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Thursday, December 31, 2009
Aggressive atheism
Where are all these militant atheists ruining Britain?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfr...
Sentenced to death for witchcraft by the religion of peace
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Worl...
Most of California's Black voters backed gay marriage ban.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
Muslim countries seek blasphemy ban
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feeda...
A UN threat to US free speech
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001...
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION AND SUPPORT THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST SHARIA LAW
http://www.onelawforall.org/
http://www.shariapetition.com/
You can download an audio version of this video at
http://patcondell.libsyn.com/
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Kabane The Christian vs Matt Dillahunty - The Atheist Experience #606
Kabane The Christian vs Matt Dillahunty On The Historicity Of The Gospels And The Authorship Of Matthew - The Atheist Experience #606 with Matt Dillahunty and Don Baker.
Christopher Hitchens (The Amazing Meeting 3)
Great speech by Christopher Hitchens from The Amazing Meeting 3 in Las Vegas
Pastor Deacon Fred at Atheist Alliance 2007 Convention
Pastor Deacon Fred kicks off the 2007 Atheist Alliance Convention with firm rebukes to all attending.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
You May as well Pray to Aliens
This video looks at the way humans try to communicate with higher powers from Religious Prayer to Seti.
Is there any evidence for either?
Original Soundtrack Recorded by Alan Jinx http://www.youtube.com/user/ALANJINX
All clips/images used in this video are either copyright-free or covered under "fair use" for nonprofit educational purposes (Title 17 § 107 of the USC).
Maxine Stone - PR Manager
Lee Harvey - Creative Director
Alan Jinx - Sound/Music Director
Is there any evidence for either?
Original Soundtrack Recorded by Alan Jinx http://www.youtube.com/user/ALANJINX
All clips/images used in this video are either copyright-free or covered under "fair use" for nonprofit educational purposes (Title 17 § 107 of the USC).
Maxine Stone - PR Manager
Lee Harvey - Creative Director
Alan Jinx - Sound/Music Director
Aspirations of Secular Humanism
HUMANISM AND ITS ASPIRATIONS /
HUMANIST MANIFESTO III
Humanist Manifesto III, a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933*
* Humanist Manifesto is a trademark of the American Humanist Association-© 2003 American Humanist Association
SOURCE: http://www.americanhumanist.org/Who_W...
Music: I Can't Wait (2001) - Mirwais
Video Made Solely For Educational Purposes
No Copyright Infringement Intended
Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
The lifestance of Humanism—guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience—encourages us to live life well and fully. It evolved through the ages and continues to develop through the efforts of thoughtful people who recognize that values and ideals, however carefully wrought, are subject to change as our knowledge and understandings advance.
This document is part of an ongoing effort to manifest in clear and positive terms the conceptual boundaries of Humanism, not what we must believe but a consensus of what we do believe. It is in this sense that we affirm the following:
Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. Humanists find that science is the best method for determining this knowledge as well as for solving problems and developing beneficial technologies. We also recognize the value of new departures in thought, the arts, and inner experience—each subject to analysis by critical intelligence.
Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change. Humanists recognize nature as self-existing. We accept our life as all and enough, distinguishing things as they are from things as we might wish or imagine them to be. We welcome the challenges of the future, and are drawn to and undaunted by the yet to be known.
Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. Humanists ground values in human welfare shaped by human circumstances, interests, and concerns and extended to the global ecosystem and beyond. We are committed to treating each person as having inherent worth and dignity, and to making informed choices in a context of freedom consonant with responsibility.
Life's fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. We aim for our fullest possible development and animate our lives with a deep sense of purpose, finding wonder and awe in the joys and beauties of human existence, its challenges and tragedies, and even in the inevitability and finality of death. Humanists rely on the rich heritage of human culture and the lifestance of Humanism to provide comfort in times of want and encouragement in times of plenty.
Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. Humanists long for and strive toward a world of mutual care and concern, free of cruelty and its consequences, where differences are resolved cooperatively without resorting to violence. The joining of individuality with interdependence enriches our lives, encourages us to enrich the lives of others, and inspires hope of attaining peace, justice, and opportunity for all.
Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness. Progressive cultures have worked to free humanity from the brutalities of mere survival and to reduce suffering, improve society, and develop global community. We seek to minimize the inequities of circumstance and ability, and we support a just distribution of nature's resources and the fruits of human effort so that as many as possible can enjoy a good life.
Humanists are concerned for the well being of all, are committed to diversity, and respect those of differing yet humane views. We work to uphold the equal enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties in an open, secular society and maintain it is a civic duty to participate in the democratic process and a planetary duty to protect nature's integrity, diversity, and beauty in a secure, sustainable manner.
Thus engaged in the flow of life, we aspire to this vision with the informed conviction that humanity has the ability to progress toward its highest ideals. The responsibility for our lives and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone.
HUMANIST MANIFESTO III
Humanist Manifesto III, a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933*
* Humanist Manifesto is a trademark of the American Humanist Association-© 2003 American Humanist Association
SOURCE: http://www.americanhumanist.org/Who_W...
Music: I Can't Wait (2001) - Mirwais
Video Made Solely For Educational Purposes
No Copyright Infringement Intended
Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
The lifestance of Humanism—guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience—encourages us to live life well and fully. It evolved through the ages and continues to develop through the efforts of thoughtful people who recognize that values and ideals, however carefully wrought, are subject to change as our knowledge and understandings advance.
This document is part of an ongoing effort to manifest in clear and positive terms the conceptual boundaries of Humanism, not what we must believe but a consensus of what we do believe. It is in this sense that we affirm the following:
Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. Humanists find that science is the best method for determining this knowledge as well as for solving problems and developing beneficial technologies. We also recognize the value of new departures in thought, the arts, and inner experience—each subject to analysis by critical intelligence.
Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change. Humanists recognize nature as self-existing. We accept our life as all and enough, distinguishing things as they are from things as we might wish or imagine them to be. We welcome the challenges of the future, and are drawn to and undaunted by the yet to be known.
Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. Humanists ground values in human welfare shaped by human circumstances, interests, and concerns and extended to the global ecosystem and beyond. We are committed to treating each person as having inherent worth and dignity, and to making informed choices in a context of freedom consonant with responsibility.
Life's fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. We aim for our fullest possible development and animate our lives with a deep sense of purpose, finding wonder and awe in the joys and beauties of human existence, its challenges and tragedies, and even in the inevitability and finality of death. Humanists rely on the rich heritage of human culture and the lifestance of Humanism to provide comfort in times of want and encouragement in times of plenty.
Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. Humanists long for and strive toward a world of mutual care and concern, free of cruelty and its consequences, where differences are resolved cooperatively without resorting to violence. The joining of individuality with interdependence enriches our lives, encourages us to enrich the lives of others, and inspires hope of attaining peace, justice, and opportunity for all.
Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness. Progressive cultures have worked to free humanity from the brutalities of mere survival and to reduce suffering, improve society, and develop global community. We seek to minimize the inequities of circumstance and ability, and we support a just distribution of nature's resources and the fruits of human effort so that as many as possible can enjoy a good life.
Humanists are concerned for the well being of all, are committed to diversity, and respect those of differing yet humane views. We work to uphold the equal enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties in an open, secular society and maintain it is a civic duty to participate in the democratic process and a planetary duty to protect nature's integrity, diversity, and beauty in a secure, sustainable manner.
Thus engaged in the flow of life, we aspire to this vision with the informed conviction that humanity has the ability to progress toward its highest ideals. The responsibility for our lives and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone.
Best Short Atheist Quotes - Atheism & Religion
"Top 80 Best Short Atheist Quotes About Atheism & Religion" by TranceDevotee
"If atheism is a religion, then health is a disease!" (Clark Adams)
"The Bible is one of the most genocidal books in history." (Noam Chomsky)
"No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says; he is always convinced that it says what he means." (George Bernard Shaw)
"When I think of all the harm the Bible has done, I despair of ever writing anything to equal it." (Oscar Wilde)
"Science with religion is lame; religion without science is blind. Science without religion is useful; religion with science is useless." (Albert Einstein)
"If there is a God, atheism must seem to Him as less of an insult than religion." (Edmond & Jules de Goncourt)
"The real oppressor, enslaver, and corrupter of the people is the Bible. [...] If a man would follow, today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow strictly the teachings of the New, he would be insane." (Robert Green Ingersoll)
"All Bibles are man-made. [...] I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious theories of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God." (Thomas Edison)
"The prayer of the agnostic: "O God, if there is a God, save my soul if I have a soul." (Ernest Renan)
"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." (Stephen Roberts)
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality." (George Bernard Shaw)
"I'm a born-again atheist." (Gore Vidal)
"All the biblical miracles will at last disappear with the progress of science." (Matthew Arnold)
"Not by accident, you may be sure, do the Christian Scriptures make the father of knowledge a serpent - slimy, sneaking and abominable." (Henry Louis Mencken)
"What was it that Adam ate that he wasn't supposed to eat? It wasn't just an apple. It was the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The subtle message? 'Get smart and I'll fuck you over' sayeth the Lord. God is the smartest, and he doesn't want any Competition. Is this not an absolutely anti-intellectual religion?" (Frank Zappa)
"Your Highness, I have no need of this hypothesis." [To Napoleon on why his works on celestial mechanics make no mention of God] (Pierre Laplace)
"I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting. But it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." (Douglas Adams)
"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion." (Steven Weinberg)
"If atheism is a religion, then health is a disease!" (Clark Adams)
"The Bible is one of the most genocidal books in history." (Noam Chomsky)
"No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says; he is always convinced that it says what he means." (George Bernard Shaw)
"When I think of all the harm the Bible has done, I despair of ever writing anything to equal it." (Oscar Wilde)
"Science with religion is lame; religion without science is blind. Science without religion is useful; religion with science is useless." (Albert Einstein)
"If there is a God, atheism must seem to Him as less of an insult than religion." (Edmond & Jules de Goncourt)
"The real oppressor, enslaver, and corrupter of the people is the Bible. [...] If a man would follow, today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow strictly the teachings of the New, he would be insane." (Robert Green Ingersoll)
"All Bibles are man-made. [...] I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious theories of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God." (Thomas Edison)
"The prayer of the agnostic: "O God, if there is a God, save my soul if I have a soul." (Ernest Renan)
"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." (Stephen Roberts)
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality." (George Bernard Shaw)
"I'm a born-again atheist." (Gore Vidal)
"All the biblical miracles will at last disappear with the progress of science." (Matthew Arnold)
"Not by accident, you may be sure, do the Christian Scriptures make the father of knowledge a serpent - slimy, sneaking and abominable." (Henry Louis Mencken)
"What was it that Adam ate that he wasn't supposed to eat? It wasn't just an apple. It was the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The subtle message? 'Get smart and I'll fuck you over' sayeth the Lord. God is the smartest, and he doesn't want any Competition. Is this not an absolutely anti-intellectual religion?" (Frank Zappa)
"Your Highness, I have no need of this hypothesis." [To Napoleon on why his works on celestial mechanics make no mention of God] (Pierre Laplace)
"I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting. But it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." (Douglas Adams)
"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion." (Steven Weinberg)
The Future Of Atheism
The Future Of Atheism (The Atheist Experience #637 with Matt Dillahunty and Don Baker).
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Blasphemy Challenge in the news
The Blasphemy Challenge and the Rational Response Squad are explored.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
One Video EVERY Christian should watch!
Hardly any Christians have read the Bible, an interesting irony given that it is purported to be the source of their religion.
When you do read the Bible, its like entering a mad house. The books of Moses are a bloodbath from beginning to end. The God of Moses appears to be a volcano, and worships in an orgy of blood and dismembered animals.
Then you get on to Jesus, and things really don't improve much. Jesus states that all the old laws about burning witches etc, given to Moses by God still stand, and Jesus spends most of his time healing the sick, casting out demons and preaching. The irony being that even after he gives his disciples magic powers to cast out demons, many of them still doubt that he is the son of God.
