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Thread: Science, Critical Thinking and Scepticism... What do the people of the SXOC think?

  1. #21
    Guest mcleansc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sideways14a View Post
    Dude thats like... a film... ya know.. the force n all that...
    Ha! Hadn't a clue! I did begin to ramble a bit there didn't I? Wait till I get a drink in me, 3 rums and all of a sudden I think I'm Morgan Freeman dishing out knowledge bombs

  2. #22
    No, the other one. Pete C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    ALL religion is fairy tale cult nonsense If you tell people you believe in Santa, or the tooth fairy they will think you are mental or 3 years old. But if you tell them a bloke put millions of animals on a boat and another was nailed to a cross then came back to life or when you die you are going to a place thats full of virgins its perfectly sane reasoning. If I went around preaching I was a Jedi and believed there was a force that controlled everything in the universe I would get locked up

    No religion is better than any other and its all superstitious poppycock. How any educated person in the 21st century thinks any of it is true is beyond me but then I am a naysayer and am going to hell (if it existed, which it doesnt )
    It's not often (or ever) that I agree with you, Mark, but this is 100% my viewpoint on religion.

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  3. #23
    Guest zeppelin101's Avatar
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    Question - how is belittling people for their beliefs and calling them names any better than what some factions of religious groups do to others?

    When trying to talk down religion the same arguments are brought forward about all the bad things it makes people do. Faith doesn't make you do anything. Even if the concept of God had never existed throughout history people would still have done awful things to each other, they would just have found a different excuse for it.

    My partner's mum passed away in November and I was asked to help with some of the funeral preparations and with some of the ceremonies before and after. Their family is Hindu, not out to temple every week but they would observe the various festivals and what not - mostly out of habit. To the point anyway: I know that putting loads of different things in the casket with her and spending 3 hours afterwards helping "prepare her soul" and everything was illogical. But you know what? It helped. Not me necessarily but it helped her family and her friends with their grief and start to move on as best they could. My partner is in no way religious; she has never been to temple, and she only observed festivals because her parents did but even she commented afterwards that it felt like it "mattered" and it meant something to her.

    Some people don't need that and that's fine, but does it give anyone the right to tell them they are wrong/stupid/arrogant?

    So sure, believing in some higher power may seem pointless, but sometimes a little bit of faith really helps.

    Don't confuse those people with the ones stoning people in the streets or blowing themselves up in crowded places.

    I am playing devil's advocate a little but the level of intolerance to different points of view I come across now a days is mind boggling. See the EU thread or the response to any reference to Trump...
    Last edited by zeppelin101; 31-01-2017 at 23:14.

  4. #24
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    I'll preface this to say I haven't read any other response to this thread yet, I wanted to answer first then scroll through.

    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    Are you pro or anti vaccination?
    Pro. Even if the discredited research pointing to harmful side effects of vaccinations were real, overall vaccinations are making the planet a healthier, happier place by eliminating some horrific diseases.


    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    Do you frequent a Chiropractor or Osteopath?
    Nope. I'd try it if I needed to and alternatives were more invasive, but I wouldn't exactly be hopeful.


    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    How about acupuncture?
    As above, though I don't like needles. I'm open minded and willing to try new things.


    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    Alien visitation?
    I wish. I don't think it's happened. I believe there is life out there and that it's entirely possible for that life to be significantly more advanced than us but we're talking about travel across millions of lightyears and those aliens having actually found us and deemed us worth visiting. Honestly, I don't think an alien species would consider the journey worth it to meet us as we don't really have sufficient valuable resources to be worth invading, mere visitation would probably corrupt our society right now (for better or worse) and I don't think aliens would learn much from us.


    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    Big Foot?
    Just a myth, probably someone ate something magical and told a believable

    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    Religion even - any Scientologists here?
    The abrahamic monotheistic religions do not make sense. An all powerful God creates beings that it loves, creates a planet for them to enjoy but then creates systems of suffering on that planet and sits back while some of its creations inflict unfathomable evil on others? Sure, it's a "test of faith", but when some of that evil is being inflicted on children or the mentally infirm, they have no way of understanding faith and sometimes it completely breaks them. I'd say any being with the power to prevent that suffering but chooses not to act is evil by omission, the idea that you end up suffering eternal torment for breaking that beings rules seems vindictive and cruel as well. Don't get me wrong, I hope there is an afterlife - the idea of just black, nothingness, non-existence is quite frankly terrifying but I don't believe in an all powerful God either. I take the view of try to live a good life and don't profit from the suffering of others or do others harm.

