Question:
"Jack Zwick" <jzwi…@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:xtMre.4553$jX6.2963@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net… > Alias wrote: >> "Jack Zwick" <jzwi…@mindspring.com> wrote in message >> news:f7Jre.4446$NX4.1664@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net… >>>>NumbNuts (burn you cocksucker) wrote: >> Charming. > Hey, thats YOU Bubba. An EXACT reflection of you in the Mirror.
Your opinion. > Deal with it. WE have to on a daily basis.
Fuck off. > I know it’s unpleasant to see yourself as you truely are, BUT the truth > hurts sometimes.
Awwww, I am so hurt! Maybe you can ask yourself the hard question. > Mainly, WHY you work so hard at being such a total asshole jerk-off.
Fuck off. > As I said before, that’s YOU Bubba. DEAL with it.
I have no problem dealing with myself. You, however, seem to have a problem with me so you are the one that has to "get over it" and "live with it" and all the other cliches you can muster. Oh, and fuck off. Alias
Response:
"Cactus Jammies" <n…@joshuatree.nemor> wrote in message
news:aNMre.61867$9A2.54409@edtnps89… > yay mom! I can see while Alan is so entranced with you! you are such a > mom! 
I vote for Mom!
Yeah, you’re another one that enjoys it when someone lies and insults people. So, you, too, can just fuck off. Alias – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> cactus jammies > ////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > "Mom" <m…@nospamplease.net> wrote ….. >> Good post Jack but I have wonder why people constantly give Michael Cody >> the time of day???? I checked the archives in in the buddhist newsgroups >> and they can’t stand him anymore than we can. He is an antoginizer. He is >> worse than any Bible thumper alive. Feeding him is the worst thing we can >> do. I personally gave up arguing with him long ago. He’s an idiot. I put >> him in the same class as the Klu Klux Klan and Fred Phelps. STFU Michael. >> Keep your beliefs to yourself B O W L I N G B A L L >> head……………..and get a life. Quit feeding the idiot. >> Mom
Response:
Re: 20 Reasons to Abandon Alias………….. Group: alt.support.hepatitis-c Date: Tue, Jun 14, 2005, 9:10pm From: Meling…@webtv.net (JV) LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Alias heheheheheheheehehe hahahahahahahahahahahahah hohohohohohohohohohohoho ahahahahahahahahahahahah hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
Response:
Alias, you’re not running off with nurse Marmalade, are you? Doug "Alias" <aka@[notme]maskedandanonymous.eu> wrote in message
news:1SSre.51076$US.17842@news.ono.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> "Cactus Jammies" <n…@joshuatree.nemor> wrote in message > news:aNMre.61867$9A2.54409@edtnps89… >> yay mom! I can see while Alan is so entranced with you! you are such a >> mom! I vote for Mom! > Yeah, you’re another one that enjoys it when someone lies and insults > people. > So, you, too, can just fuck off. > Alias >> cactus jammies >> ////////////////////////////////////////////////////// >> "Mom" <m…@nospamplease.net> wrote ….. >>> Good post Jack but I have wonder why people constantly give Michael Cody >>> the time of day???? I checked the archives in in the buddhist newsgroups >>> and they can’t stand him anymore than we can. He is an antoginizer. He >>> is worse than any Bible thumper alive. Feeding him is the worst thing we >>> can do. I personally gave up arguing with him long ago. He’s an idiot. I >>> put him in the same class as the Klu Klux Klan and Fred Phelps. STFU >>> Michael. Keep your beliefs to yourself B O W L I N G B A L L >>> head……………..and get a life. Quit feeding the idiot. >>> Mom
Response:
If I’d have known you would mention both their names in the same sentence, I wouldn’t have said anything about Marmelade’s wedding. Obviously, you don’t know Marmelade. They aren’t the same kind of person in any way. Elmo (pissed off) http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/DocElmosHepFile http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/TheFamilyAlbum
Response:
so now I have to adjust my stupidity filter again. how pathetic. what a pain in the ass. cactus jammies ////////////////////// <elmoemer…@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:20294-42B16B9A-1@storefull-3255.bay.webtv.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I’d have known you would mention both their names in the same > sentence, I wouldn’t have said anything about Marmelade’s wedding. > Obviously, you don’t know Marmelade. They aren’t the same kind of > person in any way. > Elmo > (pissed off) > http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/DocElmosHepFile > http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/TheFamilyAlbum
Response:
And, Doug, I’ll give you the same advice I gave Russ……Don’t piss off the cook. You never know what you’ll be eating if you do. Elmo ////////// so now I have to adjust my stupidity filter again. how pathetic. what a pain in the ass. cactus jammies ////////////////////// <elmoemer…@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:20294-42B16B9A-1@storefull-3255.bay.webtv.net… If I’d have known you would mention both their names in the same sentence, I wouldn’t have said anything about Marmelade’s wedding. Obviously, you don’t know Marmelade. They aren’t the same kind of person in any way. Elmo (pissed off) http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/DocElmosHepFile http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/TheFamilyAlbum
Response:
Fuck off, "mom". Alias "Mom" <m…@nospamplease.net> wrote in message
news:1tudnfqNyaF6GDLfRVn-gQ@adelphia.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> "Alias" <aka@[notme]maskedandanonymous.eu> wrote in message > news:LNJre.44911$dr.15787@news.ono.com… >> "Jack Zwick" <jzwi…@mindspring.com> wrote in message >> news:f7Jre.4446$NX4.1664@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net… >>>> NumbNuts (burn you cocksucker) wrote: >> Charming. >> Alias >>> Dear: >>> [ ] Clueless Newbie [ ] Lamer [ ] Flamer >>> [ ] Loser [ ] Spammer [ ] Troller >>> [ ] "Me too" er [ ] Pervert [ ] Geek >>> [ ] Freak [ ] Nerd [ ] Elvis >>> [ ] Racist [ ] Fed [ ] Freak >>> [ ] Fundamentalist [ ] Satanist [ ] Homeopath >>> [ ] Unbearably self-righteous person >>> [X] ALL of the above >>> I took exception to your recent: >>> [ ] Email [X] Post to alt.support.hepatitis-c. >>> (newsgroup) >>> It was (check all that apply): >>> [X] Lame [ ] Stupid [ ] Abusive >>> [ ] Clueless [X] Idiotic [ ] Brain-damaged >>> [ ] Imbecilic [X] Arrogant [ ] Malevolent >>> [ ] Contemptible [ ] Libelous [ ] Ignorant >>> [ ] Clueless [ ] Stupid [ ] Fundamentalist >>> [ ] Boring [ ] Dim [X] Cowardly >>> [ ] Deceitful [ ] Demented [X] Self-righteous >>> [ ] Crazy [ ] Weird [ ] Hypocritical >>> [ ] Loathsome [ ] Satanic [ ] Despicable >>> [ ] Belligerent [ ] Mind-numbing [ ] Maladroit >>> [X] Much longer than any worthwhile thought of which you may be capable. >>> Your attention is drawn to the fact that: >>> [ ] You posted what should have been emailed >>> [ ] You obviously don’t know how to read your newsgroups line >>> [ ] You are trying to make money on a non-commercial newsgroup >>> [ ] You self-righteously impose your religious beliefs on others >>> [ ] You self-righteously impose your racial beliefs on others >>> [ ] You posted a binary in a non-binaries group >>> [ ] You don’t know which group to post in >>> [ ] You posted something totally uninteresting >>> [ ] You crossposted to *way* too many newsgroups >>> [ ] I don’t like your tone of voice >>> [ ] What you posted has been done before. >>> [ ] Not only that, it was also done better the last time. >>> [ ] You quoted an *entire* post in your reply >>> [ ] You started a long, stupid thread >>> [ ] You continued spreading a long stupid thread >>> [X] Your post is absurdly off topic for where you posted it >>> [ ] You posted a followup to crossposted robot-generated spam >>> [ ] You posted a "test" in a discussion group rather than in alt.test >>> [ ] You posted a "YOU ALL SUCK" message >>> [X] You posted low-IQ flamebait >>> [X] You posted a blatantly obvious troll >>> [ ] You followed up to a blatantly obvious troll >>> [ ] You said "me too" to something >>> [ ] You make no sense >>> [ ] Your sig/alias is dreadful >>> [X] You must have spent your life in a skinner box to be this clueless. >>> [ ] You posted a phone-sex ad >>> [ ] You posted a stupid pyramid money making scheme >>> [ ] You claimed a pyramid-scheme/chain letter for money was legal >>> [ ] Your margin settings (or lack of) make your post unreadable. Each >>> line just goes on and on, not stopping at 75 characters, >>> making it hard to read. >>> [ ] You posted in ELitE CaPitALs to look k0OwL >>> [ ] You posted a message in ALL CAPS, and you don’t even own a TRS-80 >>> [ ] Your post was FULL of RANDOM CAPS for NO APPARENT REASON >>> [ ] You have greatly misunderstood the purpose of this newsgroup. >>> [ ] You have greatly misunderstood the purpose of the Internet. >>> [X] You are a loser. >>> [X] This has been pointed out to you before. >>> [X] You appear to be so generally worthless that you are being flamed >>> on general principles. >>> It is recommended that you: >>> [X] Get a clue >>> [X] Get a life >>> [X] Go away >>> [X] Grow up >>> [X] Play Hide and go fuck yourself >>> [ ] Never post again >>> [ ] Read every newsgroup you posted to for a week >>> [ ] stop reading Usenet news and get a life >>> [ ] stop sending Email and get a life >>> [ ] Bust up your modem with a hammer and eat it >>> [X] Have your medication adjusted >>> [X] Jump into a bathtub while holding your monitor >>> [ ] find a volcano and throw yourself in >>> [X] get a gun and shoot yourself >>> [ ] Actually post something relevant >>> [ ] Read the FAQ >>> [ ] stick to FidoNet and come back when you’ve grown up >>> [X] Apologize to everybody in this newsgroup >>> [ ] consume excrement >>> [X] consume excrement and thus expire >>> [ ] Post your tests to alt.test/misc.test >>> [ ] Put your home phone number in your ads from now on >>> [ ] Refrain from posting until you have a vague idea what you’re doing >>> In Closing, I’d Like to Say: >>> [ ] You need to seek psychiatric help >>> [ ] Take your gibberish somewhere else >>> [ ] *plonk* >>> [ ] Learn how to post or get off the usenet >>> [ ] You are so clueless that I didn’t even bother filling in this form. >>> [ ] You’re a FUCKTARD >>> [ ] You’re just plain fucked in the Head >>> [ ] Most of the above >>> [ ] Some of the above, not including All of the above >>> [X] ALL of the above >>> ————————end "standardized form"————————- >>> P.S.: >>> You are hypocritical, greedy, violent, malevolent, vengeful, cowardly, >>> deadly, mendacious, meretricious, loathsome, despicable, belligerent, >>> opportunistic, barratrous, contemptible, criminal, fascistic, bigoted, >>> racist, sexist, avaricious, tasteless, idiotic, brain-damaged, >>> imbecilic, >>> insane, arrogant, deceitful, demented, lame, self-righteous, byzantine, >>> conspiratorial, satanic, fraudulent, libelous, bilious, splenetic, >>> spastic, ignorant, clueless, illegitimate, harmful, destructive, dumb, >>> evasive, double-talking, devious, revisionist, narrow, manipulative, >>> paternalistic, fundamentalist, dogmatic, idolatrous, unethical, cultic, >>> diseased, suppressive, controlling, restrictive, malignant, deceptive, >>> dim, crazy, weird, dystopic, stifling, uncaring, plantigrade, grim, >>> unsympathetic, jargon-spouting, censorious, secretive, aggressive, >>> mind-numbing, arassive, poisonous, flagrant, self-destructive, abusive, >>> socially-retarded, puerile, clueless, and generally Not Good. > Good post Jack but I have wonder why people constantly give Michael Cody > the time of day???? I checked the archives in in the buddhist newsgroups > and they can’t stand him anymore than we can. He is an antoginizer. He is > worse than any Bible thumper alive. Feeding him is the worst thing we can > do. I personally gave up arguing with him long ago. He’s an idiot. I put > him in the same class as the Klu Klux Klan and Fred Phelps. STFU Michael. > Keep your beliefs to yourself B O W L I N G B A L L > head……………..and get a life. Quit feeding the idiot. > Mom
Response:
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Alias heheheheheheheehehe hahahahahahahahahahahahah hohohohohohohohohohohoho ahahahahahahahahahahahah hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
Response:
yay mom! I can see while Alan is so entranced with you! you are such a mom! I vote for Mom! cactus jammies ////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Mom" <m…@nospamplease.net> wrote ….. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Good post Jack but I have wonder why people constantly give Michael Cody > the time of day???? I checked the archives in in the buddhist newsgroups > and they can’t stand him anymore than we can. He is an antoginizer. He is > worse than any Bible thumper alive. Feeding him is the worst thing we can > do. I personally gave up arguing with him long ago. He’s an idiot. I put > him in the same class as the Klu Klux Klan and Fred Phelps. STFU Michael. > Keep your beliefs to yourself B O W L I N G B A L L > head……………..and get a life. Quit feeding the idiot. > Mom
Response:
Alias wrote: > "Jack Zwick" <jzwi…@mindspring.com> wrote in message > news:f7Jre.4446$NX4.1664@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net… >>>NumbNuts (burn you cocksucker) wrote: > Charming.
