I've said many times that once one allows ONE irrationally into their perception processes, there is NO LIMIT on the number of irrationalities that can follow ... and religion is the perfect example of this principle.
I went to public schools, but got the brainwashing on Saturdays in catechism (catholic Sunday school.) In second grade, the year catholic kids make first communion, I got tossed out of catechism class repeatedly, and my parents were threatened that I would not be able to do first communion with my class. Because I had the temerity to (gasp!) ask questions. Like, "Where's heaven and where's hell?" The nun pointed to the ceiling and said "Heaven's up there", and pointed to the floor and said "Hell's down there." I didn't call her a liar, but I did observe that everybody and their dog knew the earth was round, and asked if hell was in Australia. That, plus showing off that iconic photo of John Glenn at the door of his Mercury space capsule, and saying that American and Russian spacemen hadn't seen heaven in space, got my ass tossed out of class. Yeah, I was a relatively mouthy 7-year-old kid, who read the daily newspaper.
I've said the same about miracles. Once you claim a supernatural explanation for something, you can never say something else didn't happen or is impossible because it always could have been another miracle.
I see that as being exceptionally pernicious, since it disconnects the whole concept of cause and effect. At that point, reality has the potential for becoming exceptionally unreliable, or at least unknowable.
I frequently have people tell me science is just another religion and that we can't actually rely on it for anything because it's always changing. I ask if they have any better methods for trying to learn about the universe. I have yet to get a reply.
I'm fine when someone limits their irrationality to themselves.
But with more and more threads lashing christianity to hate, binding it to the rejection of science, and weaving the love of money through it, there will only be one outcome and it won't be heaven on earth.
[To the christian lurkers] I'm okay with that being your (keyword) philosophy for handling life.
When your fiction spills over into politics, capitalism, the law and the unrelenting denigration of other people, that's well in problem territory. You're not trying to save me, you're trying to forcibly alter my thinking. christian messaging has been out there for 2,000 years, so it's not as if the entire world hasn't heard it. Your sudden interest in me isn't actually rooted in human connection, its about stoking your ego and "treasures in heaven." When I look back at 1,000 years of forcible conversion at the end of a sword and christian nationalists "preparing" for the end times when "the woke" gun-haters rise up and start a civil war, I know that the peace brought on by The Enlightenment is nearing its end. Preparing for war isn't peace, it's preparing for war which leads to war. When christians wipe out all opposition, they'll turn on each other to force doctrinal purity on each other. That's what preparing for war results in, some demagogue using amassed weapons because he can.
There is a verse about white-washed tombs. There are more today than there ever was in biblical times.
I would like to see some of these awesome progressive politicians rising up right now put the same amount of weight on the issue of education as they do healthcare. In fact, I would say education is possibly more important than everything which proceeds it.
In fact, all three of my friends who recently moved abroad (2 out of 3 to the country they came from) said their main reason was because they didn’t want their kids educated/raised here in this environment. I can’t blame them.
Teaching creationism by itself isn't totally harmful. Yes, it does put the kids at a disadvantage when it's time for them to learn actual science, but the belief itself isn't necessarily going to harm the children. It is the racist and misogynist culture war nonsense that does the real harm. Presenting children with the Bible as the ultimate authority about everything and giving them 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 the far right interpretation will cause them much trauma when they encounter the real world.
It is that whole Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) worldview. Girls are married off in their early teens and are nothing but chattel. Their whole existence is supposed to be as a domestic slave and to pop out kids as fast as possible.
I understand why you come to that conclusion given how the pro-life movement is doing its best to make it impossible for women to have an abortion by changing the laws. I do not support that approach which causes many pro-lifers on other sites to give me grief. My thought is that pro-lifers ought to instead be concentrating on changing hearts and minds, providing alternatives to abortion and effective and long lasting support to the women and children.
How do they respond when you suggest comprehensive sex education, widespread easily obtainable contraception, and a robust social safety net, the things that have been demonstrated to reduce abortion rates? In my experience, they are not interested in such things. In fact, many of them falsely believe that contraception IS a form of abortion, that teaching comprehensive sex education will lead to more premarital sex, and that any social safety net is just encouraging laziness and people just living off the government. They don't want to see the data which shows just the opposite.
And sex education and family planning and availability of contraceptives and a social safety net..
They’re not going to change anybody’s hearts and minds, David, until they change their own. I still remember nearly 60 years ago the anti-abortion campaign in Hawaii. They sure did love showing their bloody baby parts. They love to showing all the blood and gore, except that you could’ve had that much blood and Gore from a heart surgery or a bad accident. But they weren’t trying to ban either accidenta or hearts. They wanted to excite disgust and revulsion. That was their game plan.
Personally, I think they loved the blood and gore. If
"Pro-life" Christians support Trump and his administration murdering ALLEGED drug smugglers supposedly smuggling drugs into America (fun fact: even if these people are indeed guilty of that crime, murdering drug smugglers is still murder).
