Disclaimer: I may not necessarily wholeheartedly stand by everything written below, but it's not like I'm not allowed to poke fun once in a while...

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It doesn't take long on the internet, or in real life, to come across this old chestnut:

'Atheists are so full of themselves, thinking they're right all of the time... So much smug certainty, so much confident piss-taking, so much inconsiderate hate-speech I can't help but…

To what extent can a religious believer actually argue their faith, reasonably? Not very far, it seems to me.

There are two quantities to consider here, by which all human beliefs can relate back to: Faith and Evidence.

Let's look at the first. Faith, by its very definition, is 'belief without evidence'. It is a gut feeling, and it cannot be proven wrong. Why? Because, for…

I know I do it too often, but to start I feel the need to quote Tim Minchin, yet again. On the very real divide between faith and science, he has this to say:

"Science adjusts it's beliefs based on what's observed. Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved."

Not…

Prior to science, superstition conquered. Aristotle believed that objects in motion slowed because they simply became "tired." God was reason for all, and all was reason for God.

Due to brilliant minds we have emerged from these opaque ages of knowledge. Newton enlightened us with mathematical logic in the 17th century. He also enlightened us with knowledge of optics,…

This is just a little paper I put together. Hope you all enjoy it & please feel free to share =)

http://paper.li/f-1341385511

--Ker Than, 2009

THE EYES OF VERTEBRATES



Why Intelligent Design?



On November 24, 2009--the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species--the theory that new species can arise from old ones through natural selection is still met with some resistance. (Related: …

Great piece in the Huffington Post today..Posted: 03/20/2012 5:10 pm

Victor Stenger, Physicist, PhD, bestselling author

The following article appeared in the March 17, 2012 "God issue" of New Scientist.

The party line among scientists -- believers and nonbelievers alike -- is that science and religion are what Stephen Jay Gould called "non-overlapping magisteria." In 1998 the US National Academy of Sciences…

A recent show on the science channel alerted me to an interesting new hypothesis about the evolution of homosexuality. Contrary to popular thought, it does not appear to be an accident. (If anyone can find documentation about this new hypothesis... let me know). Particularly interesting is the behavior of primate males in family groups. As is well known, apes (such as chimanzees, bonobos, and gorillas) that live in family groups consist of many females, one dominant male that gets exclusive…

This thought was inspired by this debate, between Dr. Sam Harris and William Lane Craig, and this debate, between a lot of different people. I freely admit that I probably watch too many debates. Deal with it. 



To say that the explanation of morality in scientific terms instead of mysterious god terms, detracts from the beauty and significance of it, is the same as…

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Think Inc conference in Melbourne Australia, the inaugural event, and one that showed much promise with a line-up of speakers which included Professor Tim Flannery, YouTube sensation Christina Rad, activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali (appearing via Skype), poet Shane Koyczan, Professor Neil Degrasse Tyseon, Professor Michael Shermer and political commentator Christopher Hitchens (also intended to appear via Skype).

Unfortunately Christopher Hitchens…

"If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way." - Bertrand…

I've had a few people ask me lately "Why don't you pick on other religions apart from Christianity and Islam? After all, there are thousands you could choose from." Well the answer is pretty simple, but threefold.



Firstly, I live in Australia, which is a predominantly Christian nation. Upwards of 60% of Australians identify themselves as Christians (according to the 2006 census). Most of the first westerners to arrive here were Christian, and that tradition has been carried on…