Canadian cogitations about politics, social issues, and science. Vituperation optional.
Religion makes people do horrible things. Today we look at religion making people do horribly funny and obtuse contortions to history and biology. This abuse of fact, reason and common sense is sponsored by and completely underwritten by the nonsense you can find in the bible. However, it must be noted that this is the first time that I have seen biblical evidence for Dragons (awesome)!!
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18 comments
July 31, 2011 at 5:22 pm
TheUnrepublican
Let us not pretend that religion is the cause of all the war, hate, and trouble that has existed in our world. Religion is merely a mask for what lies at the heart of man. Atheists/agnostics have also perpetrated some of the most vile and inhuman acts upon our world throughout time. I will spare you the obvious.
As for the poster of the galaxy, the statement made is actually in accordance with what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame.
Perhaps you could use that poster if not for the fact that it actually reinforces what is reinforced many times throughout the Bible. God always chose the humble, and meek – never the wise. The sheepherder, David, is a good example.
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July 31, 2011 at 6:39 pm
TheUnrepublican
I bet you’re a Mac user.
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August 1, 2011 at 2:40 am
Mystro
“Let us not pretend that religion is the cause of all the war, hate, and trouble that has existed in our world.”
We aren’t pretending that. We are pointing out the fact that religion has been a major causal factor in most war, hate, and trouble in our history. It also causes a whole lot of stupid to go along with the suffering (see vid above).
” Religion is merely a mask for what lies at the heart of man.”
Wow. Full marks for vagueness. Unfortunately for you, the ambiguity does not disguise the fact that it’s pure drivel.
“Atheists/agnostics have also perpetrated some of the most vile and inhuman acts upon our world throughout time.”
Hey look. You didn’t make a point. Again! You keep trying to make it sound like you do, but there’s nothing is really there.
“I will spare you the obvious.”
I’d rather you spare me the ludicrous.
“God always chose the humble, and meek – never the wise.”
The bible god is all for ignorance? There’s a shocker. But you realize you just affirmed that religion (esp. christianity) is all about the stupid, yes?
Indeed it is that glorification of ignorance and resistance to thinking is one of the main reasons that religion so ridiculous and harmful to society.
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August 1, 2011 at 11:39 am
The Arbourist
“God always chose the humble, and meek – never the wise.”
The bible god is all for ignorance? There’s a shocker. But you realize you just affirmed that religion (esp. christianity) is all about the stupid, yes?
Ouch! :)
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August 2, 2011 at 8:12 am
TheUnrepublican
He did not say anything that hurt me in the least. All he did was avoid my points entirely. And human perception of what is ignorant, or stupid is of no consequence to me, or God, for that matter.
Also, I do not understand why he singles out Christianity in what he perceives as religious stupidity, to the point of insinuating that other faiths, Islam for example, are somehow “less” stupid. Like flying planes into towers stupid, or stupider than that?
And before you come to the defense of Islam by means of lumping them in with Christianity, be warned that I expect it. Not to mention that it would be another means of side stepping the issue.
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August 2, 2011 at 11:23 am
The Arbourist
He did not say anything that hurt me in the least.
Err…no. He just displayed the gaping holes in your argumentation and highlight the flaws succinctly. Not intended to “hurt” but merely point out the argumentation leaves quite a bit to desired.
Before this goes any further, I suggest that in asserting something you phrase your assertion in something like the following.
I assert that “X” is true.
Here are reasons A, B, C, that support my claim X is true.
Therefore, because A,B and C are also factually correct, hence X is also (likely) to be correct.
It will help if you actually decide to engage Mystro on a logical level rather than getting all offended because he is making fun of your sky-daddy magic man.
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August 2, 2011 at 11:31 am
The Arbourist
And human perception of what is ignorant, or stupid is of no consequence to me, or God, for that matter.
So then why are you here? Is it to Tone-Troll and get butt-hurt about the fact that people know your religion is bullshite and call you on it when you try to assert that it is not?
