"escapee" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:39:38 -0400, Barfin' Bob
opined:


I thought liberals were compassionate and understanding of those unlike
themselves.

How come you didn't comment on my experience with the Christian pastor? I
thought I was very compassionate to him. I walked away smiling with my
husband
and we wave when he passes. He, on the other hand, does not wave back
merely
because we are not Christians and I wave a flag of Tibet under the
American
flag on my pole. Oh well. So much for your theory.

LOL

John


Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for a friend?
http://www.animaux.net/stern/present.html

"cat daddy" wrote in message
...

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
In article ,
escapee wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:39:38 -0400, Barfin' Bob
opined:


I thought liberals were compassionate and understanding of those unlike
themselves.

How come you didn't comment on my experience with the Christian pastor?
I
thought I was very compassionate to him. I walked away smiling with my
husband
and we wave when he passes. He, on the other hand, does not wave back
merely
because we are not Christians and I wave a flag of Tibet under the
American
flag on my pole. Oh well. So much for your theory.



Indeed. He is so narrow-minded -- he believes that he is right and you
are wrong, when you, being open-minded, are convinced that he is
wrong and you are right. The difference is obvious. Oh well. So
much for your theory.

I understand that dogs aren't allowed in heaven. When I die, I want to
go
where they go.........

You will, no doubt about it, six feet under or up in smoke, we all gotta
make room for somebody new! ;-)

John

"Not-easily-duped" wrote in message
om...
"John Watson" wrote in message
news:I3JDc.191091$Ly.10437@attbi_s01...
"Not-easily-duped" wrote in message
om...
"John Watson" wrote in message
news:zYqDc.115711$eu.76391@attbi_s02...
"Roger Pearse" wrote in message
om...
"'enry VIII" wrote in message
news:NmtBc.87317$0y.76847@attbi_s03...
"John A. Keslick, Jr." wrote in message
...
The bible is fiction, a myth, baloney, made up by sheephearders
2000
years
ago, get over it and get a life!

"The central tenets of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth was
the
son
of
god, one part of a divine trinity: born of a virgin, he preached to
the
masses, suffered, died on the cross for the sins of man and rose
from
the
dead on the third day. This, along with the belief that his birth
was
preceded by miraculous events, political intrigue and heralded by
wise-men
form the foundation of the Christian faith. However Christianity is
either
peppered with themes coincidentally similar to much older Eastern
religions,
or these similarities are proof positive that church founders
plagiarized
other faiths: "

This is intellectually illiterate.

But true!

You don't know what truth is then. You must be a jerk!

I may be a jerk but I do know what the truth is and it sure isn't some
bible
thumper calling on some Santa Claus like bible character to destroy
anyone
that doesn't believe the same bullshit as he does. G

And you are an Asshole! VBG

Then again you must be an asshole for not knowing what asshole means.

It's a great definition for morons like you and your ilk! VBG

"John Watson" wrote in message
news:bm4Ec.1439$AI.669@attbi_s04...

"cat daddy" wrote in message
...

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
In article ,
escapee wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:39:38 -0400, Barfin' Bob
opined:


I thought liberals were compassionate and understanding of those
unlike
themselves.

How come you didn't comment on my experience with the Christian
pastor?
I
thought I was very compassionate to him. I walked away smiling with
my
husband
and we wave when he passes. He, on the other hand, does not wave back
merely
because we are not Christians and I wave a flag of Tibet under the
American
flag on my pole. Oh well. So much for your theory.



Indeed. He is so narrow-minded -- he believes that he is right and you
are wrong, when you, being open-minded, are convinced that he is
wrong and you are right. The difference is obvious. Oh well. So
much for your theory.

I understand that dogs aren't allowed in heaven. When I die, I want to
go
where they go.........

You will, no doubt about it, six feet under or up in smoke, we all gotta
make room for somebody new! ;-)

When I was little, I read a story of a faraway country where the dead
were placed on towers for the carrion eating birds to dispose of...... I
always kinda liked that direct approach and there are plenty of turkey
buzzards around here..........

