Religion preying on our youth

Nicks said:

Well you did disrespect the poster. He / She is entitled to his view, and its not really a bad one is it? It is not one that I subscribe to but it certainly isnt a negative one if he / she chooses to practice it.
For the record I am non religious and dont share Space cadets views, but good on you for having them and stick to them. There are certainly many negative religious ideas out there and space cadets views dont seem to be negative to me.
Im sure there are views of mine and yours that others would be astonished with. Thank God (excuse the pun) we are in Australia and free.

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No, Nicks, I don't think I did disrespect the poster at all. Had I done that I would have rubbished the view, and disagreed with it, probably presenting my own view in contradiction. I didn't do any of that. I merely offered a commentary on the mores of life in 2006. Completely objective. No judgement either way.

Julia

Thanks for the support Nicks, but no offence was taken

I have a pretty thick skin and I don't waste time getting upset from any cowardly personal attacks in chat forums

Any personal attacks on other users I put down to coming from people whose shoe size is higher than their IQ

Julia said:

No, Nicks, I don't think I did disrespect the poster at all. Had I done that I would have rubbished the view, and disagreed with it, probably presenting my own view in contradiction. I didn't do any of that. I merely offered a commentary on the mores of life in 2006. Completely objective. No judgement either way.

Julia

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sorry, not rubished or disagreed, just 'astonished' at his view, kindly without disrespect or judgement

and space cadet wasn't offended, 'I don't waste time getting upset from any cowardly personal attacks in chat forums'

you know what they say about discussing religion and politics....

Space Cadet said:

I don't waste time getting upset from any cowardly personal attacks in chat forums ...I put down to coming from people whose shoe size is higher than their IQ

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space cadet - your "IQ" and your "courage" would appear to be limited to what you are instructed to think - since by coincidence it coincides with Rome.

As for shoe size - you'll never fill the shoes of the likes of most of the independent thinkers out there - or probably many in here either. I'll keep my shoe size a secret.

Is bourbon a religion?.......I have a few religously and I do ok.....I'll have one right now, and toast to your spirtual health everyone.......cause thats all that matters realy.....once you've turned to dust - it's the next blokes turn.

What you do on this earth probably has stuffall to do with the other side, if there is one......different entities.......Religion is just a tool to control the masses with fear.....religion is politics.......don't be fooled!

2020hindsight said:

"IQ" and "courage"

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Here's a Challenge space cadet:-
1. Firstly , on IQ - this permanent holiday of yours - you wouldn't by any chance be travelling in the same van as Rocket Science maybe (who by coincidence is also on permanent holiday - and even has an animated avatar) ? (post #60), - Feel free to tell me this is a coincidence.- which leads to the challenge ...
2. "courage" -are you brave enough to list all your nicknames past and present - I'm sure you'd agree that hiding behind new nicknames isnt all that brave really, IF it applies to you.

How to trap an atheist: Serve him a fine meal, then ask him if he believes there is a cook." Author: Unknown

"The atheist can't find God for the same reason that a thief can't find a police officer." Author: Unknown

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." Author: Aquinas, Thomas



Come on guys don't give up.Look harder!

retroaugogo said:

How to trap an atheist: Serve him a fine meal, then ask him if he believes there is a cook." Come on guys don't give up.Look harder!

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I have no problems with your comments Retro - but I cant condone overpopulation and rampant AIDS in the third world - being exacerbated by Rome.
BTW - can you?
(PS - How to trap a Christian who is more interested in heaven than what's happening out there - take him to the third world - and hav him ask some kid when he last had a fine meal)

The Blind Men and the Elephant

A number of disciples went to the Buddha and said, "Sir, there are living here in Savatthi many wandering hermits and scholars who indulge in constant dispute, some saying that the world is infinite and eternal and others that it is finite and not eternal, some saying that the soul dies with the body and others that it lives on forever, and so forth. What, Sir, would you say concerning them?"

The Buddha answered, "Once upon a time there was a certain raja who called to his servant and said, 'Come, good fellow, go and gather together in one place all the men of Savatthi who were born blind... and show them an elephant.' 'Very good, sire,' replied the servant, and he did as he was told. He said to the blind men assembled there, 'Here is an elephant,' and to one man he presented the head of the elephant, to another its ears, to another a tusk, to another the trunk, the foot, back, tail, and tuft of the tail, saying to each one that that was the elephant.

"When the blind men had felt the elephant, the raja went to each of them and said to each, 'Well, blind man, have you seen the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?'

"Thereupon the men who were presented with the head answered, 'Sire, an elephant is like a pot.' And the men who had observed the ear replied, 'An elephant is like a winnowing basket.' Those who had been presented with a tusk said it was a ploughshare. Those who knew only the trunk said it was a plough; others said the body was a grainery; the foot, a pillar; the back, a mortar; the tail, a pestle, the tuft of the tail, a brush.