Bailey talks about people suffering under a popular Democratic governor in his state (would love to see some credible citations for his claims) while ignoring the fact that his party is doing irreparable harm nationwide under a madman.
“Bailey: It’s absolute nonsense. So Illinois is suffering with high expenses, with our safety. Our schools are failing and he’s focused on everything else besides that because he’s focused on running for president.”
The Illinois schools are ranked 13th according US News and World Report
How is that failing? Top half of the country seems decent to me.
Then let’s talk about why any state is suffering from high expenses, shall we. Could it be the federal policies the orange turd has put in place based on Project 2025? The lack of infrastructure investment (or because that investment was rescinded because it was Biden who implemented it), tariffs, lack of food regulations, lack of staffing in the fields and the trucking industry based on the autocratic immigration policies, and just the general lack of federal support over a personal political beef from Trump. Giving the state over to the GOP will not alleviate the issues he brought up, since the issues are inherent in the GOP platform and the lack of any competency to actually govern on the part of any GOP candidate/elected official.
Pritsker is going to use any tactic he can to win this election, and the easiest way to do that is to question your credibility, and it’s working. It may feel like mudslinging to you, but it is valid criticism. It also highlights all your problematic beliefs in a lighthearted way. While believing that dinosaurs were heavy lifting cranes for early man may not be that big of a deal, when folks look into that they will find the big deal beliefs like women shouldn’t work outside the home/have their own income, and what you feel about LGBTY people. Your answers do not help you keep those issues hidden, it just makes the population more curious about your stance on everything. So the tactic is a good one.
In 2026, belief in creationism requires the rejection of overwhelming scientific evidence. We should expect our elected officials, at a minimum, to recognize reality and respect evidence. They make decisions that affect public health, the environment, education, and our personal and collective well-being.
Religious freedom protects everyone’s right to hold and practice religious beliefs. It does not entitle public officials to substitute those beliefs for established facts when governing the rest of us.
I suspect Bailey’s Christianity is more political convenience than actual belief, which would explain his irritability any time he faces questions about it. He just pretends to believe because that’s what his base expects. He’s just smart enough to be embarrassed by having to fake a sincere belief in such bogus bullshit.
Possibly, but he may truly believe the creationist nonsense. He dodges the questions because he wants to hide his ignorance and try to get people to blame Democrats for the Republican mess.
This video is technically unrelated to the topic at hand but, it does show just how much right-wing influencers fake their belief for the money : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-N6XRhqXf0
If this horrific timeline we’re on isn’t a wake up call to any sane person in the USA, then we will continue down this path of total destruction. Time to speak up and criticize without fear. We need to stop this indoctrination at its source (education). No more excuses for the abuse of children in the name of Christianity. No more conscience clauses in medicine. TAX these MF out of existence!
He looked at Jones' work and thinks slavery is okie-dokie so long as the masters were allegedly "kind?"
Great. Then lets kidnap him and put him to work in the fields for no pay. Let him feel the sting of the whip if his production falls off or he protests or tries to escape. So long as they feed him well, no problem. Right?
And when they pull out the "What came before the Big Bang?" line, I've found that the best retort is, "I don't know, neither do all the cosmologists who have been studying it for decades. And neither do you." They can wail about their god all they want, but them's the facts.
There was a time when I would have felt bad about attacking someone on this, but I have come to realize that accepting one false belief is a gateway.
It teaches you that science is a lie. That education is a lie.
And that opens you up to every other false belief currently infecting our nation.
I've said many times that once one allows ONE irrationally into their perception processes, there is NO LIMIT on the number of irrationalities that can follow ... and religion is the perfect example of this principle.
Thinking is a choice.
A decision that not all make wisely.
Excuse me, I do have to go let my velociraptors out for a walk.
You need a christian education. EVeryone knows velociraptors fly.
My parents tried the Christian (Catholic) thing with me.
I stopped believing when I started asking questions, around 2nd/3rd grade.
Questions to teachers who knew "everything" right.
Nuns sent me to the priest who did no better at keeping me in the flock.
The nun who was my "science" teacher called me an instigator.
Made me look it up and then I agreed.
They lost me entirely with god hardening pharaoh’s heart. I didn’t believe in it much by 12, but that one killed it for me.
LOL. Don't get me started please. 😂
I went to public schools, but got the brainwashing on Saturdays in catechism (catholic Sunday school.) In second grade, the year catholic kids make first communion, I got tossed out of catechism class repeatedly, and my parents were threatened that I would not be able to do first communion with my class. Because I had the temerity to (gasp!) ask questions. Like, "Where's heaven and where's hell?" The nun pointed to the ceiling and said "Heaven's up there", and pointed to the floor and said "Hell's down there." I didn't call her a liar, but I did observe that everybody and their dog knew the earth was round, and asked if hell was in Australia. That, plus showing off that iconic photo of John Glenn at the door of his Mercury space capsule, and saying that American and Russian spacemen hadn't seen heaven in space, got my ass tossed out of class. Yeah, I was a relatively mouthy 7-year-old kid, who read the daily newspaper.
