"Christ died for our sins. Dare we make his martyrdom meaningless by not committing them?" - Jules Feiffer
"I was searching for art competitions when I stumbled across your god contest and got quite a hoot out of it." - Barry Munden - barrym@one.net
"I was thinking...to decide who the winner is why don't we wait to see what (if anything) the Aliens out there in space believe in. If one of our gods is their god...we got a winner. If they got someone else to believe in, we can add their name to the list. You never know, maybe THEY will be god..." - EB - ef4art@ix.netcom.com
"I'we just read through your pages, they are more than funny!!! But still, they are also wise... -Don't believe in god, believe in yourself and in mankind... -No one else will ever help us... - Mats Fennvik - fennvik@algonet.se
"From the heaven's he came, bringing unto us a message. In a bold and powerful voice, the great one proclaimed: He who finds this page and finds from this page little humor be damned! For this page is truly divine." - Bob Johnson - keeper@ziplink.net
"Best page(s) I've seen yet!! "God" contest is wonderful. Remember - The most important questions are What, When, Where...Who, How and Why are just fluff. Only a wise person can answer "I don't know" " - bjkrc@inna.net
"ROTFL! Loved the contest, appreciated the thoughtful, well-written "How you can help" sub-link. You have been Bookmarked." - Gary Parker - Lifetime Member of American Atheists - gparker@cybergate.net
"Is this an annual contest, and do you have to be, like, a local resident to enter?" - Sam Smith - ldmorgan@digital.net
"I usually try not to waste time contemplating the gods. After seeing how it spurred you to create something so bitingly funny, though, I think I should get my knife and fork out once in a while, too. Thanks for the comic relief." - James M. Dial - 103663.1342@CompuServe.COM
"I've been questioning several aspects of the traditional protestant religion I was brought up on myself lately, and was relieved and enlightened to see others in my same predicament or past it. Everything about the contest (and the posting of the responses/nominees) was creatively done and interesting. Nice job." - Cristy Shannon - cristy@silly.tamu.edu
"The naysayers who have written you to defend Christianity, etc. against your terrifying onslaught (*gasp!*) must have a dreadful fear of questioning their own religion." - Jamie Proctor - jkproc01@homer.louisville.edu
"I'm an amputee and I'd like to volunteer for the limb restoration thing...just in case." - Gary Goldsborough - golds3@ix.netcom.com
"All I can say is that I'm pissed . . . I'm pissed that you thought this up before I did. Great page! Made my day." - Eric - estep@jps.net
"I have heard whispers of corruption among the judges. This is true? The rumour I heard was that some participating gods have offered some judges everlasting life and a slice of the prize booty. I also heard that other gods have used threatened eternal damnation to minority judges if they win the vote from the majority." - Peter Kelly - pkelly@wantree.com.au
"It is indeed refreshing to find a website such as yours. Thoughtful, intelligent, and above all properly spelled!" - John Jensen - Awingen@msn.com
"I figured out a long time ago that even if there were a god, he/she/it would be no better than me -- bigger, stronger, meaner maybe, but not better. Also: Jesus (according to the bible) knew he was going to be crucified and go to sit with Jehova. Now if that is true, will someone please tell me what he sacrificed? Good contest. The more of these that are out, the more chance we have of curing
that sickness called religion." - Gordon Leslie - gordon_leslie@sunshine.net
"Comprehensive, well thought-out, and amusing. BUT a Goddess came to me last night and told me that she was going to get you-----I think her name was Allison. I also heard that Thor was pissed-off because he doesn't do virgins and hates the smell of rotting corpses." - Jim Talbot - harmonyunltd@earthlink.net
"I thought that the gods were just sitting back and letting their various followers beat the crap out of each other. My god's bigger than your god etc. etc." - Keith - keitht@monec1.agw.bt.co.uk
"My God can beat up your God. Can too. CAN TOO!" - lommel - lommel@ibm.net
"This place is made after the image of James Randi! Keep up the good work." - Dick Feil - rfeil@epix.net
"God will not be able to attend the God Contest Awards ceremony, as he is too busy forgetting to put away all of his toys when he is finished playing with them. If god is everywhere... is he in Hell also?
