…and this is a 
Apparently, because people had plans to counter some of Ray Comfort's Origin giveaway — which was announced to occur on the 19th — Comfort is giving them away today. I've been getting reports from various universities that his minions are at work right now, as in this photo from Oxford.
Get out and grab yours now!
I'm going to stroll over to the UMM campus, although I'll be very surprised if any were sent to our very small school.
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron showed up at UCLA. It sounds like they flopped hard. I also got this email account from a UCLA student:
They showed up at UCLA today, the Banana Man himself. I am vice president of the Bruin Alliance of Skeptics and Secularists. They definitely caught our club off balance. Comfort chose a bad time to show up though, as the UC Regents are holding a high tension conference, deciding whether to increase fees for all of UC for everyone. So emotions were a bit taut already. Several people from BASS and freethinkers who came out of the woodwork found a box and stood it directly across from the box on which Comfort and friends chose to proselytize from. Their books disappeared really quickly, but BASS has been vigilant about handing out the NCSE's bookmarks and "Why Ray Comfort is Wrong" flyers. I cannot believe that creationist idiot actually chose to come to UCLA instead of UC Berkeley. Maybe he was afraid of a riot.
Comments
Posted by: Wiwaxia | November 18, 2009 11:21 AM
Books are being handed out at Penn State University today.
Posted by: Aratina Cage
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November 18, 2009 11:21 AM
Ray Comfort is such a liar. Unbelievable.
Posted by: Glen Davidson
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November 18, 2009 11:22 AM
Truth is relative for him. To be fair, I suppose there's nothing intrinsically wrong with changing the day of the give-away to beat out the competition, but it's so much the usual for him to pay scant heed of truth that it's worth bringing up the pattern once again.
My suspicion is that a few fundies will be very pleased with the whole episode, while virtually all copies given to non-creos will either be almost totally neglected, or perused for the idiocies in Comfort's "introduction."
Go Ray. There must be a few people out there who don't know you're an ignoramus, and this will settle the issue in still more minds.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p
Posted by: Cody | November 18, 2009 11:23 AM
Damn! I'm stuck at work, and won't be home in Boston (where there is sure to be a college with them, right?) until night time... I really wanted a copy or two.
Posted by: Desert Son, OM
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November 18, 2009 11:25 AM
Just arrived on UT Austin's central campus and Ray Comfort's Disinformation Squad is out in force.
I'm in class and office hours all day, but I'll see if I can pick up a copy maybe at lunch, and also a few laughs while I'm at it.
[New complementary close under construction],
Robert
Posted by: Christophe Thill | November 18, 2009 11:28 AM
I think he only does this to one up Sarah Palin, who sells her book for a mere discount price.
Posted by: jonnerk | November 18, 2009 11:30 AM
They are handing them out at the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus. I got mine. I'm putting it on my book shelf next to The God Delusion and The Greatest Show on Earth.
Posted by: Joshua Zelinsky
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November 18, 2009 11:31 AM
Darn. Boston University wasn't on the list of schools getting it so I was planning on stopping by Harvard when he did it. I'm not going to have time to today though.
Posted by: littlejohn | November 18, 2009 11:32 AM
Your school isn't on the list. He's got a little list, and amusingly it includes most of the Ivy League, Cornell, MIT, etc. Real hotbeds of stupidity.
I guess Comfort is such a moron he thinks some of the prestige of those schools will rub off on him. Obviously, he's merely ensuring his books will be dumped directly into the recycling bin.
Don't feel bad. My alma mater didn't make it either.
Posted by: Aratina Cage
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November 18, 2009 11:33 AM
Any confirmation from new book owners on whether or not there are pages or chapters missing? Is it an abridged version?
Posted by: Brian | November 18, 2009 11:36 AM
I love those videos where Ray goes up to people and asks them if they've ever lied - and then tells them they face damnation because of it. Changing the date of your disinformation dissemination to avoid any possible 'conflict' is not only deceitful, it's cowardice. If you believe so strongly in something, stand up for it and explain your stance, alongside competing ideas... or maybe he doesn't want a repeat of his disastrous nightline debate.
Posted by: KH | November 18, 2009 11:36 AM
Had a discussion about the situation and some good laughs with my genetics students this morning. Several of them were handed the book yesterday, and it does appear to have the missing chapters reinserted.
Posted by: Scott | November 18, 2009 11:38 AM
They were handing out the garbage at the University of Arkansas today. Grabbed my copy. Ripped out Comfort's blatherings.
Posted by: Desert Son, OM
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November 18, 2009 11:38 AM
Problem is, he's also got places like The University of Texas on the list. There are many bright, intelligent, insightful, creative, hard-working, enthusiastic students here, but this is Deep In The Heart of Texas, and there's also a whoooooollllle lotta Jesus (and probably quite a few other deities, too).
At a place like UT, I'm betting he's banking on the whole "You-can-be-a-scientist-for-GOD!" shtick. I think most students at the upper levels of undergraduate, and those in the graduate levels of biology and some of the other disciplines, won't fall for The Ray Play, but I think he's targeting the audience that already believes, in hopes they eventually go on to make policy.
All this brought to you by the Love of Christ: accept it, or else! (Ain't love grand?)
[New complementary close under construction],
Robert
Posted by: Tybo | November 18, 2009 11:39 AM
Reporting activity at University of Kentucky as of 10 AM. The lady was gone by 11 AM. Since then, I've seen students between classes passing copies around among themselves and giggling.
Posted by: jonnerk | November 18, 2009 11:39 AM
I think it has all the chapters. All 14 listed in the contents. The font is very small. I had read that for this second printing they decreased the font size in order to include all chapters. This looks to be all of them. The introduction font is larger than the Origin font. Large enough to stretch his intro to 54 pages (with references).
Posted by: Walton | November 18, 2009 11:41 AM
I presume the "photo from Oxford" refers to Oxford, Mississippi, or to some other colonial "Oxford", rather than the real Oxford. :-) Though we do sometimes get various wacky groups handing out pamphlets in the centre of town; over the past couple of years I've seen Jehovah's Witnesses, Hare Krishnas, Communists, animal rights wingnuts, evangelical Protestants, and Messianic Jews. For some reason, religious evangelists seem to gravitate towards me wherever I go (as do salesmen, charity collectors and beggars); maybe I look particularly gullible?
Posted by: ATalbot | November 18, 2009 11:41 AM
They were being handed out at Georgetown today. Walked past them on my wan to my mandatory Theology class >_>.
Posted by: AJ Milne OM
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November 18, 2009 11:42 AM
There really is something of a common theme here, isn't there...
'Atlas of Creation': free.
'Bananaman's Bowdlerized Origin': also free.
Scientology's 'Personality Test': free. (Or the first hit is, anyway...)
Bibles: frequently free. And that's not even including the Gideon's 'please steal and use to roll reefers' hotel room versions...
Conclusion: free literature, all too frequently, is overpriced.
(/See also 'free coffee'... Generally, you should pass on this stuff unless they're actually paying you... And first ask yourself: 'What will the Maalox cost?')
Posted by: cameronsnipples | November 18, 2009 11:43 AM
http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/ for a rotten tripefest
Go ahead and let widdle Ray-Ray have your opinion
Posted by: sterculus | November 18, 2009 11:46 AM
They're here (MIT). A sad, lonely group of ~3 with a few boxes of books. I took a copy, but unfortunately wasn't ready to counter them with their change of plans. PZ, if you want a copy I'd be happy to send you mine.
Posted by: freelunch | November 18, 2009 11:49 AM
Walton,
Do the oxen still cross the Thames by fording in the 'real' Oxford? I think I might prefer a bridge.
Posted by: Brownian, OM
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November 18, 2009 11:51 AM
I'm really beginning to dig this Christian morality I keep hearing so much about. As an atheist, there's nothing to stop me from lying and killing (except of course, laws and my innate inclination to generally not want to as a member of a social species, but that's beside the point.) However, with God on Your Side™, such behaviours are regulated by a very well-defined code.
Take lying for instance. What should a good Christian do about lying? Well, we've all learned that depends on the situation.
