Plan B Forum

Government funds atheist talkfest

May 15, 2011

THE world's most prominent atheists are bound for Australia - and the Victorian government will pick up part of the bill.

The Global Atheist Convention, whose theme is A Celebration of Reason, will host authors Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris. Funding was approved last year by the former Labor government.

Atheist Foundation president David Nicholls said the ''four horsemen of the anti-apocalypse'' would ''attract people from everywhere on the planet'' to the April 2012 convention. No visit to Sydney has been confirmed.

''It will be the biggest global event for atheism ever, and it probably won't be repeated,'' Mr Nicholls said.

American author and academic Dennett said the four were ''like buddies''.

Rob Ward, of the Australian Christian Lobby, said people were free to gather but the debate should be civil.

''Sometimes Dawkins and co have been a tad impolite.''

Victorian tourism authorities estimate the convention will bring 2500 delegates to Melbourne.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/governme ... z1MNPhSASP

Wiki

An Apocalypse (Greek: ἀποκάλυψις apokálypsis; "lifting of the veil" or "revelation") is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted

Sue U wrote:Isn't Chris Hitchens dead yet? He certainly will be by April 2012. My spousal unit was just telling me that he's now lost the ability to speak at all, due to his cancer.

Sunday, 15 May 2011

Atheist writer Christopher Hitchens has reportedly been cured of cancer after praying to Mother Teresa.

Hitchens' cure, if accepted by Catholic Church authorities as miraculous, could ultimately pave the way for Mother Teresa to be canonized as a Catholic saint.

Hitchens acknowledged he had been cured after praying to Mother Teresa, but he insisted it was "illogical" to call the healing a "miracle."

"I've been winning the argument against God all these years," he said. "It's unfair to suggest this latest incident proves anything. It's like an ad hominen attack."

Hitchens said that he decided to pray for a cure to Mother Teresa only as a "journalistic experiment."

His plan, he said, was to include his experiment in an article he was writing about the unscientific nature of miracles.

"I've conducted other journalistic experiments before, like subjecting myself to water boarding," he said. "I mistakenly thought this lastest exercize wouldn't be as painful."

Hitchens said that he conducted his "experiment" of praying to Mother Teresa while waiting for an appointment with his oncologist Tuesday at St. Malachy's hospital in London.

When the doctor examined Hitchens, she found that all traces of his cancer had completely disappeared.

Hitchens said he felt cheated rather than elated by the discovery.

"I've been the world's leading critic of Mother Teresa," he said. "The little witch has had her revenge."

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm? ... e=s3i96024

Gob wrote:Respect to Hitchens for sticking to his views. I read "How religion poisons everything" a couple of months back, interesting book, argued with great intelligence.

Now if God wanted to be a real bastard he'd cure Hitchens on "pray fro Hitchens day", that may even convert me...


But he wont.

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loCAtek wrote:atheist faith

thestoat wrote:

loCAtek wrote:atheist faith

That's interesting - I have never considered an atheist a faith. I suppose by strict definition it is, but only in the same way as "A small, yellow teapot with pink flowers on it does not orbit the sun in the same orbit as the Earth, but always the other side of the sun" is a faith. You can't prove a negative ...

thestoat wrote:

loCAtek wrote:Also, it not being physical, but mental computation, makes it faith.

Agreed. But a good faith