:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 ::

Self Help

I saw a trailer on Channel 4 last night for the show Make Me a Christian. I found the idea of this repugnant. OK, so it may be fairly well balanced and may turn out to show the pros and cons of Christianity equally. But to be truly fair, shouldn't they be running Make Me An Atheist along side it?

The argument that you shouldn't take belief away from people, only give it to them, is weak. There are alternatives and people should be told what they are. For example, it should be explained that the morals we collectively live by are not necessarily of biblical origin, as religious people assume they are. People should be given the information and allowed to think for themselves.

Maybe a strand in the format of How to Look Good Naked could be replaced by How to Think for Yourself? It doesn't need to present any conclusions, it just has to present the evidence that one side of the argument would prefer you didn't see and give the other side a chance to respond. I wouldn't expect it to change society in any way, but it should be done nonetheless.

Labels: Media, Religion, TV

:: Dan 6.8.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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"Ingrid Betancourt, freed from captivity and humiliation in the jungles of Colombia, returns to her beloved France and a hero's welcome Friday in the gilded halls of the presidential palace. ... [she] was freed Wednesday in a daring Colombian operation involving military spies who tricked FARC rebels into handing over Betancourt and 14 other hostages without firing a shot."

"[she] described their ecstasy with unforgettable vividness. 'The helicopter almost fell. We started jumping, we screamed, we cried, we hugged - we couldn't believe it. God carried out this miracle.'"

No he didn't. Fuck God.
Try thanking your rescuers.
Ungrateful bitch.

Um, apart from that this is a good thing, obviously.

Labels: Amnesty, News, Politics, Religion

:: Dan 4.7.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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George Carlin: Seven words that shook a nation

Read George Carlin's books for comedic brilliance

Labels: Comedy, Religion, RIP

:: Dan 24.6.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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'A psychology researcher has controversially claimed that stupidity is causally linked to how likely people are to believe in God. ...

That professional skeptics don't believe in a creator is perhaps not all that surprising. [University of Ulster professor Richard] Lynn argues, however, that it is their intelligence that directly gives rise to the boffinated classes' non-God-bothering tendencies. He said: "Why should fewer academics believe in God than the general population? I believe it is simply a matter of the IQ. Academics have higher IQs than the general population."

Lynn pointed out that most children do believe in God, but as their intelligence develops they tend to have doubts or reject religion. Similarly, as average IQ in Western societies increased through the 20th century, so did rates of atheism, he said.'

Labels: News, Religion, science

:: Dan 16.6.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Atheists in the US are arguing amongst themselves about whether we/they need buildings that can fulfil the social function of a church in a community but without the religious baggage [Church of no God, via null.devivce].

It's something I've thought about before, especially as I work on a lot of developments where a church will plough money into a community centre that no-one else would be willing to stump up for. But then I think about what social functions would be performed in a building if you stripped out the religious requirements. What you a re left with is a multi-purpose social meeting space. Somewhere where people can meet to chat, probably with a small stage for performances. Something open to everyone, regardless of faith.

Then I realised we have it already, it's called a pub (although non-alcohol drinking faiths may take issue with this). It's basically something any well equipped pubic house can provide. As long as it's somewhere that provides enough in the way of variety of products, from tea, coffee and cakes during the day, to relaxed social drinking in the evening, and has a family friendly policy, I think it could cover all bases. Even a well equipped café could do the same. I suppose the key difference is that you would most likely be expected to purchase something when you were there, which churches sort of don't do. Sort of.

Update:
Thanks to abscond for the comment. You're right, a squat also fulfils all of these functions and avoids the consumerist problem. Although as a general rule they are not included in new developments. But I take your point, I can almost hear Naomi Klein screaming at my proposal to further reduce public space and replace it with a commercial alternative. So I’m changing my mind and proposing that all new residential development areas have a purpose built squat included. It is, unfortunately, a flight of fancy of the likes usually confined to bldgblog, but it’s an alternative to the Church of no God proposal.

Labels: architecture, Religion

:: Dan 28.5.08 [Arc] [1 comments] [links to this post] ::
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The City of London Police are prosecuting a teenager for calling the Church of Scientology a "cult" during a demonstration

I've been umming and ahhing about whether to post this story. It is ridiculous and an insane erosion of the right to protest obviously, but Scientology is such an easy target I can't get myself worked up about the campaign against it. So lets start with the facts. Scientology was started for a bet. Its mere existence, and the fact that any idiot follows it at all, demonstrates the ease of forming a religion and the gullibility of people to accept what they are told without asking questions. The question I ask every time I hear something about Scientology is, 'Why do people take religion seriously, what evidence is there to accept what any of them say?'

As null device links, Charlie Stross of antipope steps in here:

The difference between a "cult" like Scientology and a "respectable" religion such as Christianity is not in the plausibility of their beliefs. ... IMHO, religions and their believers should be judged on their actions, rather than on the respectability of their particular brand of mythology. (As Voltaire wrote, there is nothing more respectable than an ancient evil.) And religions shouldn't be automatically entitled to be handled with kid gloves and reverential deference, or, indeed, to impose restrictions on those who do not adhere to them (such as the proposed bans on embryo research), just because their organisations are founded on supernatural or unprovable beliefs.

