Wednesday, August 29, 2007 . 8/29/2007

I just came up with an idea. Hey, the mind tends to wander when it's nearly 1 AM.

What if a sort of "religious troupe" were to be held where the participants pretend that Harry Potter is the one true god and J.K Rowling is his prophet? These people could roam the streets, telling people of Harry Potter's Great Feats. Most likely the response will be, "No, Jesus is the one true god", but then that could be refuted with a simple, "Prove it". They won't be able to. The participants could say that J.K Rowling was divinely inspired by the spirit of Harry Potter, and that the books are his Holy Word.

Perhaps that will get people to realize how silly religion really is. But then again, I wouldn't count on it.

Labels: Religion

0 Comments - Post/view comments My dad is irritating. A few hours ago, he was reading some article on how Al Gore thinks we should trade our SUV's because of global warming. He also commented that Gore was a hypocrite for having a big house and using tons of energy, which I agree with, but the fact that he denies human-caused global warming is what irritates me.

I used to be like him and think, "The climate changes all the time", etc, but of course a climatologist would know that. They aren't stupid, and besides that, there is evidence. I mentioned this to my dad, and he replied that he's read tons of articles on global warming. And somehow he thinks this makes him right while scientists are wrong?

But what really got to me is him saying something like, "What made you think that [human-caused] global warming is true, that magazine of yours?". The magazine he was referring to was the Skeptical Inquirer, which I got my first copy of a couple days ago. My mind boggles as to why he got me a subscription to this magazine in the first place if he doesn't even believe half of it and thinks he's smarter (same goes for him ordering me The God Delusion).

Another thing that has been irritating me is that whenever I mention that I've read something, like a science article on the internet or something in a book, my parents (more often my dad) will make some weird sigh-snort noise and shake their head. For example, I mentioned that the reason why our cats are overeating could be that the dry cat food doesn't have very much meat content in it. Or when I tried to explain the scientific reasoning of "ghosts" to my dad. It's almost as if they don't want me being smarter than them.. either that or they have less understanding of science than they claim to. 0 Comments - Post/view comments

Friday, August 24, 2007 . 8/24/2007

Yay for stupid quizzes that don't matter!

You Are 28% Emo

You're definitely not emo, but you do understand emo people a little. You are introspective, but not to the point of driving yourself crazy.

You Are a Blue Crayon

Your world is colored in calm, understated, deep colors. You are a loyal person, and the truest friend anyone could hope to find. On the inside, you tend to be emotional and even a bit moody. However, you know that people depend on you. So you put on a strong front. Your color wheel opposite is orange. Orange people may be opinionated, but you feel they lack the depth to truly understand what they're saying.

You Are a Haunted House

You are a deeply complicated and sometimes deeply disturbed person. You can't help but be attracted to the dark side of life - even when it's pretty gruesome. In relationships, you are honest and real. So real that it's definitely a little scary. You don't fake it or play along just to get along. And people either respect this... or deeply resent it Your life is thoughtful, deep, and even philosophical at times. You see the world as it is. You don't sugar coat anything. Facing and fighting your fears is important to you. You believe that too much of life is whitewashed. You're not too morbid... you just believe that you can't enjoy life without exorcising a few demons first! At your best, you are brave, intense, and fearless. Not only do you face the abyss head on - you challenge your friends to do the same. At your worst, you are depressed and morose. If you're not careful, your thoughts take over your mind... and they aren't pretty!

You Are a Little Anal Retentive

Okay, so you're occasionally uptight, but it's not like you fill your day with little OCD rituals. You just like to exercise a little control over your life, and that's usually a good thing. As long as you limit your anal retentive ways to your own behavior, you're not annoying anyone. Deep down, most people are exactly like you.

Labels: Quizzes

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Saturday, August 11, 2007 . 8/11/2007

This article is already quite a few months old, but I thought I'd post about it anyway.

This creationist "museum" is but one of the many ways that religion has gone too far. In this day and age, it is absolutely pathetic that such a view still even exists. We have (real) science, evidence, knowledge of at least some of the Bible's origins, and yet some still remain willfully ignorant.

Grand Canyon park guides will tell you that the canyon took more than a million years to form and cuts through rocks that span more than a billion years.

Not so, say "Young Earth" creationists. All those rocks were deposited by flood waters at the time of Noah.

Now, the Noah's Flood myth was most likely taken from the Epic of Gilgamesh. Furthermore, the idea that Noah built an ark to fit every kind of animal in the world is absurd. There are many problems, including the size of the thing.

According to the Bible, the Ark had dimensions of 300 cubits by 50 cubits by 30 cubits tall (this converts to roughly 450 by 75 by 45 feet). This is over four times the size of any wooden ship built by any civilization that existed in the second millenium BC. Large wooden ships must withstand severe stresses on the open seas, and the technical methods to deal with these simply did not exist then. It was not until the year 1900, some 4,000 years after Noah and his Ark, that wooden ships were built that even remotely approached the Ark's purported size. These were nine-masted schooners 300 feet long (some 150 feet shorter than the Ark). They were so long that they visibly undulated with the waves, and required large diagonal steel braces to prevent them from breaking in half. Even with these reinforcements, the stresses caused gaps in the plankings, and they leaked continuously and had to be constantly bailed with a pump. They could only be used in coastal waters since they could not survive in the open sea. The unseaworthiness of such large wooden ships was the major reason why the world's navies turned to steel ships before the First World War. The Ark, remember, had to survive open seas during a catastrophic raging Flood [source].

Another problem is lack of evidence. For one thing, the supposed time the flood took place was around the time the pyramids of Ancient Egypt were being built. Also, there are no other historical records in any other place mentioning a great flood.

So, again, this myth was most likely based on Gilgamesh, which was most likely based on a small, local flood, where at the time the rest of the world was unknown.

.. Most geologists would say humans and dinosaurs were separated by more than 60 million years. And those dinosaurs have very sharp teeth!

"So do bears", says Ken, "but they eat nuts and berries! Remember, before the sin of Adam, the world was perfect. All creatures were vegetarian"..

At this point, it's pretty hard to believe that some people actually - well - believe things like this, or are merely seeking attention and ways to make some easy cash.

What I am most concerned about is children going to see this "museum". As we all know, children are very susceptible to believing anything they are told. I personally think that it should be illegal to open up such "museums", as they hold no scientific evidence and is about the same as teaching The Tortoise and the Hare as a true and literal account.

Labels: Religion

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Friday, August 10, 2007 . 8/10/2007

There's Not a Violent Bone in Your Body

You're cool and collected, even when someone really gets under your skin. And while you don't blow up when you're angry, you know how to express your anger calmly. You don't bottle emotions up or let them get out of control. For you, violence would never be an option.

You Are a Little Prejudiced

You can't help but judge people a little based on your personal biases. But you tend to be aware of your prejudices, and you fight them the best you can. Most people are more like you than they'd care to admit... but it doesn't mean you shouldn't change. Remember to take each person as an individual. It's not fair to judge someone based on their background or subculture.

Your PMS Disaster Level: High

You are definitely a PMS disaster! At least you're only scary a few days of the month.

You're Confident...Sometimes

You can seem confident when the occasion calls for it But inside you may be experiencing a bit of self doubt A little more inner confidence could take you far... And convince others that you're as confident as you try to seem

Labels: Quizzes

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