The Spinoza method

 

OK, this is going to be a rant, but whatever...

"The Spinoza method" seems to be just another version of the OTF. And probably even more silly, since it presupposes from the start that all religious scriptures should be interpreted literally (does that include "The Gospel of Thomas"?) and are obviously fake. But the atheist narrator admits that billions of people believe in it. So clearly it isn´t *obviously* fake, is it? The point of the rhetoric is obvious: the small minority who has seen through it are Brights. And everyone else is an idiot. I suppose that must be a wondeful thing to hear when you´re in senior high or college (where most American atheists took up their atheism). Smart people! LOL.

Since the main point of the video is to attack Christianity, it´s actually quite funny that the last segment of this video comes across as an evangelization tool for...wait for it...Zoroastrianism! Now, Zoroastrianism is probably the religion I most would *like* to be true, so the idea that Jesus is really the Shaoshyant does have a certain intrinsic appeal. But no, I don´t believe it either. 

A competent Christian apologist should be able to respond to this video. Sure, the response might be "wrong", but I think it could be made to sound convincing. Simply presupposing that you´re right won´t help you there, buddy.

Åh nej

 

Molly har tydligen lämnat Dolly Style. Jag menar vad fan, hur ska vi överleva detta???

Lack of belief in Australia

 

I linked to some of MythVision´s skeptical-minimalist Bible documentaries before. Here, he discusses what would make him go back to Christianity. Spoiler: probably nothing at this point.

I would be convinced that "God" or "the supernatural-spiritual" exists if I had a very strong experience suggesting just that. Not sure what would convince me of Christianity specifically, though. Or American evangelicalism in particular. Even a strong experience of Jesus could be interpreted in a pluralist manner, after all. Especially if he comes draped in the Star-Spangled Banner! I mean, why not the flag of Vatican City, huh?

For discussion purposes. The floor is open.

Stulna mandat

 

Några vinjetter från Fria Tider (oberoende ytterhöger) om det kommande svenska valet.

Markus Allard på väg mot riksdagen?

SD: "Etnicitet är inte politik"

AFS: Förbjud somalier i Sverige

Och så har vi den här vänsterliberala kommentaren igen:

Radikalhögern förökar sig genom delning

Som jag tidigare har påpekat är det oklart om dessa opinionsmätningar verkligen är tillförlitliga. Men visst, det skulle ju kunna bli intressant om Örebropartiet lyckas bli invalda i riksdagen. Men eftersom de antagligen kommer att stjäla röster från det blivande oppositionspartiet SD lär det inte påverka regeringsbildningen...

Made in Marocko

 

Det verkar som att varken högern eller vänstern kan hantera det faktum att stormningen av den spanska enklaven Ceuta var en marockansk politisk provokation. Och alltså inte en "vanlig" migrantkris, vilket båda sidor tydligen vill hävda.

Så lockade Spanien invandrarna till Ceuta

The return of the pink elephant

 

Alex Jones apparently wants to remove Trump by impeachment or the 25th amendment. Cuz Iran-Israel something something.

Oh.

For the record. Sorry for the self-referential title of this blog post!

A universe in a grain of sand

 

Or 9 out of 10 on a bullshit meter? Sabine isn´t *terribly* impressed by the recent headlines about some scientist creating a "mini-universe" in a lab, und so weiter. 

Bomba högkvarteret

 

Credit: Artyom Vasiliev

Det är tydligen en russifierad korean som äger Wildberries, Rysslands största e-handelsföretag. Ukraina har under en period bombad företagets lagerlokaler av diverse orsaker. Hübinette har kvittona.

Om de ryska företaget Wildberries´ grundare och ägare

The Mecca-Medina conflict

 

Styx is experiencing some turbulence right now, but the latest rumor takes the prize. Apparently, some people somewhere claim that he is a Muslim or is becoming one. Eh? The reason seems to be that he wants to end Trump´s war with Iran. So presumably Styx is now a Twelver Shia Muslim, then. As opposed to a Christian Protestant Nationalist? Or what? 

He seems to be an occultic libertarian. As he has been for the past two decades or so. 

And btw, I´m aware of the "Mecca-Medina conflict" and have read the Tibetan Book of the Dead. There!

Infinite oil

 

Oh no, Tucker convinced Putin (you know, *that* guy) that abiogenic oil actually exist! Jokes aside, the Russian government is apparently under the influence of a maverick believer in the existence of infinite oil. They will finance deep drilling in Komi to see if the hypothesis can be sustained (pun intended). If abiogenic oil exists in large quantities, the Russian Federation can finally (re)claim its rightful place under the sun. Or at least above the fuel reserves. 

Sabine is skeptical, since "everyone" has been looking for the elusive non-fossil oil for decades (around Lake Siljan in Sweden, for instance - not mentioned in the video) and came up short. One aspect she doesn´t discuss is the impact on our climate if abiogenic oil would be found in enormous amounts too cheap to meter. But sure, maybe the good people of Komi could need some long hot summers to grow Lysenkoite water melons, or whatever.

Dude.