Anyway, this video just cuts out one short segment of the Bible, about witches, wizards and demons. All form part of the narrative of Jesus and God in the Bible. Remove these, and you rip out the credibility of the book on its big claims about Gods, and Sons of Gods and you reduce the Bible to merely a story book.
It is my reckoning that people can identify Harry Potter as a work of fiction. Why then should people struggle so much in identifying the Bible as a work of fiction?
When you do read the Bible, its like entering a mad house. The books of Moses are a bloodbath from beginning to end. The God of Moses appears to be a volcano, and worships in an orgy of blood and dismembered animals.
Then you get on to Jesus, and things really don't improve much. Jesus states that all the old laws about burning witches etc, given to Moses by God still stand, and Jesus spends most of his time healing the sick, casting out demons and preaching. The irony being that even after he gives his disciples magic powers to cast out demons, many of them still doubt that he is the son of God.
Anyway, this video just cuts out one short segment of the Bible, about witches, wizards and demons. All form part of the narrative of Jesus and God in the Bible. Remove these, and you rip out the credibility of the book on its big claims about Gods, and Sons of Gods and you reduce the Bible to merely a story book.
It is my reckoning that people can identify Harry Potter as a work of fiction. Why then should people struggle so much in identifying the Bible as a work of fiction?
Why do people laugh at creationists? part 1-10
Why do people laugh at creationists?
The only people so stupid as to not understand the answer are the creationists themselves.
Brought to you from Thunderf00t, this superb series explores the unproven beliefs that are treated as factual by many religions and the extremes to which some followers have taken them. Case studies in this series include various creationists like VenomFangX, Kent Hovind, Ken Ham and just the fundamentalist Christian population in general.
(part 1)
CORRECTION Stars in galaxy in half a trillion, not half a billion.
correction, the thickness of the Hovind ice sheet should actually be 400 km rather than 1000km. However this approximation does not change the core of the argument that no light can penetrate beyond at best the first one km, or the fact that it would cooked the Earth on falling down, and drowned in permanently.
The only people so stupid as to not understand the answer are the creationists themselves.
Brought to you from Thunderf00t, this superb series explores the unproven beliefs that are treated as factual by many religions and the extremes to which some followers have taken them. Case studies in this series include various creationists like VenomFangX, Kent Hovind, Ken Ham and just the fundamentalist Christian population in general.
(part 1)
CORRECTION Stars in galaxy in half a trillion, not half a billion.
correction, the thickness of the Hovind ice sheet should actually be 400 km rather than 1000km. However this approximation does not change the core of the argument that no light can penetrate beyond at best the first one km, or the fact that it would cooked the Earth on falling down, and drowned in permanently.
The Origin of Life - Abiogenesis - Dr. Jack Szostak
This has been CONFIRMED in Dr. Jack Szostak's LAB. 2009 Nobel Laurette in medicine for his work on telomerase.
It's been 55 years since the Miller-Urey Experiment, and science has made enormous progress on solving the origin of life. This video summarizes one of the best leading models. Yes there are others. Science may never know exactly how life DID start, but we will know many ways how life COULD start. Don't be fooled by creationist arguments as even a minimal understanding of biology and chemistry is enough to realize they have no clue what they are talking about.
Note on how competition works. Water will flow across a membrane to try to equalize the ion concentration. If there is a lot of polymer in a vesicle it will be surrounded by many ions, thus causing water to flow into the vesicle, increasing the internal pressure and stretching the membrane. Fatty acids are in equilibrium between the vesicle and solution. If 2 vesicles are near one another they will gradually swap fatty acids. If one membrane is under tension, the fatty acid "on rate" will be greater than the "off rate" (move to a lower energy state by relaxing the pressure). It will suck up fatty acids from solution. The other vesicle will still give them off, but they will disappear (sucked up by neighbor) and not return. Therefore, the vesicle with high internal pressure will grow and the neighbor will shrink.
To download this video go to:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yyd0eywkmhj
If you wish to translate this video you can download the PowerPoint file from:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jfijmimctnd
For more info check out:
http://exploringorigins.org
Think about it.
It's been 55 years since the Miller-Urey Experiment, and science has made enormous progress on solving the origin of life. This video summarizes one of the best leading models. Yes there are others. Science may never know exactly how life DID start, but we will know many ways how life COULD start. Don't be fooled by creationist arguments as even a minimal understanding of biology and chemistry is enough to realize they have no clue what they are talking about.
Note on how competition works. Water will flow across a membrane to try to equalize the ion concentration. If there is a lot of polymer in a vesicle it will be surrounded by many ions, thus causing water to flow into the vesicle, increasing the internal pressure and stretching the membrane. Fatty acids are in equilibrium between the vesicle and solution. If 2 vesicles are near one another they will gradually swap fatty acids. If one membrane is under tension, the fatty acid "on rate" will be greater than the "off rate" (move to a lower energy state by relaxing the pressure). It will suck up fatty acids from solution. The other vesicle will still give them off, but they will disappear (sucked up by neighbor) and not return. Therefore, the vesicle with high internal pressure will grow and the neighbor will shrink.
To download this video go to:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yyd0eywkmhj
If you wish to translate this video you can download the PowerPoint file from:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jfijmimctnd
For more info check out:
http://exploringorigins.org
Think about it.
The Ancient Wisdom of Mankind
The wisdom of the ancient cultures is nothing to be ignored. A wealth of knowledge can be gleaned from the ancient tales. One thing to understand is that the mythological aspects of each culture is simply legend. The mythology should not be taken literally. If anything they should serve to entertain us. The way children's tales do. These people had no way of understanding what lighting was let alone the mysteries of an atom and the greatness of the visible galactic realm. They had no idea the Earth was nothing but a small, mud ball. To them the earth was all there was. So of course the mythologies would reflect that nativity.
Today we know better. Science is the method we now use to explain things. When we see new images of new worlds we look at them with a child like wonder. Science does not take the wonder out of the world. It amplifies it.
