The Hazards of Belief

recedite

That's a very good deal from Helicopter preacher, I'm tempted...

Bishop I.V. Hilliard told parishioners that if they each donated $52 to the church’s aviation department, which would in turn pay for the helicopter replacement blades, they would receive a car of their choice as a blessing from God that would arrive in either 52 days or 52 weeks

I'm not so sure about Jet preacher. He makes contradictory statements. First he says;

The airplane does belong to Him and not me

But then a few lines down its;

I must have this aircraft...

:pac:

PopePalpatine

B-b-b-but recedite, you're taking his statements out of context! :pac:

Hotblack Desiato

So this miracle new car - does it just appear on the driveway by magic? Do you get to choose the colour, or maybe add a few options??

Gbear

A brief history of Scientology for anyone who isn't au fait with it:



How the **** did anyone ever fall for that bollocks in the first place. You'd think that 1975 would be too late to invent literally the most stupid religion ever conceived (and that's saying quite a bit).

endacl

Gbear wrote: »

How the **** did anyone ever fall for that bollocks in the first place. You'd think that 1975 would be too late to invent literally the most stupid religion ever conceived (and that's saying quite a bit).

The only counter to stupid is non-stupid. And there's quite a shortage of non-stupid about...

Bannasidhe

endacl wrote: »

The only counter to stupid is non-stupid. And there's quite a shortage of non-stupid about...

There does seem to be a lot of people about who find thinking a bit of a challenge.

endacl

Bannasidhe wrote: »

There does seem to be a lot of people about who find thinking a bit of a challenge.

Sky King

Gbear wrote: »

How the **** did anyone ever fall for that bollocks in the first place. You'd think that 1975 would be too late to invent literally the most stupid religion ever conceived (and that's saying quite a bit).

It's just because we're unfamiliar with it. It's no crazier than Christianity.

The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and drink his blood and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from something invisible called your soul that is present in humanity because a woman made from a rib was convinced by a talking snake to eat an apple from a magical tree.

-Urban Dictionary.

kiffer

Sky King wrote: »

It's just because we're unfamiliar with it. It's no crazier than Christianity.

The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and drink his blood and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from something invisible called your soul that is present in humanity because a woman made from a rib was convinced by a talking snake to eat an apple from a magical tree.

-Urban Dictionary.

Symbolically eat his flesh?
I was taught that it was literally his living flesh that just happened to taste like cardboard.

endacl

kiffer wrote: »

Symbolically eat his flesh?
I was taught that it was literally his living flesh that just happened to taste like cardboard.

It was the climate you see. Jebus didn't moisturise.

Sulla Felix

Gbear wrote: »

A brief history of Scientology for anyone who isn't au fait with it:



How the **** did anyone ever fall for that bollocks in the first place. You'd think that 1975 would be too late to invent literally the most stupid religion ever conceived (and that's saying quite a bit).

Why does nearly every picture of Hubbard have him drooling out of one side of his mouth?

endacl

Sulla Felix wrote: »

Why does nearly every picture of Hubbard have him drooling out of one side of his mouth?

He used to lean to one side ever so slightly.

recedite

Gbear wrote: »

How the **** did anyone ever fall for that bollocks in the first place. ..

Its the amazing detail of the history that makes it so irrefutable. Nobody would just make all of that up, would they?
What worries me is that we know Xenu's prison is made secure by a force-field powered by an external battery, located just outside the cave. But the power in this battery must be gradually getting weaker and weaker.....

I can hardly wait for SCIENTOLOGY 2, The Sequel.

SebBerkovich

recedite wrote: »

I can hardly wait for SCIENTOLOGY 2, The Sequel.

I wonder who'll play the lead role...
one things for sure it's gotta be someone who's inexplicably arrogant about their talent, who then has a crisis in their ability but regains his confidence with help from the love of good woman.

Bannasidhe

SebBerkovich wrote: »

I wonder who'll play the lead role...
one things for sure it's gotta be someone who's inexplicably arrogant about their talent, who then has a crisis in their ability so begins to employ male 'escorts' but regains his confidence with help from woman he marries in a blaze of publicity.

SebBerkovich

OH NO! The Creationist Museum is in financial trouble....

Apparently in 5 years the exhibition hasn't change, which is mostly down to the fact that there isn't really anywhere else to go with the theme... it's not like there's going to be any new breakthroughs in the area.

http://deadstate.org/kentuckys-creation-museum-in-financial-trouble-due-to-declining-attendance-video/

Bannasidhe

SebBerkovich wrote: »

OH NO! The Creationist Museum is in financial trouble....

Apparently in 5 years the exhibition hasn't change, which is mostly down to the fact that there isn't really anywhere else to go with the theme... it's not like there's going to be any new breakthroughs in the area.

http://deadstate.org/kentuckys-creation-museum-in-financial-trouble-due-to-declining-attendance-video/

So once you've seen it once...

endacl

Bannasidhe wrote: »

So once you've seen it once...

