OK, old guys and technology, right? Anyway, I’ll just jump in and get started with my first post.
I’ve had an amazing year so far. In the last 12 months, I’ve been to Ireland, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida, Washington DC, Maryland, New Zealand, Australia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Louisiana, California (twice) and even Arkansas, to say nothing of the events going on here in Texas. I’ve been to a lot of skeptic/humanist/secular/atheist conferences, and have consequently fallen a couple months behind in my personal messages. I spent most of my weekend trying to get half-way caught up. Otherwise it’s been great fun. I had to turn down a trip to Germany due to conflicting family commitments, and I’m mad about that, but I have some cool things coming on the horizon too, which I will of course post about in good time. Now I have this blog and I’m trying to figure out how I have time to squeeze in one more of these type pursuits. Isn’t that a great thing to complain about? It’s a helluva lot better than sitting on the sofa wondering what’s on TV, right? I haven’t turned on a television since I discovered the internet. That’s when I started posting to Talk.Origins with other internet nerds like P.Z. Myers. Since then, every year keeps getting better. Now I feel like I’m actually doing something helpful, and I am proud to be associated with people of such high integrity. Thank you everyone, but especially Matt, Laura, DPR, and Thunder. I am sincerely glad just to know you guys. Now let’s see how productive I can be in the coming year.
My wife also wants to become more active in this sphere. She is a science teacher, and a good writer who is already a regular contributor to one of our major metro papers, and she has a lot of good points to make. Now if I could only get my kids to be more active, right?
Anyway, being systematic, let me announce the next date on my roster. On the national mall, I target=”_blank”>encountered a couple of Christian kids who were protesting the Reason Rally. These boys were deeply deceived victims of Ray Comfort and the Hovind family of frauds. One of them, it seems, had no education in logic or science or any aspect of demonstrable reality, or even theology, and had apparently never had his delusion challenged before either. So I target=”_blank”>convinced him to assist me in an experiment. I’m going to try a new approach in an attempt to reason with someone who has been conditioned to be unreasonable after lifelong indoctrination. That will be our second session which will probably take place next week. First he says he wants to ask me a series of questions. Doubtless they won’t be sincere inquiries. I predict they’ll be the usual non-sequitors we always hear asked by those who hope their questions cannot be answered, as if lacking an answer might justify assumptions that would of course still be unwarranted regardless what the answer is. That part of our conversation will happen this Thursday, June 21st at 6:30pm Central time on my BlogTV channel. At that time, we will schedule the next session. I will also present him with a half dozen or so questions for him to mull over in the interim. Then in our second session, we’ll get more into my interrogation and analysis of his position. My goal is to show him -and have him acknowledge- that Cameron & Comfort, Ham and the Hovinds have never told him anything he could actually show to be true about either evolution or their religious beliefs, but that they have all lied to him almost constantly. That will be an important first step. What I hope will happen after that is that over the next six months or so, his mind will awaken, much like King Theodan’s did after Saruman was drawn out of him. It could happen.
116 comments
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Daniel Schealler
June 19, 2012 at 5:29 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Heh. This is fantastic!
It’s like everything in my RSS aggregator is coming together on one site. It’s brilliant!
Welcome! Glad to see you here.
Daniel Schealler
June 19, 2012 at 5:32 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh: And I think your plan with the experiment is a noble one.
Even if you fail, it’s a worthy attempt.
Even if you fail with the young man in question, you might succeed in educating others.
But pessimism aside: If anyone is going to actually succeed in getting someone to change their minds on an entrenched position in the face relentless argument, you’d be at the top of my list of who I think could achieve it.
Hope it goes well, and I’ll be tuning in if I can.
John Morales
June 19, 2012 at 8:31 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
You could’ve done a lot worse than this place, Aron Ra.
(Good luck!)