    That said, I do see that for some people religion is a refuge. It supports them and lets them move on from pain. I think overall, religion has done a lot of harm to the world but it would be arrogant to discredit the entire belief system because of the faults of the followers. Pretty much all religions are guidance and there are a lot of people out there who need exactly that - people who struggle without that guidance. It's just a shame that it also ends up acting as a platform from which people can be lead astray, but I guess it comes down to the correlation between the need for the structure and support religion offers and the ease of being manipulated

    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    Fuel cells on standard cars making power / mpg differences.
    I'm not sure what this one is about, I am guessing it's stuff like those videos of some random guy making his car run on water in his shed. Nope, I don't believe it.


    Okay now I can read through the other replies

  5. #25
    South West Rep Evilchap's Avatar
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    An interesting bunch of replies here - excellent news!

    So it seems there's a real spectrum of beliefs on here, despite not looking like it from the outset!

    The fuel cells was a two fold thing - and aside from an actual hydrogen fuel cell, as they're science and so there's no doubt...

    I am talking about stuff like this chap Stanley Meyer and his water powered car. There are people believe that he was murdered to keep it quiet, by big oil and/or world government.

    Then there's this sort of thing: http://www.cgon.co.uk/ - people who will sell you stuff to give you huge benefits on efficiency for your car.

    So, 9/11 being an inside job? Can't believe the towers fell down as they did? Also an interesting perspective - although very well covered in so far as the two main towers collapsed raining fire and debris onto many surrounding buildings, WTC7 being one of them which burned out of control for hours as it was confirmed evacuated and so the authorities concentrated on saving lives. I can see how people could think otherwise - I am just not convinced by the 'Truther' story personally

    Anybody here like a bit of Homeopathy?

    Having had cause to use the services of some medical professionals over the last few years I am firmly in the camp of trusting the proven techniques, and not in the least bit taken with any of the pseudo-science. If it's effective, it's possible to prove in a proper study, and then is not longer alternative or magical, it's proper medicine! This makes it good, because it's then more regulated, more controlled, and more effective as a result.

  6. #26
    Engine Builder Mark's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post

    Then there's this sort of thing: http://www.cgon.co.uk/ - people who will sell you stuff to give you huge benefits on efficiency for your car.
    You know what that is dont you Its water injection

    I just refuse to believe 9/11 was an inside job, it was such a major event the risks are far to high. It would be the biggest atrocity since 1945 and America would never been seen in the same way again. I just cant even start to absorb what it would mean

    homeopathy is horse shit

    So is 2 Pac still alive?
    Quote Originally Posted by silverzx View Post
    I like Mark, he seems fair.
    Quote Originally Posted by Slip_n_slide View Post
    Mark is right.

  7. #27
    South West Rep Evilchap's Avatar
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    Yeah, it's just the level of crap with it that boggles the mind. Just call a sausage a sausage! (Water Injection)

    Homeopathy isn't horse shit. How can it be? It's the distant memory of horse shit perhaps, in the same way as it remembers its other active ingredients

    9/11 - Trump has been in for what, more than a week now? If there was something in government being covered up like that, he'd have shouted about it from the rooftops by now to curry popular favour.

    There's not a chance something that big could be kept a secret.

    Where an element of truth may lie I think in the whole thing is in the likely huge amount of CYA that was done afterwards - likely to save many people both in power and on the ground from looking bad. They'd all had a massive shock and things certainly were not handled as well as anybody would like - so things have likely been kept quieter than many would like in order to save a massive witch hunt for scapegoats. Not having a fall guy for something doesn't tend to sit well with people, generally however.

  8. #28
    Guest R3K1355's Avatar
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    I still can't understand the reasoning for 9/11 being an inside job?

    What was the reason for it??

  9. #29
    South West Rep Evilchap's Avatar
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    New laws, more control, because they can - that sort of thing.

  10. #30
    Member sx rider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by R3K1355 View Post
    I still can't understand the reasoning for 9/11 being an inside job?

    What was the reason for it??
    have a look on page one I put a youtube vid up about it. Basically the buildings mainly 7 collapsed at near freefall speed leading many to think it was controlled demolition.

