Difference between revisions of "Irreligion and superstition"

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A 2009 picture of a significantly overweight [[PZ Myers]] can be found [http://www.flickr.com/photos/cfimi/5244769742/ HERE]. A 2010 picture taken in Australia shows PZ Myers drinking ale/beer and he had excess weight in his abdominal area.<ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/reuvenim/4426093513/</ref> In 2010, PZ Myers had health problems related to his heart.<ref>http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/08/thats_not_a_heart_its_a_flaili.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogs%2Fpharyngula+%28Pharyngula%29&utm_content=Google+Reader</ref> In addition, [[medical science]] research indicates that excess weight impairs brain function.<ref>http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/41/18/25.1.full</ref><ref>http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/08/25/as-waistlines-widen-brains-shrink.html</ref> Given PZ Myers' biological training and the wide dissemination of the [[Physical and mental health related problems associated with obesity|harmful health effects of being overweight]] in terms of cardiovascular health and brain function, it is unfortunate that preventative medicine was not used in greater measure in terms of his health.<ref>http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/41/18/25.1.full</ref><ref>http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/08/25/as-waistlines-widen-brains-shrink.html</ref><ref>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21121834</ref>  PZ Myers' inattention to diligently implementing the recommendations of [[medical science]] is not entirely surprising given his vehement advocacy of evolutionary [[pseudoscience]].
 
A 2009 picture of a significantly overweight [[PZ Myers]] can be found [http://www.flickr.com/photos/cfimi/5244769742/ HERE]. A 2010 picture taken in Australia shows PZ Myers drinking ale/beer and he had excess weight in his abdominal area.<ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/reuvenim/4426093513/</ref> In 2010, PZ Myers had health problems related to his heart.<ref>http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/08/thats_not_a_heart_its_a_flaili.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogs%2Fpharyngula+%28Pharyngula%29&utm_content=Google+Reader</ref> In addition, [[medical science]] research indicates that excess weight impairs brain function.<ref>http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/41/18/25.1.full</ref><ref>http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/08/25/as-waistlines-widen-brains-shrink.html</ref> Given PZ Myers' biological training and the wide dissemination of the [[Physical and mental health related problems associated with obesity|harmful health effects of being overweight]] in terms of cardiovascular health and brain function, it is unfortunate that preventative medicine was not used in greater measure in terms of his health.<ref>http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/41/18/25.1.full</ref><ref>http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/08/25/as-waistlines-widen-brains-shrink.html</ref><ref>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21121834</ref>  PZ Myers' inattention to diligently implementing the recommendations of [[medical science]] is not entirely surprising given his vehement advocacy of evolutionary [[pseudoscience]].
  
−
[[Hippocrates]], who was also against [[abortion]], was an early advocate of the health benefits of [[exercise]] and [[nutrition]].<ref>http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/pe/exs190web/exs190history.htm</ref> On the other hand, PZ Myers and a significant amount of other [[New Atheism|New Atheism]] leaders, seem to lack a full appreciation of the importance of nutritional science, [[exercise science]] and the latest findings of [[medical science]] (see: [[New Atheism leadership's problems with being overweight]]).  
+
[[Hippocrates]], who was also against [[abortion]], was an early advocate of the health benefits of [[exercise]] and [[nutrition]].<ref>http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/pe/exs190web/exs190history.htm</ref> On the other hand, PZ Myers and a significant amount of other [[New Atheism|New Atheism]] leaders, seem to lack a full appreciation of the importance of nutritional science, [[exercise science]] and the latest findings of [[medical science]] (see: [[New Atheism leadership's problem with excess weight]]).  
  
 
In August 2009, PZ Myers led a group of over 300 atheist and agnostic students on a tour of the [[Creation Museum]].<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8280168 "Creation Museum: Is This How World Began?" (ABC News)]</ref> During the visit, Myers had noticeably greater difficulty than others climbing on and off a dinosaur model due to the fact that he was overweight and out of shape.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQQl2TMrgbM VIDEO]
 
In August 2009, PZ Myers led a group of over 300 atheist and agnostic students on a tour of the [[Creation Museum]].<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8280168 "Creation Museum: Is This How World Began?" (ABC News)]</ref> During the visit, Myers had noticeably greater difficulty than others climbing on and off a dinosaur model due to the fact that he was overweight and out of shape.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQQl2TMrgbM VIDEO]

Revision as of 09:36, September 21, 2011

The Wall Street Journal reported: "A comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows ...that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians."[1]

In September of 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported:

“ The reality is that the New Atheist campaign, by discouraging religion, won't create a new group of intelligent, skeptical, enlightened beings. Far from it: It might actually encourage new levels of mass superstition. And that's not a conclusion to take on faith -- it's what the empirical data tell us.

