The God Delusion

Chris OFarrell · Post by **Chris OFarrell** » 2007-05-20 08:07am

Anyone seen this documentary?

It on the ABC over here.

And it scares me to death. Oh I know about the YEC's and fundies and so on in an abstract enough sense. I see idiots on this forum and others and roll my eyes. In Australia, at least in Sydney, you generally don't see this breed, at least not in anything like large numbers.

But seeing REAL footage of high level evangelicals in the US smiling and laughing while they make absurd, basic fundie cookie cutter arguments and then see countless people screaming 'Alleluia'...and the comment that almost half, over a hundred million people in the US thing the planet is only around 10,000 years old, that the eye had to be designed by a higher power, that science is always changing and is thus unreliable, while the bible is solid as a rock and NONE of it contradicts itself..

Anyone else see this thing and feel really really sick?

Cao Cao · Post by **Cao Cao** » 2007-05-20 09:12am

Makes me shudder. But doesn't surprise me. I caught part of a documentary the other day involving American families raising their kids with "Biblical law". We're talking no school education, harsh beatings for almost anything, etc.

When people are allowed to raise children in a manner that'd make 13th century English peasants laugh, these levels of ignorance can only rise.

hongi · Post by **hongi** » 2007-05-20 09:54am

What was worse, the outright viciousness of the Muslim convert or the polite facade of the Christian fundamentalist? Hard to say.

Chris OFarrell · Post by **Chris OFarrell** » 2007-05-20 10:00am

hongi wrote:What was worse, the outright viciousness of the Muslim convert or the polite facade of the Christian fundamentalist? Hard to say.

Flip a coin and realize both sides are the same coin...
Profound no?

That said, the Muslim convert was frigen scarry. The way he was saying, as if it was absolutely reasonable and rational, that he needed to go home, stop women dressing up as whores and prepare for the eventual and inevitable takeover of the Will of Allah over the world...in the same breath as he says if everyone gets rid of all the Jews from the middle East everything will be just hunky...

OTOH you could see ultimately the fear of his kind over atheism, a system of non belief that has no place for Allah scares the crap out of them.

wautd · Post by **wautd** » 2007-05-20 10:08am

In related news, bought the book 2 days ago

CaptJodan · Post by **CaptJodan** » 2007-05-20 10:32am

Chris OFarrell wrote:But seeing REAL footage of high level evangelicals in the US smiling and laughing while they make absurd, basic fundie cookie cutter arguments and then see countless people screaming 'Alleluia'...and the comment that almost half, over a hundred million people in the US thing the planet is only around 10,000 years old, that the eye had to be designed by a higher power, that science is always changing and is thus unreliable, while the bible is solid as a rock and NONE of it contradicts itself..

Well at least you get the satisfaction that the high level evangelical in question was caught cheating on his wife with another man. The interview with Ted Haggard is so sweet after those facts came out.

But yes, in general it is a sad state of affairs. If you haven't seen the Jesus camp documentary, though, then you've missed out on some real terror.

CubicleGestapo · Post by **CubicleGestapo** » 2007-05-20 11:04am

over a hundred million people in the US thing the planet is only around 10,000 years old, that the eye had to be designed by a higher power, that science is always changing and is thus unreliable, while the bible is solid as a rock and NONE of it contradicts itself..

And then they voted

Count Dooku · Post by **Count Dooku** » 2007-05-20 11:14am

And then god said, 'why do the only smart ones have to be the ones who don't believe in me?'.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2007-05-20 11:51am

I've dealt with these imbeciles face to face. Contrary to popular belief, they do not maintain a calm, unruffled demeanor no matter what you say. In fact, on no less than three occasions, I've driven Jehovah's Witnesses into a red-faced rage by standing there and simply rejecting their bullshit in a calm tone of voice. It's not as hard to ruffle their feathers as you think, and then you see the real (scary) person underneath.

And I'll say this: in all three occasions, we're talking about the bulging eyes, the red-flushed face, the bulging veins in the forehead, etc. I had to admit I was always glad that I'm a a reasonably imposing physical specimen because it always looked like they were getting ready to engage in fisticuffs.

Justforfun000 · Post by **Justforfun000** » 2007-05-20 12:19pm

I've dealt with these imbeciles face to face. Contrary to popular belief, they do not maintain a calm, unruffled demeanor no matter what you say. In fact, on no less than three occasions, I've driven Jehovah's Witnesses into a red-faced rage by standing there and simply rejecting their bullshit in a calm tone of voice. It's not as hard to ruffle their feathers as you think, and then you see the real (scary) person underneath.

And I'll say this: in all three occasions, we're talking about the bulging eyes, the red-flushed face, the bulging veins in the forehead, etc. I had to admit I was always glad that I'm a a reasonably imposing physical specimen because it always looked like they were getting ready to engage in fisticuffs.

Now there's something I'd pay money to see. It's too bad you didn't get it caught on camera for YouTube.

Justforfun000 · Post by **Justforfun000** » 2007-05-20 12:23pm

I've driven Jehovah's Witnesses into a red-faced rage by standing there and simply rejecting their bullshit in a calm tone of voice.

