Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
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The language of the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment is at best opaque, particularly when compared with other portions of the Amendment. Its authors did not simply prohibit the establishment of a state church or a state religion, an area history shows they regarded as very important and fraught with great dangers. Instead they commanded that there should be "no law respecting an establishment of religion." A law "respecting" the proscribed result, that is, the establishment of religion, is not always easily identifiable as one violative of the Clause. A given law might not establish a state religion but nevertheless be one "respecting" that end in the sense of being a step that could lead to such establishment and hence offend the First Amendment.
[Chief Justice Warren Burger, writing for the majority in Lemon v. Kurtzman, 1971]
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Category: Godlessness • Humor
Posted on: July 26, 2006 9:48 AM, by PZ Myers
Alright, Orac, I'm trying to get some work done here this morning…so why'd you have to send me this clip of an atheist church to distract me with unseemly giggling?
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Comments
That's what going to church always sounded like to me: a bunch of wackos intellectually masturbating until they forget who is putting on whom.
Mike Fox
Posted by: Mike Fox![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/nav-commenters.gif)
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July 26, 2006 10:35 AM
I remember thinking at a very young age that church seemed like alot of wierdness and nonsense.
I like that they said you should be good to others and treat people how you yourself would like to be treated. But the rest seemed unnecessary.
Posted by: Steve_C | July 26, 2006 10:44 AM
That's exactly how I felt--some of the morality stuff was nice, but the fluff and nonsense was, well, fluff and nonsense.
Posted by: Shygetz | July 26, 2006 11:12 AM
"That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary." ---Rabbi Hillel the Elder
Posted by: Blake Stacey | July 26, 2006 11:20 AM
OK, I get it--it is a joke. And a funny joke. But for anyone who might think that this sketch in any way represents actual atheistic views, there is one book I would recommend highly: "Value and Virtue in a Godless Universe," by Erik J. Wielenberg. You can find a synopsis of it here: http://people.depauw.edu/ewielenberg/VVGU%20synopsis.htm
What I like about this book is that rather than rehearsing some dreary attack on god or god-belief, it simply demonstrates how physicalist values and virtues are plausibly superior to supernatural ones.
Can I get an amen?
Posted by: Greg Peterson | July 26, 2006 11:31 AM
Wow!! That's what happens every week at my atheist church--The Assembly of the Ladder Day Evolutionists (Reformed).
We are such party animals!! :-)
Posted by: Sweettp2063 | July 26, 2006 11:51 AM
Is it just me, or does that guy with the guitar look a little bit... familiar?
Posted by: gengar | July 26, 2006 12:13 PM
Ahh, Debra Wilson, Aries Spears, funny funny.
PZ, Francis Collins was on Charlie Rose last night, should be freely viewable on Google video, and you can now link to specific portions of Google videos, so, you know, in case you have something to say about his interview. He comes off very smooth and glib, though with plenty of what seemed to me to be logical non-sequiturs. You've already taken shots at him, but you might want to at least have this interview as something to point to on the blog.
Posted by: cm | July 26, 2006 12:57 PM
I found the comments on the you tube page rathering interesting as well, especially considering so many of the people on that site tend to be gen x and y'ers.
Posted by: flame821 | July 26, 2006 2:01 PM
Sadly...I remember church being *just* that nutty. And all of those teen worship services I went to. With the falling to the knees, tears streaming, hands in the air... it was all so unsettleing.
Posted by: Kian | July 26, 2006 2:01 PM
That black kid wasn't Wayne Brady was it? Sure looks like a spitting image, but could be because of the quality of the video. Anyone know how old it is?
Posted by: Dean | July 26, 2006 2:06 PM
I have that posted on my myspace page!
Posted by: Jmax | July 26, 2006 2:18 PM
Sweettp - I prefer the Churhc of Latter Day Ain'ts.
Posted by: ThePolynomial | July 26, 2006 4:10 PM
Love the "Latter Day Aint's".
Living here in Zion-not, I'll need to sport a bumper sticker reading "I'M NOT1, RU NOT1 2?"
Posted by: BJN | July 26, 2006 6:11 PM
Thanks for sharing this gem. I'll add it to my rare collection of atheist humor that is actually funny.
Posted by: MQM | July 27, 2006 3:19 AM
ThePolynomial--Latter Day Aint's--funny.
In my church's name I tried to insult as many as possible and trying to figure out how to squeeze in a few more.
One thing many people seem to miss is the way "Ladder" is spelled--as in climbing the ladder of evolution and not "Latter" as the Mormons use meaning later. ho, hum.....
Posted by: Sweettp2063 | July 27, 2006 1:25 PM
I thought he looked like Wayne Brady, too! IMDB doesn't have anything like that credited to him, though.
Loved the video. Now I'll be mentally substituting those lines for what the pastor's actually saying when I'm in church.
Posted by: Carlie | July 30, 2006 1:32 PM
not really my taste in humour; but they get point's for trying.
Posted by: jeff | July 30, 2006 5:54 PM