Why I appreciate Rational Responders
Offline For too long now the Christian and other Faith groups have been able to prey on the ignorant. Filling the vaccuum of poorly taught science and repulsion caused by the difficulty in understanding scientific concepts and more importantly the scientific method. It has gained in influence over our politicians, our media and has re-entrenched itself.
For this I blame those of the Scientific community who COULD take away some of the ignorance for refusing to engage with these shysters in debate and showing them for what they are. The lack of a Randi for the Scientific method picking them off one by one on their own terms and on their own ground is akin to failing to properly weed the flowerbeds. Eventually, the weeds take over.
I am at the same time proud of Richard Dawkins, but annoyed with him that he still seems to think we in are in the 1960s on this issue. The world has changed and the media treats Science and Scientific topics as either dry, geeky or with "Frankenstein" fear because (a) it pulls in the ratings and (b) those that end up in the media are often poorly educated in Science.
Because Politicians have to appeal to the media to get elected, this has created a downward spiral that effects us all. In the USA the terrible impact of miseducation with a political system that is in bed with these con men and women is evident to all from the Abstinence campaign to the rise in creation mythology.
Those in Science, or able to articulate Science and refute the bunkum that is spread liberally around by the shysters ( themselves either willfully ignorant or delusional ) should be there on the forefront of this debate and not pretending that it will go away just because they don't give the Creationists the time of day. We have all seen the effectiveness of the demolishing of the Liberty University Creationists by Dawkins and it's result - irrational outbursts on websites, conversions and people actually watching the clips to see what the fuss was all about and ending up better educated - or at least willing to see what is really said about these subjects rather than accepting the soundbites given to them by their Pastor or Rabbi or teacher.
Richard this is what you get when you engage them! They crumble or they get vicious! And you start to give people the ammunition they need in side their heads to resist peer pressure and start to make their minds up for themselves! From small cults with disproportionate influence like Scientology to massive established cults such as the Jesus mythology or Islam they need to be held accountable for what they are saying, and they need to be held to account by those that know the facts and can explain them and they need to be held to account *now*.
This is why I appreciate Rational Response. Thank you for standing up for reason, debate, evidence and the Scientific principle. I applaud you.
Question the religious on their articles of faith long enough and they will want to burn your house down. Faith teaches poor debating skills.
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Here - Here!
That was a nice speech! Hands down!
Thank you!
It takes a lot of people who work tirelessly to keep all this going.
I especially love the fact that this site shows that not all Atheists and Agnostics agree on everything. Some of the discussions on the science forums are a good example of that.
As long as reason and rationality are behind the thoughts expressed, there's not a problem at all.
I also love it when reason and rationality slip into something else, the poster gets called on it, regardless of the position.
Atheist Books, purchases on Amazon support the Rational Response Squad server.
It's true that science education in the US is the pits. And it doesn't help when publishers give religious titles to scientific books.
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
Excellent post!
-HCG
Nice comments; and I'd like to note my own appreciation for the "tireless" work of this community right here and on all of the other forums in which they participate in the pursuit of curing Americans' unconscionable ignorance of history, science, logic and debate.
My own lack of formal education put me at a rather significant disadvantage before the advent of the internet, which is the single best thing to happen to knowledge-junkies like myself the world over since the public library (and it's so much easier to use, in one's underwear no less!). However, I've been able to "catch up" at an accelerated rate because people like the members of the RRS, Infidelguy, IIDB, talkorigins, PZ, David Mills, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Richard Carrier and all of the contributors to the discussions in those communities have not only shared their knowledge and recommended materials for study, but have put themselves in the public spotlight in order to champion reason and free thought. That they have been so generous, and SO patient in their pursuit to inform the ignorant and/or undereducated so we can "get up to speed" is something I consider no less than a gift, and a shining example of how truly altruistic most of us godless heathens really are.
So thank you - ALL of you - for helping people like me to better understand not only what the arguments are, but how to present them most effectively. In the past five years or so I've gotten much, much better at keeping my emotions in check (especially in person) while debating subjects I feel so passionate about.
I assure you, that's no small feat for an obnoxious bitch, Sicilian by birth and in temperament!
~ Rox ~
Invisible friends are for children and psychopaths.
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