Hey, thats YOU Bubba. An EXACT reflection of you in the Mirror. Deal with it. WE have to on a daily basis. I know it’s unpleasant to see yourself as you truely are, BUT the truth hurts sometimes. Maybe you can ask yourself the hard question. Mainly, WHY you work so hard at being such a total asshole jerk-off. As I said before, that’s YOU Bubba. DEAL with it.
Response:
"Alias" <aka@[notme]maskedandanonymous.eu> wrote in message
news:LNJre.44911$dr.15787@news.ono.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> "Jack Zwick" <jzwi…@mindspring.com> wrote in message > news:f7Jre.4446$NX4.1664@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net… >>> NumbNuts (burn you cocksucker) wrote: > Charming. > Alias >> Dear: >> [ ] Clueless Newbie [ ] Lamer [ ] Flamer >> [ ] Loser [ ] Spammer [ ] Troller >> [ ] "Me too" er [ ] Pervert [ ] Geek >> [ ] Freak [ ] Nerd [ ] Elvis >> [ ] Racist [ ] Fed [ ] Freak >> [ ] Fundamentalist [ ] Satanist [ ] Homeopath >> [ ] Unbearably self-righteous person >> [X] ALL of the above >> I took exception to your recent: >> [ ] Email [X] Post to alt.support.hepatitis-c. >> (newsgroup) >> It was (check all that apply): >> [X] Lame [ ] Stupid [ ] Abusive >> [ ] Clueless [X] Idiotic [ ] Brain-damaged >> [ ] Imbecilic [X] Arrogant [ ] Malevolent >> [ ] Contemptible [ ] Libelous [ ] Ignorant >> [ ] Clueless [ ] Stupid [ ] Fundamentalist >> [ ] Boring [ ] Dim [X] Cowardly >> [ ] Deceitful [ ] Demented [X] Self-righteous >> [ ] Crazy [ ] Weird [ ] Hypocritical >> [ ] Loathsome [ ] Satanic [ ] Despicable >> [ ] Belligerent [ ] Mind-numbing [ ] Maladroit >> [X] Much longer than any worthwhile thought of which you may be capable. >> Your attention is drawn to the fact that: >> [ ] You posted what should have been emailed >> [ ] You obviously don’t know how to read your newsgroups line >> [ ] You are trying to make money on a non-commercial newsgroup >> [ ] You self-righteously impose your religious beliefs on others >> [ ] You self-righteously impose your racial beliefs on others >> [ ] You posted a binary in a non-binaries group >> [ ] You don’t know which group to post in >> [ ] You posted something totally uninteresting >> [ ] You crossposted to *way* too many newsgroups >> [ ] I don’t like your tone of voice >> [ ] What you posted has been done before. >> [ ] Not only that, it was also done better the last time. >> [ ] You quoted an *entire* post in your reply >> [ ] You started a long, stupid thread >> [ ] You continued spreading a long stupid thread >> [X] Your post is absurdly off topic for where you posted it >> [ ] You posted a followup to crossposted robot-generated spam >> [ ] You posted a "test" in a discussion group rather than in alt.test >> [ ] You posted a "YOU ALL SUCK" message >> [X] You posted low-IQ flamebait >> [X] You posted a blatantly obvious troll >> [ ] You followed up to a blatantly obvious troll >> [ ] You said "me too" to something >> [ ] You make no sense >> [ ] Your sig/alias is dreadful >> [X] You must have spent your life in a skinner box to be this clueless. >> [ ] You posted a phone-sex ad >> [ ] You posted a stupid pyramid money making scheme >> [ ] You claimed a pyramid-scheme/chain letter for money was legal >> [ ] Your margin settings (or lack of) make your post unreadable. Each >> line just goes on and on, not stopping at 75 characters, >> making it hard to read. >> [ ] You posted in ELitE CaPitALs to look k0OwL >> [ ] You posted a message in ALL CAPS, and you don’t even own a TRS-80 >> [ ] Your post was FULL of RANDOM CAPS for NO APPARENT REASON >> [ ] You have greatly misunderstood the purpose of this newsgroup. >> [ ] You have greatly misunderstood the purpose of the Internet. >> [X] You are a loser. >> [X] This has been pointed out to you before. >> [X] You appear to be so generally worthless that you are being flamed >> on general principles. >> It is recommended that you: >> [X] Get a clue >> [X] Get a life >> [X] Go away >> [X] Grow up >> [X] Play Hide and go fuck yourself >> [ ] Never post again >> [ ] Read every newsgroup you posted to for a week >> [ ] stop reading Usenet news and get a life >> [ ] stop sending Email and get a life >> [ ] Bust up your modem with a hammer and eat it >> [X] Have your medication adjusted >> [X] Jump into a bathtub while holding your monitor >> [ ] find a volcano and throw yourself in >> [X] get a gun and shoot yourself >> [ ] Actually post something relevant >> [ ] Read the FAQ >> [ ] stick to FidoNet and come back when you’ve grown up >> [X] Apologize to everybody in this newsgroup >> [ ] consume excrement >> [X] consume excrement and thus expire >> [ ] Post your tests to alt.test/misc.test >> [ ] Put your home phone number in your ads from now on >> [ ] Refrain from posting until you have a vague idea what you’re doing >> In Closing, I’d Like to Say: >> [ ] You need to seek psychiatric help >> [ ] Take your gibberish somewhere else >> [ ] *plonk* >> [ ] Learn how to post or get off the usenet >> [ ] You are so clueless that I didn’t even bother filling in this form. >> [ ] You’re a FUCKTARD >> [ ] You’re just plain fucked in the Head >> [ ] Most of the above >> [ ] Some of the above, not including All of the above >> [X] ALL of the above >> ————————end "standardized form"————————- >> P.S.: >> You are hypocritical, greedy, violent, malevolent, vengeful, cowardly, >> deadly, mendacious, meretricious, loathsome, despicable, belligerent, >> opportunistic, barratrous, contemptible, criminal, fascistic, bigoted, >> racist, sexist, avaricious, tasteless, idiotic, brain-damaged, imbecilic, >> insane, arrogant, deceitful, demented, lame, self-righteous, byzantine, >> conspiratorial, satanic, fraudulent, libelous, bilious, splenetic, >> spastic, ignorant, clueless, illegitimate, harmful, destructive, dumb, >> evasive, double-talking, devious, revisionist, narrow, manipulative, >> paternalistic, fundamentalist, dogmatic, idolatrous, unethical, cultic, >> diseased, suppressive, controlling, restrictive, malignant, deceptive, >> dim, crazy, weird, dystopic, stifling, uncaring, plantigrade, grim, >> unsympathetic, jargon-spouting, censorious, secretive, aggressive, >> mind-numbing, arassive, poisonous, flagrant, self-destructive, abusive, >> socially-retarded, puerile, clueless, and generally Not Good.
Good post Jack but I have wonder why people constantly give Michael Cody the time of day???? I checked the archives in in the buddhist newsgroups and they can’t stand him anymore than we can. He is an antoginizer. He is worse than any Bible thumper alive. Feeding him is the worst thing we can do. I personally gave up arguing with him long ago. He’s an idiot. I put him in the same class as the Klu Klux Klan and Fred Phelps. STFU Michael. Keep your beliefs to yourself B O W L I N G B A L L head……………..and get a life. Quit feeding the idiot. Mom
Response:
You’re a Christian? If so, you have my condolences. Alias "Dwight" <Dwi…@Me.net> wrote – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> They have never attacked my religious beliefs as you have seen fit to do. > I have never participated in the attacking of you or your beliefs or for > that matter any of the "fart" jokes. I thought I was being very polite in > my request and it was a request on my behalf. I will admit that I find > fart jokes less offensive as I do attacks on Christianity. I also don’t > think you deserve as much as you get. I have nothing against OT threads as > long as they aren’t meant to be harmful to anyone. I’m won’t get into any > kind of a flame war with you, I made my request and that was all I was > trying to do. > Dwight > Alias wrote: >> Would a good fart joke swing your thing, Dwight? How about a good tornado >> story? Or maybe if I lie about someone who posts here and say they live >> on a "campo" filled with "turds" in a garbage bin? >> I don’t notice you asking Elmo "Fart" Emerson to lay off the lies and >> insults? Why is that, Dwight? Afraid you’ll be kicked out of the >> "family"? >> Alias >> "Dwight" <Dwi…@Me.net> wrote >>>Cody, I’ve stayed out of your religious threads until now and have tried >>>my best to ignore them. I’m asking you to please refrain from your >>>Christianity bashing. You are not going to shake the faith of a true >>>Christian, just as I’m sure no one is going to change your practicing >>>Buddhism. There are good and bad among all the people of the World, each >>>of us must find in our own hearts what we believe in. So, once again, >>>please stop. >>>Dwight >>>Alias wrote: >>>>1. Christianity is based on fear. While today there are liberal clergy >>>>who >>>>preach a gospel of love, they ignore the bulk of Christian teachings, >>>>not to >>>>mention the bulk of Christian history. Throughout almost its entire time >>>>on >>>>Earth, the motor driving Christianity has been-in addition to the fear >>>>of >>>>death-fear of the devil and fear of hell. One can only imagine how >>>>potent >>>>these threats seemed prior to the rise of science and rational thinking, >>>>which have largely robbed these bogeys of their power to inspire terror. >>>>But >>>>even today, the existence of the devil and hell are cardinal doctrinal >>>>tenets of almost all Christian creeds, and many fundamentalist preachers >>>>still openly resort to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic >>>>portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death. This is not an >>>>attempt to convince through logic and reason; it is not an attempt to >>>>appeal >>>>to the better nature of individuals; rather, it is an attempt to whip >>>>the >>>>flock into line through threats, through appeals to a base part of human >>>>nature-fear and cowardice. >>>>2. Christianity preys on the innocent. If Christian fear-mongering were >>>>directed solely at adults, it would be bad enough, but Christians >>>>routinely >>>>terrorize helpless children through grisly depictions of the endless >>>>horrors >>>>and suffering they’ll be subjected to if they don’t live good Christian >>>>lives. Christianity has darkened the early years of generation after >>>>generation of children, who have lived in terror of dying while in >>>>mortal >>>>sin and going to endless torment as a result. All of these children were >>>>trusting of adults, and they did not have the ability to analyze what >>>>they >>>>were being told; they were simply helpless victims, who, ironically, >>>>victimized following generations in the same manner that they themselves >>>>had >>>>been victimized. The nearly 2000 years of Christian terrorizing of >>>>children >>>>ranks as one of its greatest crimes. And it’s one that continues to this >>>>day. >>>>As an example of Christianity’s cruel brainwashing of the innocent, >>>>consider >>>>this quotation from an officially approved, 19th-century Catholic >>>>children’s >>>>book (Tracts for Spiritual Reading, by Rev. J. Furniss, C.S.S.R.): >>>> Look into this little prison. In the middle of it there is a boy, a >>>> young >>>>man. He is silent; despair is on him . . . His eyes are burning like two >>>>burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is >>>>difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth and breath of blazing fire rolls >>>>out >>>>of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. >>>>Is >>>>it really a kettle which is boiling? No; then what is it? Hear what it >>>>is. >>>>The blood is boiling in the scalding veins of that boy. The brain is >>>>boiling >>>>and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Ask him >>>>why he >>>>is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood >>>>boiled to >>>>do very wicked things. >>>>There are many similar passages in this book. Commenting on it, William >>>>Meagher, Vicar-General of Dublin, states in his Approbation: >>>> "I have carefully read over this Little Volume for Children and have >>>> found >>>>nothing whatever in it contrary to the doctrines of the Holy Faith; but >>>>on >>>>the contrary, a great deal to charm, instruct and edify the youthful >>>>classes >>>>for whose benefit it has been written." >>>>3. Christianity is based on dishonesty. The Christian appeal to fear, to >>>>cowardice, is an admission that the evidence supporting Christian >>>>beliefs is >>>>far from compelling. If the evidence were such that Christianity’s truth >>>>was >>>>immediately apparent to anyone who considered it, Christians-including >>>>those >>>>who wrote the Gospels-would feel no need to resort to the cheap tactic >>>>of >>>>using fear-inducing threats to inspire "belief." ("Lip service" is a >>>>more >>>>accurate term.) That the Christian clergy have been more than willing to >>>>accept such lip service (plus the dollars and obedience that go with it) >>>>in >>>>place of genuine belief, is an additional indictment of the basic >>>>dishonesty >>>>of Christianity. >>>>How deep dishonesty runs in Christianity can be gauged by one of the >>>>most >>>>popular Christian arguments for belief in God: Pascal’s wager. This >>>>"wager" >>>>holds that it’s safer to "believe" in God (as if belief were >>>>volitional!) >>>>than not to believe, because God might exist, and if it does, it will >>>>save >>>>"believers" and condemn nonbelievers to hell after death. This is an >>>>appeal >>>>to pure cowardice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the search for >>>>truth. Instead, it’s an appeal to abandon honesty and intellectual >>>>integrity, and to pretend that lip service is the same thing as actual >>>>belief. If the patriarchal God of Christianity really exists, one >>>>wonders >>>>how it would judge the cowards and hypocrites who advance and bow to >>>>this >>>>particularly craven "wager." >>>>4. Christianity is extremely egocentric. The deep egocentrism of >>>>Christianity is intimately tied to its reliance on fear. In addition to >>>>the >>>>fears of the devil and hell, Christianity plays on another of >>>>humankind’s >>>>most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego. Perhaps >>>>Christianity’s strongest appeal is its promise of eternal life. While >>>>there >>>>is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, most people are so >>>>terrified of death that they cling to this treacly promise insisting, >>>>like >>>>frightened children, that it must be true. Nietzsche put the matter >>>>well: >>>>"salvation of the soul-in plain words, the world revolves around me." >>>>It’s >>>>difficult to see anything spiritual in this desperate grasping at >>>>straws-this desperate grasping at the illusion of personal immortality. >>>>Another manifestation of the extreme egotism of Christianity is the >>>>belief >>>>that God is intimately concerned with picayune aspects of, and directly >>>>intervenes in, the lives of individuals. If God, the creator and >>>>controller >>>>of the universe, is vitally concerned with your sex life, you must be >>>>pretty >>>>damned important. Many Christians take this particular form of egotism >>>>much >>>>further and actually imagine that God has a plan for them, or that God >>>>directly talks to, directs, or even does favors for them.(1) If one >>>>ignored >>>>the frequent and glaring contradictions in this supposed divine >>>>guidance, >>>>and the dead bodies sometimes left in its wake, one could almost believe >>>>that the individuals making such claims are guided by God. But one can’t >>>>ignore the contradictions in and the oftentimes horrible results of >>>>following such "divine guidance." As "Agent Mulder" put it (perhaps >>>>paraphrasing Thomas Szasz) in a 1998 X-Files episode, "When you talk to >>>>God >>>>it’s prayer, but when God talks to you it’s schizophrenia. . . . God may >>>>have his reasons, but he sure seems to employ a lot of psychotics to >>>>carry >>>>out his job orders." >>>>In less extreme cases, the insistence that one is receiving divine >>>>guidance >>>>or special treatment from God is usually the attempt of those who feel >>>>worthless-or helpless, adrift in an uncaring universe-to feel important >>>>or >>>>cared for. This less sinister form of egotism is commonly found in the >>>>expressions of disaster survivors that "God must have had a reason for >>>>saving me" (in contrast to their less-worthy-of-life fellow disaster >>>>victims, whom God-who controls all things-killed). Again, it’s very >>>>difficult to see anything spiritual in such egocentricity. >>>>5. Christianity breeds arrogance, a chosen-people mentality. It’s only >>>>natural that those who believe (or play act at believing) that they have >>>>a >>>>direct line to the Almighty would feel superior to others. This is so >>>>obvious that it needs little elaboration. A brief look at religious >>>>terminology confirms it. Christians have often called themselves "God’s
… read more »
Response:
"Jack Zwick" <jzwi…@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:f7Jre.4446$NX4.1664@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net… >> NumbNuts (burn you cocksucker) wrote:
Charming. Alias – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Dear: > [ ] Clueless Newbie [ ] Lamer [ ] Flamer > [ ] Loser [ ] Spammer [ ] Troller > [ ] "Me too" er [ ] Pervert [ ] Geek > [ ] Freak [ ] Nerd [ ] Elvis > [ ] Racist [ ] Fed [ ] Freak > [ ] Fundamentalist [ ] Satanist [ ] Homeopath > [ ] Unbearably self-righteous person > [X] ALL of the above > I took exception to your recent: > [ ] Email [X] Post to alt.support.hepatitis-c. > (newsgroup) > It was (check all that apply): > [X] Lame [ ] Stupid [ ] Abusive > [ ] Clueless [X] Idiotic [ ] Brain-damaged > [ ] Imbecilic [X] Arrogant [ ] Malevolent > [ ] Contemptible [ ] Libelous [ ] Ignorant > [ ] Clueless [ ] Stupid [ ] Fundamentalist > [ ] Boring [ ] Dim [X] Cowardly > [ ] Deceitful [ ] Demented [X] Self-righteous > [ ] Crazy [ ] Weird [ ] Hypocritical > [ ] Loathsome [ ] Satanic [ ] Despicable > [ ] Belligerent [ ] Mind-numbing [ ] Maladroit > [X] Much longer than any worthwhile thought of which you may be capable. > Your attention is drawn to the fact that: > [ ] You posted what should have been emailed > [ ] You obviously don’t know how to read your newsgroups line > [ ] You are trying to make money on a non-commercial newsgroup > [ ] You self-righteously impose your religious beliefs on others > [ ] You self-righteously impose your racial beliefs on others > [ ] You posted a binary in a non-binaries group > [ ] You don’t know which group to post in > [ ] You posted something totally uninteresting > [ ] You crossposted to *way* too many newsgroups > [ ] I don’t like your tone of voice > [ ] What you posted has been done before. > [ ] Not only that, it was also done better the last time. > [ ] You quoted an *entire* post in your reply > [ ] You started a long, stupid thread > [ ] You continued spreading a long stupid thread > [X] Your post is absurdly off topic for where you posted it > [ ] You posted a followup to crossposted robot-generated spam > [ ] You posted a "test" in a discussion group rather than in alt.test > [ ] You posted a "YOU ALL SUCK" message > [X] You posted low-IQ flamebait > [X] You posted a blatantly obvious troll > [ ] You followed up to a blatantly obvious troll > [ ] You said "me too" to something > [ ] You make no sense > [ ] Your sig/alias is dreadful > [X] You must have spent your life in a skinner box to be this clueless. > [ ] You posted a phone-sex ad > [ ] You posted a stupid pyramid money making scheme > [ ] You claimed a pyramid-scheme/chain letter for money was legal > [ ] Your margin settings (or lack of) make your post unreadable. Each > line just goes on and on, not stopping at 75 characters, > making it hard to read. > [ ] You posted in ELitE CaPitALs to look k0OwL > [ ] You posted a message in ALL CAPS, and you don’t even own a TRS-80 > [ ] Your post was FULL of RANDOM CAPS for NO APPARENT REASON > [ ] You have greatly misunderstood the purpose of this newsgroup. > [ ] You have greatly misunderstood the purpose of the Internet. > [X] You are a loser. > [X] This has been pointed out to you before. > [X] You appear to be so generally worthless that you are being flamed > on general principles. > It is recommended that you: > [X] Get a clue > [X] Get a life > [X] Go away > [X] Grow up > [X] Play Hide and go fuck yourself > [ ] Never post again > [ ] Read every newsgroup you posted to for a week > [ ] stop reading Usenet news and get a life > [ ] stop sending Email and get a life > [ ] Bust up your modem with a hammer and eat it > [X] Have your medication adjusted > [X] Jump into a bathtub while holding your monitor > [ ] find a volcano and throw yourself in > [X] get a gun and shoot yourself > [ ] Actually post something relevant > [ ] Read the FAQ > [ ] stick to FidoNet and come back when you’ve grown up > [X] Apologize to everybody in this newsgroup > [ ] consume excrement > [X] consume excrement and thus expire > [ ] Post your tests to alt.test/misc.test > [ ] Put your home phone number in your ads from now on > [ ] Refrain from posting until you have a vague idea what you’re doing > In Closing, I’d Like to Say: > [ ] You need to seek psychiatric help > [ ] Take your gibberish somewhere else > [ ] *plonk* > [ ] Learn how to post or get off the usenet > [ ] You are so clueless that I didn’t even bother filling in this form. > [ ] You’re a FUCKTARD > [ ] You’re just plain fucked in the Head > [ ] Most of the above > [ ] Some of the above, not including All of the above > [X] ALL of the above > ————————end "standardized form"————————- > P.S.: > You are hypocritical, greedy, violent, malevolent, vengeful, cowardly, > deadly, mendacious, meretricious, loathsome, despicable, belligerent, > opportunistic, barratrous, contemptible, criminal, fascistic, bigoted, > racist, sexist, avaricious, tasteless, idiotic, brain-damaged, imbecilic, > insane, arrogant, deceitful, demented, lame, self-righteous, byzantine, > conspiratorial, satanic, fraudulent, libelous, bilious, splenetic, > spastic, ignorant, clueless, illegitimate, harmful, destructive, dumb, > evasive, double-talking, devious, revisionist, narrow, manipulative, > paternalistic, fundamentalist, dogmatic, idolatrous, unethical, cultic, > diseased, suppressive, controlling, restrictive, malignant, deceptive, > dim, crazy, weird, dystopic, stifling, uncaring, plantigrade, grim, > unsympathetic, jargon-spouting, censorious, secretive, aggressive, > mind-numbing, arassive, poisonous, flagrant, self-destructive, abusive, > socially-retarded, puerile, clueless, and generally Not Good.