These ancient texts do have there importance though. These are the collective wisdoms of each of these culturally different peoples. Each situation, each tale has its own merits. Its own historical value. Within the books and tales featured in this video we find mankind's struggle from infancy. I have included in this video tales from. The Sumerian and Babylonians - The 7 tablets of Creation and Hammurabi's law. The Egyptian - Book of the Dead. The Greek tale the Odyssey . The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Hebrew Torah. The Muslim Koran and The Christian/Catholic Bible.
Most religious dogma prohibits the reading of other books. How is that reasonable on any level. We all now use the internet. Here we can find out every bit of knowledge we can think of. Sharing knowledge and information is what this system is about. The same should be said of our past. All the knowledge should be spread to all the people.
You shouldn't want to know the histories and different situations other of peoples? All they have experienced should be forgotten because they have a different deity? If you fail to remember or acknowledge history, you will be doomed to repeat it. There is no excuse for that.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Intelligence Squared - We would be better off without religion
The panel discuss the pros and cons of religion, and pose the question: would the world be better off without it?
Proposing the motion are Christopher Hitchens, Professor Richard Dawkins, and Anthony Grayling. Christopher Hitchens begins by making the case for religion being at the root of many conflicts that have shaped the 20th-21st century world, citing the current situations in the Balkans, the Middle East, and Northern Ireland. Here, it has been intra-faith disputes that have caused or aggravated the conflicts and slowed political and social progress. Professor Richard Dawkins focuses his support for the motion on the blind faith that leads even intelligent people to deny key scientific principles, citing many American students' opposition to the theory of evolution as an example. Anthony Grayling illustrates how the Bible's view of what constitutes a good person is at odds with the modern Western view of what constitutes a good person, arguing that it is possible to appreciate the natural world and feel such emotions as empathy, sympathy, and love without holding religious views.
Opposing the motion are Dr Nigel Spivey, Roger Scruton, and Rabbi Julia Neuberger. The case against the motion is mainly focussed on religion being a force for good in the world - a force that empowers people spiritually and seeks to provide answers to humankind's purpose and position on earth. Dr Nigel Spivey opens the opposition by offering an archaeological and anthropological perspective. Pointing to the "Creative Explosion" of 40,000 years ago, he suggests that religion is a concept that is part of the human nature, and that a world without religion would be one without such fruits of human creativity as Venice, the Taj Mahal and King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Rabbi Julia Neuberger argues that whilst atheism preaches certainty and disrespect of other religions, religion preaches uncertainty and tolerance. She suggests that it is certainty and conviction – not religion – that produced the Crusades, fascism, and Jewish, Christian, and Islamic fundamentalism. Roger Scruton argues that rejecting religion on some of its irrational principles does not make sense, and that science is just as capable of producing disasters as religion is. Religion, he says, offers help to people who are affected by man-made or natural disasters, and provides "why" answers – the reason why things happen and what life is for –whilst science can only provides causal explanations.
First Vote: 826 For, 681 Against, 364 Don’t Know
Final Vote: 1205 For, 778 Against, 103 Don’t Know
Proposing the motion are Christopher Hitchens, Professor Richard Dawkins, and Anthony Grayling. Christopher Hitchens begins by making the case for religion being at the root of many conflicts that have shaped the 20th-21st century world, citing the current situations in the Balkans, the Middle East, and Northern Ireland. Here, it has been intra-faith disputes that have caused or aggravated the conflicts and slowed political and social progress. Professor Richard Dawkins focuses his support for the motion on the blind faith that leads even intelligent people to deny key scientific principles, citing many American students' opposition to the theory of evolution as an example. Anthony Grayling illustrates how the Bible's view of what constitutes a good person is at odds with the modern Western view of what constitutes a good person, arguing that it is possible to appreciate the natural world and feel such emotions as empathy, sympathy, and love without holding religious views.
Opposing the motion are Dr Nigel Spivey, Roger Scruton, and Rabbi Julia Neuberger. The case against the motion is mainly focussed on religion being a force for good in the world - a force that empowers people spiritually and seeks to provide answers to humankind's purpose and position on earth. Dr Nigel Spivey opens the opposition by offering an archaeological and anthropological perspective. Pointing to the "Creative Explosion" of 40,000 years ago, he suggests that religion is a concept that is part of the human nature, and that a world without religion would be one without such fruits of human creativity as Venice, the Taj Mahal and King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Rabbi Julia Neuberger argues that whilst atheism preaches certainty and disrespect of other religions, religion preaches uncertainty and tolerance. She suggests that it is certainty and conviction – not religion – that produced the Crusades, fascism, and Jewish, Christian, and Islamic fundamentalism. Roger Scruton argues that rejecting religion on some of its irrational principles does not make sense, and that science is just as capable of producing disasters as religion is. Religion, he says, offers help to people who are affected by man-made or natural disasters, and provides "why" answers – the reason why things happen and what life is for –whilst science can only provides causal explanations.
First Vote: 826 For, 681 Against, 364 Don’t Know
Final Vote: 1205 For, 778 Against, 103 Don’t Know
Atheists vs The Catholics - Is the Catholic church a force for good in the world?
The Intelligence Squared Debate - Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry
Aired 11-7-09 on BBC World
Is the Catholic church a force for good in the world? "It stands up for the oppressed and offers spiritual succour to billions say the Church's supporters. But what about the Church's teachings on condoms, gays and women priests, ask the detractors." Speaking for the motion, Archbishop John Onaiyekan and Ann Widdecombe MP. Speaking against the motion, Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry.
Aired 11-7-09 on BBC World
Is the Catholic church a force for good in the world? "It stands up for the oppressed and offers spiritual succour to billions say the Church's supporters. But what about the Church's teachings on condoms, gays and women priests, ask the detractors." Speaking for the motion, Archbishop John Onaiyekan and Ann Widdecombe MP. Speaking against the motion, Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry.
Atheists are morally superior
People often wonder about the morality of atheists. As it turns out, atheists are morally superior.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
PZ Myers destroys Simmonds in evolution debate
PZ Myers completely eviscerates his opposition Geoffrey Simmonds in this classic debate. This Simmonds guy clearly knows bugger all regarding evolution but writes books about it. Can we expect anything else from the Discovery Institute?