Jessie
June 19, 2012 at 8:51 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
How wonderful to see you on here. FtB just keeps getting better and better!
joel
June 19, 2012 at 10:09 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I am very looking forward to learning new ways to talk with the religious. Thank you FTB for this connection with Vv
'Tis Himself
June 19, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome, Aaron. For years I’ve enjoyed your videos. If the above is a good example, I’ll be enjoying your blog posts as well.
Rando
June 19, 2012 at 10:36 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
You’re going to have a hard time with him. If that screaming fit he had in the comments section of your video to him is any indication. I just hope you can get him to at least listen to you. Randy seems like the kind of indoctrinated person who will glaze over all your points and just ignore everything you say until he has a moment to talk. It’s really annoying when they do that, we will actually consider their arguments, but when it comes time for them to do the same, we get the same glazed over expression that says, “I’m not listening, la, la, la.” I for one can’t wait to watch.
Jasper of Maine
June 19, 2012 at 11:21 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
It’s possible that a good smack to the face with a staff would be helpful too. You never know.
Deen
June 19, 2012 at 11:29 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Awesome, AronRa on FtB
Ryan
June 19, 2012 at 12:24 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
“OK, old guys and technology, right?” (Aron Ra)
“Anyone who doesn’t believe old dogs can learn new tricks doesn’t know all that many old dogs.” (An old friend)
Please, let me be the first to welcome you here. I greatly enjoy your videos, and am looking forward to seeing what develops here.
Ryan
June 19, 2012 at 12:26 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
And by “…let me be the first…” I naturally mean let the other comments in moderation be approved just before I hit “Post.”
1000 Needles
June 19, 2012 at 1:10 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’ve been a silent subscriber to your YouTube channel for at least a year. Great to have you here!
teresalhotka
June 19, 2012 at 1:49 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thrilled to see you at FTB! I will be reading daily.
I’m looking forward to the conversation with the earnest protester kid.
I hope that he will be able to engage constructively.
Al Stefanelli
June 19, 2012 at 1:53 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome to the collective, Aron! Very glad you are here!
revjimbob
June 19, 2012 at 1:53 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
“It could happen.”
Hmmm.
Welcome AronRa! I have enjoyed your Youtube videos enormously. Look forward to your blog.
thorjonsson
June 19, 2012 at 1:59 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
This is great news, glad to have another great guy blogging on FTB!
Vijen
June 19, 2012 at 2:00 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Good to see you here, but try to find time to read Lord of the Rings, it will improve your spelling.
quoderatdemonstrandum
June 19, 2012 at 2:05 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Aron Ra: what a fantastic addition to FtB! Welcome.
Making myself comfortable and noting my post number so that in future I can make arguments from antiquity:
“I was original poster #10 at Ace of Glades when you were still in nappies laddie”
/Just joking
Mike
June 19, 2012 at 2:09 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
This is so awesome. I find myself getting a little dyslexic trying to type how wonderful this is. My brain is writing faster than my fingers so I’m gonna have to have a coffee break. BBL to gush some more
christophburschka
June 19, 2012 at 2:29 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I only found your new blog due to PZ’s post; will it be featured on the front page soon with the rest?
ethanmyerson
June 19, 2012 at 2:36 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
All my favorites in one place. Glad you’re here!
RickFlick
June 19, 2012 at 2:37 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome!
blindrobin
June 19, 2012 at 2:39 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
It’s a good day…
fort nerd
June 19, 2012 at 2:42 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome to the Hive Mind!
Great to see another smartass freethinker joining in to strenghten the community.
Jasper of Maine
June 19, 2012 at 7:21 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
It’s a hive mind that also happens to be afflicted with multiple personality disorder.
Brianne
June 20, 2012 at 3:57 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Ha! Yes – that’s as good of an answer as any to the outbursts of “You all are a hive mind! You contradict each other and are causing a huge rift in teh Atheism!”
Paulino
June 19, 2012 at 2:44 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’m a long time follower on Youtube, and thrilled to see you here!
