The Hazards of Belief

Yeah it's a bit mental there
Corrupt monks and stuff too
Some things are universal

Beruthiel

Mort.
The concept of Death fly fishing will forever make me smile.
That, and the fact his horse is called Binky.
I Terry P.

Bannasidhe

Beruthiel wrote: »

Mort.
The concept of Death fly fishing will forever make me smile.
That, and the fact his horse is called Binky.
I Terry P.

I can't decide which is my favourite...

legspin

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I can't decide which is my favourite...

Bit of a sticky one alright.

kylith

Beruthiel wrote: »

Mort.
The concept of Death fly fishing will forever make me smile.
That, and the fact his horse is called Binky.
I Terry P.

I absolutely credit TP with helping remove any fear of death I had. It really helps just to think of death as a nice guy who is just doing his job.

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I can't decide which is my favourite...

Me neither. When people ask me I'm all "Mort. No! Wyrd Sisters. No! Met at Arms. Oooo! I forgot about The Last Hero!" Trying to pick one to read is nigh on impossible. There's a new one called Raising Steam out soon



ETA: The Last Continent! Great book!

Beruthiel

I have a little witch hanging from my car mirror, her name is Granny Weatherwax.

Quatermain

I once encountered a poll as to the best female character in fiction, starting with Ripley, Brienne of Tarth, all the greats. By the end, it had boiled down to Granny Weatherwax (who cannot be having with this) and Toph Bei Fong (a blind eight year-old who has destroyed whole armies). I'm pretty sure the argument is actually still raging...

Bannasidhe

Quatermain wrote: »

I once encountered a poll as to the best female character in fiction, starting with Ripley, Brienne of Tarth, all the greats. By the end, it had boiled down to Granny Weatherwax (who cannot be having with this) and Toph Bei Fong (a blind eight year-old who has destroyed whole armies). I'm pretty sure the argument is actually still raging...

Tell me of this Toph Bei Fong - I am unacquainted with her.

Gbear

I had collected all the Discworld paperback editions up until Nightwatch when we moved home from France and left them all behind because we were too poor to afford renting a moving truck.
Lost our pool table as well.

I'm slowly building up my collection again. I have about half of them so far.

Some day I'm going to own my own house with my own bookshelf and it's going to have 1 level of pop science, 1 level of biographies and about 6 levels of Discworld.:)

Having originally read the Colour of Magic when I was 10, doing a re-read at 21 made me realise how much stuff flew over my head.

I didn't even grasp what "in-sewer-ants" were first time around.:o

Quatermain

Bannasidhe wrote: »

Tell me of this Toph Bei Fong - I am unacquainted with her.

She was from a cartoon called Avatar, which was all about elemental-powered martial arts. The titular avatar is a sort of messiah figure meant to unite the world. On their adventures, the main group (Aang the avatar, and a pair of siblings from the South Pole) encounter Toph in an underground fighting ring, where she was the top dog among huge, terrifying wrestler-types despite being both petite and blind. She could use her "earth-bending" abilities to "see" through sensing vibrations, and her natural talent was only honed by professional fighting.

Toph was a great character because while she was on solid ground, in her element, she was raucous, rude, and brash. Put her somewhere she can't "see", and she became a frightened little girl in the middle of a warzone. Plus, of course, her blindness was played for a disability as much as possible, as well as being used rather boldly for humour. All told, a very well-rounded character.

Sarky

Quatermain wrote: »

She was from a cartoon called Avatar, which was all about elemental-powered martial arts. The titular avatar is a sort of messiah figure meant to unite the world. On their adventures, the main group (Aang the avatar, and a pair of siblings from the South Pole) encounter Toph in an underground fighting ring, where she was the top dog among huge, terrifying wrestler-types despite being both petite and blind. She could use her "earth-bending" abilities to "see" through sensing vibrations, and her natural talent was only honed by professional fighting.

Toph was a great character because while she was on solid ground, in her element, she was raucous, rude, and brash. Put her somewhere she can't "see", and she became a frightened little girl in the middle of a warzone. Plus, of course, her blindness was played for a disability as much as possible, as well as being used rather boldly for humour. All told, a very well-rounded character.

