en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1178514 Comments by Ultraevo http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment389907450 You should – its more probable than a god miraculously appeared, then decided to create the universe. S. Hawking: ‘Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in.’ Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:14:28 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment389907450 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment389387148 Nor do a significant number of american catholics; 'The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life’s recent U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey has unearthed evidence of an identity crisis among American Catholics. “More than four-in-ten Catholics in the United States (45%) do not know that their church teaches that the bread and wine used in Communion do not merely symbolize but actually become the body and blood of Christ” Can these people be called catholic if they dont believe in transubstantiation for whatever reason? Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:58:24 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment389387148 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment389379463 "Because there are laws such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going." Stephen Hawking. Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:42:25 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment389379463 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388686022 Yes, the photos of the Earth from space are astounding. The Earth is one of untold billions of planets that are probably out there, but I suggested you look at the photos of the early universe. Again you came back with a diversion, this time about an imagined insult. I think youre refusing to consider what these photos mean for the creation story because you cant accept the implications. Yes, you are entitled to your irrational beliefs, but you should not present them as the truth. As I have said before, religion I corrupting. Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:23:41 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388686022 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388679337 Christ returns as a biscuit?!! ROFL Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:02:32 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388679337 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388678902 jpm, No, your reasoning is flawed. An omnipotent god would surely be able to communicate a true meaning. Surely you believe many such examples of true communications appear in the bible, otherwise your beliefs would be groundless. If the word "shortly" has a meaning to god that is different from the way humans commonly measure time, then this god has failed to communicate anything. If he is thinking of a thousand years when we think of a day, or vice versa, then we don't know what he means. What kind of revelation is it that systematically confuses? What is true of the Bible in this instance is true of it in general: it holds no hope at all. Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:01:13 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388678902 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388639117 jpm, Revelation 1:1 says that Christs return must shortly come to pass. But 2000 years later and these it still hasn't happened. Obviously a failed prediction and with this failure the whole edifice of the bible comes crashing down. Sun, 24 Jun 2012 20:07:22 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388639117 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388636863 Oh, I do apologise. I didnt realise you were so sensitive. Relatedness isnt a reliable indicator of any characteristic, my niece is a a talented artist, but I cant draw a jot. Its still not too late to reevaluate the leap of faith you made. We now know a lot more about the universe than your dad couldve imagined. Look at the recent photos of the early universe. Those are clear evidence against the creation myth. Sun, 24 Jun 2012 20:00:17 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388636863 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388623236 Hey, dont throw your toys out of the pram. You have probably been told what to believe by those you trust. They probably have their own baggage. So, look at the evidence, decide whether its truly reliable and make up your own mind. Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:21:51 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388623236 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388615552 Reality Dawns (irony), you avoided my points about Cardinal Pell and the last pope's support of evolution. Instead you introduced witch burning, which is yet another sad example of christian intolerance. Good job you didnt mention gays in the same text. Does your mum allow you out on your own? Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:01:14 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388615552 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388611799 I dont believe in the bible because its predictions havent happened. Sun, 24 Jun 2012 18:51:08 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388611799 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388170105 Indeed, Pell was mistaken, the common ancestry of monkeys and apes is supported by excellent fossil and molecular evidence. Sat, 23 Jun 2012 22:44:42 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388170105 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388167476 “My faith in the expertise of physicists like Richard Feynman, for instance, permits me to endorse—and, if it comes to it, bet heavily on the truth of—a proposition that I don't understand. So far, my faith is not unlike religious faith, but I am not in the slightest bit motivated to go to my death rather than recant the formulas of physics. Watch: E doesn't equal mc2, it doesn't, it doesn't! I was lying, so there!” ― Daniel C. Dennett, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon Sat, 23 Jun 2012 22:38:03 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388167476 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388166568 Reality dawns (irony) Dawkins, aye and Dennett “To put it bluntly but fairly, anyone today who doubts that the variety of life on this planet was produced by a process of evolution is simply ignorant—inexcusably ignorant, in a world where three out of four people have learned to read and write.” ― Daniel C. Dennett, Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life Sat, 23 Jun 2012 22:35:53 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388166568 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388080741 Reality Dawns (irony), how about the views of the 'infallible' leader of the most powerful christian church; Blessed Pope John Paul II, in 1996, re-iterated that evolution has and is taking place. Surely you dont doubt his word? Sat, 23 Jun 2012 19:11:30 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388080741 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388049288 According to Cardinal Pell: Man certainly did evolve from monkeys, Adam and Eve were not actual people, Genesis is a myth, atheists certainly go to heaven, and homosexuals, far from living a sinful lifestyle, are perfectly free to have unions (whatever that means!). Sat, 23 Jun 2012 17:57:46 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388049288 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388046368 The beliefs held by the religious with regard to science is irrelevent. Where the likes of Dr. Hawking and every other respectable scientist start with an idea and move forward, working toward a viable theory by virtue of falsification, the theologian starts with a scripture-based conclusion and works backward from there, in a attempt at some sort of twisted reconciliation. Faithists can have their own opinions, but not their own facts. They are generally considered to be delusional and often spend too much time on the virtues of the imagined differences betwen macro and micro evulution. Sat, 23 Jun 2012 17:50:04 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388046368 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388030589 Reality dawns (NOT), Jesus came to me the other day and explained that the Rapture happened some time ago. He took every true believer who wasn’t also stupid into heaven. He didn’t take me because I don’t believe in Him. Why are you stil posting? Sat, 23 Jun 2012 17:13:48 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388030589 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388025207 Religion is corrupting in the extreme. When I'm looking at a theist, I know they accept some form or other of foolish dogma that may or may not be outright evil. A theist who is wrong will lie and deceive in support of his beliefs. I'm sorry if this sounds bigoted or whatever, but to my mind, being religious should exclude you from holding public office. If you believe in a magical sky fairy, who knows what else you believe? If you'll let the deranged ramblings of a man in a dress decide how you live your life, how can I be sure that you won't let them decide your governing policy as well? Sure, not all religious people are unbalanced. But they're far more likely to be. And when it comes to something like holding political power, I don't want to take chances. Sat, 23 Jun 2012 17:01:22 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment388025207 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment386475499 From the Bob Jones University curriculum: Science Proves Homosexuality is a Learned Behavior The Second Law of Thermodynamics Disproves Evolution No Transitional Fossils Exist Humans and Dinosaurs Co-Existed Evolution Has Been Disproved A Japanese Whaling Boat Found a Dinosaur Solar Fusion is a Myth. This seems to show that stupidity is a meme Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:16:44 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/throw-the-book-at-stormont-biblebashers-16175225.html#IDComment386475499