Town Quixote's

[dreadknought]

TH, new TOLers would benefit by you posting your journal in blogs, not a journal onboard. Put it in a blog lain:


(IQ deficient people do dumb things) :BAH:

 

[Town Heretic]

The Christmas Morning Gazette​

Asked Meshak a question...

So just because you don't agree with my faith, I am in a error?

Is he in error if he disagrees with you?

And the next thing I know...

Did I say that?

I didn't say you said anything. I asked you the same question you asked him.

You just don't learn, do you?

I do, but I'm an optimist. Even when I mostly know how it will go.

I will not read your comments anymore and reply.

Of course you won't.

lain: You should ignore yourself, maybe...what could it hurt?

Talked distinctions with...

Just because you want to make that analogy doesn't make it a valid analogy

True enough.

Do you want to know why that analogy is invalid?

1. Race and sexual behavior are completely different.

So is religion, but it doesn't have to be the same, the response to it does.

Being born African American is not a choice, getting married to someone the bible says you shouldn't is a choice.

Leaving off this isn't a theocracy, your religion is a choice, but I doubt you'd be okay with a "No Vacancy for Jews" sign. Right?

The right analogy would be a kkk member asking an African American baker to bake a cake that says, "White Power!" Or telling a Jewish Baker that he must bake a cake that says, "Merry Christmas" or telling a Musilm baker that he must bake a "happy Hannukah" cake or telling a gay friendly baker to bake a "Gay marriage is wrong" cake.

The problem with this sweeping a generalization is that not all words and positions are of equal weight. When you approach what might be advanced as provocation/fighting words as a matter of law you've moved into a different realm and away from something as simple as a Muslim baker not wanting to provide the same cake to a Christian ceremony.

The freedom to what? The freedom to demand that anyone and everyone celebrate your union?

Selling a cake you're in the business of selling isn't a holy or unholy endeavor. It's commerce. You're no more participating than the man who sold Marx a pen participated in the communist revolution in Russia.

And with Rusha...

Because the denial is not a life threatening situation/service ...

That's where I think you make a mistake. It's not the particular act, but the foundational equality that the act represents that turns the point.

To exclude those from a service who can partake without disrupting it is to empower prejudice beyond the right to think and speak. That license invites a larger, systematic exclusion by the majority, against which the minority cannot hope to prevail and by which it can be excluded from all but the lowest hanging fruit of a compact.

In our nation we've proffered that as incompatible with the spirit and functioning of the a just republic, antithetical to the spirit of fraternity and equality in opportunity fundamental to a free people.

I have to agree.

Then Meshak was back in the elitism thread...

You people need to get rid of your elitism.

Aren't you a club of one, essentially? So...

It is so becoming.

The question being what.

While in a rare gay thread, GFR was echoing...

..."In an appearance on talk radio’s The Lars Larson Show last week, conservative talking head Ann Coulter...dismissed the notion of date or acquaintance rape out of hand, insisting that unless a victim gets “hit on the head with a brick,” it isn’t a legitimate rape."

Is she trying to trivialize the serious or subtly indicating her status as a victim of repeated abuse?

Wrapped a short day sympathizing with kmo in the NFL thread...

Nor me. The Chiefs lost and are basically eliminated but I still got some joy this weekend at seeing Denver lose. lain: And Baltimore. .

I suppose being a Chief's fan taking joy in the defeat of others by others is a necessity. Especially if you want something to do in the post season.

Enjoy the day, everyone! A Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. :cheers:

 

[Town Heretic]

Race Update: :singer:

Get a good seat because this one is a thundering pile of dust, ladies and gentlemen. Musterion's nag has a commanding lead (16) five full lengths ahead of the race for second between Doom and Eeset (11) with Angel and anna potential challengers for third (9) two lengths back. Nang has come on to stay in the running to place, along with resod (8) and genorg (7), with Oatmeal and GM (6) likely too far back to challenge and a game field led by Stripe out of the money absent a whirlwind of crop waving, leg kicking reports.

Stay tuned for the winner.

Gazette later in the day. :e4e:

 

[resodko]

i can hardly wait!

 

[Town Heretic]

i can hardly wait!

Noted. But it's a bit like pointing out the sky.

 

[bybee]

Noted. But it's a bit like pointing out the sky.

I've noted that those who obsess seem to see it in others whether it exists or not....
Do you suppose that those who continually reappear under different user names are enjoying the attention garnered through multiple personalities? Hmmmmmm

 

[resodko]

i've noticed that bybee demonstrates with every post she makes, just how much of a

she is :idunno:

 

[fool]

Happy Holidays Everybody

 

[Town Heretic]

And, as always, TQ will open later in the evening, following an untrolled presentation of the following:

The Tuesday Afternoon Gazette​

Met meshak in the Who's Christian thread...

