The MI6 Community Religion and Faith Discussion Space (for members of all faiths - and none!)

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  • Posts: 15,125
    The last saint I prayed to was Saint Patrick. I was drunk. Saint Patrick's Day is one of the few holy day I religiously observe. By drinking a lot of Guinness and receiving the spirit, generally the Jameson's kind.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,041
    Well, see, this is basically why I prefer to stick with threads like "The James Bond Quote Conversation". I do have my convictions, but I simply don't need aggravation in my private, free time. And I'm saying that as a lawyer who sometimes gets paid for aggravation professionally.
  • Posts: 15,125
    SaintMark wrote: »
    It is not a discussion more like witch hunt, lets rephrase that god hunt. There is little respect for personal beliefs, I can believe that any religious person will stay the heck out of this thread not wanting to have his believes ridiculed. A belief is not the same as an organised religion, or the NRA who are by all means more ridiculous and dangerous for the safety for the society in the US.

    Any example of said witch hunt and unsubstantiated claims from the unbelievers' side here? I have been participating in this thread since it's beginning and the unsubstantiated claims are from the theists. And they are no small claims!
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Ludovico wrote: »
    The last saint I prayed to was Saint Patrick. I was drunk. Saint Patrick's Day is one of the few holy day I religiously observe. By drinking a lot of Guinness and receiving the spirit, generally the Jameson's kind.

    You'll be drunk tomorrow then. It could help the theists.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,041
    Now I'm really adlibbing on an old joke...but he will be sober the day after, while the theists will still be theists.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    Now I'm really adlibbing on an old joke...but he will be sober the day after, while the theists will still be theists.

    Yes, and their views will still be ugly.
  • Posts: 15,125
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    The last saint I prayed to was Saint Patrick. I was drunk. Saint Patrick's Day is one of the few holy day I religiously observe. By drinking a lot of Guinness and receiving the spirit, generally the Jameson's kind.

    You'll be drunk tomorrow then. It could help the theists.

    If I pray that would be temporary insanity.

    Apocryphal quote from James Joyce to an old lady who had learned of his apostasy from Catholicism and had congratulated him on becoming Protestant: "I have lost my faith, not my reason".
  • edited March 2018 Posts: 628
    You keep claiming the moral high ground but you're the only one to come on here throwing personal insults about (although to be fair 'pomposity, arrogance and obnoxiousness'? You're just listing my best features there).

    So my claims are substantiated. What's the problem then? Why are you so outraged when people (rightly) peg you as a roaring sphincter?
  • Posts: 15,125
    Escalus5 wrote: »
    You keep claiming the moral high ground but you're the only one to come on here throwing personal insults about (although to be fair 'pomposity, arrogance and obnoxiousness'? You're just listing my best features there).

    So my claims are substantiated. What's the problem then?

    They are unsubstantiated that's the problem. Especially if they concern morals.
  • edited March 2018 Posts: 628
    Ludovico wrote: »
    They are unsubstantiated that's the problem. Especially if they concern morals.

    Yeah, he really took the moral high ground when he made that crack about my mom.

    Am I surprised, though, based on his previous posts? Nope.
  • Posts: 15,125
    Escalus5 wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    They are unsubstantiated that's the problem. Especially if they concern morals.

    Yeah, he really took the moral high ground when he made that crack about my mom.

    Am I surprised, though, based on his previous posts? Nope.

    @TheWizardOfIce did not claim moral high ground. Not in that instance anyway.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited March 2018 Posts: 9,117
    SaintMark wrote: »
    It is not a discussion more like witch hunt, lets rephrase that god hunt.
    And not before time. How many have been killed over the centuries for not believing in God or believing in the wrong God? But a few of us redress the balance infinitesimally back the other way by ridiculing religion and we're monsters. Can anyone find me a link to the last time someone was killed in the name of atheism?

    But the lack of discussion is not our fault. I've lost count of the number of times we have asked the religious to explain say baby cancer and we are just met with a wall of silence. They don't sound like people who have all the answers through the revelation of Jesus Christ our Lord to me
    Escalus5 wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    They are unsubstantiated that's the problem. Especially if they concern morals.

