vjack's Comments

Atheist Revolution : The Catholic War on Women

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:24:44 +0000

I'm still waiting for Mittens to make a statement to this effect.

Atheist Revolution : Obama: Pandering or Delusional?

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 11:43:12 +0000

It would be a much different place indeed. There would be virtually no family structure for the right to defend because everyone would turn their backs on their families to follow Jesus like he allegedly commanded throughout Matthew and Luke.

Atheist Revolution : Romney's Second Cousin Has Doubts About His Allegiance

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 21:03:18 +0000

Good point. I'd like to see any candidate or elected official who claims that his or her religious beliefs influence policy in any way be questioned at length.

Deep Thoughts : Pastor Derrick Griffin found guilty

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:07:59 +0000

Pastors doing drive-by-shootings? Wow.

Atheist Revolution : Devil's Playground

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:16:55 +0000

I can't remember the exact number, but I think it was something like as many as 90% who came back to the church. One of the things that surprised me was that the length of this Rumspringa period seemed to be up to the teen. Some make their decision within a couple months, but others live in the modern world for years before deciding.

Deep Thoughts : Atheists will find this sickening

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:14:09 +0000

This atheist certainly did find that sickening. Like you, I would think that nearly everyone would. I'm not sure what being an atheist has to do with it. There are plenty of Christian animal lovers out there.

Doug's Views : Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:41:30 +0000

Did you happen to catch Maddow's last couple of shows? She's been calling into question the assumption that PolitiFact is a competent fact-checker. Made me think I may have been mistaken to use them in the past, as some of their conclusions (like the one you mention here) seem to be without basis.

Atheist Revolution : The Fallacy of Atheism's Public Relations Problem

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:10:36 +0000

I agree completely that the vanilla billboards can be helpful and should be part of the strategy. At the same time, I have still not seen a single billboard that made me worry that it was harming our image somehow. I want to see more of the vanilla ones, but I also want to see more of the not-so-vanilla ones.

Deep Thoughts : Oral Roberts' son arrested

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:38:42 +0000

All he has to do now is ask his god for forgiveness in a very public way, and most of his fellow fundamentalists will gladly forgive him. And the few who don't will just tell themselves that he's now magically not "a real Christian."

Atheist Revolution : Sexism in the Atheist Community: Sexism and Misogyny

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:27:02 +0000

"Clear definitions of the intent has little impact on the outcomes of the behavior." Absolutely true. But they are necessary if we aim to understand what motives the behavior in the first place. Will societal sexism be cured solely through education? Of course not. But I do think there are many individual men for whom increasing awareness and empathy can be quite helpful.

Atheist Revolution : Sexism in the Atheist Community: Sexism and Misogyny

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:19:51 +0000

Very true. I was not equating misogyny with violence. I was merely suggesting that one can find a level of misogyny among select groups that is qualitatively different than sexism.

Deep Thoughts : Dinner with atheists

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:17:01 +0000

I'm jealous but optimistic at the same time, if that makes any sense.

Red State Progressive : Romney Remains Inevitable as South Carolina Looms

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:09:22 +0000

Oh yeah! The longer this thing drags out, the better for everyone who doesn't want either of these guys in office.

Atheist Revolution : The Purpose of Prayer

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:42:09 +0000

Yep. And when I am observing the tap dancing, I often feel like I am witnessing the human mind at its most primitive. The denial and willingness to distort reality to justify their faith is quite astounding.

Atheist Revolution : Sexism in the Atheist Community: Initial Objections

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:41:54 +0000

I have heard directly from a few women who have explained that they feel de-valued in our community. Examples range from being talked over in face-to-face meetings to having women left off of lists of influential atheists to the blatantly misogynistic comments encountered on blogs and social media sites. Some focus on in-person experiences they have had at conferences or local meetup groups; others focus on experiences they have had on the Internet. With experiences like this, is it any wonder that there aren't more women participating?

Atheist Revolution : Sexism in the Atheist Community: Initial Objections

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:31:07 +0000

This is not about Elevatorgate.

Atheist Revolution : Rick Santorum: The Christian Extremists' Choice

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:59:20 +0000

Very true. I think the main difference in this case is that Romney has the money behind him and the backing of the Republican establishment. He's Wall Street's candidate, and he's the one everyone believes has the best chance of beating Obama.

Atheist Revolution : Rick Santorum: The Christian Extremists' Choice

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:54:11 +0000

No, I think his appeal is mostly about his conservative record. Compared to Romney, he has been far more consistent in what he says he believes. It makes sense to me that this would be appealing to social conservatives because they will feel like they can trust him more than Romney. Romney's reputation is that he will say anything to get elected and that his position changes based on his audience. Thus, nobody really knows how he might govern if elected.

Atheist Revolution : Sexism in the Atheist Community: Initial Objections

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:12:42 +0000

For specific examples, see http://skepchick.org/2012/01/beyond-jokes-and-pic...

Atheist Revolution : Sexism in the Atheist Community: Initial Objections

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:39:04 +0000

Rather than get bogged down in each and every complaint, I'd prefer to stay on task and continue on with the series. Since most of these dealt with why people didn't think the subject should be addressed at all, I wanted to get them out of the way early and get on with it.