You'll know it's all bollocks. You'll tell people. Word will spread...

Nodin

SebBerkovich wrote: »

OH NO! The Creationist Museum is in financial trouble....

Apparently in 5 years the exhibition hasn't change, which is mostly down to the fact that there isn't really anywhere else to go with the theme... it's not like there's going to be any new breakthroughs in the area.

http://deadstate.org/kentuckys-creation-museum-in-financial-trouble-due-to-declining-attendance-video/

...you could do men fighting Dinos.....guided tours by people in authentic period clothing

Hotblack Desiato

recedite wrote: »

What worries me is that we know Xenu's prison is made secure by a force-field powered by an external battery, located just outside the cave. But the power in this battery must be gradually getting weaker and weaker.....

Eternal battery.

endacl

ninja900 wrote: »

Eternal battery.

Aha! A battery is a storage device! Therefore finite. It can't be loaded with infinite energy! You'd have to load it with all the matter in the universe. There'd be no matter left over to make the battery itself. And if all the matter in the universe was converted to potential energy, the matter used to make the battery itself would be outside of the universe.

Have I just spotted the fatal flaw at the heart of Scientology?!?*






*May need to be verified by one of my more scientificky colleagues...

recedite

endacl wrote: »

Have I just spotted the fatal flaw at the heart of Scientology?!?*

No, afraid not. You have just proved that the battery is indeed finite, and someday soon Lord Xenu will walk free
Probably straight to the nearest Boots pharmacy, to equip himself with the deadly weapon of his choice - the plastic syringe. And thence, onwards to wreak hypodermic havoc on all humanity.

Bannasidhe

recedite wrote: »

No, afraid not. You have just proved that the battery is indeed finite, and someday soon Lord Xenu will walk free
Probably straight to the nearest Boots pharmacy, to equip himself with the deadly weapon of his choice - the plastic syringe. And thence, onwards to wreak hypodermic havoc on all humanity.

:eek:...I have loads of plastic syringes :eek:

Time to take over the world!!!





umm...what exactly does one do with the plastic syringes?

endacl

Bannasidhe wrote: »

umm...what exactly does one do with the plastic syringes?

Make a vinyl junkie?

Bannasidhe

endacl wrote: »

Make a vinyl junkie?

I have vinyl ...but no junkies and no desire to make one.

Why would I want one?



This taking over the world lark is turning out to be a pain in the hole and I haven't even gotten off the sofa yet. :mad:

Gordon

Gbear wrote: »

How the **** did anyone ever fall for that bollocks in the first place. You'd think that 1975 would be too late to invent literally the most stupid religion ever conceived (and that's saying quite a bit).

I always saw Scientology as an unhappy long term relationship.

As far as I understand it (I could be wrong), followers of Scientology start out at a very basic level being told very very little, they don't hear the whole truth, just small parts of their cult's ideologies. You start off only knowing a little, and liking what you see, so you buy into it a little. Then more is uncovered and you're not sure, but you think that because you've already bought in a little, you might as well make a slight leap of faith (just a small one, you can always back out) by going further, and buying in more. Years pass and the reason the relationship has stayed on for so long is because you have invested so much, you can't possibly bow out now, the loss will be so great.

Everyone knows one woman/man that has been together with this arsehole guy/girl for years, but they just can't break it off anymore, it's had too much of an emotional investment. And then the inevitable, a child is born.. wash, entrench, repeat. You could compare it to a long running losing streak in the casino maybe, or a pyramid scam that has taken you for a ride and you keep giving and giving in hope of a reward.

But it's brilliant that the truth about Scientology is being laid bare to a greater public now; any religion that doesn't show its hand from the outset can't possibly call itself a religion but an undeniable cult.

SebBerkovich wrote: »

OH NO! The Creationist Museum is in financial trouble....

Apparently in 5 years the exhibition hasn't change, which is mostly down to the fact that there isn't really anywhere else to go with the theme... it's not like there's going to be any new breakthroughs in the area.

http://deadstate.org/kentuckys-creation-museum-in-financial-trouble-due-to-declining-attendance-video/

You mean, the Creationist Museum has failed to evolve? And it is not succeeding? Hmmm......

recedite

Bannasidhe wrote: »

umm...what exactly does one do with the plastic syringes?

Pay attention there at the back :P
Its all in the video...

Gbear wrote: »

A brief history of Scientology for anyone who isn't au fait with it:

ShooterSF

recedite wrote: »

Pay attention there at the back :P
Its all in the video...

Wait, I'm confused about the movie. So the cops knew that internal affairs were setting them up?

endacl

ShooterSF wrote: »

Wait, I'm confused about the movie. So the cops knew that internal affairs were setting them up?