Great Web Page!" - C.J. Snyder - CJ.Snyder@internetmci.com
"For one thing, the contest has one biased entry: I cant imagine how the Goddess I worship can impregnate a virgin, even if she wanted to. And I am pretty sure She ain't lesbian, not that it matters. So how about a third option for this one? :)
BTW, in response to someone's comment about Santa Claus...the reason there's no page ridiculing Santa is that, unlike your God, good ole Santa loves kids and doesn't force their parents to fight each other because they don't believe in him. He doesn't care what they believe. Why can't your god do the same, if he really professes love? A pretty hateful god, don't you think, if he forces his fan
club to kill kids who don't know him or believe in him? :)" - Constantine I. Lomakin - lomakinc@lafayette.edu
"I do believe in Jesus Christ and God but your web page contents are right on. I love the comments on your compassion for animals. Keep up the good work!!!!!!" - dennis.m@worldnet.att.net
"i loved "The Great God Contest". hehehe. very funny!" - Caleb - treebeard@geocities.com
"It seems that humans believe what they want to believe, no matter what it is or your level of education. It seems to come from the heart. Agree/Disagree?" - Mike Metz - Mikmetz@aol.com
"I loved The Great God Contest. Funny AND intelligent. Now, if the winner of the contest cannot fulfill their duties, does the runner-up step in to take their place? I've bookmarked your site, I'm going to be linking it, and I just want to close by saying thank God I'm an atheist." - Kris Gallimore - eeyore19@usa.net
"It seems to me that there are as many perceptions of "god" as there are people... Thank goodness for 'organized' religions to steer us in the right direction when our free-thinking-question-asking minds take over, and revolt against books, beliefs, and practices that contradict themselves. "...in the beginning..." Whose beginning? Ours? Didn't "god" have one too?" - Jehokah@aol.com
"It is very clear that the so called modern churches have one god.....MONEY..look at tv preachers, radio programs ....and the pitch is the same...send money! God is silver and gold....currency cash! Ask any church leader." - gaggled7 - Gaggled7@aol.com
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!!! Loooove it!!! You have my sincerist admiration. If we all united as a community of like-minded thinkers, we could surely take the world back from the "moral majority"!!! (Have we ever had it in the first place?) Nice to experience the knowledge of
someone with a live mind and a live heart. Particularly like your comments on compassion towards our sentient-no-matter-what-the-hell-anyone-else-might-say furry friends
(this is years of philosophy training speaking here, you gotta trust me on this one, guys). And to answer your question: TAX THEM!!!! TAX THEM ALL!!! Praise the lord and pass the collection plate, babeee. Keep up the good work!! - Jessica Grant - arioness@mindspring.com
"Well, you're definitely getting a link from me ;-)" - The Thought Shop
"Okay. Here's my idea of the whole christian thing. They say we all have living souls and are immortal, right? So if we are immortal, we are all divine, by definition, right? So if we are all divine, we are ALL gods. So why worship one? Their reasoning makes no sense. I'd rather worship those I feel worthy... instead of blindly following another." - RowanBoh@aol.com
"You made my pagan heart proud! I laughed my a## off!" - Tina Davis - Feyd@webtv.net
"One word describes that page. Beautiful!" - Jack - Jagoff1@aol.com
"I went to your site and it is super!!!"
ANNOUNCEMENT
Be it known to all and proclaimed throughout Cyberland
That the Author of this site has exhibited the exalted and
highly coveted attribute of Enlightenment! Therefore you
are worthy and deserving of the glorious honor of receiving:
The Enlightenment Award
Take a moment and bask in the warm glow or your own astonishment.
Remember, this Award is not bestowed to your site, but to you!
Celebrate and rejoice in the glory of your accomplishment.
Congratulations, for you have earned it.
Keep up the good work!!
- Steven Myers - stevenm@harborside.com
God rest ye merry, paganfolk,
Let nothing you dismay.
Remember that the Sun returns
Upon this Solstice day.
The growing dark is ending now
And Spring is on its way.
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy!
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.
----------------
Peace On You From On High!!! -
Bob and Judy God
"I believe you do the Great Contest an injustice in saying that it is rigged against your
Goddess. The fact is, that there is at least one species of lizard that gives birth parthenogenetically. The most interesting details of this process are that _all_ members of the species are female, and that they only become pregnant after a process which resembles the mating of other species of lizard, but of course without actual copulative insertion. Indeed, the most unnatural part of the virgin-born god's child is that it should be male. If it were female, the mother has all the genetic material necessary." - Albert the Skeptic
"We laughed ourselves into a religious frenzy. REPENT REPENT !!!!!!!" - Brian - bdowney@indigo.ie
"Iran's chief prosecutor Morteze Mogtadace on Feb.16, 1998: "Any Muslim who hears an insult to the prophet must kill the person who commits the insult. It is better that those closest to that person try to kill him first ... . The shedding of this man's blood is obligatory." - David Blackwell - ai953@freenet.carleton.ca
"I think religion is here today because, it is more important to people to be happy after death, than to live with the atrocities that are ever present in today's society." - Andy - pdxpunx@teleport.com
"In response to the gentleman who claimed Christians practice cannibalism I would like to state that he is ill-informed and should really read the Catechism better. Christian Communion from day one (Lord's Supper) has been only bread and wine. We believe that Christ comes to us through the bread and wine and we say it is his body and blood because HE TOLD US to do so. It is misinformation like this that lead to the persecution of Christians in early Rome and allows it to continue to this day. To anyone who wishes to criticize Christianity about any of our practices I merely ask that you get your facts stright first, don't just rattle off what you think we do. Thank you." - POOH215061@aol.com
Learn how to locate your favorite god.
