I love those guys. These are the types of people who should be leading the world, for science is the best way to organize our enormous world technological society, especially when one has an open-minded, gentle heart, as these two utterly brilliant men exemplify.<p>> I was then released from my religious duties at age 12. I still appreciate that my dad was open-minded to say, “OK, if you think differently …”<p>There <i>must</i> never be compulsion in religion! We must all be free to believe what we want. Only a person's actions may be interfered with, and only when they are harming others. More "believers" hurt people than non-believers, and that's because of selfishly ignorant self-rigtheous perversion of the purpose of human life: to be happy by helping others' happiness. All for one (love), and one for all!<p>His father was a man of great understanding. It is very impressive, and the results are evident in his son.<p>> My dad was pro-science, but he was also strongly a person of faith, so clearly those ideas can coexist in people and probably coexist in a significant fraction of people in the country or in the world. They accept the findings of science, but they have strong religious faith. If you’re talking about somebody who’s a pure creationist and doesn’t want to engage with science, that’s not interesting, and neither are scientists who say that science is all there is.<p>Brilliant.<p>> The pope is asking questions like, “What’s the meaning of our journey here on Earth if we’re going to leave it a shambles?”<p>How can one serve the Jesus' teachings of love by declaring bankruptcy instead of paying for the therapy for the thousands upon thousands of people who were raped by priests and are now damaged adults? F_ck the pope and his child-rape-hiding organization and its overflowing coffers. Jesus specifically says what happens to those who harm a child. The pope is a hypocritical, money-loving bastard. "You can't serve two masters..."<p>> I’m as atheist as they come, super-duper atheist, but I don’t think we can derive “ought from is,” as David Hume taught us, or figure out our purpose just from doing science.<p>More brilliance!<p>Technically, though, there is a science to religion, and that science is to self-evolve ourselves into compassionate, caring members of a society that does not accept the misery most of humankind remains within.<p>> When kids start getting exposure to nuance, the richness of ideas, people with complex thoughts, then the windows open, and it’s a healthier journey from there.<p>Absolutely.<p>Thanks for the early Christmas gift, HN! And to those who celebrate in other ways, we love you, too! But f_ck ElMusk and his cohort of kleptocrats with their Nazi leanings! He needs to watch "A Christmas Carol" starring George C. Scott, stat!