tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48100626437298108502024-02-19T07:33:38.337+02:00African Atheist ActivistPromoting a rational world-view in Africa, the continent most blighted by superstition.Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-35095053939015420732016-09-07T15:00:00.000+02:002016-09-21T22:06:58.508+02:00Horoscopes in "The Times" Newspaper Reduce Its Credibility<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent to The Times, Johannesburg</i><i>, Wednesday,
September 07, 2016 15:01. Not Published</i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Sir<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I support the letter “Star-crossed reader reacts” by
Jonathan Basckin in The Times, Monday September 5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Astrology has no basis in science. It is based
on primitive misunderstanding of how the universe works. It cannot
predict the future, offering only generalities that confuse and mislead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">When a reputable newspaper publishes horoscopes, it
makes superstition look respectable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">For a twenty-first century newspaper like The Times to
publish horoscopes is out of keeping with your function of giving readers the
truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Please stop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here is the letter under reply:</span></span><br />
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Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-82272601037156082692015-11-11T08:25:00.000+02:002015-11-12T21:03:56.442+02:00Religion is the Problem, Not Just Rogue Pastors<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i>, Tue
10/11/2015 08:22. Published Wed 11/11/2015,
as “Religion must obey same rules as rest of society”.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I refer
to The Star
leader page’s Little Spot today, Tuesday November 10, “Religion needs
regulation”, by Thabile Mange, Comment by preacher Ray McCauley “Causing consternation”,
and the front-page article “Pray for rain, public urged” by reporter N Nkosi.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Religion
gets far too easy a ride, and privileges it does not deserve.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In the
process, superstition is encouraged, and progress is held back.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Prayer
is ineffective at best, if not actually counter-productive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For
perhaps 10,000 years, the human race has conducted the experiment of praying to
different gods. If any gods answered prayer, it would be obvious by now
in the sustained success of the followers of those particular gods. It
would be obvious which gods are real.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead,
we have a proliferation of dozens of religions, with several, if not thousands,
of sects, each claiming to represent the only true god.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Common
sense should show that religion is one big confidence trick. It persists
because parents indoctrinate their children while they are too young to think
for themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet,
regulating religion would interfere with
people’s freedom of speech, conscience, and association.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
answer is to subject religion to the same rules as all other aspects of
society.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There
should be no rates- or tax exemptions for religion and its practitioners.
Preachers claiming “miracles” should have to prove them, or face fraud charges.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-49398851647194629632015-11-11T07:45:00.000+02:002015-11-12T20:57:33.808+02:00Religion Makes Fools of Believers<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent to The Times, Johannesburg</i><i>, Tue
10/11/2015 07:46. Published Wed 11 November 2015,
minus the parts in <span style="color: #3333ff;">blue</span>, as “Scourge of the
Believers”.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In The Times
Letters, Monday November 9, “Rogue pastors must be brought to heel”, Thabile
Mange says that rogue pastors are making fools out of believers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
While the commission is investigating, will they also investigate <span style="color: #3333ff;">widely-practiced ritual</span> cannibalism? I refer
<span style="color: #3333ff;">of course </span>to churches that pretend to eat
the body and drink the blood of Christ, <span style="color: #3333ff;">in the form
of the Eucharist</span>. We all know that it’s just wafers and wine –does
this not make fools of believers?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How about a book
that claims that the universe is less than 10,000 years old, and that life on
earth arose in six days<span style="color: #3333ff;">, contradicting every shred
of evidence –does this not make fools of believers</span>?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Then there are the
exhortations to pray to gods for which no proof exists<span style="color: #3333ff;">
–does this not make fools of believers</span>?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3333ff; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mr
Mange,</span> the problem lies much
deeper than a few rogue pastors. It is religion as a whole that makes
fools of believers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1R0CQsgLr3OsNhl-qApsTVZZ82NH7XBg3Ft3Q95iOSEsouLHb8DillHnow23dGNhEOm9LOI6UcD-9KAU8XM92VREzYI4dMLQFi-Bm_01IJch2g3FowpR6N7xds0Bx7QK0Dz1JFxr7hZda/s1600/2015-11-11+Times-RIR-Religion+fools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1R0CQsgLr3OsNhl-qApsTVZZ82NH7XBg3Ft3Q95iOSEsouLHb8DillHnow23dGNhEOm9LOI6UcD-9KAU8XM92VREzYI4dMLQFi-Bm_01IJch2g3FowpR6N7xds0Bx7QK0Dz1JFxr7hZda/s320/2015-11-11+Times-RIR-Religion+fools.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-12906045677556695462015-08-11T08:00:00.000+02:002015-11-12T20:49:50.356+02:00Allow Religious Freedom so that Your Own is Not Curtailed!<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i>, Tue
11/08/2015 08:17. Published Wed 12/08/2015
as “Right to religious freedom abused”.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sir <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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On Sunday, EFF
members went to the Soshanguve meeting of the End of Times Disciples
Ministries, where they threatened the “Snake Pastor” and his followers, and
burned the tent used by the church. According to reports, SAPS members
watched and did nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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It appears that the
local EFF and SAPS members do not understand the concept of religious freedom
in clause 15 of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Everyone has the right
to practice their religion free of interference, if they do not break the laws
of the country.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the pastor is
causing cruelty to animals, breaking the food health and safety regulations, or
endangering the health or lives of his followers, then the law should be
applied. If the church is disturbing the peace, there are by-laws that
should be enforced.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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It is completely
wrong for anybody to force their way into the gathering, threaten violence, and
commit arson. The EFF members who took part must be arrested and
prosecuted, and buy a replacement tent. The SAPS members who failed to
act, must be disciplined.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The behaviour of
other sects may seem barbaric and bizarre to you, while the brutal and strange
practices of your own religion seem normal to you because you have grown up
with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, <b>your</b>
religion has no such practices?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are a
Christian, have you ever received Holy Communion? You pretended to eat
the body and drink the blood of Christ? To me, this looks like ritual
cannibalism. If, outside of religion, your children made a game in which
they pretended to consume human body parts, you would probably be horrified.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Various belief
systems mutilate the genitals of children –and dignify it with the term
“circumcision”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A final example,
one that causes untold harm, is when children, too young to think for
themselves, are indoctrinated into a fear of Hell. There is no evidence
that Hell exists –-nor Heaven, for that matter. Forcing irrational fears
on children is child abuse.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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You get away with
these practices because they are part of your religion. In return, you
have to accept that other religions are allowed to practice theirs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">Thanks and RICKgards<br />
Rick Raubenheimer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;"><br /></span>
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<!--[endif]--></span>Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-68180945497479085812015-04-23T20:24:00.000+02:002015-05-26T20:28:22.287+02:00No, There Are NO Real Angels Among Us<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i>, Thu
23/04/2015 18:08 in response to the reader’s letter below. Not published.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sir<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I refer to the
letter “Proof angels are among us” in The Star, Thursday April 23, by Judy
Bennett.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Linden Cycle Shop
is to be praised for their “angelic” behaviour. They are obviously good
people.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, the letter
can hardly convince us that real angels –mythical spirit beings commonly
depicted with wings, haloes, and harps— exist. Good people, or at least
people who behave commendably in certain circumstances, definitely exist: The
letter is proof of that. Taking it as proof of the supernatural is not a
logical conclusion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is also not
logical of Ms Bennett to thank her god and pray for Linden Cycle shop.