"Your website has illustrated a point, which I have been trying to convey for a long time : That religion is a lot like masterbation--it feels good, but it produces nothing." - Lawrence Louis - llouis@Bayou.UH.EDU
"You might want to check out your math and some of your statements on the possibility of flooding the Earth. Your basic conclusion that it didn't happen is good, but I get a MUCH larger value for the number of cubic meters of water needed to do it, and still there probably are that
many in the solar system. Here is a brief review of my math.
The value of water is closely approximated by 4*PI*r^2*h. You give h as 10,000m and r is a little over 6e6 meters which gives a volume of 4.5e18 as opposed to the 4e12=4 trillion that you state.
Second, there is almost certainly this much water in the solar system. If a body were made of 100% water it would require a body only a little over 1000km in radius. Just between Callisto, Ganymede, Triton, and Pluto you should be able to get several times this, as they each have a radius of more than 1000km (over 2000km for callisto and ganymede) and are all largely composed of water ice.
Mark Lewis - ml@colorado.edu
Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Science
University of Colorado at Boulder
"THERE IS BUT ONE ENTITY WHO DISCOVERS IT'S EXISTENCE AND WITH A GRAND SENSE OF THEATER, OR PERHAPS FROM SHEER LONELINESS, LOSES ITSELF IN INFINITE ILLUSION, BECOMING THE ULTIMATE SCHIZOPHRENIC BY MAINTAINING AN INFINITE NUMBER OF SEEMINGLY INDIVIDUAL, LOCAL SYSTEM FOCAL POINTS OF CONSCIOUSNESS" - Regards - The Supreme Being
"i have an idea! how about ending the contest right now and making all you guys the gods because you are far more enlightening and good-hearted than any god i know. i worship you! i worship you! all hail to you!" - from, the little atheist, kitten - sawawlw3@concentric.net
"It's quite a curious position that many Christian and other religious apologists put themselves in, when trying justify their particular fabrication of the ultimate creator. They claim by using metaphysical "proofs" they can verify their theistic beliefs. Yet at the end of all their reasoning they claim that their diety defies all natural observable physical laws. Any sensible person must, as a result, pose this question to these pseudo-rationalists: How is it that you can use reason, when reason, which is completely confined to the utilzation of natural observable phyical laws, ascertain any aspect of something that transcends these laws? It is only logical to conclude that all individuals, who try to argue in favor of their version of the "one true diety", are confusing being rational with rationlizing. Furthermore, for such deluded individuals to say they know anything about such a "God", is not only an indication of flawed reasoning, but also a testement to human arrogance." - Lawrence Louis - llouis@Bayou.UH.EDU
"Now when christianity was first gaining hold, they (the christians) needed converts(for various reasons), the easiest way to get converts was to simply supplant pagans into their new religion. The best way to do this was to overtake old pagan holidays and make them christian. So, "christmas" overtook the pagan Saturnalia and "easter" overtook the various spring rituals associated with Demeter and other pagan gods. - fushi - fushi@earthlink.net
"Here's a half-remembered fact that one could research to throw a real monkey wrench into the debate of supporters and detractors - I believe that the doctrine of Jesus' virgin birth wasn't adopted until about 500 CE or so - it was a great controversy at the time and the original proponents of the doctrine were greatly ridiculed by the ruling religious hierarchy...." - Michelle L. DuPont - mldupont@cia-g.com
"Why do you need a contest? Just listen to Sabbath! To quote Cheech & Chong: (ex-college professor)"...I listened Black Sabbath at 78 RPM." (news-anchor)"What Happened?" (ex-college professor)"I saw GOD!" Isn't it obvious? GOD is simply a gestalt consisting of four guys from England who ROCK! (Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward) Besides, there's even a web page to prove it." Mike Hansen - mhansen5@sttl.uswest.net
"It's because of you - and people like you that so many are losing their faith. There is so much apathy and questioning now in this world that if a real miracle did occur, there would be every effort to debunk it. The Lord Jesus Christ said that He would return to reign over the Earth. The Second Coming would bring salvation to the world and its people. But what would happen if He came back in these times? People like you would hound and harrass Him and try to prevent Him delivering His message.
Well let me tell you - The Lord Jesus Christ has arisen! He has been back to our Earth. And what did you do? You killed Him - again! Your constant questioning and ridicule drove Him to seclusion - to contemplate His actions. So? He stockpiled weapons and ammunition. How else was He supposed to spread the word of God? Yes, David Koresh (aka Jesus Christ) is dead. And YOU killed him.
Let's all pray that His Third Coming will be a little more well-received." - Steve H. -
marillion_designs@yahoo.com
"By the way, I love the pages, specially the contest. The answer was simple for me... If man suffers because he has a God given right to choose to do so, then what of the innocent and the ignorant who cannot choose either way, is it morally correct to make them suffer without the same choice as everyone else? This single moral question helped me decide to become an athiest." - Potvine - potvine@discover-net.net
"Truly enlightening.....may the best God win...