Lot of great characterisation in Avatar, it's a triumph of storytelling. Everyone should give it a go, aside from the rather excellent plot (which has a lot of fascinating and complex spirituality running through it), it has some of the cheekiest, most subversive humour you're likely to find outside of Adult Swim.

"Pfft, science. Can your science explain why it rains?"
"YES! YES IT CAN!"

Bannasidhe

Sarky wrote: »

Lot of great characterisation in Avatar, it's a triumph of storytelling. Everyone should give it a go, aside from the rather excellent plot (which has a lot of fascinating and complex spirituality running through it), it has some of the cheekiest, most subversive humour you're likely to find outside of Adult Swim.

"Pfft, science. Can your science explain why it rains?"
"YES! YES IT CAN!"

Does it come in Kindle?

Quatermain

Bannasidhe wrote: »

Does it come in Kindle?

Some of the sequel comics to the series do, but not the main show, I think. Bit of a shame, but you should be able to find it on DVD on Amazon or the like. Just look up "Avatar: The Last Airbender". There was a live-action film made of it a few years back, but avoid that like the plague.

Sokka was also one of the most interesting characters. He couldn't fly around or shoot fire out of his hands. All he could do was boring stuff like invent the submarine, plan complex amphibious assaults, and kill people with trigonometry.

Sarky

Aye, as well as the comic relief guy, he was the one with the Plan. It was always obvious that when he wasn't around the others were a bit clueless. It was really well-written so that everyone had some reason to be there, everyone contributed something.

PopePalpatine

The live-action adaption by M Night Shytrololololaman is kinda one of those things that make you disregard the existence of an intervening, omnibenelovent deity.

Obliq

PopePalpatine wrote: »

The live-action adaption by M Night Shytrololololaman is kinda one of those things that make you disregard the existence of an intervening, omnibenelovent deity.

You said it. Terrible film - had no idea it came from a good story. Will go find it for my teen (and me, of course....)

Brian Shanahan

Beruthiel wrote: »

I have a little witch hanging from my car mirror, her name is Granny Weatherwax.

More of a Gytha Ogg man myself. Have had lots of grand-aunts which would fit her description.

lazygal

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/measles-outbreak-tied-texas-megachurch-sickens-21-8C11009315


Apparently trusting in God before seeking medical attention doesn't prevent measles.

Genghiz Cohen

lazygal wrote: »

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/measles-outbreak-tied-texas-megachurch-sickens-21-8C11009315


Apparently trusting in God before seeking medical attention doesn't prevent measles.

I'm shocked.

Shocked!



...well, not that shocked.

robindch

Apparently the dramatic fall-off in church attendance in the USA isn't caused by outbreaks of reason, but by -- wait for it -- ball games:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/september/game-changer.html?paging=off

Christianity Today wrote:

early 1 in 3 Americans told Gallup they rarely or never attended religious services in 2012. And many pastors blame the secularization of Sundays, led by a commonly perceived culprit: children's sports. That's what Steve McMullin found after the Acadia Divinity College professor interviewed church leaders and members at shrinking congregations. His study, published in the Review of Religious Research, showed that pastors most often identified "competing Sunday activities"—led by youth athletic events—as the primary reason for declining worship attendance.

The sentiment echoes the 2008 Faith Communities Today survey. On its list of "obstacles making it difficult for people to regularly participate in [a] congregation," pastors cited driving distance, conflicts with work schedules, and fear of crime (among other reasons). But children's school and sports activities proved to be "by far the greatest obstacle." This held true for rural, suburban, and urban churches alike. However, McMullin said, other studies show that children's sports are likely not the main culprit. The families involved in sports programs are generally the families that still attend church, he said, so the real cause of shrinking attendance likely lies elsewhere.

Whether or not organized sports are Public Enemy No. 1 for churches, they still represent a symbolic challenge: how to engage members in a changing culture. "Sunday has lost its sacredness for most people," McMullin said. "Churches need to ask, 'Since that's true, how do we then respond?' " Rather than resenting organized sports, churches should learn to embrace their value, said John White, director of Baylor University's new sports ministry and chaplaincy program, which accepted its first incoming class last fall.