What evidence does she have that a god was responsible, let alone the specific
one that she believes in?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I were the
unnamed owner of Linden Cycle Shop, I would be annoyed that Ms Bennett believes
that a supernatural agency made me behave well, rather than that I did it
myself out of my own goodness!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for praying,
scientific studies of the effects of prayer have concluded that it does not
work. The most extensive of these was the "Study of the Therapeutic
Effects of Intercessory Prayer" in 2006 (see the STEP project in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studies_on_intercessory_prayer">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studies_on_intercessory_prayer</a>).
It found that prayer had no noticeable effect on healing, unless patients knew
they would receive prayers, in which case (on average) the patients fared
worse!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ms Bennett’s letter
may be good for the cycle shop, but her prayers are just a way of pretending to
do something, while doing nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks and RICKgards<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /><!--[endif]--></span>Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-8616520822770824232015-04-06T21:30:00.000+02:002015-04-06T21:30:56.126+02:00"Miracle" of Easter? What "Miracle"?<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i>, Sun 05/04/2015 22:08 in response to the
Editorial below.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sir<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I refer to your
Editorial “Let’s honour the Miracle of Easter” on Thursday, April 7.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fairness, it
looks as if the Editor went on holiday and delegated the Editorial to the
Sub-Editor who, needing some time off, delegated it to the Sub-Sub-Editor, and
so on down the line until it ended up in the lap of a junior staffer.
This could explain why it is thought through so poorly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The word “miracle”
has two main meanings:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(a) An
extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by scientific laws and
is thus attributed to a divine agency.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(b) A remarkable
event or development that brings welcome consequences, or an exceptional
product or achievement, or an outstanding example of something.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Editorial makes
the elementary fallacy of confusing the two.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The “South African
Miracle” you cite is an example of the second one. It was welcome,
perhaps unlikely, but entirely governed by physical laws.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The alleged
resurrection of Christ (if it occurred at all) would be an example of the
former type of “miracle”, something inexplicable by science.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fact that we
had a “miracle” of the second kind is no reason to believe that miracles of the
first kind take place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Indeed, the
evidence for the alleged resurrection of Christ (if he ever existed), is not
convincing. No eye-witness accounts exist. The earliest of the
gospels was written at least 40 years after Easter. The gospels differ
significantly on major points, therefore some, perhaps all, of them are
wrong. The earliest existing copies of the same gospels differ in
thousands of ways, many of them materially so.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Contemporary
historical records outside of Christianity do not corroborate any of these
major events claimed in some of the gospels:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Darkness
over all the land from noon until three in the afternoon (Matthew 27:45, Mark
15:33, Luke 23:44) (but not John)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -18pt;">An
earthquake at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:52) and another on Easter morning
(Matthew 28:2)(but not Mark, Luke or John)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Dead
arising from their graves and walking the streets (Matthew 27:53) (but not
Mark, Luke or John)</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
How is it possible
that such (literally) earth-shaking events were not recorded by anybody
else? Or even in all the gospels?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The unbiased observer
has to conclude that the resurrection of Christ is not, in fact, a miracle, but
a myth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Star is –or was
until the takeover by Iqbal Surve– a newspaper concerned with facts, unlike
some others.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It behoves the
Editor, even in the Editorial, to stick to real-world facts and not to indulge
his readers in their superstitious fantasies, no matter how comforting or
well-entrenched they may be. By all means, wish the Christians well with
their holy day (which not all your readers share) but please do not treat these
myths as reality.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iAckT4gH-SR8irLDYrdClx5zSTGu4jhjGm8f_RInJLNzzG_qt6S3G0wVv23sf5LlL-JiCWYrQ1PdnIk5MENTiERYXWDo-rnmD6ajvnVA1lJaWQ_SrsfzUl4ZXBTqo_ijHQStBABq4djn/s1600/Easter+Star+2015-04-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iAckT4gH-SR8irLDYrdClx5zSTGu4jhjGm8f_RInJLNzzG_qt6S3G0wVv23sf5LlL-JiCWYrQ1PdnIk5MENTiERYXWDo-rnmD6ajvnVA1lJaWQ_SrsfzUl4ZXBTqo_ijHQStBABq4djn/s1600/Easter+Star+2015-04-02.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-21599665950863569392014-03-09T21:00:00.000+02:002015-05-26T21:09:13.903+02:00Are Nail Clippings Eligible for Human Rights?<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i>, Sun 09/03/2014 20:55. Not published.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sir<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
John Rowland (The
Star, Thursday March 6 2014) in “Punish the guilty, save the innocent”, says
that everything he wrote “has a Christian base”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A difficulty with
Christianity is that there are (per Wikipedia) around 3000 different
sects. Across the spectrum, there are radically divergent views.
Many sects regard the others as hell-bound non-Christians. “Christians”
can be as diverse as Catholics and the ZCC. All claim to be following
“God’s Word”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What sort of god is
unable to express himself clearly enough to avoid being misunderstood in 2999
different ways?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Ricky Gervais
says, “It’s almost as if The Bible was written by racist, sexist, homophobic,
violent, sexually frustrated men, instead of a loving God. Weird”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If there were any
truth in religion, over time it would converge to a consensus. This
happens in science. Instead, religion produces ever more schisms.
