monkeyseemonkeydo

I'm deeply offended. Exoskeletons ftw.

I'm guessing you mean the OTN topic where I went off on one about Americans (funnily enough considering the title of this topic!) and again, you're right, I can be rather outspoken and have quite strong opinions... it's comes down to me seeing things in black and white with not much room for grey areas I think.

I thought someone would pick up on something like that. The thing is that I'm open to suggestions and have considered the possibility of a god and afterlife and whatever else but have thought about it reasonably and logically and decided that it's all rubbish. Not the underlying message of religion of course but the need for a beardy dude who can heal the sick and the existence of heaven as a place to go when you die. Basically, I've been through the open minded stage, realised there's nothing in it and am now open to suggestions but consider it incredibly unlikely so don't tend to entertain the idea for long any more. Joe on the other hand seems to have simply been brought up being told exactly what to think, these beliefs being backed up by rather questionable miraculous healings in church through prayer and incredible stories from Christian camps. He's shown over and again his lack of knowledge on the evolutionary theory and so is happy to carry on believing what he's been told to believe for years. I know what you're getting at but I honestly believe he's the one whose completely ignorant to the possibilities that are out there. I understand the basis of his beliefs and am willing consider and ultimately dismiss them whereas he has little understanding of where I'm coming from yet freely dismisses it without even considering the possibility. I know what I mean...

Not high res here but would be able to get them if needed: Photo by Chris Ratcliff Photo by Dan Campbell Photo by Dan Campbell Photo by Dan Campbell Photo by Andy Green Photo by Andy Green Photo by Andy Green Photo by Andy Green Photo by Andy Green Photo by Andy Green Photo by Andy Green Photo by Andy Green Photo by Andy Green

Not an idiot, just naive, close-minded (in your own, Christian way) and undereducated in scientific theories. Well I'm really glad one person in the World knows what's going to happen in the end because everyone else can only speculate. The Pope, Archbishop and I included...

It's very similar to knocking your head against a brick wall...

, however you want to think about it .

Your brain is a very clever thing but it's the old nature/nurture thing. Between the general personality traits you can inherit from your parents (nature- think of how you can gauge a dogs likely temperament from its parents and breeding) and the rest comes down to nurture- what you are exposed to as you grow up, the way you are treated by those around you etc. Having a 'soul' adds the spiritual element to it which is just another way of thinking about your personality and how your presence has impacted and affected those around you.

You're bloody right I haven't. Because any mass hysteria fueled sermon like that is 100% false with 'stooges' placed to make the naive followers like yourself see what they want you to see. What's more worrying is that it sounds like your entire family must be conspiring against you to make sure you're well and truly brainwashed to the way of the lord. I think the documentary you watched was some bullshit made by Christians to help in the brain washing again. If that's the extent of your knowledge of science and evolution I'm not surprised you're so confused and naive. Get a grip, man. It really, really, really doesn't. If it did, do you think anyone in the World would not believe in God? There would be no need for doctors or hospitals because everyone would be a complete believer in God and just nip down the church when they found out they had cancer. The only place these things happen are in completely over the top/cult sermons not dissimilar to what's in the video in the very first post. You need to open your eyes if you honestly believe what you think you're seeing during these 'healings'. I've seen enough footage of those 'miracles' and 'healings' to know it's absolute bullshit. I really hope you never get struck down with a serious illness because your trust in the Lord ain't gonna cut it.

That's good to know. Utter tosh of course but good to know. I quite honestly have no real response for that because it is firstly completely impossible and stupid but the fact you honestly believe it makes it really worrying... Do you not find it even slightly odd that no one else in the entire World has ever seen a miracle (whether they're true believers in God or no) yet you've personally witnessed plenty? There's something reeally wrong there.

Yeah that's 'just' a body varial...

True, true.

Special Greg's Travis Pastrana's cousin and is the one who's helped to open up Travis' mind to the possibilities. Travis has been practising those on a crosser for a few years into the foam pit but I don't think he's tried it on dirt yet... I think it's called the 'Greg's flip varial' or something along those lines. He's special. Americans are sooo retarded! Edit: Aaaand the FMX boys are doing bikeflips now too.

Apparently he just heals your family. Lucky you! We've been through this before, Joe. Life didn't just pop into existence as a fully formed cat, dog or human (as some books will have you believe). Life started in the simplest possible form and EVOLVED into what we see today. FeS. Trust. Because your previous question didn't deserve an answer?

It doesn't happen. I don't know what you think you've seen but it would appear that your family are the only people in the world (besides the crazies from the States) who are magically healed through prayer. I'm sorry but it just doesn't happen.