BR is obviously insinuating I am not a Christian. Who is he to usurp Jesus' authority, blatantly make false accusation like this. And, yes it is not unusual.

Most churches are practicing elitism like the OP. Elitism is not of God. Elitists are lip servers, which is hypocrisy. Jesus does not accept hypocrites in His Kingdom.

Apparently it's more common than you think (either). lain:

Chimed in on Knight's Christmas thread...

What does Christmas mean to you?

The celebratory march toward Easter begins, a period of heightened gratitude for the coming and eventual sacrifice of Christ, bringing grace and our reconciliation.

Do you have any Christmas traditions or memories you would like to share?

Every year we travel to a nearby tree farm and pick a live tree to bring home. After Christmas we plant it on the acreage. Jack picked his first of many this year.

Then Stux added a remarkable three sheets impression...

[excluding the Jack] TH, you sound like Rome.

Excluding the unreasonable you sound like a mime... lain:

Continuing with...

Its obvious for those who can see. :sherlock:

Well, something is. lain:

And...

Go get yourself a blog then judge my music.

A sour note wrapped in different time signatures isn't much of a tune.

Elsewhere, republicanchickenlittle did her best falling sky...

The US is supposed to be a Christian nation.

A common misconception, especially among people without a background in civics or their nation's history. Rather, we've always been a nation comprised mostly of Christians. The state was never meant to serve Christianity or any particular religion, except by protecting it from government intrusion and direction.

...God hates sin, we are told in the Good Book.

And Christ died to save the sinner from his merit. Just so.

Over in the racism thread (no, subject matter)...

I was born and raised in south-central TEXAS, but now live in north-east TEXAS in a town called Greenville. This sign hung across the main street as you entered the downtown area. It hung there until the 60's.

What would be your reaction if you drove into a town and saw this sign?

I suppose I'd feel obliged to ask what was wrong with the old motto: "Greenville, it's oKKK!"

But I'd make sure I had a full tank of gas and a head start first. lain:

Then Shag wondered...

My question is, why is the town with the blackest land and whitest people named Greenville?

Why is Iceland green and Greenland mostly icy?

Darn people... :mmph:

Talked the politics of race with must...

And it's now found more in the North than it is in the South.

Politics, once the means to advance racial prejudice, has more often than not replaced race when it comes to the old us/them fife and drum rhetoric. Race in relation to politics still has teeth, but on an interpersonal level it's lost its appeal beyond that, thankfully.

Then Aimiel said...

...I do take offense at such things as, "Black this," "Black that," because if we had white-only websites or other organizations, we'd be deemed racist, whereas their racism is 'acceptable' (though not to me).

How is black this or that indicative of racism?...As for organizations, those aimed at supporting minorities are mostly, historically, attempts to build a means to influence the majority and protect the minority from exploitation, something that would be peculiar for the empowered majority to attempt. So when that majority does it the reason is more typically to exclude and to continue to protect their power base from erosion by those same minorities. A very different purpose and animal and so the very different objection to them and the reason why when and where they exist they tend to be odious (as in, Klan-ish).

Before someone chimed in under cover...

i'm not from texas and i'm not from the south - i'm from upstate new york, one of the centers of abolitionist activity in the early 1800's

You could live next door to a college. Doesn't mean you know anything.

...when town's ancestors were...when town's ancestors fought...

So that's what you got refilled for Christmas.

Spoiler

Tomorrow? Pithy comments an vinegar. lain:

 

[Sherman]

i've noticed that bybee demonstrates with every post she makes, just how much of a

she is :idunno:

Childish. I am going to ask you to quite disrupting this thread with childish remarks like this.

http://www.theologyonline.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[Town Heretic]

Bonus Graphic:

Spoiler

 

[Sherman]

Somehow, SOD reminds me of the sort of kid that would leave corn flakes in the sleeping bag of another kid at camp.

 

[Eeset]

Happy 2015!

 

[Town Heretic]

And while Musterion owned the final month of the year:

Cub Reporter of the Year:

Jan, Feb and March belonged to Angel, making a bold initial statement and setting the reporting bar high. Musterion closed out the year strongly, taking October, November and December. And August and September belonged to GM.

But when the dust settled and the high horses were in the barn 2014 belonged to last year's runner up:

Congrats Sod :first: (resurrected/resodko) for taking April, May, June and July and staying in the hunt else.


Coming soon: Cub Reporters 2015

 

[bybee]

And while Musterion owned the final month of the year:

I do keep my emesis basin close at hand for the low and the coarse who creep into spaces uninvited.

 

[Town Heretic]

As always, a short closing following the posting of today's Gazette. Quixote's will be back in play later in the day. :cheers:

The Friday Morning Gazette​

Answered a post on the "let's try it without God" atheist pretending to be something other who then decided to continue that way...AKA, the non shock heard round the internet...