1. Will lying save Jews from Nazis? Then no, never, non, jamais, nein, nyet, ¡nunca! Get thee behind me, Satan!
2. Will lying help further your attempt to shamelessly promote yourself on the back of one of the most significant scientists ever? Then, by all means. Lie your face off. Do it in the book preface. Do it in the press releases. Do to the barrista at Starbucks just for the hell of it. Remember, Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven. Maybe mention that to the Jews being dragged out of your basement while wearing a beatific smile.
Next week: on the sin of Onanism, unless you're strung up with cord, wearing two wetsuits and packing a monster dildo.
Posted by: ProudMonkey | November 18, 2009 11:52 AM
University of Michigan here. Got 8 copies myself, and have informed the EEB department to get theirs.
Posted by: se-rat-o-SAWR-us | November 18, 2009 11:55 AM
A list of campuses here:
Posted by: KemaTheAtheist | November 18, 2009 11:59 AM
Damn. I'm stuck at work. I really wanted to see if they were showing up at the JHU satellite campus.
I doubt they'll be there much longer if they've been at it since 10am. I was really hoping to publically humiliate some of Ray Comfort's zombie minions. Oh well. I have a copy of Origin already anyways.
Posted by: Larry
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November 18, 2009 12:03 PM
#25 - It's really hard to envision students at schools on that list paying much attention to the comfort woo-factor in the book. They don't get there at by buying in to a 6000 year old earth overseen by a magical sky pixie.
Posted by: Chris | November 18, 2009 12:04 PM
They're giving them away at the University of Houston, too.
Posted by: Dirty Hairy | November 18, 2009 12:07 PM
Oh man, doesn't look like University of Iowa is on there. :( In fact, looks like he skipped Iowa all together. Maybe it's our gay marriage. :/
Posted by: DonRocko | November 18, 2009 12:07 PM
Somebody pick me up an extra copy from the UM Minneapolis campus... Seriously. Anybody in MN going to be there?
Posted by: KKS | November 18, 2009 12:10 PM
They are out on the Oval here at Ohio State. We weren't on the "Original" list, but I seem to recall Banana Boy having some affiliation with Columbus. Anyway, it's quite a handsome-looking book, all told, so more's the pity that it happens to contain large swathes of Ray Comfort's epic failure to understand anything.
Posted by: kittywhumpus | November 18, 2009 12:10 PM
Where at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus? I'm here all day, on the West Bank. I should take a walk...
Posted by: eric | November 18, 2009 12:10 PM
I'd only accept a copy from the hands of Ray Comfort himself.
Posted by: SteveM | November 18, 2009 12:10 PM
re 19:
Like the old saying, "Free legal advice is worth every penny"
Posted by: jonnerk | November 18, 2009 12:12 PM
The University of Minnesota wasn't on the list, but they are here. So it is hard to say where they exactly are. They expanded the list over the 50.
@DonRocko:
I tired to get another copy "for a friend" but no go. They said one per person. I'm pretty sure they would have been briefed about attempts by people to try and secure multiple copies. I might try to find them later and see if they remember me.
Posted by: Amenhotepstein | November 18, 2009 12:12 PM
I'm unclear to me why Ray-Ray seems to be targeting exclusive, mostly-private universities mostly in the northeast and western US. These are the places where he will most likely have his head handed to him by both students and faculty.
Is it just that he wants the headlines "RAY COMFORT's ridiculous Origin ripoff book handed out on IVY LEAGUE campuses?", hoping that people only see the words in ALL CAPS!
Posted by: DonRocko | November 18, 2009 12:13 PM
Re 32
If I knew, I'd drive there right away, but I'm not sure. I'd guess behind Northrup in that main green area. But I'm not sure... if you could pick me up one that would be sweet. They're such novelties!
Posted by: Robert | November 18, 2009 12:14 PM
I grabbed a copy at the University of Minnesota, they were giving copies out right in front of Nicholson Hall this morning.
Posted by: DonRocko | November 18, 2009 12:15 PM
re 32 & 38
Guess I had the wrong side of the building... any copies left?
Posted by: jonnerk | November 18, 2009 12:16 PM
I got mine on the East Bank, by Jones and Eddy hall. A man and woman each have a rolling suitcase that they are distributing the books. I have also heard reports that they were distributing in Dinkytown. When I got mine they were also consulting a map of campus so I imagine they are moving around hitting specific spots. Best of luck.
Posted by: Connie | November 18, 2009 12:17 PM
Wow, they're on campus at the University of Southern Indiana.
Posted by: Alessa Mendes | November 18, 2009 12:18 PM
Do you really think he moved the day up to outsmart his opponents? Not very bright. Wait! I forgot who I was talking about.
Posted by: Connie | November 18, 2009 12:18 PM
Wow, they're on campus at the University of Southern Indiana.
Posted by: SS | November 18, 2009 12:21 PM
They're at Michigan, and I've got two copies already. They've got several people just on my end of campus, so there must be dozens of drones total.
Posted by: Keenacat
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November 18, 2009 12:23 PM
I wish I was able to attend. I would grab my copy, rip out Rays blathering and hand those pages back, telling them I would only keep the intelligent part.
Yeah, that would be nice! (Uh, I iz ebbil).
Posted by: Techskeptic
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November 18, 2009 12:23 PM
"Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute"
holy crap. really????
I'm off to get one.
Posted by: Siamang | November 18, 2009 12:26 PM
I love how everyone in Ray's army had to have gotten the message of an earlier date and then keep it secret.
I'd love to read the back-channel email that must have been sent by Ray to his minions describing their sooper-sekrit attack plan.
Posted by: Paleos
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November 18, 2009 12:27 PM
Well, the University of New Hampshire isn't on the list so I don't think I'll bother braving the chilly wind to find out if they're here. I think I prefer the edition of 'Origin' that I have anyway.
Posted by: PZ Myers
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November 18, 2009 12:27 PM
I am so sad. I just took a stroll around UMM, and we didn't rate. No books for free anywhere.
Posted by: Brpcl | November 18, 2009 12:29 PM
According to my fellow CFI friends, the books have been handed out on the CWRU campus since 10AM today in Cleveland. I've looked around outside a few times, guess I'll try once more soon.
Hopefully I can score two copies; one to keep, and one to leave sitting around with a NCSE banana bookmark ;)
Posted by: se-rat-o-SAWR-us | November 18, 2009 12:29 PM
everyone in Ray's army had to have gotten the message of an earlier date and then keep it secret.
The list of campuses is not publicly available. A Google search for the unannounced campus sitings reported here comes up with squat.
Posted by: Jonathan Weyer | November 18, 2009 12:29 PM
PZ,
They are here at Ohio State. I used my pull as a campus minister to get four copies, so if you want one, let me know.
Interestingly, Campus Crusade here refused to be a part of the give away. I know this from a few different souces.
So, I think an outside group is doing it.
Posted by: Physicalist | November 18, 2009 12:30 PM
I'm sad too; I'm off campus today :-(
(You'd think Ray would have had the courtesy to include UMM just for PZ's sake. Oh, wait; "courtesy"? -- what was I thinking?)
Posted by: Ali Marie | November 18, 2009 12:31 PM
Yep, they're giving them out today. I just got one copy here at UChicago. It's a little pathetic; it's just one guy with a backpack standing waving books at passing students. I was expecting a much bigger display. Oh well.
Time to cross-check with my red pen and a full copy of Origin.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | November 18, 2009 12:32 PM
Has anyone who has gotten a copy confirmed that the "missing chapters" are included in this printing?
Posted by: Alan | November 18, 2009 12:32 PM
Seconding Ohio State University. My brother picked up a copy this morning--again, just a couple people and a book-box. Hopefully he can get one for an old alum like me :D Not sure who exactly is passing them out, though I'd bet that it's campus crusade for Christ.
This is a little underhanded, Ray and his cronies jumping the gun just because they fear some counter-demonstrations. Glad it didn't turn out to be a huge presentation. BTW, OSU's Students for Freethought have a notification up:
http://www.sffosu.org/
Posted by: Ali Marie | November 18, 2009 12:35 PM
@ #55
It looks like the chapters are there, just from a quick skim. However, I will be reading them side by side with a full copy of Origin. They look abridged to me. But they do appear to be there.
