Letters to the Editor
noodleboy
Published Letters: 36 Editor's Choice: 4
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Absolutely
[Read the article: "24": Time's up]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...in fact, everyone's so single-minded and deadly-serious that I have real difficulty telling the good guys from the bad guys, so it's kinda difficult (and pointless) to root for either side.
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Yeah... unfortunately, there is no God.
[Read the article: Come as you are]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well, I'm an atheist, as is everyone - even the most fervent believer chooses to reject hundreds of alternative gods and religions.
Anyway, it seems to me that the real "uniting" force behind this church (and others like it) is the sense of community shared by the members. Why don't secular groups form communities such as these? Is it impossible without the artificial social restraints of a shared religion? Maybe it really is better to live with others in denial and ignorance if it gets you through the day? I dunno.
Ah, hell - just read deborama's post.
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The fall guy?
[Read the article: "State of Denial"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yep, big-ups to Bob for "proving" the blindingly obvious.
Interesting that it appears to have given Bush just a light touch-up and almost entirely ignores Cheney - is Rummy set to take the fall for the whole Iraq debacle?
If that is the case then he obviously deserves to go, and should have been replaced well before now, but the question is whether it will be enough of a sacrifice, or will the VP and POTUS still be held to account for their deception and incompetence... seeeeeeeef.
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Robin Williams...
[Read the article: "Man of the Year"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]erm... Insomnia in 2002? And before that, ahem... Good Will Hunting in 1997?
The material seems plausible, there are a few of us who see Dubya as a comedian. You gotta laugh so you don't cry.
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As I get older...
[Read the article: The flying spaghetti monster]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've just got the point where it's just bleeding obvious that there is no real need for God to have "created" anything, and there certainly isn't any evidence for the existence of God, so why "believe"? If fact, it's very easy to find clear evidence that - if there is a caring interventionist God - he's been AWOL for the last few millennia. The simple fact is that it's much Much MUCH more likely that there just IS NO GOD.
Of course, many people "feel" God and know He(?) is real. Well, I don't feel it, and I can't see any need or evidence for it, so am I meant to play along with this whole faith/belief thing or what? No thanks. Bravo Richard.
Of course, there's no reason that atheists and people of many faiths shouldn't be able to live together in harmony. After all, that's been working out pretty well lately, hasn't it?
And yes, "religious" people in general may pay their rent on time, but is that necessarily a causal link? If the same people were bought up in a caring, enlightened, non-superstitious system, then they'd probably still pay their rent on time.
Please God, evolve our bloody society for us - we don't seem to be able to it by ourselves.
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Fight, sure - but fight FAIR
[Read the article: Brownout at the EPA]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't see how it's possible that this is anything other than a case of restricting the public's access to information through dissembling and deception.
Sure - digitise the information, but you have to do it in a planned fashion and preserve the public's access to it in the meantime.
In some ways I don't mind that this administration wants to contest environmental claims and to fight for what it "believes in", but they should at least have the decency to fight fair. But no - not content with fabricating information that supports their position, they remove information that opposes it.
"Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
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There's no God? Yeah, but...
[Read the article: God grief]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hitchens is going to be interviewed about his book tonight on Australian national radio. As an atheist and someone who despairs about the effects of "belief" combined with human nature, I was really looking forward to it, but this article has totally drained me of any anticipation. I haven't read the book, and I obviously haven't heard the interview, but if he's just talking about the impossibility and a "god" and the delusions of believers, well... tell me something I don't know. I'd have to agree that the books sounds like more "preaching to the converted" (so to speak) and, while it may reach some people, I think we need to move beyond that if we're going to actually achieve anything useful.
As the author of the article and a number of posters have said, until we can really connect to those things that make faith/religion so attractive - purpose, life after death, community etc - then it's hard to see what ridiculing people's core beliefs is going to achieve. Religion can't be removed, but maybe it can be "evolved"... but by what, and how? That's what I'm interested in.
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Survivior "Belief System"
[Read the article: God grief]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...and, right there, sunspot nails it.
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Hitch across the ditch
[Read the article: God grief]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hitch was pretty good on Aussie radio last night:
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/current/audioonly/lnl_20070510.mp3
One last $0.20:
Atheists don't need to "prove" ANYTHING. The seemingly godlike origins of a vast majority of natural phenomena are now very well explained by science, there is no real need for gods to explain our existence and environment. Now, you might argue that science and logic can't prove that your faith ISN'T justified, and fair enough too, but here's one "fact" for you - atheists aren't the ones making the supernatural claims, the religious are. If you make extraordinary claims then you must provide extraordinary evidence to support them. Until then, I kinda like my rational view of this incredible universe.
As for the argument about religion bringing people together, giving people hope and purpose... well, despite a lot of obvious examples that this isn't always the case, I get the feeling that argument might have some legs yet.