Spoiler tags. Please.

Links234

Vatican rent boy scandal:

http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2013/06/vatican-rentboy-and-satanism-claims-revealed-by-priest/

in case you have a problem viewing the site: http://i.imgur.com/zSmPqKS.jpg

human 19

Links234 wrote: »

Vatican rent boy scandal:

http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2013/06/vatican-rentboy-and-satanism-claims-revealed-by-priest/

in case you have a problem viewing the site: http://i.imgur.com/zSmPqKS.jpg

The Vatican is only mentioned in the title, not in the text. Shoddy journalism.

human 19

More fury-inducing islamic nuttery:

A family video showing two teenage girls enjoying rain in their house led to their murder in Chilas(Pakistan) on Sunday night

http://beta.dawn.com/news/1020576

Nodin

human 19 wrote: »

More fury-inducing islamic nuttery:

A family video showing two teenage girls enjoying rain in their house led to their murder in Chilas(Pakistan) on Sunday night

http://beta.dawn.com/news/1020576

Police said that the “offending act” was a family video in which the
daughters were shown smiling as laughing in front of their home with some other
girls during a rainstorm. In addition, an audio recording included one
of the women apparently thanking an admirer for a gift she had
received.

Honor killings refer to the murder of people (primarily women) who have
supposedly committed some act deemed to be a defamation of a family’s honor.

Such acts may include marrying someone regarded as unsuitable, sex before marriage, demanding a divorce, a woman (married or unmarried) being raped, or even things as mundane and innocent as calling a radio station to ask for a song to be played on air, a girl seen talking to a boy.

Although honor killings are typically associated with Muslim
countries like Turkey, Iraq and especially Pakistan, the practice has nothing to do with Islam. Rather, it is rooted in ancient tribal customs whereby the honor of a family or a whole village is represented by the morality, chastity and
proper behavior of its women. Any perceived violation of that sense of
honor often leads to deadly consequences.

http://www.ibtimes.com/honor-killings-pakistan-three-females-same-family-murdered-relative-appearing-video-1327969#

human 19

Nodin wrote: »

http://www.ibtimes.com/honor-killings-pakistan-three-females-same-family-murdered-relative-appearing-video-1327969#


In addition, an audio recording included one
of the women apparently thanking an admirer for a gift she had
received.

How did that justify, even in their warped way of thinking, murdering the 2 daughters and the mother also?

http://www.meforum.org/2745/problem-of-honor-killings


"Of course, the concept of honor killings predates most religions and ultimately has cultural and tribal roots. For example, ancient Assyrian law allowed a father to punish his daughter, if she had been raped, in any manner he wanted.

Nevertheless, the question arises of why honor killings are today more prevalent in the Muslim world and amongst Muslim communities in the West. From Muslim advocacy groups and spokespersons, one has the impression that they have nothing to do with Islam.

For instance, after the murder of Canadian teenager Aqsa Parvez by her father and brother for refusing to wear the hijab, Sheila Musaji wrote in the American Muslim that "although this certainly is a case of domestic violence … 'honor' killings are not only a Muslim problem, and there is no 'honor' involved."

Similarly, Mohamed Elmasry of the Canadian Islamic Congress declared: "I don't want the public to think that this is an Islamic issue or an immigrant issue. It is a teenager issue."


Contrary to such denialism, though, the evidence illustrates that Islamic orthodoxy generally condones the practice, whilst not explicitly recommending it per se.

The most egregious case in point is the Umdat Al-Salik ("Reliance of the Sojourner" in Arabic), a manual on Shari'a (Islamic law) certified by Al-Azhar University, the most prominent and authoritative institute of Islamic jurisprudence in the world, as a reliable guide to orthodox Sunni Islam.


The manual states (01.1-2) that "retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right," except when "a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers)" kills his or her "offspring, or offspring's offspring." Hence, according to this view a parent, who murders his or her son/daughter for the sake of "honor," whether owing to issues of chastity, apostasy and the like, incurs no penalty under Shari'a.

This ruling is derived from a hadith (Sahih Muslim, Book 19, Number 4457) where it is affirmed that one should not kill a child unless one could know "what Khadir had known about the child he killed." Khadir is a figure featured in the Qur'an who accompanies Moses on a journey and kills a son of believing parents for fear that he would rebel against the will of God (18:74 and 18:80-81).

Nodin

human 19 wrote: »

How did that (.............) a journey and kills a son of believing parents for fear that he would rebel against the will of God (18:74 and 18:80-81).

This was the stepbrother, so therefore it has no basis in shariah. Secondly, if you look at the level of development in societies where these things occur, you'll see they're generally 2nd/3rd world.