Posted by: nogos.noqt | November 18, 2009 12:37 PM
They're being given out at Georgia Tech. I grabbed on from a student with 2.
Posted by: Jonathan Weyer | November 18, 2009 12:37 PM
Alan,
I know for a fact it's not Campus Crusade at Ohio State. They refused to be a part of it
Posted by: Siamang | November 18, 2009 12:39 PM
I'm glad I got the "first edition" already, or I'd be stressing out today and trying to get to a university. I really, really wanted a copy, and I wasn't about to buy one from Ray's website.
It's the one with the excised chapters. I can't wait to print out my NCSE bookmark to go in it!
Posted by: Sabrina | November 18, 2009 12:39 PM
According to hubby, they're also at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. I asked him to snag me one, and report on details.
Posted by: Bill Dauphin, OM | November 18, 2009 12:39 PM
ATalbot (@18):
Grab me a copy if you get a chance, willya'?
All: ATablot is a friend of mine in RL, possibly my first "recruit" to Pharyngula (although he no doubt would've found this place on his own). He's One of the Good Ones™.
Posted by: se-rat-o-SAWR-us | November 18, 2009 12:41 PM
It would be helpful for everyone to report the campus location of the book handouts.
Posted by: Andrea | November 18, 2009 12:42 PM
The crazy showed up on the University of Colorado campus. This just makes me wish that my professor who taught a class on the Darwinian Revolution -- which included a whole two weeks on understanding the cultural, philosophical and religious foundations of fundamentalsm and creationism -- hadn't retired last year. He'd probably get almost as much of a kick out of this as he got out of our Atlas of Creation.
Posted by: Katherine | November 18, 2009 12:43 PM
Couldn't find them on the University of Maryland College Park campus. A shame, too, since I wanted a copy. We're still planning on having an informational booth tomorrow, geared towards general science education--there's always a chance a local church will show up.
Posted by: Braeden Harpool | November 18, 2009 12:43 PM
I'm at West Virginia University and we had people handing them out. I got my hands on two copies. I'm going to cut out the introductions and give them to Salvation Army or something.
A small victory for science!
Posted by: Benji Roberts | November 18, 2009 12:43 PM
That's his plan? Does he think we don't show up to class except when something's going down? That was a fair amount of successfully kept secrecy to give us the books a day early.
Posted by: Todd Oakley | November 18, 2009 12:44 PM
No one here yet at UCSB, although we are expecting them. We have flyers and bookmarks from NCSE to hand out, but were indeed expecting tomorrow.
What time did the Comfort-ites show up at other campuses?
Posted by: Not that Louis | November 18, 2009 12:46 PM
Sad. The whole stunt stems from the theist's projections: we have sacred texts, therefore, they must have sacred texts, and if we mess with one of their sacred texts, we win. "Origins" is of great interest as a historical artifact, as an insight as to how a theory develops in its early stages, and because it is well written. But someone really wanting to understand evolution today will read Dawkins's "Greatest Show" or Coyne or Shubin. And y'know what, Ray? Even if those books weren't still under copyright, they wouldn't be "sacred texts" either.
Posted by: Bill Dauphin, OM | November 18, 2009 12:47 PM
Hmmm... it might be easier for y'all to believe I know ATalbot if I could manage to actually spell his name correctly!
<sigh>
Posted by: JC | November 18, 2009 12:49 PM
This is actually perfect, the groups that were planning on being there to counter tomorrow can just set up a stand at the same site offering the don't diss darwin bookmarks.
Posted by: CrisOMG | November 18, 2009 12:50 PM
If you can't get a copy of the book for free - and I can't fathom why you'd want to pay for it - you can read it at http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?id=383&option=com_content&task=view
Posted by: Alan | November 18, 2009 12:51 PM
@Jonathan Weyer
Oops! Sorry, I was just skimming the posts and missed that detail. That's interesting, I have a little more respect for Campus Crusade, perhaps they saw that Ray's intentions weren't exactly lily white. I wonder who's doing it though? Maybe my bro will tell me tonight.
Posted by: Bill Dauphin, OM | November 18, 2009 12:54 PM
I've also alerted my operatives at Yale, in hopes of securing a copy.
Posted by: ProudMonkey | November 18, 2009 12:55 PM
Looks like all of the books are gone from the University of Michigan. Damn! I was hoping to hit 10 (ended up with 8).
Posted by: apple | November 18, 2009 12:57 PM
Does anyone here feel that the ultimate goal of Comfort is to lower the education level of Americans to the point where they can no longer compete with other countries? I've never seen evangelicals trying to pass of gibberish so insanely to the student body as I have seen in the United States.
Posted by: nicole. | November 18, 2009 12:57 PM
I guess it doesn't really surprise me that these are not being handed out in Alabama, I live right in the middle of bible country.
Posted by: Alicia | November 18, 2009 12:57 PM
I walked around Purdue University and didn't see any Comfort minions. I'm pretty disappointed. I wanted a copy to laugh at. Maybe our campus Christians will still pass them out tomorrow.
Posted by: Jonathan Weyer | November 18, 2009 12:58 PM
@Alan,
Yeah, I'm not sure who it was. It was none of the campus ministry people I know. At least, I didn't recognize them. I think it was people from the outside.
Posted by: Makiyivka | November 18, 2009 12:58 PM
Well, I'm here at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and, having finished walking all of campus twice, I haven't found anyone handing out copies. I guess I'll have to try again later, *sigh*...
Posted by: TimJohnsonMN
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November 18, 2009 1:01 PM
I'll see how many times I can get one here at UMTC then keep the total updated on my twitter (TimJohnsonMN). Tweet me and I'll give away my extra copies on a first come basis.
Posted by: apple | November 18, 2009 1:04 PM
At either rate, their plan won't do too well. A good chunk of the demographics at our university happens to be muslims, so passing of christian porpaganda to them won't be effective.
Posted by: Ben W | November 18, 2009 1:05 PM
Hm. I biked around PSU campus but couldn't spot anyone giving away copies. I'd guess they've packed up already.
Posted by: ER Doc | November 18, 2009 1:06 PM
My son just got a copy at UW Madison. He tried to go back for a second, but they were out.
Posted by: Blake Stacey | November 18, 2009 1:10 PM
No luck finding them at MIT, in any of the places I'd expect (student center, Lobby 10, etc.). I'll head back across campus, check out the Kendall area and catch the T to Harvard to check there.
Posted by: tufts student | November 18, 2009 1:11 PM
hey does anyone know where they're handing these out at Tufts?? I've been looking around but I haven't found anyone... we are listed as 29 on the list, but maybe they're only hitting larger universities.
Posted by: Nick Gardner | November 18, 2009 1:11 PM
Don't be surprised if they had shown up early at your university no matter how small. They came here to Marshall University, unfortunately, i only found out through lab mates, though I had one snag me a copy while I was out to lunch, unfortunately I went back and I couldn't find anyone giving them away.
Posted by: mvXfer | November 18, 2009 1:13 PM
They're being handed out at North Carolina State University and I got one. I opened it to a random page in the introduction and the first thing I saw was a header called "Missing Link." Holy shit... This is some weapons grade stupidity.
I'm glad they went a day early, 'cause I'm not around on Thursdays... Now I have a piece of history. Sort of.
Posted by: SebastesMan | November 18, 2009 1:16 PM
If any of you at the targeted campuses are part of a capable organization, I think you should use this as an opportunity. Set up a group discussion; invite anyone who got a copy and and anyone else interested to discuss the book and its "introduction." Many of you might already have had this idea, but I just thought I'd throw it out there anyway. The Believers will already believe, the rational will already be amused, but for the thin sliver in between, this could be a time for growth.
Posted by: KemaTheAtheist | November 18, 2009 1:18 PM
That's exactly why. Most of the people down there already believe. You're not evil and in need of having your soul saved.
Posted by: RJ | November 18, 2009 1:21 PM
They're being handed out at Ivy Tech University Central, in downtown Indianapolis. Apparently they went up and down the fine arts professors' offices. My girlfriend snagged one.