Quick observation:
It seems to me that the majority of religions portray God (or the Boss God) as male, and for the most part, give all benefits to males only. This tells me one of two things:
Given that man is usually made in the image of God, then God must
share the same base desires as his creations, therefore, God (being
male in many cases) prefers women over men. That is direct proof that
most religions (if not all) directly violate the will of their God(s)
by suppressing women.
God is female or God is gay. Nuff said."
Jason Brown - jason_brown@faneuil.com
"You poor soul, you. God bless you, lost soul, for the judgement of God is harsh, and if you are not saved, then you will ultimately eternally burn in hell forever. Your pages are inane, irreverential, and totally lack respect to every congregation. Apparently you are lost and seek tremendous attention, for anyone who blasphemies and challenges the Creator is definately dead inside. May the grace and mercy of God come upon you soul. I hope you find salvation and destroy all of your wretched pages before it is too late. God bless you son." - Timothy Giddens - genius@netscorp.net
"It was very humorous, and you shouldn't be worried about offending anyone! The people who are offended are the ones who have never questioned the belief system they were raised by to make a decision for themselves. Anyway, thank you for making me laugh!" - Debra - DHamilt@uhc.com
"On challenge number 2...that's not so hard. Now with Viagra, we can raise things taht have been dead for decades. : )" - Mike Thompson - pleasetryagain@hotmail.com
"I read Josh McDowell's book and found it really helped my faith. This faith rests on the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The evidence proves this happened. It takes more faith to not believe. Thank you." - flora - flora@n-link.com
"If Mary conceived Jesus with no male involvement (immaculate and all that), then Jesus had to be female. It requires the male of the human species to provide the second "Y" gene in order for the male to be reproduced. Since there was no male, the only child Mary could have had was a female. Funny, Mary is never depicted as being very hirsute. Wonder where JC got it from." - Gord Leslie - Gordon_Leslie@sunshine.net
"I do enjoy the page, and am happy to find that in some places, people are actually thinking. I'm a devout agnostic, by the way. (I think that's an oxymoron. Oh well..) But that doesn't matter. No religion matters, and if I'm going to burn in hell simply because God hasn't gotten off his ass and proven himself to me, then I'm bringin' the wieners! Yee-haw! And as for all you Christian psychos who will just say we have to have faith, well, WHOOP-DE DOO! I'm a BORN AGAIN
NON-BELIEVER! AND PROUD OF IT!" - The Demon - the_comp_demon@hotmail.com
"What a great site! Let's e-mail some of this stuff to Mr. Pat Robertson!>:>" - The Great Tigrah - Tigrah@webtv.net
"In response to Fern Jeremiah's ill-researched rebuttal: "If you look at whose bible is older you will find that the Holy Bible dates the farthest back, as a matter of fact it is th oldest book known to man."
I just have to say, isn't Gilgamesh going to feel slighted that his epic of exploits with Ekindu and the rest of the fun-loving Babylonians aren't taken into account, despite the fact that they were written circa 3000 B.C., before the Hebrew tribe arose, let alone concieved a written language?"
"If there was a god, I'm sure he would be hated" - Choking Victim - Seth - CxExPxV@aol.com
"I guess I wonder about God's gender. Man or woman. Probably a man. A woman would probably have come to the conclusion long ago that this whole experiment was a mistake and started over long ago. But then again what does God need genitalia for anyway. Who is He/She going to screw anyway? - jim petersen - jimbob@forbin.com
"Per the church tax issue. Here in the U.S. many churches enjoy federal funding via tax dollars, so it would be rather redundant for them to pay taxes on monies received. I've always felt that churches should either:
Rely on their congregations for ALL funding, and relieve the tax burden on non-believers and alternate denominations... or ...
Continue to receive tax dollars, but, in keeping with their claims to be providing a service to society's needy, pass around a distribution plate, (in which individuals and families can take what monies they need), instead of a collection plate, which basically "takes the food from the mouths of babes".