This is ample proof that religion has no basis in fact.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hence, Mr Rowland’s
“Christian base” is built on sand.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“By their fruits ye
shall know them”: Religion –particularly Christianity– has produced
sumptuous churches, rich preachers, poor masses, ignorance, fear, disagreement,
hatred, inquisition, persecution, pogroms, wars, and misery. It has
suppressed freedom, progress, science, and human rights.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Given its history,
it should be clear that religion has no moral authority. Rather, faith
marks a person as one that believes things that aren’t true. A religion
is a badge of the irrational, something of which to be deeply ashamed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Religion is an
unreliable guide. Let us look instead to facts, to science.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr Rowland argues
against abortion with the usual dishonest emotive argument that a “baby” is
aborted. This is hardly true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fertilized egg
is known as a zygote. It develops rapidly into a mass of cells called a
blastocyst. This becomes an embryo, which looks like a fish. From
around 10 weeks, it begins to have some human characteristics and is known
until birth as a foetus.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A first trimester
embryo or foetus is not a viable human being. The nail clippings Mr
Rowland so callously discards are just as much human tissue, just as capable of
independent life. Should nail parings be given human rights?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later in pregnancy,
things become more complicated, and our treatment should be more sensitive and
circumspect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, the
unspoken reason that Mr Rowland opposes all abortion is the concept of a
“soul”. His particular branch of his particular religion probably holds
the belief (not necessarily shared by other sects or religions) that the “soul”
enters the body at conception. This gives a zygote, in his eyes, the same
rights as a fully-grown woman.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Science has found
no evidence of the existence of a “soul”, just as it has found no evidence for
any gods. This may distress those who are suffering under the yoke of
religion in the hope of a glorious Hereafter, but it is so. There is no
afterlife, no Heaven to come. It is up to us to make this Earth our
Heaven during the brief time that we have here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I agree with
Rowland that “women who find themselves pregnant in distressing circumstances
must be helped with all the compassion that society can provide”. That
compassion should include every woman’s right to cheap, safe, legal, early
abortion. Having an abortion is no easy decision. It should not be
further complicated by a patriarchal religion that still regards women as
property useful only for producing male heirs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.2041028 28.047305100000017 -26.2041028 28.047305100000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-57617779844967711792014-01-07T08:30:00.000+02:002015-05-26T21:05:19.182+02:00So Many Gods, So Little Time to Pick the Right Ones...<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i>, Tue 07/01/2014 08:29 in response to the
letter below. Not published – we want to make it appear that the Atheists have no answers, don't we?.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sir<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ebrahim Nathie
(Letters, The Star Monday January 6 2014, “Atheism boggles my simple mind”)
says that human intellect is fallible, so we should rely on divine intellect,
or ”god”. Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc. say their scriptures prove that
god exists, so the burden of proof should be on Atheists. He concludes
that if the religious are right, Atheists are doomed for eternity but if
believers are wrong, there is no penalty.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The latter argument,
“Pascal’s Wager”, has been well discredited, but there is no harm in doing it
again:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, many religions
(excluding Buddhism, Jainism, and Scientology) say that there’s a god –or gods,
in the case of Hinduism, Shinto, etc.-- but they disagree radically about what
those gods want their believers to do. Accept Jesus as your Saviour, but
if Allah turns out to be in charge, you’re damned. Worship Allah, but if
the Jews are right, you’re in big trouble!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With over 3000 gods
to choose from, the Theist is no closer to Heaven than the Atheist is.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, the
believer is worse off: She will have devoted time, money, and energy to a
fantasy, and missed the wonders of reality. The devoted Jew and Muslim
will have missed bacon and prawns. The Young-Earth Creationist will not
have been amazed by geology and evolution. The Jehovah’s Witness may have
died for lack of blood transfusion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All will have voted
for people and supported policies that are not in their best interests,
delaying human progress in fields like medicine and ethics.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ebrahim (since we
seem to be on first-name terms now) thinks Atheists have the burden of
proof. In other words, we should prove that there is insufficient
evidence for the existence of gods?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On this same basis,
does he believe in Jehovah, Allah, Krishna, Odin, Zeus, fairies, invisible pink
unicorns, and that he won $50 Million in an internet lottery he didn’t enter?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No: The burden of
proof is always on the person claiming that something exists, not on the person
asking for proof.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The universe is
proof of the existence of the universe, not that it was created by Jehovah,
Allah, Krishna, Odin, Zeus, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Religious
scriptures look suspiciously like they were written by misogynistic,
homophobic, xenophobic, and (by today’s standards) barbaric uneducated men, not
a transcendent intellect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a pity that
the Creator did not include a few equations in His Scripture! If only He
casually mentioned E = mc² or that the Earth is 4.54 billion years old and
revolves around the sun! Imagine where we could be now had He described
Natural Selection, the law of universal gravitation, or the secret to
faster-than-light travel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadly, there is no
evidence that a higher mind than ours had any hand in religion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May I suggest that
Ebrahim, instead of bemoaning his human intellect, rather (in the words of the
scripture) “become as little children”? All children are Atheists
until they are indoctrinated into a random religion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpsJ5S3apkc0TIafvPx4JFH9jRGSdtxB37oqncZPBIbUQc5edK2fZtA3kyYY51evLH20xlTh_zdKguwq6gfg2v7Dd7PZV5qRqAGGNgluzgYGqs9uctRrRFyIDBQxrtDfKXf3qockDb7jV/s1600/2014-01-06+EN+Atheism+boggles+mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpsJ5S3apkc0TIafvPx4JFH9jRGSdtxB37oqncZPBIbUQc5edK2fZtA3kyYY51evLH20xlTh_zdKguwq6gfg2v7Dd7PZV5qRqAGGNgluzgYGqs9uctRrRFyIDBQxrtDfKXf3qockDb7jV/s320/2014-01-06+EN+Atheism+boggles+mind.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /><!--[endif]--></span></o:p></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.2041028 28.047305100000017 -26.2041028 28.047305100000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-81798140581882841472013-12-30T09:53:00.000+02:002013-12-30T10:53:49.099+02:00Atheism Produces Better Morality than Religion Does<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i>, Sun 22/12/2013 22:36, and published Mon 30
December 2013, minus the parts in <span style="color: #3333ff;">blue</span>, as “<b>No
atheist likely to become a suicide bomber</b>”.</i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Justin
Steyn (“Atheism has to come up with cogent concept of morality”, <a href="http://african-atheist-activist.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-star-letters-friday-20-december-2013.html" target="_blank">The Star,Letters, December 20</a>) either didn’t read my letter (“<a href="http://african-atheist-activist.blogspot.com/2013/12/agnosticism-atheism-and-eusebius.html" target="_blank">Atheism is the most honest approach</a>”, The Star, December 17) or, having read it, didn't understand it, or,
having understood it, didn't believe it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As
I clearly said, few atheists say categorically that no gods exist. We say
that there is insufficient evidence to believe that gods exist. Unlike
the “faithful”, we are prepared to change our minds, given reasonable
scientific proof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mr
Steyn talks about forming a common consensus. This indeed is what happens
in science. Based on experimental evidence, the vast majority of
scientists agree on such things as heliocentric theory (the earth revolves
around the sun), that HIV causes AIDS, and the reality of anthropogenic climate
change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Notice
that this does not happen in religion: There is no sign that religions are
converging to a common understanding. This is because religion ignores
evidence. This wilful blindness is even hailed as a virtue, as proof of
faith!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We
are simply talking about what is real. We apply standards of rationality
and evidence to most aspects of our lives: Why not to religion?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mr
Steyn believes that religion is necessary for morality. He must have a
low opinion of himself if he thinks he would behave immorally if God were not
watching him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">However,
he is wrong. Humans have in-built morality, put there by evolution.