Response:
> NumbNuts (burn you cocksucker) wrote:
Dear: [ ] Clueless Newbie [ ] Lamer [ ] Flamer [ ] Loser [ ] Spammer [ ] Troller [ ] "Me too" er [ ] Pervert [ ] Geek [ ] Freak [ ] Nerd [ ] Elvis [ ] Racist [ ] Fed [ ] Freak [ ] Fundamentalist [ ] Satanist [ ] Homeopath [ ] Unbearably self-righteous person [X] ALL of the above I took exception to your recent: [ ] Email [X] Post to alt.support.hepatitis-c. (newsgroup) It was (check all that apply): [X] Lame [ ] Stupid [ ] Abusive [ ] Clueless [X] Idiotic [ ] Brain-damaged [ ] Imbecilic [X] Arrogant [ ] Malevolent [ ] Contemptible [ ] Libelous [ ] Ignorant [ ] Clueless [ ] Stupid [ ] Fundamentalist [ ] Boring [ ] Dim [X] Cowardly [ ] Deceitful [ ] Demented [X] Self-righteous [ ] Crazy [ ] Weird [ ] Hypocritical [ ] Loathsome [ ] Satanic [ ] Despicable [ ] Belligerent [ ] Mind-numbing [ ] Maladroit [X] Much longer than any worthwhile thought of which you may be capable. Your attention is drawn to the fact that: [ ] You posted what should have been emailed [ ] You obviously don’t know how to read your newsgroups line [ ] You are trying to make money on a non-commercial newsgroup [ ] You self-righteously impose your religious beliefs on others [ ] You self-righteously impose your racial beliefs on others [ ] You posted a binary in a non-binaries group [ ] You don’t know which group to post in [ ] You posted something totally uninteresting [ ] You crossposted to *way* too many newsgroups [ ] I don’t like your tone of voice [ ] What you posted has been done before. [ ] Not only that, it was also done better the last time. [ ] You quoted an *entire* post in your reply [ ] You started a long, stupid thread [ ] You continued spreading a long stupid thread [X] Your post is absurdly off topic for where you posted it [ ] You posted a followup to crossposted robot-generated spam [ ] You posted a "test" in a discussion group rather than in alt.test [ ] You posted a "YOU ALL SUCK" message [X] You posted low-IQ flamebait [X] You posted a blatantly obvious troll [ ] You followed up to a blatantly obvious troll [ ] You said "me too" to something [ ] You make no sense [ ] Your sig/alias is dreadful [X] You must have spent your life in a skinner box to be this clueless. [ ] You posted a phone-sex ad [ ] You posted a stupid pyramid money making scheme [ ] You claimed a pyramid-scheme/chain letter for money was legal [ ] Your margin settings (or lack of) make your post unreadable. Each line just goes on and on, not stopping at 75 characters, making it hard to read. [ ] You posted in ELitE CaPitALs to look k0OwL [ ] You posted a message in ALL CAPS, and you don’t even own a TRS-80 [ ] Your post was FULL of RANDOM CAPS for NO APPARENT REASON [ ] You have greatly misunderstood the purpose of this newsgroup. [ ] You have greatly misunderstood the purpose of the Internet. [X] You are a loser. [X] This has been pointed out to you before. [X] You appear to be so generally worthless that you are being flamed on general principles. It is recommended that you: [X] Get a clue [X] Get a life [X] Go away [X] Grow up [X] Play Hide and go fuck yourself [ ] Never post again [ ] Read every newsgroup you posted to for a week [ ] stop reading Usenet news and get a life [ ] stop sending Email and get a life [ ] Bust up your modem with a hammer and eat it [X] Have your medication adjusted [X] Jump into a bathtub while holding your monitor [ ] find a volcano and throw yourself in [X] get a gun and shoot yourself [ ] Actually post something relevant [ ] Read the FAQ [ ] stick to FidoNet and come back when you’ve grown up [X] Apologize to everybody in this newsgroup [ ] consume excrement [X] consume excrement and thus expire [ ] Post your tests to alt.test/misc.test [ ] Put your home phone number in your ads from now on [ ] Refrain from posting until you have a vague idea what you’re doing In Closing, I’d Like to Say: [ ] You need to seek psychiatric help [ ] Take your gibberish somewhere else [ ] *plonk* [ ] Learn how to post or get off the usenet [ ] You are so clueless that I didn’t even bother filling in this form. [ ] You’re a FUCKTARD [ ] You’re just plain fucked in the Head [ ] Most of the above [ ] Some of the above, not including All of the above [X] ALL of the above ————————end "standardized form"————————- P.S.: You are hypocritical, greedy, violent, malevolent, vengeful, cowardly, deadly, mendacious, meretricious, loathsome, despicable, belligerent, opportunistic, barratrous, contemptible, criminal, fascistic, bigoted, racist, sexist, avaricious, tasteless, idiotic, brain-damaged, imbecilic, insane, arrogant, deceitful, demented, lame, self-righteous, byzantine, conspiratorial, satanic, fraudulent, libelous, bilious, splenetic, spastic, ignorant, clueless, illegitimate, harmful, destructive, dumb, evasive, double-talking, devious, revisionist, narrow, manipulative, paternalistic, fundamentalist, dogmatic, idolatrous, unethical, cultic, diseased, suppressive, controlling, restrictive, malignant, deceptive, dim, crazy, weird, dystopic, stifling, uncaring, plantigrade, grim, unsympathetic, jargon-spouting, censorious, secretive, aggressive, mind-numbing, arassive, poisonous, flagrant, self-destructive, abusive, socially-retarded, puerile, clueless, and generally Not Good.
Response:
Alias, this doesn’t have anything to do with Elmo, but it has everything to do with Christianity. I don’t understand why you’re trying to start trouble. You ask us to respect your religious beliefs, and for the most part, we do. I know I have, and I’m asking you to respect mine. "Alias" <aka@[notme]maskedandanonymous.eu> wrote in message
news:N%Cre.44836$dr.12711@news.ono.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Would a good fart joke swing your thing, Dwight? How about a good tornado > story? Or maybe if I lie about someone who posts here and say they live > on a "campo" filled with "turds" in a garbage bin? > I don’t notice you asking Elmo "Fart" Emerson to lay off the lies and > insults? Why is that, Dwight? Afraid you’ll be kicked out of the "family"? > Alias > "Dwight" <Dwi…@Me.net> wrote >> Cody, I’ve stayed out of your religious threads until now and have tried >> my best to ignore them. I’m asking you to please refrain from your >> Christianity bashing. You are not going to shake the faith of a true >> Christian, just as I’m sure no one is going to change your practicing >> Buddhism. There are good and bad among all the people of the World, each >> of us must find in our own hearts what we believe in. So, once again, >> please stop. >> Dwight >> Alias wrote: >>> 1. Christianity is based on fear. While today there are liberal clergy >>> who >>> preach a gospel of love, they ignore the bulk of Christian teachings, >>> not to >>> mention the bulk of Christian history. Throughout almost its entire time >>> on >>> Earth, the motor driving Christianity has been-in addition to the fear >>> of >>> death-fear of the devil and fear of hell. One can only imagine how >>> potent >>> these threats seemed prior to the rise of science and rational thinking, >>> which have largely robbed these bogeys of their power to inspire terror. >>> But >>> even today, the existence of the devil and hell are cardinal doctrinal >>> tenets of almost all Christian creeds, and many fundamentalist preachers >>> still openly resort to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic >>> portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death. This is not an >>> attempt to convince through logic and reason; it is not an attempt to >>> appeal >>> to the better nature of individuals; rather, it is an attempt to whip >>> the >>> flock into line through threats, through appeals to a base part of human >>> nature-fear and cowardice. >>> 2. Christianity preys on the innocent. If Christian fear-mongering were >>> directed solely at adults, it would be bad enough, but Christians >>> routinely >>> terrorize helpless children through grisly depictions of the endless >>> horrors >>> and suffering they’ll be subjected to if they don’t live good Christian >>> lives. Christianity has darkened the early years of generation after >>> generation of children, who have lived in terror of dying while in >>> mortal >>> sin and going to endless torment as a result. All of these children were >>> trusting of adults, and they did not have the ability to analyze what >>> they >>> were being told; they were simply helpless victims, who, ironically, >>> victimized following generations in the same manner that they themselves >>> had >>> been victimized. The nearly 2000 years of Christian terrorizing of >>> children >>> ranks as one of its greatest crimes. And it’s one that continues to this >>> day. >>> As an example of Christianity’s cruel brainwashing of the innocent, >>> consider >>> this quotation from an officially approved, 19th-century Catholic >>> children’s >>> book (Tracts for Spiritual Reading, by Rev. J. Furniss, C.S.S.R.): >>> Look into this little prison. In the middle of it there is a boy, a >>> young >>> man. He is silent; despair is on him . . . His eyes are burning like two >>> burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is >>> difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth and breath of blazing fire rolls >>> out >>> of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. >>> Is >>> it really a kettle which is boiling? No; then what is it? Hear what it >>> is. >>> The blood is boiling in the scalding veins of that boy. The brain is >>> boiling >>> and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Ask him >>> why he >>> is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood >>> boiled to >>> do very wicked things. >>> There are many similar passages in this book. Commenting on it, William >>> Meagher, Vicar-General of Dublin, states in his Approbation: >>> "I have carefully read over this Little Volume for Children and have >>> found >>> nothing whatever in it contrary to the doctrines of the Holy Faith; but >>> on >>> the contrary, a great deal to charm, instruct and edify the youthful >>> classes >>> for whose benefit it has been written." >>> 3. Christianity is based on dishonesty. The Christian appeal to fear, to >>> cowardice, is an admission that the evidence supporting Christian >>> beliefs is >>> far from compelling. If the evidence were such that Christianity’s truth >>> was >>> immediately apparent to anyone who considered it, Christians-including >>> those >>> who wrote the Gospels-would feel no need to resort to the cheap tactic >>> of >>> using fear-inducing threats to inspire "belief." ("Lip service" is a >>> more >>> accurate term.) That the Christian clergy have been more than willing to >>> accept such lip service (plus the dollars and obedience that go with it) >>> in >>> place of genuine belief, is an additional indictment of the basic >>> dishonesty >>> of Christianity. >>> How deep dishonesty runs in Christianity can be gauged by one of the >>> most >>> popular Christian arguments for belief in God: Pascal’s wager. This >>> "wager" >>> holds that it’s safer to "believe" in God (as if belief were >>> volitional!) >>> than not to believe, because God might exist, and if it does, it will >>> save >>> "believers" and condemn nonbelievers to hell after death. This is an >>> appeal >>> to pure cowardice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the search for >>> truth. Instead, it’s an appeal to abandon honesty and intellectual >>> integrity, and to pretend that lip service is the same thing as actual >>> belief. If the patriarchal God of Christianity really exists, one >>> wonders >>> how it would judge the cowards and hypocrites who advance and bow to >>> this >>> particularly craven "wager." >>> 4. Christianity is extremely egocentric. The deep egocentrism of >>> Christianity is intimately tied to its reliance on fear. In addition to >>> the >>> fears of the devil and hell, Christianity plays on another of >>> humankind’s >>> most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego. Perhaps >>> Christianity’s strongest appeal is its promise of eternal life. While >>> there >>> is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, most people are so >>> terrified of death that they cling to this treacly promise insisting, >>> like >>> frightened children, that it must be true. Nietzsche put the matter >>> well: >>> "salvation of the soul-in plain words, the world revolves around me." >>> It’s >>> difficult to see anything spiritual in this desperate grasping at >>> straws-this desperate grasping at the illusion of personal immortality. >>> Another manifestation of the extreme egotism of Christianity is the >>> belief >>> that God is intimately concerned with picayune aspects of, and directly >>> intervenes in, the lives of individuals. If God, the creator and >>> controller >>> of the universe, is vitally concerned with your sex life, you must be >>> pretty >>> damned important. Many Christians take this particular form of egotism >>> much >>> further and actually imagine that God has a plan for them, or that God >>> directly talks to, directs, or even does favors for them.(1) If one >>> ignored >>> the frequent and glaring contradictions in this supposed divine >>> guidance, >>> and the dead bodies sometimes left in its wake, one could almost believe >>> that the individuals making such claims are guided by God. But one can’t >>> ignore the contradictions in and the oftentimes horrible results of >>> following such "divine guidance." As "Agent Mulder" put it (perhaps >>> paraphrasing Thomas Szasz) in a 1998 X-Files episode, "When you talk to >>> God >>> it’s prayer, but when God talks to you it’s schizophrenia. . . . God may >>> have his reasons, but he sure seems to employ a lot of psychotics to >>> carry >>> out his job orders." >>> In less extreme cases, the insistence that one is receiving divine >>> guidance >>> or special treatment from God is usually the attempt of those who feel >>> worthless-or helpless, adrift in an uncaring universe-to feel important >>> or >>> cared for. This less sinister form of egotism is commonly found in the >>> expressions of disaster survivors that "God must have had a reason for >>> saving me" (in contrast to their less-worthy-of-life fellow disaster >>> victims, whom God-who controls all things-killed). Again, it’s very >>> difficult to see anything spiritual in such egocentricity. >>> 5. Christianity breeds arrogance, a chosen-people mentality. It’s only >>> natural that those who believe (or play act at believing) that they have >>> a >>> direct line to the Almighty would feel superior to others. This is so >>> obvious that it needs little elaboration. A brief look at religious >>> terminology confirms it. Christians have often called themselves "God’s >>> people," "the chosen people," "the elect," "the righteous," etc., while >>> nonbelievers have been labeled "heathens," "infidels," and "atheistic >>> Communists" (as if atheism and Communism are intimately connected). This >>> sets up a two-tiered division of humanity, in which "God’s people" feel >>> superior to those who are not "God’s people." >>> That many competing religions
… read more »
Response:
Very well said. I agree. "Dwight" <Dwi…@Me.net> wrote in message