When you consider the impoverished end of a society based on greed, I never understood the religious sectors refusal to condemn any society built on a monetary system. It is obvious that greed is a prerequisite to survival in this type of society. Is greed no longer a sin? It is more likely that religion has been, ahem..., "modified" to allow for "necessary" greed." - Chris Potvine - AKA God - potvine@discover-net.net
"If God exists, then why doesn't He expose Himself?" - Iain Nicholson - iain@delphinus.demon.co.uk
"I loved your page -- pure humour is proof to me of the Divine. Only God could inspire such enlightened, self-less satire on man's selfish idolatry. As a follower of Christ and Buddha, I think BOTH would applaud the effort to wake up the sleeping masses who have become "lukewarm". -
Emily Nghiem - educere@ghgcorp.com - Houston Progressive Webzine
"Professor Thomas Arnold, for 14 years a headmaster of Rugby, author of the famous, 'History of Rome', and appointed to the chair of modern history at Oxford, was well acquainted with the value of evidence in determining historical facts. This great scholar said: "I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by
better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God bath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead." - Jason - play_that_funk@hotmail.com
"You have an excellent website, however one flaw came to my attention, in the crucifition section, you state that Odin died by crucifiction, this is wrong, in the Eddas and the Sagas (The Norse holy books) nowhere is it stated that Odin died, he hung for nine days and learned the secret of runes, and fell from the tree, but it does not say anything about death. - Pan - Panreal@aol.com
"Your site is full of humor & intelligence (of course, it's hard to have one without the other)! There is however, one prayer that I say every so often, "God, please save me from your followers!" As for taxes, churches shouldn't get special treatment. Taxes should be
used for social necessities. Religion is a choice, not a necessity. Thanks for a page that reiterates what I already believe!" - Dawn Rismoen - dawn3@ix.netcom.com
"I hear that during the time of the alleged birth of Christ, the Rabbis had powers that present day priests could envy... If a girl had sex with a Rabbi, she remained a virgin. If she got pregnant, the child was not the child of the Rabbi, but a child of God. That child was held in
high regard because of his/her "father." Virgin birth, child of God, yeah right!" - Al Marzian - arm3@lex.infi.net
"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" - Yiu Chan - yiuchan@istar.ca
"Agnostics -- giving God the benefit of the doubt." - Mayrose - mdelaney@qis.net
"I absolutely love the New and Improved Ten Commandments! I always wondered why if God is so damn good, he'd allow the Holocaust, or the kidnap, sodomy and murder of a six year old schoolgirl, or the Watts Riots, or slavery or anything that's ever happened for no good reason other than some person or group of persons could wreak havoc on others AND (essentially) GET AWAY WITH IT! Until there is a much better explanation for the sorrows of the world, I'm afraid God is a fantasy- 'though why you'd want to have that particular fantasy is beyond me." - Alxndra13@aol.com
"I love your web site and will try to direct as many young (and old) people to it as I can... You have no idea how pleased I am, to know someone, with the expertise you are using, is helping to fight the religious insanity that is threatening world peace. I sincerely believe they will eventually fight each other, with (weapons of mass destruction) AND no regard for their life now, because they have this resurrection/hereafter crap in their religions. There is evidence of this behavior in our recent (Individual's killings) and ethnic cleansing martyrs. Excellently done!! - The UNIX Godfather Organization: CRYSTAL INFORMATION SOULUTIONS
"Trust in our own wisdom? We did.... and that's why the world is in such a mess." - Bert Watson - bertwats@global.co.za
"Just wanted to thank you for doing something that is so sorely needed by the blind believers. Now, if we can just get them to read a little of it, we can worry about their comprehension later!" - secretwoods@mindspring.com
"Hmm, I would only say this, go with your beliefs, impose them upon no one, live them, honor others, be who you say you are." - With trees, Amy - Amsterino@aol.com
"Cause & Effect - A simple proof of God's existence: Without a cause you ain't gonna get no effect. Chain reactions need to be started and often produce waste products - like your website!" - Regards, Riz - Anser Rizvi - arizvi@tarifica.com
"Why would you make such a mockery of God? This contest is ridiculous, ludicriuos, and revolting. ....Do not be decieved, God will not be mocked, whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap... This is not a joke, God struck people dead for much less. Thank God for the period of grace that we are under, thanks be to Jesus Christ, or you would surely suffer unspeakable horrors. If God took His hand off of you, you would not be able to stand the trials and tribulations that would come upon you. May I make one suggestion to you, ...seek ye first the kingdom of God...do not put the Lord our God to the foolish test..." - noname@pobox.upenn.edu
"I think your contest is deliciously hilarious! Trouble is, if I were God I wouldn't bother because I'm too busy gathering the armies from the end of space to wipe out everybody that's anti-Israel. I would hardly be able to wait to destroy all the Christians, Moslems, and turncoat Jews, along with anybody else who gets in the way. That's how I would be, if I were God, the Great Procrastinator who puts off doing what needs to be done until the last minute, then gets up and unleashes fury on everybody all in one whack. It's kinda like spring cleaning, and not cleaning the rest of the year until the next spring. But maybe you'll find a candidate somewhere." - James Mays "Amen...totally, right on, far out." - Michael Budd - DEVAMIKE@webtv.net
"I disagree with everything said on this web site. People like you are the reasons why there are going to be so many lost souls in this world. But I am nobody to judge which is a sin I must repent for. God will (up above) judge accordingly." - Melissa Varela - MVarela@gtinteractive.com
Caveman 1: " 'Ere!"
Caveman 2: " Wot?"