Hooray for you, still laughing here. 😂
"It's called faith because it's not knowledge." - Christopher Hitchens
I've said the same about miracles. Once you claim a supernatural explanation for something, you can never say something else didn't happen or is impossible because it always could have been another miracle.
I see that as being exceptionally pernicious, since it disconnects the whole concept of cause and effect. At that point, reality has the potential for becoming exceptionally unreliable, or at least unknowable.
I frequently have people tell me science is just another religion and that we can't actually rely on it for anything because it's always changing. I ask if they have any better methods for trying to learn about the universe. I have yet to get a reply.
I agree with you completely.
I'm fine when someone limits their irrationality to themselves.
But with more and more threads lashing christianity to hate, binding it to the rejection of science, and weaving the love of money through it, there will only be one outcome and it won't be heaven on earth.
[To the christian lurkers] I'm okay with that being your (keyword) philosophy for handling life.
When your fiction spills over into politics, capitalism, the law and the unrelenting denigration of other people, that's well in problem territory. You're not trying to save me, you're trying to forcibly alter my thinking. christian messaging has been out there for 2,000 years, so it's not as if the entire world hasn't heard it. Your sudden interest in me isn't actually rooted in human connection, its about stoking your ego and "treasures in heaven." When I look back at 1,000 years of forcible conversion at the end of a sword and christian nationalists "preparing" for the end times when "the woke" gun-haters rise up and start a civil war, I know that the peace brought on by The Enlightenment is nearing its end. Preparing for war isn't peace, it's preparing for war which leads to war. When christians wipe out all opposition, they'll turn on each other to force doctrinal purity on each other. That's what preparing for war results in, some demagogue using amassed weapons because he can.
There is a verse about white-washed tombs. There are more today than there ever was in biblical times.
I would like to see some of these awesome progressive politicians rising up right now put the same amount of weight on the issue of education as they do healthcare. In fact, I would say education is possibly more important than everything which proceeds it.
In fact, all three of my friends who recently moved abroad (2 out of 3 to the country they came from) said their main reason was because they didn’t want their kids educated/raised here in this environment. I can’t blame them.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒.
Teaching creationism by itself isn't totally harmful. Yes, it does put the kids at a disadvantage when it's time for them to learn actual science, but the belief itself isn't necessarily going to harm the children. It is the racist and misogynist culture war nonsense that does the real harm. Presenting children with the Bible as the ultimate authority about everything and giving them 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 the far right interpretation will cause them much trauma when they encounter the real world.
Pro-life gun nut. Guess he doesn't see the contradiction in his stances.
No contradiction there. He's just too cowardly to admit that "pro-life" = forced pregnancy.
It is that whole Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) worldview. Girls are married off in their early teens and are nothing but chattel. Their whole existence is supposed to be as a domestic slave and to pop out kids as fast as possible.
Probably never met a war he didn't love and believes in the death penalty
I understand why you come to that conclusion given how the pro-life movement is doing its best to make it impossible for women to have an abortion by changing the laws. I do not support that approach which causes many pro-lifers on other sites to give me grief. My thought is that pro-lifers ought to instead be concentrating on changing hearts and minds, providing alternatives to abortion and effective and long lasting support to the women and children.
How do they respond when you suggest comprehensive sex education, widespread easily obtainable contraception, and a robust social safety net, the things that have been demonstrated to reduce abortion rates? In my experience, they are not interested in such things. In fact, many of them falsely believe that contraception IS a form of abortion, that teaching comprehensive sex education will lead to more premarital sex, and that any social safety net is just encouraging laziness and people just living off the government. They don't want to see the data which shows just the opposite.
Many of them respond, unfortunately, exactly in the way you describe.
And sex education and family planning and availability of contraceptives and a social safety net..
They’re not going to change anybody’s hearts and minds, David, until they change their own. I still remember nearly 60 years ago the anti-abortion campaign in Hawaii. They sure did love showing their bloody baby parts. They love to showing all the blood and gore, except that you could’ve had that much blood and Gore from a heart surgery or a bad accident. But they weren’t trying to ban either accidenta or hearts. They wanted to excite disgust and revulsion. That was their game plan.
Personally, I think they loved the blood and gore. If
"Pro-life" Christians support Trump and his administration murdering ALLEGED drug smugglers supposedly smuggling drugs into America (fun fact: even if these people are indeed guilty of that crime, murdering drug smugglers is still murder).
They’re not shooting fetuses, ya know.
