News Stories

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Images show Vietnam reclaiming land in South China Sea
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NT04820150508

Wrong thread. Should be in silly news.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

He isn't streetsmart enough for that. If he is a normal kid with such behaviour in a club or bar, he would be floating in Collyer Quay the next morning.

Although I am an agnostic, I think this case shows it is about time we levy heavier penalties on the MHRA. Just because you believe in a magic man doesn't mean others are not allowed to criticise it.

From what I heard, he didn't attack Christians so much as make an insulting comparison of LKY to Jesus....


which is still offensive but doesn't really amount to criticizing the religion....I mean something like that kind of rant can hardly be termed "criticism"

[SeijiSensei]

North Korea Says It Test-Fired Missile From Submarine

As if the world doesn't have enough to worry about already.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

From what I heard, he didn't attack Christians so much as make an insulting comparison of LKY to Jesus....


which is still offensive but doesn't really amount to criticizing the religion....I mean something like that kind of rant can hardly be termed "criticism"

To the fundamentalists it sounds so. Like how the two Islamic gunmen who would take such minor incidences into their own hands, the Christians involved are no different - they think that their magic man is penultimate and everyone cannot be allowed to criticise it.

Whatever happened to "Let God judge."?

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

North Korea Says It Test-Fired Missile From Submarine

As if the world doesn't have enough to worry about already.

Some parasitic antisocial tossers (individuals or organizations) in this world deserve to be denied the right to breathe for all of mankind's good, and those Fat-Ass worshipers are up there with fundamentalists, Boko Haram and co.

[Solace]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Whatever happened to "Let God judge."?

It sits next to "...the Devil made me do it".

[monster]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

From what I heard, he didn't attack Christians so much as make an insulting comparison of LKY to Jesus....


which is still offensive but doesn't really amount to criticizing the religion....I mean something like that kind of rant can hardly be termed "criticism"

If I'm thinking of the right video, this teenager basically said that Jesus is evil and his followers are delusional, so I would say it still counts as a criticism of the religion, even if no reasoning was given for the claim.

Although, to be fair, the comparison seems to have just been made in passing and is not the topic of the video.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Whatever happened to "Let God judge."?

That would actually require FAITH. You know, self assurance that there is no need to defend your deity from criticism, that a mere mortal has no need to defend the honour of some allegedly invincible and all powerful deity.

If they think their god can't defend himself, then perhaps they don't think their god can do much at all?

[ganbaru]

'Re-homing' couple exposed by Reuters is indicted on kidnap charges
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NT2GK20150508

Russia stages WW2 victory parade, draws rebuke from Ukraine
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NU0A920150509

Exclusive: Weapons inspectors find undeclared sarin and VX traces in Syria - diplomats
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NT1YR20150508

[risingstar3110]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Images show Vietnam reclaiming land in South China Sea
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NT04820150508

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Wrong thread. Should be in silly news.

Was wondering why you said so, then read the article and saw this:

She said the images showed Vietnam had reclaimed about 65,000square meters (699,654 square feet) of land at West London Reef and 21,000 square meters (226,042 square feet) at Sand Cay. This compared to 900,000 square meters (9.6 million square feet) reclaimed by China at a single reef, Fiery Cross.

Rapp-Hooper said satellite images showed that since about March 2014, China had conducted reclamation work at seven site sin the Spratlys and was constructing a military-sized air strip on one artificial island and possibly a second on another.

Yup, was so out of proportion. 76,000 in total vs 7 x 900,000. Literally 100 times over

[monster]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

That would actually require FAITH. You know, self assurance that there is no need to defend your deity from criticism, that a mere mortal has no need to defend the honour of some allegedly invincible and all powerful deity.

If they think their god can't defend himself, then perhaps they don't think their god can do much at all?

Well, depending on the religion and the adherent in question, I'm not sure that's necessarily the case at all. It's not so much that they don't think their deity can do much at all, but more likely they think that their deity is using them as an instrument of divine justice.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by monster

Well, depending on the religion and the adherent in question, I'm not sure that's necessarily the case at all. It's not so much that they don't think their deity can do much at all, but more likely they think that their deity is using them as an instrument of divine justice.

I seriously doubt that. They know very well that their deity would do nothing. They are not trying to defend their deity, they are trying to defend their complete lack of faith. Every time their deity doesn't strike down an infidel it shakens their belief in the very existence of their deity.

Taking up arms is just another way to avoid questioning their own beliefs.

[HasuMasu]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

I seriously doubt that. They know very well that their deity would do nothing. They are not trying to defend their deity, they are trying to defend their complete lack of faith. Every time their deity doesn't strike down an infidel it shakens their belief in the very existence of their deity.

Taking up arms is just another way to avoid questioning their own beliefs.

You really underestimate how convoluted the faithful really are...

Is this about Christianity? I don't know enough to talk about anything else.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

I seriously doubt that. They know very well that their deity would do nothing. They are not trying to defend their deity, they are trying to defend their complete lack of faith. Every time their deity doesn't strike down an infidel it shakens their belief in the very existence of their deity.

Taking up arms is just another way to avoid questioning their own beliefs.

Well, I won't deny that there are probably people like that. But if, for example, there are passages in their religious texts that do encourage violence toward nonbelievers in one form or another, then I don't think a lack of faith is the problem. I don't think you could argue that an adherent is lacking of faith when following what he or she thinks a particular religion teaches.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by monster

Well, I won't deny that there are probably people like that. But if, for example, there are passages in their religious texts that do encourage violence toward nonbelievers in one form or another, then I don't think a lack of faith is the problem. I don't think you could argue that an adherent is lacking of faith when following what he or she thinks a particular religion teaches.

You would be speaking of the ENTIRE Abraham religion. That is your choice, I personally rather not open that can of worms. The human race is not ready for that.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

You would be speaking of the ENTIRE Abraham religion. That is your choice, I personally rather not open that can of worms. The human race is not ready for that.

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but that's fine.

(For my part, my point was actually about adherents of any religion in general, not just the Abrahamic ones.)

[maplehurry]

Originally Posted by Solace

It sits next to "...the Devil made me do it".

So you are saying... being religious is a mental disorder.

/JUSTKIDDING

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by monster

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but that's fine.

(For my part, my point was actually about adherents of any religion in general, not just the Abrahamic ones.)

Abrahamic religions are the only ones out there that explicitly say it is a sin to not be a follower. This is so ingrained in Western society that many are shocked to find this isn't normal. Polytheistic societies are use to people of different religions havig no problem interacting with one another, not threatened by someone else's beliefs because their religion doesn't require them to interpret other faiths are explicit threats against monotheism. Abraham invented holy wars. That is why it is so successful; it is the carnivore of the religious world, eating others to survive.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

Abrahamic religions are the only ones out there that explicitly say it is a sin to not be a follower. This is so ingrained in Western society that many are shocked to find this isn't normal. Polytheistic societies are use to people of different religions havig no problem interacting with one another, not threatened by someone else's beliefs because their religion doesn't require them to interpret other faiths are explicit threats against monotheism. Abraham invented holy wars. That is why it is so successful; it is the carnivore of the religious world, eating others to survive.

Regardless, my point was that I wasn't trying to single them out.

That said, having a different religion is different from insulting one's religion. I don't know too many cultures, whether polytheistic or not, that would tolerate an insult beyond a certain level.

[ganbaru]

Special Report: Russian soldiers quit over Ukraine
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NV06Q20150510

Airbus A400M military transporter crashes on test flight, killing four
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NU0GK20150510

China cuts interest rates for third time in six months as economy sputters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NV0A320150510