Look at the religion tab on this blog; did you expect anything less than a skeptical reception?
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August 2, 2011 at 11:42 am
The Arbourist
Also, I do not understand why he singles out Christianity in what he perceives as religious stupidity, to the point of insinuating that other faiths, Islam for example, are somehow “less” stupid. Like flying planes into towers stupid, or stupider than that?
And before you come to the defense of Islam by means of lumping them in with Christianity, be warned that I expect it. Not to mention that it would be another means of side stepping the issue.
Because it was not mentioned? Duh? I’ve seen this thread start before on other blogs TheUnrepublican, your anti-islamic sentiments are ugly, sectarian, and quite often racist screeds that have little to do with reality.
Let me assure you that we are no fans of religion, as they all, in the end, come down to making people believe in delusional fantasies. Believing in myth has no place in the 21st century, and we work to disabuse people of that destructive notion.
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August 2, 2011 at 12:26 pm
TheUnrepublican
And your anti-christian sentiments are ugly. You assume much, tree freak. Not once have I personally claimed to believe in God. Neither have I condemned Islam. And why you people seem to take more issue with Christianity than other religions is baffling. And before you make the preposterous claim that christianity is the religion more directly affecting you, let me again remind you that christians didn’t bomb your towers. :)
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August 2, 2011 at 12:31 pm
TheUnrepublican
The Bible God is not for ignorance. But the God of the Bible continually delights in abasing the high minded and exalting the lowly. Therefore the “Creationism” picture is actually in accordance with the Bible. It acknowledges itself such things. And as to your thought that “the Bible God is all for ignorance”, well, the Bible actually predicted that you would think precisely that.
No surprises.
That is not all the Bible predicted. We shall see…
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August 2, 2011 at 1:29 pm
The Arbourist
And your anti-christian sentiments are ugly.
Right, and most likely true for the record, but..reality does not have much place in your worldview.
You assume much, tree freak.
Actually I know quite a bit, but only assert what I can prove/reasonably support. You should try it sometime.
Not once have I personally claimed to believe in God. Neither have I condemned Islam.
Looks like a duck… But anyhow, just for clarities sake let me quote you… “Christianity in what he perceives as religious stupidity, to the point of insinuating that other faiths, Islam for example, are somehow “less” stupid. Like flying planes into towers stupid, or stupider than that?” Whoops condemnation written by you…shhhh… now your sectarian hatred is starting show.
And why you people seem to take more issue with Christianity than other religions is baffling.
It is the most familiar B.S, therefore the easiest to dissect and show how spiritually, rationally and ethically how bankrupt the silly notion is.
And before you make the preposterous claim…
Oh I am a fan of irony.
that christianity is the religion more directly affecting you, let me again remind you that christians didn’t bomb your towers.
You’re right. Christianity is just the vacuous religion that happens to be most eroding the wall between church and state, womens rights and freedom of thought in this part of the world. Hence, you take the most and closest evil and tackle it first. Why would I focus as much on foreign insanity when we have a bumper crop here?
Please stick to the topic at hand, as a brief refresher, that happens to be asinine creationist nonsense going on in the video.
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August 2, 2011 at 2:32 pm
TheUnrepublican
As to the video, I do not agree with the good doctor’s claim. I think it is absurd, personally.
As to the topic of dinosaurs and how they relate to ancient man, I have in my mind some possibilities. But alas, since you don’t lend much credence to possibilities or theories that have not yet been proven (which ironically accounts for much of what we call “science”), I do not care to humor you there.
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August 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm
TheUnrepublican
What the hell…
I think it is quite possible that what has been described as “dragons” by ancient peoples, could have actually been what we know today as dinosaurs. I find it a strange coincidence that almost every culture from across the globe has described basically the same beast. It would also explain why dinosaurs/dragons went extinct. Hunted down by warriors for glory.
I am not saying that I believe that. I am just saying that it is possible.
