The Pagan Christ

Is the story of Jesus a stolen Egyptian story? Is Christianity an ancient plagiarism? Is Jesus really pagan?

Watch the 50 minute CBC TV special.

My "Giftmas" present to you -- "The Story of Stuff"

Consumer goods, consumption, feeling unsatisfied, pollution, environmental destruction, and the holiday I call "Giftmas". This 20 minute video puts it all in perfect and rational perspective. Nod to Peter at NUUC.

Watch the video.

Favorite LOL Cats

These are my current favorites from icanhascheezeburger.com:



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New Republican Logo

My friend's daughter works as an intern for a high-ranking member of the Republican party. She shot me an email with a preview of the new Republican logo. I'm including it here.

Be afraid -- be very afraid.

Pop Movie Quiz!

The Quiz:

1. Which made more in 1999, Toy Story 2 or The Matrix?

2. Which made more in 2001, Shrek or Monsters, Inc.?

3. I'm a big fan of Robert Rodriguez. Recently he's made the films Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2, Spy Kids 3D- Game Over, and Sin City. Sin City either earned the least of all of these listed films, or the most -- which do you think it is?

4. In 2006 how many computer animated films earned enough to be in the top ten that year?

5. There have been three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and three Shrek movies. Which trilogy has earned the most?

6. What about the three Spider Man films?

7. In the period of the last six years (2002 to 2007) which studio has made more money with computer animated films, Paramount/Dream Works, Pixar/Disney, Fox, Warner Brothers?


Answers:

1. Toy Story 2
2. Shrek
3. The Spy Kid's movies made between 85 and 112 million each. Sin City made 74 million total.
4. Three: Cars, Happy Feet, Ice Age: The Meltdown. Over the Hedge just missed the list at number eleven.
5. Pirates made $1,038,150,155 . Shrek made $1,029,903,617. Pirates beat Shrek by 0.8%
6. Spidie is victorious with $1,113,822,503
7. In order: $1,231,875,013 $1,051,674,545 $304,587,417 $360,775,675

Have You Ever Seen a Painting Which Had No Painter?

This particular argument from Intelligent Design activists (re-packaged creationists) really chaps my hide. It's actually the use of a simple Logical Fallacy called "Argument from Personal Incredulity". The common examples creationists use are:

• They hold up an image of daVinci's Mona Lisa, and say-- there must be a painter
  
  
• They hold up an image of Mount Rushmore, and say -- there must be a sculptor

This is because, to a simple mind, imagining long periods of time like those that formed complex life though genetic mutation, and the millions of years it took for life forms to become perfected through natural selection -- are just too hard to imagine. This, of course, does not mean that it didn't happen that way.

Okay, so here are some questions I'd ask a creationist if they were to try these arguments on me.

1. Okay, if you can't have a painting without a painter, wouldn't you agree that a painter can't make a painting without paints -- or brushes? Show me the evidence of God's workshop. Show me the tools and materials that God used to create all of this life. Show me God's "paintbrushes".
   
   
2. So, anything that's sufficiently complex, like "man" for example, is too complex to arise from random chance. So man has a creator. Surely there's no creation more complex or amazing than God, right? So tell me, who's God's creator?

Any takers?

Pascal's Wager

Pascal's Wager and Rudis Muiznieks' response.

Former Evangelical: Jesus LOVES Darwin

The Rev. Michael Dowd is preaching a surprising message: Evolution is real and science points to the existence of God.

For the last five years, the author and former evangelical pastor has lived out of a van with his wife, crisscrossing the nation to deliver the good news.

Read the Wired article.

Listening to Country Music Leads to Suicide -- duh!

Follow this link.

Reporting on Religion and Losing Faith

Covering religion may be harmful to your faith. Two leading religion journalists — one in Britain, one in the United States — have quit the beat in recent months, saying they had acquired such a close look at such scandalous behavior by Christians that they lost their faith and had to leave.

Click here for the Reuters article

Magic Mormon Underwear