Paulino
June 19, 2012 at 2:50 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh, and the Tolkien Nerd Patrol informs: Rohirrim King’s name is Theoden.
Janice in Toronto
June 19, 2012 at 2:46 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Ohhh! So glad to see you’re here!
I really hope your scheme will produce an effective way to help those who are religiously deluded.
Crys
June 19, 2012 at 2:59 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh AronRa I love you, welcome to FtB! And the very best of luck on your mammoth project. I can only claim one creationist turned science-appreciator (though still Christian, which I get given his position) despite the many I’ve talked to, but to get even one on the side of reason is one of the best feelings of accomplishment Ive ever had. Keep up the good work!
Xanthë
June 19, 2012 at 3:14 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Aron,
I certainly know you’ve had an exceptional year for travel, having seen you recently visiting my home city! I hope you enjoyed the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, where I know you similarly tried talking sense into our relatively small collection of deluded God-bothering protestors. I’m simply not brave enough to do confrontational stuff like that (nor was I forward enough to introduce myself… maybe the next time at one of these conferences!) so kudos to you, and best wishes for blogging here at FTB. I look forward to seeing if you manage to unlodge some of the young Christian guy’s unreason, to allow reason, logic, and science some room to take root instead. (Pointing out Saruman being driven out from possessing King Theoden’s will is a nice illustration, and it’s so well depicted in the Peter Jackson film of course.) Cheers!
IslandBrewer
June 19, 2012 at 3:19 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome, this is awesome!
And I love your blog title. Going to have to probe your opinion on paraphyletic nomenclatures sometime.
Now go make Thunder start blogging!
Roz
June 19, 2012 at 3:22 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Aron
Another YouTube atheist, Todd Allen Gates, has written a book on the ‘Socratic Method’ of debating Christians which is really good. He also has a lot of videos on his channel in which he explains the method. Hope you might find them useful.
Roz (AuntieDiluvian on YouTube)
GeoJim
June 19, 2012 at 5:32 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I, for one, certainly will! Thanks for the share.
Kevin
June 19, 2012 at 3:29 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Awesome. I found you on YouTube right at the beginning of the Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism series.
Good stuff.
Seems to me the entire Hovind/Ham/et al enterprise is about one thing — replacing scientific uncertainty with religious certainty.
All of their arguments against evolution boil down to an extended false dichotomy logical fallacy. “If X about evolution is false, therefore Jesus is totally real.”
Of course that’s nonsense. Evolutionary theory could be totally invalidated (not that anything like that’s going to happen) and the existence of a god is not helped in the least. All the work to prove the truth of bible claims is still ahead of Hovindites.
erlingbeck
June 19, 2012 at 3:36 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Great news!
Vall
June 19, 2012 at 3:42 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
“The Ace of Clades” is fucking brilliant. Of course now I hear Motorhead playing somewhere, and it’s not low volume.
GeoJim
June 19, 2012 at 5:30 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Exactly what I was thinking. I believe that I’ve actually seen Aron wearing a Motorhead t-shirt…maybe that should be the profile photo?
timberwoof
June 19, 2012 at 3:46 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome, Professor Higgins.
You have already realized that your student is going to need an introduction in the philosophy of logic, and that he’s predisposed to not listen to certain people or logical approaches.
Shredding someone’s logical ignorance in public is satisfying for the audience but demeaning for the subject. Bring him out gently, along a path he will recognize. I’d be tempted to start him off easy, with sources acknowledged by Christian theologists as being correct. The very early Christians looked to Greek philosophers for guidance…
I’ll cop to being a humanist and thinking that there some spark of “good” in every person. I hope this turns out well. I look forward to reading this blog!
