Baptist Watch: Forum for religious debate and criticism

University-based spirituality survey please help!

wittresearch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:33:16 GMT

University-based spirituality survey please help!

Interested in sharing your opinions on spirituality?

For our university-based research study, we are looking for a variety of different people to tell us what they think about certain spiritual concepts. All responses are anonymous, and completing the survey only takes about 15 minutes. This research is being conducted through the Wittenberg University Psychology Department in Springfield, Ohio, U.S.A.

The survey can be accessed here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=NeYTIsXW3IWjtCaDbWlapw_3d_3d

We would be very grateful for your participation. Please feel free to reply to this message with any questions, or to pass this message along to interested friends. Thanks very much!

Forum: Christianity

University-based spirituality survey please help!

wittresearch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:32:35 GMT

Interested in sharing your opinions on spirituality?

The survey can be accessed here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=NeYTIsXW3IWjtCaDbWlapw_3d_3d

We would be very grateful for your participation. Please feel free to reply to this message with any questions, or to pass this message along to interested friends. Thanks very much!

Forum: News

The Grand Obstructionist Party has learned from the Teabaggers

DocStrange — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:20:49 GMT

The GOP (Grand Obstructionist Party) has learned a lesson from their Teabagger followers.

Anytime someone says something you don't like, shout them down.

No wonder so many people are embarrassed to call themselves "Republican".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDiBJML16gw&feature=player_embedded

Forum: Politics

A face of EVIL

PatPace — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:32:00 GMT

Forced health care or jail. How's that Hope and Change working for you.

Forum: Politics

Obama's buddy

PatPace — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:47:02 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP6_qtLoW98&feature=player_embedded

Forum: News

Way to go Conservatives

PatPace — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:43:58 GMT

Forum: Politics

Exclusive: Ray Comfort Defends His Creationist Edition of 'On the Origin of Species'

CastleGreySkull1979 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:25:58 GMT

When I blogged recently about a new, pro-creationism edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Speciescomplete with a rebuttal to the theory of evolutionthe responses poured in. "I'm a little concerned," the communications director for the National Center for Science Education wrote me in an E-mail, "that some stuffsuch as Ray Comfort's version of On the Origin of Speciesgets coverage but no critical commentary."

So I invited the head of the National Center for Science Education, the leading organization promoting and defending the teaching of evolution in public schools, to debate Ray Comfort, author of the new Origin, here on God & Country.

Here's the first post from Comfort, explaining his new book, which he plans to distribute in the tens of thousands on college campuses. I'll post a rebuttal from NCSE Executive Director Eugenie Scott later today. Next week, I'll put up a follow-up post from each. And just a reminder: Neither God & Country nor U.S. News necessarily endorses their views. - Dan Gilgoff

Why I Published a New Origin
By Ray Comfort
When I discovered that the famous On the Origin of Species was public domain, I decided to publish it myself and write an Introduction and give away copies of the book to university students, in honor of the book's 150th year of publication.
But when Kirk Cameron (my TV cohost on The Way of the Master) and I produced a short video clip explaining what I wanted to do and posted it online, we kicked a hornet's nest. A big one.
Why are many atheists so angry? Why are they talking about book burnings, threatening to resist the giveaway and rip out the Introduction, etc.? Why was richarddawkins.net encouraging people to collect copies and rip out the Introduction? Professor Dawkins himself said that even though "a lot of people seem to be very worried about this," he wasn't at all worried. Why did he then tell Toronto university students to tear out the Introduction? There have been more than 140 different editions of On the Origin of Species, many with special Introductions, so what's the big deal with this one? If I am (as Professor Dawkins says) "an ignorant fool," why are so many feeling threatened by what I've written? Surely, the Introduction will be ignorance and foolishness, and simply confirm the students' presuppositions that intelligent design isn't worthy of even a first look.

