Debunking Christian Apologetics: Josephus

http://www.godvsthebible.com

If I was a Christian, I would be embarrassed to even mention the name "Josephus". However, Christian apologetics is truly a shameless profession and their sleazy snake-oil sales tactics are underscored by their attempts to keep the ancient Jewish Roman historian on the witness stand.

The Testimonium Flavianum is a Christian forgery. Christians, get over it.
The Jamesian Reference refers to Jesus Bar Damneus, though apologists cut the quoted paragraph short before this becomes clear.

Scientific Thinking And Moral Philosophy

Richard Dawkins @ Big Think: While science is indelibly distinct from the field of ethics, Richard Dawkins believes that there are a number of ways in which its facts and reasoning could greatly benefit our ability to understand and repair the worlds suffering.




Question: Can Science shed light on any moral issues?

Richard Dawkins: Science is not in the business of shedding light on moral debates, but I think it can do sometimes -- the whole subject of moral philosophy, of examining moral questions in a logical way to expose inconsistencies, for example.

When you're looking at moral questions, so-called moral questions, like abortion or euthanasia, you can show that people who take a very strong absolutist line may be being inconsistent with themselves because they are taking a strong line on one thing while at the same time inconsistently not taking a similarly strong line on another.

So that would be a scientific way of thinking; it's not science per se. It's moral philosophy, but it's a kind of scientific way of thinking. But also I think scientific facts can illuminate moral debate. In the case of abortion again, for example, a scientist might contribute to the debate information about at what point during the development of an embryo the nervous system comes into being.

And presumably, before the nervous system comes into existence there is no ability to feel pain or to suffer. And so maybe something important happens at the moment when the nervous system comes into being.

On the other hand, you might say, well, even when a human embryo develops a nervous system and develops the capacity to perhaps suffer, it's still a much smaller nervous system than the nervous system of an adult cow. And so what about balancing the suffering of a human embryo against the suffering of an adult cow when it's being slaughtered for meat.

An absolutist moralist would say, well, humans are just plain special, and cows are not humans, so they don't deserve the same moral consideration. But a scientist might come along and say, well, what do you mean by that? I mean we are, after all, all evolved; we're all cousins.

At what point in the evolution -- since we know evolution is a fact -- at what point in the evolution of humans would you suddenly draw the line and say, all right, from now on they're all human and before that they're not?

In the evolutionary progression from the common ancestors with chimpanzees, who lived about six or seven million years ago, to modern humans, going through creatures which might have looked a bit like Lucy, might have looked a bit like the newly discovered fossil Ardi, would you have given special human moral ethical consideration to Lucy? Or would you count Lucy as though she was a chimpanzee?

Does this perhaps suggest to you that we shouldn't be in the business of drawing lines between species in this kind of way, and maybe these lines should be regarded as more fuzzy and less clear cut. Our absolutist moralities that do draw hard and fast lines between humans and all other species -- even taking a human fetus and calling that human, whereas an adult chimpanzee is not and doesn't deserve the same moral consideration -- is that consistent with science? These are ways that science can at least inform moral discussions.

Question: Is there ever a point where scientific reasoning can harm society?

Richard Dawkins: You can, I suppose, make a utilitarian justification for obnoxious practices. You could make a utilitarian justification for torture. Moral philosophers sometimes pose the hypothetical case where the world is about to be blown up.

Only one person knows the secret password to stop the doomsday bomb going off. This one person is a suicide bomber who refuses to give up the password. Are you right to torture him? And most people, I think, say you are. I mean, it's a horrible thing to torture somebody, but under those extreme conditions, to save the world you would torture somebody. And that would be a utilitarian justification for an otherwise obnoxious practice such as torture.

http://bigthink.com/

SHARIA LAW: 90 lashes for a 13 year old Muslim girl in Saudi Arabia

90 lashes for a Muslim girl in Saudi Arabia for taking phone to school.

Nazi Germany - A Creation of the Vatican and Jesuits

Religious Superstition And False Hope - The Atheist Experience #560

Peter Popoff, Religious Superstition And False Hope (The Atheist Experience #560 with Matt Dillahunty & Martin Wagner).

Jesus Rifles De-Scriptured

Aired on The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, January 21, 2010.

