en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1747239 Comments by samu88 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/gods-work-can-be-seen-by-all-30249396.html#IDComment827334542 Insults bongobill? Is that the best you can do? Make an intelligent comment! I challenge you! Wed, 7 May 2014 22:53:11 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/gods-work-can-be-seen-by-all-30249396.html#IDComment827334542 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/morality-comes-from-evolution-not-christianity-30224956.html#IDComment825321024 Thanks Scrungeboo! He sounds like he enjoys being busy, but not enough to defend his pronouncements. Of course I think he couldn't defend them! (Of course I would think that!) Psychiatry? Well that figures! They like to pretend that evil is an illness. But I'd say that all evil is a choice, as is morality, & if they're a choice then they are NOT hardwired!! Choices are "soft" not "hard". (to those of us who know what the term "hardwired" means.) Isn't that so? Fri, 2 May 2014 21:38:56 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/morality-comes-from-evolution-not-christianity-30224956.html#IDComment825321024 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/god-only-exists-in-ignorant-minds-30236312.html#IDComment825313840 I think we're all ignorant men, & women, Patrick! Why even the apostle Peter declared himself an ignorant man, -& he was in the company of our Lord day after day. We know some things. We all know that we shall die, & we also know that we're completely helpless to do anything about it. Some of us may doubt that there's a power in charge of our lives, but we all know that it is not us who are in charge! Atheism is based on an acceptance of our ignorance with regard to the instruction manual for our manufacture. In other words, it's a belief that there is nothing involved in that work of creation that's of any importance! A confidence in God is part belief & part understanding. We UNDERSTAND that if a work is to be done there has to be something capable of doing it. We understand that if a work is a precise & specific work, the power that will do it (& it has to be a power to do work) has to do it precisely & specifically. We understand that if a precise & specific work requires competence, the power has to be capable of doing it competently! That much, we understand! As to the nature or description of God, I'd say that's largely esoteric, but comprehensible enough to believe it. What do atheists believe? What do they understand? Fri, 2 May 2014 21:11:34 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/god-only-exists-in-ignorant-minds-30236312.html#IDComment825313840 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/how-do-we-live-in-meaningless-random-world-30233668.html#IDComment825305051 Mysteries, by their nature, are confusing! Are you claiming to be an exception, Cogobo? Well then ,unconfuse the rest of us, please! I'm reminded of a saying that enjoyed it's 15 mins of fame in Canada about a decade ago: If the brain was simple enough that we could understand it, we wouldn't be able to! Fri, 2 May 2014 20:40:22 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/how-do-we-live-in-meaningless-random-world-30233668.html#IDComment825305051 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/uefa-should-exclude-jerusalem-from-euro-2020-football-host-cities-30236028.html#IDComment825303028 You left out one of Israel's most conspicuous atrocities: They insist that they have the right to survive! But you didn't want to make that clear, did you? "Wherever possible politics should be left out of sport, otherwise world events are finished". -T42 Of course! Isn't it one of the goals of sport to encourage the peoples of the world to come together? To set aside hostilities at least for a little time? Fri, 2 May 2014 20:33:29 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/uefa-should-exclude-jerusalem-from-euro-2020-football-host-cities-30236028.html#IDComment825303028 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/morality-comes-from-evolution-not-christianity-30224956.html#IDComment824922139 It looks like I'm being censored again. My last comment didn't appear. Here is a shorter comment. When I was an (atheist) teenager, growing up in Belfast, I had a very liberal view of humanity. I was very certain that, someday, humankind would agree to live in peace, & cooperate to make this a better world. Why, I was even confident that catholics & protestants would do so too. I believed that because it was the sensible thing to do! Looking back, I'd say that to be a Liberal, you absolutely have to believe in mankind. My ensuing education over the next decade regarding the affairs of man gradually changed that youthful optimism. It wasn't just the obvious failure of that liberal outlook in NI, that changed my POV, I could have regarded NI as a special case, an exception to the rule, it was the very obvious evil that predominated over the rest of the world, outside the English speaking world. So great was the hatred, the oppression, the slaughters, that I would have been more likely to presume that we (humans) were hardwired to do evil. Thu, 1 May 2014 21:35:04 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/morality-comes-from-evolution-not-christianity-30224956.html#IDComment824922139 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/religion-has-no-basis-in-reality-30229136.html#IDComment824914241 I hope I'm not being too presumptious when I say that your definition of the word "reality" only includes what is tangible or testable. I think there's another dimension to that term. For instance, you are real, you have not always existed, so something created you, but there's nothing that you know about in that regard, or that you could define, that's tangible or testable! Thu, 1 May 2014 21:08:42 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/religion-has-no-basis-in-reality-30229136.html#IDComment824914241 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/morality-comes-from-evolution-not-christianity-30224956.html#IDComment824519732 @ traderbam747 & Bernard29 : You both have done such a good job here, that I'm left almost speechless! To the others if I'd say: try to understand the rules of debate protocol! Don't hurl insults! Don't say that you don't have the space to explain yourselves! If you can't explain yourselves, then you should not be partaking in the discussion! Don't tell an opponent to go off and read somebody's book! To my mind, anyone who resorts to hurling insults, is a person who has no INTELLIGENT response to offer us! The professor had stated that morality was hardwired, and I posed a few questions on that regard, but it seems that he has no interest in answering. What about hatred, cruelty, indifference to the suffering of others, are they also hardwired, professor? Surely if all of these things are a matter of individual choices, then they are not hardwired! (Not according to the definition of that term.) Here is a little anecdote that I believe originated with the native Indian population of Canada. Two dogs were engaged against each other in a deadly fight. Which one do you think will win? The answer: the one that is best fed. I'd say that all human beings have the potential for morality or evil within. The one that wins is the one that they feed best. (Though, certainly there are other influences!) D.D. Wed, 30 Apr 2014 22:39:19 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/morality-comes-from-evolution-not-christianity-30224956.html#IDComment824519732 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/morality-comes-from-evolution-not-christianity-30224956.html#IDComment823989334 Morality is hard wired is it? How then, Professor, do you explain Hitler, Stalin, & the many other mini dictators that have caused so much of human kind to live in misery? Why weren't the nazi, the communist & Islamic philosophies, & many others, examples of that "inborn" empathy? Has research given us any answers? Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:29:10 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/morality-comes-from-evolution-not-christianity-30224956.html#IDComment823989334 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/glasgows-unionist-empathies-key-in-uk-vote-30181484.html#IDComment818461985 I acknowledge you have a point AMCK1976 , but it's a much simpler situation over in England, Wales, & Scotland , than in NI. In NI, as I'm sure you know, you can't separate sport, flags, politics, nationalism & religion, & maybe anything else that people might find to be offended over. Still, I have to try to be optimistic. Wed, 16 Apr 2014 23:54:11 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/glasgows-unionist-empathies-key-in-uk-vote-30181484.html#IDComment818461985 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818460240 I'm in the process of replying to your reply, TJ Wed, 16 Apr 2014 23:46:11 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818460240 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818460187 I'm in the process of replying to your reply, LITTLE LIPS Wed, 16 Apr 2014 23:45:58 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818460187 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818459936 @ TJ & LITTLE LIPS : I'm not commenting from 1st hand experience, but have witnessed others being cursed & abused by mouthy brats. I have always assumed that where there's a foul mouthed brat, there'll be an adult role model at home. I'm just as concerned about this as you TJ, but is anybody else? Especially anyone of authority? Wed, 16 Apr 2014 23:44:53 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818459936 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818067790 Children cannot be prosecuted or charged with slander. They know that. I don't want to paint a picture of rampant little gremlins out to destroy every authoritative figure in their lives, but unfortunately many do understand that they have power. Tue, 15 Apr 2014 22:33:35 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818067790 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/why-was-there-no-state-visit-to-catholic-church-30181485.html#IDComment818063258 I'm a firm believer in God. Why I'd even say the reality of his existence is nearly 100% obvious. But I'm a firm supporter of the separation of church & state. Mind you it's often very hard to keep them separate. Each one seems to intrude into the others business, almost inadvertently. Tue, 15 Apr 2014 22:14:37 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/why-was-there-no-state-visit-to-catholic-church-30181485.html#IDComment818063258 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818059725 I'm not inclined to think that there's an unreasonable paronoia around. As a retiree I considered becoming a school bus driver, but friends warned me that it was fraught with danger. The "kids" know how to "get you" if they don't like you. A false accusation can ruin you even if you are exonerated later. A camera in the classroom? Yes, I think we have indeed got to that stage. Anyone who is falsely accused needs to prove their innocence nowadays. Mind you I feel sure that there are some guilty parties out there. Tue, 15 Apr 2014 22:01:17 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/flimsy-sex-abuse-allegations-have-ruined-teachers-careers-30184752.html#IDComment818059725 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/glasgows-unionist-empathies-key-in-uk-vote-30181484.html#IDComment817635227 Where do the English nationalists fit into this picture? For decades the only "English" person I've heard use the word "Britain" when referring to their country was the Queen. All my English friends have a strong preference for "England", they never say "Britain". About a year ago a picture appeared in an English newspaper of the Queen visiting a town in England. In that picture there were many England flags, but not one union flag! Not even a little one! Mon, 14 Apr 2014 21:21:58 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/glasgows-unionist-empathies-key-in-uk-vote-30181484.html#IDComment817635227 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/you-cant-fulfil-conditions-of-equal-marriage-30181452.html#IDComment817627494 I haven't been to NI for 32yrs, but I suppose the laws regarding marriage are similar here & over there. Here in Canada, it seems that a great many heteros do not want marriage, so they don't bother, they just co-habit. On the other hand homosexuals do want to marry. Here, there are laws regarding common-law relationships, & this appears, at the present time, to be applicable only to heteros. In these (hetero) cases a couple is deemed to be married if they have co-habited for 2 yrs. If they split up their possessions are divided as would be the case with an actual marriage. Homosexuals do not want to be included in that law. But there's a lot of pressure for equal treatment. So who knows? Mon, 14 Apr 2014 20:53:38 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/you-cant-fulfil-conditions-of-equal-marriage-30181452.html#IDComment817627494 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/blood-moons-the-apocalypse-and-why-this-lunar-eclipse-is-nothing-more-than-coincidence-30167181.html#IDComment815442700 Because I believe in Bible prophesy, this subject is of great interest to me. However I'm not thinking that science will predict the coming catastrophies. On the contrary, I'm quite sure that many events will shortly come to pass that will catch science completely by surprise. (though certainly we can see that the earth is becoming increasingly active, & it seems certain that there's going to be horrible famines in the future, due to overpopulation, & pestilences due to drug-resistant bacteria) I'm dreading it, but in any case we shall just have to wait to see what happens here. Wed, 9 Apr 2014 00:13:58 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/blood-moons-the-apocalypse-and-why-this-lunar-eclipse-is-nothing-more-than-coincidence-30167181.html#IDComment815442700 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/action-needed-to-address-the-education-gap-30163095.html#IDComment815439595 i wonder how many are leaving school without the ability to read & write. IMO it's the skills of the lower 25% that is the best indication of the effectiveness of our education system. Tue, 8 Apr 2014 23:59:12 +0000 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/action-needed-to-address-the-education-gap-30163095.html#IDComment815439595