news:nbCre.908$aa2.420@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Cody, I’ve stayed out of your religious threads until now and have tried > my best to ignore them. I’m asking you to please refrain from your > Christianity bashing. You are not going to shake the faith of a true > Christian, just as I’m sure no one is going to change your practicing > Buddhism. There are good and bad among all the people of the World, each > of us must find in our own hearts what we believe in. So, once again, > please stop. > Dwight > Alias wrote: >> 1. Christianity is based on fear. While today there are liberal clergy >> who >> preach a gospel of love, they ignore the bulk of Christian teachings, not >> to >> mention the bulk of Christian history. Throughout almost its entire time >> on >> Earth, the motor driving Christianity has been-in addition to the fear of >> death-fear of the devil and fear of hell. One can only imagine how potent >> these threats seemed prior to the rise of science and rational thinking, >> which have largely robbed these bogeys of their power to inspire terror. >> But >> even today, the existence of the devil and hell are cardinal doctrinal >> tenets of almost all Christian creeds, and many fundamentalist preachers >> still openly resort to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic >> portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death. This is not an >> attempt to convince through logic and reason; it is not an attempt to >> appeal >> to the better nature of individuals; rather, it is an attempt to whip the >> flock into line through threats, through appeals to a base part of human >> nature-fear and cowardice. >> 2. Christianity preys on the innocent. If Christian fear-mongering were >> directed solely at adults, it would be bad enough, but Christians >> routinely >> terrorize helpless children through grisly depictions of the endless >> horrors >> and suffering they’ll be subjected to if they don’t live good Christian >> lives. Christianity has darkened the early years of generation after >> generation of children, who have lived in terror of dying while in mortal >> sin and going to endless torment as a result. All of these children were >> trusting of adults, and they did not have the ability to analyze what >> they >> were being told; they were simply helpless victims, who, ironically, >> victimized following generations in the same manner that they themselves >> had >> been victimized. The nearly 2000 years of Christian terrorizing of >> children >> ranks as one of its greatest crimes. And it’s one that continues to this >> day. >> As an example of Christianity’s cruel brainwashing of the innocent, >> consider >> this quotation from an officially approved, 19th-century Catholic >> children’s >> book (Tracts for Spiritual Reading, by Rev. J. Furniss, C.S.S.R.): >> Look into this little prison. In the middle of it there is a boy, a >> young >> man. He is silent; despair is on him . . . His eyes are burning like two >> burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is >> difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth and breath of blazing fire rolls >> out >> of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. >> Is >> it really a kettle which is boiling? No; then what is it? Hear what it >> is. >> The blood is boiling in the scalding veins of that boy. The brain is >> boiling >> and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Ask him why >> he >> is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood boiled >> to >> do very wicked things. >> There are many similar passages in this book. Commenting on it, William >> Meagher, Vicar-General of Dublin, states in his Approbation: >> "I have carefully read over this Little Volume for Children and have >> found >> nothing whatever in it contrary to the doctrines of the Holy Faith; but >> on >> the contrary, a great deal to charm, instruct and edify the youthful >> classes >> for whose benefit it has been written." >> 3. Christianity is based on dishonesty. The Christian appeal to fear, to >> cowardice, is an admission that the evidence supporting Christian beliefs >> is >> far from compelling. If the evidence were such that Christianity’s truth >> was >> immediately apparent to anyone who considered it, Christians-including >> those >> who wrote the Gospels-would feel no need to resort to the cheap tactic of >> using fear-inducing threats to inspire "belief." ("Lip service" is a more >> accurate term.) That the Christian clergy have been more than willing to >> accept such lip service (plus the dollars and obedience that go with it) >> in >> place of genuine belief, is an additional indictment of the basic >> dishonesty >> of Christianity. >> How deep dishonesty runs in Christianity can be gauged by one of the most >> popular Christian arguments for belief in God: Pascal’s wager. This >> "wager" >> holds that it’s safer to "believe" in God (as if belief were volitional!) >> than not to believe, because God might exist, and if it does, it will >> save >> "believers" and condemn nonbelievers to hell after death. This is an >> appeal >> to pure cowardice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the search for >> truth. Instead, it’s an appeal to abandon honesty and intellectual >> integrity, and to pretend that lip service is the same thing as actual >> belief. If the patriarchal God of Christianity really exists, one wonders >> how it would judge the cowards and hypocrites who advance and bow to this >> particularly craven "wager." >> 4. Christianity is extremely egocentric. The deep egocentrism of >> Christianity is intimately tied to its reliance on fear. In addition to >> the >> fears of the devil and hell, Christianity plays on another of humankind’s >> most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego. Perhaps >> Christianity’s strongest appeal is its promise of eternal life. While >> there >> is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, most people are so >> terrified of death that they cling to this treacly promise insisting, >> like >> frightened children, that it must be true. Nietzsche put the matter well: >> "salvation of the soul-in plain words, the world revolves around me." >> It’s >> difficult to see anything spiritual in this desperate grasping at >> straws-this desperate grasping at the illusion of personal immortality. >> Another manifestation of the extreme egotism of Christianity is the >> belief >> that God is intimately concerned with picayune aspects of, and directly >> intervenes in, the lives of individuals. If God, the creator and >> controller >> of the universe, is vitally concerned with your sex life, you must be >> pretty >> damned important. Many Christians take this particular form of egotism >> much >> further and actually imagine that God has a plan for them, or that God >> directly talks to, directs, or even does favors for them.(1) If one >> ignored >> the frequent and glaring contradictions in this supposed divine guidance, >> and the dead bodies sometimes left in its wake, one could almost believe >> that the individuals making such claims are guided by God. But one can’t >> ignore the contradictions in and the oftentimes horrible results of >> following such "divine guidance." As "Agent Mulder" put it (perhaps >> paraphrasing Thomas Szasz) in a 1998 X-Files episode, "When you talk to >> God >> it’s prayer, but when God talks to you it’s schizophrenia. . . . God may >> have his reasons, but he sure seems to employ a lot of psychotics to >> carry >> out his job orders." >> In less extreme cases, the insistence that one is receiving divine >> guidance >> or special treatment from God is usually the attempt of those who feel >> worthless-or helpless, adrift in an uncaring universe-to feel important >> or >> cared for. This less sinister form of egotism is commonly found in the >> expressions of disaster survivors that "God must have had a reason for >> saving me" (in contrast to their less-worthy-of-life fellow disaster >> victims, whom God-who controls all things-killed). Again, it’s very >> difficult to see anything spiritual in such egocentricity. >> 5. Christianity breeds arrogance, a chosen-people mentality. It’s only >> natural that those who believe (or play act at believing) that they have >> a >> direct line to the Almighty would feel superior to others. This is so >> obvious that it needs little elaboration. A brief look at religious >> terminology confirms it. Christians have often called themselves "God’s >> people," "the chosen people," "the elect," "the righteous," etc., while >> nonbelievers have been labeled "heathens," "infidels," and "atheistic >> Communists" (as if atheism and Communism are intimately connected). This >> sets up a two-tiered division of humanity, in which "God’s people" feel >> superior to those who are not "God’s people." >> That many competing religions with contradictory beliefs make the same >> claim >> seems not to matter at all to the members of the various sects that claim >> to >> be the only carriers of "the true faith." The carnage that results when >> two >> competing sects of "God’s people" collide-as in Ireland and >> Palestine-would >> be quite amusing but for the suffering it causes. >> 6. Christianity breeds authoritarianism. Given that Christians claim to >> have >> the one true faith, to have a book that is the Word of God, and (in many >> cases) to receive guidance directly from God, they feel little or no >> compunction about using force and coercion to enforce "God’s Will" (which >> they, of course, interpret and understand). Given that they believe (or >> pretend) that they’re receiving orders from the Almighty (who would cast >> them into hell should they disobey), it’s little wonder that they feel no >> reluctance, and in
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Response:
Good point Juanita.I do agree with nearly everything that Cody has to say about this subject(although I am Agnostic not Atheist),but as you say this is not the place for it. Peace & SVR, BrianD "JV" <Meling…@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:24265-42AF080F-195@storefull-3176.bay.webtv.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Actually there are some real good news groups for this religious debate > stuff. I think you could blow their socks off Cody. > Come on now you know this is a Hep C new group, about life, living with > Hepc, dealing with the issues like life on tx, and life after tx. I just > hope these posts don’t start a war and no one falls into your trap. > I do think there is a appropriate news group for you on the religious > debates. > Not a interesting topic for this group. > Juanita
Response:
Time to stop being so liberal with the wing nuts, Dwight. It’s getting under your collar. Do you need help figuring out how to auto trash with your mail program? The only way I manage to see the RNA’s screeches is if someone like you comments on them. Although I am not a Man of The Book or any other such diversion in my personal life, I only make skinny fun of the zealots of any sort from time to time. A reason that seems to work on those who try to recruit door to door for Jesus, is that my mind is too active to focus on a Book. I have neighbours praying for me at their fellowship meetings across the street, in the Church of the Clear Mountain Air. Whatever floats their boats at least they disguised their come-on by asking me if I minded.. So long as they don’t expect me to sit around and do bible study or what have you. It has taken me now almost seven months to get to this state of relative bliss on the list. I must admit I top loaded may participation here with the treatment routines, with many many questions and some things already understood, like the need for control over stressors in your life. Like another RNA just what I don’t need. So I have double sentries on my sanities, as I see them. It is wise, paid off for me, and IS very boy scout. om Cactus Jammies ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Dwight" <Dwi…@Me.net> wrote in message
news:K1Fre.1075$G55.723@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> They have never attacked my religious beliefs as you have seen fit to do. > I have never participated in the attacking of you or your beliefs or for > that matter any of the "fart" jokes. I thought I was being very polite in > my request and it was a request on my behalf. I will admit that I find > fart jokes less offensive as I do attacks on Christianity. I also don’t > think you deserve as much as you get. I have nothing against OT threads as > long as they aren’t meant to be harmful to anyone. I’m won’t get into any > kind of a flame war with you, I made my request and that was all I was > trying to do. > Dwight > Alias wrote: >> Would a good fart joke swing your thing, Dwight? How about a good tornado >> story? Or maybe if I lie about someone who posts here and say they live >> on a "campo" filled with "turds" in a garbage bin? >> I don’t notice you asking Elmo "Fart" Emerson to lay off the lies and >> insults? Why is that, Dwight? Afraid you’ll be kicked out of the >> "family"? >> Alias >> "Dwight" <Dwi…@Me.net> wrote >>>Cody, I’ve stayed out of your religious threads until now and have tried >>>my best to ignore them. I’m asking you to please refrain from your >>>Christianity bashing. You are not going to shake the faith of a true >>>Christian, just as I’m sure no one is going to change your practicing >>>Buddhism. There are good and bad among all the people of the World, each >>>of us must find in our own hearts what we believe in. So, once again, >>>please stop. >>>Dwight >>>Alias wrote: >>>>1. Christianity is based on fear. While today there are liberal clergy >>>>who >>>>preach a gospel of love, they ignore the bulk of Christian teachings, >>>>not to >>>>mention the bulk of Christian history. Throughout almost its entire time >>>>on >>>>Earth, the motor driving Christianity has been-in addition to the fear >>>>of >>>>death-fear of the devil and fear of hell. One can only imagine how >>>>potent >>>>these threats seemed prior to the rise of science and rational thinking, >>>>which have largely robbed these bogeys of their power to inspire terror. >>>>But >>>>even today, the existence of the devil and hell are cardinal doctrinal >>>>tenets of almost all Christian creeds, and many fundamentalist preachers >>>>still openly resort to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic >>>>portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death. This is not an >>>>attempt to convince through logic and reason; it is not an attempt to >>>>appeal >>>>to the better nature of individuals; rather, it is an attempt to whip >>>>the >>>>flock into line through threats, through appeals to a base part of human >>>>nature-fear and cowardice. >>>>2. Christianity preys on the innocent. If Christian fear-mongering were >>>>directed solely at adults, it would be bad enough, but Christians >>>>routinely >>>>terrorize helpless children through grisly depictions of the endless >>>>horrors >>>>and suffering they’ll be subjected to if they don’t live good Christian >>>>lives. Christianity has darkened the early years of generation after >>>>generation of children, who have lived in terror of dying while in >>>>mortal >>>>sin and going to endless torment as a result. All of these children were >>>>trusting of adults, and they did not have the ability to analyze what >>>>they >>>>were being told; they were simply helpless victims, who, ironically, >>>>victimized following generations in the same manner that they themselves >>>>had >>>>been victimized. The nearly 2000 years of Christian terrorizing of >>>>children >>>>ranks as one of its greatest crimes. And it’s one that continues to this >>>>day. >>>>As an example of Christianity’s cruel brainwashing of the innocent, >>>>consider >>>>this quotation from an officially approved, 19th-century Catholic >>>>children’s >>>>book (Tracts for Spiritual