JimDiver
June 20, 2012 at 3:00 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I agree. I would start him off with the “Arguments Creationists Should *NOT* Use” listed at http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/topic/arguments-we-dont-use and try to get him to explain *why* those arguments are bad and shouldn’t be used.
pentatomid
June 19, 2012 at 3:48 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Awesome! Aron Ra on FtB!
neXus
June 19, 2012 at 3:50 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
The mighty Texas Tank on FTB? Just when you think this site can’t get any more awesome… =D
Gnumann
June 19, 2012 at 3:51 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome! Let’s hope your blogging will be as good as your tubing
dukeyork
June 19, 2012 at 4:10 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’m stoked you’re on FtB! Love your photo, too.
rorschach
June 19, 2012 at 4:12 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Met you in Dublin and Melbourne, and ’twas fun. Very surprised that you and Wilkins had known each other since like the beginning of the internet ! Catch up sometime, and will keep an eye on the new blog, cheers mate !
Allen C. Dexter
June 19, 2012 at 4:13 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Glad to see another blog that promises to be interesting. I haven’t been that aware of you and plan to look up your videos.
hyoid
June 19, 2012 at 4:22 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh Boy!
otrame
June 19, 2012 at 4:26 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome. I’m excited you are here. I’m always sending people to your YouTube channel. Now I can send them here too.
Rizzy
June 19, 2012 at 4:37 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome to FtB, Aron. I witnessed the shouting match at DC firsthand, as well as the follow up on the LoR forum. I look forward to seeing how this all turns out.
skepticallydenpa
June 19, 2012 at 4:47 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I might have to quit my job just to keep track of all he blogs on ftb #firstworldproblems
Welcome, Aron. Looks like you’re off to a good start.
Illuminata, Genie in the Beer Bottle
June 19, 2012 at 5:01 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg This. Is. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome!
Aniota
June 19, 2012 at 5:03 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Great to see you on FtB, Aron.
Looking forward to the outcome of your approach with that poor kid, hope you succeed in planting a seed of doubt in his still young mind that will grow and eventually allow him to break loose from irrationality.
jimi3001
June 19, 2012 at 5:08 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Looking forward to reading your posts! I expected more axes* adorning the blog page though…
* either weapons or guitars – either would have met my expectations!
No One
June 19, 2012 at 5:08 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
yeah mon!
Matt Dillahunty
June 19, 2012 at 5:13 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome, my friend!
Rachel
June 19, 2012 at 5:17 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh man, I am excited to see you here. (Like many others, it seems!)
Your ‘Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism’ series was a huge factor in sending me down the path of atheism, skepticism, and learning about evolution.
I haven’t seen any of your videos in a while for various reasons, but I can’t wait to see what you get up to here on FTB.
Kees
June 19, 2012 at 5:19 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Aron, can you upload the conversation to Youtube or somewhere else when it is done. The time is pretty impossible for us Europeans.
GeoJim
June 19, 2012 at 5:22 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Bookmarked!
Look forward to it.
Cry4turtles
June 19, 2012 at 5:48 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’m thrilled you’re here Aronra! Saw you in DC too, but not the debate. My hubby declined the reason rally this year. When I came home we combed through youtube and watched you school the poor young sap. My hubby was very intrigued by your knowledge and debate style. Since then he has become more passionate about this fight of our lifetime. He is fully among our ranks now and will be by my side at next year’s rally. Many thanks Aronra. You have succeeded where I failed.
Anna
June 19, 2012 at 5:55 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Glad to see you here! Looking forward to reading your blog.
Besomyka
June 19, 2012 at 5:56 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome to FtB! Been watching your video since, oh.. 2006, maybe? You always manager to put things in an engaging way. Glad to see you here!
greg1466
June 19, 2012 at 6:25 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Talk about your one-stop-(reality)-shopping! Welcome AronRa!
julial
June 19, 2012 at 7:00 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome (sorry for gushing)
I read your title as “Ace of Clades”
What’s a ‘glade?’ Other than a meadow or an air freshener?
shockna
June 19, 2012 at 7:17 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome to FtB AronRa!
