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The root of all evil

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Felix

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These videos almost drove tears to my eyes. I'm glad there's actually someone on TV to announce stuff like this. Dawkins attacks religion as incompatible with reason and shows how all religions share the common trait of demanding faith which he calls the root of all evil. With stuff like that in the media, there's still hope.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1...+evil&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=63...+evil&hl=en

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I just had a thought... Imagine some alien race a lot like us intercepting the TV broadcast. They would laugh their rear ends off. Then, if they're anything like us, they'd go right back to worshiping their god...

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These videos almost drove tears to my eyes. I'm glad there's actually someone on TV to announce stuff like this. Dawkins attacks religion as incompatible with reason and shows how all religions share the common trait of demanding faith which he calls the root of all evil. With stuff like that in the media, there's still hope.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1...+evil&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=63...+evil&hl=en

These links seem to be unavailable today. I get this screen:

We're sorry, but this video may not be available.

Try refreshing the page to see this video.

To see more videos visit our home page

Censorship by Google perhaps?

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The 3 video's are brilliant! Have you ever noticed how people like Haggard tend to use the word "somehow" so much? "The eye formed, somehow"! I had a teacher like that once (a very religious one), for each of my questions during debates on various topics, the only answer I used to get was "somehow"!

Moose, which particular book are you talking about? I'd like to read it!

Dinesh.

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The book is The God Delusion. It's quite good. Nothing in it is particularly new, but it's nice to see all the refutations against God and religion in one handy volume.

Atheism: The Case Against God by George Smith is a good one. From what I remember, it is consistent with Objectivism, and focuses on logic and reason, and smashes any credibility theism has. I haven't read The God Delusion, so I can't compare them.

George Smith also wrote a book called Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies. Any one know if this book is any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Case-Against...TF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Ayn-Rand-Oth...TF8&s=books

In any case, it's good to see a prominent scientist advocate reason, because it is so rare.

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Atheism: The Case Against God by George Smith is a good one. From what I remember, it is consistent with Objectivism, and focuses on logic and reason, and smashes any credibility theism has. I haven't read The God Delusion, so I can't compare them.

George Smith also wrote a book called Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies. Any one know if this book is any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Case-Against...TF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Ayn-Rand-Oth...TF8&s=books

In any case, it's good to see a prominent scientist advocate reason, because it is so rare.

The first book you mentioned is actually on my to-read list...just haven't gotten around to it yet.

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Atheism: The Case Against God by George Smith is a good one. From what I remember, it is consistent with Objectivism, and focuses on logic and reason, and smashes any credibility theism has. I haven't read The God Delusion, so I can't compare them.

George Smith also wrote a book called Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies. Any one know if this book is any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Case-Against...TF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Ayn-Rand-Oth...TF8&s=books

In any case, it's good to see a prominent scientist advocate reason, because it is so rare.

I love this quote from a reader comment on the second book you listed:

"Atheists are not simply deluded, but are instruments of the devil. "

Here's his entire review:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/discussionboard/d...pe=ReviewDetail

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would consider (especially Abrahamic) religion a far, far graver threat than socialism, today and for all time. Socialism causes severe loss of property, attempts to ruin self-esteem systematically, greatly diminishes the quality of life for individuals, stifles dissent and rationality, and kills on a genocidal scale, but I still think religion has it beat for the damage it can potentially--and routinely does--cause. Socialists see humanity as a blob of sentient cells (human beings) that all somehow belong to each other. Religion sees humanity as a temporary condition before an infinitely better (or infinitely worse) state of existence in the afterlife. Socialism threatens, at worst, an extinction resulting from a nuclear war. Religion, with all its hunger for a day of reckoning and apocalypse, with so many of its followers more willing to die and bring everyone else down with them than admit error or lose faith/face, with its callous disdain for actual reality and its feverishly-maintained afterlife delusion, puts human extinction far, far higher on its agenda than many of us would like to think.

Which poison would you pick? Would you rather have an idiot rule over you (temporarily, for as long as the system can last) who needs you for your slave labor, or a complete lunatic (and an idiot) who thinks that killing you might actually do you or your loved ones a favor!? Do you any of you feel sick at the idea of someone looking forward to "end times" in a position of great power?

I think Dawkins has taken on an extremely dangerous enemy. I wouldn't feel the slightest bit of surprise to learn that some religious fanatic (redundant) murdered him. I imagine many of his most vociferous opponents will shed plenty of crocodile tears for the media, hoping he "found peace" as they denounce the "fringe" element of the very stupidity they promote.

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Which poison would you pick?

This is what I don't understand, and the same goes for Peikoff's analysis on voting for democrats over republicans -- although I have not had time to listen to the DIM Hypothesis lectures, so if the reasoning to this is included, would somebody please clue me in?

Why do we have to pick either poison?

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These videos almost drove tears to my eyes. I'm glad there's actually someone on TV to announce stuff like this. Dawkins attacks religion as incompatible with reason and shows how all religions share the common trait of demanding faith which he calls the root of all evil. With stuff like that in the media, there's still hope.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1...+evil&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=63...+evil&hl=en

The link doesn't work and I really wanted to see it! :lol:

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