UK Creationist zoo wins education award

[tolman]

As long as any wholly or partly state-funded school is allowed to indoctrinate small children with tales of one or other vengeful, sadistic, homophobic, racist, sexist, sectarian or otherwise retarded deity, I'm not sure it'd be easy to argue that this ersatz zoo is actually the greatest threat to UK schoolchildren.

Many kids will spend countless hours being forced to sing about how they were created by one or other god, or being told why they should feel crippling guilt and shame about being the human that they are, how their [parent's] religion is somehow the best or only correct religion, and unfortunately, some of them will end up believing what they're told.

[Dubious Dick]

As long as any wholly or partly state-funded school is allowed to indoctrinate small children with tales of one or other vengeful, sadistic, homophobic, racist, sexist, sectarian or otherwise retarded deity, I'm not sure it'd be easy to argue that this ersatz zoo is actually the greatest threat to UK schoolchildren.

Many kids will spend countless hours being forced to sing about how they were created by one or other god, or being told why they should feel crippling guilt and shame about being the human that they are, how their [parent's] religion is somehow the best or only correct religion, and unfortunately, some of them will end up believing what they're told.

All true of course, but much more difficult to topple the whole faith edifice, than to challenge the whole bs on the basis of a high profile, particularly nutty variation on the theme. Drip, drip, drip....

Chipping away at this sort of nutzoid stuff on this level has a value in the greater goal., and is achievable. Of course, I would still like to see some sort of Skeps alliance to take on this and bigger issues but as we have seen debated before, getting 2 or more skeps to agree appears to be a task beyond mere mortals at times!!

Am thinking of starting a thread debating pacifist versus activist skepticism. I know it has come up before, but worth a re-visit? I teeter on the edge of this argument. On one hand, we can only get the argument out there about rational thinking on the basis of a need for that argument. Until at least some of the believer community start to question (and it would be fun to pit the Cof E against the creationists!) then the debate is a largely an internal, navel gazing exercise. Good skep activism must help to set the agenda for the greater goal? Is this worth another thread? OOOPS, that'll get them going... what the hell, I'll start the thread anyway and get bombed there instead of here..

[smudge]

As long as any wholly or partly state-funded school is allowed to indoctrinate small children with tales of one or other vengeful, sadistic, homophobic, racist, sexist, sectarian or otherwise retarded deity, I'm not sure it'd be easy to argue that this ersatz zoo is actually the greatest threat to UK schoolchildren.

Many kids will spend countless hours being forced to sing about how they were created by one or other god, or being told why they should feel crippling guilt and shame about being the human that they are, how their [parent's] religion is somehow the best or only correct religion, and unfortunately, some of them will end up believing what they're told.

Yes of course. But new levels of stupidity in new areas (or perhaps more accuratly the same old sh*t spreading) should be challenged whenever, wherever, and however possible.

[smudge]

Am thinking of starting a thread debating pacifist versus activist skepticism. I know it has come up before, but worth a re-visit? I teeter on the edge of this argument. On one hand, we can only get the argument out there about rational thinking on the basis of a need for that argument. Until at least some of the believer community start to question (and it would be fun to pit the Cof E against the creationists!) then the debate is a largely an internal, navel gazing exercise. Good skep activism must help to set the agenda for the greater goal? Is this worth another thread? OOOPS, that'll get them going... what the hell, I'll start the thread anyway and get bombed there instead of here..

Sounds most interesting. Not sure about the use of the word "pacifist". I assume you are not suggesting fire bombs or kung fu, and so surely any increased militancy would be pacifist anyway?! But perhaps more pro-active...

[chaggle]

Am thinking of starting a thread

That would be good.

[Watchman]

Yes of course. But new levels of stupidity in new areas (or perhaps more accuratly the same old sh*t spreading) should be challenged whenever, wherever, and however possible.

With you 100% on that.....as Wellington said,"They came on in the same old way and we defeated them in the same old way."[

and although we may never defeat them all....its still a battle worth fighting.