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« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2012, 06:58:12 PM » |
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But I'm a little disappointed that he finally sought medical help. I almost thought he was a true believer. He reached about 95%, I think. I look at it as sad but encouraging. He may have come to his senses (or at least a few of them) too late, but he did eventually come to his senses. |
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Sandy  There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California. Edward Abbey |
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The Magic Pudding
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« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2012, 07:41:58 PM » |
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Ah that's so sad hearing of this guy trying to keep the old ways alive. I think we should send some of our guys to add a thrill and help them keep the culture alive.  |
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BooksCatsEtc
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« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2012, 10:51:03 PM » |
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I've heard there's a snake so mean that if you make it angry, it will not only strike at you but try to chase you down when you run, and so fast that it might well catch you, and so venomous that you're dead before anybody can give you an antidote (assuming there is one). If one of these folks can handle that snake and survive, I'd be willing to consider a supernatural explanation.
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Sandy There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California. Edward Abbey |
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markmcdaniel
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« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2012, 11:05:28 PM » |
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I tend to think of this as evolution in action. Average human intelligence has just gone up by a very small fraction of a percentage point. I think that i detect a Darwin Award winner here. In the future it might be nice if they tried to handle some real snakes say Spiting Cobras or one of the Mambas.
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It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science - Charles Darwin
I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the object of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a god, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. - Albert Einstein
Religion is a by product of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity. - Arther C. Clarke
Faith means not wanting to know what is true. - Friedrich Nietzsche
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xSilverPhinx
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« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2012, 11:15:07 PM » |
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I tend to think of this as evolution in action. Average human intelligence has just gone up by a very small fraction of a percentage point. I think that i detect a Darwin Award winner here. In the future it might be nice if they tried to handle some real snakes say Spiting Cobras or one of the Mambas. Not to want to laugh at another's disgrace and demise, but I feel the same way. It's a clear example of a Darwin Award.  |
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"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day." - Douglas Adams
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."- Seneca the Younger
iGnostic - "It begins with a small i, like everything else cool these days. Needs to have a big G though. iGnostic. See? The coolometer rising... Falling... Just like that. Going to sub-zero, that is. - Asmodean
- forged by The Magic Pudding
The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance… it is the illusion of knowledge. - Stephen Hawking
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The Magic Pudding
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« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2012, 11:25:22 PM » |
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I've heard there's a snake so mean that if you make it angry, it will not only strike at you but try to chase you down when you run, and so fast that it might well catch you, and so venomous that you're dead before anybody can give you an antidote (assuming there is one).
I've seen mambas on wildlife TV shows, their head seemed to be held 4-5 foot off the ground, very freaky. The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), also called the common black mamba or black-mouthed mamba,[4] is the longest venomous snake in Africa, averaging around 2.5 to 3.2 m (8.2 to 10 ft) in length, and sometimes growing to lengths of 4.45 m (14.6 ft).[5] It is named for the black colour of the inside of the mouth rather than the colour of its scales which varies from dull yellowish-green to a gun-metal grey. It is the fastest snake in the world, capable of moving at 4.32 to 5.4 metres per second (16–20 km/h, 10–12 mph).[6] It has a reputation for being aggressive and highly venomous and is among the world's most venomous land snakes.[7 |
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Tank
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« Reply #8 on: June 02, 2012, 11:57:25 PM » |
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I tend to think of this as evolution in action. Average human intelligence has just gone up by a very small fraction of a percentage point. I think that i detect a Darwin Award winner here. In the future it might be nice if they tried to handle some real snakes say Spiting Cobras or one of the Mambas.
The Darwin Awards spring to mind  |
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"Something is true because it matches reality, not because some well-regarded person said it." - The Black Jester.
"Don't let someone else's bullshit ruin your day." - Will
"quoting the Bible doesn't convince atheists, as the Bible is not a holy book to us." - fester30
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OldGit
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« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2012, 12:49:51 AM » |
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He took a week to die! Blimey.
A hundred preachers have died doing this, including his own father. And still they go on. This really does tell us something about the total irrationality of faith.
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  Touched by His Noodly Appendage. |
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xSilverPhinx
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« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2012, 08:01:33 AM » |
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This really does tell us something about the total irrationality of faith.
Yeah, which goes something like: I'm going to handle a venomous snake whose bite can kill me. It's an animal with an independent mind, which means that it's under control because god controls it and god is on my side...I pray. Or it could simply be something more like: I like an audience and I like to show that I can dominate dangerous animals. Even though I know that this snake can kill me, I'm also in absolute denial that it will. Not me. |
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"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day." - Douglas Adams
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."- Seneca the Younger
iGnostic - "It begins with a small i, like everything else cool these days. Needs to have a big G though. iGnostic. See? The coolometer rising... Falling... Just like that. Going to sub-zero, that is. - Asmodean
- forged by The Magic Pudding
The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance… it is the illusion of knowledge. - Stephen Hawking
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« Reply #11 on: June 03, 2012, 10:06:07 AM » |
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He took a week to die! Blimey.
A hundred preachers have died doing this, including his own father. And still they go on. This really does tell us something about the total irrationality of faith.
What you said. Congregants will chock it up to "He didn't have enough faith"..."His faith slipped"..."It was his time to go". None of them will learn anything by this idiots death. They of course will see him in Heaven, so what's to worry about? |
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The essence of the mind is not in what it thinks, but how it thinks. Faith is the surrender of our mind; of reason and our skepticism to put all our trust or faith in someone or something that has no good evidence of itself. That is a sinister thing to me. Of all the supposed virtues, faith is not.
"When you fall, I will be there" - Floor
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« Reply #12 on: June 03, 2012, 10:10:07 AM » |
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I read about this on another site and it said he was well aware of the dangers involved. He didn't believe his god would literally protect him from the snake. he was just using it as a tool to teach people.
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markmcdaniel
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« Reply #13 on: June 03, 2012, 09:22:57 PM » |
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I read about this on another site and it said he was well aware of the dangers involved. He didn't believe his god would literally protect him from the snake. he was just using it as a tool to teach people.
I am not quite sure what lesson he was trying to teach. It cannot be that it is stupid to handle venomous reptiles. Mind you he did a spectacular job of teaching this particular lesson. Particularly the part about how getting bite by venomous snakes can ruin your whole day. |
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It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science - Charles Darwin
I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the object of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a god, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. - Albert Einstein
Religion is a by product of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity. - Arther C. Clarke
Faith means not wanting to know what is true. - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Amicale
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« Reply #14 on: June 04, 2012, 07:04:13 AM » |
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I love snakes. I think they're awesome creatures. I have a healthy respect and fear of any venomous ones, though. I feel bad for his family and community. I'm sure his wife is grieving, and so is his mother. But the others who have commented here are correct: this is a prime example of how to win a Darwin award. Problem is, I don't know if he had kids or not; if he did, then his own removal from the 'gene pool' might very well be repeated. Not to sound cold or cruel, but I look at people like this and go 'oh well, they died because of doing something they loved doing!' And I'd say that for people who skydive, do motorcycle stunts or other dangerous tricks - a lot of them die of injuries, too. To me, it's just absurd that this little group is so bent on interpreting those passages that particular way. Most mainstream Protestants wouldn't. Catholics, Orthodox etc wouldn't. But they choose to, and they believe they're right to such a high extent that they're willing to die if they're wrong because 'it's their time'. That's sad. So much for reason and logic. |
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 "Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb we are bound to others. By every crime and act of kindness we birth our future." - Cloud Atlas "To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is to never die." -Carl Sagan |
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