There's a reason that they are deeply concerned.
The Introduction quotes Charles Darwin saying that blacks are closer to gorillas than whites and that natural selection has left men more intelligent than women. It also has quotes from Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf showing Hitler's undeniable links to evolution. Of course, Hitler also used Christianity to further his political agenda, but my point is that Nazi Germany was the natural outcome of what Darwin called "one general law." Darwin said the law of natural selection is "Let the strongest live and the weakest die" (Chapter Seven, "Instinct"). Adolf Hitler put the theory of Darwinism into practice.
The Introduction also defines an atheist as someone who believes that nothing created everythingwhich is a scientific impossibility. Professor Dawkins believes that nothing created everything, and his belief is a big intellectual embarrassment to his followers. Now, anyone can get their own copy of the book on Amazon.com and read the Introduction, but don't be fooled by the comments. No doubt they will be hijacked by atheists. When my book You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence But You Can't Make Him Think bumped Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion on Amazon.com in the atheist category, hundreds of angry atheists left scathing comments on Amazon.com and gave my book the lowest rating.
So, is this book going to be a backward step for science, as some have maintained? Of course not. Science is a wonderful discipline, to which we are deeply indebted. It will, however, be a backward step for the pseudo science of Darwinian evolution, of which there is no empirical proof. There are no species-to-species transitional forms in the fossil record. None. I deal with hundreds of atheists every day through my blog, so I can predict the response: "Of course there are fossils! There are millions of fossils, you unscientific idiot!!" They are right. There are millions of fossils, but they are the fossils of God's creation and have nothing to do with evolution. Again, there are no species-to-species transitional forms in the fossil record. That's what is called "the missing link." It was missing in Darwin's day, and it's still missing today. When believers in evolution protest that there are links between "kinds," a close look at their evidence reveals small bumps on whale bones (proving it once had legs), or experiments with bacteria, or conjecture that modern turkeys were once dinosaurs. Sure.
The problem when arguing with those who believe in atheistic evolution is that they move goal posts by redefining atheism or evolution or the word species. From Darwin to Dawkins, they speak the language of speculation, continually using words like probably, maybe, perhaps, and could've. And Darwinism is as nebulous as a puffy cloud on a hot windy day, forever moving, changing, and expandingbecause its bounds are limited only by the fertile human imagination.
When we give away On the Origin of Species to university students, I want every one of them to make sure they don't stop at the Introduction. I want them to thoroughly read On the Origin of Species. When I read the book, I was very impressed with the brilliance of Charles Darwin. If he was alive today, I am sure that he would quickly rise to the top of Disney's imagineers or earn big bucks as a Hollywood screenwriter for science-fiction movies. Among other things, Darwin noted that black bears swam for hours with their mouths open, catching insects in the water. He believed that if they kept their mouths open all day, every day (for a long period of time), that they would acquire "larger and larger mouths, until a creature was produced as monstrous as a whale" (Chapter Six, "Difficulties on Theory").
Students can read Darwin's own explanation as to why there is no empirical evidence for his theorythat all "intermediate varieties" have disappearedjust like the Mormons' golden plates that the angel Moroni supposedly gave to Joseph Smith. There's one big difference, though, between the golden plates and the intermediate varieties. The Mormons say that only two golden plates are missing. Darwin says that millions of fossils (what he referred to as "innumerable," ibid.) are missing. After 150 years of desperate searching, the missing links are stillmissing.
In Darwin's book, nothing is as God created it. Instead, all of creation miraculously evolvedfrom the bear's mouth to the giraffe's tail. For some reason, it has all reached the point of maturity during our lifetime and (after millions of years of redundancy) now functions as it was intended. Move over, J. R. R. Tolkien, Arthur C. Clarke, and J. K. Rowling. These three combined don't hold a candle to Charles Darwin. Most of their fans know that their writings were fantasy. Darwin's faithful followers don't.

Ray Comfort is the best selling author of more than 60 books, including You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence But You Can't Make Him Think, Nothing Created Everything (with special cover condemnation by Richard Dawkins), God Doesn't Believe in Atheists, and Evolutionthe Fairy Tale for Grownups. His booklet "The Atheist Test" has sold more than a million copies. He is the cohost of an award-winning television program (with actor Kirk Cameron), blogs daily to hundreds of atheists at Atheist Central, has debated atheistic evolution on ABC's Nightline and on the BBC, and was a platform speaker at the annual convention of American Atheists Inc. in 2001. He is a New Zealander who lives with his wife, Sue, in Southern California. They have three grown children. Find out more at Living Waters.