Reading, by Rev. J. Furniss, C.S.S.R.): >>>> Look into this little prison. In the middle of it there is a boy, a >>>> young >>>>man. He is silent; despair is on him . . . His eyes are burning like two >>>>burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is >>>>difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth and breath of blazing fire rolls >>>>out >>>>of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. >>>>Is >>>>it really a kettle which is boiling? No; then what is it? Hear what it >>>>is. >>>>The blood is boiling in the scalding veins of that boy. The brain is >>>>boiling >>>>and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Ask him >>>>why he >>>>is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood >>>>boiled to >>>>do very wicked things. >>>>There are many similar passages in this book. Commenting on it, William >>>>Meagher, Vicar-General of Dublin, states in his Approbation: >>>> "I have carefully read over this Little Volume for Children and have >>>> found >>>>nothing whatever in it contrary to the doctrines of the Holy Faith; but >>>>on >>>>the contrary, a great deal to charm, instruct and edify the youthful >>>>classes >>>>for whose benefit it has been written." >>>>3. Christianity is based on dishonesty. The Christian appeal to fear, to >>>>cowardice, is an admission that the evidence supporting Christian >>>>beliefs is >>>>far from compelling. If the evidence were such that Christianity’s truth >>>>was >>>>immediately apparent to anyone who considered it, Christians-including >>>>those >>>>who wrote the Gospels-would feel no need to resort to the cheap tactic >>>>of >>>>using fear-inducing threats to inspire "belief." ("Lip service" is a >>>>more >>>>accurate term.) That the Christian clergy have been more than willing to >>>>accept such lip service (plus the dollars and obedience that go with it) >>>>in >>>>place of genuine belief, is an additional indictment of the basic >>>>dishonesty >>>>of Christianity. >>>>How deep dishonesty runs in Christianity can be gauged by one of the >>>>most >>>>popular Christian arguments for belief in God: Pascal’s wager. This >>>>"wager" >>>>holds that it’s safer to "believe" in God (as if belief were >>>>volitional!) >>>>than not to believe, because God might exist, and if it does, it will >>>>save >>>>"believers" and condemn nonbelievers to hell after death. This is an >>>>appeal >>>>to pure cowardice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the search for >>>>truth. Instead, it’s an appeal to abandon honesty and intellectual >>>>integrity, and to pretend that lip service is the same thing as actual >>>>belief. If the patriarchal God of Christianity really exists, one >>>>wonders >>>>how it would judge the cowards and hypocrites who advance and bow to >>>>this >>>>particularly craven "wager." >>>>4. Christianity is extremely egocentric. The deep egocentrism of >>>>Christianity is intimately tied to its reliance on fear. In addition to >>>>the >>>>fears of the devil and hell, Christianity plays on another of >>>>humankind’s >>>>most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego. Perhaps >>>>Christianity’s strongest appeal is its promise of eternal life. While >>>>there >>>>is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, most people are so >>>>terrified of death that they cling to this treacly promise insisting, >>>>like >>>>frightened children, that it must be true. Nietzsche put the matter >>>>well: >>>>"salvation of the soul-in plain words, the world revolves around me." >>>>It’s >>>>difficult to see anything spiritual in this desperate grasping at >>>>straws-this desperate grasping at the illusion of personal immortality. >>>>Another manifestation of the extreme egotism of Christianity is the >>>>belief >>>>that God is intimately concerned with picayune aspects of, and directly >>>>intervenes in, the lives of individuals. If God, the creator and >>>>controller >>>>of the universe, is vitally concerned with your sex life, you must be >>>>pretty >>>>damned important. Many Christians take this particular form of egotism >>>>much >>>>further and actually imagine that God has a plan for them, or that God >>>>directly talks to, directs, or even does favors for them.(1) If one >>>>ignored >>>>the frequent and glaring contradictions in this supposed divine >>>>guidance, >>>>and the dead bodies sometimes left in its wake, one could almost believe >>>>that the individuals making such claims are guided by God. But one can’t >>>>ignore
… read more »
Response:
Actually there are some real good news groups for this religious debate stuff. I think you could blow their socks off Cody. Come on now you know this is a Hep C new group, about life, living with Hepc, dealing with the issues like life on tx, and life after tx. I just hope these posts don’t start a war and no one falls into your trap. I do think there is a appropriate news group for you on the religious debates. Not a interesting topic for this group. Juanita
Response:
Would a good fart joke swing your thing, Juanita? How about a good tornado story? Or maybe if I lie about someone who posts here and say they live on a "campo" filled with "turds" in a garbage bin? I don’t notice you asking Elmo "Fart" Emerson to lay off the lies and insults? Why is that, Juanita? Afraid you’ll be kicked out of the "family"? Alias "JV" <Meling…@webtv.net> wrote – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Actually there are some real good news groups for this religious debate > stuff. I think you could blow their socks off Cody. > Come on now you know this is a Hep C new group, about life, living with > Hepc, dealing with the issues like life on tx, and life after tx. I just > hope these posts don’t start a war and no one falls into your trap. > I do think there is a appropriate news group for you on the religious > debates. > Not a interesting topic for this group. > Juanita
Response:
They have never attacked my religious beliefs as you have seen fit to do. I have never participated in the attacking of you or your beliefs or for that matter any of the "fart" jokes. I thought I was being very polite in my request and it was a request on my behalf. I will admit that I find fart jokes less offensive as I do attacks on Christianity. I also don’t think you deserve as much as you get. I have nothing against OT threads as long as they aren’t meant to be harmful to anyone. I’m won’t get into any kind of a flame war with you, I made my request and that was all I was trying to do. Dwight – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Alias wrote: > Would a good fart joke swing your thing, Dwight? How about a good tornado > story? Or maybe if I lie about someone who posts here and say they live on > a "campo" filled with "turds" in a garbage bin? > I don’t notice you asking Elmo "Fart" Emerson to lay off the lies and > insults? Why is that, Dwight? Afraid you’ll be kicked out of the "family"? > Alias > "Dwight" <Dwi…@Me.net> wrote >>Cody, I’ve stayed out of your religious threads until now and have tried >>my best to ignore them. I’m asking you to please refrain from your >>Christianity bashing. You are not going to shake the faith of a true >>Christian, just as I’m sure no one is going to change your practicing >>Buddhism. There are good and bad among all the people of the World, each >>of us must find in our own hearts what we believe in. So, once again, >>please stop. >>Dwight >>Alias wrote: >>>1. Christianity is based on fear. While today there are liberal clergy >>>who >>>preach a gospel of love, they ignore the bulk of Christian teachings, not >>>to >>>mention the bulk of Christian history. Throughout almost its entire time >>>on >>>Earth, the motor driving Christianity has been-in addition to the fear of >>>death-fear of the devil and fear of hell. One can only imagine how potent >>>these threats seemed prior to the rise of science and rational thinking, >>>which have largely robbed these bogeys of their power to inspire terror. >>>But >>>even today, the existence of the devil and hell are cardinal doctrinal >>>tenets of almost all Christian creeds, and many fundamentalist preachers >>>still openly resort to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic >>>portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death. This is not an >>>attempt to convince through logic and reason; it is not an attempt to >>>appeal >>>to the better nature of individuals; rather, it is an attempt to whip the >>>flock into line through threats, through appeals to a base part of human >>>nature-fear and cowardice. >>>2. Christianity preys on the innocent. If Christian fear-mongering were >>>directed solely at adults, it would be bad enough, but Christians >>>routinely >>>terrorize helpless children through grisly depictions of the endless >>>horrors >>>and suffering they’ll be subjected to if they don’t live good Christian >>>lives. Christianity has darkened the early years of generation after >>>generation of children, who have lived in terror of dying while in mortal >>>sin and going to endless torment as a result. All of these children were >>>trusting of adults, and they did not have the ability to analyze what >>>they >>>were being told; they were simply helpless victims, who, ironically, >>>victimized following generations in the same manner that they themselves >>>had >>>been victimized. The nearly 2000 years of Christian terrorizing of >>>children >>>ranks as one of its greatest crimes. And it’s one that continues to this >>>day. >>>As an example of Christianity’s cruel brainwashing of the innocent, >>>consider >>>this quotation from an officially approved, 19th-century Catholic >>>children’s >>>book (Tracts for Spiritual Reading, by Rev. J. Furniss, C.S.S.R.): >>> Look into this little prison. In the middle of it there is a boy, a >>>young >>>man. He is silent; despair is on him . . . His eyes are burning like two >>>burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is >>>difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth and breath of blazing fire rolls >>>out >>>of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. >>>Is >>>it really a kettle which is boiling? No; then what is it? Hear what it >>>is. >>>The blood is boiling in the scalding veins of that boy. The brain is >>>boiling >>>and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Ask him why >>>he >>>is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood boiled >>>to >>>do very wicked things. >>>There are many similar passages in this book. Commenting on it, William >>>Meagher, Vicar-General of Dublin, states in his Approbation: >>> "I have carefully read over this Little Volume for Children and have >>>found >>>nothing whatever in it contrary to the doctrines of the Holy Faith; but >>>on >>>the contrary, a great deal to charm, instruct and edify the youthful >>>classes >>>for whose benefit it has been written." >>>3. Christianity is based on dishonesty. The Christian appeal to fear, to >>>cowardice, is an admission that the evidence supporting Christian beliefs >>>is >>>far from compelling. If the evidence were such that Christianity’s truth >>>was >>>immediately apparent to anyone who considered it, Christians-including >>>those >>>who wrote the Gospels-would feel no need to resort to the cheap tactic of >>>using fear-inducing threats to inspire "belief." ("Lip service" is a more >>>accurate term.) That the Christian clergy have been more than willing to >>>accept such lip service (plus the dollars and obedience that go with it) >>>in >>>place of genuine belief, is an additional indictment of the basic >>>dishonesty >>>of Christianity. >>>How deep dishonesty runs in Christianity can be gauged by one of the most >>>popular Christian arguments for belief in God: Pascal’s wager. This >>>"wager" >>>holds that it’s safer to "believe" in God (as if belief were volitional!) >>>than not to believe, because God might exist, and if it does, it will >>>save >>>"believers" and condemn nonbelievers to hell after death. This is an >>>appeal >>>to pure cowardice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the search for >>>truth. Instead, it’s an appeal to abandon honesty and intellectual >>>integrity, and to pretend that lip service is the same thing as actual >>>belief. If the patriarchal God of Christianity really exists, one wonders >>>how it would judge the cowards and hypocrites who advance and bow to this >>>particularly craven "wager." >>>4. Christianity is extremely egocentric. The deep egocentrism of >>>Christianity is intimately tied to its reliance on fear. In addition to >>>the >>>fears of the devil and hell, Christianity plays on another of humankind’s >>>most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego. Perhaps >>>Christianity’s strongest appeal is its promise of eternal life. While >>>there >>>is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, most people are so >>>terrified of death that they cling to this treacly promise insisting, >>>like >>>frightened children, that it must be true. Nietzsche put the matter well: >>>"salvation of the soul-in plain words, the world revolves around me." >>>It’s >>>difficult to see anything spiritual in this desperate grasping at >>>straws-this desperate grasping at the illusion of personal immortality. >>>Another manifestation of the extreme egotism of Christianity is the >>>belief >>>that God is intimately concerned with picayune aspects of, and directly >>>intervenes in, the lives of individuals. If God, the creator and >>>controller >>>of the universe, is vitally concerned with your sex life, you must be >>>pretty >>>damned important. Many Christians take this particular form of egotism >>>much >>>further and actually imagine that God has a plan for them, or that God >>>directly talks to, directs, or even does favors for them.(1) If one >>>ignored >>>the frequent and glaring contradictions in this supposed divine guidance, >>>and the dead bodies sometimes left in its wake, one could almost believe >>>that the individuals making such claims are guided by God. But one can’t >>>ignore the contradictions in and the oftentimes horrible results of >>>following such "divine guidance." As "Agent Mulder" put it (perhaps >>>paraphrasing Thomas Szasz) in a 1998 X-Files episode, "When you talk to >>>God >>>it’s prayer, but when God talks to you it’s schizophrenia. . . . God may >>>have his reasons, but he sure seems to employ a lot of psychotics to >>>carry >>>out his job orders." >>>In less extreme cases, the insistence that one is receiving divine >>>guidance >>>or special treatment from God is usually the attempt of those who feel >>>worthless-or helpless, adrift in an uncaring universe-to feel important >>>or >>>cared for. This less sinister form of egotism is commonly found in the >>>expressions of disaster survivors that "God must have had a reason for >>>saving me" (in contrast to their less-worthy-of-life fellow disaster >>>victims, whom God-who controls all things-killed). Again, it’s very >>>difficult to see anything spiritual in such egocentricity. >>>5. Christianity breeds arrogance, a chosen-people mentality. It’s only >>>natural that those who believe (or play act at believing) that they have >>>a >>>direct line to the Almighty would feel superior to others. This is so >>>obvious that it needs little elaboration. A brief look at religious >>>terminology confirms it. Christians have often called themselves "God’s >>>people," "the chosen people," "the elect," "the righteous," etc., while >>>nonbelievers have been labeled "heathens," "infidels," and "atheistic >>>Communists" (as if atheism and Communism are intimately connected). This >>>sets up a two-tiered division of humanity, in which "God’s people" feel >>>superior to those who are not "God’s people." >>>That many