When done well, children's sports can show the value of play to a holistic Christian life, he said. "Most adults don't know how to play," said White. "They just never learned. Oftentimes Christians are the worst at competition, and we need to educate them." Sports can teach discipline, friendship, teamwork, and ethics if Christians approach them well, he added. White and his family miss Sunday worship for occasional games. Those events lead to conversations about how sports can build character but shouldn't take precedence over church.

Collin Sparks, executive director of camp ministries for Kanakuk Kamps, a sports-themed Christian summer camp, believes sports can help teach character formation. But he recognizes that sports can also represent misplaced cultural values, which the church should counter. "The things that we esteem in our culture—even in the church—are success, accomplishment, being happy," he said. "We'll give thousands of dollars to play these games. But we won't give 20 minutes to sit down and read the Bible."

Many churches are making practical changes to acknowledge the draw of sports on family life, said David Roozen, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. According to Roozen, 4 in 10 evangelical and historically black churches have at least some program emphasis on team sports, fitness activities, or exercise classes. Compared to their peers, churches with a high emphasis on such programs tend to experience more growth, according to survey data.

Some churches have shifted schedules. "Here in New England, I know congregations that shut down youth programs during ski season," said Roozen. "Whether that's adaptive or totally capitulating, I'm not sure. They at least recognize that no one's going to show up. That's the world we've become."

Bannasidhe

robindch wrote: »

Apparently the dramatic fall-off in church attendance in the USA isn't caused by outbreaks of reason, but by -- wait for it -- ball games:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/september/game-changer.html?paging=off

What a load of balls.





(I'll get me coat...again)

seamus

robindch wrote: »

"Most adults don't know how to play," said White. "They just never learned. Oftentimes Christians are the worst at competition, and we need to educate them."

I guess when "sport" originally consisted of being pitted against a lion with only your bare hands, you're probably going to have a negative view of it

Sulla Felix

seamus wrote: »

I guess when "sport" originally consisted of being pitted against a lion with only your bare hands, you're probably going to have a negative view of it

Ahem.

The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a story of Martyrdom.

Sarky

I've met a few girls who enjoy the sub thing and/or a little pain, but that's going a bit far...

Delirium

David Quinn latest article in the Indo:

If there is no God, no law-giver, then why should we be equal?

An ironic title given that Mr.Quinn is opposed to marriage equality. Seems that even with the faith that God exists, some are still more equal than others.

The article is essentially "only theism (read: Christianity) can lead to equality in society". :rolleyes:

Nodin

Righty-ho.....

'Black Jesus' murder: Leader of 6,000-strong cannibal rape cult hacked to death by villagers in Papua New Guinea jungle after killing yet again


Stephen Tari called himself 'the true Christ' and had previously been accused of raping, murdering and eating young girls

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/black-jesus-murder-leader-of-6000strong-cannibal-rape-cult-hacked-to-death-by-villagers-in-papua-new-guinea-jungle-after-killing-yet-again-8791967.html

FouxDaFaFa

6,000 strong cannibal rape cult.

Right.

wp_rathead

koth wrote: »

David Quinn latest article in the Indo:

If there is no God, no law-giver, then why should we be equal?

An ironic title given that Mr.Quinn is opposed to marriage equality. Seems that even with the faith that God exists, some are still more equal than others.

The article is essentially "only theism (read: Christianity) can lead to equality in society". :rolleyes:

the following quote gave me chills.. and not the good kind..:(

David Quinn wrote:

In fact, if there is no God, and we are simply a by-product of blind evolution, then why should we be equal? By what principle do we arrive at such a notion other than that it suits us to believe in it?

Politics is full of human rights talk. However, this presupposes there is some kind of a moral law, higher than the civil law, which the civil law must conform to.

Hotblack Desiato

The only reason we should be equal is that there is a consensus in developed societies that this is a good thing.

Morals are a human construct. Societies are a human construct. I thought DQ was being touted as the 'intellectual' cutting edge of catholic conservatism? :rolleyes:


Oh and I read his Mater article as well (thankfully I didn't see it at the time cause I was on hols) I'm trying hard to think of something that accurately describes it without violating the charter. Dumb doesn't do it, it's a lot worse than dumb. Basically, give the RCC your taxes and let them decide how to spend it, it's good for you, even if they let you die.