Coming back into this one after the spring but I'm betting the responses have been fairly predictable.

So lemme guess: No True Scotsman...A little dash of good riddance NTS, etc.

...I'd never say good riddance to someone who hadn't arrived. It's poor form. I hope the fellow finds faith in something other than himself at some point. He'll be happier for it.

Before happening upon a curious consideration of my profession...and yes, yes I know that's not how you spell clueless...

of all those people, why are only a few chosen to "lead"?

How many do you think we're short?

I mean why, of all the folks in the US, do people in high positions have to, well, for example, most of them are lawyers.

Not actually. Only 38% of House members are lawyers. The Senate is another matter, with 57% holding that degree. It's a fairly good idea though, if you're aim is to write law. Else you'll have to hire out and most do. Outside of that I'm fairly sure its weighted even more heavily against.

...Anyway, what makes lawyers so good and preferable.. for doing these cabinet-level jobs in the WH?

In general lawyers are specifically trained in critical analysis and are in the best position to respond to legal entanglements, which occupy so much of the power structure. The only other degree which would be somewhat as helpful would be in economics/business.

I think maybe we should dispense with the notion that the highly-book-educated are better at running things than... construction foremen or whomever

Remember that if your appendix ever bursts. Let me know how that construction foreman gets by. lain:

So, of course...

...lawyers, by the nature of their dispositions and training...[redacted irrational insults followed]...most decent people want nothing to do with the scumbags :idunno:

How would you know? You see a poll? lain:

Leading, eventually, to...

Ah the illusion of benevolence being wrongly soiled by the rabid braying of those forced through birth right and ignorance to play along in the legal illusion, where words morph into favor of the house of trick cards it is structured on. But there is a legitimate point (the fool deserves to be fleeced type of rationality) being asserted by those inbred by the legal/political system, in that those who play in Vegas shouldn't complain about the odds, or bray when they lose seeing it was their own will that fell for the glitter and lights sparkling as a diamond in the desert, and it's luring promise of riches.

TH is just a dealer sticking up for the house he loves.

Zeke is just rolling cigarette packs into his sleeve, if colorfully.

Then, congratulations to one of my TOL favorites and a fledgling HOFer led to...

:jawdrop:.. Really?? Wow!! I don't even know what to say.. Thank you, Knight! :bow:

Well, if you say anything you're going to double your post count average.

While in the liberals and moral compass thread...

Isn't this really about moral absolutes?

Everyone believes in an absolute authority, speaking pragmatically. Moral absolutists can be the best or worst of men, depending on where and in what their faith vests.

And in meshak's "Who is Christian" thread...

Is mehak's answer still only a list with one name on it? lain: I've been away.

In the Morning thread IMJ was asking the question on everyone's mind...

Do bunnies like cocoa powder? :idunno:

So anna said...

In my world they do.

And I thought...

In your world, do people spontaneously burst into song and dance? lain:

Before closing the day with a helping hand...

Yes, I know how satisfied you and your elk are with how things have shaped up in America in the last 100 years.

Fixed that one for you. Though what his elk has to do with anything I'm sure I can't say.

Tomorrow? The last, lamented dregs of the holiday pour out over a sated if weary household. Or, a movie, maybe...

 

[Town Heretic]

There's an interesting conversation in a book about Bono, the lead singer from U2. Some of you may know he's a Christian. It's an interesting book and the excerpt I'm excerpting from is here.


Michka: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled . It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Michka: That’s a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it’s close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world’s great thinkers. But Son of God, isn’t that farfetched?

Bono: No, it’s not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn’t allow you that. He doesn’t let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I’m not saying I’m a teacher, don’t call me teacher. I’m not saying I’m a prophet. I’m saying: “I’m the Messiah.” I’m saying: “I am God incarnate.” And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You’re a bit eccentric. We’ve had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don’t mention the “M” word! Because, you know, we’re gonna have to crucify you.

And he goes: No, no. I know you’re expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he’s gonna keep saying this. So what you’re left with is: either Christ was who He said He was the Messiah or a complete nutcase. I mean, we’re talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we’ve been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had “King of the Jews” on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I’m not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that’s farfetched.

If only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s— and everybody else’s. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that’s the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.

 

[FellowServant]

Then, congratulations to one of my TOL favorites and a fledgling HOFer led to...

What did you just call me?? lain:

 

[Town Heretic]

What did you just call me?? lain:

lain: Read the Bono bit, Gracie. :chuckle:

 

[resodko]

dog of the day!



in the Toddler shoots mother in Walmart... thread, rc asks:

...and where do all liars go in the End???

and manc comes right back with:

iowa?

:darwinsm:


Good one manc! :thumb: