And I recall taking and then self-scoring a reasonably respectable kind of psych test and figuring out the scoring – several questions counted zero and were merely decorative or distracting.

www.planet-science.com/scicast/

It’s a competition to make a two minute film of a science experiment. Open to both schoolkids and professional working scientists.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

… everybody, including the subjects, who often end up being university students, will suspect that psychology experiments are a put up job.

if i was a subject and someone mentioned a ghost, i’d definitely know something was up.

I really want to sit that guy down and explain to him in careful, measured tones why he’s wrong.

I think I’d start by pointing out that, if he wants to, he can regard the sun as moving round the earth and science would not object. Not one little bit. I’d give him a whistle-stop tour of relativity, including all those classic examples like falling lifts and passing trains. I’d explain that if he wants to define a rotating frame of reference in which, to at least a first approximation, the earth is stationary, then he should feel free. He’ll find that the maths works out the same, even if it is trickier to solve.

Because I am a very calm and rational person, I would not attempt to beat the knowledge into him by battering him about the head with a copy of the Principia. Honestly.

‘Those scientists, with all their facts and stuff’…
All us scientists are mistaken… we forgot to go back to the ‘original text’!
I really can’t wait to see what else this guy has to say about the earth not moving, those pesky dinosaurs… and all the other ‘science’ in the bible.

And I love the ghost experiment! Damn I wish I could do something interesting like that rather than my usual experiments.

I agree with all of that. I certainly don’t think semantics is derogatory. I was just making sure we were on the same page.

In which case you’d expect atheists to be selfish.

In other words it absolves people from any personal responsibility?

In other words it absolves people from any personal responsibility?

scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2007/02/ghosts.php

I’m a Christian – evangelical, charasmatic, i guess fundamental if you take the proper meaning of the word (i believe in the fundamentals of christianity or watever). I believe in spiritual gifts – like speaking in tongues like that little girl does and all that sort of stuff. I was brought up in a christian home – my dad is a pastor! I do alot of kids work – i’m studying education and uni and do/hav done loooads of work with kids in a christian sense.
Why am i telling you this?
Cos despite all that i didnt like this film. In many ways i dont want to judge from a film but seeing stuff like that its hard not to. That is not christianity. Those kids were not filled with the spirit – they were filled with fear and indoctrination! Faking spirituality isn’t hard but anyone who has any spiritual discernment – ie anyone who has a living active relationship with Jesus – and wisdom could see a mile off that actually alot of that is not of God and is definitly pushing the borders of spiritual abuse. I find it heartbreaking that there is spiritual abuse in the Worldwide Church today but i wouldn’t hesitate to confirm that there is – i’ve experienced it myself!
So basically i just want to defend Christianity – its not about crazy people brainwashing kids and basically just getting people in a frenzy! Its about having a real relationship with Jesus Christ -and having that relationship is just soo amazing and wonderful and lifechanging! It is not about fear and guilt and condemnation but about love and freedom and true life!
And as a complete aside – i thought the Applev Mac things on the God Tube thing were pretty ace too!!

Yeah, scientists are bad, trying to distract with all their facts.

Think about it – how do we know the earth goes around the sun? Yeah! Evangelise brothers! And sisters! And people of indeterminant gender!

preview.tinyurl.com/ypp5wx

www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=893487bd98fa830fa641