  11. #31
    Guest R3K1355's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sx rider r17t View Post
    have a look on page one I put a youtube vid up about it. Basically the buildings mainly 7 collapsed at near freefall speed leading many to think it was controlled demolition.
    Yea but why was the question.

    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    New laws, more control, because they can - that sort of thing.

    Did they though?
    It's hardly a police state over there now, I can't think of one law passed that couldn't have reasonably been done 'normally'

  12. #32
    Member sx rider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by R3K1355 View Post
    Yea but why was the question.
    oh right, it was to legitimise their continued war mongering in the middle east, blame it on the terrorists and the keep the money rolling in.

  13. #33
    South West Rep Evilchap's Avatar
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    Many believe the anti-terror laws which allowed the government more control and less oversight was the main reason. The government exists to strip rights from the masses, and this was their best way to do it.

    Those are not my beliefs, but are some regularly sighted reasons... that and some also add to that it would be an excuse for a war which would be 'self funding' due to the location of it.

  14. #34
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    I'm not going into details on this debate but 9/11 and 7/7 in my opinion were pure false Government attacks used to lure the public of both nations to go to "war" with anyone involved all in a bid to get oil and topple Saddam. Tony Blair & George Bush should be charged as criminals. If you got a free couple of hours, go watch these two videos.



    7/7 Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwyzpzEgUWE

    A lot of things in these videos do not add up vs the official government version.

    Now where's my tin foil hat?

    P.S, Could only post 2 videos directly in my post so I linked one instead of embedding it.

  15. #35
    Guest R3K1355's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Evilchap View Post
    Many believe the anti-terror laws which allowed the government more control and less oversight was the main reason. The government exists to strip rights from the masses, and this was their best way to do it.

    Those are not my beliefs, but are some regularly sighted reasons... that and some also add to that it would be an excuse for a war which would be 'self funding' due to the location of it.
    The war cost the county billions of dollars, no-way they stole that much oil.
    Especially from Afghanistan which doesn't really have any in the first place.

    Looking back it just doesn't stack up, the wars (both in Afghanistan & Iraq) were a total shitstorm, it cost the country dearly and left such a sour taste in their mouth than they are unwilling to send (large numbers of) troops in to any of the other conflicts that have erupted.

    Not in Libya, Syria, Yemen or Iraq (again)

  16. #36
    South West Rep Evilchap's Avatar
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    Cool - more varied opinion Excellent news!

  17. #37
    Banned sideways14a's Avatar
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    Conspiracy theory peddlers are one of either two things
    1: Con men wanting money out of selling you there brand of BS
    or
    2: Complete nut jobs

    Those flids that think the world is flat really are missing several cans out of there 6 pack.

  18. #38
    Ex Mod & Crabbit C**t Rubix_Cube's Avatar
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    For me there has always been something iffy about the whole 9/11 thing. Mainly relating to the pentagon "plane" attack and the flight that crashed in the field. Both of their debris fields are very bizarre. Like the pentagon had no wing sections anywhere and no marks on the walls. The crash site of the other plan was tiny in comparison to other planes of its size being flown into the ground.

    We'll never know the "truth" if it even exists but for me it just seems odd.

    As for religion and all that shite, I will let people pray to their invisible friend with no issues, if their invisible friend tells them that what I'm doing is "wrong" and then they try to stop me, they can **** off.

    My favourite rant on religion comes from George Carlin:



  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by sideways14a View Post
    Conspiracy theory peddlers are one of either two things
    1: Con men wanting money out of selling you there brand of BS
    or
    2: Complete nut jobs

    Those flids that think the world is flat really are missing several cans out of there 6 pack.
    Although a lot of it makes sense when you weigh it up against the evidence.

  20. #40
    South West Rep Evilchap's Avatar
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    It does depend what you call evidence - the NIST report was pretty good in many ways, and covered really a lot.

    Also lots online about it, discussions, debates, arguments and more:

    https://www.metabunk.org/debunked-wt...tprints.t1226/
    http://www.civil.northwestern.edu/pe...Papers/466.pdf

    It's interesting to hear all of the views on it for sure though!

    How about Hitler? Who thinks he's still out there hiding with his other Nazi friends and relatives in sunny Argentina?

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