On a third note, the Middle East Forum is a right wing think tank run by the notorious Daniel Pipes. On examination, this piece seems to bear out the biases of its president.

recedite

Nodin wrote: »

This was the stepbrother, so therefore it has no basis in shariah.

Maybe the step-brother did not bother to read the finer points of Umdat Al-Salik ("Reliance of the Sojourner" in Arabic)
I have often heard that the fact that so called honour killings are practised in Islamic communities is just a coincidence. Bull$hit I say.
Does it say in the Koran that girls may not attend school, or women must wear a burka? I don't really care. The point is that all these things exist in the mysogynistic culture that Islam creates. And without the malign grip that Islam holds on these people, they would soon abandon these practices.

Nodin

recedite wrote: »

Maybe the step-brother did not bother to read the finer points of Umdat Al-Salik ("Reliance of the Sojourner" in Arabic)
I have often heard that the fact that so called honour killings are practised in Islamic communities is just a coincidence. Bull$hit I say.
Does it say in the Koran that girls may not attend school, or women must wear a burka? I don't really care. The point is that all these things exist in the mysogynistic culture that Islam creates. And without the malign grip that Islam holds on these people, they would soon abandon these practices.

....they had these practices long before Islam. It may be some time after its lost its grip that they lose them.

Sulla Felix

I think it's mainly a cultural thing, or at least, it's not unique to Muslims. Sikhs, Hindu, Yazidi, even some Christians, have all died in honour killings.

Gbear

Nodin wrote: »

....they had these practices long before Islam. It may be some time after its lost its grip that they lose them.

I'd imagine that it's not one or the other.

The culture informed Islam and Islam now informs their culture.
Misogyny and religion go hand in hand for good reason.
It puts power in the hands of men so obviously it's engineered to be of benefit to them.

Dades

Muhammad al-Qatta, 15-Year-Old Boy, Reportedly Executed By Syrian Rebel Group For Blasphemy

Coffee vender Muhammad al-Qatta was abducted by rebels in the Syrian city of Aleppo Saturday night and was later returned alive with torture marks, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based group with observers in Aleppo.

The gunmen then shot the boy in the head and in the neck with an automatic rifle in front of a crowd that included Qatta's mother and father, the monitoring group added. Before shooting him, the rebels reportedly announced that cursing the prophet is a terrible vice and that others who did so would be similarly punished.

endacl

Dades wrote: »

Muhammad al-Qatta, 15-Year-Old Boy, Reportedly Executed By Syrian Rebel Group For Blasphemy

Fcuk. Not only are they zealots, but they're arseholes too?!?

SebBerkovich

endacl wrote: »

Fcuk. Not only are they zealots, but they're arseholes too?!?

Are there zealots that aren't arseholes?

endacl

SebBerkovich wrote: »

Are there zealots that aren't arseholes?

I'd hope some are just catastrophically misguided...

recedite

Interesting that the boy had earlier taken part in pro-democracy protests, ie technically he was on the same side as the Islamists; the rebel side.
Its the same in Egypt, the dictator gets overthrown by rebels who are more or less equally divided between Islamist zealots and pro-democracy secularists.
Even if "the rebels" win, its only the start of their problems. No wonder "the West" has been reluctant to support them.

endacl

Oh, the sooner we grow/run out of oil, the better. For everybody, Middle East included...

FouxDaFaFa

Dades wrote: »

Muhammad al-Qatta, 15-Year-Old Boy, Reportedly Executed By Syrian Rebel Group For Blasphemy

I read a reddit thread about this and someone was saying that the perceived slight happened as a misunderstanding about slang. Nice to have in confirmed for the idiocy it is.

According to the organization, rebels targeted the boy because he had said he wouldn't lend money to someone "even if [Muhammad] comes back to life." The saying -- or at least a variation of it -- is a common phrase used by Syrians, Al Jazeera notes.

Brian Shanahan

recedite wrote: »

Even if "the rebels" win, its only the start of their problems. No wonder "the West" has been reluctant to support them.

The western governments are "reluctant" to support them. There is a difference, reluctant without quote marks denotes an actual reluctance, reluctant with is simply a sham in order to placate a hostile public back home.

For example the US are perfectly happy to shovel money and guns to Al-Qaeda in Syria and previously Libya, through client states and other proxy methods.

the_monkey

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23139784

But Islam is a peaceful religion ?

robindch

Remember the Spanish Inquisition? And the centuries of bad press that arose from it?

A dastardly protestant plot, it turns out (according to the "Catholic News Agency" anyway):

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/cw/post.php?id=719

SebBerkovich

the_monkey wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23139784

But Islam is a peaceful religion ?

THATS the problem, those murderers must not have heard... this could all be cleared up if we just have a sit down and remind them how peaceful Islam is.

They're gonna feel pretty stupid....