It should be obvious that a group will do better than an individual will, and
that a tribe is more likely to survive if its members cooperate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Statistics
show that nations where atheism is highest have lower crime. Studies in the USA
show that states with more religion also have more crime. The percentage
of atheists in prison is well below the percentage of atheists in the general
population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Humans
are not the only moral animals either. Chimpanzees, for example, show
altruism and public service to members of their group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
fact, it is religion that hijacks our morality and turns it to evil ends.
No atheist will stone you for collecting firewood on the Sabbath,
or not being a virgin. No atheist will murder a doctor for performing an
abortion. No atheist will blow himself and you up to get into heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">If
we look at issues like contraception, abortion, gay marriage, and stem cell
research, it is the atheists who adopt a “live-and-let-live” attitude, and the
religious who are hell-bent on imposing their sectarian views on others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-62268916301059156762013-12-20T21:45:00.002+02:002013-12-20T21:59:46.052+02:00The Star Letters Friday 20 December 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br />Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-88140849493257650582013-12-17T21:37:00.000+02:002013-12-20T21:42:20.963+02:00Agnosticism, Atheism, and Eusebius McKaiser<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i>, Wed 04/12/2013 08:09, and published Tue 17
December 2013, minus the parts in <span style="color: #3333ff;">blue</span>.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sir<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I refer
to Eusebius McKaiser’s column on Monday, December 2.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I agree
with Eusebius on many things, such as the value of Sunday’s Conference
“Thinking Things Through”, and that faith is an intellectual failure.
However, he, in contrarian fashion, also takes a swipe at atheists and
maintains that agnosticism is the most honest approach. I disagree.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eusebius
makes a distinction, between atheism, which he characterises as saying that
there is no god, and agnosticism, which, he says, is not committing one way or
the other. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Eusebius
says that atheists baldly claim that god does not exist. This is a “straw
man” argument<span style="color: #3333ff; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">,
beloved of Thabo Mbeki, where you misrepresent your opponent’s position to make
it easier to knock down</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
word “atheist” comes from the prefix “a-” (not) and the word “theist” (a
believer in a god or gods). An atheist is simply someone who does not
believe in any gods. The word “<span style="background: white;">agnostic</span>”
derives from the same prefix “a-” and the word “<span style="background: white;">gnostic</span>”,
meaning “having direct knowledge” (usually of god). Few of us can claim
to directly experience god, so the majority, theists included, are agnostic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You
will seldom find an atheist who says he is 100% sure that there is no god. Most
follow the scientific method, which allows for error and correction. One can
say with reasonable certainty that Odin, Jupiter, Allah and Jesus Christ do not
exist, at least as described in their religious writings. However, one
cannot yet disprove the claim that a god set off the Big Bang and now lives in
retirement on Betelgeuse IV, taking no interest in our affairs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How,
does Eusebius, as a professed agnostic, live in practice?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3333ff; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">An
agnostic has a dilemma.</span> Should he give equal credence to all gods, and worship at church,
mosque, synagogue and temple, just in case?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3333ff; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Even
that may not be enough: Many Christian sects believe that the others are going
to Hell. Better to worship at all of them! The poor agnostic will have no
time left for anything else!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3333ff; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Worse
is to come. Different religions believe contradictory things. You cannot
truthfully accept Jesus and still worship Allah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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There
is only one option open to the reasonable agnostic and that is to disregard the
lot. This is what Eusebius does. His behaviour is identical to that
of the atheist. The only difference is in what he says. "I am not
sure if there is a god or not (but I am living my life as if there isn't)"
vs. "I am pretty sure there is no god so I am living my life as if there
isn't".<o:p></o:p></div>
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Which
is more honest?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks and RICKgards<br />
<br />
Rick Raubenheimer<br />
126 Kelvin Drive, Morningside, Sandton, Johannesburg, 2191.<br />
Tel: 011 802-2685. Cell: 082 389-3482. E-mail: <a href="mailto:rick@softwareafrica.co.za">rick@softwareafrica.co.za</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com1Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-68983416857552823562013-06-07T08:00:00.000+02:002013-06-15T18:19:56.295+02:00Islam Pioneered Colonialism<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i> (<a href="mailto:starletters@inl.co.za">starletters@inl.co.za</a>)
Tue 04/06/2013 08:42 and published Fri 7 June 2013 minus the <span style="color: #3333ff;">parts in blue</span>. </i><br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A R Modak, <span style="color: #3333ff;">in his or her Letter</span> in The Star, Tuesday May 28
(“Look to colonialism for reasons”), while lamenting violence, blames
colonialism for Muslim terrorism.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Allow me to remind <span style="color: #3333ff;">Mr/Ms</span> Modak that, centuries before the UK or the
USA were founded, Islam was itself spread by the sword, colonising the Middle
East, North Africa, parts of Europe, and much of Asia.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #3333ff; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This
violence extends to the present day in majority Islamic nations, where we have
only to look at the fate of apostates who leave Islam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Even those who
choose the wrong branch, suffer: In
Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan we see terrible violence between Sunni and Shia.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Deception, threats,
and war in support of Islam are authorised in the Quran and the Hadith: Many
verses can be found in support of these evils, and only a few in support of
peace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Good Christians<span style="color: #3333ff;">, like the Rev Peter Storey (The Star May 29)</span>
speak out against the bad parts of their scripture, reinterpreting it in the
light of modern morality.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Until good Muslims
likewise disown the antisocial parts of their scripture, radicals will have the
support they need for violence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Colonialism is just
