Atheists have lowest divorce rate. Evangelical Christians have highest divorce rates.

[Lorizael]

So, Richard Dawkins can state his point very clearly, everyone has to notice this, and that's why he should better shut up? So that no-one can lose his faith in some sort of a god. So that no-one has to figure out that there is no evidence for religion.

By the way, what makes him a loon, and why does he make his side look bad? Do you have any material to back up your claim? Any quote from The God Delusion for instance?

-Martin

Dude, I don't believe in God. I'm not angry that Richard Dawkins points out there's no evidence for God or anything else silly like that. Richard Dawkins is a moron because he believes that expertise in biology gives him expertise in theology. The two are very, very different subjects.

[MrFun]

Your post has convinced me to never vote for a gay man.

Ha! You'll vote for Asher in a heartbeat.

[Elok]

Richard Dawkins is a douche. Oral Roberts is a douche. And for pretty much the same reason.

[Dr Strangelove]

You know guys, Ben appears to be right here. The survey gives the divorce rate for the total of each population, not just the married people. Since atheists really are less likely to marry then in reality the divorce rate for married atheists is probably virtually the same or even higher than for the other groups. So you shouldn't be ragging on Ben's a** over these statisitics.

Instead, rag on Ben's a** about this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8060442.stm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090520/ap_on_re_eu/eu_ireland_catholic_abuse

Apparently the Roman Catholic Church should have a restraining order put on it barring it from coming within 100 yards of any minor child. Also it's about time to get the UN, Amnesty International, and the International Criminal Court involved.

[DaShi]

****, he's not even an atheist. He's a Bright. Atheists are nobody. Atheists are a random assortment of people who happen to have the one commonality that they possess no belief in God. Dawkins, on the other hand, is a blowhard who's trying to build a community out of people that don't necessarily have anything else in common. And I don't like that.

Dawkins is a right-wing christian who is trying to bring down aetheism the same way that aneeshm tries to bring down India and UR tried to bring down China.

[KrazyHorse]

You know guys, Ben appears to be right here. The survey gives the divorce rate for the total of each population, not just the married people. Since atheists really are less likely to marry then in reality the divorce rate for married atheists is probably virtually the same or even higher than for the other groups.

If you'd bothered to read the thread you would note that:

a) I pointed this out first
b) Ben proceeded to misapply this fact

[Ben Kenobi]

KH:

I don't see you saying anything about how their study fails to account for multiple divorces.

I also took the time to show how the study could have taken them into account with reasonable precision.

[Ben Kenobi]

Hmm, we should close down public schools too.

Thanks Doc! Good to see that homeschooling is the way to go.

[Dr Strangelove]

I don't know about Canada, but if you're a teacher at an American public school accused of rape, starvation, or physical abuse of a student you aren't just shuffled off to a new supply of fresh victims, nor is your identity kept a secret, nor are your victims forced to keep your identity a secret. Your crimes are not concealed as if they were a national secret. Victims aren't forced to sign away their right to have justice. Twelve thousand abuse cases in a nation of 4 million. I doubt that there have been even one-tenth that number in all of the public schools in the US during the same time period, and the US has 70 times the population. To achieve equality there would have to be 80,000+ cases in the US.

[Ben Kenobi]

I don't know about Canada, but if you're a teacher at an American public school accused of rape, starvation, or physical abuse of a student you aren't just shuffled off to a new supply of fresh victims, nor is your identity kept a secret, nor are your victims forced to keep your identity a secret.

If you happen to be even a slightly attractive woman, you get book deals, movie deals, and are set for life. At the very least you get a slap on the wrist.

If you are gay, you are a protected class, and you'll get shuffled somewhere else.

If you are a man who abused a girl, yeah, your life is pretty much over.

Victims aren't forced to sign away their right to have justice.

It's called the statute of limitations. You can't bring up claims from a century ago, and call them actionable.