Posted by: Bill Dauphin, OM | November 18, 2009 1:22 PM
My daughter, it turns out, had already scored a copy @Yale even before I alerted her. I've asked her to snag a second copy for me, if possible.
Posted by: zorbita | November 18, 2009 1:29 PM
Who's going to publish a copy of the bible with a similarly hilarious intro!? PZ? Harris? Hitchens? Someone, please. An opportunity for parody like this should not be squandered.
Posted by: DonRocko | November 18, 2009 1:29 PM
Re 81:
Tried twittering you, didn't work... still have a book?
Posted by: RJ | November 18, 2009 1:29 PM
I should have been more accurate: Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis (#91).
Posted by: Anthony | November 18, 2009 1:30 PM
The best way to keep the secret of early distribution would have been to arrange long meetings this morning with people that were set to distribute tomorrow. There would be email instructions waiting this morning with additional information...which would tell them today that they should go and distribute.
Something also tells me there will still be some distribution going on tomorrow just so they can say that they didn't change dates...they just started early.
Posted by: edrowland | November 18, 2009 1:32 PM
A source at another site inidicated -- incorrectly -- that the editions that were distributed "were complete, with all 12 chapters".
There should be 14 chapters, not 12. The missing two chapters provide replies to commonly made arguments against the theory of natural selection, including arguments made by Comfort in the foreword.
Has anyone seen 14 chapters?
Posted by: kittywhumpus | November 18, 2009 1:35 PM
Back from my walk with three copies. As of a few minutes ago, they were across from Walter library on the East Bank of the U of Minnesota TC campus.
I am going to try to send daddywhumpus out for more when he gets in touch with me (he works here too).
They were preaching! I learned that God is not a rapist; he does not force his spirit on people. God only grants his grace to the born again Christian, but everyone benefits from his creation. Man was the instrument for the Bible like a pen is the instrument for your term paper.
I feel smarter already, and I have not even cracked the book.
There was a preacher guy, a ten commandments sandwich board guy, and two guys handing out books. Plus a hanger on trying to help the preacher guy argue with a handsome young man who was challenging preacher guy.
Posted by: Fiziker
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November 18, 2009 1:36 PM
No books to be found at Brown. I've walked around campus twice today and have neither saw people distributing the books nor people carrying them around. Hopefully they didn't show up early this morning to hand them out. I'll be very disappointed.
I've noticed a number of people commenting about how they'll have no luck distributing this crap at such good universities. I use to find it hard to believe that there would be creationists at a university of Brown's caliber but then I went to an event where our chapter of College Crusade for Christ showed Expelled. Don't forget, even these universities have humanities majors.
Posted by: Miranda Celeste Hale | November 18, 2009 1:42 PM
He's such a lying, cowardly motherfucker. That's nothing new, of course, but this really takes the cake.
Posted by: Kane148
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November 18, 2009 1:42 PM
For those at Yale, any idea where the Comfort goons are? I just found out about his little switcharoo
Posted by: Heinrich Heine | November 18, 2009 1:44 PM
"Where they burn books, so too will they in the end burn human beings." ("Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.")Heinrich Heine 1821
Posted by: Stewart | November 18, 2009 1:45 PM
Just arrived at Duke University. I snagged one while they were still unloading.
Posted by: Fernando Montelbon | November 18, 2009 1:46 PM
"I don’t have a blind spot in my eye"
From rays blog... yeesh... a few more steps and he'll deny reality itself exists as anything but a test to sway our faith in his sky daddy...
Posted by: Techskeptic
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November 18, 2009 1:48 PM
Damn,
Well, I couldnt find them anywhere at RPI. Oh well.
Posted by: Tybo | November 18, 2009 1:48 PM
edrowland, #97:
I have a copy sitting beside me at the moment, and it would appear as if there are indeed 14 chapters.
Posted by: Bradbury, R | November 18, 2009 1:49 PM
"It follows then that when Hitler burned a book I felt it as keenly, please forgive me, as his killing a human, for in the long sum of history they are one and the same flesh." Ray Bradbury 1967
Posted by: octopod | November 18, 2009 1:50 PM
Oh, UMich is already out, you say? Saves me going and bothering to get one...
Posted by: Murray | November 18, 2009 1:53 PM
Come on... did no one else see this coming?
The Origin Into Schools site was pretty vague about the date.
Posted by: Cuttlefish, OM | November 18, 2009 1:53 PM
A lack of Comfort, here today,
Though all is sunshine, not one Ray
Was found on campus. No free book
For Cuttlefish to take a look.
Posted by: TimJohnsonMN
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November 18, 2009 1:54 PM
@DonRocko #95 I do. If you can't find me on Twitter to DM me, try my TypePad account.
Posted by: John Milton | November 18, 2009 1:56 PM
"...but he who destroys a good book, kills Reason itself, kills the Image of God, as it were in the eye. Many a man lives a burden to the Earth; but a good Book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." John Milton
Areopagitica 1644
Posted by: flyonethewall | November 18, 2009 2:00 PM
I think we should have a campaign to rip out the introduction and send them all back to Ray, with a note saying "thanks for the book, but you left some crap in it and I thought you'd like it back".
Anyone know Ray's address?
Posted by: 567Kate | November 18, 2009 2:00 PM
At UCSD, there's a man handing them out right in front of Geisel Library. I saw another guy carrying about ten and walking toward toward the Price Center, but I'm not sure if he was going to hand them out or he just grabbed a bunch.
Posted by: Iconoclast | November 18, 2009 2:01 PM
"Without free speech no search for truth is possible... no discovery of truth is useful... Better a thousandfold abuse of free speech than denial of free speech. The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race." Charles Bradlaugh
Posted by: anonymous | November 18, 2009 2:01 PM
Got a copy at the University of Kentucky. The Comfort crew was gone by afternoon, but some friendly Christians at a kiosk gave me a copy when I inquired.
Posted by: amphiox | November 18, 2009 2:02 PM
The thing is, the creos approach this not as an intellectual debate, where truth is paramount and the goal of both sides, and the only penalty for being wrong is a little humbling of the ego, and perhaps the need to declare in a public forum, or peer-reviewed journal, that one's prior views were wrong.
To them this is a propaganda war. And in war deception of any kind is justified if it leads to victory, in the same way the Allies were justified using all sorts of trickery in WWII, and the penalty for losing is eternal hellfire.
The commandment says ". . . shall not bear false witness against your neighbor," which, I suppose, means that it is permissible to lie against anyone you choose not to define as "neighbor", and, perhaps, that it is permissible to lie about oneself.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | November 18, 2009 2:02 PM
Were they handing them out in the brickyard?
Posted by: ceridwen
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November 18, 2009 2:03 PM
They are passing them out between the student union and the washington center at University of Central Florida. About 10-15 of us from the bio department picked up copies.
In addition to the absurdly small type, there are no gaps between chapters as are normally seen in a book.
Posted by: jojodancingbear | November 18, 2009 2:03 PM
One of my employees has a son at UNC Chapel Hill. I told her to tell him to snag me one and Yippee i texted her a while ago and said it had been moved up,,,, and he snagged me one.
Posted by: Cfacce | November 18, 2009 2:04 PM
Just walked around the relatively small UPenn campus and no signs of any Corfortians. Did find a guy spewing raving Bible nonsense near the library. He didn't have any books though, just a "24 hour prayer tent" that looked like one of those Native American smoke tents.
About to take another walk around, hope I get lucky.
Posted by: W Griswold | November 18, 2009 2:04 PM
"Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas." A. Whitney Griswold
Posted by: Siamang | November 18, 2009 2:05 PM
I, for one, like the "Trojan Horse" angle of this book.
What a great way to get 'The Origin' into the hands of creationists everywhere!!!
Next up, what say we put some bible passages into a special new forward for "The God Delusion" and hand it out in front of churches!!
Ray is awesome!
Posted by: Ralphie Baby | November 18, 2009 2:06 PM
"Every burned book or house enlightens the world; every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Posted by: Nusubito | November 18, 2009 2:07 PM
I wasn't aware they were targetting Arizona, but I just got a book today on the U of A campus. I was a bit surprised that I happened upon it, actually.
