I keep seeing this rubbish about cute little "atheist nightmares" that supposedly prove the existence of God, so fine: here's my latest TV pitch:

Now that Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares has hit America, it's time to take that concept and mix it with the success of The God Delusion, Root of All Evil? and others.

Thus, I submit to you:

Richard Dawkins' Atheist Nightmares.

Each week, Richard goes 'round to see if he can help budding atheists make that final leap and shed their unneeded belief systems.

Think about it:

Gordon convinces folks to use local produce; Richard convinces folks to find local groups that non-believe like they non-believe.

Gordon gets cooks to clean up their kitchens, which half the time are filthy; Richard gets people to tidy up their belief systems, basically showing them that they don't actually believe half of what they think they believe.

Gordon snaps people out of their culinary doldrums with tough love; Richard snaps people out of their spiritual doldrums with tough logic.

He's not converting the unwilling, mind you. It's just really hard to shed a belief system–take it from somebody who knows.

I think it would be a smash hit. Somebody pay me.

Trying to get a book about burning books banned during Banned Books Week. Priceless.

"The book had a bunch of very bad language in it. It shouldn't be in there because it's offending people. … If they can't find a book that uses clean words, they shouldn't have a book at all."

But check it out: the father "looked through the book and found the following things wrong with the book: discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, "dirty talk," references to the Bible and using God's name in vain. He said the book's material goes against their religions [sic] beliefs."

So no real profanity for the most part, just stuff that they don't do. That's offensive. Things different than what they believe = offensive. Are you getting this? If you can't have a book without drinking, smoking, violence, and using the Lord's name in vain–then you shouldn't have a book. At all.

Can we just put all of these people in a walled community somewhere where they can be safe from…you know, real life?

Honestly, think about it: who's going to be the first people to retreat into cyberspace and establish their own version of Second Life where they can be free to interact with one another in a godly fashion? The religious whackjobs. There's a short story in there for somebody. I don't feel like writing it, but somebody run with it, would you?

Found via Boing Boing.

Jonathan Miller hosted a most excellent series on the BBC entitled A Rough History of Disbelief. In it, he interviewed a who's who of deep thinkers about religion and the lack thereof. It was such a kickass series that they came back with The Atheism Tapes, which featured expanded versions of the interviews they only took snippets of for Rough History. In this one, Miller sits down with physicist Steven Weinberg. Excellent stuff.

Crude but excellent video detailing prayer and why it's equivalent to a lucky horseshoe.

Direct link for the feedreaders.

Found via VideoSift.

These are both parts of an excellent series that Richard Dawkins hosted about religion and the dangers of "non-thinking." Highly recommended.

Update: New links since the old ones had died, apparently.

Direct link to Part 1 for the feedreaders.

Direct link to Part 2 for the feedreaders.

Well, the other night I decided to go searching for religion and the folks at this facility must have known I was coming. Check out the message they left for me.

I am verboten in every sense of the word, I guess.

They must have known how I was going to end Season 2 of Something Else, I guess. Oh well. Maybe next time.

And for those that asked, I'll be getting the other two complete issues of Next Wave up shortly. Never fear. Reformatting is just no fun, you know?