Philotic Web

You know well enough that there are plenty of religious leaders out in the world who hate the sinner as much as they hate the sin.

Interesting article.

But it also mentions that UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethelyne) is also a good shielding material (great stuff, that UHMW!)

I hope all of you who have people there get good news, soon. Already there are people saying how this is a problem with both TOO MUCH and TOO LITTLE gun control! Within an hour or two, Muslims were already being accused in the various blogs and news comments on-line. (It's still unclear, but still--...

Dr. M, You talkin' to me? Because I realize I've lost a great deal of patience in dealing with people who hold on to faith-based beliefs (beliefs that pride themselves--ignoring for the moment that pride is a sin--on being, by definition, unsupportable), and present them as some sort of "univer...

That's why the Jews don't have a hell.

They just have mothers-in-law.

Ba-da-bump!

That's probably more correct from a strict logical point: If I have a dog, then I must have dog biscuits in my house or I have dog biscuits in my house IFF I have a dog then: I have no dog biscuits in my house Therefore: I do not have a dog. Nope . I'm right. You're wrong. Sorry. Unless you were thi...

Rei, Are you frikkin' kidding me? "In order to understand how far a block of wood slides down a ramp, you need to accept that gravity is present..." "The premises which you challenged, the fact that Jesus is God and that He came to Earth to live among us.." So you accept the inhe...

Rei, I have never called Christians a bunch of bloodthirsty fools. And I've never thought to piece together the atheist's credo in the manner in which you just did, but you do make a good point. What particular premises are you asking us to accept? Are they neutral premises, are they unsupported or ...

Rei, Nice idea, except when Sparrowhawk STARTED this thread: In this light, replacing the scientist with the concept of god and his creation with humanity, is the common Western notion of the Judeo-Christian god an unmitigated evil entity? How then can this interpretation of the deity be zealously a...

EL, If you notice, I only "proselytize" when I feel the need to go head-to-head with someone else who is operating on a bunch of unfounded presumptions. Other than that, I think I'm pretty fair-minded about adding the "I believe" disclaimer on a regular basis. Becausew Slim very ...

Won't the second coming unbalance the system? No, because there was never a "first coming," and there won't be a "second coming" because there's nothing actually "coming." By asking that question, you presume that there was actually a first coming. So, the real questio...

I don't know... When pairs of religious people (apparently, they can travel faster in pairs--it's like superconductivity!) come to my door, they typically tell me that this is the way the universe is (whatever way it is for them), and I should believe them and follow their way. That's proselytizing....

And I leave out the part about why I believe it's true, or try to prove its true because that is what I consider proselyting. Funny thing, Slim--I always thought that presenting beliefs as truths, and not providing any support for those statements was proselytizing, while actually presenting belief...

Oh.....Holy TEXTS !!! I thought you said "Holy TESTS." You mean...like the Bible? A: The Bible says that X happened. B: So, how do you know that X happened? Can you show me any proof? A: Yes, it says so...right here...in the Bible! That, for instance, would not count. Nor would this: A: Th...

I'm sorry...."Holy Tests?"

What are those? Got any examples?

Well...archaeology is testable. Science is testable. Engineering is testable. Even if you have the equations slightly wrong for aerodynamics, or Einsteinian physics, you can always find a way to test them. And if you can't, like with string theory, then "science" withholds judgement until ...

Even though I believe that my approach to what the Bible and what religion represent is far, far closer to the truth (certainly, it is at least TESTABLE), I normally don't go around proclaiming that it's "truth," unless it's to offset someone else's claims of universal truth (such as "...

Sorry, Ith. It is.

Hey, if I could fix that somehow, I'd be all over it!

Hey, hey, hey!

Let's not have any more of that!

It wouldn't be a good April Fool's joke if it wasn't at least a little convincing!

Sorry, but I had to do it.

Just be glad I can't access the home page! (Not that anyone ever goes there, anyhow!)

Hey, Kenn--good to see you back! It's been quite a while!

This has got to be the greatest day ever! I woke, and went over to my computer to find an e-mail from Scott, and a second one from Mr. Peterson (he says to call him "Wolfgang," but I think I should actually meet him in person, first...but I digress). The script is complete. It's been green...

Jayelle, I've had that service (in alpha) for about a year now. It's great, but whenever you listen to i-Tunes or other music that you stream from the Internet, there's this wave-like noise in the background. It was annoying at first, but you get used to it after the first 2 or three months. And it'...

I don't know what the hell it is you just quoted.

But you did say "cleavage."

Sparrow, Puh-lease. We all know that religious texts serve only to create a language for the disussion of the various creation myths and their attendant, relatively unique moral trappings. They shouldn't be used as history, or as physics texts, or as some way of understanding the actual physical rea...

Eriador, Are you sure? Are you sure that it's not just the "unhappy" ones that get reported? There's no real "news" in wealthy, happy (assuming "self-serving, self-satisfaction") people. Only the misery gets reported, so your source of information may be inherenrly skew...

Why?

1) Pragmatism

2) Happpiness and love feel good (but if you try to gain too much at the expense of others, then pragmatism kicks in)

Jota, One of the problems I see with that approach is that there is no moral reference for the act. Many times it amounts to "God tells me so" or "I feel God in my heart, and so I respond." Obviously, there are also many times when it's not really God telling people to do a thing...

I agree with you there, too.

I've always said that a moral atheist is more moral than a moral theist.

Tonight, when I'm no longer at work, I'll post an interesting illustration.

"Love is not better..." When considered under what criteria? The ability to get someone else to do your work for you? Sure, I'll give you that. Then what? Are you claiming (or setting the stage so that it can be claimed that) God wields love just as he'd use any other tool to manipulate ma...

It all depends on what you mean by results. If you mean "such that a very specific action is performed," then you should also include monetary incentives: I'll pay you $5.00 if you safely walk this old lady across the street. Etc., etc., etc. Now what becomes of the analogy? Money = fear =...

Eriador,

How much of "the rest" is left, then?

Love and fear are the same.

No, they're not. Not at all.

OK, I agree. But except for that, they're the same...

Eriador, fear and love are both powerful emotions, and can be used in exactly the same way for the same motives Except that love isn't "used" in that way (I'm talking about theoretically optimized human love, not agape or any such other thing). If you "use" love as a tool, then i...

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The greatest day ever!