Anyone who has received their Census form

[24hoursfromtulsehill]

census completed by the Bosch households 4 Christians

 

You're supposed to wait till on or shortly after 27 March no? Maybe you'll go atheist before then and have a whole lot of tipexing to do.

[leeslover]

This is always a tricky one. Religions, like other belief systems, prosper or fail and change accordingly as they encourage certain ways of life to be followed by the adherents. Needless to say, this is completely irrelevant to the truth of the ideology. So in a sense attacking religious schools and so on is attacking success (hence Rummy eating fish on Friday, loads of parents going to church for a few weeks). They tend to teach children better than none faith schools do.

 

"Faith" - why would you want it? Belief in something with no reason to think it's true? Why one, and not the other? Why CoE, not Catholicism, or Pixies, or trees, or Islam? It's just tribalism, I believe this because my ancestors did. But if I attack this heavily I am attacking one of the roots of civic society which has been core to many of the best things of the last few hundred years.

 

Democracy - it sucks a little bit. I wait for 0000 to say that he would be happy for another religion to rule the land as soon as they get 50.01% of the population. Although England was largely Christian for many centuries, and there are many elements of our constitution that still allude to this, English law has been based on individual liberty. It's a relatively new idea that we have a vote on what our children are taught, or who teaches them. I find it terrifying to think that we should decide what all of our children are taught on the basis of what box some people do or don't put a tick into on a scrap of paper every 5 years.

[HarryBosch]

I find it terrifying to think that we should decide what all of our children are taught on the basis of what box some people do or don't put a tick into on a scrap of paper every 5 years.

 

thank god we don't (no pun intended)

[PhilStarbucksSilkySkills]

I am understand what you are against but its by the by. The people don't agree and its the peoples government. One day, if you have your numbers, you can make your changes.

Your argument about how a democracy should work might run the risk of being worth making if only I didn't already have the numbers.

 

Two thirds oppose state aided faith schools

 

Voters Oppose Expansion Of Faith Schools

 

Poll finds 57% think faith schools are divisive

 

Faith Schools Survey for Channel 4

 

Logic isn't the issue. Government policy and democracy is.

Interesting that you don't see that logic should play a role in government policy.

 

Some things were decided before you were born - and sometimes no one but you is interested in changing them.

Owt you say matey. Tell me....what colour is the sky in your world?

 

1,000 words on why I don't believe x or y is less interesting by a country mile than 20 on why I am interested in x or y.

That's you though. I and many many others are equally interested in both sides of the debate regarding the factual nature of a multitude of issues. Some people enjoy a clash of ideas, and some people see it is as important that certain ideas are freely discussed and challenged. You don't. Noone is forcing you to join in.

 

after all that the question is a voluntary one

Missing the point quite a bit aren't you?

[PhilStarbucksSilkySkills]

For anyone interested, my good friends at the Greater Manchester Skeptics have interviewed the author of the Guardian article I originally linked to, Andrew Copson , on their latest podcast.

 

Just Skeptics Episode 19

 

The interview begins at 11:10, he starts talking about the Census campaign at 15:25

 

 

----

 

And has anyone else but me noticed the widely different results to the two slightly differently worded polls attached to this thread?

 

Either there are some jokers on this forum or my point about leading questions has been well vindicated.

Edited March 10, 2011 by PhilStarbucksSilkySkills

[Ackey]

For anyone interested, my good friends at the Greater Manchester Skeptics...

Do you go?

[HarryBosch]

Do you go?

 

he's not sure about them

[PhilStarbucksSilkySkills]

Do you go?

I do. Have been for the last 12 months.

 

I'm going tonight. The Skeptics in the Pub speaker they have brought in is doing a talk on "How to be a Psychic Conman".

Edited March 10, 2011 by PhilStarbucksSilkySkills

[Ackey]

I do. Have been for the last 12 months.

 

I'm going tonight. The Skeptics in the Pub speaker they have brought in is doing a talk on "How to be a Psychic Conman".

I'm on the Facebook group but haven't taken the step of actually going yet.

 

Me and Rummy went to QED Con this year. Had an amazing time. Did you make that?

[PhilStarbucksSilkySkills]

I'm on the Facebook group but haven't taken the step of actually going yet.

 

Me and Rummy went to QED Con this year. Had an amazing time. Did you make that?

 

Yeah I did. Got the early bird £50 ticket too. I had no idea you guys were going. Yeah it was a cracking effort all round, with some fascinating speakers. The boys (and girl) done good in putting it all together.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing some of it again. Unfortunately Mike Hall only started uploading the footage to his Mac 2 weeks ago. There are some little clips knocking around though.

 

Hopefully we'll see you down there soon. Tonight's talk should be a cracker if you're free.