an excuse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>A R Modak's letter:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnZiodpIdEVxSXhxsT4FyWYrcBaOfV1eq0W1oicJgrTV6XH60Lfg_tQ-9TTBYPDbwKIrPHWDIHLWS6u6VpVfrVlVr7YC7xp7dejQXFKViruo8oXHWypj02jTKpe_Rfg5EgSoHiJwoWvD1/s1600/2013-05-28+ARM+Look+to+Colonialism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnZiodpIdEVxSXhxsT4FyWYrcBaOfV1eq0W1oicJgrTV6XH60Lfg_tQ-9TTBYPDbwKIrPHWDIHLWS6u6VpVfrVlVr7YC7xp7dejQXFKViruo8oXHWypj02jTKpe_Rfg5EgSoHiJwoWvD1/s320/2013-05-28+ARM+Look+to+Colonialism.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span>Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-69231418126258243602013-01-27T16:05:00.000+02:002013-01-27T16:05:13.915+02:00Shouldn't Religious Tolerance be a Two-Way Street?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i> (starletters@inl.co.za) Mon 21/01/2013
08:20. Published in full in the
Saturday Star, 27/01/2013 08:20 as “</i>Two-Way
Street<i>”. This is my first letter
critical of Muslims to be published in The Star (if the Saturday Star counts)!</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Saturday Star,
January 19, had an article “Religious groups battle food sign ban” about a
Christian group opposing everyone bearing the costs of food certification for
religious groups.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This has had one
beneficial effect: Unusually, Muslims and Jews are standing together in
opposing the action.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rafiek Mohamed of
the Muslim United Ulama Council of South Africa is quoted as calling for
religious tolerance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Isn’t it
interesting that, when Muslims are in the minority, they call for religious
tolerance?<o:p></o:p></div>
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By contrast, can
anyone think of a country where Muslims are instead in a majority, where a
Muslim leader has called for religious tolerance?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We had a headline a
few days ago on the internet “Egyptian Court Sentences Christian Family to 15
Years for Converting From Islam”. In Egypt, ID cards carry a person’s
religion (why?) and it is easy to convert a Christian ID to a Muslim one, but
impossible to do the reverse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shouldn't religious
tolerance be a two-way street?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.4321138 27.724581600000018 -25.976091800000003 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-54561924628854207662013-01-23T08:30:00.000+02:002013-01-23T08:32:15.187+02:00Time Changes the View of the Bible<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After I sent yesterday's reply to the Bishop, The Star has published another response to my letter. Would anyone else care to reply? starletters@inl.co.za</div>
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<br />Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.4321138 27.724581600000018 -25.976091800000003 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-20127480764854728922013-01-22T21:29:00.000+02:002013-01-22T21:26:28.268+02:00Bible Cannot be Reconciled with Science, and Must be Rejected<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i> (starletters@inl.co.za) Tue 22/01/2013
21:14. </i><i> </i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sir<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Bishop Moagi Khunou’s letter “Much agreement between Bible
and true science” (The Star, January 21, <b>copy below</b>) is a classic piece on how religion
deals with pesky facts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, if you don’t have a good response, denigrate your
opponent’s views as “hackneyed and discredited” without refuting them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Then, profess Special Knowledge. Your opponent is deluded, as indeed are many
Christians, but you know better.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In fact, denigrate anyone likely to disagree: They are
“casual or simplistic minds”, not “serious students”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Knock down some straw men and deliberate misunderstandings
of your opponent’s position, throw in a few apparent “facts”, a casual lie like
a deathbed conversion of Darwin, skirt around anything difficult, and you’re
done –what could be easier?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Only a believer is qualified to criticise the Bible? Hardly. Reading the Bible with an open mind
is one of the surest routes to atheism<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let us confront what the Bishop avoided:<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was refuting Mr Lee’s claim that the Bible is “the
infallible and inerrant Word of God”. I
showed that it is not inerrant (error-free) as it has serious mistakes, and not
infallible (incapable of error) as it has been modified over time. I said nothing about whether God personally
wrote the Bible, one of the Bishop’s straw men.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are plenty of professing Christians who believe that
the Earth is less than 10,000 years old, including about 30% of US citizens:
They are called “Young-Earth Creationists”.
However the Bishop is welcome to believe that a Divine Space Opera took
place between the first two verses of Genesis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Let’s also ignore that in Genesis 1, God creates plants
first and man last, after all other animals, but in Genesis 2 He creates man
first.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What we can’t ignore is that in Genesis 1, God creates day
and night on the first “day”, and then it was evening and morning (a literal
day –not an “age”). Plants are created on the third day, and the sun, moon, and
stars on the fourth day. Thus we have
day and night proceeding before the creation of the sun. The earth is supposedly older (much older,
the Bishop claims) than the sun, which is itself two days older than Adam. Please try to reconcile this with science!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bishop claims that there is agreement between the Bible
and “true science”. “True science” is a
tautology: If it’s not true, it’s not science.
No doubt the Bishop only regards as true the parts of science that don’t
contradict his myths.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is a big difference between a Bible written by
fallible men, and science done by fallible men.
Science is self-correcting.
Experimental results –facts– are checked against the proposed
model. There is stringent peer
review. Scientists compete for the best
explanation that fits reality.
Hypotheses that do not work are discarded.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Religious books, on the other hand, are not rewritten when
they prove inaccurate. The believer is
not encouraged to check that his beliefs match reality. Instead he is called upon to believe
ever-more absurd things in order to demonstrate his “faith”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For example… If all the eight-million-odd species on earth
were on Noah’s Ark and got off on Mt Ararat, isn't it strange that we find
marsupials only in Australia? The Bishop
seems to believe that they ran and swam (or built boats?) all the way there
without any being left behind!
Continental Drift, coupled with evolution, is a much sounder
explanation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Note how the Bishop skirts the genealogy of Jesus. “The Saviour had to be born in the <u>house</u>
of David” –what nonsense is this? Does
the Bishop know how babies are made?
Matthew 1-16 deals only with the male line: Either Joseph is Jesus’s genetic
father, in which case Jesus is the “son” of David, the “son” of Abraham –but <u>not</u>
the Son of God– or, if God inseminated Mary, then Jesus can be claimed as the
“Son of God” but he has no family tree, and the “prophecies” are false.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course the Bishop has no answer to the 500-year
difference between the conflicting so-called genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1
and Luke 3. If God “inspired” Matthew
and Luke, he “inspired” at least one of them to lie.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We can find biblical phrases that can be shoe-horned into
agreeing with modern science after the fact.