How the Bible Explains Suffering

Bart Ehrman is renowned for his contributions to the field of religious studies, focusing on New Testament interpretation and the history of ancient Christianity in the first three centuries AD. Series: UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lectures [9/2008] [Humanities] [Show ID: 14693]

The Secret Life of Chaos (2010)

"Chaos theory has a bad name, conjuring up images of unpredictable weather, economic crashes and science gone wrong. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists are only now beginning to understand.

It turns out that chaos theory answers a question that mankind has asked for millennia - how did we get here?

In this documentary, Professor Jim Al-Khalili sets out to uncover one of the great mysteries of science - how does a universe that starts off as dust end up with intelligent life? How does order emerge from disorder?

It's a mindbending, counterintuitive and for many people a deeply troubling idea. But Professor Al-Khalili reveals the science behind much of beauty and structure in the natural world and discovers that far from it being magic or an act of God, it is in fact an intrinsic part of the laws of physics. Amazingly, it turns out that the mathematics of chaos can explain how and why the universe creates exquisite order and pattern.

The natural world is full of awe-inspiring examples of the way nature transforms simplicity into complexity. From trees to clouds to humans - after watching this film you'll never be able to look at the world in the same way again."

How Did You Lose Your Religion?

Rex Navarette - Easter!

Rex Navarette - Hella Pinoy - Catholic Church

Disowning Family Members For Religious Dogma - The Atheist Experience #614

"Disowning Family Members For Religious Dogma". This is a clip from The Atheist Experience #614, "TAM Recap. Matt recaps his visit to The Amazing Meeting 7.", with Matt Dillahunty and Martin Wagner: http://blip.tv/file/2380391

The Bible - An Honest Search For The Truth

Explaining Evolution To A Creationist

Blackadder: "Explaining Evolution To A Creationist"
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/blackadder/



Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments.

All episodes star Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and his dogsbody, Baldrick. Each series is set in a different historical period: apart from Blackadder and Baldrick, the main characters are different in each series.

The first series was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, while subsequent episodes were written by Curtis and Ben Elton. The shows were produced by John Lloyd.

In 2000 the fourth series, Blackadder Goes Forth, ranked at 16 in the "100 Greatest British Television Programmes", a list created by the British Film Institute. Also in the 2004 TV poll to find "Britain's Best Sitcom", Blackadder was voted the second best British sitcom of all time, topped by Only Fools and Horses. It was also ranked as the 20th Best TV Show of All Time by Empire Magazine.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackadder

God Is Smart!

"God is smart: Human sacrifice. Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac. Godless comedy from That Mitchell and Webb Look.



Bible story: Abraham's Sacrifice of his son Isaac.

When Isaac became a young boy, God spoke to Abraham and commanded him to take his son to Mount Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice to God. This was Gods test of Abrahams faith. Abraham loved his son very much, but did not hesitate to follow Gods words for he was a man whose faith in God was strong.

As Abraham and his son reached the place where the sacrifice was to be performed, Isaac said to his father, "Father, where is the lamb that is to be sacrificed?" Abraham replied, "My son, God will provide the lamb."

It is not known how eventually Abraham told his son that he was to be the sacrifice, but Isaac laid on the sacrificial place ready to be sacrificed for god.

As Abraham was taking out his knife, his hands were trembling. He was about to sacrifice his son when heard the voice of God saying, "Abraham, Stop! Do not hurt your son. You have proven your faith and shown how much you love Me by willing to sacrifice your son for Me. Therefore, I shall bless you and your family, and through you, I shall bless all the nations on earth."

Jesus, Interrupted by Bart D. Ehrman

The problems with the Bible-that New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman discussed in his New York Times bestseller Misquoting Jesus-are expanded exponentially in his new book JESUS, INTERRUPTED. Here we find not only that Christian scribes altered the texts of their sacred Scripture, but also that the books of Scripture themselves, in their original forms, are often completely at odds with one another on such key issues as:

• Who Jesus was and how salvation works
• Why the New Testament contains books that were forged in the names of the apostles by Christians living decades later
• Did Paul, Matthew, John, and Jesus represent different religions?
• How standard Christian doctrines were the inventions of still later theologians

These are not idiosyncratic perspectives of just one modern scholar: as Ehrman skillfully demonstrates, they have been the standard and widespread views of critical scholars for over a century. Why is it that most people have never heard such things? As Ehrman argues, it is because scholars have failed to communicate their findings with the general public, and because pastors who learn this information when studying for the ministry have chosen not to share it with the people in the pews.

Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them)
Author: Bart D. Ehrman
ISBN: 9780061173936

Produced, Shot, and Edited by Abby Berendt

Physics of The Impossible - How to Travel to a Parallel Universe, with Michio Kaku

How to Travel to a Parallel Universe: Dr. Kaku is on a mission to design a gateway to a parallel universe but which type should he visit? MIT cosmologist Alan Guth explains his recipe for creating your own universe in the lab, and physicist Neil Turok explains how a parallel universe is only an atom's length away from us..

The Link - Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestors

The Link - An incredible 95 percent complete fossil of a 47-million-year-old human ancestor has been discovered and, after two years of secret study, an international team of scientists has revealed it to the world. The fossil's remarkable state of preservation allows an unprecedented glimpse into early human evolution.

Religious Idiocy

Finally top Bible scholar "Professor Bart D. Ehrman" leaves Christianity.

Bart D. Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar and textual critic of early Christianity. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has written about how the original New Testament texts were frequently altered by scribes for a variety of reasons, and argues that these alterations affect the interpretation of the texts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_D._...

Dr Bart D Ehrman - Bible Scholar - The Truth about The Bible

Don't believe anything starting 3:25. There is also not a rag of truth in the Quran or Judaism. There is no god and you know it. If you don't, go learn Science and study history. LOL

Did Jesus rise from the dead? - Bart Ehrman vs William Lane Craig

Misquoting Jesus, Stanford Lecture, How the Bible is Tainted

"Misquoting Jesus: Scribes Who Altered Scripture and Readers Who May Never Know," a textual criticism of Biblical manuscript tampering by Bart Ehrman, Professor or Religious Studies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

God: The Love Born of Terror.

Religion is a love born of terror. Like children, we WILL love what takes our fear away as if it WERE our parent.

But a good parent never fills its child with shame, or an inferiority complex.

If you understand why a person touches wood you understand, to some extent, why people talk to gods. To partially explain the existence of religion you need only explain the existence of superstition. To explain THAT, you need to explain that "spooky" feeling we get. I think I can, though it's just an opinion. I think "spookiness" is an instinct we HAD to evolve in order to survive, to keep us out of the shadows at all costs.

Understanding an instinct often removes much of its power over you.

Evidence of the claim in the video that pre-existing traits can be accentuated within 10 generations can be found in the following video (beginning around the 7.30 mark), where wild foxes are selected for passivity and bred, resulting in obvious (and somewhat shocking) affection and trust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYV9rb...
continued in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4efKgf...

Nice Guys Finish First - Richard Dawkins

A 1986 documentary from the BBC Horizon series. In this video Richard Dawkins explains how natural selection can favor co-operation in nature, so long as it is of benefit to the selfish gene.

His search for stable co-operate strategies, which remain unaffected by cheating and exploitation involves an extraordinary game known as the Prisoners' Dilemma, normally used by psychologists to study human behavior.

In their attempts to earn real money, players must wrestle with a dilemma - whether to follow their natural instincts of co-operation or the dictates of reason and behave selfishly.

Know God, No Peace; No God, Know Peace

"Peace Is Non-Theistic" by
• http://www.youtube.com/EpochOfReason#...

"Vision of Humanity groups together a number of interrelated initiatives focused on global peace. It brings a strategic approach to raising the worlds attention and awareness around the importance of peacefulness to humanitys survival in the 21st century."
• http://www.visionofhumanity.org



The Vision of Humanity Global Peace Index survey accounts for internal and external conflicts and the subsequent losses incurred, Including that of potential terrorist acts. Relationships with neighbouring countries and overall political stability.

Perceptions of criminality in society, violent and non violent crime rates and intentional homicidal displacement ratios to the overall population. Capital prison population, capital police officer population. Military expenditure, capability, sophistication and number of armed personnel.