You and thunderf00t were the two major catalysts in my change from apathetic deism to open atheism! I look forward to reading more.
Gralgrathor
June 19, 2012 at 7:31 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I can’t help but feel that I’ve heard of such an attempt before. Of course chances are good that it will turn out that this lad thinks Hamm and Hovind are telling the truth for the same reason he believes the bible is true: no (good) reason at all. In which case I guess it’ll still be an amusing and informative session. I’ll put it in my agenda, that’s for sure.
fly44d
June 19, 2012 at 7:41 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Excellent, looking forward to your noob blogging efforts! So far so good!
Neicie
June 19, 2012 at 7:54 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Congrats in your blog! Thanks for being loud and making sense.
Stella
June 19, 2012 at 8:16 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Woohoo! Looks like I have a new addition to my list of favourite blogs! Welcome to FtB Aron Ra.
glenister_m
June 19, 2012 at 8:18 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome. You know, you might have made a good Gandalf…
maethor
June 19, 2012 at 8:58 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome, AronRa. I’m from Grapevine, TX in the DFW area. Might I ask where you live in our fair state of open and freethinking individuals?
aronra
June 19, 2012 at 9:16 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’m in Garland by Mesquite. You know Garland. That’s where the movie, Zombieland begins.
Duvelthehobbit666
June 19, 2012 at 9:39 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome
MorsGotha
June 19, 2012 at 10:01 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Holy shit AronRa is now a blogger on freethoughtblogs. My life is now complete.
Troy Britain
June 19, 2012 at 10:07 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome to the blogosphere Aron!
Evader, the parasite-infested branch on the evolutionary tree
June 19, 2012 at 10:15 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome Mighty Aron Ra!
Thanks for dropping logic, look forward to your contribution(s).
Mandrellian
June 19, 2012 at 10:36 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
AronRa in text form! Awesome. Welcome to the hive-mind/fractious anarchy without a mission statement
billygutter01
June 19, 2012 at 11:08 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Allow me to add my voice to the raucous chorus of “huzzahs”. I’ve been a long time ‘Tube subscriber and I look forward to your blogoliciousness.
I just got the red underscore of confusion from spell-check, but I stand by it:
Blogoliciousness!! Fuck, yeah!
echidna
June 19, 2012 at 11:15 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hey, glad to have you on FtB. I even got to say Hi to you in Melbourne.
I’m looking forward to your experiment. My ingoing thought is that if he values truth, and believes that what he says is true, then you have a chance to show him that he has been believing things that are demonstrably false.
If he values faith over truth, then you are unlikely to change his mind, but will probably reach others. Whatever the outcome, I’ll be following.
Have fun!
StarStuff, an uppity feminist
June 19, 2012 at 11:16 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Welcome to FtB!
Looking forward to seeing you again at the Florida Secular Rally in November! (We met in New Orleans recently
)
SmartLX
June 19, 2012 at 11:28 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Awesome to see you here, and to discover that the Melbourne guy is still engaging with you in some capacity. Best of luck with your experimental approach.
petejohn
June 19, 2012 at 11:59 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Aron Ra with a FT Blog? Whoa… I like that.
I like the title too.
Big fan of your YT stuff, Aron. I’m sure you’re explanatory skills and knowledge will translate well to print. I think that your little experiment is a good one, or at least a noble one. Hopefully, for your subject’s sake, it is an effective one.
SmartLX
June 20, 2012 at 12:02 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh, right, you’re still engaging with the Reason Rally guy. Pity, the Hovindian in Melbourne seemed keen.
JJ7212
June 20, 2012 at 12:09 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Aaron Ra, you rock dude. You’re an atheist god! (tongue in cheek) lol
duce7999
June 20, 2012 at 12:18 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Yay! Aron! I look forward to reading you. Thank you for your advocacy!
Tyro
June 20, 2012 at 12:20 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Great to see you writing in addition to vlogging. I still fondly remember your excellent posts back back in the old Christian Forums days and no doubt many people remember you from well before that. You’ve taught me a lot and changed my mind on many things.