Posted by: Joey Lewis | November 18, 2009 2:08 PM
"The burning of an author's books, imprisonment for opinion's sake, has always been the tribute that an ignorant age pays to the genius of its time." Joseph Lewis
Posted by: Leukocyte
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November 18, 2009 2:10 PM
I walked out of the library today to find a crazy man on a platform nearly fellating a banana. Wow, I thought, looks like the Ray Comfort bit. As I got closer, I realized I was right! He was doing the whole banana routine, to a laughing and generally unreceptive crowd. Apparently they gave out 1000 copies of the altered Origin before I got there.
After it was explained to the crazy man that the banana was not created by god, but rather cloned by Chiquita et al., he moved on to Paley's design argument. He even quoted the "evolution of the eye...freely admit to be absurd" bit from Darwin. There were calls to look up in the book the rest of the quote, so he settled for damning us all to hell as a bunch of heathen sinners. All in all, an impressive performance for a bunch of students in the Deep South. Unfortunately there were a couple of people yelling things like, "I didn't come from no monkey," but, hey, it's Georgia. There's no way to get away from that entirely.
Posted by: Siamang | November 18, 2009 2:11 PM
Hey, any sign of them at Caltech?
If they're there, can anyone provide a location or report?
Caltech was on their original public list. I LOLed heartily about them distributing their crap on one of the premier science campuses in the world AND the home of the Skeptics Society.
Posted by: ddpej | November 18, 2009 2:11 PM
Eighth largest student body in the country, if Wikipedia is to be believed, and yet I can find no evidence that any of the books will be showing up on my doorstep. I must admit, I'm disappointed. I was hoping to get a free addition to my meager little library.
Ah, well. For those of you who do have access to the traveling circus.. have fun!
Posted by: lose_the_woo
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November 18, 2009 2:12 PM
Well, maybe so. But I think I'm pretty sure which part will get read and which part won't.
Posted by: Billie B | November 18, 2009 2:12 PM
"I look upon those who would deny others the right to urge and argue their position, however irksome and pernicious they may seem, as intellectual and moral cowards." William E. Borah
Posted by: Siamang | November 18, 2009 2:15 PM
I'm bored with spamming censorship dude.
Can someone censor him already?
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | November 18, 2009 2:15 PM
During my brief stint at UGA we had a preacher there that used to set up shop up the hill from Sanford Sta. Called himself Brother something or other. I wonder if it's the same guy.
Was there any discussion of masturbation? Because that seemed to be his favorite topic when I was there in 1990-1.
Posted by: Zerosa | November 18, 2009 2:17 PM
Anyone know if they are still passing out books at the University of Texas-Austin?
Also, UT-Austin and Austin in general (besides congress and all that) tends to be liberal so don't count us out. We are having a couple of different events that are counter-acting and refuting the statements Comfort and his goons are spewing out.
Posted by: Bing | November 18, 2009 2:17 PM
I kind of want to send him an uncensored poop.
HJ
Posted by: Ericka | November 18, 2009 2:17 PM
They're here in Seattle in Red Square at the UW.
Posted by: Nusubito | November 18, 2009 2:18 PM
As regards the chapters question, mine appears to have 14. Whether all of the content remains in those chapters is another question.
Posted by: Carl Sachs | November 18, 2009 2:19 PM
I was handed one at the University of North Texas (Denton, TX; student pop. ~38,000). I look forward to laughing merrily as I read Comfort's "Introduction".
Posted by: Mad Quoter | November 18, 2009 2:22 PM
"We all know that books burn, yet we have the greater knowledge that books cannot be killed by fire. People die, but books never die." Franklin D. Roosevelt
You guys get it yet? I would rather a thousand books of insanity be disseminated than one book be collected and burned by the likes of those expressing opinions here. I don't care what you or Mr Comfort write and pass out BUT I do care that anybody try to stop you. It is only sad that otherwise open-minded individuals such as those here are seduced into supporting censorship by one man's book. So what's next, collect up all of the flat-earthers and send them to "re-education" camps. Naw, your right...let's just burn them WITH their books and save the effort.
- The Mad Quoter
Posted by: Ben | November 18, 2009 2:25 PM
I can confirm that they are giving them out today at Rice University in Houston, TX. My wife picked up two copies, though I haven't had a chance to look at them yet.
Posted by: lose_the_woo
|
November 18, 2009 2:25 PM
No. The ovens. Of course.
Posted by: Nusubito | November 18, 2009 2:26 PM
Probably Brother Jed. That guy goes everywhere. Honestly, he is probably the one thing every US college has in common. Not the same person as Comfort, though perhaps just as crazy.
Posted by: sterculus | November 18, 2009 2:27 PM
Re: #85
At MIT they were on Mass Ave by the Building 7 steps and across by the bus stop when I got one (~11:30am).
Posted by: Joe Agnost | November 18, 2009 2:28 PM
The mad quoter wrote: "It is only sad that otherwise open-minded individuals such as those here are seduced into supporting censorship by one man's book."
What planet are YOU on?
Nobody wants the censor the fool.... we just want to point and laugh!
Posted by: asdf | November 18, 2009 2:29 PM
There was a guy handing them out at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Posted by: Ken
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November 18, 2009 2:30 PM
Just drove over to Stanford and within three minutes of wandering towards the bookstore, a young woman pulled a copy of the book out of a backpack and handed it to me, then proceeded to hand out copies to others. Didn't see any "booth" or display anywhere.
Posted by: StarScream | November 18, 2009 2:31 PM
Campus Crusade was giving them out at Kennesaw State. It even has a nice trillion dollar bill tract stuck inside. How considerate! But hey, I was wanting another one of the “God’s last name is not Damn!” tracts.
Posted by: Aratina Cage
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November 18, 2009 2:31 PM
Leukocyte, where in Georgia did you see Ray Comfort?
I was perusing his blog (I think he worships Einstein and sees Einstein in himself, by the way), and he linked to a YouTube video of him telling the atheist nightmare story to a bunch of Christians with Bibles strewn open on their laps and they are laughing their heads off at him because it is an insane thing to even suggest. Then he cuts to Dawkins mocking him during several interviews and lectures. Ray then lets us in on a little secret: the infamous banana video with Kirk Cameron was supposed to be funny! (Liar.) And Ray whines about this and how Dawkins plagiarized his story and owes him a debate.
So now here he is today, according to you, telling the banana story seriously in public and getting laughed at for it. I hope someone recorded it and posts it on YouTube as a response to his lie about how it was always supposed to be a joke.
Posted by: etmckinley
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November 18, 2009 2:33 PM
They were down here at Vanderbilt. A couple of post-docs picked up a copy, but it appears that the banana man's goon are already gone, so I wasn't able to snag one.
Posted by: Nusubito | November 18, 2009 2:39 PM
There is a note at the end where he expresses his fear of the vicious censoring atheists.
This is his parting message, probably to protect against the threat of removal of his opening screed, in case that was all you knew about.
Posted by: Leukocyte
|
November 18, 2009 2:40 PM
@aratina (#148)
Sorry, I was unclear. It wasn't Ray Comfort in the flesh (at least I don't think it was), but rather someone doing his banana bit, word for word, which I found too hilarious for words. Every time I see someone holding a banana up to their mouth, I giggle inside, thinking of good ol' Ray, so it was quite a treat to see it live and have to opportunity to yell things back. He had a little booklet that he seemed to be using as a prompt for his lines in the "skit," which he consulted more frequently as he got flustered.
This was at Georgia State University in Atlanta. People were laughing at the poor guy and countering his statements, so he just tried to talk over the crowd and throw out more and more absurd claims. As there were plenty of people there heckling him, I quit wasting my time and hustled back to my lab to waste my time on this blog :-)
Posted by: Aaron Sikes | November 18, 2009 2:40 PM
They're here at the Univ. of California, Davis. Without being confronted about it, they're just handing them out as "a copy of Darwin's Origin of Species." When I challenged their omission, they started adding "with an introduction by a Creationist".
Posted by: fake plants | November 18, 2009 2:42 PM
Noooooo! I stayed home today to write a paper so that I could spend all of tomorrow pestering the creationist folks, and they come today! Lame.
