CFI Forums

For Women: Genesis

2013-05-15T11:47:29-05:00

Worth reading

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/05/14/we-attended-the-answers-in-genesis-womens-conference-and-this-is-what-happened/

Which Religion is best?

2013-04-30T10:22:14-05:00

There seems to be a lot of religious posters lately. If any of you are reading this, please tell me why your religion and your god are THE ones and the others are not. I’m not asking you to argue against atheism or humanism. I’m asking you to convince the rest of us that your chosen religion and god, and not the others, are the correct religion and god. Answering with “you just have to have faith” doesn’t count because *everyone* says that and comes to the exact opposite conclusion.

Oh, and I’m not asking why your religion/god are the right ones for YOU personally. I mean why they are THE correct ones for everybody, as so many religious folks believe.

Was the Exodus natural or supernatural, fact or fiction?

2013-02-04T13:44:27-05:00

Was the Exodus natural or supernatural, fact or fiction?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbJ6qVsu_MU

I have always had a problem with the notion that God would have hardened Pharaoh’s soft heart and pave the way for him to kill/murder the first born of Egypt. For God to do so would have been evil indeed.

Do you think that science has explained the purported miracles as natural phenomena?

From what I can see, the Jews who wrote the story did not take it literally.

http://www.raceandhistory.com/historicalviews/doubtingexodus.htm

Should Christians recognize the O T stories as natural or supernatural, fact or fiction?
Regards
DL

Excellent Animated Short | Stephen Fry vs Ann Widdecombe | Catholic Debate

2013-05-14T11:46:33-05:00

I found this excellent animation from a debate held in 2009 between Christopher Hitchens, Stephen Fry, Archbishop John Onaiyekan and Ann Widdecombe.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS A FORCE FOR GOOD IN THE WORLD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdxeAM1y5ZU

Best viewed full-screen and in HD!

Religion greets science .... PLEASE READ

2013-04-23T08:55:39-05:00

In Ezekiel 28:12-18 you will find God describing him: “Thus says the Lord GOD, You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx, and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you.

(Allah) said: “What prevented thee from prostrating when I commanded thee?” He said: “I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay.
Qur’an 7:11–12

Fascinating stuff; but stripped of its embellishments it tells us that -
Satan or the devil is a creature created from fire of a star, much the same as humans/ animals created from dirt ( earth ).
” precious stone was your covering ” indicates the ability to permeate into objects as dense as stone . Flesh and bone therefore, would be no obstacle. “the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you.” indicates the ability to choose and/or avoid the objects that he permeates.
Jesus said in Luke 10:18 (“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”). This is supreme …. the fall of Satan to earth. was as fast as light; indicates a being transported here by light and along with light. Therefore, Satan could be a light frequency, wavelength or particle and transported here as part of, or along with, the invisible electromagnetic spectrum. An easier way to describe this is; like a fish would travel along or with the water if poured out of a fishbowl ??.

Adding credence to the statement of Jesus, with particular emphasis on the word ’ lightning’ is :
When EM (electro magnetic) waves are absorbed by an object, the energy of the waves is converted to heat (or converted to electricity in case of a photoelectric material).
Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_energy>

As stated above , the ‘object’ would be the Earth /atmosphere, ‘converted to electricity’ is lightning, and ‘in case of a photoelectric material’ and the mechanics of the transportation, is :

EMR carries energy—sometimes called radiant energy—through space continuously away from the source (this is not true of the near-field part of the EM field). EMR also carries both momentum and angular momentum. These properties may all be imparted to matter with which it interacts. EMR is produced from other types of energy when created, and it is converted to other types of energy when it is destroyed. Thephoton is the quantum of the electromagnetic interaction, and is the basic “unit” or constituent of all forms of EMR.
Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_radiation>

More of my research to follow.

Once again, thank you for your time.

p.s. I would appreciate comments other than ” take your meds”. LOL

Regards
Gordon

Richard Dawkins - The Enemies Of Reason (Documentary)

2013-05-12T15:58:22-05:00

Fantastic viewing!

The Enemies of Reason is a two-part television documentary, written and presented by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, in which he seeks to expose “those areas of belief that exist without scientific proof, yet manage to hold the nation under their spell”, including mediumship, acupuncture and psychokinesis

Part 1: Slaves to Superstition

Dawkins points to some of science’s achievements and describes it as freeing most people from superstition and dogma. Picking up from his superstition-reason distinction in The Root of All Evil? (while recycling some footage from it), he then says reason is facing an “epidemic of superstition” that “impoverishes our culture” and introduces gurus that persuade us “to run away from reality”. He calls the present day dangerous times. He returns to science’s achievements, including the fact that, by extending people’s lifespan, it helps them to take more advantage of life. He turns his attention to astrology, which he criticizes for stereotyping without evidence. Having put astrology to the test and referred to larger-scale experiments, he then briefly describes the mechanics of astronomy, and then expresses frustration that 50% of the UK population—more than are members of one religion—believe in the paranormal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1N1bGH1gb8

Part 2: The Irrational Health Service

Richard Dawkins examines the growing suspicion the public has for science-based medicine, despite its track record of successes like the germ theory of disease, vaccines, antibiotics and increased lifespan. He notes a fifth of British children are currently not immunised against measles, mumps and rubella, attributing it to fears arising from a highly controversial report linking the vaccine with autism.