    Yeah, he really took the moral high ground when he made that crack about my mom.

    Am I surprised, though, based on his previous posts? Nope.

    You're the one who came on here and started throwing personal insults about so don't bleat when you get a bit back.

    But well done. Another two posts devoid of anything that could be loosely termed as 'content' to add to your ever increasing count.

    I feel sorry for the believers if they've got you in their corner. I think @Dragonpol and @Risico007 were doing a far better job of defending their point of view before you turned up to be honest. And given they were doing a pretty appealing job that just goes to show the value of your vaccuous posts which are a criminal waste of a few MB of server space.
  • Posts: 628
    And given they were doing a pretty appealing job that just goes to show the value of your vaccuous posts which are a criminal waste of a few MB of server space.

    Oh yes, how dare I waste precious space in this thread. Criminal.

    Carry on, oh Toxic One.
  • Posts: 15,125
    You wouldn't be wasting space if you had some kind of argument to bring. All you have done is whine about how mean we are.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited March 2018 Posts: 9,117
    Ludovico wrote: »
    You wouldn't be wasting space if you had some kind of argument to bring. All you have done is whine about how mean we are.
    Quite tediously I might add. It would be nice if he even fired off his feeble barbs in a witty fashion like @TheWizardOfIce but we don't even get that. Say what you like about The Wizard (and let's be honest the guy is a sanctimonious prick) but he never fails to entertain.
  • edited March 2018 Posts: 628
    Say what you like about The Wizard (and let's be honest the guy is a sanctimonious prick) but he never fails to entertain.

    We're in agreement there, probably for different reasons.
  • Posts: 15,125
    Escalus5 wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    All you have done is whine about how mean we are.

    In a 60+ page thread where atheists have been whining about their imaginary persecutions by theists? Cut me some slack!

    Imaginary? You need to read some history. Even during the XXIst century, humanity have had to endure harassment, bullying, censorship, when it's not flat out torture and murder from religious people. The century practically started with 9/11! But even not counting the most extreme cases... There's still a blasphemy law in Canada for crying out loud! And there was one in the UK until recently.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited March 2018 Posts: 9,117
    Escalus5 wrote: »
    Thanks, Wizard. I love ya back.

    Mother jokes = Feeble barbs.

    That gag was ironic pal. I was satirising your particularly underwhelming brand of alleged 'humour'. But clearly even that was so sophisticated that it still passed several thousand feet over your head.

    But anyway this pointless discussion is derailing the thread and boring everyone here rigid and although you are both equally easy targets shooting God down is way more fun so let's call that the end of it.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    fawstin-muhammad-600x369.jpg
    The muslim god Muhammed blashemed for you right here.
  • edited March 2018 Posts: 628
    But anyway this pointless discussion is derailing the thread and boring everyone here rigid and although you are both equally easy targets shooting God down is way more fun so let's call that the end of it.

    End the thread? Sure.

    Moderator?
  • Posts: 4,617
    Classic diversion tactics we are seeing here. I dare the next poster from the faith side to offer some constructive, evidence based support of their faith rather than attack atheists - just for the sake of variety.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,187
    I'm still waiting for that hard evidence I was promised a few pages ago to support the resurrection of Christ.
  • edited March 2018 Posts: 628
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Imaginary? You need to read some history. Even during the XXIst century, humanity have had to endure harassment, bullying, censorship, when it's not flat out torture and murder from religious people. The century practically started with 9/11! But even not counting the most extreme cases... There's still a blasphemy law in Canada for crying out loud! And there was one in the UK until recently.

    I do agree with you, which is why I realized the comment could be misconstrued and removed it.

    Also, I'm going to apologize for all of the insults from my side, which have indeed contributed to turning this thread into the "snake pit" someone (possibly Dragonpol) predicted it would turn out to be several pages ago.

    I don't often aim to derail conversations, and I'm usually good about interacting with the other members here. It's best if I keep it that way by bowing out of this thread.

