I also very much like Mr. Tyson. He presence his message in a way that doesn't put me to sleep and they are so informative.

My suspicion judging from what I see and have experienced concerning Christianity in America today, mathanatics could be seen as of the devil if it were seen as detracting from the practice of the religion or of undermining it tenets in any way. Some of today's Christians have attacked the theory of evolution as being evil for this reason and they have also attacked secular humanists (which are not necessarily non-Christian) for their roles in schools. Anything seen as detracting from the assumed truth of the religion is deemed evil.

@RussRAB So what has so shifted that once thinking people are so drawn to ignorance and dumbing down? Were Americans always this suceptible to con men? Possible the sophistication of admen today has caused much dumbing down.

@silverotter11 - I have come to believe all societies contain extremist elements within them. What causes them to come to prominance from being outliers of society is difficult to say, but probably includes a number of elements. Certainly, rhetoric, fear which lends itself to hatred, and emotion play a role. The link below is an article from a little over a year ago discussing changes within the Republican party. It is written by a Republican and shouldn't be dismissed as just a liberal hit piece.
[theatlantic.com]

@RussRAB What a fun read! Thanks.

@RussRAB Sounds like a good picture of the situation.

@silverotter11 "Were Americans always this suceptible to con men?"
Some argue that America was built by con-men and their gullible victims. Ever hear the joke; "Australia got the convicts and America got the religious lunatics"? It references who left Europe and why. A lot of the first American settlers were religious extremists whose beliefs were so radical they felt they had to leave the continent.
Afterwards, most of the people followed were those most easily seduced by outlandish promises. Since then the first and second wave of settlers have been breeding like rabbits.

I think Europe is a lot less religious these days, in large part because the murkiest sections of that branch of the gene-pool suddenly migrated a few centuries ago.

@MLinoge Interesting we here on agnostic.com must be the out breeders.

@MLinoge - My understanding of the establishment of the English colonies in America is that they had as much to do with enterprise as religious tolerance. Religious tolerance was attractive, but so was the prospect of owning land and increasing one's wealth. The History Channel article covers it pretty well.
[history.com]

As for English prisoners being shipped off to the Americas and Australia, a recent article I read (which I can't seem to find) said that America got a fair share of prisoners but the percentage of prisoners to others coming for other reasons was still relatively low. We probably should note that debtors were often thrown in prison at the time. Debtors may be of a bit different character than who we today often think of as criminals. I don't know enough about the prisoners sent to Australia to comment on either the numbers or possible character of prisoners released there.

Religion...pure and faultless is this: to help widows and orphans in need and avoiding worldly corruption. James 1:27

What defination of religion are you saying is destructive?

@Word - That would be the religion that declares math or science evil to destroy tolerance of non-believers and ideas which don't conform to the religion, or to force conversion on penalty of punishment including death. Much more is written about the requirements of religion than James 1:27, even within the Bible.

@Word I would recommend removing your head from your ass asap as you're clearly O2 deprived. And stop drinking the koolaid. All aspects of religion are bullshit. You guys are seriously dropping the ball on the "taking care of women an children" thing. Poverty much? Tell Joel Osteen and his super rich douche bag peers to sell their mansions and learjets and actually help the women and kids. Right?

@Stilltrying1964 "Stop drinking the koolaid" come after after known athiest agnostic Jim Jones used "religion" to kill over 900 people? So, it sound's that I really shouldn't follow anything an athiest agnostic has to say.

@RussRAB "religion" has been defined in best selling book for almost 2000 years.

Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the Bible is the world's best-selling and most widely distributed book. A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion. [guinnessworldrecords.com]

@Word "In 1960 the Peoples Temple affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and four years later Jones was ordained. In 1965 he warned of a nuclear holocaust and led the movement to Ukiah, Calif., where members became active in both Protestant ecumenical circles and state politics."