Dawkins criticizes the growing field of alternative medicine which does not pass the same objective and statistical rigour as scientifically derived treatments using controlled double-blind studies. Without verifiable evidence, alternative therapies must rely on biased anecdotes and word of mouth to perpetuate. Dawkins observes these treatments have fanciful rationales and rituals behind them, with many alternative treatments employing pseudoscientific jargon such as “energy”, “vibration” or “quantum theory” to give themselves greater credence to patients.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCbVAr3iGWo

911: Religion did this

2011-09-11T18:04:19-05:00

911: Religion did this

I saw a middle-aged man on the subway yesterday who, by his dress, was clearly a Muslim. This was September 10, 2011 — one day before the 10th anniversary of 911.

I wondered what it feels like to be a Muslim in the United States on the anniversary of 911. Do they feel shame, knowing that the terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 people in the attack on the World Trade Center got their justification, if not motivation, from the same holy books as they read? Do they feel any ownership? Do they take any responsibility?

I hope they do. Many of those Muslims who eschew violence as a means of jihad managed somehow, through some fairly creative cognitive dissonance, to refuse to accept that fellow Muslims could have done something so evil, so they blamed it on some shadowy cabal involving George W. Bush and the Jews.

Muslims need to own what happened on 911 because an adherence to radical Islam was the one thing that the terrorists had in common. A religious doctrine has no force if it is not accepted and followed by large numbers of people. And it was a particular religious doctrine — Islam — that provided the fuel and the spark for 911, not to mention other atrocities against non-Muslims and Muslims alike (the stoning of women accused of adultery in places like Iran, for example).

Aman Ali writes a very good piece about how American Muslims feel about the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon: Muslims should stop apologizing for 9/11.

I can sympathize with someone who must constantly apologize for the crazies within his religion. But without the religion, there would be a lot fewer crazies because it is the religion itself that gives thempermission for all manner of barbarism and perversity.

I do not buy the argument that a member of a religion that perpetuates atrocities gets to absolve himself from the actions of a minority within his faith. They may sing in different keys, but they are reading from the same hymnal (or sura, as the case may be). They may have different interpretations, but it is still the word of their God they are interpreting.

I say that someone who wants to truly absolve himself from the craziness of religion has to abandon the religion altogether, not try to isolate himself from the ones within his faith that somehow have misinterpreted the words of God and his prophets.

Ali enjoins us to pick up the Koran, if we want evidence that it doesn’t condone terrorism. OK. Explain this:

“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (At-Tauba, 29).

If you hate the West and are looking in the Koran or Haith for a justification to kill infidels, you can find it.

I know there are Christians, Jews and Muslims who say that agnostics and atheists like me must likewise take responsibility for the atrocities of Hitler and Stalin, since both were atheists. But there is no atheist doctrine, no scripture that orders us to stone adulterers and homosexuals, or murder Jews. Those are the kinds of brutal dictates that can only come from scripture. And even a casual reading of the Koran or Old Testament clearly shows that it is OK to, say, kill children for disobeying their parents, stone homosexuals, and wage war against those who do not follow your particular brand of religion.

I don’t accept the revisionist approach that allows adherents to redact the more barbaric passages of a religion on the basis that it is now historically irrelevant. If God said that it is required to murder a child for disobeying his parents, then that’s God’s law. Don’t tell, ‘Oh, well, that was written a long time ago, and things have changed.’” Was God mistaken? Or were his prophets?

You can’t have it both ways. If you accept that scripture is the infallible word of God, you don’t get to cherry pick from it and disavow those barbarisms which may no longer seem acceptable in a civilized world. It’s the word of God, is’t it? All of it, not just some of it.And if some of it is wrong, then all of it must be wrong.

As Christopher Hitchens has said, “religion poisons everything.” The antidote is not to try to water down the religion and sanitize it; the antidote is to reject it entirely.

But I can see where a Muslim might be reluctant to reject Islam outright. After all, in many Islamic countries, the punishment for apostacy is death.

Nelson Bennett
Vancouver, B.C.

Richard Dawkins - Flying Horses & Splitting The Moon

2013-05-06T07:35:19-05:00

In this brief exert from a interview Richard critiques the Muslim journalist on his belief in flying horses and the splitting of the moon by the prophet…

When asked about creationism - the journalist blatantly lies in order to save face! The Qu’Ran pretty much mirrors the bibles version of genesis in many ways but the Muslim journalist (an apparently well regarded one) lies:)

I’m truing to find the full interview to see if Richard picks him up on this lie but from his response he may not have…

Excellent viewing though!!

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

[HQ] Christopher Hitchens vs Tony Blair - Religion is a force for good in the world

2013-05-02T15:30:31-05:00

I know most would have seen this but from what I can gather all version on YT are poor quality with very poor - out of sync - audio.

Here is a beautiful version in high quality with excellent audio!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM_aZkwCIh0

About:
In a world of globalization and rapid social change does religion provide the common values and ethical foundations that diverse societies need to thrive in the 21st century? Or, do deeply held religious beliefs promote intolerance, exacerbate ethnic divisions, and impede social progress in developing and developed nations alike?

The Motion: Be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world.

25% For - Pre Debate Results - Against 55%
20% Undecided

32% For - Post Debate Results - Against 68%

Hitchens wins… again:)

Julia Sweeney - Letting Go Of God (VIDEO)

2013-04-29T16:24:29-05:00

After reading the book and listening to the audio CD I finally found the video for this awesome piece!

Great stuff!!

Letting Go of God is a humorous monologue by Julia Sweeney chronicling her search for God. She begins in the Catholic church, the religion her family raised her in, and takes a Bible study class. What she learns there leads her to new questions, and in search for answers she explores meditation, Buddhism and New Age gurus, then describes what she learned from the sciences and from sharpening her critical thinking skills. She discovers that to accept the truth leads to surprising revelations. She concludes by sharing how this effects her family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jex_Wqz-SfU