    Peace.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-devolution-northern-ireland-abortion-reform-theresa-may-dup-a8258841.html

    Teresa happy to talk tough to a nuclear power who could obliterate us at a stroke but when it comes to women's rights totally bottles it if it means taking on the evangelical Christian DUP that she was forced to make a grubby deal with to keep her clinging to power.
  • Posts: 15,125
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-devolution-northern-ireland-abortion-reform-theresa-may-dup-a8258841.html

    Teresa happy to talk tough to a nuclear power who could obliterate us at a stroke but when it comes to women's rights totally bottles it if it means taking on the evangelical Christian DUP that she was forced to make a grubby deal with to keep her clinging to power.

    In essence Theresa May is a petty church lady. No wonder she asked the DUP for support and they happily accepted. We all got DUPed.
  • Posts: 4,617
    Just watching the new Ricky Gervais standup special:

    "You can have your own opinions but you can't have your own facts."
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,187
    There's this former student of mine, Malik, whom I taught chemistry and physics during his final three years of secondary school. Raised a Muslim, he showed tremendous interest in science but only when he and I were more or less alone in the classroom or at the very least far away from other people's ears. Yet very often we talked about astronomy, quantum physics and more. I took him to the town's library one day -- I believe he was 16 then -- and dropped him a few reading suggestions which, to my fair astonishment, he took very seriously. Unbeknownst to his parents, brothers and sisters, he spent countless hours in the library going through these books. Alas, when the time of graduation came and I asked him about his plans for college, he reluctantly confessed that his father wanted him to study economics. And that was it.

    Yesterday, some 3 years after Malik's graduation from our school, I saw him again while waiting for my train ride home. A lot's happened since secondary school, it seems:

    - Refusing to follow his father's demands, Malik, less than a week after graduation, decided instead to study theoretical physics. His parents were at first very dismayed but eventually agreed with his choice.
    - He's been doing very well in college since, earning very good grades.
    - He has furthermore totally dropped religion, which, he said, did cause some friction at home. Fortunately, however, his parents and siblings stopped making a fuss about that very quickly, seeing how little their efforts were paying off. He's still welcome in their house and at their dinner table, of course, but part of the "agreement" is that he shan't fight their conviction or ridicule their tradition, something Malik is fine with.
    - He has found himself a lovely girlfriend in college and aspires to become either a member of a theoretical physics research group or possibly a physics teacher.

    Malik furthermore told me that a lot of what's happened is mostly thanks to me. I'm the one who warmed him up to science, he said; the books in the library (some of which he eventually smuggled into the house) fascinated him very much and gave him a purpose. First, he read them out of respect for me. (A funny notion, but kind of cute.) Then, they legitimately began to capture him. Very soon, he was hooked. But more importantly, our conversations about the universe, about our modest presence in it, about so many things, in fact, had instilled in him, first, a serious doubt about the fundamental notions of his family's religion; then, anger and fear, that religion is a lie, an intellectual blindfold (his words), an excuse to keep so many of his peers locked up in darkness. He had talked about this with an Imam at one point, something he had never told me before, and that man had told him in return that he should simply follow his own path, even if it meant shaking himself loose from gods and tradition. He would find greatness by following a path he deemed the right one. And so he did. He cannot fully condemn Islam, because his anscestry is a part of it, but he's now a fullblood atheist. I wanted to talk some more about that, but alas, the train ride for once didn't last long enough for me.

    A firm handshake when I got off the train consolidated Malik's gratitude. I hope to hear from him again. I feel proud and, above all else, successful as a teacher.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    And where does this bright chap have his ancestry?
  • Posts: 4,617
    http://www.westminster-abbey.org/press/news/2018/march/professor-stephen-hawking-to-be-honoured-at-the-abbey

    Interesting this. SH was an atheist. But the guys at the Abbey are happy to take his ashes and organise a service of thanksgiving (happy to overlook he thought religion was plain wrong and that surely, he is now in hell?). Perhaps it's just me and Im sure his friends/relatives were consulted but, this man spent his life helping to increase our knowledge and he embraced the scientific process etc. Of all the places the celebrate his life, Westminster Abbey seems a strange choice and I wonder what he would have thought. The next mission to Mars would seem more applicable for the great man.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,187
    And where does this bright chap have his ancestry?

    Pakistan.
This discussion has been closed.