Bailey talks about people suffering under a popular Democratic governor in his state (would love to see some credible citations for his claims) while ignoring the fact that his party is doing irreparable harm nationwide under a madman.
It's the usual deal: make bold but baseless assertions and assume everyone will take them as fact. Sorry-not-sorry, Bailey, that don't work with us!
“Bailey: It’s absolute nonsense. So Illinois is suffering with high expenses, with our safety. Our schools are failing and he’s focused on everything else besides that because he’s focused on running for president.”
The Illinois schools are ranked 13th according US News and World Report
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education
How is that failing? Top half of the country seems decent to me.
Then let’s talk about why any state is suffering from high expenses, shall we. Could it be the federal policies the orange turd has put in place based on Project 2025? The lack of infrastructure investment (or because that investment was rescinded because it was Biden who implemented it), tariffs, lack of food regulations, lack of staffing in the fields and the trucking industry based on the autocratic immigration policies, and just the general lack of federal support over a personal political beef from Trump. Giving the state over to the GOP will not alleviate the issues he brought up, since the issues are inherent in the GOP platform and the lack of any competency to actually govern on the part of any GOP candidate/elected official.
Pritsker is going to use any tactic he can to win this election, and the easiest way to do that is to question your credibility, and it’s working. It may feel like mudslinging to you, but it is valid criticism. It also highlights all your problematic beliefs in a lighthearted way. While believing that dinosaurs were heavy lifting cranes for early man may not be that big of a deal, when folks look into that they will find the big deal beliefs like women shouldn’t work outside the home/have their own income, and what you feel about LGBTY people. Your answers do not help you keep those issues hidden, it just makes the population more curious about your stance on everything. So the tactic is a good one.
In 2026, belief in creationism requires the rejection of overwhelming scientific evidence. We should expect our elected officials, at a minimum, to recognize reality and respect evidence. They make decisions that affect public health, the environment, education, and our personal and collective well-being.
Religious freedom protects everyone’s right to hold and practice religious beliefs. It does not entitle public officials to substitute those beliefs for established facts when governing the rest of us.
Sadly, legal qualifications for public office do not include being INTELLIGENT.
"Full Armor Christian Academy"
I prefer the Half-Plate Hindu Collegium.
Full Uniform Christian University.
ETA (in case people don’t get it):
FUC-U
I suspect Bailey’s Christianity is more political convenience than actual belief, which would explain his irritability any time he faces questions about it. He just pretends to believe because that’s what his base expects. He’s just smart enough to be embarrassed by having to fake a sincere belief in such bogus bullshit.
Possibly, but he may truly believe the creationist nonsense. He dodges the questions because he wants to hide his ignorance and try to get people to blame Democrats for the Republican mess.
Indoctrination: it's one hell of a drug!
This video is technically unrelated to the topic at hand but, it does show just how much right-wing influencers fake their belief for the money : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-N6XRhqXf0
Would he really have bothered to found a private school that teaches exactly that if he himself doesn’t really believe it? I wouldn’t think so.
In my view, that makes him even worse.
Dinosaurs and humans together? What would Bailey think of this?
youtu.be/ZHOWnLetNhM
Teach the controversy!
Documentary?
Since Bailey wasn’t there, how does he know that this wasn’t the case? ;)
Young earth creationist types are swimming in the shallow end of the gene pool.
You mean they actually know how to swim?!?
Slim pool.
The pool has been drained.
Yabba-dabba-doo!
Bless his heart.
If this horrific timeline we’re on isn’t a wake up call to any sane person in the USA, then we will continue down this path of total destruction. Time to speak up and criticize without fear. We need to stop this indoctrination at its source (education). No more excuses for the abuse of children in the name of Christianity. No more conscience clauses in medicine. TAX these MF out of existence!
End rant
https://youtu.be/cxXD51SGUOk
I don’t agree with the not voting sentiment here, but a great perspective on just how long Americans have felt hopeless and without real options.
He looked at Jones' work and thinks slavery is okie-dokie so long as the masters were allegedly "kind?"
Great. Then lets kidnap him and put him to work in the fields for no pay. Let him feel the sting of the whip if his production falls off or he protests or tries to escape. So long as they feed him well, no problem. Right?
The people who poo-poo slavery have ZERO idea what it is to utterly lose one's agency.
“𝑊𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒?” 𝐵𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑.
Hey Bailey! Ken Ham wants his line back.
When a Creationist utters the words "Were you there?" the automatic response is "No, and neither were you."
And when they pull out the "What came before the Big Bang?" line, I've found that the best retort is, "I don't know, neither do all the cosmologists who have been studying it for decades. And neither do you." They can wail about their god all they want, but them's the facts.
Creationists are so stupid!
Why are you evil atheists trying to judge a man on the basis of his beliefs and character, instead of his skin color?
Sorry about being rational.
I blame Biden.