PopePalpatine

Gah, this discussion of the <SNIP> Quinn <SNIP> is hurting my brain.

The Black Oil

Just the usual vaccination fun.

Clicky

Cossax

ninja900 wrote: »

The only reason we should be equal is that there is a consensus in developed societies that this is a good thing.

Morals are a human construct. Societies are a human construct. I thought DQ was being touted as the 'intellectual' cutting edge of catholic conservatism? :rolleyes:


Oh and I read his Mater article as well (thankfully I didn't see it at the time cause I was on hols) I'm trying hard to think of something that accurately describes it without violating the charter. Dumb doesn't do it, it's a lot worse than dumb. Basically, give the RCC your taxes and let them decide how to spend it, it's good for you, even if they let you die.

joseph brand

koth wrote: »

David Quinn latest article in the Indo:

If there is no God, no law-giver, then why should we be equal?

An ironic title given that Mr.Quinn is opposed to marriage equality. Seems that even with the faith that God exists, some are still more equal than others.

The article is essentially "only theism (read: Christianity) can lead to equality in society". :rolleyes:

Racism also derived plenty of support from the 'scientific' doctrine of Social Darwinism and the idea that the white man had won the battle to be the 'fittest'.

Yeah, blame science. NOT, white christians. They even liked the jews, although the jews 'killed' jesus.

In other words, for St Vincent's hospital there is no law higher than civil law. Martin Luther King would profoundly disagree with that. As would Abraham Lincoln.

Check mate atheists.

Btw, David Quinn gives a greasy hand shake.

Bannasidhe

joseph brand wrote: »

Btw, David Quinn gives a greasy hand shake.

You shook his hand :eek:

I'm funny about things like that - I cannot bring myself to shake hands (i.e. touch) people who spout rhetoric I profoundly disagree with....

Cabaal

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/09/02/shes-the-mother-of-a-young-child-as-well-that-doesnt-look-great/?fb_source=pubv1

The priest who gave a character witness for the convicted man, Father Sean Sheehy (top) maintains his belief in Foley’s innocence and reckons the jury delivered the wrong verdict.

He is reported as saying of the victim:

“I don’t want to make any judgment on her at all, but obviously the whole situation must have been embarrassing, for the police to happen upon them and what-not. She’s the mother of a young child as well and, you know, that in itself doesn’t look great.”

Fr Sheehy said Foley remains unrepentant and is planning to volunteer for the Samaritans on release having completed a course while in Arbour Hill.

I hope to hell the Samaritans do not under any circumstances employee this man,

Sarky

It would take more time than he's worth for me to come up with the words to adequately describe the depth of my contempt for that man.

FouxDaFaFa

Fr Sheehy represents an organisation that's historically hidden and defended child abusers and imprisoned unwed mothers and he's now defending a man convicted of sexual assault and, you know, that in itself doesn't look great.

Pr1ck.

Delirium

“I don’t want to make any judgment on her at all, .....

Really?

... but obviously the whole situation must have been embarrassing, for the police to happen upon them and what-not. She’s the mother of a young child as well and, you know, that in itself doesn’t look great.”

Looks like judging to me. And to make it worse, it reads as if he is possibly suggesting that mothers should be embarrased/ashamed of themselves for being sexually assaulted! :eek:

I hope someone has words with him to explain just how disgusting his attitude is.

kylith

koth wrote: »

Looks like judging to me. And to make it worse, it reads as if he is possibly suggesting that mothers should be embarrased/ashamed of themselves for being sexually assault! :eek:

Not at all, mothers are fantastic; so much so that no woman should be allowed not to be a mother. It's the single mothers... the hoors who enjoy sex. They should be ashamed and should be shamed. Shunned in the street! Sure that's why she claimed she was raped; not because a man assaulted her when she was unconscious, oh no! But because she's a dirty whore who changed her mind about having sex with him and decided to ruin this poor, sweet, innocent man's life.



Urgh... I feel dirty after writing that.