Atheism: A Respectable Intellectual Position - PZ Myers & Sam Harris @ TSN
Atheism: A Respectable Intellectual Position - PZ Myers & Sam Harris @ The Science Network (TSN) - Beyond Belief: Enlightenment 2.0
Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers (born March 9, 1957) is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) and the author of the science blog Pharyngula. He is currently an associate professor of biology at UMM, works with zebrafish in the field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), and also cultivates an interest in cephalopods. He is a public critic of intelligent design (ID) and of the creationist movement in general and is an activist in the American creation-evolution controversy.
Sam Harris is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason" which won the 2005 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction, and "Letter to a Christian Nation". His writing has appeared in Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, The Annals of Neurology, and elsewhere. He is currently researching the neural basis of religious belief while completing a doctorate in neuroscience. He is also a Co-Founder and Chairman of The Reason Project.
Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers (born March 9, 1957) is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) and the author of the science blog Pharyngula. He is currently an associate professor of biology at UMM, works with zebrafish in the field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), and also cultivates an interest in cephalopods. He is a public critic of intelligent design (ID) and of the creationist movement in general and is an activist in the American creation-evolution controversy.
Sam Harris is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason" which won the 2005 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction, and "Letter to a Christian Nation". His writing has appeared in Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, The Annals of Neurology, and elsewhere. He is currently researching the neural basis of religious belief while completing a doctorate in neuroscience. He is also a Co-Founder and Chairman of The Reason Project.
Evolution fish with fingers Transitional fossils
One of the most important milestones in the evolution of life began some 400 million years ago, when the first animals made their way from water onto land. At that time, known as the Devonian period, the world was changing dramatically: complex plant ecosystems formed on land, the first woody plants appeared, and the water's edge was becoming a new kind of environment.
The move to land was a very gradual process, and the evolution of limbs wasn't a simple adaptation resulting from animals crawling onto the shore and never looking back. In fact, the new picture of this transition shows that most of the changes needed for life on dry land happened in creatures that were still living in the water. Some fishlike vertebrates had already begun to evolve limbs by around 400 million years ago: They were called "lobe-fins," with fins that looked like fleshy paddles, and they had lungs as well as gills.
The move to land was a very gradual process, and the evolution of limbs wasn't a simple adaptation resulting from animals crawling onto the shore and never looking back. In fact, the new picture of this transition shows that most of the changes needed for life on dry land happened in creatures that were still living in the water. Some fishlike vertebrates had already begun to evolve limbs by around 400 million years ago: They were called "lobe-fins," with fins that looked like fleshy paddles, and they had lungs as well as gills.
The Atheists Spreading the Word
Documentary about atheism, aired on CBC's The National, October 5, 2007
Dear God - The Atheists Prayer
Atheists are coming out of the proverbial closet in droves, thanks in part to online communities such as Youtube and many others.
It's time we make our voices and opinions heard, we can no longer afford to be the silent minority. If we hope to carry this species onward towards an amicable future which we have fought so hard to achieve, then action must be taken now!
Song: XTC - Dear God
It's time we make our voices and opinions heard, we can no longer afford to be the silent minority. If we hope to carry this species onward towards an amicable future which we have fought so hard to achieve, then action must be taken now!
Song: XTC - Dear God
TV Interview with Joseph Atwill - The Roman Creation of Christianity
Joseph Atwill author of Caesar's Messiah on Rodeph Emet TV explains that the Gospels are good news of military victory. Why would the Romans go to the trouble of writing and disseminating such a text? The Jewish War, culminating in the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, had devastated the Mediterranean economy, and the Romans were anxious to prevent another messianic outbreak, which could easily lead to another 500,000 deaths-as the Bar Kochba revolt would demonstrate a generation later. In order to make any reconstruction of the country lasting, the Romans needed to offer the Jews alternative stories that would distract them from the messianic messages inherent in the Torah, and persuade them to accept Roman values. http://www.RodephEmet.org
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The empty words of preachers vs. the harsh reality
A picture is worth more than a thousand empty words of prosperity preachers
Christianity seems to have lost its claim to universal truth when it has limited itself to only a specific time and a specific place in America. Can you imagine any of these American preachers being transported to Auschwitz in 1942?? Or how about the killing fields of Rwanda in 1994? One realizes how irrelevant and limited the christian American message really is. Charlatans and political power lead the way to the frugal and passive Jesus of Nazareth? If Christianity is credible it should be above time and culture not dependent on it.
God wants you rich. Your best life now. Steps to success. These platitudes are limited to geography, time and culture and are not grand or true enough to survive the reality of the whole human experience. This American Christianity is not universal in time or place. It does not deserve the respect of reason nor does it pass the test of justice.
Christianity seems to have lost its claim to universal truth when it has limited itself to only a specific time and a specific place in America. Can you imagine any of these American preachers being transported to Auschwitz in 1942?? Or how about the killing fields of Rwanda in 1994? One realizes how irrelevant and limited the christian American message really is. Charlatans and political power lead the way to the frugal and passive Jesus of Nazareth? If Christianity is credible it should be above time and culture not dependent on it.
God wants you rich. Your best life now. Steps to success. These platitudes are limited to geography, time and culture and are not grand or true enough to survive the reality of the whole human experience. This American Christianity is not universal in time or place. It does not deserve the respect of reason nor does it pass the test of justice.
Sam Harris - the Bible's fallacies
Sam Harris easily dissects the fallacies of the bible and its myriad moral hypocrisies and childish superstitions.
God does not Exist
http://www.strike-the-root.com/71/mol...
Existence is a relatively simple concept -- it is defined as that which consists of either matter or energy. Therefore if a god exists, it must be composed of either matter or energy.
The opposite must also be true. If a god is not composed of matter or energy, then that god, by definition, does not exist. Thus to argue that a god exist, despite a total absence of matter or energy, is to argue, existence equals non-existence, which is a complete contradiction.