Good luck and welcome to FtB.
JohnnieCanuck
June 20, 2012 at 12:43 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Learned something here already.
I always guessed that clade was pronounced as in dad. I checked and indeed, it rhymes with spade.
Thanks and welcome.
Cephas Borg
June 20, 2012 at 1:10 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Dude, I’m tickled pink you’re writing as well as Tubing. Although I’ll miss your mellifluous voice!
I can’t wait to see the outcome of the experiment, I’ll be tuning in if I can wake up…
For other Aussies in Melbourne’s timezone (GMT+10): the event will be live locally on Friday, 22nd June, 04:30 (very, very AM).
This is gunna be funnnnnn!
Vall
June 20, 2012 at 2:40 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
More than mellifluous, heroic. Like that guy that sings the national anthems for the Blackhawks.
I bet he does a good “angry dad” as well.
SmartLX
June 20, 2012 at 11:02 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Fortunately, Cephas, you’re way off.
6:30pm US central time is 9:30am Australian EST (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne), because right now it’s 9 here and 6 there. It’ll be much easier for us to tune in (if we can manage to do it at work on Friday morning).
Timberwoof
June 20, 2012 at 2:37 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
julial, a clade is a species and all the species that descended from it. Cladistics is a relatively new system for classifying living things specifically according to their evolutionary lineage. It is a taxonomy, newer than the classic Linnaean Taxonomy you probably learned in school.
Aronra, I watched the video of the conversation in Oz. I figured out something about where that guy was coming from which his seemingly off-the-wall questions: A lot of them were rhetorical appeals to authority or popularity. “If every scientist said blablabla, would you go along with it?” “If everybody was Christian, wouldn’t that mean blablabla?” Lurking in those questions was the assumption that a billion Christians can’t be wrong.
JimDiver
June 20, 2012 at 2:57 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Any way we can talk you into pushing the show back an hour or so? Us West Coasters will still be at work at that hour!
Sids
June 20, 2012 at 4:24 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Holy hell, Aron Ra’s here now. Greetings and salutations and whatnot…
ZeLinator
June 20, 2012 at 4:57 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’m going to do my best to give these posts justice by reading them in your excellent sonorous voice. Welcome to the FtB
pks
June 20, 2012 at 5:04 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thank you AronRa for doing this. I have every one of your videos and speeches and have learned much and questioned much as a result. Keep the good work and the fight dear brother.
Utakata
June 20, 2012 at 7:01 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
The Ace of Glades…I’m sure that’s a Motörhead reference from somewhere. I am not really aware Aron’s work, but I suspect he has better hair than Penn fucking Jillette from the looks of things …without all the libertarian woo economics and denalist rant baggage associated with the said man (least I hope). Welcome.
Utakata
June 20, 2012 at 7:28 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oops: The Ace of *Clades…my spelling gets a bit off when I am decaffeinating.
Marcus Hill (mysterious and nefarious)
June 20, 2012 at 8:30 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
At first I thought “damn, another must-read blog, there goes another chunk of my time” – but then, when I started reading, I heard it in AronRa’s voice talking at his usual YouTube pace, so maybe it won’t be so time consuming after all…
Paul Macgowan
June 20, 2012 at 11:33 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I look forward to following your exploits, Welcome aboard Aron.
Hypatia's Daughter
June 20, 2012 at 1:54 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Your deconversion project raises the interesting question of what is the best approach to take. Someone had a post (cannot remember who) that linked to article that said we shouldn’t argue that the religious aren’t being good xtians or use the Bible against them, as it merely reinforces the authority of the Bible and Jesus in their minds. Don’t know if I agree with that.
Teaching them to think scientifically is a longer, harder haul, as they so often lack even the most basic understanding of science and the scientific method. (“But it’s just a theory!”)