Nevertheless, the Bible has been used, and continues to be used, to
suppress science and human rights. One
thinks of church persecution of Galileo and Copernicus, the “Creationism”
rampant in the US, and persecution of gays in Africa.<o:p></o:p></div>
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According to Wikipedia on “Deathbed Conversion”, Charles
Darwin did not “surrender to the wisdom of God in the end”. Deathbed conversion stories should be taken
with a pinch of salt. It is claimed that
Christopher Hitchens too had a deathbed conversion: He called for a priest, and
converted him to Atheism.</div>
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<br />Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com5Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.4321138 27.724581600000018 -25.976091800000003 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-38143896970283187912013-01-07T10:00:00.000+02:002013-01-14T20:25:59.571+02:00The Second Coming of John Lee<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4810062643729810850" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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<i>Sent to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i> (starletters@inl.co.za) Mon 07/01/2013 09:32. Published minus the parts in <span style="color: blue;">blue</span> [plus parts in <span style="color: red;">red</span>] Monday 14 January 2012 as “Bible is contradictory, a product of fallible men”.</i></div>
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I refer to John Lee’s letter “Nobody will determine end of days, only God” (The Star, <span style="color: blue;">Monday</span> January 7 <span style="color: blue;">2013</span>).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mr Lee needs to check his assumptions. The Bible is not “the infallible and inerrant Word of God”, as he believes, and one can prove this easily.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First proof - objective reality: The two creation myths in the Bible are both wrong. They can in no way be reconciled with the true age of the earth as corroborated by many scientific methods. The tale of Noah’s ark begs the question: How did all the kangaroos get to Australia and the llamas to Peru?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Second Proof - logic: A document that contradicts itself cannot be true. The <span style="color: blue;">self-</span>contradictions in the Bible are many and well-documented. <span style="color: blue;">Among the more glaring ones are</span> [<span style="color: red;">Such as</span>] the two conflicting genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. From Abraham to David the records agree. From David to Joseph there are <span style="color: blue;">serious</span> discrepancies. Luke has 40 generations between the two; Matthew has 25, a difference of about 480 years.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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Matthew 1 starts “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham”. When he gets to Jesus in verse 16, he contradicts himself, saying “…Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus”. The original writer of the book of Matthew probably had Joseph as the father of Jesus. A later writer then grafted in the “Son of God” myth, apparently not realizing that if God was the father of Jesus, then Mary’s cuckolded husband Joseph and his entire descent were irrelevant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Third proof – the Bible has changed: Since Mr Lee has internet access, he should look up the book “Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why” by Bart D. Ehrman, and the web site <a href="http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/">www.codexsinaiticus.org</a> which deals with Codex Sinaiticus, the "Sinai Bible". The latter is over 1600 years old and includes the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. It differs substantially from modern Bibles<span style="color: blue;">, and from slightly younger versions like Codex Vaticanus and Alexandrinus. There are literally thousands of differences, many minor, some major, between these early versions of the Bible and the one Mr Lee reads</span>. How can something that appears in so many different versions be infallible or inerrant, let alone the “Word of God”?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Bible is, simply,</span> [<span style="color: red;">It is</span>] the work of fallible men who knew <span style="color: blue;">very</span> little about the universe and explained it as best they could to try to control their followers. We know better now. Second Comings, Revelations, Heaven and Hell are <span style="color: blue;">just</span> lies to scare the faithful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Footnote: I have set up a spreadsheet comparing the Old testament, Matthew 1, and Luke 3's genealogies of Jesus. <a href="mailto:info@megaplex.co.za" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">e-mail me</a> if you'd like a copy.</span></div>
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Mr Lee's Letter:<br />
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Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com2Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.4321138 27.724581600000018 -25.976091800000003 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-20567497894473674322012-07-15T11:15:00.000+02:002013-12-30T11:21:49.890+02:00We are not meant to know! Let superstition and ignorance prevail!<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg,</i><i> Sun 15/07/2012 12:34, published Tuesday
July 17 (minus the parts in <span style="color: #1f497d;">blue</span>) as
“<b>Archaic logic makes little sense</b>”. Dr
Levin’s original letter is below.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Sir<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazing how even a
breakthrough like the discovery of the Higgs Boson can be spun in favour of
superstition by proponents like Dr A. M Levin (“Accept what we are meant to
know”, in The Star, Thursday July 12).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Contrary to what Dr
Levin may think, we know a considerable amount about the “how” of the universe:
Much more than was known by the authors of the bible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As to “why” the
universe exits, it is a meaningless question, based on an assumption that there
must be a reason for everything. <span style="color: #3333ff;">This sort of
thinking caused men to invent gods in the first place.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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If we <span style="color: #3333ff;">had meekly</span> believed that we were “not meant to
know” things not “revealed” in scripture, we would still accept plagues and
natural disasters as punishments from the gods. Instead, vaccination and
weather forecasts save lives <span style="color: #3333ff;">uncounted; billions
live longer, healthier and happier lives than ever before in history</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is sad when
educated people like Dr Levin <span style="color: #3333ff;">(who seems to be a
medical practitioner), in professions based on science, nevertheless </span>try
to retard progress with outdated and discredited texts like the bible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If Dr Levin wants
to quote Deuteronomy, would he also like us to not eat rabbit, pork or calamari
(Deuteronomy 14:7-10), or stone to death non-virgin brides (Deuteronomy
22:20-21), or make rape victims marry rapists (Deuteronomy 22:28-29), or
prevent banks charging interest (Deuteronomy 23:19)?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-77646066221848595342012-06-17T20:13:00.000+02:002013-06-23T20:35:43.759+02:00Promoting Religion is Reprehensible<br />
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Sent to The Star, Johannesburg, Sun 17/06/2012 16:19, not published.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Sir<o:p> </o:p><br />
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An acquaintance sent me an e-mailed PowerPoint presentation, “Center of the Bible”. Here is my reply, which deserves a wider audience:<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Dear Neil<o:p> </o:p></div>