If a god exists, then physical evidence is really the only methodology by which we can ascertain that a god exists. Of course, this does not require direct physical evidence -- we cannot perceive black holes directly, but we know that they exist due to the effects of their gravity wells on surrounding matter, as well as the flashes of energy that are released as captured matter crosses the event horizon. But since "existence" is defined as that which is composed of matter or energy, the proof of existence must be some evidence of that matter or energy.
Evidence is defined as that which impacts our physical senses in some manner, either directly, or through some translating device such as a spectrograph or an oscilloscope. Since our sensory organs are designed to perceive the effects of matter and energy, it is through the evidence of the senses that we can determine the existence or nonexistence of things.
If I argue that something exists, but then claim there is no way to detect it, my argument contradicts itself. Let's say I tell a deaf man that I hear a deep, loud sound coming from a speaker. If he lays his hand on it and feels no vibrations, he has every right to be skeptical. If I say that this loud sound does not have vibrations, he may then pull out his trusty microphone or other sound wave detector. If this instrument detects no sound in the vicinity, can I still tell him that this loud sound is occurring? At some point, if my definition of "loud sound" basically boils down to "that which is the opposite of any evidence that a loud sound is occurring," then clearly my approach to truth needs a little work.
This approach helps clarify the truth value of the proposition that a god does not exist. If a god exists, then sensual evidence of some sort is required to determine the existence of that god. If a god is not made up of matter or energy, then that god does not exist, since that which is not composed of matter or energy -- does not exist. If a god is made up of matter and energy, then it is subject to physical laws. Since it is bound by physical laws, miracles are impossible, because miracles are, by definition, violations of physical laws. Likewise, a god cannot be all knowing and all-powerful, since both attributes would violate the basic tenets of physical laws. All knowing would require instantaneous knowledge of all matter, past, present and future, which is clearly impossible, while all powerful would require the ability to break the bounds of physical laws, which brings us back to the realm of nonexistence.
If a god is subject to physical laws, then praying to a god makes about as much sense as worshiping a black hole, begging the Sun to grant you favors, or circumcising your son to appease the moon. If a god is not subject to physical laws, then the concept of a god is synonymous with the concept of non-existence.
Why is there such resistance to the fact that a god does not exist? Many people redefine "God" within their own minds as "a potential form of matter or energy that has not been discovered yet," or "that which could exist in an alternate universe," or something to that effect.
However, either a criterion for determining truth exists, or it does not. If such a criterion exists, then it must be objective, and based on the evidence of the senses and reason, which precludes the existence of any deities. If no such criterion exists, then both everything and nothing is true, and agnosticism, atheism, superstition, religion and the belief of the flying spaghetti monster are all equally valid.
If an objective criterion for truth exists, then it cannot logically be applied according to whim, or only in situations that feel emotionally comfortable. Through this logical method we can determine no god exists.
Actions are more important than beliefs.
Existence is a relatively simple concept -- it is defined as that which consists of either matter or energy. Therefore if a god exists, it must be composed of either matter or energy.
The opposite must also be true. If a god is not composed of matter or energy, then that god, by definition, does not exist. Thus to argue that a god exist, despite a total absence of matter or energy, is to argue, existence equals non-existence, which is a complete contradiction.
If a god exists, then physical evidence is really the only methodology by which we can ascertain that a god exists. Of course, this does not require direct physical evidence -- we cannot perceive black holes directly, but we know that they exist due to the effects of their gravity wells on surrounding matter, as well as the flashes of energy that are released as captured matter crosses the event horizon. But since "existence" is defined as that which is composed of matter or energy, the proof of existence must be some evidence of that matter or energy.
Evidence is defined as that which impacts our physical senses in some manner, either directly, or through some translating device such as a spectrograph or an oscilloscope. Since our sensory organs are designed to perceive the effects of matter and energy, it is through the evidence of the senses that we can determine the existence or nonexistence of things.
If I argue that something exists, but then claim there is no way to detect it, my argument contradicts itself. Let's say I tell a deaf man that I hear a deep, loud sound coming from a speaker. If he lays his hand on it and feels no vibrations, he has every right to be skeptical. If I say that this loud sound does not have vibrations, he may then pull out his trusty microphone or other sound wave detector. If this instrument detects no sound in the vicinity, can I still tell him that this loud sound is occurring? At some point, if my definition of "loud sound" basically boils down to "that which is the opposite of any evidence that a loud sound is occurring," then clearly my approach to truth needs a little work.
This approach helps clarify the truth value of the proposition that a god does not exist. If a god exists, then sensual evidence of some sort is required to determine the existence of that god. If a god is not made up of matter or energy, then that god does not exist, since that which is not composed of matter or energy -- does not exist. If a god is made up of matter and energy, then it is subject to physical laws. Since it is bound by physical laws, miracles are impossible, because miracles are, by definition, violations of physical laws. Likewise, a god cannot be all knowing and all-powerful, since both attributes would violate the basic tenets of physical laws. All knowing would require instantaneous knowledge of all matter, past, present and future, which is clearly impossible, while all powerful would require the ability to break the bounds of physical laws, which brings us back to the realm of nonexistence.
If a god is subject to physical laws, then praying to a god makes about as much sense as worshiping a black hole, begging the Sun to grant you favors, or circumcising your son to appease the moon. If a god is not subject to physical laws, then the concept of a god is synonymous with the concept of non-existence.
Why is there such resistance to the fact that a god does not exist? Many people redefine "God" within their own minds as "a potential form of matter or energy that has not been discovered yet," or "that which could exist in an alternate universe," or something to that effect.
However, either a criterion for determining truth exists, or it does not. If such a criterion exists, then it must be objective, and based on the evidence of the senses and reason, which precludes the existence of any deities. If no such criterion exists, then both everything and nothing is true, and agnosticism, atheism, superstition, religion and the belief of the flying spaghetti monster are all equally valid.
If an objective criterion for truth exists, then it cannot logically be applied according to whim, or only in situations that feel emotionally comfortable. Through this logical method we can determine no god exists.
Actions are more important than beliefs.
Skeletons Tumble out of Evil Catholic Church's Cupboard in India
The Catholic Church has a long legacy of deceit and lies.
Places where religion is dominant invariably take societies back to the dark ages.