Twelve thousand abuse cases in a nation of 4 million. I doubt that there have been even one-tenth that number in all of the public schools in the US during the same time period, and the US has 70 times the population. To achieve equality there would have to be 80,000+ cases in the US.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21392345/

You have 2,600 teachers in the US who have had their license revoked for sex abuse in the last 4 years, so yes, you are wrong. The rate over 5 years would be about 25,000 or so.

Priest abuse is at about 4,400 over the last 50.

One report mandated by Congress estimated that as many as 4.5 million students, out of roughly 50 million in American schools, are subject to sexual misconduct by an employee of a school sometime between kindergarten and 12th grade. That figure includes verbal harassment that’s sexual in nature.

So the problem is obviously not with the church but with people in general. People suck.

[Jon Miller]

Please keep your trolls to one thread Ben.

JM

[Dr Strangelove]

If you happen to be even a slightly attractive woman, you get book deals, movie deals, and are set for life. At the very least you get a slap on the wrist.

If you're talking about the LeTourneau case, she did hard time.

If you are gay, you are a protected class, and you'll get shuffled somewhere else.

Please back that outlandish statement with some facts.

If you are a man who abused a girl, yeah, your life is pretty much over.



It's called the statute of limitations. You can't bring up claims from a century ago, and call them actionable.

These cases aren't a century old, and what exactly is Ireland's statue of limitations for child rape and assault? I've seen nothing that indicates that the RCC plead the statute of limitations for any of these cases.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21392345/

You have 2,600 teachers in the US who have had their license revoked for sex abuse in the last 4 years, so yes, you are wrong. The rate over 5 years would be about 25,000 or so.

Priest abuse is at about 4,400 over the last 50.



So the problem is obviously not with the church but with people in general. People suck.

Oh, but wait sir, this affair involves a system in which only 30,000 children were placed in the care of the Roman Catholic Church, 12,000 of whom the state of Ireland has already recognized the validity of their cases.
But wait, there are another 2000 cases still pending. 14,000 is what fraction of 30,000? - 45%
But wait, there's more. Some of the victims make references to - graves, "many graves". Graves within the schools, graves of children murdered via starvation and physical abuse at the hands of the servants of the Roman Catholic Church. No one has even offered an accounting of that dirty little secret.

[Ben Kenobi]

But wait, there's more. Some of the victims make references to - graves, "many graves". Graves within the schools, graves of children murdered via starvation and physical abuse at the hands of the servants of the Roman Catholic Church. No one has even offered an accounting of that dirty little secret.

And people call me a troll?

I live in one of the largest areas responsible for the residential schools. Which of course were funded by the Anglicans.

Far more likely that they would have been killed by the Church of Ireland, which has never had much love for the Irish people.

[Dr Strangelove]

And people call me a troll?

I live in one of the largest areas responsible for the residential schools. Which of course were funded by the Anglicans.

Far more likely that they would have been killed by the Church of Ireland, which has never had much love for the Irish people.

Here's a link to the Irish Child Abuse report. http://www.childabusecommission.com/rpt/
Show me any reference to any Anglican church institution or group or individual being involved in the abuse of Irish children. Sorry, it was all the Christian Brothers, and the Sisters of Mercy.

[Ben Kenobi]

Show me any reference to any Anglican church institution or group or individual being involved in the abuse of Irish children. Sorry, it was all the Christian Brothers, and the Sisters of Mercy.

Seriously?

You’ll see all countries, races and faiths represented over a period of time. No group is exempt. However, the media like the Catholic angle, because it stems from the Left’s love of attacking the Church. They want to see it destroyed. First, the Catholic Church, then Christianity as a whole. Day by day, we see the attacks eroding public confidence in Christian institutions. Yes, it’s taken time, but study the news closely and every other day you’ll find another anti-Christian headline.

Why are you attacking the Catholic church, in a thread that is completely off topic? Is your hatred of the Catholic church so great that you had to threadjack this thread to make your point?