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August 2, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Alan Scott
Mystro ,
” We are pointing out the fact that religion has been a major causal factor in most war, hate, and trouble in our history. ”
I dispute that universal statement . Religion was not a major factor in the American Civil War, the Spanish American War, WW1, WW11, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Even the Revolutionary War and the 1812 War , were not primarily to do with Religion . The Mexican American War had a little more religion, if you want to argue Catholic-Protestant , but even there it was more about land and sovereignty .
” But you realize you just affirmed that religion (esp. christianity) is all about the stupid, yes? ”
In the middle ages, science and mathematics were kept alive and developed to their highest levels by Muslim scholars in the middle east . In Western Europe Christian Monks kept alive the little literature and learning that would survive the dark ages .
I don’t recall the great Atheist scholars from those time periods .
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August 2, 2011 at 3:34 pm
TheUnrepublican
Amazing Post!
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August 5, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Mystro
To Alan Scott:
“I dispute that universal statement”
You even quoted me and you still misrepresented what I said. Let’s look at that quote and see if it’s universal or not. Did I say ‘all’? No, I certainly did not. I said ‘most’. ‘Most’ by definition, cannot be ‘all’, and therefore not universal. Maybe I said religion was the only and sole cause for all that badness….Nope didn’t say that either. I said ‘major causal factor’ which allows, not only for a vast multitude of other factors to contribute to said badness, but also for religion to be be an indirect cause for badness(as those are important to consider as well). I’ve come to expect you to fail at any kind of intellectual honesty when reading my posts, but when you show why you’re wrong in your own post, I can’t help but think you are depressingly mindless , as well as dishonest.
“In the middle ages, science and mathematics were kept alive and developed to their highest levels by Muslim scholars in the middle east ”
Science and math reached their ‘highest levels’ in the middle ages? Really? We currently have astrophysics and germ theory just to mention two of a mind-boggling long list of examples of how we’ve improved the fields of science and math since then. And where is the middle east now, with it’s ever theocratic approach to the world? Ah yes, decades (some have even said centuries) behind more secular nations. You don’t think your example through at all, do you?
“In Western Europe Christian Monks kept alive the little literature and learning that would survive the dark ages .”
Why was that knowledge in peril again? Oh yes, that’s right. Religion.
You seem to think that ‘not 100% evil’ is somehow proof of virtue. Or perhaps that noting a handful of exceptions disproves the rule. In either case, you’re completely wrong. Smarten up.
“I don’t recall the great Atheist scholars from those time periods .”
That is because heretics were burned, stoned, tortured, and generally not allowed to contribute to society at that time. When you force everyone to be in your club, it isn’t much of an accolade to say your club is responsible for anything good that happened to occur while it was in power.
The thing I want to stress is that there is a huge difference between ‘Good because of religion’ and ‘Good in spite of religion’. Religious contributions to knowledge, especially in the middle ages, definitely belong to the latter category.
To TheUnrepublican:
“All he did was avoid my points entirely. ”
No, I pointed out that you failed to make any points. I even pointed out where there was a whole bunch of words but nothing substantial. Did you respond to that? No, of course not. You just went off on some other ludicrous tangents (more on those shortly). It seems to me a great huge pile of projection, this accusation of avoidance.
“And human perception of what is ignorant, or stupid is of no consequence to me, or God, for that matter.”
You certainly have displayed complete apathy towards what is ignorant and total willingness to believe some of the most inane ideas I’ve heard.
The Arbourist makes a good point though(which you ignored, of course), if what people think doesn’t matter to you, why post on a public forum?
One reason might be that you are a scum-sucking cad which delights in trolling and will say any lie just to stir things up, with no regard for truth or reason. Another possibility is that you just like ranting and raving about your quarter-wit notions (akin to those who just like to hear themselves speak), with no regard for truth or reason. I can’t come up with any other reasons, so if you don’t fall into one or both of those categories (they were lying ass-hole and stupid ass-hole, in case you had forgotten already), please let us know what your actual reason for posting here is.