Posted by: Alex | November 18, 2009 2:45 PM
Here at the University of Texas a biology professor organized a response; I set up an email list and a text-message system so when we heard they jumped the gun I managed to get everyone out rather quickly.
It was entertaining.
Posted by: Leukocyte
|
November 18, 2009 2:45 PM
@ Rev. Big Dumb Chimp (#133). I don't know if it was the same man or not. This guy was fairly clean-cut, and aside from the ridiculous street-preacher cadence and the crazy eyes, he didn't seem the part of a habitual preacher. I didn't hear anything about masturbation... only the standard creationist boilerplate (i.e. was the Mona Lisa designed? Darwin didn't think the eye could evolve! "The fool in his heart says there is no God" etc.), but then I only stayed a few minutes.
Posted by: Nusubito | November 18, 2009 2:45 PM
Not sure where all the fear of censorship is coming from. I just took my copy as a hilarious keepsake of the creationist movement. When it is dead and gone, I'll be able to look back at a time when the banana-man had his time in the spotlight. I'll probably read the intro tonight.
Posted by: Zerosa | November 18, 2009 2:46 PM
@Alex
Are they still there around Dobie? Do they have any books left?
Posted by: Rosie Redfield | November 18, 2009 2:47 PM
No sign of them at UBC (Vancouver). Typical... the Canadian rollout lags behind the American one.
Posted by: Brandon | November 18, 2009 2:50 PM
I've received reports (in addition to what I'm reading here in this commment thread) that books were handed out at University of Central Floria and the University of Florida.
Posted by: Aratina Cage
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November 18, 2009 2:51 PM
Leukocyte, I see. I read too much into that about Ray actually being there. Still, what a great story about the effect Bananaman theology has on people today. Ray was mad to ever think the atheist nightmare would be taken seriously except by the most raging Christroids out there.
Posted by: Mad Quoter | November 18, 2009 2:51 PM
To Joe Agnost: Re-read posts #13, #45, #66 and #113 and remember:
"Censorship is the commonest social blasphemy because it is mostly concealed, built into us by indolence, self-interest, and cowardice." John Osborne
And to Siamang (post #132) It's not "boredom" my young friend, it's called "conscience" and if you examine it closely you'll see that it's causing you discomfort because it knows that "Spamming Censorship Dude" is causing you to think and try to rectify your desire for free information with the reality of not agreeing with some of that info. It's one of the things for which your parents paid all of that tuition. ;)
'Did you ever hear anyone say, "That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me"? ' Joseph Henry Jackson
Posted by: PZ Myers
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November 18, 2009 2:52 PM
I have no plans to write an introduction for a bootleg bible.
What I think we need to do is put out an illustrated bible. Illustrated by Tom of Finland.
Posted by: devnulljp
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November 18, 2009 2:54 PM
Why are these idiots so well funded? There's never enough money to do real research or provide a decent education, but there's always piles of cash for this corrupt god bothering blather. Pisses me off no end. Here in Canada our god bothering PM just assigned Genome Canada $0 in the budget while at the same time handing $4million to a private christian school to build an annex.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | November 18, 2009 2:56 PM
No I don't think YOU get it. Countering his dishonesty is not censorship. No one here (that i can see) is claiming he shouldn't be able to say what he wants. No one is trying to stop him from handing out books. It's just the desire to expose him and his nonsense for what it is. A steaming pile of bullshit.
Posted by: Aratina Cage
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November 18, 2009 2:57 PM
PZ wins the thread! ROFLMAOPosted by: DoubleD | November 18, 2009 2:58 PM
Got mine on the U of MN Minneapolis campus today, just before they ran out. Kinda sad that the guy who handed it to me was yelling about how it's "the greatest fairy tale ever written."
I was originally going to rip the intro out, but after skimming a few pages I'll keep it, just for the entertainment value. He had the audacity to include an altar call on the last page of the intro, after all!
Not a bad birthday present, all in all. Thanks for changing your plans just for me, Ray!
Posted by: Blake Stacey
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November 18, 2009 3:03 PM
Score! Found one at MIT and one at Harvard.
Posted by: Not that Louis | November 18, 2009 3:07 PM
With all due respect, PZ @ #162, isn't R. Crumb's illustrated Bible good enough?
Posted by: Desert Son, OM
|
November 18, 2009 3:08 PM
Mad Quoter at #139,
Thanks for stopping by; you posted some excellent quotes from some luminous individuals in defense of not just the availability of information, but the right of individuals to speak.
You noted:
This is a good point, and I think you'll find that just about everyone who posts at Pharyngula is opposed to censorship of the kind you mention.
Unfortunately, it appears that you have made the mistake of conflating counter-opinion with censorship. Ray Comfort and those who follow him remain perfectly free to distribute books and to speak out in support of a supernatural force in the universe for which there remains no evidence. Not a single person here at Pharyngula is suggesting otherwise.
What many here are suggesting, however, is speaking out against the message that Comfort and his followers represent. That is to say, just as Comfort is speaking freely (uncensored), we also speak freely.
Sometimes people confuse freedom of speech by assuming that freedom of speech automatically entails freedom from hearing counter-speech. That is not what freedom of speech includes. Freedom of speech just means freedom to speak without censorship, which includes the people who speak counter to the message of Ray Comfort.
Further, I don't know anyone who has advocated burning the books in question, and certainly I don't know anyone who has advocated burning the distributors alongside the books. I'm afraid that, in suggesting as much, you have created a strawman: a position you have attributed to someone else that, in fact, that person or those persons do not maintain.
In addition, once the book is handed, as a gift or transactional purchase, to another individual, the book is now the property of the person who has received it. Even if that person chose to burn the book (and again, that has not been suggested), they would not be infringing on Ray Comfort's ability to speak and distribute texts, nor on anyone else's ability to speak in opposition to the ideas and skullduggery of Ray Comfort.
It is easy to latch on to the great statement by Hall (often attributed to Voltaire): "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" while forgetting that Hall's great statement does not preclude others from saying something back.
Indeed, we do. I hope that you, too, "get it."
Once more, for posterity: there is no censorship of Comfort, who remains free to spout as he will, just as others remain free to express how wrong Comfort is.
As for the point about "a thousand books of insanity" being distributed, I humbly submit that such has been going on as long as the existence of books, and is unlikely to stop anytime soon, so you may lay your fears aside. Why, just look at The Bible, for example.
Thanks again for your quotes.
[New complementary close under construction],
Robert
Posted by: devnulljp
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November 18, 2009 3:13 PM
Hey Mad Quoter, patronise much?
I'm with Joe above (not censor, but laugh), but I'd love to see Rayman's reaction to a handout of bibles at sunday schools around the US wit ha foreword written by Richard Dawkins*. Sauce for the goose and all that...
*Of course that won't happen. Dawkins isn't that petty.
Posted by: Desert Son, OM
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November 18, 2009 3:14 PM
Or in other words, what Rev. BigDumbChimp said!
I'm late (and lengthy), as usual. :)
[New complementary close under construction],
Robert
Posted by: Scott | November 18, 2009 3:17 PM
Geez, what is up with the censorship argument Mad Quoter?
I ripped out the introduction (I know it is online in full so felt no guilt in excluding it from the Darwin text). My reasoning for doing so was I didn't want the defacement of Darwin directly touching his most illuminating work and my much older version of Origin is not in the best condition so I was going to use the portion of the book that you know, is bearable. I did however give the ripped portion (I was careful not to rip the pages individually)to a friend, who was unable to get a copy so he could get his kicks. The fact that I ripped it out in front of them was more of a symbolic gesture that what there were distributing wasn't worth the paper it was printed on TO ME. I didn't tell them to stop. I didn't try to grab more than one. All I did was do with my copy what I wished since it was at that point my property.
Posted by: Timcol | November 18, 2009 3:24 PM
What is so disturbing about Comfort isn't just the fact that he seemingly has such a poor understanding of science and evolution in particular - but the man seems to lack basic integrity. This latest stunt is just the latest in many where he routinely is just plain dishonest and disingenous. Seems like classic cult behavior where Comfort has really become a law unto himself - as far as I can tell Comfort is the head of his own organization and is accountable to no-one (except God of course, but then that's just another voice in his head...).