So often, these people remind me of my kids when they were 5 years old. When the ice cream truck came by, they wanted money to buy ice cream. “I’m sorry, honey, but I have no money for ice cream until payday.” “But mommy, why don’t you go to that machine (the ATM) and get some?”
Now, try explaining to a 5 year old about earning money, getting paid on payday, putting it into the bank so you can get it out of the ATM, and having other bills to pay……they just don’t get it at that age.
It’s not stupidity, it’s a shallow understanding and lacking all the background knowledge that makes explaining things to these people so difficult.
Hypatia's Daughter
June 20, 2012 at 2:03 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh, and I may add that their absolute conviction that their shallow pool of knowledge is as well informed as people who have spent 10, 20 or 30 years studying the subject. An Eric Hovind video is as scientifically legitimate as a Dawkins paper published in a peer reviewed journal.
Aggghhhh! Makes me want to tear my hair out.
Tony Agudo
June 20, 2012 at 3:47 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Aron, I hope you save your BlogTV session with that kid for the benefit of those of us unable to see it live(I’ll be stuck at work).
Brianne
June 20, 2012 at 4:01 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Great to have you here, AronRa. I’m looking forward to reading your posts. My RSS feed is growing more beautiful and rational every day!
Pilum
June 20, 2012 at 4:47 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I love the Theoden/Saruman analogy!
Keep up the good work.
Bronze Dog
June 20, 2012 at 6:56 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Glad to see you’re working in another medium, AronRa. Fellow Texan and a subscriber to your YouTube channel. I might make a post on my own tiny blog linking to some of my favorite videos of yours, now that you’re on my mind.
Funny thing I remember: I was trying to explain how evolution really works to a racist troll who was in Creationist mode (sometimes he claimed to believe in a twisted Hollywood version of evolution) and I linked to one of your videos. His response was solely to point out that you looked like a “hooligan,” which got me laughing at his shallowness.
julian
June 20, 2012 at 7:59 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Holy Shit!
It’s AronRa!
Winning. FtB is doing it.
Chris Ho-Stuart
June 20, 2012 at 10:47 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Aron-Ra. It’s great to see the howlers from ancient days in talk.origins carrying in the good work — and extending it.
Cheers — Chris Ho-Stuart
Christianne
June 21, 2012 at 6:08 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Yay! Glad to see you here. I enjoyed meeting you at Skepticon (I was the trans woman who had breakfast with you and your family).
empiricallyyours
June 21, 2012 at 10:32 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
A massive hello and welcome, hope your serve us up an equal measure of awesome here, as you do on youtube.
lilandra
June 21, 2012 at 11:40 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
The conversation with the guy from The Reason Rally is going on right now.
Jasper of Maine
June 22, 2012 at 2:04 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I just… man… I mean.. wow
…wow
Aron (and eventually DPR Jones when he got worked up) just set a new standard for “obliterated”
Jasper of Maine
June 22, 2012 at 3:13 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
It will make you laugh.
It will make you facepalm your hand through your skull.
It made a creationist admit that slavery is sometimes okay.
SmartLX
June 22, 2012 at 4:30 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Ermahgerd. Randy had Bruggencate watching online and practically breathing down his neck, while taunting everyone else.
Though I hate to deprive myself of perfectly good train wrecks, I’m starting to think that if this process is going to work it’s got to be done in private. The pressure on Randy to hold his side up was palpable. That, more than cognitive dissonance, is why I think he was reluctant to give any yes or no answer and thus potentially concede something.
I. Ron Butterfly
June 24, 2012 at 5:58 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
This is great, seriously, it’s like Lemmy joined up
Britney Stevens
July 1, 2012 at 10:24 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
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Enriqueta Fallago
October 3, 2012 at 10:01 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I do love the manner in which you have presented this particular difficulty and it does indeed supply us a lot of fodder for thought. Still, thank you for this superb point.
Alaina Buecher
December 1, 2012 at 10:37 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
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