Caveman 1: "Yer gots t' mind me god!"
Caveman 2: "Nar...don't see no god."
Caveman 1: "Don't matter...gots t' mind 'im anyways."
Caveman 2: " 'Oo sez?"
Caveman 1: "God."
Caveman 2: "Ger away by, yer daft bugger!"
Caveman 1: " 'Ere!"
Caveman 2: "Wot?"
Caveman 1: "E'll hitcher if yer don't!"
Caveman 2: "Oh. Thass all right, then."
Cavemen 1&2: " 'Ere!"
Caveman 3: "Wot?"
Cavemen 1&2: "Yer gots t'mind our god...."
Mac - Faelchu@aol.com
How long is this stupid contest for Best God going to go on? I'm getting impatient -- only four more days to go until my deadline for ending the world. (Didn't I warn you all? maybe not -- I have a very small brain and tend to forget things like this.) I will extend my deadline until Jan 1, 2001 because Cthulhu has challenged me to a duel on that date, and there wouldn't be much point to it if there was nobody there to watch it. My venomous back thumb kick is awesome and undefeatable. Please post this in a prominent position on the Great God Contest Web Site. And since it will amuse me (even though I am omnipotent and wanted to end this world next week), I am willing to go some preliminary rounds with other contestants. The first available slot on my schedule, unfortunately, is not until Mar 1, 2001 -- I am committed to the destruction of the Sirius IV system for the latter part of January and most of February [putting dates in your silly Earth terms].
Yours truly,
Platypus the Mighty
PS. I'd appreciate it if you would accept the challenges on your site, since I will be very busy in the Sirius sector for a while, and forward them to grobius@aol.com . The challenger can set any rules he/she/it wants to, and I will defeat them anyway.
Is God willing to to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
- Epicurus - Michael Budd - DEVAMIKE@webtv.net
Thank you...........thank you!!!!!!!! I just love your god contest!!!! What a pleasure to encounter other like minded people who can think for themselves. What a shame the superstitious nonsense that is religion has so permeated our lives! What a different world this would be if we all applied logic and rational thought to our problems instead of silly judgemental myths. Maybe someday.......
"One of the greatest tragedies in human history was the hijacking of morality by religion......." - Sir Athur C. Clarke
Patricia Sullivan - pms@dakotacom.net
It should be surprising (but isn't) how often people don't see beyond their own opinions about religions. (Faith is just another word for a strongly held opinion; they both are belief in that which is inherently unprovable.) People who equate pointing out the inconsistencies in the bible with mocking god: Dip into your life savings and BUY YOURSELF A CLUE!
A few thoughts on god:
god is not a christian. god is not a jew. god is not a buddhist, muslim, or zoroastrian. god does not belong, in any sense of the word, to any religion or religious group.
god is not a republican. god is not a democrat. god is not a socialist, libertarian, or communist. god does not belong, in any sense of the word, to any political party, organization or group.
god is not american. god is not russian. God is not iranian, iraqi, african, israeli, palestinian, english, or irish. god does not belong, in any sense of the word, to any national or ethnic group.
god is not male. god is not female. Although western societies tend to refer to god in the masculine gender, unless you truly believe that god owns a penis, this is merely a convention.
god is not a name; god is a job title.
- Michael Memmo - Michael.Memmo@METROKC.GOV
Churches should pay taxes, at least on buildings and spaces designated for worship.
Should God be removed from the Constitution? And from every other instrument of civilian authority, including money. I find "In God weTrust" on US currency revolting. - Francis Assaf - fassaf@arches.uga.edu
A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. - Albert Einstein
I am just writing to congratulate you on your wonderfull page. Very informative and, above all, thought provoking. I am a long standing atheist myself so you really didn't convince me of anything I already didn’t think, but surfing though your site really made me think about why it is I don't believe in a god. - Matthew Robert MacNeil - m23un@unb.ca
I'm truly saddened to see how vain and unenlightened otherwise intelligent people can get. How can God exist when there is so much evil in the world? Well...If there was no evil in the world how could god test a person's soul? Or how could you judge another persons character? Let's put it another way. If there was no evil in the world what choice would you have. God gave us all that choice. I have one more thing to say. The lives of a truly pious person and a truly logical person are indistinguishable. Peace be with you. -
Jeff Cronin - jcronin52@hotmail.com
Regarding the virgin birth question, I read something a couple of years ago which was quoted from Lancet, the english medical journal, from an event which took place in Italy I think: a girl who had no vagina was stabbed in the stomach, apparently after engaging in oral sex: she was later found to be pregnant, the proposed explanation being that semen had entered the abdominal cavity from the stomach and made it into the opening of the fallopian tubes. I swear this is what was said, and I don't think it was April Fool's Day. An alternative explanation could be anal sex and a similar path, through the wall of the rectum into the abdomen, and into the fallopian tubes. Pretty yucky eh, but kinda miraculous. - David Zanetti - davidz@one.net.au
You are a bit arrogant in your presumptions, ie that the "true G-d" will jump at any man's whim. Isn't that a bit like asking a man to jump off a 50 story building, and then telling him to pray on the way down that his G-d will save him. If he splatters all over the sidewalk, then you would say, "his G-d obviously does not exist". I will give you a challenge. I have a tape by one Rabbi Monty Burger called 7 Wonders of Jewish history. These are 7 historical events verified by secular history, and even in evidence today, but were predicted by the Bible thousands of years before they occurred. If you can prove that 1. the Bible never predicted these events, and 2. These events did not occur despite massive documentation and self-evidence, I will give you ten thousand dollars. Otherwise you will pay me that sum. Is it a deal? - Yechiel - Jew4Truth@aol.com
I found this from an unknown poster in a newsgroup:
What do I dislike about religion?...Let me count the ways...