Suppressed truths of the history of the catholic church, are documented by three priests in "Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Churchs 2000-year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse" by Thomas P Doyle, AW Richard Sipe and Patrick J Wall, published by Volt Press.
Places where religion is dominant invariably take societies back to the dark ages.
Suppressed truths of the history of the catholic church, are documented by three priests in "Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Churchs 2000-year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse" by Thomas P Doyle, AW Richard Sipe and Patrick J Wall, published by Volt Press.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Frank Turek vs. Christopher Hitchens: What Best Explains Reality: Theism or Atheism?
Filmed at The College of New Jersey, Frank Turek and Christopher Hitchens meet again in their second debate to give their arguments for what best explains reality.
Frank Turek vs. Christopher Hitchens: What Best Explains Reality: Theism or Atheism? from Andrew Ketchum on Vimeo.
Richard Dawkins on Elders with Andrew Denton
"Richard Dawkins is the essence of scientific reason, an evolutionary biologist, a best-selling author, and strident atheist. He's been declared one of the most influential - and provocative - thinkers of our time."
Monday, December 21, 2009
Near Death Experience - Man sees his past lives
A near death experience leads to the Hall of Past Lives.
What's next for Scientology?
Fined for fraud in France, embarrassed on 'Nightline', and dumped by a Hollywood director—what’s next for Scientology?
Oscar-winning writer-director Paul Haggis finally quit Scientology after 32 years slamming it for anti-gay bigotry. Then a French court capped off the week by ordering the church to pay a $900,000 fine for defrauding its members. Watch Scientology spokesperson Tommy Davis, son of actress Anne Archer, prematurely end his Nightline interview.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Evangelical Church welcomes gay Christians
DENVER – The auditorium lights turned low, the service begins with the familiar rhythms of church: children singing, hugs and handshakes of greeting, a plea for donations to fix the boiler.
Then the 55-year-old pastor with spiked gray hair and blue jeans launches into his weekly welcome, a poem-like litany that includes the line "queer or straight here, there's no hate here."
The Rev. Mark Tidd initially used the word "gay." But he changed it to "queer" because it's the preferred term of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people invited to participate fully at Highlands Church.
Tidd is an outlaw pastor of sorts. His community, less than a year old, is an evangelical Christian church guided both by the Apostle's Creed and the belief that gay people can embrace their sexual orientation as God-given and seek fulfillment in committed same-sex relationships.
Disagreements over homosexuality and the Bible have divided mainline Protestant churches for years. In evangelical churches, though, the majority view has held firm — the Bible clearly condemns homosexual acts. The common refrain at evangelical churches: "love the sinner, hate the sin."
But with younger evangelicals and broader society showing greater acceptance of homosexuality, many evangelical churches can expect, at the least, a deeper exploration of the issue.
"Highlands Church represents a breakout position, where you have a gay-affirming stance that moves beyond the traditional kind of liberal-conservative divide," said Mark Achtemeier, an associate professor at University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). "I'm finding lots of moderate conservatives just think there's something wrong with a default position of excluding gays from the life of the church."
David Dockery, president of Union University, a Southern Baptist school in Jackson, Tenn., believes Highlands is — and is likely to remain — outside of the mainstream of evangelical churches.
"I don't think it can be taken for granted anymore that the traditional evangelical view will be adopted by the coming generations given the changes and shifts in our culture," Dockery said.
That makes it all the more important, he says, for evangelical leaders to clearly teach the traditional views on homosexuality.
The people of Highlands Church — those who stood with their renegade pastor and others who left feeling betrayed — have learned that taking an uncommon road comes at a cost.
Richard Dawkins on Police Abuse of Atheists
Richard Dawkins and his wife, Lalla Ward, describe police abuse of atheist David Mills in Huntington, West Virginia. David Mills is author of the book "Atheist Universe." This brief audio excerpt is from "The God Delusion."
Bible In a Minute
Ever wanted to learn everything and yet nothing about the Bible all at the same time? Then this video is for you...
*Check out their other videos at: www.myspace.com/baratsandbereta
"BIBLE IN A MINUTE"
EARTH MADE, ADAM EVE
CAIN KILLS ABEL, HAS TO LEAVE
BORING GENEALOGY
GREAT FLOOD, OLIVE LEAF
TOWER BABEL, ABRAHAM
SODOM AND GOMORRAH AND
ISAAC, JACOB, JOSEPH, MOSES
TEN COMMANDS, PROMISED LAND
JUDGES, DAVID, SOLOMON
SENT AWAY TO BABYLON
JOB, THEN A BUNCH OF PSALMS
PROVERBS AND THE SONG OF SONGS
MAJOR PROPHETS, LION DEN
MINOR PROPHETS, BETHLEHEM
GOLD AND MYRRH AND FRANKINCENSE
SATAN AND SAMARITAN
CHOOSE DISCIPLES, OTHER CHEEK
WALK ON WATER, THOUSANDS EAT
LAZARUS, FIG TREE
LAST SUPPER, GETHSEMANE
BLOOD MONEY, THIRD DENIAL
PONTIUS PILATE, PUBLIC TRIAL
FORTY LASHES, TO THE TREE
WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
THIRD DAY, EMPTY TOMB
REAPPEARS, FIVE WOUNDS
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES NEXT
EPISTLES AND APOCALYPSE
EARTH MADE, ADAM EVE
CAIN KILLS ABEL, HAS TO LEAVE
BORING GENEALOGY
GREAT FLOOD, OLIVE LEAF
TOWER BABEL, ABRAHAM
SODOM AND GOMORRAH AND
ISAAC, JACOB, JOSEPH, MOSES
TEN COMMANDS, PROMISED LAND
JUDGES, DAVID, SOLOMON
SENT AWAY TO BABYLON
JOB, THEN A BUNCH OF PSALMS
PROVERBS AND THE SONG OF SONGS
MAJOR PROPHETS, LION DEN
MINOR PROPHETS, BETHLEHEM
GOLD AND MYRRH AND FRANKINCENSE
SATAN AND SAMARITAN
CHOOSE DISCIPLES, OTHER CHEEK
WALK ON WATER, THOUSANDS EAT
LAZARUS, FIG TREE
LAST SUPPER, GETHSEMANE
BLOOD MONEY, THIRD DENIAL
PONTIUS PILATE, PUBLIC TRIAL
FORTY LASHES, TO THE TREE
WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
THIRD DAY, EMPTY TOMB
REAPPEARS, FIVE WOUNDS
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES NEXT
EPISTLES AND APOCALYPSE
*Check out their other videos at: www.myspace.com/baratsandbereta
The Good Word II: Missionary Rap
When two missionaries struggle with door to door conversions they take their good word to the streetz...