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I am sure you meant no harm in sending me your chain-letter e-mail promoting religion, the bible, and prayer. No doubt you believed it was a Good Thing to do. Let me explain why I find it reprehensible.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Imagine that you got an e-mail from me inviting you to a festival of the Sun God, based on ancient Egyptian writings. We will offer prayers and, to ensure good rains and a bountiful crop, will be sacrificing some first-born: Yours might be lucky enough to be included. You should command your wife and slaves to attend as well.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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I’d expect a sharp reply from you castigating me for my barbarism and superstition, pointing out that the Sun is a common star with no supernatural powers, that praying and sacrificing to it will not influence the weather or crops, that your wife is an adult who makes her own decisions, and that no decent person today owns slaves.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Now, make two changes to my hypothetical invitation: Replace “Egyptian writings” with “Bible”, and “Sun God” with your name for God.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Human sacrifice is a theme running through the Bible from Isaac to Exodus to Jesus: Indeed, it is a central tenet of Christianity that it is a good thing to torture an innocent man to death in the place of the guilty. Civilised? I don’t think so.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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The Old Testament gives detailed commandments for the keeping of slaves, including the requirements for selling your daughter into slavery. The New Testament supports it. The “Good Book’s” attitude towards women is that they are possessions: Witness Lot’s willingness to give his daughters to a mob to be raped. Good? I don’t think so.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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As with many other books, the Bible contains its share of wisdom, but there is a lot of bad stuff there too. If you take the Bible as the word of a God that must be obeyed, you would murder me for speaking against Him, and kill everyone you know for working on the Sabbath.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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I am worried when an educated 21st-Century person advocates the Bible as anything more than a myth from the infancy of our species. Today anybody with matric knows more about the universe than the authors of the Bible did. Yet your opinion of me is so low that you think I follow it.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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The god depicted in the bible is a nasty piece of work: Rigid, jealous, angry, sectarian, misogynist and genocidal. Fortunately it is obviously also fictitious.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Prayer is at best a waste of time, and may well be counter-productive, as shown by scientific studies (for example, the 2006 "Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP)" led by Harvard Professor Herbert Benson). You’re entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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In an age when religious fanatics who welcome Armageddon can get hold of nuclear weapons, you are doing our planet a grave disservice by spreading superstition. Please reconsider.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Thanks and RICKgards</div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-18706174533647010032012-05-13T21:45:00.000+02:002013-06-19T21:52:25.732+02:00Gay Marriage: Human Morality is not stuck in Biblical Times<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sent Sun 13/05/2012 15:00 to The Star Johannesburg</span>, not published</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">, and The Times, who published it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sir<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">President Barak Obama recently bravely endorsed gay marriage. This was followed by a chorus of opposition, most of it claiming to be Bible-based, specifically on Leviticus 18:22.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Apart from homosexuality, the Old Testament forbids many things that we do today: Working on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14-15) (penalty: death), eating pork (Leviticus 11:7-8) and seafood (Leviticus 11:9-12), pre-marital sex (at least for women!) (Deuteronomy 22:20-21) (Penalty: death), wearing mixed materials, to name a few.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">On the other hand, the Bible allows selling one’s children as slaves, and lays out a complex set of rules governing slavery (Leviticus 25:44-52, Exodus 21:1-11 and 20-21).</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The bible also condones rape under certain conditions (Deuteronomy 22:28-29) and moreover forces the victim to marry the rapist: In March Amina Filali committed suicide rather than marry her rapist under Morocco’s barbaric "rape-and-marry" law.</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Apart from occasionally wishing we <u>could</u> sell our troublesome brats, in the civilized world we have moved on from the morality of 3000 BC. We no longer condone slavery, nor regard women as commodities whose virginity is more valuable than the person. We do not stone to death people who gather sticks on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">To our credit, modern morality is not based on the Bible, but rather on a consensus of fairness and tolerance developed gradually over centuries. This applies across most countries, irrespective of religion –or freedom from religion.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“Ah, but,” the religious apologist may contend, “we now follow the New Testament and Christ’s teaching that we treat others the way we want them to treat us” (Luke 6:31).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Fine. Then how about applying this principle to gay marriage too?</span></span></span></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-22050032068275919632012-03-18T22:30:00.000+02:002013-06-11T08:30:09.365+02:00Islam not only Accepts, it Promotes, Violence<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after: avoid;">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg,</i> Sunday 18/03/2012 22:14<i>, not published as predicted.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Sir</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I doubt
that the Editor will publish this, since the Star shows remarkable reluctance
to publish letters critical of Islam. Or perhaps it is not so surprising when
one considers how readily the proponents of the "Religion of Peace"
use violence when their religion is criticised.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I
must take issue with the statement of Dr Heldar Ali Balouji of the so-called
"Islamic Republic" (a serious contradiction in terms) of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>, in the
Star of Tuesday March 13, "Islam does not accept harmful acts against
mankind".</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">A
few quotes from the Quran should dispel this misinformation.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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[8.39] fight with them until ...religion should be only for Allah<o:p></o:p></div>
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[9.12] ..fight the leaders of unbelief..<o:p></o:p></div>
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[9.123] O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near
to you...<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">and
Muhammad’s Ultimatum to Foreign Kings: (9:29) “Fight with those from among the
people of the Book, who do not believe in Allah nor in the Last Day; who do not
make unlawful that which Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful, and do not
adopt the Right way as their way. Fight with them until they pay Jizyah with
their own hands and are humbled.” (Jizyah is a tax levied only on
non-Muslims)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Finally:
(4:34) "Men have authority over women because God has made the one
superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them.
Good women are obedient. ... As for those from whom you fear disobedience,
admonish them and send them to beds apart and BEAT THEM." [my emphasis]</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Here
I assume that Dr Balouji includes "womankind" within
"mankind": Perhaps, like many Islamacists, he doesn't. Or
maybe beating is not, in his opinion, a "harmful act".</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Islam
not only accepts, it promotes, harmful acts against humanity.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">What
other belief actively promotes martyrdom and mass murder?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-30727711687611531602012-01-10T09:05:00.000+02:002013-06-04T09:09:54.392+02:00A New Concept: The Bible as a Model for Religious Tolerance<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In The Star, Monday
January 9 ("No need to politicise a biblical debate") Denzil Jones
says, without a hint of irony, "Let's practice religious tolerance and
adhere to true biblical prescripts".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a lovely
double oxymoron! Firstly, the Bible (along with the Qur'an) is one
of the most religiously intolerant of documents!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consider:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me", death for adultery or even
collecting firewood on the Sabbath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The New Testament
is not much better, what with "no man comes to the father but through
me", and exhortations to convert all nations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus had no
objection to slavery and the suppression of women, which decent people
consider abhorrent today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
second oxymoron, of course, is "true biblical prescripts".