Labels: News, Politics, Religion

:: Dan 25.5.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Einstein letter shows disdain for religion 'Albert Einstein regarded religions as "childish" and "primitive legends", a private letter he wrote a year before his death has revealed.' - Glad that's cleared up. I'm sick of religious people telling me Einstein believed in God.

Vatican says aliens could exist and may be free from sin! Only decades rather than centuries late to the band wagon now.

Sweet Dreams Security
"An outfit named Sweet Dreams Security is making designed objects for a more paranoid age; from spiked railings, barbed wire and CCTV camera covers in the shape of cute animals to heart-shaped chains and (perhaps more practically) lace curtains shaped like anti-burglar grilles."
[via null device]

"Over the last 50 years, Syd Mead has created startling pictures for clients all over the world. His technique infuses finished scenarios with a vivid reality, allowing the viewer to gain a look into many visions of future worlds. He has designed and illustrated for corporations, motion pictures, themed entertainment, and a wide range of transportation projects. Syd's combination of recognition and creative imagination has graced scores of films, books, and other exhibits. His film work includes Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner, Tron, 2010, Aliens, Short Circuit and other films."
[via Jen]

Labels: News, Politics, Religion

:: Dan 16.5.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Jesus Could Have Walked on Ice

Rare conditions could have conspired to create hard-to-see ice on the Sea of Galilee that a person could have walked on back when Jesus is said to have walked on water, a scientist said today.

The study, which examines a combination of favorable water and environmental conditions, proposes that Jesus could have walked on an isolated patch of floating ice on what is now known as Lake Kinneret in northern Israel.

Looking at temperature records of the Mediterranean Sea surface and using analytical ice and statistical models, scientists considered a small section of the cold freshwater surface of the lake.

The results suggest temperatures dropped to [-4 degrees C] during one of the two cold periods 2,500 –1,500 years ago for up to two days, the same decades during which Jesus lived.

Labels: Environment, Literature, Religion, science

:: Dan 22.4.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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the GateWay
Originally uploaded by gusset.

Top: Sign for "the GateWay" – Alpha Course Centre, Yeovil. Font: Baker Signet
Bottom: Sign for "the GateWay" using an Albertus derivative font, as used in "The Village" in "The Prisoner"

Labels: Flickr, Fonts, Religion, Sci-Fi, Typography

:: Dan 11.4.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty?

Fewer confessions and new sins

According to the (American) Catholic priest interviewed about this on BBC News 24 this evening (unfortunately the video isn't online) this shows how the Vatican is using reason. When did they ever worry about that?


[image source]

Labels: News, Religion

:: Dan 10.3.08 [Arc] [1 comments] [links to this post] ::
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20 Tacky Religious Products Guaranteed to Anger God
[thanks rob]

Labels: Humour, Religion

:: Dan 21.2.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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'Cloak of silence' design is unveiled
Two independent teams of researchers have come up with a recipe for making special materials that could completely cloak an object from sound. Although the “acoustic metamaterials” have yet to be made, a third team is now trying to create a real cloak. These metamaterials promise to guide sound waves around an enshrouded object as if the object wasn’t there. As well as being used to conceal submarines from detection by sonar, such metamaterials could be used to improve the acoustics in concert halls.

Pope calls off university visit
The protests of nearly 70 scientists, including former CERN director general Luciano Maiani, have forced Pope Benedict XVI to cancel tomorrow’s visit to La Sapienza University in Rome. The scientists, who expressed their objections in a joint letter to the university’s rector earlier this week, deemed the visit would be “incongruous” with the Pope’s previous support of the persecution of Galileo in the 17th century.

Labels: Acoustics, Physics, Religion

:: Dan 18.1.08 [Arc] [1 comments] [links to this post] ::
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"I can sum it all up in three words: Evolution is a lie"

Source: 100 Greatest Quotes from fundamentalist Christian chat rooms

Labels: Humour, Religion

:: Dan 15.1.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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A business trust is looking at sites for a Christian showplace to challenge the theory of evolution

"The 5,000-capacity park will be the first of its kind in Britain, but not in the world. In Orlando, Florida, hundreds of thousands of visitors make pilgrimages to the Holy Land Experience, where they can see a bloodied Jesus forced to carry his cross by snarling Roman soldiers."


[source msnbc]

"By producing its own films, the trust believes it will be able to provide an antidote to modern culture. It says on its website: 'On television today there is so much sex and violence, it is no wonder our youth are binge drinking ... '"

I fail to see the logic there. And I'm not taking the quote out of context. (Unless the Observer have done that already, but I doubt they would need to.)

"'Evolution has falsely become the foundation of our society and we need the television studio to advocate Genesis across this land in order to remove this falsehood, which presently is destroying the church foundation.'

"The theme park's anti-evolution bias and its emphasis on Genesis has raised eyebrows among planning officials, according to Jones, who originally wanted to build the park at the site of an old B&Q store but was refused permission by the council.

"'Wigan council slammed the door in our faces. You mention the C [Christian] word, and people don't want to know,' Jones said."

Go Wigan!


[originally a b3ta image, sourced here, worth a read for a laugh]

Labels: News, Politics, Religion

:: Dan 17.12.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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