I dislike the hypocrisy, the corruption, the greed and the lies.
I dislike the veneration of ignorance, the glorification of idiocy, the wild-eyed hatred of progress and the fear of education, which send the faithful shrieking, vampire-like, from the light of knowledge.
I dislike the way in which prejudice is passed off as piety, the way superstition is peddled as wisdom, and the way intolerance is raised to the lofty heights of "Truth."
I dislike how hatred is taught as love, how fear is instilled as kindness, how slavery is pressed as freedom, and how contempt for life is dressed up and adored as spirituality.
I dislike the shackles religions place on the mind, corrupting, twisting and crushing the spirit until the believer has been brought down to a suitable state of worthlessness. So lost and self-loathing, so bereft of hope or pride, that they can look into the hallucinated face of their imaginary oppressor and feel unbounded love and gratitude for the additional suffering it has declined, as yet, to visit upon them. I dislike people's need for a communal delusion, like drug addicts who unite just to share the same needle.
I dislike the way reason is reviled as a vice and reality is decreed to be a matter of convenience. The way common sense and ordinary human decency get re-named "holy law" and advertised as the sole province of the faithful.
I
dislike religions' wholesale theft of any number of ancient mythologies, only to turn around and proclaim how "unique" their doctrine is.
I dislike how intelligence is held as suspect and inquiry is reviled as a high crime.
I dislike the pillaging of the impoverished, the extortion of the gullible, the manipulation of the ignorant and the domination of the weak.
I dislike the invention of sins for the satisfaction of those who desire to punish.
I dislike the demonization of unbelievers, the ill-concealed hatred of proselytizers, the hysterical rants of holy rollers, the wigged-out warnings of psychic healers, the dismantling of public education via religious school vouchers, the erosion of civil rights by theocratic right-wingers, the righteous wrath of gun-toting true believers, the destruction wrought by holy warriors, the blood-drenched fatwas of ayatollahs, and the apocalyptic prophesies of unmitigated messiahs.
Most of all, though, I dislike the certain knowledge that religion, in one grotesque form or other, will be with us so long as there is a single dark, cobwebbed corner of the human imagination that a believer can stuff a god into.
Nancy Stanley - stannl@globalsite.net
"I like my imaginary friend, but I don't for one moment "believe" in her/he/it." - marrullier@pdq.net
"From reading your page, I realize how many people there are that are completely clueless. I wonder how so many people have managed to avoid committing suicide with such silly thoughts in their head. I don't pretend to be an overly kind person, and I don't necessarily know the rules that everybody should live by, but really, how stupid do we have to become before somebody annihilates us?? I would suggest that you (and everybody that may read this message) take a few and study the various beliefs of this human culture. Study the words of the truly wise beings
that have graced our existence, and come to understand the true horror of their distortion.
"God dwells within you, as you, for you. This is the secret of the saints." --Baba Muktananda
"Enter the Heart, the Divine splendor." --Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
"The kingdom of Heaven is within you." --Jesus
It's always the same message. If only we knew how to listen. - M. Smith - websmith88@hotmail.com
I do not tell anyone something unless I have proven it. Get in touch with reality at: God Is Real - Edwin Slaten - mredj@bellsouth.net
Siddhartha Gotama (Buddha) was the son of a king in India. Sakya clan to be precise. Never
claimed divinity, always refused to speak about "spiritual" matters. Zen is the offshoot. You can be of any faith, or an athiest, and still be a Buddhist. Obviously people have perverted his "self-psychoanalytical journey", if I must define it somehow, into a religion. Well, that's their problem. - Walter Rywak - wrywak@netzero.net
My God can beat up your God. Your God has both of his hands nailed to a stick! Really enjoying the site. Keep up the good work. In times such as these are, we need some level heads to prevail. If I hear one more person say that America needs a spiritual revival to help it heal, I think I'll puke. It was religious Zealots that destroyed the WTC. It's like telling a holocoust victim to go on a diet. - John Pennington - monsterj69@hotmail.com
I love your pages. I'm a strong atheist who speaks against religion with just about everyone I'm associated with along with op-eds in the local rags.