Fascinating really...no doubt Comfort has rationalized this behavior as permitted in order that he spreads the gospel, when in fact his behavior goes against everything the Gospel putatively stands for...
Posted by: ray_needs _intros | November 18, 2009 3:26 PM
Send your removed introductions to:
Please Forward to:
Ray Comfort
10349 Flora Vista St
Bellflower, CA 90706
Posted by: Quine | November 18, 2009 3:26 PM
PZ:
I got a copy of the Genesis illustrated by R. Crumb, and it was done very well. However, some of the books are so dry and boring that it would be a big challenge, even for Tom of Finland.
Posted by: Carlie | November 18, 2009 3:30 PM
Awww, I was at Syracuse University last night! And can't get there today, darn it.
Posted by: Kel, OM | November 18, 2009 3:34 PM
If someone can, please get me a copy.
Posted by: Kel, OM | November 18, 2009 3:38 PM
If someone can, please get me a copy.
Posted by: Stony Brook | November 18, 2009 3:44 PM
I was at Stony Brook for three hours today and didn't see anyone passing out books.
Considering Stony Brook has Richard Leaky, Douglas Futuyma, Massimo Pigliucci and many other scientists (as well as creationist Michael Egnor) whose work Comfort dismisses, I thought Comfort would use some of other people's money to get books here.
But Comfort didn't or couldn't.
Posted by: TSS | November 18, 2009 3:47 PM
Got one from UC Berkeley. :)
They were giving them away in front of Doe Library. Go get one while supplies last!
Posted by: Prillotashekta | November 18, 2009 3:54 PM
Apparently, they were handing them out here at the University of Iowa. I missed them, but saw a student with one (she was concerned and a little angry about the intro portion and the motives behind it).
If someone brings it up in the Age of Dinos lab I'm TA'ing tonight, I'll address it.
Posted by: Steve Courtright | November 18, 2009 4:03 PM
They were at Bradley University today. I asked my son, who is a junior there, to pick one up for me.
Posted by: fake plants | November 18, 2009 4:32 PM
I picked one up at UCSD on Library Walk. Apparently, by the time I got there, they had run out of their free copies, but I had an inkling one of them just *had* to have their own copy. So I told them I was so very sad to have missed it, and that I was very interested in reading the introduction to the text, and that I hurried over as soon as I heard that they were giving away the book. Well, these weren't exactly lies, but I didn't mention that I wanted to read for the sole purpose of laughing my head off at the stupidity.
Turned out, I was correct in my assumption. Not only am I the [well, not quite proud] owner of a doctored copy of the Origin, but I have the dubious honor of having inveigled a fundie's own personal copy. Score!
Posted by: Justin | November 18, 2009 4:39 PM
anyone know if they are on San Diego State?? I walked around but haven't seen them....im in the Evilutionary bio department and figured I would grab a few copies...I ran out of lighter fluid and i need something to fire up the coals on the grill...
Posted by: Sam W. | November 18, 2009 4:42 PM
Adding to #152 (what up Aaron), they seemed to have a few more people on our campus to preach hellfire-and-brimstone style. Is that happening to anyone else so far? My group held up signs criticizing creationism and the introduction in the book, which made the dude passing them out hesitant, thinking we'd take them in for a "book-burning". I guess he was also uncomfortable by the fact that we stood right next to him with those signs, on top of a conveniently-located raised platform. The big focus for the campus was the preaching, however; they downplayed passing out the books, and I wonder if it was because we were right there. I'm off campus now, but I'm wondering if they'll continue passing them out once we leave...
Posted by: ObSciGuy | November 18, 2009 4:42 PM
I spoke with a friend who received a copy today, and he pointed out it's missing Chapter 7 - "Miscellaneous Objections To The Theory Of Natural Selection"
I checked my copy of the PDF of the full text from Comfort's website (see the link to the intro - it's the whole book) and it is also missing Chapter 7!!
On the website - mere pixels from the link to the PDF missing chapter 7 - he writes...
So much for the 9th commandment...
Posted by: Demha | November 18, 2009 4:54 PM
I wonder if they'll try anything this "sneaky" in Canada. They're supposed to distribute them next week (the 24th).
Posted by: SteveM | November 18, 2009 4:54 PM
re 186:
Are looking at the first edition? As I understand it, Comfort is publishing the first edition. When I looked up the first edition on line, chapter 7 is "Instinct", not "Misc Objections..."
Posted by: BdN | November 18, 2009 5:03 PM
@Demha
Do you know at which Canadian universities ? I haven't seen a list of it.
Posted by: Evets
|
November 18, 2009 5:05 PM
If anyone has an extra copy, I'd love to have one. I'm willing to pay shipping for you to send one to me.
alchemist60 at gmail dot com
Posted by: Paul from NH | November 18, 2009 5:06 PM
I go to Syracuse, and was not able to grab a copy. Whoever was handing them out left before I got there. It's a shame — I was planning to offer them a Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster brochure and one of the "Why Ray Comfort Is Wrong" fliers from Don't Diss Darwin in exchange.
One of my very-non-Christian friends got one, though, so that's good, I guess.
Posted by: Ryan | November 18, 2009 5:07 PM
After finding out that they were handed out yesterday on my campus (University of Alberta), I found this press release last night http://ntwiebe.posterous.com/press-release-militant-atheists-seek-details
Yeah, they got scared of a planned counter from our side.
Posted by: Philadelphia Reporter | November 18, 2009 5:11 PM
If anybody was on the U Penn campus and witnessed any of this please please PLEASE contact me. My email is notsuchgoodnews AT gmail
thanks so much
Posted by: Shiva K. | November 18, 2009 5:26 PM
They were/still are here at UC Davis today. In the morning they were just handing out the books. About two hours afterwards they were joined by about 4 other people who brought "Repent" and "Jesus Christ: Savior or Judge?" signs and started a giant hoopla, preaching about the end of times, so at that point the presence of the book got COMPLETELY overshadowed.
I talked to the people distributing the books and they told me they had not read the book, and had simply been contacted and asked if they were willing to volunteer by handing out the books. They made a real mess of the situation...No one with previous knowledge of the event knew that this had anything to do with Ray Comfort or the Origin book...
Posted by: Sabrina | November 18, 2009 5:33 PM
Sam @185 - They were preaching at Virginia Commonwealth University after they ran out of copies of the book. According to hubby, it was your typical 'sinners be damned' bullhonkey. I've been damned to hell on that campus more times than they can count. It makes me giggle.
What's funny is that I went to a very small, very religious university in the south for my undergraduate degree and they would have absolutely *nothing* to do with these crazy preacher types. When throwing water balloons, knocking them off their chairs, and chucking day-old dining hall vegetables didn't work, the student body tried to take them to court for trespassing.
Posted by: Sabrina | November 18, 2009 6:14 PM
Sam @185 - They were preaching at Virginia Commonwealth University after they ran out of copies of the book. According to hubby, it was your typical 'sinners be damned' bullhonkey. I've been damned to hell on that campus more times than they can count. It makes me giggle.
What's funny is that I went to a very small, very religious university in the south for my undergraduate degree and they would have absolutely *nothing* to do with these crazy preacher types. When throwing water balloons, knocking them off their chairs, and chucking day-old dining hall vegetables didn't work, the student body tried to take them to court for trespassing.
Posted by: RickR
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November 18, 2009 6:27 PM
"However, some of the books are so dry and boring that it would be a big challenge, even for Tom of Finland."
Especially since Tom has gone to that great biker bar in the sky. RIP Tom. It's a shame, because ANY boring, dry text can be improved immeasurably by black leather, rippling abs, and large dangling.... piety, glistening in the sun.
However, I'm a gay erotic artist, even published a few. I could see doing some bible illustrations with a gay.....thrust.
To paraphrase the immortal Winston Zeddmore-
"I've drawn shit that would turn you white!"
Posted by: SEF | November 18, 2009 7:03 PM
Perhaps he's just operating in the NZ time zone - and hence having his 19th before your USA one.
Posted by: Quine | November 18, 2009 7:37 PM
Go for it.
