cosmology

[ludwig]

Has anyone been watching that program about Stephen Hawking? It's fascinating stuff - string theory, black holes, dark matter, branes etc. The only thing is I find myself concluding it's all basically just the same as religion - ie a load of b0llox that we've invented in order to explain things that we don't understand.
What do you reckon?

[naomi24]

123 It seems that one or two here do not understand the meaning of the word 'religion', which is why I gave a definition. I don't believe that definition can be applied to atheists.

For your information, Druids do have their formal organisations and they have their Chiefs.

There's nothing insulting there that I can see. Perhaps you should look again.

I'm not arguing with you 123. We've been here before, and I'm not about to enter into it again. It's tiresome, and there's no pleasure in it.

Theland I see nothing wrong in either educated men or 'the great unwashed' speculating. Without initial speculation there would be no progress.

[Theland]

The speculation is not presented as such and is misleading.

[Theland]

The speculation is not presented as such and is misleading.

[Theland]

The speculation is not presented as such and is misleading.

[Theland]

The speculation is not presented as such and is misleading.

[123everton]

Theland, I'm talking the late 70s (I don't remember the hi-vis people) he was the only one I used to see reguarly (I think he was there every day) but then they flattened Clayton Square and I did'nt see him again.
Naomi suspend your incredulity and engage in the debate, you ususally inject humour into your posts (new boots etc) that contained nothing of the sort. I've come to expect more from you than a dictionary definition, as Jake The Peg would say "that's the equivalent of being told to shut up".
Modern atheism has simply adopted the practices of religion but couched them in secular atheist terminology. But pretends that it's a new idea. A loose example of this would be the free love hippys of the 60s, they seemed to believe that they discovered sex, but people were having affairs in the 50s, Queen Victoria banged like a sh1t house door! But the media present this as a "new" thing there's nothing new about it, it's just an old idea in a new box. A loose analogy I know, but I try to be clear.
If everyone wants to blindly and blithely walk along saying that they've reinvented the wheel, then honestly best of British luck to them.
The irony is, we've seen it all before.
P.S.
Darwin, Dawkins, Einstein and Weinburg(?) amongst the leaders and founders of atheist thought, Greenpeace, Friends Of The Earth and politics as the places were atheists flock to. Yes I know creationists will figure amongst their number, but scientific global warming etc is now a gospel for many non-believers to spread to the world for our salvation.
We should be grateful to them.....?

[naomi24]

Theland The speculation is not presented as such and is misleading. Did it come over that way to you? I didn't feel that at all. I thought the programme made it perfectly clear that it was dealing with speculation and theory.

[Theland]

You must have been paying more attention then me.

[naomi24]

You weren't at that wine bottle again, were you?

[Theland]

On the wagon these days, pills and plonk don't mix.

[naomi24]

Oh, of course. Still, won't be for long. You'll soon be hunting for the corkscrew again. The best way to live life - a half full glass, rather than a half empty one!

[Theland]

..... and the sun is always over the yardarm .... somewhere.

[naomi24]

And that's when splicing the mainbrace comes in handy!

[XL]

123 Everton - atheism is certainly NOT a religion, or a faith. If anything is the exact opposite.

To illustrate - lets assume for example I had a belief in Elves that ran rampant around my house in the dead of night. I never saw therm but believed in their existence none the less.

Now lets assume you don't go along with my beliefs. Right then - I'm going to label you 'Athielvic'. And to top that - I'm going to say your Athielvisism is practically a religion.

Now - do i sound absurd or what?

[Theland]

The former.

[123everton]

XL you've completely missed the point I've made several times on this post.
Atheism has copied the practices of religion (eg. counselling) and secuarlised (or rebranded if you prefer) and presnented it as a new idea, you could call it religion lite "where anything goes". The common condemnation of religion is that it needs to make it's adherents afraid (I don't subscribe to that view) but modern global warming science is the new apocalypse many people who don't believe in God take their gospel truth off these climatologists and repeat adnauseum their prescription for salvation. How often do you read about the evils of the patio heaters in association with global warming, if you deny yourself this luxury and wrap up warm then salvation is possible, not a bit like Cromwellian puritanism, eh?
What's the substantive difference between end of time loons and "15 years to save the world"? Both parties preach armageddon (with evermore lurid and graphic predictions) evangelising their truth with equal certainty, for which we should all be grateful.....?
I just wish atheists (not all of them) had a better sense of irony and a sense of humour (repeating myself again), criticising "The Origin Of Species" is almost like questioning global warming, latter day heresy.

[WaldoMcFroog]

I don't think he's missed it, it's more that it's a totally feeble argument, Everton.

Where does it say atheists must believe in global warning? In the atheist book of common prayer that we all get issued?
(The greenhouse effect, one of the key mechanisms by which global warming occurs was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824. He was a devout catholic.)

Where does it say atheists must be in favour of psychiatry? Is it in the atheists' mass somewhere?
(Psychiatry began in the 5th century BC, under the auspices of the clerics)

I guess must have been unable to attend atheist church on the day these important commandments were issued to the faithful.

Sorry if this is a bit light on laughs, but be assured your posts in this thread have been a source of comedy I could hardly expect to better, and I am, of course, a dullard.

[naomi24]

Waldo, you and me both - but don't take it personally. I'm assured it's not an insult! :o)

[WaldoMcFroog]

It's cut me to the very bone, Nim. It's like a bone 'andled knife in me very 'eart. There I was, poised to convert to Christianity, like, right on the blinkin' cusp of joinin' their clan after all them persusive arguments, and a liddle somefing like bein' called a dullard, well, it fair shakes your faith in Christianity, dunnit?

[123everton]

Please explain to me the difference between the end of timers and "15 years to save the world" etc?
They're both apopolictic mentalities.
Secular governance demonstated that it was a good and just way to govern a diverse society, this has evolved to secular lifestyles were it is espoused that you don't need God to be happy.
Or to put it another way "faith in God is better than trust in man" or the atheistic idea "that trust in man is better than faith in God" the problem arises (often) that people who follow the latter idea still at times find themselves unhappy. So what's the solution? Counselling, atheism has adopted (rebranded) religious practices and called them their own.
There's nothing wrong in that, there's just nothing new in it.
Hope I did'nt send you to sleep.
P.S
For what it's worth you cracked a couple of funnies (at my expense) the other week I got the joke and I gave you credit for it.
People who don't believe in God find some other form of activism to occupy themselves (it's a free country) it's often politics, but at the moment it's climatology and it's use of religious "practices" especially the hounding of dissenters is reminiscent of previous events.
I find it ironic. That's it really.