How do you know the inquisition didn't have t3h r34l religion and it's your one that's fake?

Because of thier bad fashion sense?


More seriously I'm not religious, i'm not really an athiest, just not religious. As a result, my time in the catholic high school i went to was divided into two, the times when people were not being wankers, and the times when people were being wankers. The latter times are usually signified by people starting conversations like- "so, why aren't you religious?" or "What is your opinion on < insert overblown issue here>". just so that they could tell me i'll end up going to hell one day.

One of my biggest peeves is the way that when some minor occurance that could be explained a variety of other ways happens to someone they often take that as proof of Gods existance and love, and yet with all the other stuff that "God" decides to let happen?

It's as if they're saying that their BETTER than everyone else, in some obscene manner. I can't quite explain it, but it's a form of egotism.

Do you know what I mean? That they're singled out for special favour.

Juno's tits my posting has lessened in quality, I need practice. :S

I know what you mean mate. It's a variation on the following story:-

(Everyone here, i suspect, has heard a similar version of this story. But, this actually happened. I can't prove it, so just be nice!)

A cousin of an old Uni friend of mine, got run over and was put in hospital. This kid was about 10, i recall and was in a coma for about 3 weeks. When he came out of the coma. His family was called and the first thing my friends aunt did was start praising God for returning her son to her!
My friend hit the roof when he heard this. He wanted to know, where was God when the kid got run over?!?!?!

"Pray, v. To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy."
..........Ambrose Bierce

Aye most Religions require ignorance but Christianity positively encourages. For fun go through the Bible and other popular texts and see how many sayings and prayers either damn those who question and doubt or alternatively exalt those who follow unquestioningly (such as Job)

A prominent example, at the forefront of everybodies minds I believe is the classica (to paraphrase) "blessed is he who...blah blah believes from faith not proof" and such variations thereof.

**** them, I'm not an animal to follow obediantly and will take Greek Rhetoric over Christian preaching anyday. Though stay away from those Sophists, they seem to argue from any point quite well - insincere bastards.

A further point of fun, you could go through the Bible and find which references directly contradict each other.

To further add to your point, i can't remember the verse reference, but st Paul has gone on record saying that Reason IS A SIN!!! You read that correctly!! I'll dig it out when i have time!!!

Socrates (DAyoung) was of the opinion that knowledge was a virtue, this is a direct contradiction of Christian ideology!!

I take your point about the Sophists. But, I admired the way they demonstrated that argumentation was a skill that could be developed and applied to almost any point.

Politicians=Modern day Sophists.... Not that admirable i guess! :qleft2:

Can't find the Paul ref. Did find an example of verses that contradict each other though:-

"God is not like men, who lie; He is not a human who changes his mind. Whatever he promises, he does; He speaks and it is done." - Numbers 23:19

"So the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he threatened." - Exodus 32:14

Hmmm, let me see. I am a priest/shaman/rabbi/whatever from a religion a long time ago. I am living the good life, relatively speaking, and want to keep on doing so. Therefore I will encourage:

a. A religion with bind obedience and support of the clergy.
b. A religion which encourages skepticism and critical thinking skills.

Take your time with this one, its tricky. :icon_scra

To further add to your point, i can't remember the verse reference, but st Paul has gone on record saying that Reason IS A SIN!!! You read that correctly!! I'll dig it out when i have time!!!
Not familiar with that one (although the man was apparently quite the misogynist). I do know that Martin Luther, father of the Lutheran church and thus ultimately the father of Protestantism in general, proclaimed Reason "a harlot of the Devil" which never supported but often opposed faith -- I'll agree with the latter part. He was a vile git in general, though. Fun fact: Martin Luther wrote a little treatise called On the Jews and their Lies, which, amongst much other spewing hate, provided a step-by-step plan to get rid of all the Jews in Germany -- taking their property, burning their houses, and so forth. I believe it was Heinrich Himmler who proclaimed him one of the greatest Germans who ever lived. (It's peculiar, since Hitler's leanings were more Catholic, although he appeared uncomfortable with not being the head of the church.)

(I'm not trying to slap a general Godwin on the thread, mind you. Although hateful bigots and hypocrites like Fred Phelps and 'Mother Teresa' still plague the world, most Christians are, fortunately, much nicer, at the very least.)

I'm nicer than Fred Phelps. His evil minions protested one of my friend's funeral. IMO, fred phelps thinks that he himself is god. To be honest, when they were there a few hours before, I wished I'd had a rifle with a scope on it. Losing a child is bad enough, but to have a bunch of idiotic hatemongers waving their signs before the funeral is beneath contempt.

If George Washington et al foresaw fred phelps, I think they would have thought twice about freedom of speech.

(I'm not trying to slap a general Godwin on the thread, mind you. Although hateful bigots and hypocrites like Fred Phelps and 'Mother Teresa' still plague the world, most Christians are, fortunately, much nicer, at the very least.)