Volume transfer of conventional weapons both import and export and ease of access to minor. UN peacekeeping funding, overall UN involvement and capital respect for human rights ...

The overall functionality of government, the Electoral process, Political participation and overall political culture. Civil liberties, corruption perceptions, Women in parliament, Democracy Index, Gender Inequality, freedom of the press, export and import % of GDP and foreign direct investment flow. Number of visitors as % of domestic population, and net migration.

Gender and age ratios, regional & international framework/conditions and framework of regional integration. Education spending, primary, secondary and higher school enrolment ratio, mean years of schooling and adult literacy rate. Hostility to foreigners, importance of religion in national life, willingness to fight. Nominal GDP, per capital, unemployment percentage, life expectancy and infant mortality rate.

With that said, the Global Peace Index is detailed and comprehensive to say the very least. Utilizing the results generated from each of the ten most religiously concentrated Islamic, Christian and Non-theistic Atheist nations I have compared them directly as to express the clear and distinct correlation between religion and conflict.

But more importantly, the apparent correlation between non-theism and peace. As the numbers clearly demonstrate, religion is a negative driving force, pulling us backwards. Non-theism is a positive driving force, pushing us towards the future.

The percentages of both theists and non-theists were taken from sources such as Adherents and Wikipedia, rounded to the largest denomination and then compared to official demographics produced by academic institutions. Its almost impossible to gain a specific percentage in all cases, though you need to factor in those whom have not yet come out of the theistic closet.

Regardless, the message remains the same; non-theism is clearly a positive driving force whilst theism remains a negative influence upon our global society.

They have done so by conducting a very detailed and extremely accurate statistical study in 2008 of 144 major countries and have allocated them a rating based upon many political, economic, social and academic factors in an effort to view a given nations merit of peace.

-EpochOfReason

Richard Dawkins - Science is the poetry of reality

Some selected clips from 'The Root of All Evil?' series.

Hardball: Christopher Hitchens vs Ken Blackwell on the US Being a Christian Nation

From Hardball April 8, 2009.

Jerry Falwell & Pat Robertson in: The 666 Club by O.B.R.

Music by OBR, Video by Kipp McLeod. Lyrics and music by George D'range. All's well that Fallswell! (1933-2007)

For more music by this band look out for http://oogieboogierockers.com, still under construction.

Or go to www.myspace.com/oogieboogierockers

Pat Robertson calls God a liar

From Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Since 2007 has passed, we can think of reasons why this prediction went sour. Either God does not exists. Or if he does, he does not talks to Pat Robertson anymore. Or he does talk to Pat Robertson, but lies to him, just like this clip suggests.

Area 51 Revealed

History Channel: AREA 51 REVEALED

AREA 51 REVEALED

The world's most infamous secret base is growing...

On October 26th, 1994, the U.S. government made their first official acknowledgment of Area 51. Six months later, nearly 4,000 acres of previously public land surrounding the base were closed.

Now, over a decade later, satellite photos reveal new buildings, towers, and runways finishing construction.

Secret flights with blacked-out windows bring passengers from Las Vegas. And security surrounding the perimeter of the base is tighter than ever.

The team heads to the epicenter of UFO and military conspiracy theories to visit new vantage points, speak with former base employees, and search the skies above America's most top-secret facility.

RDF TV - "Teach the Controversy" - A.C. Grayling

Philosopher A.C. Grayling explains why "Teaching the Controversy" isn't a good approach to science education, whether it's regarding Evolution, Astronomy or Medicine.




If you enjoy content like this, please consider donating to RDFRS here:
http://richarddawkinsfoundation.org/f...,donations

Visit A.C. Grayling's website at:
http://acgrayling.com/

Get the RDF TV podcast through iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZ...

Download Quikctime:
Web: http://c0116791.cdn.cloudfiles.racksp...
720p HD: http://c0116791.cdn.cloudfiles.racksp...

Filmed by
JOSH TIMONEN

Edited by
JOSH TIMONEN
JOEL PASHBY

Presented by
THE RICHARD DAWKINS FOUNDATION
FOR REASON & SCIENCE

Birth of Voodoo

Voodoo was born in the West African nation of Benin. And here it is an official religion.

See All National Geographic Videos http://video.nationalgeogra...