@Word "Rev. Jones was ordained in 1957 by the Independent Assemblies of God and in 1964 by the Disciples of Christ.[note 1] He moved his congregation to California in 1965 and gained notoriety with its activities in San Francisco in the 1970s. He then left the United States, bringing many members to a Guyana jungle commune."
WHAT Atheist/agnostic?

@Word dude, you are a fucking moron! Piss off! I don't know why idiot bible thumpers come on here and try to prostheletize to a group of atheists? WE know the truth, you are a misinformed idiot still holding on to a fantasy!

@Word And, you want fries with that? that the bible has sold so well, is not evidence for anything it says, proclaims, predicts, whatever. It is evidence, perhaps, that people are immensely afraid of the apparent randomness of the universe, and want a "Big Daddy, in the sky" to take care of them.
I wonder how many Ko'rans have been sold. Is that how we judge the veracity of a religion?

@BirdMan1 Jim Jones a typical dishonest and lying illogical atheist agnostic.

Jim Jones is verfied as saying he used the biblical text to get people out of "religion ". He lied to become a "certified" preacher reverend fulfilling biblical prophesy over 2000 years old.

In a 1976 phone conversation with John Maher, Jones alternately said he was an agnostic and an atheist.[45] Wikipedia

@Stilltrying1964 you must have me confused with someone else, I am not prostheletizng anything.

@Word hey jack off! I'm not confused about a goddamn thing! I have your dumb ass pegged! I know exactly what u r trying to do. Quoting scripture reveals to all that you are a dumbass that believes in the imaginary spirit in the sky. Again piss off. I can tell you again and again!

@Word - You post a YouTube of a Christian preacher from a account obviously created for Christian proselytizing, defend the Bible at length as the most purchased book ever (which means nothing), quote and defend passages from said book, and then expect any of us to believe you are not proselytizing? Give me a break! When you quack like a duck, walk like a duck, and shed duck feathers, then chances are you are a duck. Best to admit it and post at some place like Answers in Genesis instead of trying to proselytize here. In my case, been there, done that, not going back. If you continue to be an annoyance to me, my response will be to block you. I've lived long enough, and have too few good years left to spend much of them dealing with the nonsense you have to offer.

@Stilltrying1964 I do not believe in an imaginary spirit in the sky. I do not give sarcasm worship to the non-existant flying spaghetti monster sky god. Again, you obviously do not know. It really appears you are doing typical Illogical athiest assumption thinking I am a Christian. No, I am not a Christian. Yes, I was once, but I no longer consider myself Christian.

@Stilltrying1964, @RussRAB I trying offering people like YOU education from biblical text on how to END CHRISTIANITY and END MASONIC LODGE SECRET RELIGION DEVIL WORSHIP REQUIRING EVERYONE TO WORSHIP THE DEVIL AND THE BEAST-666 "IN GOD WE TRUST". BUT NO !!!!! YOU GOD DAMN STUPID IDIOT PEOPLE ARE TOO GOD DAMN STUPID TO LEARN HOW TO END CHRISTIANITY AND MASONIC LODGE SECRET RELIGION DEVIL WORSHIP AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MARK OF THE BEAST-666. IF you knew biblical text and a christian were to really be proselytizing you then you could point out to the uneducated christian and properly debate them as to what is written that points that Jesus is Lucifer the devil. If Christians find out that based on what is written it says Jesus is Lucifer, Do you really think Christians would want to continue to be Christians if the bible says Jesus is Lucifer the devil? BUT NO !!! YOU GOD DAMN ILLOGICAL ATHEIST WOULDN'T KNOW SHIT FROM SHINOLA and more than likely you wouldn't want to end Christianity because you would rather keep Christians stupid so you can make sarcasm fun of them because they don't know Jesus is Lucifer the devil.

@Word OK, last time i comm with you. Jebus can't be the devil because there aint no devil, there aint no god, there aint no nothin' but what you can see around you! Now fuck off!