FouxDaFaFa

You know, the real victims of rape are the rapists.

They're going along, minding their own business and then, suddenly, they rape someone and their world is turned upside down.

Their whole lives are ruined.

Poor things.

Bannasidhe

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

You know, the real victims of rape are the rapists.

They're going along, minding their own business and then, suddenly, they rape someone and their world is turned upside down.

Their whole lives are ruined.

Poor things.

It's not their fault you know.

Nature made man to be inflamed with desire by the female so babies can be begatted. Man cannot help himself - this is why the female must be upholstered with swathes of heavy duty material so that man can focus on other tasks.


I was once told this by a Mullah ( he phrased it differently but that was the gist of it). I thought he was joking...when I realised he was deadly serious I showed him my office door and put his grant application for funding to teach small children (male and female) at so far to the bottom of my to-do pile it may have technically been in China.

PopePalpatine

Bannasidhe wrote: »

It's not their fault you know.

Nature made man to be inflamed with desire by the female so babies can be begatted. Man cannot help himself - this is why the female must be upholstered with swathes of heavy duty material so that man can focus on other tasks.


I was once told this by a Mullah ( he phrased it differently but that was the gist of it). I thought he was joking...when I realised he was deadly serious I showed him my office door and put his grant application for funding to teach small children (male and female) at so far to the bottom of my to-do pile it may have technically been in China.

You met dead_one? :eek:

kylith

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

You know, the real victims of rape are the rapists.

They're going along, minding their own business and then, suddenly, they rape someone and their world is turned upside down.

Their whole lives are ruined.

Poor things.

It's the women's fault, with their short skirts and their disco dancing. Sure the poor fellas can't help themselves.

'Twasn't like this when them hussies had to dress head to toe in black and wear a headshawl, I'll tell you that.

Cabaal

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

You know, the real victims of rape are the rapists.

They're going along, minding their own business and then, suddenly, they rape someone and their world is turned upside down.

Their whole lives are ruined.

Poor things.

I don't know what anyone's worried about anyway,

Sure if It's A Legitimate Rape... The Female Body Has Ways Shut That Whole Thing Down.

Ughh, scary people think that way...scary...scary...scary

kylith

Bannasidhe wrote: »

Nature made man to be inflamed with desire by the female so babies can be begatted. Man cannot help himself - this is why the female must be upholstered with swathes of heavy duty material so that man can focus on other tasks.


I was once told this by a Mullah ( he phrased it differently but that was the gist of it). I thought he was joking...when I realised he was deadly serious I showed him my office door and put his grant application for funding to teach small children (male and female) at so far to the bottom of my to-do pile it may have technically been in China.

That idea would be funny, if it weren't so insulting to men*. It always reminds me of the Ferengi, whose females are not allowed wear clothing because it inflames the males to think of what's underneath the clothing.

*which is a change for religion, I'll grant them that.

Bannasidhe

PopePalpatine wrote: »

You met dead_one? :eek:

:eek:

Gordon

When certain religious peers are committing sexual abuse and rape, and certain religious texts talk of murder, rape and pillaging in a positive light, it's no wonder that f*ckheads will seek to emulate such horrors, especially when such peers' groundless ethical considerations are unfortunately given airtime in our society.

Hotblack Desiato

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/does-science-really-say-everything-that-can-be-said-about-life-1.1513735

Does science really say everything that can be said about life?

A straw man in the headline and it only gets worse from there

Lots of really poor science vs. religion articles in the IT recently. Depressing.

Brian Shanahan

In other words, for St Vincent's hospital there is no law higher than civil law. Martin Luther King would profoundly disagree with that. As would Abraham Lincoln.

There was always something bugging me about this particular passage, and am only now just figuring it out (well actually it's two things):

1) if Lincoln believed in "god's law", why did he oppose slavery?
and
2) at the very best (for David Quinn's article), Lincoln was a deist, therefore he didn't believe in YHWH, and probably had no truck with divine law.

Turtwig

Looks at the amount of comments. Sad to say but Newspaper webpages don't make money advertising revenue from individual visits. Repeat visits on the other hand. . .
Not that any Irish paper had much quality to begin with.