Actually, I've been wondering where these people are. I haven't seen a Jehovah Witness in YEARS. In Toronto about 15 years ago I remember a couple coming to my door once...I'm home a lot and I'm surprised they haven't been out to me at all. Have they seriously stepped down their door to door campaigns?

Trajanus · Post by **Trajanus** » 2007-05-20 12:30pm

I've been in the American military for a while now and you'd be surprised at how many fundamentalists there are in it. Not only do they violate the constitution by having a benediction and an invocation during Army sponsored events, but they demand that I participate in such events. After all, if I don't bow my head to their God, I'm somehow suppressing their religious freedom. And yes, they have told me that to my face.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2007-05-20 12:59pm

wautd wrote:In related news, bought the book 2 days ago

That book is terrifying, too. I love the part when Dawkins goes through the Bible and finds his favorite passages.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2007-05-20 01:06pm

I though the documntary was called "The Root of All Evil". It's the book that's called "The God Delusion".

Hugh · Post by **Hugh** » 2007-05-20 01:10pm

Darth Wong wrote:In fact, on no less than three occasions, I've driven Jehovah's Witnesses into a red-faced rage by standing there and simply rejecting their bullshit in a calm tone of voice.

A friend of mine has an infallible method for getting rid of those guys: as they're delivering the usual speech. he asks with a perfectly straight face: "And what is your opinion on oral sex?" Then again, he does have a very serious face. Not everyone can pull that trick, I think.

That said, those who get red-faced would be jerks no matter their religion. I have neighbors and friends who are Jehovah's Witnesses, and they're all nice, hardworking people with a firmly anti-violence attitude. Oh, the human factor...

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2007-05-20 01:29pm

Justforfun000 wrote:
Actually, I've been wondering where these people are. I haven't seen a Jehovah Witness in YEARS. In Toronto about 15 years ago I remember a couple coming to my door once...I'm home a lot and I'm surprised they haven't been out to me at all. Have they seriously stepped down their door to door campaigns?

Maybe in Toronto but out here in the sticks their still out in force. I had them stop by two months ago and I saw them bothering a guy three days ago. They have a kingdom hall 20 minutes away in the next town, so their always around. The last time they came it wwas two woman in their 60's that wanted to tell me about "the greatest man that ever lived". I just said no and shut the door, I don't have the tolerance to deal with their shit.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2007-05-20 01:36pm

Jehovah's Witnesses are out in force in Toronto, just not where you think. They're around the poorer neighborhoods, the housing developments. They're all over Chinatown looking for new immigrants to convert. What you also see, if you're not stuck in a coup the whole day, is guys in suits from the bible belt, rich white kids with Chinese name tags who know how to speak a bit of Chinese and go after new people.

They're going after the illiterate, easily swayed masses.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2007-05-20 01:43pm

I've often wondered how many this approach actually converts. Do they publish any numbers of how many their door to door spam brings in?

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2007-05-20 03:01pm

I live less than 1 km from one of their Kingdom Halls, and they've only bothered us once or twice in the last 5 years. When they do come around, we simply don't answer the door. I got stopped on the street by one of them once in nearby Oshawa, but I shrugged him off by saying I was running late for a job interview (which lucky for me happened to be the truth).

Parallax · Post by **Parallax** » 2007-05-20 06:42pm

wolveraptor wrote:I though the documntary was called "The Root of All Evil". It's the book that's called "The God Delusion".

It comes in 2 parts. The first is called 'the god delusion', the second is called 'the virus of faith'.

Justforfun000 · Post by **Justforfun000** » 2007-05-20 06:58pm

brianeyci Wrote:

Jehovah's Witnesses are out in force in Toronto, just not where you think. They're around the poorer neighborhoods, the housing developments. They're all over Chinatown looking for new immigrants to convert. What you also see, if you're not stuck in a coup the whole day, is guys in suits from the bible belt, rich white kids with Chinese name tags who know how to speak a bit of Chinese and go after new people.

Ahhhh. That would probably explain it. The areas I've tended to live in are a little bit different. Particularly when I was downtown in the gay village. lol. Probably little chance they'd come around there.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2007-05-20 07:03pm

Parallax wrote:
wolveraptor wrote:I though the documntary was called "The Root of All Evil". It's the book that's called "The God Delusion".
It comes in 2 parts. The first is called 'the god delusion', the second is called 'the virus of faith'.

Oh, I see. I was confused for a second, because I've seen "The Root of All Evil" and heard of the book "The God Delusion".

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 2007-05-20 09:07pm

They come by every few months here. My dog goes nuts (I trust my dog to be a good judge of character). They also happen to wake me up because I sleep late due to working evenings. Last one that came threw the "Get out of hell free" card I gave him on the ground too. Next time he comes around I'm going to tell him "the dog can make it from the back door to the street in 3 seconds, how fast can you make it to your car?". Though I could invite him in and bring out one of my constrictors, that's usually good for a laugh.

Setesh · Post by **Setesh** » 2007-05-21 12:09am

We're expecting our run of JW's any day now. I've always found answering the door nude drives them off.

Master of Cards · Post by **Master of Cards** » 2007-05-21 12:13am

Setesh wrote:We're expecting our run of JW's any day now. I've always found answering the door nude drives them off.

I just tell them to fuck off, I like my way, but I admit I have defended a mormon about their religion before so I'm even on that/

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