Inside Darwin's Mind

The oddity of flightless birds leads Darwin to question the intentions of the Creator.

Before Time and Space

No explosion beats the Big Bang -- even if it was completely silent.

Matt Dillahunty vs. Ray Comfort - The Banana Battle!

Ray won't debate Matt? Then we'll make it seem as if they are. This is a smashed up video to bring to you the most unlikely of events: Matt vs. Ray!

In this clip of the debate, Ray Comfort argues that the banana was created by his "god" while Matt disagrees (very well).

Hitchens: Properly Going Off Script

Hitchens doing what he does best.

How To Properly Debate A Christian

A few thoughts from a former believer.

NASA STS-88 black transforming UFO

The best official NASA UFO Pictures from the STS 88 Mission.
http://alienforces.wordpress.com/2009...

Music
Album: Century CD 14 - L'Allemagne du Baroque
NR. 6: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen BWV 12 (Kantate)

The truth of Romans 13, and ditching the funny money

Fueled by Religious Fervor

The God Who Wasn't There

This video is FAIR USE, and it's reproduction on this site and others is encouraged by the producers.

"WackJobs for Jesus"

Funny, Crazy, Weird Preacher - "WackJobs for Jesus"

Bill Maher's Evolution vs Creationism

Hitchens vs. Hitchens on religion debate

Brothers Christopher and Peter Hitchens debate the Iraq War and religion at an event organized by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies with the support of the Center for Inquiry and the Interfaith Dialogue Association.

Go to their official page for the full debate.

Celebrities against Jesus and the Bible

Bill Maher on Good Day LA.

The War On Christianity

Bill Maher commentary on politics and religion.

Eden is an Illusion

"Eden is an Illusion" by
• http://www.youtube.com/GStolyarovII

Beyond being destructive, the Eden myth is simply false. There never was a "better" state from which human beings have "descended." Mr. Stolyarov explores why the Fall is an illusion that ought to be abandoned.



Gennady Stolyarov II is a science fiction novelist, independent philosophical essayist, poet, amateur mathematician, composer, contributor to Enter Stage Right, Le Quebecois Libre, Rebirth of Reason, and the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Senior Writer for The Liberal Institute, weekly columnist for GrasstopsUSA.com, and Editor-in-Chief of The Rational Argumentator, a magazine championing the principles of reason, rights, and progress.

• http://rationalargumentator.com
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/user...

Why Fight Religion?

"Why Fight Religion?" by
http://www.youtube.com/themanofearth

You make your own Christianity

Doug Stanhope "You make your own Christianity"



www.dougstanhope.com

Funny Atheist Quotes

A selection of some famous and not so famous quotes that will hopefully tickle the funny bone of every rational thinker. (And yes, not every quote is from an atheist.)

Background song is "In Heaven" by Pop Smear.

The Chaser's War on Everything: Thank Allah You're Here

The Iraq version of the ever popular Australian series "Thank God You're Here"

The Chaser's War on Everything - Islamic Fashion Week

Designers have been accused of an Anglo-centric bias in their new spring collection.

Chasers War On Everything - Muslim Photos

Chaser's War on Everything tries an experiment about an "American" versus "Muslim" photographer.

The Biggest Muslim [Chaser's War on Everything]

A bit from Australia's funniest show on TV--"Chaser's War on Everything"--about the over coverage of Muslims on TV in Australia. Pretty funny stuff.

The Chaser's War on Everything: the eternal sin

The Chaser gang see if we have learnt our lesson from history by seeing if people will eat an apple offered to them by a serpent.

Episode 03, 2007

Important Message From God To All Atheists

mportant Message From God To All Atheists - The Atheist Experience #535 with Matt Dillahunty and Ashley Perrien.

You Gotta Love God!

A short clip from Ricky Gervais' stand-up show "Fame", where he turns his comic attention to the world of the celebrity and everything that fame can bring, both good and bad.



Ricky Gervais is an English comedian, actor, film-maker and broadcaster. Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series "The Office" and the subsequent series "Extras", both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant.

Besides writing and directing the shows, Gervais played the lead roles of David Brent in "The Office" and Andy Millman in "Extras". Gervais has starred in a number of Hollywood films, assuming leading roles in "Ghost Town" and "The Invention of Lying".