Um, how the hell can you compare Fred Phelps to Mother Theresa??? I honestly can't think of two more different people.

Um, how the hell can you compare Fred Phelps to Mother Theresa??? I honestly can't think of two more different people.
I presume you speak under the assumption that 'Mother Teresa' was a good person? I have read far too many accounts like this one (http://www.newstatesman.com/200508220019) to credit that, and cannot agree with or admire a woman who thought that suffering was a beautiful thing that "brings people closer to Christ" -- I prefer my charities to be in opposition to suffering. Keep in mind that she ran homes for the dying, not hospitals (and their conditions certainly promoted death); that her money went to nunneries, not care for sick people; that millions of dollars (http://members.lycos.co.uk/bajuu/) in donations have disappeared without a trace; that when she held a speech upon receiving the Nobel Peace Price she talked about how abortion is the greatest of all evils in the world -- not war, not the appalling conditions in postcolonial Africa, not torture and cruelty, not dictatorship, not oppression of women, but abortion. ...And so on, and so forth. You can easily find more -- much more -- with a little Google-fu.

I am not arguing that she was as awful a person as the vile Fred Phelps, but nor does the evidence suggest to me that she was a very good one, and she certainly seems to be the most overrated person of our time.

Um, how the hell can you compare Fred Phelps to Mother Theresa??? I honestly can't think of two more different people.

It's true, while Phelps appears to be a complete asshole, he has never physicaly hurt or injured anybody, certainly not on the scale of Mother Theresa.

I presume you speak under the assumption that 'Mother Teresa' was a good person? I have read far too many accounts like this one (http://www.newstatesman.com/200508220019) to credit that, and cannot agree with or admire a woman who thought that suffering was a beautiful thing that "brings people closer to Christ" -- I prefer my charities to be in opposition to suffering. Keep in mind that she ran homes for the dying, not hospitals (and their conditions certainly promoted death); that her money went to nunneries, not care for sick people; that millions of dollars (http://members.lycos.co.uk/bajuu/) in donations have disappeared without a trace; that when she held a speech upon receiving the Nobel Peace Price she talked about how abortion is the greatest of all evils in the world -- not war, not the appalling conditions in postcolonial Africa, not torture and cruelty, not dictatorship, not oppression of women, but abortion. ...And so on, and so forth. You can easily find more -- much more -- with a little Google-fu.

I am not arguing that she was as awful a person as the vile Fred Phelps, but nor does the evidence suggest to me that she was a very good one, and she certainly seems to be the most overrated person of our time.

What the ****?!! I'm speechless, seriously wtf?! I never heard about any of this. How the hell did THIS get covered up?? She's always exhalted as the patron saint of love and kindness and as a RELIEVER of suffering!!! If this stuff is true, then what did she win a Nobel prize for?

It's true, while Phelps appears to be a complete asshole, he has never physicaly hurt or injured anybody, certainly not on the scale of Mother Theresa.

Actually, there are anectodes of him being very abusive.

Also, you fail at trolling.

What the ****?!! I'm speechless, seriously wtf?! I never heard about any of this. How the hell did THIS get covered up?? She's always exhalted as the patron saint of love and kindness and as a RELIEVER of suffering!!! If this stuff is true, then what did she win a Nobel prize for?
Very good question -- I have no idea. I do wonder how much of this is in turn tinged by political motivation, but an awful lot of these things seem widely circulated -- there are many and varied reports on the precise conditions of the hospices, for instance, but while they vary from "not great" to "godawful-fucking-terrible", none of them seem to be good. (More than one source refers to workers rinsing off used needles in warm water before reuse, while only one I have read mentions the total bans on visitations and the nuns walking around and making sure people keep quiet. All the critical articles seem to take issue with the nuns baptising people as Catholics whether they like it or not.) Even taking a cautious view, I find it hard to work up enthusiasm for the woman. The bits about suffering being beautiful are, I gather, taken from her own writings, though I have not read them myself.

How do you know the inquisition didn't have t3h r34l religion and it's your one that's fake?

How do you know that your brain wasn't extracted from your body and placed in some kind of life support tank by an evil genius, while you were asleep? And that now everything you THINK you are experiencing is in fact caused by the eletrical stimulation of various neurons and synapses as your grey matter floats in its nutrient rich solution? Thank you college philosophy, I needed another disturbing notion to ponder in the dead of night.

How do you know that your brain wasn't extracted from your body and placed in some kind of life support tank by an evil genius, while you were asleep? And that now everything you THINK you are experiencing is in fact caused by the eletrical stimulation of various neurons and synapses as your grey matter floats in its nutrient rich solution? Thank you college philosophy, I needed another disturbing notion to ponder in the dead of night.


If that were true, there would be more boobies.