Lyrics:
Get Down! On a knee.
We'll bust thee a righteous decree,
Pour out a 40 for the glorious G.O.D.
Say yes, be blessed, and rock V.I.P
Drinking juice with Jehovah, and gin with J.C.
You'll pay the price if you give into vice, so think twice,
You better tomahawk this mother-lovin' oop from Christ.
Matthew one-six, colon, one-eight doc,
he can't build you a church unless you pass him the rock.
We're on a mission to christen,
We're spittin' acts of contrition,
We're fishin' out opposition ,
With biblical ammunition.
No dismissin' tradition,
No transitioning positions,
You call that Christian, you trippin,
Don't make us go inquisition.
Shake what God gave ya 8x
Get Down! On a knee.
We'll bust thee a righteous decree,
Pour out a 40 for the glorious G.O.D.
Say yes, be blessed, and rock V.I.P
Drinking juice with Jehovah, and gin with J.C.
You'll pay the price if you give into vice, so think twice,
You better tomahawk this mother-lovin' oop from Christ.
Matthew one-six, colon, one-eight doc,
he can't build you a church unless you pass him the rock.
We're on a mission to christen,
We're spittin' acts of contrition,
We're fishin' out opposition ,
With biblical ammunition.
No dismissin' tradition,
No transitioning positions,
You call that Christian, you trippin,
Don't make us go inquisition.
Shake what God gave ya 8x
Outnumbered - Awkward Questions about Jesus
Young Ben asks the vicar some awkward questions about Jesus -- a couple of short clips from the British comedy show, Outnumbered -- http://rationaldreaming.com
Separation Of Church & State
Best viewed full-screen.
Founding Fathers & Others on the separation of church & state.
All music by Ministers Of Dub: www.ministersofdub.co.uk
Founding Fathers & Others on the separation of church & state.
All music by Ministers Of Dub: www.ministersofdub.co.uk
Christmas, Hanukkah & The Hajj Emerged from The Roman Sacred Saturnalia Festival
Explaining, backed up with EVIDENCE, where the festivals of Christ-mass, Hanukkah and the Hajj originated from. These sacred holy festivals and their religious faiths originated from the Roman empire sacred festival of the Saturnalia & the worship of Iulius Caesar the Christ.
VISTA - The World's Most Powerful Survey Telescope
ESOcast 12: VISTA - A Pioneering New Survey Telescope Starts Work.
VISTA (the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) is a new telescope that has just started work at ESOs Paranal Observatory in Chile and has made its first release of pictures.
VISTA is a survey telescope working at infrared wavelengths and is the worlds largest survey telescope. Its large mirror, wide field of view and very sensitive detectors will reveal a completely new view of the southern sky.
Spectacular pictures of the Flame Nebula, the Centre of the Milky Way and the Fornax Galaxy Cluster show that it is working very well.
VISTA is the latest telescope to be added to ESOs Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It is housed on the peak adjacent to the one hosting the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) and shares the same exceptional observing conditions.
VISTA's main mirror is 4.1 metres across and is the most highly curved mirror of this size and quality ever made — its deviations from a perfect surface are less than a few thousandths of the thickness of a human hair — and its construction and polishing presented formidable challenges.
VISTA was conceived and developed by a consortium of 18 universities in the United Kingdom led by Queen Mary, University of London and became an in-kind contribution to ESO as part of the UK's accession agreement. The telescope design and construction were project-managed by the Science and Technology Facilities Council's UK Astronomy Technology Centre (STFC, UK ATC).
Provisional acceptance of VISTA was formally granted by ESO at a ceremony at ESO's Headquarters in Garching, Germany, attended by representatives of Queen Mary, University of London and STFC, on 10 December 2009 and the telescope will now be operated by ESO.
Read more: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/pr...
ESOcast is produced by ESO, the European Southern Observatory. ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in astronomy designing, constructing and operating the worlds most advanced ground-based telescopes.
• http://www.eso.org/
VISTA (the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) is a new telescope that has just started work at ESOs Paranal Observatory in Chile and has made its first release of pictures.
VISTA is a survey telescope working at infrared wavelengths and is the worlds largest survey telescope. Its large mirror, wide field of view and very sensitive detectors will reveal a completely new view of the southern sky.
Spectacular pictures of the Flame Nebula, the Centre of the Milky Way and the Fornax Galaxy Cluster show that it is working very well.
VISTA is the latest telescope to be added to ESOs Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It is housed on the peak adjacent to the one hosting the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) and shares the same exceptional observing conditions.
VISTA's main mirror is 4.1 metres across and is the most highly curved mirror of this size and quality ever made — its deviations from a perfect surface are less than a few thousandths of the thickness of a human hair — and its construction and polishing presented formidable challenges.
VISTA was conceived and developed by a consortium of 18 universities in the United Kingdom led by Queen Mary, University of London and became an in-kind contribution to ESO as part of the UK's accession agreement. The telescope design and construction were project-managed by the Science and Technology Facilities Council's UK Astronomy Technology Centre (STFC, UK ATC).
Provisional acceptance of VISTA was formally granted by ESO at a ceremony at ESO's Headquarters in Garching, Germany, attended by representatives of Queen Mary, University of London and STFC, on 10 December 2009 and the telescope will now be operated by ESO.
Read more: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/pr...
ESOcast is produced by ESO, the European Southern Observatory. ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in astronomy designing, constructing and operating the worlds most advanced ground-based telescopes.
• http://www.eso.org/
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