” to the point of insinuating that other faiths, Islam for example, are somehow “less” stupid….why you people seem to take more issue with Christianity than other religions is baffling”
Now that’s offensive. I have never once implied, directly or indirectly, that any faith is more stupid than any other. Faith, of all creeds, is totally irrational. In fact, so vast is the sea of stupidity that spews out of faith, that it is impossible to address the stupidity of even one religion without writing encyclopaedia sized volumes.
So, we take things one at a time. And on this article, we’re dealing with some christian stupidity.
Actually read some of our other posts here at DWR and then let me know if you think we are smiley on islam.
” let me again remind you that christians didn’t bomb your towers”
You’re big defence is that currently christianity isn’t the biggest threat to the world? Similar to my response to Alan Scott above, pointing out that there is one institution that is pumping more hate and suffering into the world than christianity does not make christianity a good thing.
“God always chose the humble, and meek – never the wise….The Bible God is not for ignorance.”
Self contradiction. You are all bible, aren’t you? Inconsistencies and all. As to your bit about the ‘high minded’, we’re not the ones claiming divinely inspired knowledge. Religious arrogance necessarily trumps any of a secular nature, as religion claims infallibility. That makes christianity incredibly arrogant AND stupid. I know that I’m continually surprised by its capacity for both.
“the Bible actually predicted that you would think precisely that…That is not all the Bible predicted. We shall see…”
And I could write a book that claimed that dogs poop out after-dinner-mints, along with a prophesy that there will be some people who doubt and mock the authenticity of this claim. When that prophesy comes true, would you take that as evidence that my first claim about dog poop was also true? Would you faithfully eat freshly squatted out canine turds in search of a fresh mouth because I was able to successfully predict people would ridicule me and my claims? I sure hope not.
Let’s take a look at a more daring biblical prophesy shall we? Ohh, I like the one in Ezekiel 26. That’s where “the lord” destroys the city of Tyre and says it will never be rebuilt.
Go read it, then come back.
That god guy was pretty clear about that, wasn’t he. Sure sounded serious. And what a great prophesy, I mean, if that city is never re-emerges in the centuries since the stories of the bible, that would be quite the circumstantial evidence; it would be very worrisome for any honest doubter. Too bad it’s just another crock of shit, huh? Here are some links about the current city of Tyre (still in Lebanon I see) Link 1Link 2Link 3
And it gets better! In Deuteronomy 18:20-21 the bible says that if any prophesy doesn’t come true, then whatever gave that prophesy is a false prophet, not of god, and should be killed.
According to its own test of divinity, the bible fails and therefore, ought to be killed. Phrased differently, even christianity says ‘Don’t listen to christianity’.
“I think it is quite possible that what has been described as “dragons” by ancient peoples, could have actually been what we know today as dinosaurs.”
You figure dinosaurs and humans were alive at the same time, do you? Best evidence suggests humans came on the scene 200,000 years ago while dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. You aren’t trying to pull some YEC shit, are you? That is past my “too stupid to respond to so just mock their idiocy” line. I haven’t gotten there yet, although Alan Scott has gotten close on a few occasions. Quite like your ‘not the worst thing in the world’ badge, being our first visitor to be that imbecilic is not something to be proud of.
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August 6, 2011 at 1:46 am
TheUnrepublican
My high school GPA was 3.5(In truth). As such, I would hardly classify myself as imbecilic on the basis that I do not subscribe to yours and tree freak’s OPINIONS.
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August 7, 2011 at 12:54 pm
The Arbourist
My high school GPA was 3.5(In truth). As such, I would hardly classify[…].
Another firm endorsement of public education.
imbecilic on the basis that I do not subscribe to yours and tree freak’s OPINIONS.
Much insight can be garnered not only on content of what is said, but also in the manner in which it said.
I suggest, to avoid further misrepresentations of your character, you begin to argue in a logical, coherent manner. It would speak volumes with regards to the contents of your intellect and character.
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