… read more »
Response:
Would a good fart joke swing your thing, Dwight? How about a good tornado story? Or maybe if I lie about someone who posts here and say they live on a "campo" filled with "turds" in a garbage bin? I don’t notice you asking Elmo "Fart" Emerson to lay off the lies and insults? Why is that, Dwight? Afraid you’ll be kicked out of the "family"? Alias "Dwight" <Dwi…@Me.net> wrote – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Cody, I’ve stayed out of your religious threads until now and have tried > my best to ignore them. I’m asking you to please refrain from your > Christianity bashing. You are not going to shake the faith of a true > Christian, just as I’m sure no one is going to change your practicing > Buddhism. There are good and bad among all the people of the World, each > of us must find in our own hearts what we believe in. So, once again, > please stop. > Dwight > Alias wrote: >> 1. Christianity is based on fear. While today there are liberal clergy >> who >> preach a gospel of love, they ignore the bulk of Christian teachings, not >> to >> mention the bulk of Christian history. Throughout almost its entire time >> on >> Earth, the motor driving Christianity has been-in addition to the fear of >> death-fear of the devil and fear of hell. One can only imagine how potent >> these threats seemed prior to the rise of science and rational thinking, >> which have largely robbed these bogeys of their power to inspire terror. >> But >> even today, the existence of the devil and hell are cardinal doctrinal >> tenets of almost all Christian creeds, and many fundamentalist preachers >> still openly resort to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic >> portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death. This is not an >> attempt to convince through logic and reason; it is not an attempt to >> appeal >> to the better nature of individuals; rather, it is an attempt to whip the >> flock into line through threats, through appeals to a base part of human >> nature-fear and cowardice. >> 2. Christianity preys on the innocent. If Christian fear-mongering were >> directed solely at adults, it would be bad enough, but Christians >> routinely >> terrorize helpless children through grisly depictions of the endless >> horrors >> and suffering they’ll be subjected to if they don’t live good Christian >> lives. Christianity has darkened the early years of generation after >> generation of children, who have lived in terror of dying while in mortal >> sin and going to endless torment as a result. All of these children were >> trusting of adults, and they did not have the ability to analyze what >> they >> were being told; they were simply helpless victims, who, ironically, >> victimized following generations in the same manner that they themselves >> had >> been victimized. The nearly 2000 years of Christian terrorizing of >> children >> ranks as one of its greatest crimes. And it’s one that continues to this >> day. >> As an example of Christianity’s cruel brainwashing of the innocent, >> consider >> this quotation from an officially approved, 19th-century Catholic >> children’s >> book (Tracts for Spiritual Reading, by Rev. J. Furniss, C.S.S.R.): >> Look into this little prison. In the middle of it there is a boy, a >> young >> man. He is silent; despair is on him . . . His eyes are burning like two >> burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is >> difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth and breath of blazing fire rolls >> out >> of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. >> Is >> it really a kettle which is boiling? No; then what is it? Hear what it >> is. >> The blood is boiling in the scalding veins of that boy. The brain is >> boiling >> and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Ask him why >> he >> is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood boiled >> to >> do very wicked things. >> There are many similar passages in this book. Commenting on it, William >> Meagher, Vicar-General of Dublin, states in his Approbation: >> "I have carefully read over this Little Volume for Children and have >> found >> nothing whatever in it contrary to the doctrines of the Holy Faith; but >> on >> the contrary, a great deal to charm, instruct and edify the youthful >> classes >> for whose benefit it has been written." >> 3. Christianity is based on dishonesty. The Christian appeal to fear, to >> cowardice, is an admission that the evidence supporting Christian beliefs >> is >> far from compelling. If the evidence were such that Christianity’s truth >> was >> immediately apparent to anyone who considered it, Christians-including >> those >> who wrote the Gospels-would feel no need to resort to the cheap tactic of >> using fear-inducing threats to inspire "belief." ("Lip service" is a more >> accurate term.) That the Christian clergy have been more than willing to >> accept such lip service (plus the dollars and obedience that go with it) >> in >> place of genuine belief, is an additional indictment of the basic >> dishonesty >> of Christianity. >> How deep dishonesty runs in Christianity can be gauged by one of the most >> popular Christian arguments for belief in God: Pascal’s wager. This >> "wager" >> holds that it’s safer to "believe" in God (as if belief were volitional!) >> than not to believe, because God might exist, and if it does, it will >> save >> "believers" and condemn nonbelievers to hell after death. This is an >> appeal >> to pure cowardice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the search for >> truth. Instead, it’s an appeal to abandon honesty and intellectual >> integrity, and to pretend that lip service is the same thing as actual >> belief. If the patriarchal God of Christianity really exists, one wonders >> how it would judge the cowards and hypocrites who advance and bow to this >> particularly craven "wager." >> 4. Christianity is extremely egocentric. The deep egocentrism of >> Christianity is intimately tied to its reliance on fear. In addition to >> the >> fears of the devil and hell, Christianity plays on another of humankind’s >> most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego. Perhaps >> Christianity’s strongest appeal is its promise of eternal life. While >> there >> is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, most people are so >> terrified of death that they cling to this treacly promise insisting, >> like >> frightened children, that it must be true. Nietzsche put the matter well: >> "salvation of the soul-in plain words, the world revolves around me." >> It’s >> difficult to see anything spiritual in this desperate grasping at >> straws-this desperate grasping at the illusion of personal immortality. >> Another manifestation of the extreme egotism of Christianity is the >> belief >> that God is intimately concerned with picayune aspects of, and directly >> intervenes in, the lives of individuals. If God, the creator and >> controller >> of the universe, is vitally concerned with your sex life, you must be >> pretty >> damned important. Many Christians take this particular form of egotism >> much >> further and actually imagine that God has a plan for them, or that God >> directly talks to, directs, or even does favors for them.(1) If one >> ignored >> the frequent and glaring contradictions in this supposed divine guidance, >> and the dead bodies sometimes left in its wake, one could almost believe >> that the individuals making such claims are guided by God. But one can’t >> ignore the contradictions in and the oftentimes horrible results of >> following such "divine guidance." As "Agent Mulder" put it (perhaps >> paraphrasing Thomas Szasz) in a 1998 X-Files episode, "When you talk to >> God >> it’s prayer, but when God talks to you it’s schizophrenia. . . . God may >> have his reasons, but he sure seems to employ a lot of psychotics to >> carry >> out his job orders." >> In less extreme cases, the insistence that one is receiving divine >> guidance >> or special treatment from God is usually the attempt of those who feel >> worthless-or helpless, adrift in an uncaring universe-to feel important >> or >> cared for. This less sinister form of egotism is commonly found in the >> expressions of disaster survivors that "God must have had a reason for >> saving me" (in contrast to their less-worthy-of-life fellow disaster >> victims, whom God-who controls all things-killed). Again, it’s very >> difficult to see anything spiritual in such egocentricity. >> 5. Christianity breeds arrogance, a chosen-people mentality. It’s only >> natural that those who believe (or play act at believing) that they have >> a >> direct line to the Almighty would feel superior to others. This is so >> obvious that it needs little elaboration. A brief look at religious >> terminology confirms it. Christians have often called themselves "God’s >> people," "the chosen people," "the elect," "the righteous," etc., while >> nonbelievers have been labeled "heathens," "infidels," and "atheistic >> Communists" (as if atheism and Communism are intimately connected). This >> sets up a two-tiered division of humanity, in which "God’s people" feel >> superior to those who are not "God’s people." >> That many competing religions with contradictory beliefs make the same >> claim >> seems not to matter at all to the members of the various sects that claim >> to >> be the only carriers of "the true faith." The carnage that results when >> two >> competing sects of "God’s people" collide-as in Ireland and >> Palestine-would >> be quite amusing but for the suffering it causes. >> 6. Christianity breeds authoritarianism. Given that Christians claim to >> have >> the one true faith, to have a book that is the Word of God, and (in many >> cases) to receive guidance directly from God, they feel little or no >> compunction about using force and coercion to enforce "God’s
… read more »
Response:
1. Christianity is based on fear. While today there are liberal clergy who preach a gospel of love, they ignore the bulk of Christian teachings, not to mention the bulk of Christian history. Throughout almost its entire time on Earth, the motor driving Christianity has been-in addition to the fear of death-fear of the devil and fear of hell. One can only imagine how potent these threats seemed prior to the rise of science and rational thinking, which have largely robbed these bogeys of their power to inspire terror. But even today, the existence of the devil and hell are cardinal doctrinal tenets of almost all Christian creeds, and many fundamentalist preachers still openly resort to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death. This is not an attempt to convince through logic and reason; it is not an attempt to appeal to the better nature of individuals; rather, it is an attempt to whip the flock into line through threats, through appeals to a base part of human nature-fear and cowardice. 2. Christianity preys on the innocent. If Christian fear-mongering were directed solely at adults, it would be bad enough, but Christians routinely terrorize helpless children through grisly depictions of the endless horrors and suffering they’ll be subjected to if they don’t live good Christian lives. Christianity has darkened the early years of generation after generation of children, who have lived in terror of dying while in mortal sin and going to endless torment as a result. All of these children were trusting of adults, and they did not have the ability to analyze what they were being told; they were simply helpless victims, who, ironically, victimized following generations in the same manner that they themselves had been victimized. The nearly 2000 years of Christian terrorizing of children ranks as one of its greatest crimes. And it’s one that continues to this day. As an example of Christianity’s cruel brainwashing of the innocent, consider this quotation from an officially approved, 19th-century Catholic children’s book (Tracts for Spiritual Reading, by Rev. J. Furniss, C.S.S.R.): Look into this little prison. In the middle of it there is a boy, a young man. He is silent; despair is on him . . . His eyes are burning like two burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth and breath of blazing fire rolls out of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. Is it really a kettle which is boiling? No; then what is it? Hear what it is. The blood is boiling in the scalding veins of that boy. The brain is boiling and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Ask him why he is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood boiled to do very wicked things. There are many similar passages in this book. Commenting on it, William Meagher, Vicar-General of Dublin, states in his Approbation: "I have carefully read over this Little Volume for Children and have found nothing whatever in it contrary to the doctrines of the Holy Faith; but on the contrary, a great deal to charm, instruct and edify the youthful classes for whose benefit it has been written." 3. Christianity is based on dishonesty. The Christian appeal to fear, to cowardice, is an admission that the evidence supporting Christian beliefs is far from compelling. If the evidence were such that Christianity’s truth was immediately apparent to anyone who considered it, Christians-including those who wrote the Gospels-would feel no need to resort to the cheap tactic of using fear-inducing threats to inspire "belief." ("Lip service" is a more accurate term.) That the Christian clergy have been more than willing to accept such lip service (plus the dollars and obedience that go with it) in place of genuine belief, is an additional indictment of the basic dishonesty of Christianity. How deep dishonesty runs in Christianity can be gauged by one of the most popular Christian arguments for belief in God: Pascal’s wager. This "wager" holds that it’s safer to "believe" in God (as if belief were volitional!) than not to believe, because God might exist, and if it does, it will save "believers" and condemn nonbelievers to hell after death. This is an appeal to pure cowardice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the search for truth. Instead, it’s an appeal to abandon honesty and intellectual integrity, and to pretend that lip service is the same thing as actual belief. If the patriarchal God of Christianity really exists, one wonders how it would judge the cowards and hypocrites who advance and bow to this particularly craven "wager." 4. Christianity is extremely egocentric. The deep egocentrism of Christianity is intimately tied to its reliance on fear. In addition to the fears of the devil and hell, Christianity plays on another of humankind’s most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego. Perhaps Christianity’s strongest appeal is its promise of eternal life. While there is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, most people are so terrified of death that they cling to this treacly promise insisting, like frightened children, that it must be true. Nietzsche put the matter well: "salvation of the soul-in plain words, the world revolves around me." It’s difficult to see anything spiritual in this desperate grasping at straws-this desperate grasping at the illusion of personal immortality. Another manifestation of the extreme egotism of Christianity is the belief that God is intimately concerned with picayune aspects of, and directly intervenes in, the lives of individuals. If God, the creator and controller of the universe, is vitally concerned with your sex life, you must be pretty damned important. Many Christians take this particular form of egotism much further and actually imagine that God has a plan for them, or that God directly talks to, directs, or even does favors for them.