"What Americans Really Believe," a comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows that traditional Christian religion greatly decreases belief in everything from the efficacy of palm readers to the usefulness of astrology. It also shows that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians....

This is not a new finding. In his 1983 book "The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener," skeptic and science writer Martin Gardner cited the decline of traditional religious belief among the better educated as one of the causes for an increase in pseudoscience, cults and superstition. He referenced a 1980 study published in the magazine Skeptical Inquirer that showed irreligious college students to be by far the most likely to embrace paranormal beliefs, while born-again Christian college students were the least likely.[2]

”


Irreligion, evolutionary belief, UFOlogy and other pseudoscience

See also: Evolution, Liberalism, Atheism, and Irrationality

File:Another atheist pothead.JPG
Carl Sagan

The notions of extraterrestrial life and UFOlogy are fast growing pseudoscientific religions which are perpetuated and/or substantially aided by the ideologies of evolutionists, atheists, liberals and other promoters of quackery.[3][4] However, the ideologies of extraterrestrial life, UFOlogy, exobiology, evolution and abiogenesis are anti-biblical ideas which are not supported by sound science.[5][6]

The agnostic and liberal Carl Sagan, an avid smoker of marijuana who claimed that marijuana gave him scientific insights, was a prominent peddler of extraterrestial life, evolution and other pseudoscientific nonsense.[7]

Irreligious/atheistic France and the Soviet Union and UFOlogy

Astronomer Dr. Hugh Ross indicates that ninety-nine percent of what people have told him were UFOs, experienced astronomers can identify as a star, cluster, or other object in the night sky. The 1 percent of sightings, which he calls residual UFOs, have attracted his attention. [8] According to Dr. Ross very few astronomers have seen "residual UFOs".[8]

The following Toledo Blade newspaper excerpt[8] summarizes Dr. Ross's findings:

“ In 1969, however, Dr. Ross met two astronomers who were having regular UFO encounters. Both also happened to be involved in occult activity.

Upon investigation, Dr. Ross consistently found a connection between occult involvement and residual UFO encounters. For example, he said, countries with a high degree of occult activity such as Russia during the Soviet era, France, and certain parts of Brazil also had high percentages of UFO encounters. During Russia's Soviet period when every expression of religion except occult activity had been outlawed, he said, “Russians were seeing UFOs at five to eight times the rate Americans were.

”

Christian and Library of Congress researcher's explanations for reports of UFOs

The fall of Lucifer by Gustave Doré.

See also: Christianity and UFOs and Atheism and satanic deception

Christian apologists who reject naturalistic explanations of life such as the theory of evolution argue that difficult to explain UFOs are spiritual in nature and not amenable to naturalistic explanation.[9] Gary Bates of Creation Ministries International wrote a book entitled Alien Intrusion which gives a biblical Christian perspective on the unscientific notions of extraterrestial life and UFUlogy.[10]

Lynn Cato, senior bibliographer for the library of Congress, created a 1600 entry on UFO bibliography for the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research. After a two year investigation, in which she reviewed thousands of documents, Catoe stated:

“ A large part of the available UFO literature...deals with subjects like mental telepathy, automatic writing and invisible entities...poltergeist manifestations and 'possession'....Many of the UFO reports now being published in the popular press recount alleged incidents that are strikingly similar to demonic possession and psychic phenomenon which have long been known to theologians and parapsychologists.[11][12] ”

Prominent UFO researcher John Keel concurred. After surveying the literature on demonology Keel declared:[12]

“ The manifestations and occurrences described in this imposing literature are similar if not entirely identical to the UFO phenomenon itself. ”

Ben Stein Interview with the evolutionist Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins

See also: Ben Stein Interview with Richard Dawkins and Richard Dawkins and pseudoscience

In the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, Ben Stein demonstrated the folly of evolutionism in his interview with Richard Dawkins (A clip of the interview has been uploaded to YouTube ).

The Discovery Institute provides an transcript of part of the interview along with some commentary:

“ BEN STEIN: "What do you think is the possibility that Intelligent Design might turn out to be the answer to some issues in genetics or in evolution?"

DAWKINS: "Well, it could come about in the following way. It could be that at some earlier time, somewhere in the universe, a civilization evolved, probably by some kind of Darwinian means, probably to a very high level of technology, and designed a form of life that they seeded onto perhaps this planet. Now, um, now that is a possibility, and an intriguing possibility. And I suppose it's possible that you might find evidence for that if you look at the details of biochemistry, molecular biology, you might find a signature of some sort of designer."


Ho,ho! That is precisely what the Raelians say:

Years ago, everybody knew that the earth was flat. Everybody knew that the sun revolved around the earth. Today, everybody knows that life on earth is either the result of random evolution or the work of a supernatural God. Or is it? In "Message from the Designers", Rael presents us with a third option: that all life on earth was created by advanced scientists from another world.

