PZ is NOT Toadfish Material...

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

I may be wrong, but I see a cultural difference in this debate, possibly due to the lack of centrality and threat to the state and the scientists here in the UK by religion (at present).

Was mulling this topic, and I'll plead guilty to cultural differences.  Us small town British Columbians is godless hippy pinkos, and overly religious types out there are in the minority and looked at with suspicion (seriously).  It's not that we have a strong atheist culture; rather, the majority of people are probably best described as apatheists and/or CPC*s.

Certainly makes sense. We have the reverse situation and as an atheist, I tend to be treated with suspicion like your fundies up North. It's why I'm not going to call my local Fundies fuckwits (they'll not listen and most likely go preacher--sonorous voice and all--on me and there's nothing more annoying or difficult to speak around than that).

[beagle]

I may be wrong, but I see a cultural difference in this debate, possibly due to the lack of centrality and threat to the state and the scientists here in the UK by religion (at present).

True IMHO. Until the advent of their home chemistry experiments the religious here were regarded as amusing eccentrics, left over from John Major's vision of spinsters cycling to evensong, whereas American atheists are unpatriots (dispatriots, whatever the word is...).

If you saw Miller's programs one of the striking things was how atheistic America's founders and early presidents were. Presumably religion was seen as a core part of the dogma supporting the imperial hierarchy. Later presidents seem to have rediscovered why the kings found religion so useful.

Miller quoted Aristotle.

"A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider godfearing and pious. On the other hand they do less easily move against him believing that he has the gods on his side."

I fear that until Atheism becomes an organised religion progress will be slow.

Too much like hard work. All those arguments about who's not allowed to do what because they're  female/unbaptised/divorced/gay/Welsh*.


(* OK, I sneaked that one in myself).

[goat starer]

Welsh*.
(* OK, I sneaked that one in myself).

Well I did say that there should be more profanity but frankly there is no call for that kind of foul language.

[Pachyderm]

That's totally Belgium, man...

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I fear that until Atheism becomes an organised religion progress will be slow.

As soon as it does, I'm converting to Something Else.... 

[beagle]

That's totally Belgium, man...

What's the point of getting to lay down the rules of our irreligion if one can't enshrine a personal vendetta based on one bad night in Swansea? Look at the Bible and that stuff about not eating shellfish and not mixing different types of thread.  Are you seriously telling me that's God talking, and not some grumpy old prophet who got food poisoning and a shrunken bandana? 

[Griffin NoName]

If you want to base this irrelgion on what happened in Swansea you are going to have to tell someone what happened and get it written up, preferably in an obscure language with several varying translations. Otherwise we'll just think it's rumour-mongering.

[Swatopluk]

I fear that until Atheism becomes an organised religion progress will be slow.

As soon as it does, I'm converting to Something Else.... 

But not to US$. They are quite fishy and faith-based these days