Recent posts

#1

Current Events / Re: Minnesota (U.S.) art profe...

Last post by Asmodean - Today at 01:21:44 PM

Also, Sweden has been a bit of a safe harbor for Turkish separatists, terrorists and the like and yes, there is plenty of animosity to go around - to the point where I, for one, am uncertain of how a defencive military alliance including both parties could function, and yet the recent bout of "cold weather" was directly attributed to them pesky Swedes roasting Turkish holy cows - more-or-less literally speaking.

There was a unexplainable Qur'an fire in the Netherlands as well, from what I read - and there be protests in all them unsurprising places. People being injured in protests even.

...It's a book. On fire. Millions more where it came from. It's not like it was endangered or something.

#2

Current Events / Re: Minnesota (U.S.) art profe...

Last post by Tank - Today at 11:05:55 AM

I think you'll find that Turkey stopping Sweden joining NATO was what caused the book burning. And Turkey has got the hump about Sweden because they were against Turkey joining the EU.

#3

Current Events / Re: Minnesota (U.S.) art profe...

Last post by Asmodean - Today at 10:44:50 AM

...And yet...

#4

Religion / Re: Christians in Minority in ...

Last post by Asmodean - Today at 09:59:14 AM

Of course it takes faith. But we exercise degrees of faith every day. I work because I have faith that my employer is going to pay me in two weeks. I don't know that, but based on past experience I work another two weeks. A parent has faith in Texas when he/she sends his/her child to school - faith that the next school shooting won't happen then and there. We can't live life without some level of faith. Religious faith just goes a bit (or a lot) farther. Based on something a person believes. Subjective belief enters into all of it at some level.

That is interesting, because I see it differently.

I work because I want to achieve certain work-related results. I do not have faith that my employer will pay me, but a contractual right to payment for my services, in exchange for contractual obligation to provide said services. A failure may occur on either end, and there are processes in place to deal with such. To a degree, it is a matter of trust, but I do not think it is a matter of faith.

I think I would also find it very difficult to send my (admittedly non-existent) children to school on faith that they would not get shot. If their statistical likelihood to be so was higher than my threshhold of parental worry, I'd either home school or find another option beneath said threshhold. Again, it's not faith that the kids will come back alive and relatively well, but an [/i]expectation,[/i] because they are supposed to - and nearly all do. It would not even rise to the level of watching my kid drive off in his car the hour he got his license - and even that would be a mix of hope and expectation of safe return.

I... Don't disagree that everybody probably makes some decisions at least partly based on faith, but I do think that it is possible to live a life without. For instance, I think hope may get you equally far. (As a point of difference, if gambling on red, it's your hope that the ball will land thusly - not necessarily your belief or faith. It's... Less absolute than that.)

#5

Current Events / Re: Minnesota (U.S.) art profe...

Last post by Bluenose - Today at 09:47:17 AM

Freedom of religion includes the right not to be forced to follow any particular religious practice.  It is fine for the Mullahs to say that observant Muslims may not depict images of their prophet.  It is entirely out of order for them to seek to impose that upon non-Muslims.

#6

Life As An Atheist / Re: This is serious. This is r...

Last post by Asmodean - Today at 09:46:01 AM

It is a shame that people are persecuted for what they believe or do not believe. People are not truly free until we are all free.

Nations are not truly free unless all people in them are. I postulate that no nation is truly free. Some people, however, are, or very nearly so, self-imposed restrictions notwithstanding.

It is absolutely a shame though, that vast numbers of people would cheer the modern-day burning of witches (Which in some cases is, even today, the literal burning of... Far-less literal witches)

One would think that access to education would take care of that, and it certainly helps, but then we have nations like Saudi Arabia and Iran, where that ought not be that big of an issue. Iran has, in fact, "devolved" with the regime change.

It's difficult to be optimistic on mr. Bala's behalf, what with where the events unfold and the time they take to do so, but I do hope that those in the position to offer constructive support continue to do so. What else is there, but defeat?

#7

Laid Back Lounge / Re: Photography, photos you to...

Last post by Asmodean - Today at 09:36:44 AM

Slightly different foreheads.

The Asmo wonders if the father bird ought to demand an paternity test on both accounts.

#8

Current Events / Re: Minnesota (U.S.) art profe...

Last post by Asmodean - Today at 09:34:19 AM

We have this situation in NATO now where Turkey is Islam-blocking a Swedish membership because the Swedes did the only right thing and let a dude do with his personal property as he wished, in spite of said property being the Qur'an and the said doing as he wished being burning thereof.

All in all, I think Sweden is far more useful to NATO than Turkey, due to them Swedes being crafty when it comes to making pretty impressive weapon systems, but then Turkey was there first.

I'm not one to burn books, flags or photos for symbolic value, as I find it difficult to buy into such symbols to begin with, but I wonder if maybe we really should burn more Qur'ans - just because we bloody well can.

#9

Laid Back Lounge / Re: Things You Would Change in...

Last post by Asmodean - Today at 09:26:07 AM

Let us not forget those who inflict themselves on others having recognised their own failings and deemed them someone else's fault and/or problem, if not worse - virtues.

#10

Religion / Re: For the record.

Last post by Recusant - Today at 06:08:19 AM

Hear! Hear!