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Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/icb-freedom-of-religion-vs.-freedom-from-religion/ Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, a regular column on, well, bullshit. Today, dear readers, it’s a three-in-one unholy bonanza! Thanks to the Global Atheist Convention, The Punch was inundated this week by the godly and the ungodly, and once again we rehashed all the arguments about good and evil and science and evidence and faith and proof, and we were hoping today would be our day of rest. But we’re not at the seventh day yet, and there is much bullshit to wade through, so here goes. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/icb-freedom-of-religion-vs.-freedom-from-religion/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/icb-freedom-of-religion-vs.-freedom-from-religion/#item8292 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-more-religion-but-we-dont-need-its-zeal/ “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-more-religion-but-we-dont-need-its-zeal/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-more-religion-but-we-dont-need-its-zeal/#item8267 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Five-irrational-myths-peddled-by-lazy-ignorant-atheists/ Esteemed cosmologist and popular atheist Lawrence Krauss wrote: “It sometimes surprises me, although it shouldn’t, how religious devotees feel the need to regularly reinforce their own convictions in groups of like-minded individuals”. It is curious then, that he has made the long trip down-under to join the faithless as part of the weekend’s Global Atheists Convention. Following a debate with analytic philosopher William Lane Craig last year, a frustrated Krauss took a passing swipe at the historical evidence for Christianity. As a student of history, I am getting weary of the a priori assumptions of secular fundamentalism that infect the blogosphere and are routinely trotted out as fact. Don’t get me wrong, theists circulate more than their fair share of bullshit too - but it benefits nobody when the discussion degenerates into the intellectual equivalent of a freestyle gangsta rap battle. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Five-irrational-myths-peddled-by-lazy-ignorant-atheists/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Five-irrational-myths-peddled-by-lazy-ignorant-atheists/#item8247 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/atheists-would-find-it-hard-to-believe-theyre-in-heaven/ Dawkins was snooty. Pell was outwitted. The questions were predictable, as were the mentions of Hitler and Stalin. There were titters at Pell’s reference to ‘preparing’ boys and sniggers when he clumsily criticised Jews as intellectually inferior shepherds. Last night’s Q and A starring Cardinal George Pell and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins went pretty much exactly as expected. But then, an epiphany.  According to Pell, the highest Catholic authority in the land, a man with a direct line to God, ATHEISTS CAN GO TO HEAVEN. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/atheists-would-find-it-hard-to-believe-theyre-in-heaven/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/atheists-would-find-it-hard-to-believe-theyre-in-heaven/#item8198 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-have-a-right-to-know-when-god-is-in-the-house/ The Parliamentary Christian Fellowship is a non-party political group of strongly Christian MPs in the federal parliament, who meet unofficially to discuss politics, parliamentary life and faith. Way back in 2004, the convener, Bruce Baird, put its membership at 60 out of a total number of 226 federal MPs. However, one of his religious colleagues (who did not want to be named) said the figure was more like 75. Talk among non-religious members of the Press Gallery now suggests that there may be as many as 90. This means that the percentage of highly religious MPs in the parliament could easily be around 40 per cent. The latest National Church Life Survey quotes a figure of 9 per cent of Australians who are regular weekly churchgoers. This could roughly be said to equate with the degree of religiosity evinced by most members of the PCF. This means that these people are over-represented in the parliament by four times that of the general community. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-have-a-right-to-know-when-god-is-in-the-house/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-have-a-right-to-know-when-god-is-in-the-house/#item8193 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-god-botherers-bother/ You hear many complaints nowadays about pesky, outspoken Christians.  Across the West, a fashionable attitude has emerged: Beyond the doing of charitable works, and perhaps the soothing of the bereaved at funerals, “religion” should be an entirely private affair.  The so-called New Atheists are vocal advocates of this position.  One of them, Michel Onfray, has admitted that his atheism “leaps to life when private belief becomes a public matter”.  Onfray hates it “when in the name of a personal mental pathology we organise the world for others”.  Here in Australia, there are many like him.  The talented journalist-author Peter FitzSimons is fond of ridiculing sportsmen, like golfer Aaron Baddeley, who publicly give thanks to God.  FitzSimons rarely misses a chance to snipe at all “delusional” believers, and, in a recent spray in the Sydney Morning Herald, asserted ludicrously that belief in God “is entirely inimical to educational principles”. (Read Brian Rosner’s spirited reply.) penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-god-botherers-bother/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-god-botherers-bother/#item7368 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dogmatism-derails-both-sides-of-the-religious-debate/ One of the ugliest aspects of the culture wars is dogmatism, the inability of either side to respect the other’s point of view. Nowhere is this vice more prevalent than among protagonists in the so-called God debate. It’s fine to be passionate about your belief (or unbelief).  But it’s wrong to demonise dissenters.  Far too often today Christians are dismissed by their critics as deluded fundamentalists, relics of a past era who have jettisoned reason and common sense.  Just as frequently, Christians disparage atheists and agnostics – even fellow Christians with whom they disagree on one point or another – as unprincipled or immoral.  penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dogmatism-derails-both-sides-of-the-religious-debate/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dogmatism-derails-both-sides-of-the-religious-debate/#item6282 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-or-without-religion-were-all-desperately-human/ Fanatical Christians and fundamentalist atheists are like a couple of kids bickering in the back seat during a long car drive. “You’re a poo poo bum head,” yells one – applying a Mao-strength Chinese burn. “I know you are but what am I,” the other retorts – striking back with an eye-watering nipple cripple. And so it goes. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-or-without-religion-were-all-desperately-human/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-or-without-religion-were-all-desperately-human/#item6673 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-best-arguments-for-God-are-purely-scientific/ Modern-day defenders of orthodox Christianity – of any religion with a supernatural element – face a host of challenges. Chief among them is the widespread assumption that science and religion are hopelessly incompatible. In his best-selling book The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins asserts that “religion is now completely superseded by science”. It’s a familiar line.  Religion, we’re told, is shadowy and value-laden – an exercise in “blind faith”. And the Bible says that the Earth was made 6,000 years ago in the course of seven days. Anyone who believes that is crazy! These notions are deeply ingrained, but they are fallacious. And they distort the true beliefs of most Christians in Australia. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-best-arguments-for-God-are-purely-scientific/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-best-arguments-for-God-are-purely-scientific/#item6281 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/censorship-shows-need-for-a-bill-of-rights/ Once again, the censorial hand of the advertising industry - this time in the form of an arm of government - has moved to protect the public from the evil Atheist Empire.  Railcorp, a government agency, has refused the Atheist Foundation of Australia advertising space at a billboard location in Queanbeyan, NSW. Apparently supplying the wording and graphic to be advertised to Billboards Australia on 10 December 2010 wasn’t quite enough time for RailCorp to take in the message.  A sign of government efficiency no doubt. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/censorship-shows-need-for-a-bill-of-rights/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/censorship-shows-need-for-a-bill-of-rights/#item6075 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 “Religion has wrought untold misery in human affairs. For the most part, it has been a squalid tale of bigotry, superstition, wishful thinking, and oppressive ideology.” This damning indictment of religion, surprisingly enough, is not to be found in the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, or that of his compatriots Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. Rather, it prefaces Terry Eagleton’s book Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate in which he skewers both the Church as well as its most hard-heated critics - the New Atheists.