Ricky Gervais has performed on three sell-out stand-up comedy tours, written the best-selling Flanimals book series and starred with Merchant and Karl Pilkington in the most downloaded podcast of all time, "The Ricky Gervais Show".

He has accumulated a multitude of awards and honours throughout his career, including seven BAFTA Awards, four British Comedy Awards, three Golden Globes, two Emmys and the 2006 Rose d'Or, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Stand-up comedy: "Fame" was the subject of some controversy in January 2007, when Gervais told a story, ostensibly about how people will do anything to become famous, to a Scottish audience.

The story referred to a question asked of Gervais five years earlier by a reporter: what could someone do to become famous like you? To which he replied, "Go out and kill a prostitute". He followed up with the punchline, "I won't do that bit in Ipswich", referring to the December 2006 murders of five prostitutes in Ipswich.

The joke drew criticism from the father of one of the victims. Gervais did not apologise but did defend himself: "I do want people to know that that happened five years ago and is not related to anything now. That is the problem with comedy, a joke that is funny today can be a terrible faux pas tomorrow".

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Ge...

Imagine There's No Heaven

Stephen Fry @ BigThink: Imagine There's No Heaven.




Interview Transcript

Stephen Fry: The most important philosophy I think is that even if it isnt true you must absolutely assume there is no afterlife.

You cannot for one second I think, abbragate the responsibility of believing that this is it because if you think youre going to have an eternity in which you can talk to Mozart and Chopin and Schopenhauer on a cloud and learn stuff and you know really get to grips with knowledge and understanding and so you wont bother now.

I think its a terrible, a terrible mistake. It may be that there is an afterlife and Ill look incredibly stupid, but at least I will have had a crammed pre afterlife, a crammed life, so to me the most important thing is you know as Kipling put it, to fill every 60 seconds with you know what is it? To fill every unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run.

You know absolutely, so thats all Im saying I suppose. Is that there is no point wasting time being lazy, though of course indolence in a divine way, actually has its advantages.

• http://bigthink.com/

Bad Religion: Atheist Peace

Bad Religion: Atheist Peace From the album: The Empire Strikes First



Lyrics:

Maybe its too late for intellectual debate,
but a residue of confusion remains.

Changing with the times,
and developmentally tortured minds
are the average citizens sources of pain.

Tell me what were fighting for—
I dont remember anymore,
only temporary reprieve

And the world might cease
if we fail to tame the beast
from the faith that you release
comes an atheist peace.

Atheist peace.

Political forces render
bitter cold winds of discontent,
and the modern age emerged triumphantly.
But now it seemed we've stalled,
And its time to de-evolve
and relive the dark chapters of history

Tell me what were fighting for—
No progress ever came from war,
only a false sense of increase

and the world wont wait
for the truth upon a plate
but were ready now to feast on an atheist peace.

Atheist peace

Marcus Brigstocke On Religion

Marcus Brigstocke rants about religion. Brigstocke has a great, and very accurate, rant directed at the religious and thier childish, selfish and primitive beliefs (audio from "The Now Show", BBC Radio 4).



Marcus Brigstocke (born 8 May 1973) is an English comedian and satirist who has worked extensively in stand-up comedy, television and radio. He is particularly associated with the 6.30pm comedy slot on BBC Radio 4, having frequently appeared on several of its shows.

(Source: Wikipedia)

http://www.marcusbrigstocke.com/

Definitive Proof Of God: A Sign From The Messiah Himself

Definitive Proof Of God: A Sign From The Messiah Himself - Monty Python's "Life of Brian".

Monty Python's official YouTube channel:
• http://www.youtube.com/MontyPython




Monty Python's "Life of Brian" (1979)

Following the success of "Holy Grail", reporters asked for the title of the next Monty Python film, despite the fact that the team had not even begun to consider a third one. Eventually, Idle once flippantly replied "Jesus Christ - Lust for Glory", which became the group's stock answer once they realised that it shut reporters up. However, they soon began to seriously consider a film lampooning the New Testament era in the same way "Holy Grail" had lampooned Arthurian legend. All sharing a distrust of organised religion, they agreed that there was nothing to mock about Jesus and his teachings. Instead, they decided to write a satire on credulity and hypocrisy among the followers of someone mistaken for the "Messiah", but who had no desire to be followed as such. Chapman was cast in the lead role of Brian.