The Bible is largely myth, so what does Jones mean by "true"?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Perhaps
he means that we should only follow the biblical prescripts that we regard as
morally true?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In
that case it is not the bible that sets the standard, but the enlightened
human conscience.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Which
means we don't need the bible anyway.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-57862423901164337062012-01-07T21:15:00.000+02:002013-01-14T20:38:29.240+02:00An Atheist Against Religious Intolerance<br />
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<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i> Sat 07/01/2012 21:13, not published</i><i>,
and Sun 08/01/2012 17:55 to The Times, Johannesburg (who published most of it the next day).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">As
an atheist, I would like to record my strongest condemnation of the Christmas
bombings of churches in Nigeria, now followed by a fatal attack on a northern
Nigerian church.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">While
I don't think religion is a good idea, I –alongside most atheists– believe in
religious freedom: People have the right to practice whatever creed they wish,
as long as they obey reasonable laws (including that they don't coerce others).</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Religion
should be allowed to wither and die under the spotlight of reason and science:
Never by intimidation.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
use of force by people like Boko Haram who believe their religion supports
violence, should be opposed by all decent atheists, Buddhists, Christians,
Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and even followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.4321138 27.724581600000018 -25.976091800000003 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-32683682564955788292012-01-02T10:15:00.000+02:002013-01-14T20:33:43.549+02:00The "Word of God" is fiction about an imaginary being.<br />
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Sent to the Sunday Times, Johannesburg, Mon
02/01/2012 10:15; not published.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
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<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the Saturday Times of 31 December 2011 (masquerading as the Sunday Times of 1
January 2012), Readers' Views, "No Apology Required", James Mentor has a lot to say about the
Editor quoting what he calls the "Word of God".<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">There
is nothing wrong with quoting the bible as we would quote any other
international literature.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
problem is with people who think the bible is special, even divine, or has some
sort of authority.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
bible approves of slavery and genocide and the suppression of women. It may have been useful at a time when people
were ignorant about the structure of the universe and the causes of disease, or
could only be moral if they believed in heaven and hell. We have moved on from this.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">If
a god had written the bible, would we not be impressed by the foresight, the
wisdom, the compassion, the grace, the poetry of this being? Instead, the god of the bible is a caricature
of the worst in humanity: Stupid, jealous, angry, vindictive, and capricious.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">No:
The bible is largely a work of fiction, and the god it portrays is, thankfully,
imaginary.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.4321138 27.724581600000018 -25.976091800000003 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-86144063374308629922011-12-01T21:00:00.000+02:002013-01-08T21:02:43.271+02:00Evolution Misrepresented Through Ignorance, or Deliberately?<br />
<div class="MsoBlockText">
<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg,</i> Thu 01/12/2011 18:12<i>, published less the <span style="color: blue;">blue</span> paragraph
in The Star, December 8, 2011 as “Books reveal real process of
evolution”</i><i>.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Seldom was the Star Letters
Editor's bias for religion against science more visible than in the Letters
page of Tuesday November 29, where religion gets 92 column cm (124 if one
counts the picture), and my viciously-slashed letter rates a mere 16 cm.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The Star should seriously
consider running a regular column to educate readers about science.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">We would then be less
likely to get statements like Abraham Cohen's of November 24, naturally
applauded by Bob Holcombe (November 29), to the effect that evolution states
that the complexity of life came about in a single accident.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">To see the real process,
please read two excellent books by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins,
"The Blind Watchmaker" and "Climbing Mount Improbable". Here is the tiniest of summaries:</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The process of evolution
does rely on accidents, but that is only part of the process. There are three factors:</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">1) Genes reproduce with
amazing accuracy. Very few mistakes are
made, otherwise species would not be overwhelmingly stable.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">2) Genes occasionally
change. Mutations do occur for various
reasons, though rarely.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">3) Survival of the fittest.
Natural selection ruthlessly eliminates
changes that are not advantageous –most of them. The vast majority of known species are
extinct.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">It is like a Lotto, but you
can keep your correct numbers. After a
few rounds you would have all winning numbers!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Thus evolution builds
continually on useful characteristics, constantly improving all species as they
fiercely compete.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Dawkins
likens it to a mountain with a steep cliff at the front. To leap from the bottom (the origin of life)
to the top (the complexity we see today) seems so incredible that people may
believe that it can only have happened by magic.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">However,
if we look around the back of the mountain, we find gentle foothills with paths
meandering ever higher and leading gradually but eventually to the top. Thus evolution, by billions of years of slow
improvement, locking in useful attributes and discarding others, reaches the
improbable summit.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Note
that I said "meandering". We
carry in our bodies many of the blind choices that evolution made at the time,
features that no intelligent designer would make. So we have weak spines, strange neural paths,
appendices, tonsils, short lives, poor eyesight, only two hands, no wings, thin
skins, and can't digest cellulose, to name a few.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.4321138 27.724581600000018 -25.976091800000003 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4810062643729810850.post-80779227087715352142011-11-23T20:36:00.000+02:002013-01-08T20:49:18.031+02:00Evolution is the Only Game in Town<br />
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<i>Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg</i><i> Wed
23/11/2011 10:28. Published in part </i><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">(less parts in <span style="color: blue;">blue</span>)</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span></i><i>as “Who would create a body like this one?”
in The Star, November 29, 2011<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Siegfried
Berger ("Science also expects us to blindly follow" in Star Letters,
November 22) in reply to my <span style="color: blue;">viciously-trimmed</span>
letter <span style="color: blue;">published on 17 November</span>, tells us that
science is also a dogma. Not true:
Science works on the evidence. The
evidence shows that there is no comforting, "intellectual guiding
hand" steering evolution.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Would
an intelligent creator have designed the human body like this? Humans suffer from back problems:
Understandable when you consider that we are using, vertically, a spine that
developed horizontally<span style="color: blue;">. The discs suffer because they are not "made"
to carry compressive loads.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Or, looking at the body from a town-planning point of view, what
intelligent planner would put the fun-fair next to the sewage farm?</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">There
are many other examples: Our difficulty in giving birth, the appendix, nerves
that follow strange paths.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Evolution
indeed proceeds without an end product in mind, but the results are not
"accidental". Mutations arise
occasionally by chance. Survival of the fittest then ruthlessly eliminates
changes that are not advantageous<span style="color: blue;">. Some have likened it to a Lotto where you can
keep your correct numbers for the next round. After a few rounds you would have all winning
numbers! Thus evolution builds
continually on the useful characteristics, constantly improving all the
fiercely competing species.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">However, many mutations that an intelligent designer would want, haven't
happened or did not survive at the time. So we have short lives, poor eyesight, only
two hands, no wings, thin skins, can't digest cellulose, to name a few.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The irrepressible Bob Holcombe weighs in in the same edition, with
"Many researchers believe that science need not exclude a creator".</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">He says that evolution can not be proved because we can not run it as an
experiment. Poor reasoning.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> Science works on evidence and logic too. The results of evolution are there to study,
and we have a record in fossils and matching geological strata, along with
several dating methods that agree.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Mr Holcombe defends the biblical story of creation as symbolic, with the
days representing ages. What then does
the bible mean with the oft-repeated "and it was evening, and it was
morning"? The bible means literal
days. It just happens to be wrong.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Mr Holcombe's "loving god" is obviously not the jealous god of
the bible, who delights in genocide and misogyny, approves of slavery and human
sacrifice, imposes "original sin", and murders people for collecting
firewood on a Saturday.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Finally, Mr Holcombe says that societies that deny god are declining
rapidly. In fact, objective measures of
human well-being –longevity, mental health, lower crime, reduced HIV
transmission, etc.– are highest in secular societies (western and northern
Europe), and lower in those with a strong religious component such as the US
and Muslim countries.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rick Raubenheimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12294035629626705252noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.4321138 27.724581600000018 -25.976091800000003 28.370028600000015