Le Stu

There is an argument that that is very much part of the problem. Leaving aside the unethical idea that a "successful" education should only be available to those that can afford it, in Scotland the absence of parents' choice and private schools would have an enormous and mostly positive impact on the state system.

How on earth would the abolition of private education improve state education?

Was the the Andrew Neil documentary? 'cause he's not exactly renowned for his Leninist views...

Yes. I suppose he came over as more classist than anything else. I've possibly fallen into the trap of thinking that's the same as being left-biased.

I take it back, I just watched Posh And Posher: Why Public School Boys Run Britain. Some fair points later on, particularly about the decline of grammar schools in the nation, but overall this seemed pretty biased, beat up on the toffs stuff. As if the success of public school education is the problem.

I watched Clerks dozens of times back in the day. It was a fun, original, low budget film and he made a couple of other ones I liked, Mall Rats, Chasing Amy. Er... he should have done this a decade ago, really.

The only thing I've noticed is Paxman's red socks at election time, though I wouldn't rule him out of trolling us.

Though TBH, I couldn't read the article. Not to say I couldn't access it, I just couldn't read it.

Would people be more likely to believe in God if we found out it/he wasn't sentient?

Imagine God as some kind of Universe creating machine, kind of like a photocopier spewing out universes because that's all it can do.

Create Universe, Uncreate Universe, Create Universe, Uncreate Universe.

If only science could prove God was a non-sentient creation machine I think people would have no need to 'worship' it/him.

.... after all, you don't worship your photocopier.

In my experience, photocopiers move in mysterious ways, require a certified cleric to invoke them, unconditional faith to operate, and most certainly inspire fear in the common man so it works on all levels.

Well, I don't believe in a personal God, or religion, though I acknowledge it can be a useful force for 'social cohesion' or whatever horrible terminology they use these days. Or a way to be ultra cunty to a population to keep them in line. I'm moot on that one.

However, there are certain preconditions to sentient life evolving and the four fundamental forces underpin it all. What if a universe couldn't produce carbon or hydrogen atoms? Or even atoms? True, it might throw up some kind of bizarro lifeforms that we can't comprehend or it could just be a sea of chaos from our perspective.

Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything = (42)

Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes, yes, but what was the question?

higgs boson wherefore art though

it's exactly the sort of exciting things they're doing at Cern which may shed light on this issue or, more likely, just confirm that the universe is far weirder than we're ever likely to fully understand.

Even if our universe is the only universe don't you think by the sheer scale and number of possible chemical interactions (etc) that life was pretty much inevitable? After billions of years surely there had to be more than just rocks and water

what I mean is that the basic rules of our universe are unbalanced, and had they not been our universe possibly couldn't support life, planetary systems or even matter as we know it jim. Scientists still can't explain why gravitational force is so much weaker than the strong and weak nuclear forces or electromagnetic forces. These rules were likely set at inception and haven't changed. So, great architect or infinite universes, both require faith as we simply don't know.

Flying Spaghetti Monster.

xx

The whole God is a rumour argument doesn't sway me at all. It comes down to the incredible fact of our existence, against all odds. Perhaps we are a spectacular, random aberration in a multiverse full of fail but only theory supports this idea, nothing that can be proven through observation, yet.

5. Lower than 50 per cent but not very low. Technically agnostic but leaning towards atheism. 'I don't know whether God exists but I'm inclined to be sceptical.'

that would be me. since the existence, or not, of God cannot be determined by observation, it requires more faith than I have to disbelieve in him.

/smug cunt

I've been listening to some of Why Bother? with peter cook and chris morris. a great clash of wit.

Last night, had a dream that I was walking through someone else's house, realised I shouldn't be there and went out the back. the only way back to the road was inbetween two hedges buzzing with bees so I ran at it waving my hands in front of me. I was stung severly on the palms and they swelled up into some right rank pussy mess.

this tells me I'm respectful of the property/territory of others and I fucking hate stingy flying hings. I shouldn't drink caffeine in the evening also.

I think being gay is a big no-no for the witnesses right?

Or even co-habiting with my girlfriend beige marriage should do the trick.

Chances are they'll try to cure you, see you as a challenge. A high risk strategy, imo.

They only left me with "AWAKE!" (which is pretty rambling)

I don't think we'll be getting as far as an initiation but I got a chuckle out of that. I hope they don't arrive anytime soon. Still trying to shift a cold and u really can't be done with it today.

They don't believe in divorce right? If I tell them I'm divorced would that be enough to put them off?

I don't know actually. Probably telling them you're a heamophiliac or an army reserve would work better. they apparently frown on blood transfusions or military service.

This is why I never fuck with them because they seem to have a sixth sense for catching me in a weak moment.

(you could just hide behind the sofa when they call)

The Watchtower is probably the least coherent of rambling religious brochures to be had.

(that's a good one, call it a brochure or mention The Watchtower and Tract society, if they deny all knowledge get them to read you the copyright.)

PS good luck with your initiation, they do apparently have some amazingly fit birds and it's a man's world

Repost, THAT'S WHY!

Jesus, that's some pretty advanced automod. I'd maybe take care with its firewall if I was in charge.

why isn't my rep for this registering? You should see someone about that.

Personally, I don't believe in an intervening God.

I think Stephen Hawking sums it up pretty well:

I recall watching a documentary on this a while ago, something about the galactic constant and how if the rules of physics were even minutely different life could not possible exist in our universe. The only conclusions drawn were that there either is a Great Architect or we are in one of an infinite number of universes.

Probably running on an computer somewhere tbh.

What was the name of that game which was similar to Mortal Kombat, where you could do 50 hit combos etc? I keep thinking Primal Rage but it's not that...

Killer Instinct?

Surely Rise Of The Robots would be the worst, though it was such a failure that most people wouldn't recall it.

JWs are more end-of-days people than creationists, tbh and they've been calling it wrong for decades now.

it's not hard to reject these faiths based on basic principles.

Mormons: No beer? Get fucked.

JWs: No blood transfusion? How will I get my liver transplant then?

I've always had mine like that. It looks better, and safer. It can't really fall over if it has already fallen over.

I've always had mine upright but the last one still overheated and died with an E74 error so it probably doesn't matter.

(the idea of it being upright giving more surface are/air circulation or something)