cuchulain

but if they didnt know then how could they honestly claim someone else didnt?

the kindness given only lives on in the people who receive it. if they let it die its gone. also i dont think people remember the kindness of notorious people but rather the pain they caused the world, even forgetting they had kind moments. i cant tell the kind moments of hitler for example, but certainly there were some.

i think noboody should be tax exempt that makes use of anything taxes pay for, or in other words...everyone should be equal in tax law with no special treatment for religion. they use the roads, the church i used to live across from in jonesboro il actually took over a section of the street by paving over it. south illinois streer still looks straight on the gps but you have to do a partial square to get around the church now.

i can look at the object and say its a book. someone else might say its wood pulp and glue. someone else would say a nice collection of fairy tales while another would insist the bible i was referencing as a mere book is really the ultimate truth. all different perspectives for the same object, multiple truths at the same time, like most of reality. subjective, but also objective, and rarely is one perspective complete(if ever).

It wouldn't surprise me if that were the case. I know I looked into scouts for my middle kid, and realized it was now a major joke organization compared to what it used to be(at least in my eyes). They gave out merit badges for such things as video games, and didn't go on any camping trips at all. My wife is Christian, or at least religious. She isn't 100% sure, and I don't like to label her. But occasionally we end up going to church events because someone she knows will invite her. I don't mind going so long as she has the understanding that if asked, I will answer honestly(so far nobody has asked at these events, almost amazing). A lot of people there seem to be there primarily to socialize and gossip.

I can fully respect and appreciate that tradition, I just don't know that I have the courage to do such a thing. It is very Socratic, that is, living as a citizen of the world, and treating everyone as your brother(or sister). I applaud.

It's funny, but from working at Walmart I know those decorations arrive at the store as early as august. So early every year...

I read a book by the Dalai Lama recently in which he states that he doesn't seek to convert anyone away from their current religion, because if it works to help them to be better people he wouldn't want to steer anyone off that path. There are many cases where religion(in any form really, not just Christianity) DOES indeed help people to be better people. There are lots of people I have met that seem to have to have some rule book to live by, or they go off. They just can't get it together without someone telling them what's right and wrong. I don't know if they would be able to without religion, but religion is a fact of life in the world at large. But as you said, there are plenty of morals that aren't religiously attained. Plenty of people live moral lives without referencing the bible to solve their issues, or the Q'ran, or any other system of belief. It really is a case by case basis, I think.

I don't even want to host my in laws...I can't even imagine hosting strangers. How does that work, even? Maybe I am in too rural an area to grasp it.

Speaking as a former Druid, it really didn't make much difference to me. There weren't enormous amounts of stupidity, I mean most people already knew that Halloween was borrowed from another tradition. The biggest thing I remember was the constant barrage by the Christians who believe Halloween is Satanic. They didn't want to celebrate it because it was originally a pagan holiday, but funnily enough had no problem with Christmas which was also borrowed from Pagans.

minister: a member of the clergy. clergy: the body of all people ordained for religious duties. pastor: a minister in charge of a church or congregation. so interchangeable terms that mean the same thing...confused how again?

Are you deliberately baiting and being rude?

giving free legal advice as a non attourney is a bad idea. thats extremely basic law. i simply dont believe you about your friends.

you are out of your depth on this one, but i will bite. what law school did you attend?

I think of plagiarism as a form of theft. Many do. Thou shalt not steal, ULCneo.

On another forum, I was in a discussion about water department fees, particularly late fees, disconnects, and recharging deposits after the disconnect. The person I was debating went on and on about how they were trying to help others. They had talked to the water dept and gotten this information first hand. Their numbers just didn't add up, of course. Their story changed. I called the town in questions water dept and found out he had been harassing them, they told me the policy. I posted that to the forum, and he hasn't posted again in any topic. It's amazing how going to the source can do that sometimes.

I think it is a better tool than most for doing what someone wants, and justifying it using the scripture. It is a better tool because so many of the world accepts the bible as valid. When someone uses Dungeons and Dragons, or a comic book, or a tv show, to justify doing what they want, nobody has a problem saying that's just plain crazy. But use the bible, and we have to tip toe around the freedom of religion bit, decide if the person was actually following what they believe religiously or just using religion as a scapegoat, before we can determine the person what just plain crazy. And even then, even if we determine that the person WAS religiously motivated, that it CAN be backed up by scripture, we shouldn't have a problem saying that person was wrong. But we do. Remember that Davis lady, the county clerk in Kentucky, who refused to do her job because she didn't believe in gay marriage? There are still people who think she should have been allowed to refuse to issue marriage licenses based solely on the fact that she was a Christian. If that keeps you from doing a key function of your job, get a different job. Don't expect us to accommodate crazy just because it has religion attached to it.

you dont think that the kjv was altered? time to rethink your position.

Jesus was hiding behind the couch the whole time!

But that's my point. There are no contemporary sources. I said that, and someone else said there was, and provided erroneous examples. So we are back to...there were no contemporary sources. I agree that sometimes we see what we want to see. But not in my case. I WANT to find evidence for a God, I wanted that for a long time. Yet time and again, I am disappointed by the evidence presented. Maybe my standards are too high. It is true that I have a bias against the religion, but not against the existence of God. I was biased against the religion by well meaning grandparents. But even when I rebelled against the religion, I wanted to find some evidence of God's existence. I just couldn't find it. And still haven't.

You aren't wrong. I worded that as if it were only the religious, which it certainly isn't. those who hold to religion often claim it as the moral authority, setting themselves as the higher standard. i wonder how they can justify lowering their self proclaimed standard without feeling hypcritical?

i think there is an inherent flaw with any faith of peace when its followers must explain why and when violence is acceptable. kind of a built in contradiction, isnt it?

and none of those sources are contemporary...meaning same actual time AND place.

i reject the bible because i reject its authenticity. if i knew it was god inspired and accurately portrayed your version of god i'd be stupid to reject the message. but it's such a poorly written work that it's easy to see it's not perfect as claimed.

She's good. Everything went well, I suppose it's a fairly common surgery.