown to pieces.
13. Bodies being dragged through streets.
14. Teaching children how to kill.
15. Teaching children that Jews are "apes and pigs."

Frankly, I don't care if Wilder's takes any of the forementioned verses out of context. Because there is absolutely no way you can take anyone ripping out a woman's uterus out of context. Since his time in jail, Wilders has been on the receiving end of multiple death threats.

So, let me get this straight; Wilders is the one getting death threats on a daily basis, and he's the one in jail?

Watch Fitna here. Warning: Not for the squeamish.

Steelers win! Steelers win! Riot ensues!

The Steelers officially dominate the NFL once again. Tom Brady, if you wanna know what 6 Lombardi trophies standing side-by-side looks like, you gotta come to the Steel City, loser!

Message to the Steelers; don't you ever, ever, ever do that to me again! Suspense sucks. James Harrison, if you ever pull another circus sideshow display of testosterone like you did in the 4th quarter, you're officially banned from the Fathead Wall of Legends! Santonio Holmes, your last minute reception was truly *wipes tear away* awe-inspiring.

So, anyway, now that this part of my rant is over, I'm moving onto the next part of my rant.

I'm pissed again! Just like the post-Super Bowl victory in 2006, the trodglodytes in Oakland (section of Pittsburgh to you "foreigners") decided it would be cool to start a riot, so they took their collective aggressions out on a car and a defenseless couch by setting it ablaze. They weren't happy until this bonfire could be seen from space. Not only do they make my beloved City of Steel the embarrassment of the world, they embarrassed the Steeler Nation as well. If you're reading this, and you're the jackass spraying the lighter fluid all over the couch, I hope the can exploded in your face!

Now if some Steeler magic would just rub off on the Pens...