Forum: Baptist Watch!

Another atheist billboard vandalized - FFRF calls it a hate crime

CastleGreySkull1979 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:24:38 GMT

The Freedom From Religion Foundation's "Keep Religion OUT of Government" billboard on the 2600 block of North Avenue, Grand Junction, Colo., was defaced, apparently last weekend. A vandal X'ed out the word "religion," and painted in the word "fag."

"This is the first time one of our billboards has been defaced," commented Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor, of Madison, Wis. Though, another atheist billboard in Idaho was defaced recently.

"And we consider it a double hate crime, targeting two minoritiesnonbelievers and gays. It is very sad to see our message honoring the Constitution turned into ugly hate speech."

The Foundation, a state/church watchdog with 14,000 nationwide and more than 400 members in Colorado, has placed more than 50 billboards in more than 22 states, since launching a national billboard campaign in October 2007.

This was the first time the Foundation debuted this particular message, "Keep Religion OUT of Government," on a billboard. It was intended to send a message to both city and county governments to stop praying during government meetings, in cooperation with local members and the local group, Western Colorado Freethinkers and Atheists.

"We are sure this act of vandalism does not reflect the feelings of most citizens in Grand Junction. Yet the city and county governments have sent a continuing message that citizens who believe in God, and more particularly, believe in Jesus, are the true Americans, excluding the rest of us. When religion is allied with government, there is always persecution of minorities and the unorthodox," Gaylor added.
The Foundation filed a police report. The vinyl billboard cost $500 and the month-long lease was another $500.

Forum: Atheist Discussions

Atheist Ricky Gervais to host Golden Globes

CastleGreySkull1979 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:23:28 GMT

Atheist comedian, writer, director, and actor Ricky Gervais has been chosen to host the 67th annual Golden Globes award show. According to an Associated Press report, it will be the first time in more than a decade that the show has had an emcee. The last time was in 1995 when the show was emceed by John Larroquette and Janine Turner.

This announcement comes on the heels of considerable bad press (mainly from Christian writers) surrounding Gervais and his latest movie, The Invention of Lying. (I loved the movie and am a fan of Ricky's work and his comedy. I particularly appreciate his stand-up bit about the Bible.)

According to the report, Ricky said "'I have resisted many other offers like this, but there are just some things you don't turn down.'"

Forum: Atheist Discussions

Christopher Hitchens goes off on Mother Teresa

CastleGreySkull1979 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:22:53 GMT

On October 30, atheist author Christopher Hitchens appeared on Dennis Millers Internet radio show condemning Mother Teresa. The UK born author and commentator referred to the Nobel Prize winner, saying The woman was a fanatic and a fundamentalist and a fraud, and millions of people are much worse off because of her life, and its a shame there is no hell for your b***h to go to.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded, "I once told Hitchens that one of the real reasons he hates Mother Teresa has to do with his socialist ideology: he believes the state should care for the poor, not voluntary organizations, and he especially loathes the idea of religious ones servicing the dispossessed. Indeed, he sees in Mother Teresa the very embodiment of altruism, a virtue he cannotwith good reasonfully comprehend."

The fact of the matter is that socialism is the greatest generator of poverty known to mankind, and Mother Teresa did more to heal and rescue its victims than anyone in the modern era. This explains why she is adored by the people who knew her bestthe men and women of India (she is second only to Gandhi as the nations most revered person). "

Hitchens is positively obsessed by Mother Teresa, and that is a very telling commentary on his psyche. She is a constant reminder that reason without faith is a dark hole."

Forum: Atheist Discussions

Atheism's own fundamentalists lead 'religion' of 'Not'

CastleGreySkull1979 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:17:03 GMT

Forget God, let's talk about arrogance.

