Christian Love

[Tinkerpeach]

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I was sitting in a pew, dressed in my Sunday best, listening to a sermon ... in which I was told that every single political viewpoint that I had was insulting to God.

I turned to my mother and said in a voice that was far from whispering: "I am never coming back again."

What I said turned out to be not true. I actually returned many years later to have my marriage ceremony there. But that was the only time.


Badges of honor. I used to be rebuffed and snubbed by Christians on internet fora, but I traded all that for being rebuffed and snubbed (put on "Ignore") by actual dishonest fucks, i.e. leftists, Marxists, Democrats, etc.


I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Any dishonest puke who wishes to spew his views to a captive audience without being questioned has only two options: 1) Be a preacher, or 2) Be college faculty

Being a Christian is not about belonging to a church and letting them tell you what to do, it's about your personal relationship with God.

If God can create the universe don't you think He can walk you through your life also?

Trust in Him and only Him and if you don't know what's going on then simply ask Him to guide you.

That is all you need, you don't need a church.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1683150377422553089

I've never seen a Christian, much less a "preacher", curse and hate so much. Sad.

He's an example of highly disturbed and hateful people who use religion and/or politics to spread evil.

https://onlysky.media/hemant-mehta/...er-aaron-thompson-club-q-shooting-good-thing/

That club got shot up the other day… Now, am I sad that five homos got shot? No, I’m not sad at all. As a matter of fact, I think it’s a good thing that they’re not here anymore to molest kids…

… Again, I’m not condoning anybody to do anything like that. I don’t believe it’s right to take the law into our own hands, and I’ve said that so many times. But here’s what I won’t be upset about: I’m not going to be upset when someone that hates God and actively is promoting against God, and hates His guts, and molests children, even if it is just their eyeballs, to have to see these freaks writhing around and, and, and, you know doing all these crazy dances in front of children and then afterwards reading them a book or something…

… I said it’s not right to take the law into your own hands, but I do understand why people are so fed up, because our own government is protecting these freaks. And that’s all you see on the media right now. You know, “Right-wing MAGA kills”… you know… these queers, and then some guy jumped in and helped them or whatever. Who cares?

Like, I really don’t care that those people got killed. And you’re like, “That sounds really hateful, pastor.” Well, it is hateful. Because I do hate them. Because they’re a menace and a wart on the rear end of society. (Amen.) And there’s nothing redeeming about them whatsoever…

Listen: We’re in America. We could say whatever we want. And I’m not inciting violence, so don’t even try to go there. But anyway, Happy Thanksgiving…

 

[Saint Guinefort]

I've never seen a Christian, much less a "preacher", curse and hate so much. Sad.
He's an example of highly disturbed and hateful people who use religion and/or politics to spread evil.

Some people just thrive on hate. It's like they are addicted to feeling it gives them. Something to do with the frontal cortex I would assume.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Imagine that a hate piece from an atheist that was never a Christian and of coure=se he supports LGBTQ. Typical hate from atheists

Translation: I'm a hate like Aaron Thompson and just as evil.

You are clearly a hater, pfft. Hopefully, God realizes you are mentally ill and doesn't send you to the Ninth Circle of Hell sucking on Satan's whang.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Some people just thrive on hate. It's like they are addicted to feeling it gives them. Something to do with the frontal cortex I would assume.

IMO, such people are mentally defective.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

IMO, such people are mentally defective.

Nah, just human. Hatred is a common and perfectly normal human emotion.

It's the people who claim to have "morality" and who try to distance themselves from their own hatred that are potentially mentally defective.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Nah, just human. Hatred is a common and perfectly normal human emotion.

It's the people who claim to have "morality" and who try to distance themselves from their own hatred that are potentially mentally defective.

No, it's not, Perry. It's a sign the person is defective. Anger is a normal human emotion, hatred is not. Hatred is blinding and, therefore, counterproductive to survival.

OTOH, I can see why you want to normalize hatred. Sad.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

No, it's not, Perry. It's a sign the person is defective. Anger is a normal human emotion, hatred is not. Hatred is blinding and, therefore, counterproductive to survival.

OTOH, I can see why you want to normalize hatred. Sad.

Self-awareness is one of the highest virtues in my estimation. I feel for those who lack it.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Self-awareness is one of the highest virtues in my estimation. I feel for those who lack it.

Are you admitting you have free will, Perry?

 

[Saint Guinefort]

Are you admitting you have free will, Perry?

Huh? Sorry but I'm not following you. What does this have to do with "free will"?

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Huh? Sorry but I'm not following you. What does this have to do with "free will"?

Self-awareness and free will are inextricably linked. If you have self-awareness, then you have free will. "I think, therefore I am".

Dogs, dolphins and other animals don't ponder their futures. They only react. They are not "self-aware".

 

[Saint Guinefort]

Self-awareness and free will are inextricably linked.

Not necessarily.

I can be wholly aware of my state but still lack agency.

If you have self-awareness, then you have free will. "I think, therefore I am".

That isn't how the cogito was derived.

Dogs, dolphins and other animals don't ponder their futures.

I don't know how you know this. I know my dog looks forward to MANY things and contemplates something well ahead of when it will happen.

They only react. They are not "self-aware".

Huh. Not sure how you arrived at that without any actual data to support it.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Not necessarily.