The focus therefore shifted to a separate individual born at the same time, in a neighbouring stable. When Jesus does appear in the film (first, as a baby in the stable, and then later on the Mount, speaking the Beatitudes), he is played straight (by actor Kenneth Colley) and portrayed with respect. The comedy begins when members of the crowd mishear his statements of peace, love and tolerance ("I think he said, 'blessed are the cheesemakers'").

Directing duties were handled solely by Jones, having amicably agreed with Gilliam that Jones' approach to film-making was better suited for Python's general performing style. Holy Grail's production had often been stilted by their differences behind the camera. Gilliam again contributed two animated sequences (one being the opening credits) and took charge of set design. The film was shot on location in Tunisia, the finances being provided this time by former Beatle George Harrison, who formed the production company Handmade Films for the movie. He had a cameo role as the 'owner of the Mount'.

Despite its subject matter attracting controversy, particularly upon its initial release, it has (together with its predecessor) been ranked amongst the greatest comedy films. A Channel 4 poll in 2005 ranked "Holy Grail" in sixth place, with "Life of Brian" at the top.

Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is a group of six comedians who created Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on October 5, 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series. The Python phenomenon developed from the television series into something larger in scope and impact, spawning touring stage shows, films, numerous albums, several books and a stage musical, and launching the members to individual stardom. The group's influence on comedy has been compared to The Beatles' influence on music.

The television series, broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974, was conceived, written and performed by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Loosely structured as a sketch show but with an innovative stream-of-consciousness approach (aided by Gilliam's animations), it pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style and content.

A self-contained comedy team responsible for both writing and performing their work, they changed the way performers entertained audiences. The Pythons' creative control allowed them to experiment with form and content, discarding rules of television comedy. Their influence on British comedy has been apparent for years, while in North America it has coloured the work of cult performers from the early editions of Saturday Night Live through to more recent absurdist trends in television comedy. "Pythonesque" has entered the English lexicon as a result.

In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, three of the six members were voted by fellow comedians and comedy insiders to be among the top 50 greatest comedians ever—Palin was at number 30, Idle at 21 and Cleese at 2.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Py...
.

How we know the Bible is true

"How we know the Bible is true" by
• http://www.youtube.com/keippernicus

As if anyone really needed additional help understanding why the bible is true, and how we know that it is the case. Or not?

Contradictions:
• http://www.infidels.org/library/moder...
Scientific Errors:
• http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/index.ph...
Skeptic's Annotated:
• http://skepticsannotatedbible.com



This video takes a very simple stance, i.e. if the bible was really the word of god then it would be so readily obvious that there could be no doubt of its veracity. This is not what we see instead we see that it is just another book written by humans for humans and with all the baggage and errors one would find in anything from a great play to a shoddy romance novel.

Also excellent work and kudos to nonstampcollector, his stuff is hilarious and worth checking out.
• Channel: http://www.youtube.com/NonStampCollector
• Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOfjkl...

The Bible Is True!

The Chaser's War on Everything: The Bible Is True!

Praise The Lord!

The Chaser's War on Everything: Praise The Lord! - Hillsong Christian Rock Music.



The Chaser's War on Everything was an Australian television satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television station ABC1. It has won an AFI Award. The cast perform sketches mocking social and political issues, and often feature comedic publicity stunts.

The series is produced by the Australian satirical group, The Chaser, consisting of Chris Taylor, Julian Morrow, Craig Reucassel, Andrew Hansen, and Chas Licciardello. Fellow Chaser members Dominic Knight and Charles Firth are not part of the regular on-screen cast. However, Knight is a writer, and Firth compiled roving reports for the show from the United States, until he left the group to start a satirical newspaper in mid-2007.

The show premiered on 17 February 2006 and has since produced 58 episodes, broadcast over three seasons between 2006 to 2007 as well as during 2009. The first season was broadcast at an unstable late timeslot on Friday nights. The second and third seasons were broadcast in a more favourable timeslot of Wednesdays at 9 pm. The show did not return in 2008, but returned on the 27th of May 2009 for the third season featuring only ten episodes.