Edited March 10, 2011 by PhilStarbucksSilkySkills

[Ackey]

Yeah I did. Got the early bird £50 ticket too. I had no idea you guys were going. Yeah it was a cracking effort all round, with some fascinating speakers. The boys (and girl) done good in putting it all together.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing some of it again. Unfortunately Mike Hall only started uploading the footage to his Mac 2 weeks ago. There are some little clips knocking around though.

 

Hopefully we'll see you down there soon. Tonight's talk should be a cracker if you're free.

Missed out on the earlybird. Did the Saturday only ticket instead, well worth it.

 

I thought Chris Atkins was the stand-out of the people we saw, plus seeing Novella up close and personal is obviously a bit of a special thing to do. Just finished listening to the latest SGU on my lunch actually. And then watched the video from NZ of Ken Ring being mental. The Antipodeans really are leading the way in the skeptical community right now.

 

Sadly tonight consists of running in to Manchester briefly after work and then bracing for a near 6 hour bus ride to London tomorrow! So anything involving a pub is a bad idea, no matter how sciencey!

[PhilStarbucksSilkySkills]

Just incase you haven't seen this:

 

Token Skeptic Adventures At QEDCon

 

The Jon Ronson bit is really funny at the end of this video.

[24hoursfromtulsehill]

Just incase you haven't seen this:

 

Token Skeptic Adventures At QEDCon

 

The Jon Ronson bit is really funny at the end of this video.

 

Is this "I believe in it because it's funny"? Is that a reason?

 

Since you're now the evangelist, perhaps you could tell me why God created Richard Dawkins.

[PhilStarbucksSilkySkills]

Is this "I believe in it because it's funny"? Is that a reason?

 

Translation please?

 

Since you're now the evangelist, perhaps you could tell me why God created Richard Dawkins.

I'm an evangelist???? For what?

 

And what has Dawkins got to do with anything, and why would I think he was created by any god?

 

Honestly 24h .... time just seems to make you even stranger.

[Matt]

Missed out on the earlybird. Did the Saturday only ticket instead, well worth it.

 

I thought Chris Atkins was the stand-out of the people we saw, plus seeing Novella up close and personal is obviously a bit of a special thing to do.

George Hrab was ace. Chris Atkins and Steven Novella were the people I really wanted to see, I wasn't disappointed with any of it - the whole event was fantastic, can't wait for next year.

[Matt]

 

Translation please?

 

 

I'm an evangelist???? For what?

 

And what has Dawkins got to do with anything, and why would I think he was created by any god?

 

Honestly 24h .... time just seems to make you even stranger.

He's trying to push your buttons, that's all.

[Ackey]

George Hrab was ace. Chris Atkins and Steven Novella were the people I really wanted to see, I wasn't disappointed with any of it - the whole event was fantastic, can't wait for next year.

I have a video of him on my iPhone singing Beyonce. But I was absolutely battered by then and don't really remember much after that!

 

He was great on the Skeptic with a K podcast too.

 

I had the most amazing day. Me and you spent the meal time in The Bank pub 'round the corner drunkenly yelling science at each other whilst people tried to have dates and such normal things!

 

Awesome.

[oafc0000]

Democracy - it sucks a little bit. I wait for 0000 to say that he would be happy for another religion to rule the land as soon as they get 50.01% of the population.

 

I prefer democracy...

[Zorrro]

Ackey and 24hrs: If you continue this :censored: on Saturday, I'll kick :censored: out of the pair of you. Capice?

[Ackey]

Ackey and 24hrs: If you continue this :censored: on Saturday, I'll kick :censored: out of the pair of you. Capice?

You're bringing Caprice? Dibs first go!

[Zorrro]

This is no laughing matter. I may be forced to wax lyrical about Glee for a few hours.

[24hoursfromtulsehill]

He's trying to push your buttons, that's all.

 

Found 'em too!

 

I swear by Almighty God The Glorious Father, The Son, The Prince of Peace, and His Mysterious Holy Spirit, the Apostles, including Judas Iscariot and The Bloke Who Replaced Him In Team Jesus, Mary Mother of God, all The Saints, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Cardinal Cormack Murphy O'Connor, Father Jack, and anyone who ever made the sign of the Cross in the last couple of thousand years, that not a word about this will pass my lips tomorrow or indeed ever again.

[PhilStarbucksSilkySkills]

Found 'em too!

No mate. You just found the button marked 'confusion'.

 

Normally when someone attempts to push someone's buttons with words they actually try to make some kind of sense. But then again, maybe this is your best effort at coherence.

 

I do wonder if RoyleArmy were here whether he could translate for me.

[OldhamSheridan]

...and thy Lord doth create John Paul Macken. And John Paul Macken doth score thy goals that create Oldham Athletic promotion...

[garcon]

For those of us untied to the entrails of Satan, there are really only two answers to the census religion question.

 

Pastafarianism or Heavy Metal.

 

I admit I'm currently undecided between the two.