"Then they began to quarrel, shouting, 'Yes it is!' 'No, it is not!' 'An elephant is not that!' 'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over the matter.

"Brethren, the raja was delighted with the scene.

"Just so are these preachers and scholars holding various views blind and unseeing.... In their ignorance they are by nature quarrelsome, wrangling, and disputatious, each maintaining reality is thus and thus."

Then the Exalted One rendered this meaning by uttering this verse of uplift,

O how they cling and wrangle, some who claim
For preacher and monk the honored name!
For, quarreling, each to his view they cling.
Such folk see only one side of a thing.

Jainism and Buddhism. Udana 68-69:
Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant

pacer said:

...once you've turned to dust - it's the next blokes turn.

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- pacer - spoken like a true blue philosopher - even an all black one lol.

Like the old saying ...
In life there are two things to worry about - whether you're well or whether youre sick
if youre well you have nothing to worry about - if youre sick you only have two etcetc
whether you'll live or whether you'll die - If you'll live you have nothing to worry about - if you die you only have two etcetc
whether you'll go to heaven or to hell - if you go to heaven you have nothing to worry about - if you go to hell, you'll be so busy shaking hands with all your old mates (mere mortal sinners after all) to have any time to worry. (PS anyone who hasnt heard that one hasn't toasted a round in a pub).

PS some people ad lib with the starting line, eg
"In life there are two things to worry about - "whether your wife loves you or doesnt"
then "whether your dog loves you or not"
then "whether anyone loves you or not"
then "whether you're rich or poor"
then "whether you're well or sick" etc from the top)

Here's some ideas for a new starting line to consider :-
"whether the next generation will thank us or not"
"whether the world is going downhill or not"
Translated into "pacer" ...(I recall you posted one about the water level of the property you bought) - "Will my property be above high tide mark"

weird said:

Buddhism...Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant

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Weird , I love this sorta thing , and I could listen to the Dalai Lama for hours -except that I lost a lot of confidence in him when he announced that some kid found in China or whereever was DEFINITELY the reincarnation of some great Buddhist Monk. Once again I thought to myself - the basic message of churches / religions so often gets tied up with gobblegook. Christianity is largely (if not all) about forgiveness imho - Buddhisn largely (all?) about man blending with nature. But I'm happy for you Christians and/or Buddhists to confirm or otherwise - Youre probably right - most of us around here are too set in our ways to be flexible ...or as you say ...
"each to his view they cling.
Such folk see only one side of a thing.."

At the risk of offending, I dont think this parable has much "teeth". I mean its a bit like the blind man who finds the elephant in his back yard eating grass. - Never having seen an elephant , he assumes its trunk is a tail, and he studies its movements carefully with his hands (and imagination) .. He suddenly becomes ALARMED. .
He rings his friend - "mate there's this wierd animal in the front yard"
"what's it like?" came the reply -
"well its got this tail "
" ahh probly just a horse or something -
" NONO , it gets grass with its tail" -
"ahh probably just a monkey or something" ...
" but but - you should see where its stuffing the grass!!".

PS I love making "alternative conclusions" for parables and quotes and stuff. - Even when I put them forward myself - it helps to see "more than one side ofthe thing"

2020hindsight said:

Here's a Challenge space cadet:-
1. Firstly , on IQ - this permanent holiday of yours - you wouldn't by any chance be travelling in the same van as Rocket Science maybe (who by coincidence is also on permanent holiday - and even has an animated avatar) ? (post #60), - Feel free to tell me this is a coincidence.- which leads to the challenge ...
2. "courage" -are you brave enough to list all your nicknames past and present - I'm sure you'd agree that hiding behind new nicknames isnt all that brave really, IF it applies to you.

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2020

I am a self funded retiree and so yes I suppose you could say I am on permanent holiday nowadays

It's also common knowledge that I change my nic whenever I get tired of my current one. I have done it for years - on this and other sites as well.

Those that I know personally, I tell them my new nic when I change it.

Whether anyone else knows which nic I am using doesn't interest me at all.

My view is that it's the content of my posts that people can take for what they think it's worth. The nic under which I post is irrelevant as far as I am concerned.

I've mentioned on this site under other nics that I change regularly and so you shouldn't be surprised if you've read my other posts.

And I know that other users on this and other sites also change their nic's periodically

retroaugogo said:

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." Author: Aquinas, Thomas!

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Says it all.

If religion is the only thing preying on our youth we are in a good state.

bluefin said:

I am a self funded retiree and so yes I suppose you could say I am on permanent holiday nowadays It's also common knowledge that I change my nic whenever I get tired of my current one.

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Gr8 m8, can I just ask that you keep adding that clue that you're "on permanent holidays". Also can we refer to you as "the bloke who's on permanent holidays" - helps to understand the messages presented in the various posts.
(My dog never misses a post btw, her idea of the morning paper lol).

Btw , I dont see much evidence of your claim that people were cowardly back there ? - (let's accept that changing nics is ok and move on).

Space Cadet / On Permanent Holidays said:

I have a pretty thick skin and I don't waste time getting upset from any cowardly personal attacks in chat forums

Any personal attacks on other users I put down to coming from people whose shoe size is higher than their IQ

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2020

I didn't accuse anyone in particular of being cowardly if you go back and read my post.

IMO Nicks misinterpreted Julia's post - I thanked him for his support but said that I took no offence at Julia's post and then made a general comment on how I see users who personally attack others - nothing more, nothing less.

Ok, so now we've had our obligatory dose of Bullmarket for the month in the form on Space Cadet and Bluefin, there will probably be a week or two before the next persona graces the forum.

The sad thing is, bull, if you're reading this, that you've actually got a lot of good stuff to offer amongst the dogma and dross. Just a pity you feel obliged to be antagonistic and threatening when you're called to account.

And to 2020: You've made some really thoughtful and interesting contributions to this thread. Good to see someone with the capacity to clearly present their view but without being critical and unnecessarily antagonistic towards those who put forth the opposite view. Ever considered a career in mediation??

Julia

Julia said:

And to 2020: Ever considered a career in mediation??

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Julia, thanks, lol - kind words, totally UNWARRANTED lol. My kids fight really well together - I'd like to say that my attempts at mediation had helped over the years, but to be honest Ive decided that my "help" there is counterproductive. These days, I let them fight, and I stick to meditation instead .

Bluefin I suspect likes a stirr, and gets it lol. (tell me if Im wrong Bluefin). Bit like that Realist character lol. Who elsewould have the "courage" to start a thread asking would people miss them ? lol . BTW, I wonder how he's going chatting up the French ladies. My guess is that after a couple of weeks (or words?), they'll pick him as an FSL "French as a second language".

He should have learnt (in French).."no this is my natural colour"
"as for the green tinge - well my mother was a blond who married a prince - but then my father turned into a frog" lol. Sorry Im taking cheap shots at him when he's not here to defend himself. As if he'd care lol.

bluefin said:

I am a self funded retiree and so yes I suppose you could say I am on permanent holiday nowadays

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Buefin, when I said below helps to know who's posting , which in turn "helps to understand the messages presented in the various posts" - here's an example:-

You are presumably 60+?, with a name like space cadet. And here we all were wasting our breath trying to help you prevent unwanted pregnancies. ?
I mean it's worth arguing with a youngster on these things - who nose , might stop them getting over confident when playing the Vatican Roulette game (personally Id stick to the casino for the other 29 days of the month).

But in your case, we were wasting our breath. And Hence I believe that you were stirring
PS unless of course you have a young mistress on the side lol

10 signs you are a religious nut case:

#10 -- You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

#9 -- You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that humans were created from dirt.

#8 -- You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

#7 -- Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the male first-born babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" -- including women, children, and trees.

#6 -- You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods consorting with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

#5 -- You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of the Earth (4.55 billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is about a couple of generations old.

#4 -- You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects -- will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering, and yet you consider your religion the /most/ "tolerant" and "loving."

#3 -- While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor "speaking in tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" your choice of religions to be the correct one.

#2 -- You define .01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers, and consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% /failure/ was simply the will of God.

#1 -- You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history -- but you still call yourself a Christian.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Two Catholic clergy face court in NZ
November 2, 2006 - 10:29AM

Two Catholic clergy extradited from Australia to face child sex charges have been bailed to appear in court early next year in New Zealand.

In Christchurch District Court, Judge David Saunders granted the bail without plea and allowed a change of address next week as part of their bail terms.

Their address on bail remains suppressed, though it is known they will remain in New Zealand.

A second suppression order forbidding any further publication of images of the two men remains in place.

The court papers listed the charges that brother Rodger Moloney, 71, and father Raymond Garchow, 59, will face.

Moloney is charged with four counts of anal intercourse with a person aged under 16, 11 charges of doing an indecent act on a boy aged 12 to 16, and two charges of inducing a boy aged 12 to 16 to do an indecent act.

Garchow is charged with three counts of doing an indecent act on a boy aged 12 to 16, and five of inducing a boy of that age to do an indecent act.

Rob Harrison of Auckland was defence counsel for the appearance.

He passed up to the judge a memorandum about the bail conditions and suppression orders, which had also been counter-signed by crown prosecutor Kerryn Beaton.

The pair will not have to appear for the pre-depositions conference on January 18 as long as counsel is present. That session may set a date for a depositions hearing.