Following the controversy of the "Make a Realistic Wish Foundation" sketch, the third season was reduced to 8 episodes, being suspended for 2 weeks.

The stunts displayed on the show have often been controversial. For example, on 14 July 2006, Licciardello was charged after selling fake knives to Bulldogs fans outside one of their rugby league games. Licciardello was again arrested, alongside Morrow and nine crew members, on 6 September 2007 after breaching security at the 2007 APEC summit.

The last episode of the series was aired on 29 July 2009, and rated an average national audience of 1.45 million.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chas...
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/

(c) ABC TV

Why Does God Matter?

Why does god matter? Christopher Hitchens explains why the concept of gods is important.

Philosophy, Logic And Reason

Stephen Fry @ BigThink: Philosophy, Logic And Reason.




Interview Transcript

Question: What philosophers influenced you?

Stephen Fry: Philosophy is an odd thing. When we use the word in everyday speech you know you sometimes hear it hilariously. They say, Oh, its never good to be late. Thats my philosophy.

You think thats a generous description of that rather dull precept to call it a philosophy, but its odd how philosophers generally speaking, at least the ones Ive read or the ones I you know value, dont have in that sense a philosophy. There is no particular Socratic or Dimechian or Kantian way to live your life. They dont offer ethical codes and standards by which to live your life.

They dont offer a philosophy to follow. They just simply raise an enormous number of questions mostly, so in the sense that you put the question is there a philosopher thats important to me.

Well I me I loved really the sort of the Bertrand Russell grand sort of tour of philosophy, the history of philosophy from the pre Socratics as they're called, Zeno and so on through to Socrates and Plato and Aristotle.

I never quite liked Aristotle. I think thats partly... Although he was obviously a genius and brilliant and he invented logic, so whats not to like. I think it was his influence on the medieval mind was probably rather pernicious and unfortunate and all those categories and things, but when it opened up with I suppose Spinoza and them, but then Kant and the enlightenment era.

Oh and actually Locke. I did like Locke. He was a fine philosopher, but they dont... I mean what is so great about them is that they just... Theyre quite scary when you think of the word philosopher and especially if its logic and symbolic logic and it gets onto Hegelian philosophies, incredibly difficult to read I find and you follow it for about... Well its like trying to grab a salmon.

You know the harder you clutch at it the more it springs, slips out of your hand and whoa, its gone and you chase it again and what was that and you feel very stupid, but the... I think the beauty of questioning and simplicity that you get from Kant in particular I think is just amazing because its like they say of simple mathematical laws that make fractals, the tiniest little elegant observation about or question about something just spins out these immensely complex things that make you rethink everything.

So yes, I think philosophy is a really important dimension, but I think in our age we tend to be rather sloppy about it. We either think Buddhism is philosophy, which you know or some sort of eastern thing about being nice and spiritual and that will do, which its fine.

I mean you know obviously I believe in kindness and niceness and lots of spiritual things, but the real intellectual rigor and quest of logic is something that Im afraid takes incredibly hard work and we live in an age in which hard work is if not actively deprecated or denigrated it is run away from or ignored.

Its sort of people frown at you and say, Well, thats a bit dull and stupid. Why cant we just short circuit it and talk about like spirit? Well yeah, you can say spirit, but if you think thats philosophy and if you think thats good enough.

The most important philosophy I think is that even if it isnt true you must absolutely assume there is no afterlife. You cannot for one second I think, abbragate the responsibility of believing that this is it because if you think youre going to have an eternity in which you can talk to Mozart and Chopin and Schopenhauer on a cloud and learn stuff and you know really get to grips with knowledge and understanding and so you wont bother now.

I think its a terrible, a terrible mistake. It may be that there is an afterlife and Ill look incredibly stupid, but at least I will have had a crammed pre afterlife, a crammed life, so to me the most important thing is you know as Kipling put it, to fill every 60 seconds with you know what is it? To fill every unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run.

You know absolutely, so thats all Im saying I suppose. Is that there is no point wasting time being lazy, though of course indolence in a divine way, actually has its advantages. Oh, shut up Steve. Okay, next one.

• http://bigthink.com/