Tuesday, January 24, 2006

"The most preposterous notion that H. sapiens has ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers, and becomes petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history."
-Robert A. Heinlein

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Required Listening

If there is anyone out there who thinks a Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller) as a mere stage magician, that person needs to listen to him speak on religion, pseudoscience, hucksterism and the like.

You can't prove that there isn't an elephant inside the trunk of my car. You sure? How about now? Maybe he was just hiding before. Check again. Did I mention that my personal heartfelt definition of the word "elephant" includes mystery, order, goodness, love and a spare tire?

You should also read his books and watch Bullsh!t. I think Penn has just about the most posative worldview of anyone.