That's not exactly the way Rice University humanities professor Anthony Pinn, in an article for the online magazine Religion Dispatches, describes the monotone of mockery at the Atheist Alliance International convention, but it gets you to Pinn's key points pretty quickly.

The convention, starring the atheist band's Mick Jagger, Richard Dawkins, promoting his book on evolution, The Greatest Show on Earth, and some backup singers like TV host Bill Maher, was held in Burbank, Calif., earlier this month.

Pinn found the main idea at the event, is that religion is

... the single most dangerous human creation.
The welfare of humanity, it was argued, depends on the dismantling of religion and all of its delusions. The possibility of collaboration, of compromise, of any shared ethical commitments between theists and non-theists, was not on the table.

Pinn, who calls himself a humanist, zeroes in on the common trait that atheists share with fundamentalists of any religion -- "their inability for critical self-reflection and critique."

They have formed, in effect, the religion of "not," defined by what they refuse and rebuke.

Consider Christopher Hitchens, the Keith Richards of the band (OK, enough Stones), who is on the road right now promoting his new documentary, Collision, in which he debates Rev. Douglas Wilson. Hitchens, who has no new intellectual songs to sing here but he does have nice manners, sort of. He writes in Slate

I have discovered that the so-called Christian right is much less monolithic, and very much more polite and hospitable, than I would once have thought, or than most liberals believe.

Pinn, however, is more focused on substance. He proposes atheists and humanists construct

... (A) system of ethics meant to enhance quality of life, both through scientific advancement and rigorous struggle against irrational modes of destruction such as racism, sexism, and homophobia. What is necessary is the application of practices that speak clearly to atheism's concern for life within the context of a fragile environment.

After all, Pinn observes, while religious rituals doctrines shift with time and culture, religion is never going away. It offers it's own set of answers for core questions:

... Theism, at its core, is about the making of meaning and the establishment of stories and practices related to how and why we occupy time and space.

Pinn would like to see atheists, humanists and believers, retaining their distinctions, focus on shared ethical commitments. What are the chances?

Forum: Atheist Discussions

Atheists of Florida purchase billboard and invite the public

CastleGreySkull1979 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:15:19 GMT

The Atheists of Florida are on the move and in the press this week. They just put up their first billboard in Lakeland that says, Dont believe in God? You are not alone. And as expected, it has generated a little bit of controversy. Fortunately, most people respect the right of individuals to not believe these days, so the death threats are at a minimum. Though, the TBO website article has a lot of comments that have been removed by the staff at TBO for inappropriate comments.

Because the Atheists of Florida expect some controversy over the billboard, they have organized a meet the atheists meet up on Nov 23rd at the Lakeland Public Library so that anyone who has questions or concerns about the billboard can talk to the members of the Atheists of Florida directly instead of just railing about it or sending threatening emails. The good folks at the Atheists of Florida are pretty brave.

But the billboard isnt the only activity the Atheists of Florida have going on. The Lakeland chapter meets on the third Sunday of everyone month at the Community Southern Bank and the Tampa group meets up on the last Tuesday of each month at their offices in Tampa. They also host a webcast every Tuesday at 6 pm.

But the big news this month is that they are hosting the annual picnic on Sunday Nov 8th starting at 11 am at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa.

For More Information visit the Atheists of Florida Website at: http://www.atheistsofflorida.org/

Forum: Atheist Discussions

Scandinavian Black Metal Music

CastleGreySkull1979 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:13:36 GMT

Black Metal is a sub-genre of Heavy Metal that was developed in the early 80`s by shock rock bands, Venom, Possessed, Merciful Fate and Bathory. The emphasis of these bands was united by one abstract theological idea "Satan and Satanism. Although these forerunners of the Norwegian and Swedish black metal scene were overtly Satanic in their theatrics, lyrical content, and intensity, they were a bit different than the scene as it stands today. These bands were probably not truly Satanists. In fact, the stage play and silly antics these bands performed (with the exception of King Diamond, the singer for Merciful Fate, who has always been a genuine Satanist) were most likely adopted for shock value. This short piece will outline the genealogy of Black Metal and its change and growth through the last several decades.