I've considered the possible origins of Christianity a bit more and that the ideology of the faith isn't bad per se. However, I still think there's a huge discrepancy between what it should be, and probably what it is supposed to be, and what it has been used for over the years and what it has become. I also still think that whatever you and Bejus say, the Bible (the one you find in hotel rooms, not the 60+ books) is still taken at face value by the majority of Christians and that is wrong. Basically, whatever it started out as it no longer is and in its modified state has lost touch with modern society. I wouldn't call them all blind sheep but I'll still be somewhat disappointed if I find out a young person I'm talking to is a Christian. Just yesterday I gave a student directions to a building and he had a monster crucifix round his neck over his jumper and my first thought was . Regarding miracles, I read just the other day that in America there were a load of car crashes and a street was brought to a standstill due to a streetlight which cast a shape which looked like Bejus. Hallelujah. However, if we're talking about biblical miracles well that's just a case of physics and the laws of nature. The universe is governed by such things, including the miraculous area of quantum physics, and not a supreme being with a sick sense of humour. To accept biblical miracles are possible is to accept god and that ain't gonna happen!

I understand that the teachings can be interpreted in ways to take meaning from it and that the underlying stories can be used to better ourselves (to an extent). However, the fact still remains that the followers of the Bible truly believe, from what I understand, in the existance of God as a real being (of sorts) and the existence of heaven, hell as real places where they will go when they die. It's mass delusion arising from the texts which when written probably were never intended to be taken as they are.

There's a discrepancy here though- your saying Christianity stemmed from people being shitty to each other. Granted. Christians will tell you that Christianity stemmed from a chap with a beard who created the earth, sky, Universe, all the animals, humans, McDonalds and the talking snake before going on holiday for a while (not sure what comes between creation and Ben), kinda makes a son so he can be killed and stem a religion based on his existence. Kinda. Now if Christianity was based from the birth of a radical free thinker called Ben who changed the way everyone looked at each other and life in general then cool beans. However Christianity (like Scientology) had to go that extra step and jazz it up a bit by including some stupid story on the creation of the Universe, the existence of some supreme being and all the 'miracles' which then takes it too far and turns it into a joke in my eyes. 1- your argument holds for that statement, sure, but we're not talking about whether Ben actually meant right angles or regions of interest, we're talking about a fictional flood which covered the earth in water saving only Noah's family and two of every animal. Now that's not a slight discrepancy of meaning or metaphor, that's plain old fairy tail. As is the creation story, as is the burning bush, virgin birth, water to wine, parting of seas, God etc. etc. Again it's the difference between a believable story about a revalutionary and a fairy story which takes it too far and becomes stupid. 2- I said 99% fiction . I'm allowing the 1% chance that there may have been a chap called Ben around a couple of thousand years ago who stood up for his people.

Never come across Monstercolors before, might give them a go next time the Inspired changes colour .

Nicely put.

Beigemaster seemed to be saying that the Bible wasn't fiction. Symbolic or metaphorical makes no odds, that's still fiction in my book. Fiction with a meaning of course, but still fiction. If the stories in the Bible are symbolic or metaphorical then it would appear to me that the existence of God, the afterlife, Heaven and Hell (in the Christian sense) must also be ficticious. Anyway, we're still going over old ground here that was all covered in Dave's 'Is anyone a hardcore chirstian' topic.

1. Bible = 99% Story/Fiction. A guess of course but burning bushes, great floods, parting of seas, talking snakes? I call bullshit . 2. Of course there were some incredibly intelligent people thousands of years ago but we did have the dark ages when it would appear everyone forgot all the useful things the human race had learned and suddenly went a bit retarded... At that point the church owned all the land and was the most powerful body in Britain. There were the Crusades as well when in the name of God thousands of people were ethnically cleansed because Jesus was a white man from Oxford. I guess that then leads to the reason for scaring people. There was (is?) a lot of money and power involved in Christianity and by scaring the weak public into believing in you there was a lot to gain. Any free thinkers (heretics) were murdered so they couldn't spread the knowledge they had gained. I think the Church has a lot to answer for and considering it's based on he bible (which I think is as factually based as Harry Potter) they don't have a leg to stand on.

I've known a couple who thought that things like 9/11 were God's will and of course the freaks who preach on the streets reading passages from the Bible... They're out there though of course that's a minority.

1: There's also a very readable series of books based on a very special young man who is the saviour of mankind without ever asking for his gifts. He had a scar shaped lightning bolt on his forehead. Did Jesus? Didn't think so . 2: Because people are (were moreso in days gone by) gullible and uneducated so when people told them that this is how it is, follow this or you will spend eternity in excruciating pain having a pinapple inserted in your anus while pushing a rock uphill. If I knew no better I'd probably've done what they ask just in case they were right! However I do know better. Because deep down they know what they believe is questional at best and completely insane at worst. [/sarcasm but not really]