(1) If one ignored the frequent and glaring contradictions in this supposed divine guidance, and the dead bodies sometimes left in its wake, one could almost believe that the individuals making such claims are guided by God. But one can’t ignore the contradictions in and the oftentimes horrible results of following such "divine guidance." As "Agent Mulder" put it (perhaps paraphrasing Thomas Szasz) in a 1998 X-Files episode, "When you talk to God it’s prayer, but when God talks to you it’s schizophrenia. . . . God may have his reasons, but he sure seems to employ a lot of psychotics to carry out his job orders." In less extreme cases, the insistence that one is receiving divine guidance or special treatment from God is usually the attempt of those who feel worthless-or helpless, adrift in an uncaring universe-to feel important or cared for. This less sinister form of egotism is commonly found in the expressions of disaster survivors that "God must have had a reason for saving me" (in contrast to their less-worthy-of-life fellow disaster victims, whom God-who controls all things-killed). Again, it’s very difficult to see anything spiritual in such egocentricity. 5. Christianity breeds arrogance, a chosen-people mentality. It’s only natural that those who believe (or play act at believing) that they have a direct line to the Almighty would feel superior to others. This is so obvious that it needs little elaboration. A brief look at religious terminology confirms it. Christians have often called themselves "God’s people," "the chosen people," "the elect," "the righteous," etc., while nonbelievers have been labeled "heathens," "infidels," and "atheistic Communists" (as if atheism and Communism are intimately connected). This sets up a two-tiered division of humanity, in which "God’s people" feel superior to those who are not "God’s people." That many competing religions with contradictory beliefs make the same claim seems not to matter at all to the members of the various sects that claim to be the only carriers of "the true faith." The carnage that results when two competing sects of "God’s people" collide-as in Ireland and Palestine-would be quite amusing but for the suffering it causes. 6. Christianity breeds authoritarianism. Given that Christians claim to have the one true faith, to have a book that is the Word of God, and (in many cases) to receive guidance directly from God, they feel little or no compunction about using force and coercion to enforce "God’s Will" (which they, of course, interpret and understand). Given that they believe (or pretend) that they’re receiving orders from the Almighty (who would cast them into hell should they disobey), it’s little wonder that they feel no reluctance, and in fact are eager, to intrude into the most personal aspects of the lives of nonbelievers. This is most obvious today in the area of sex, with Christians attempting to deny women the right to abortion and to mandate near-useless abstinence-only sex "education" in the public schools. It’s also obvious in the area of education, with Christians attempting to force biology teachers to teach their creation myth (but not those of Hindus, Native Americans, et al.) in place of (or as being equally valid as) the very well established theory of evolution. But the authoritarian tendencies of Christianity reach much further than this. Up until well into the 20th century in the United States and other Christian countries (notably Ireland), Christian churches pressured governments into passing laws forbidding the sale and distribution of birth control devices, and they also managed to enact laws forbidding even the description of birth control devices. This assault on free speech was part and parcel of Christianity’s shameful history of attempting to suppress "indecent" and "subversive" materials (and to throw their producers in jail or burn them alive). This anti-free speech stance of Christianity … read more »
Response:
Cody, I’ve stayed out of your religious threads until now and have tried my best to ignore them. I’m asking you to please refrain from your Christianity bashing. You are not going to shake the faith of a true Christian, just as I’m sure no one is going to change your practicing Buddhism. There are good and bad among all the people of the World, each of us must find in our own hearts what we believe in. So, once again, please stop. Dwight – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Alias wrote: > 1. Christianity is based on fear. While today there are liberal clergy who > preach a gospel of love, they ignore the bulk of Christian teachings, not to > mention the bulk of Christian history. Throughout almost its entire time on > Earth, the motor driving Christianity has been-in addition to the fear of > death-fear of the devil and fear of hell. One can only imagine how potent > these threats seemed prior to the rise of science and rational thinking, > which have largely robbed these bogeys of their power to inspire terror. But > even today, the existence of the devil and hell are cardinal doctrinal > tenets of almost all Christian creeds, and many fundamentalist preachers > still openly resort to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic > portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death. This is not an > attempt to convince through logic and reason; it is not an attempt to appeal > to the better nature of individuals; rather, it is an attempt to whip the > flock into line through threats, through appeals to a base part of human > nature-fear and cowardice. > 2. Christianity preys on the innocent. If Christian fear-mongering were > directed solely at adults, it would be bad enough, but Christians routinely > terrorize helpless children through grisly depictions of the endless horrors > and suffering they’ll be subjected to if they don’t live good Christian > lives. Christianity has darkened the early years of generation after > generation of children, who have lived in terror of dying while in mortal > sin and going to endless torment as a result. All of these children were > trusting of adults, and they did not have the ability to analyze what they > were being told; they were simply helpless victims, who, ironically, > victimized following generations in the same manner that they themselves had > been victimized. The nearly 2000 years of Christian terrorizing of children > ranks as one of its greatest crimes. And it’s one that continues to this > day. > As an example of Christianity’s cruel brainwashing of the innocent, consider > this quotation from an officially approved, 19th-century Catholic children’s > book (Tracts for Spiritual Reading, by Rev. J. Furniss, C.S.S.R.): > Look into this little prison. In the middle of it there is a boy, a young > man. He is silent; despair is on him . . . His eyes are burning like two > burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is > difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth and breath of blazing fire rolls out > of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. Is > it really a kettle which is boiling? No; then what is it? Hear what it is. > The blood is boiling in the scalding veins of that boy. The brain is boiling > and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Ask him why he > is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood boiled to > do very wicked things. > There are many similar passages in this book. Commenting on it, William > Meagher, Vicar-General of Dublin, states in his Approbation: > "I have carefully read over this Little Volume for Children and have found > nothing whatever in it contrary to the doctrines of the Holy Faith; but on > the contrary, a great deal to charm, instruct and edify the youthful classes > for whose benefit it has been written." > 3. Christianity is based on dishonesty. The Christian appeal to fear, to > cowardice, is an admission that the evidence supporting Christian beliefs is > far from compelling. If the evidence were such that Christianity’s truth was > immediately apparent to anyone who considered it, Christians-including those > who wrote the Gospels-would feel no need to resort to the cheap tactic of > using fear-inducing threats to inspire "belief." ("Lip service" is a more > accurate term.) That the Christian clergy have been more than willing to > accept such lip service (plus the dollars and obedience that go with it) in > place of genuine belief, is an additional indictment of the basic dishonesty > of Christianity. > How deep dishonesty runs in Christianity can be gauged by one of the most > popular Christian arguments for belief in God: Pascal’s wager. This "wager" > holds that it’s safer to "believe" in God (as if belief were volitional!) > than not to believe, because God might exist, and if it does, it will save > "believers" and condemn nonbelievers to hell after death. This is an appeal > to pure cowardice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the search for > truth. Instead, it’s an appeal to abandon honesty and intellectual > integrity, and to pretend that lip service is the same thing as actual > belief. If the patriarchal God of Christianity really exists, one wonders > how it would judge the cowards and hypocrites who advance and bow to this > particularly craven "wager." > 4. Christianity is extremely egocentric. The deep egocentrism of > Christianity is intimately tied to its reliance on fear. In addition to the > fears of the devil and hell, Christianity plays on another of humankind’s > most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego. Perhaps > Christianity’s strongest appeal is its promise of eternal life. While there > is absolutely no evidence to support this claim, most people are so > terrified of death that they cling to this treacly promise insisting, like > frightened children, that it must be true. Nietzsche put the matter well: > "salvation of the soul-in plain words, the world revolves around me." It’s > difficult to see anything spiritual in this desperate grasping at > straws-this desperate grasping at the illusion of personal immortality. > Another manifestation of the extreme egotism of Christianity is the belief > that God is intimately concerned with picayune aspects of, and directly > intervenes in, the lives of individuals. If God, the creator and controller > of the universe, is vitally concerned with your sex life, you must be pretty > damned important. Many Christians take this particular form of egotism much > further and actually imagine that God has a plan for them, or that God > directly talks to, directs, or even does favors for them.(1) If one ignored > the frequent and glaring contradictions in this supposed divine guidance, > and the dead bodies sometimes left in its wake, one could almost believe > that the individuals making such claims are guided by God. But one can’t > ignore the contradictions in and the oftentimes horrible results of > following such "divine guidance." As "Agent Mulder" put it (perhaps > paraphrasing Thomas Szasz) in a 1998 X-Files episode, "When you talk to God > it’s prayer, but when God talks to you it’s schizophrenia. . . . God may > have his reasons, but he sure seems to employ a lot of psychotics to carry > out his job orders." > In less extreme cases, the insistence that one is receiving divine guidance > or special treatment from God is usually the attempt of those who feel > worthless-or helpless, adrift in an uncaring universe-to feel important or > cared for. This less sinister form of egotism is commonly found in the > expressions of disaster survivors that "God must have had a reason for > saving me" (in contrast to their less-worthy-of-life fellow disaster > victims, whom God-who controls all things-killed). Again, it’s very > difficult to see anything spiritual in such egocentricity. > 5. Christianity breeds arrogance, a chosen-people mentality. It’s only > natural that those who believe (or play act at believing) that they have a > direct line to the Almighty would feel superior to others. This is so > obvious that it needs little elaboration. A brief look at religious > terminology confirms it. Christians have often called themselves "God’s > people," "the chosen people," "the elect," "the righteous," etc., while > nonbelievers have been labeled "heathens," "infidels," and "atheistic > Communists" (as if atheism and Communism are intimately connected). This > sets up a two-tiered division of humanity, in which "God’s people" feel > superior to those who are not "God’s people." > That many competing religions with contradictory beliefs make the same claim > seems not to matter at all to the members of the various sects that claim to > be the only carriers of "the true faith." The carnage that results when two > competing sects of "God’s people" collide-as in Ireland and Palestine-would > be quite amusing but for the suffering it causes. > 6. Christianity breeds authoritarianism. Given that Christians claim to have > the one true faith, to have a book that is the Word of God, and (in many > cases) to receive guidance directly from God, they feel little or no > compunction about using force and coercion to enforce "God’s Will" (which > they, of course, interpret and understand). Given that they believe (or > pretend) that they’re receiving orders from the Almighty (who would cast > them into hell should they disobey), it’s little wonder that they feel no > reluctance, and in fact are eager, to intrude into the most personal aspects > of the lives of nonbelievers. This is most obvious today in the area of sex, > with Christians attempting to deny women the right to abortion and to > mandate near-useless abstinence-only sex "education" in the public schools. > It’s also obvious in the area of education, with Christians attempting to > force biology teachers to teach their creation myth (but not those of > Hindus, Native Americans, et
… read more »
Response:
I just have a >>>>>>>few last things to say. I have and will continue to say "I’m praying >>>>>>>for you". If you don’t believe in prayer then accept it as a good >>>>>>>wish. If you think I’m wasting my time, its my time to waste and I >>>>>>>promise it won’t hurt you. If it offends you in any way I’m sorry, it >>>>>>>is not intended to be offensive. All of us have something in common, >>>>>>>our lives have been affected by hep-c, we have better battles to >>>>>>>fight than those with each other. We aren’t going to change anyone’s >>>>>>>beliefs, no matter how hard we try or how long we protest, but maybe >>>>>>>we can help someone get through this fight with the dragon a little >>>>>>>easier. A kind word, a little knowledge, and a little compassion is >>>>>>>much more beneficial than a lot of useless bickering. >>>>>>>Thanks for your time. >>>>>>Sorry Dwight, perhaps I wasn’t clear. The Christian church teaches >>>>>>that those who are not believers in their god are sinners and >>>>>>heathens, and the Christian church member’s duty to his church is to >>>>>>save the soul of the non-believer. Ipso facto, you either believe me >>>>>>to be a heathen or you don’t follow the rules of your own god. >>>>>>Waterspider >>>>>>p.s. Either way, I still like you 