The bands that created Black Metal in the early 80`s were highly influenced by another sub-genre of metal popular at the time "thrash metal. Although bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax were quite extreme for the time, it was the underground thrash movement that anticipated Black Metal. Bands such as Slayer, Dark Angel and even Exodus, brought to the scene overt images of Satanism. This early thrash movement would motivate the next step in the progression, the development of metal in Norway.

By the late 80`s and early 90`s thrash metal had lost its edge, music and metal had deteriorated and new forms of simplified and more popular vocal styles of rock and roll were replacing metal as a whole. Grunge and alternative were already competing for dominance. The American underground scene had already withdrawn and created death metal, a form of thrash influenced metal with much faster drums and unintelligibly low vocal grunts replacing the anthemic cries and shouts of thrash metal. Death metal was a reaction to a world of commercialism and greed, the music depicted sordid and macabre scenes of gruesome acts. Bands like Cannibal Corpse, Death, and Carcass were expressing the dark nature of human existence through superfast drum blasts, low toned vocals and frantic guitar solos.

As Death Metal was being created, an equally intense, equally twisted form of extreme metal was being created in Scandinavia. This form of music was Black Metal, and its focus was and still is actual Satanism, Satanic practice and various forms of mysticism and devil worship. The first bands in this category came from Norway; Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor, Immortal, and Gorgoroth are just a few. Musically, these bands replaced the guitar solos of other forms of metal with atmospheric keyboards, and adopted the superfast drumming of death metal. Vocals are often unintelligible like Death Metal, however they are higher pitched shrieks and other ghastly sounds of demonic inspiration. Yet, there is more to Black Metal than just the music, there is the Satanism. The early Black Metal movement performed incessant church burnings throughout Norway. According to the musicians themselves, these acts were symbolic of a return to Scandinavian culture before Christianity was forced in, replacing the original Viking culture. Although the early scene was responsible for these church burnings, and a handful of ritual murders of primarily other Satanists, the scene is not excessively violent today. Today, the underground Black Metal movement serves as an outlet for any person on the fringes of their social structure. True, the images of anti-Christianity, anti-establishment and Satan are intensely frightening, and shocking, the emphasis of these bands is not necessarily evil. Most of these bands, and indeed most of the scene today have no part in the church burnings, and no part in the early scenes violence. In a VH1 interviewed with Enslaved, an early band in the scene that shared the same drummer as Emperor, the band stated that their only motive for the dark music was to inspire a return to the original culture of Norway before Christianity came.

Forum: News

GOP Halloween

DocStrange — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:39:40 GMT

Forum: Politics

Vatican slams Halloween

CastleGreySkull1979 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:20:34 GMT

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Vatican: Halloween Is Anti-Christian

Updated: Saturday, 31 Oct 2009, 5:50 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 31 Oct 2009, 5:05 PM EDT

By MIKE BRODY

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - The Vatican condemned the celebration of Halloween as "anti-Christian" and "dangerous" on Friday because of its links to the occult, according to the Telegraph .

Parents were advised not to let their children dress up as ghosts and ghouls on Saturday, as the Vatican called Halloween a pagan celebration of "terror, fear and death."

The condemnation follows similar criticism from Catholic bishops in Spain who earlier this week urged parents not to let their children dress up for Halloween.

Celebrating Halloween is a tradition that began in the United States with limited celebrations in Colonial times. It became more popular in the 1800s, and was widely celebrated throughout the country in the mid-1900s. The tradition has recently spread to other countries particularly Britain and Italy.

The Vatican issued its warning through its official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano . In the article entitled "Halloween's Dangerous Messages," it says "Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian."

Parents should "be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death," Father Canals, a member of a Spanish commission on church rites, told the Telegraph.

In many European countries, particularly those with large Catholic populations, the focus is on All Saints' Day , when many families visit cemeteries on Nov. 1 to remember deceased loved ones.

Forum: Christianity