I've posted links to your site on a local e-bulletin board so I'm sure you may bet some hits from that group. Mostly xian (christians). Thanks for your efforts to rid the world of silliness. -
Larry Laird - Co-founder of Freethinkers of Waynesboro
It is blatantly absurd to think that if there existed the God described in the Holy Bible, you would be able to know what he would and would not do. - Tygerlilly1027@aol.com
Quote; "There is much cruelty on earth, from a cat toying with a mouse, to snakes slowly squeezing the life out of their prey, to children born with terrible handicaps."
I understand what you are trying to say, but using the word 'cruelty' is imposing a value judgement on nature. Handicaps just happen, boas gotta constrict, and cats,... well, okay, cats are little pricks.
Anyhoooooo.... For your enlightenment I have synthesized the sum total of christian fundamentalist reasoning;
"GOD EXISTS!"
Prove it.
"THE BIBLE SAYS SO!"
How does that prove it?
"IT'S THE REVEALED WORD OF GOD!"
Prove it.
"GOD SAYS SO!"
I give up...
- Dave Bailey, aka The Rat, aka BASH (Bad Ass Skeptic from Hell)
You are a confused person. Have you ever read the Bible? I hope you really don't believe there isn't a God. Poor Soul - S SHello! My name is Jim Lee and I live in Australia. A friend in America sent me this site and I find it extremely good. I was a serious Christian for more than a decade decided to do some serious research and as a result my wife and I are a godless elderly couple and much better off because of it. I wanted to share what I had discovered so used Geocities to help me build a web site. I'm now in the process of trying to learn html to develop a site free of commercials etc. My current web page is titled Escape The Dogma. It is by no means up to your excellent standard but it serves a purpose for those who may want to seek truth. Thanks again for such a wonderful site, and I'm looking forward to exploring it fully. Kind Regards Jim Lee
I was searching the www for God's real email address. Hey, it was worth a shot! Anyway, I came across your site, I've laughed, smiled, and really got hooked on your straight forward approach. Groovy! Keep it up, will visit more often. I thought Gods Email would be God@heaven.com but it turned out to be your site!!! - John
In response to the person who said that Christians DON"T practice cannibalism: I don't know about other sects of Christianity, but in Catholicism, it is an article of faith (see the Baltimore Catechism) that the bread and wine ARE the body and blood of Christ, and only the APPEARANCE of bread and wine remains. - Michael
Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
To him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter, "What are you making?"
Does your work say, "He has no hands"?
Isaiah 45:9 - Maria Hammond
I couldnt help but notice that Jesus already fulfilled all the requirements of your contest. I guess that is why he is the one true God. But it was nice of you to admit his Godhead. I wish there were more people that would put on this contest. I should be at the Olympics. - Jesse ChisholmI was going to leave a longer commentary. However; except for the comments by other Christians, reading this was like listening to Lost Souls. All you really need to know about God is from John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life". Jesus paid for our sins, that began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were intended to live in paradise forever, but they disobeyed God and brought all the sorrow, misery and pain to humankind. God didn't bring all of this on us. We did it ourselves. We chose it. Yet, God loved us enough to let His beloved Son die a horrible death to redeem us from our sins. My church friends and I will pray for you. You and others, like-minded, concern us a great deal. - MarsHallAbnus@aol.comAs a fan of your Great God Contest, and a Scot (but expatriate), I think
I should draw your attention to a test considered conclusive by the most
brilliant of Scottish biologists. He was also one of the most individual
and outspoken of Scots scientists, as impatient of religion as Richard
Dawkins.
He's the one who answered a clergyman's question "Which attribute of the
Creator, professor Haldane, has most impressed you in your biological
studies?" with "An inordinate fondness for beetles!"
(there are more beetle species known to zoology than exist in any other
comparable taxon)
Anyway, Haldane was asked to propose a test, to meet the Karl Popper
criterion that a scientific theory must be not only unrefuted, it must
possess the property of being open to a test that could prove it false.
"So, professor Haldane, what would prove the theory of evolution false?"
His reply was "Fossil rabbits in the pre-Cambrian"
Now there is a huge majority in the USA, and quite probably Canada, who
believe in 'miracles', as your God Contest makes clear. The objection to
this, raised in succeeding centuries by the devout Baruch Spinoza, and
the skeptic David Hume, and more nearly to our time by Mark Twain and
Ambrose Bierce, is that all of science, history, and evidence in the law
courts requires an absence of supernatural tampering with the laws of
Nature, or as God Almighty would put it, the Principles of Operation of
the Universe.
So, let all those believers who object to Darwin's discovery just go
right ahead and pray for God to place fossil rabbits in some
pre-Cambrian stratum, and cause them to be discovered by actual
scientists who are above suspicion. - Albert Rogers
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