Richard Dawkins and Rael; "clear thinking" kindred spirits! [13]

”

Notable evolutionists/atheists, irrational thinking and health practices

PZ Myers

(photo obtained from Flickr, see license agreement)

See also: Atheism and obesity and Atheism and Mental and Physical Health and Evolutionists who have had problems with being overweight and/or obese

Obesity is positively associated with impulsiveness, lower self-discipline and neuroticism.[14][15][16] In addition, many people overeat in response to negative emotions such as depression, anger, anxiety and boredom.[17][18][19] No doubt pseudoscientific and superstitious thinking in many cases is partly due to a lack of self-discipline as rigorous scientific and logical thinking requires disciplined thought.[20]

A 2009 picture of a significantly overweight PZ Myers can be found HERE. A 2010 picture taken in Australia shows PZ Myers drinking ale/beer and he had excess weight in his abdominal area.[21] In 2010, PZ Myers had health problems related to his heart.[22] In addition, medical science research indicates that excess weight impairs brain function.[23][24] Given PZ Myers' biological training and the wide dissemination of the harmful health effects of being overweight in terms of cardiovascular health and brain function, it is unfortunate that preventative medicine was not used in greater measure in terms of his health.[25][26][27] PZ Myers' inattention to diligently implementing the recommendations of medical science is not entirely surprising given his vehement advocacy of evolutionary pseudoscience.

Hippocrates, who was also against abortion, was an early advocate of the health benefits of exercise and nutrition.[28] On the other hand, PZ Myers and a significant amount of other New Atheism leaders, seem to lack a full appreciation of the importance of nutritional science, exercise science and the latest findings of medical science (see: New Atheism leadership's problem with excess weight).

In August 2009, PZ Myers led a group of over 300 atheist and agnostic students on a tour of the Creation Museum.[29] During the visit, Myers had noticeably greater difficulty than others climbing on and off a dinosaur model due to the fact that he was overweight and out of shape.VIDEO

There have been a number of notable evolutionists who have been overweight. In addition, as noted earlier, since World War II a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the evolutionary position which employs methodological naturalism have been atheists.[30] For a list of overweight and/or obese notable atheists please see: Atheism and obesity

Physical and mental health related problems associated with obesity

Some of the medical conditions associated with obesity include: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, arthritis, cancer, sleep apnea, reproductive problems in women and varicose veins.[31] In addition, medical science research indicates that excess weight impairs brain function.[32]

Medical science research indicates that excess weight impairs brain function.[33]

According to the Mayo Clinic some of the symptoms associated with obesity can include:

“
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Snoring
  • Sleep apnea
  • Pain in your back or joints
  • Excessive sweating
  • Always feeling hot
  • Rashes or infection in folds of your skin
  • Feeling out of breath with minor exertion
  • Daytime sleepiness or fatigue
 ”

Concerning the issue of depression, atheists do have higher rates of suicide than the general population.

See also

Comedy and Satire:

Notes

  1. ↑ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178219865054585.html
  2. ↑ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178219865054585.html
  3. ↑ http://creation.com/ufology-scientific-religion
  4. ↑ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178219865054585.html
  5. ↑ http://creation.com/did-god-create-life-on-other-planets
  6. ↑ http://creation.com/origin-of-life-questions-and-answers
  7. ↑ http://cosmologytalk.tribe.net/thread/7e25b81c-2529-44c6-b388-f926c2475e6a
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Tarjanyi, Judy. "Astronomer links UFOs to Occultism." The Toledo Blade, January 4, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ http://www.alienintrusion.com/main.html
  11. ↑ Authors unknown. "A UFO 2nd Coming." Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Gleghorn, Michael. "UFO's and Alien Beings." Probe Ministries. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  13. ↑ http://www.discovery.org/a/4589
  14. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18549987
  15. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19433123
  16. ↑ http://www.wellspringcamps.com/obesity_research.html
  17. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21174323
  18. ↑ http://www.obesitypsychiatry.com/id2.html
  19. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17262813
  20. ↑ Of Scientific Thought
  21. ↑ http://www.flickr.com/photos/reuvenim/4426093513/
  22. ↑ http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/08/thats_not_a_heart_its_a_flaili.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogs%2Fpharyngula+%28Pharyngula%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
  23. ↑ http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/41/18/25.1.full
  24. ↑ http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/08/25/as-waistlines-widen-brains-shrink.html
  25. ↑ http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/41/18/25.1.full
  26. ↑ http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/08/25/as-waistlines-widen-brains-shrink.html
  27. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21121834
  28. ↑ http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/pe/exs190web/exs190history.htm
  29. ↑ "Creation Museum: Is This How World Began?" (ABC News)
  30. ↑
  31. ↑
  32. ↑
  33. ↑
  34. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/obesity/DS00314/DSECTION=symptoms
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