I can be wholly aware of my state but still lack agency.

That isn't how the cogito was derived.

I don't know how you know this. I know my dog looks forward to MANY things and contemplates something well ahead of when it will happen.

Huh. Not sure how you arrived at that without any actual data to support it.

No, Perry, you can't.

No, Perry, they don't. They are triggered by cues. The classic Pavlovian Response. They know what time you usually serve them dinner. They hear and react to noises people can't hear. When I pick up my car keys, my dogs get excited. Why? Because they've associated the jingling of keys with a car ride. They aren't thinking, they are reacting.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

No, Perry, you can't.

Interesting conjecture. I disagree.

No, Perry, they don't. They are triggered by cues.

Arguably so are you and I.

The classic Pavlovian Response. They know what time you usually serve them dinner.

Well, you've created a nearly unfalsifiable claim now. You claim that the dog only has "pavlovian responses" to hunger as an indicator that they will soon get food. But isn't that how YOU operate? Don't you usually get hungry about the same time every afternoon and then eat dinner in early evening?

But I'm still utterly fascinated at the detail with which you know how the dog is thinking and what it is thinking. That's a stunning claim and one you aren't likely to be able to support.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Interesting conjecture. I disagree.

Arguably so are you and I.

Well, you've created a nearly unfalsifiable claim now. You claim that the dog only has "pavlovian responses" to hunger as an indicator that they will soon get food. But isn't that how YOU operate? Don't you usually get hungry about the same time every afternoon and then eat dinner in early evening?

But I'm still utterly fascinated at the detail with which you know how the dog is thinking and what it is thinking. That's a stunning claim and one you aren't likely to be able to support.

Of course you do, Perry. If you agreed with me then you'd have to accept responsibility for yourself.

You are free to believe you have no control over yourself. I know I have control over myself.

What you fail to understand is that, at base, people are animals too. Whatever traits animals have, people have too. The difference is that people can be more than animals due to their self-awareness; their ability to plan ahead or reflect upon the past. Well, some people. Mentally ill and stupid people, not so much.

Perry, the dog isn't thinking from a self-awareness aspect, they are reacting. You, OTOH, are free to believe you can have conversations with your dog.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

You are free to believe you have no control over yourself

At no point have I said this is the case. Never. Not once. While I am willing to question whether Free Will actually exists, I normally function from the point of view that it does, but accept I may be fooling myself.

I thought I'd made that rather clear many posts ago.

Perry, the dog isn't thinking from a self-awareness aspect, they are reacting.

And you know this how? What fMRI studies have you done? How did you interpret the data? Did you run a PET Scan? (Get it? I made a medical joke).

Indeed you know nothing of the sort. You may wish for it to be that way but there's actually a lot of work ongoing right now into dog cognition. Just hit up Google Scholar.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

At no point have I said this is the case. Never. Not once. While I am willing to question whether Free Will actually exists, I normally function from the point of view that it does, but accept I may be fooling myself.

I thought I'd made that rather clear many posts ago.



And you know this how? What fMRI studies have you done? How did you interpret the data? Did you run a PET Scan? (Get it? I made a medical joke).

Indeed you know nothing of the sort. You may wish for it to be that way but there's actually a lot of work ongoing right now into dog cognition. Just hit up Google Scholar.

It's the waffling that is confusing; first you do then you don't then you do again.

You're free to believe you can communicate with your dog and that he has free will, Perry. I disagree but am intrigued since that's exactly what Son of Sam claimed.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

It's the waffling that is confusing

The inability of the reader to follow along does not make it "waffling".

; first you do then you don't then you do again.

If this was true I'm sure you could show it.

You're free to believe you can communicate with your dog and that he has free will, Perry. I disagree but am intrigued since that's exactly what Son of Sam claimed.

WOw, I never said I could communicate with my dog. I wonder why you feel the need to consistently misinterpret my points. But you got a nice dig in with the SOn of Sam stuff.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

The inability of the reader to follow along does not make it "waffling".

If this was true I'm sure you could show it.

WOw, I never said I could communicate with my dog. I wonder why you feel the need to consistently misinterpret my points. But you got a nice dig in with the SOn of Sam stuff.

No one said it did, Perry, but thanks for an example of you, once again, putting the blame on others.

You're doing it now. LOL

You equated your dog with yourself. What makes you think they are as self-aware as you?

 

[IBDaMann]

Being a Christian is not about belonging to a church and letting them tell you what to do, ...

Being a Christian is about being religious, which means adopting unfalsifiable assumptions that both help guide through life's decisions and bring comfort in a stressfully chaotic world.

... it's about your personal relationship with God.

I never really developed one (see below). Any unfalsifiable assumptions that I have are derived from entirely falsifiable theories and direct observations.

If God can create the universe don't you think He can walk you through your life also?

If the universe is a purely random dust cloud that came into existence because of a random, unknown volatility, do you think there's a god in that equation?

I enjoy philosophizing with you.

Trust in Him and only Him

Should I not place any trust in my wife? Currently I do.

... and if you don't know what's going on then simply ask Him to guide you.

A funny thing about this ... I did this many times but never got any sort of answer/response. Do you think God has me on "Ignore"?

... you don't need a church.

I'm with you there. I'm definitely a church-less guy. No Climate Change for me.