Posted by: Pastor Steve | November 18, 2009 8:07 PM
We handed out 2600 books at the campus of USC today. Great response! People were very grateful to get something for free! Thank you all for your support. You can read about what our team did at my blog, www.StoneThePreacher.com
Again, Thanks.
Posted by: Glen Davidson | November 18, 2009 8:16 PM
Thank you, Pastor Steve, for providing the opportunity to laugh at the stupidity that you peddle, and for propagandizing on college campuses, where the expertise for demonstrating what lies Ray Comfort wrote is so readily available and eager to counteract dishonesty about science.
See, it's win-win. You get to pat yourself on the back for lying for Jebus, and we get to show what a horrible influence your religion has on anyone who is gullible.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p
Posted by: TheTruePooka
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November 18, 2009 8:24 PM
Could someone report in on an estimate of the number of copies handed out?
I'm suspicious that Comfort is lying about the number of books he's handing out and this is part of the reason he went in early so it couldn't be disputed.
Reports only from honest folks, please.
Those who work/volunteered for Comfort need not reply back, as you can't be trusted, being proven liars.
You can e-mail me at TheTruePooka @ Gmail. com
or my youtube channel of the same name. I'm taking this a bit personal since Ray quote mined me and I don't care for that.
Posted by: MadScientist | November 18, 2009 8:30 PM
"creationist idiot"? I'm no fan of tautologies.
Posted by: nejishiki | November 18, 2009 9:17 PM
Holy shit. I go to UCLA and I didn't see this going on. Guess I should get out of the lab more.
Posted by: Brian Thomas | November 18, 2009 9:30 PM
We had some at Washburn University, in Topeka, KS on Monday 11/16. I was surprised because it's a small campus (~7,000 students). It was apparently a local church, rather than a campus group.
I've heard they were at the University of Kansas today (much bigger place, ~25,000 students).
Posted by: Caine, Fleur du mal OM
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November 18, 2009 10:12 PM
Brownian, OM @ #23:
You left out the bananas.
Posted by: rawnaeris
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November 19, 2009 12:17 AM
Hmm I wonder if they'll be out in force tomorrow. I've assigned my boyfriend to get me one at UNT tomorrow. Thanks #138 for letting me know they were there.
Posted by: TimJohnsonMN
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November 19, 2009 12:30 AM
@Brian #205 But Ichabod means Inglorious in Hebrew...
My brother-in-law and his wife are Washburn grads and still live in Topeka. I'll have to see if they picked up a copy.
Posted by: anthonzi
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November 19, 2009 2:02 AM
Too bad I am too ill to do battle with these morons. But I didn't see any of them on campus for the short time I was there.
Posted by: devnulljp
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November 19, 2009 4:14 AM
Demha (#187),please post a list of universities in Canada they're doing this at. I'd love to get me a bananaman book.
Posted by: devnulljp
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November 19, 2009 4:18 AM
OK, so 5 min on google and I've got the list
Canada (24 Nov)
1. Ottawa University (Ottawa, ON)
2. Carleton University (Ottawa, ON)
3. Queen's University (Kingston, ON)
4. University of Toronto (Toronto, ON)
5. York University (Toronto, ON)
6. McMaster University (Hamilton, ON)
7. Guelph University (Guelph, ON)
8. Brock University (St. Catharines, ON)
9. U of Western Ontario (London, ON)
10. Concordia University (Montreal, QC)
11. McGill University (Montreal, QC)
12. U of New Brunswick (Fredericton / Saint John, NB)
13. Memorial U of Newfoundland (St. John's, NL)
14. Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS)
15. University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB)
16. U of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK)
17. University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
18. University of Calgary (Calgary, AB)
19. Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, BC)
20. U of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC)
21. University of Victoria (Victoria, BC)
Posted by: John Scanlon, FCD | November 19, 2009 6:40 AM
He's slimy enough to be an octopus, but somehow I think he's just an ignorant lying tetrapod. Just because you can't see it, Ray, doesn't mean it's not there... that's why it's called the 'blind' spot. lol
Reminds me of some other book I've seen. Have they added verse numbers, and Ussher's dates in the margin?
And what about Chapter 7? Yes indeed, that's one of the Apocryphal chapters; we never accepted it as canonical in our church's Origin.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | November 19, 2009 7:54 AM
Ray is offering to pay for the printing costs of the Banana bookmarks because he moved the date.
What an insufferable ass.
Posted by: ProudMonkey | November 19, 2009 8:58 AM
Okay, I have a hypothesis. I don't believe it myself, but it might warrant testing.
Is it possible, however remotely, that Ray is actually a comedic genius, following the path laid out by Andy Kaufman (and, to a lesser extent, Sacha Baron Cohen)? Think about it: could Ray have conceived of a multi-decade comedic "bit", the sole aim of which is to mess with people? Are Ray and Andy (who is not really dead) in the back room laughing their asses off, being the only two people in the world knowing what is really going on?
If this hypothesis proves true, Ray is unquestionably the greatest actor of all time. Think of it: Ray has not once broken the character of being the caricatured close-minded, uninformed, contradictory, disingenuous, misleading (etc., etc., etc...) evangelist. Brilliant!
Posted by: Evets
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November 19, 2009 10:02 AM
I was thinking that, Proud Monkey, after reading his post yesterday about the lack of a blind spot, etc.
I just can't fathom him being serious about all this. He's got to be a Poe, the greatest Poe of all time. There's no way he can really be serious about all of it.
Posted by: AJ Milne OM
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November 19, 2009 10:17 AM
Okay. Gotta hand it to the man. That's some good material, right there...
And it seems to me if this calls for anything, this calls for a series of 'Ray Comfort facts', in the style of those done for Chuck Norris.
Allow me to kick it off:
Ray Comfort does not have a blind spot in his eye. Also, his retinal cells are the right way 'round.
Ray Comfort's Y chromosome has no repeats. And does not mutate. At. All.
Ray Comfort is a platonic ideal, and the archetype for his baramin.
Ray Comfort's family tree does not fork, and his cells contain no new information. The genes for his moustache were present in Archean stromatolites, and in fossils hidden by the Evilutionary Conspiracy(TM) in their secret underground lair, you can see those stromatolites have moustaches.
Ray Comfort did it with mitochondrial Eve.
(/...And she's still calling him.)
Posted by: Ian B | November 19, 2009 11:57 AM
I have written a page-by-page counter essay to Comfort's introduction. It is guaranteed to be both funnier and more factual. If you got a copy of his book, please check out my essay. :)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22624278/Darwigin-of-Species
Posted by: Kordox
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November 19, 2009 6:13 PM
I'd very much like to get a hand on a copy of the book, but I happen to live in Denmark. I am going to visit my parents in the US this Christmas though, so would it maybe be possible for someone who picked up several copies to mail one to them? That would be just awesome! They live in Magalia, CA, so probably someone close.
Of course I will pay the price of mailing it, maybe through PayPal or whatnot.
Anyway, my email is kordox[at]gmail.com. Please contact me! I'd be extremely grateful!!
Posted by: mvXfer | November 19, 2009 8:24 PM
-Rev. BigDumbChimpYeah. It was just an older-looking man with a box of books offering them to people who walked closely by... surprisingly discreet for being a disciple of Ray. There may have been others handing them out too, but they kept a low profile.
Posted by: darvolution proponentsist | November 19, 2009 11:12 PM
Pastor Steve @200
The persecution complex is positively dripping from that domain name.
Posted by: David Estlund | November 20, 2009 1:14 AM
I'll admit I haven't read the intervening comments, but I feel the need to interject that since Tom of Finland is dead, an illustrated Bible by Jack T. Chick would work just as well. It would be far less succinct, but the end result would probably be the same.
Posted by: brian miller | November 20, 2009 11:55 AM
CNN is showing Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron handing out copies of the origin on their news program.
There was a biology teacher (Ken Miller) who said he recommends people get it so they can debunk some of the wrong information in the introduction.
Posted by: Menyambal | November 20, 2009 12:04 PM
Link to CNN vid about Kirk Cameron and "creationism" books.
Posted by: ddpej | November 20, 2009 1:23 PM
Ian B. @ 217 -- well played, sir.