"cat daddy" wrote in message
...

"John Watson" wrote in message
news:bm4Ec.1439$AI.669@attbi_s04...

"cat daddy" wrote in message
...

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
In article ,
escapee wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:39:38 -0400, Barfin' Bob
opined:


I thought liberals were compassionate and understanding of those
unlike
themselves.

How come you didn't comment on my experience with the Christian
pastor?
I
thought I was very compassionate to him. I walked away smiling with
my
husband
and we wave when he passes. He, on the other hand, does not wave
back
merely
because we are not Christians and I wave a flag of Tibet under the
American
flag on my pole. Oh well. So much for your theory.



Indeed. He is so narrow-minded -- he believes that he is right and
you
are wrong, when you, being open-minded, are convinced that he is
wrong and you are right. The difference is obvious. Oh well. So
much for your theory.

I understand that dogs aren't allowed in heaven. When I die, I want
to
go
where they go.........

You will, no doubt about it, six feet under or up in smoke, we all gotta
make room for somebody new! ;-)

When I was little, I read a story of a faraway country where the dead
were placed on towers for the carrion eating birds to dispose of...... I
always kinda liked that direct approach and there are plenty of turkey
buzzards around here..........

Yeah, that's a good idea, or you could use the bodies for compost or mulch,
no sense wasting good fertilizer! ;-0

John

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 02:20:55 GMT, "John Watson" opined:

You will, no doubt about it, six feet under or up in smoke, we all gotta
make room for somebody new! ;-)

John


We are the somebody new. Nothing changes, or is made, or not made. . Form is
void, void is form.


Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for a friend?
http://www.animaux.net/stern/present.html

"John Watson" wrote in message
news:W59Ec.110409$2i5.22629@attbi_s52...

"cat daddy" wrote in message
...

"John Watson" wrote in message
news:bm4Ec.1439$AI.669@attbi_s04...

"cat daddy" wrote in message
...

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
In article ,
escapee wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:39:38 -0400, Barfin' Bob

opined:


I thought liberals were compassionate and understanding of those
unlike
themselves.

How come you didn't comment on my experience with the Christian
pastor?
I
thought I was very compassionate to him. I walked away smiling
with
my
husband
and we wave when he passes. He, on the other hand, does not wave
back
merely
because we are not Christians and I wave a flag of Tibet under the
American
flag on my pole. Oh well. So much for your theory.



Indeed. He is so narrow-minded -- he believes that he is right and
you
are wrong, when you, being open-minded, are convinced that he is
wrong and you are right. The difference is obvious. Oh well. So
much for your theory.

I understand that dogs aren't allowed in heaven. When I die, I want
to
go
where they go.........

You will, no doubt about it, six feet under or up in smoke, we all
gotta
make room for somebody new! ;-)

When I was little, I read a story of a faraway country where the dead
were placed on towers for the carrion eating birds to dispose of......
I
always kinda liked that direct approach and there are plenty of turkey
buzzards around here..........

Yeah, that's a good idea, or you could use the bodies for compost or
mulch,
no sense wasting good fertilizer! ;-0

On second thought, being so far up the foodchain to be the repository for
toxic chemicals, human carcasses should probably be processed into benign
constituent parts and the waste photon-torpedoed into the Sun....... I'm
pretty sure that Soylent Green would not be good for the tomatoes..... }:-/

"cat daddy" wrote in message
...
On second thought, being so far up the foodchain to be the repository
for
toxic chemicals, human carcasses should probably be processed into benign
constituent parts and the waste photon-torpedoed into the Sun....... I'm
pretty sure that Soylent Green would not be good for the
omatoes..... }:-/

We could all be turned into gemstones and sold on QVC and HSN by Joan Rivers
or Suzanne Summers.
http://www.lifegem.com/index.asp

"John Watson" wrote in message news:Kp4Ec.131219$0y.17423@attbi_s03...
"Not-easily-duped" wrote in message
om...
"John Watson" wrote in message
news:I3JDc.191091$Ly.10437@attbi_s01...
"Not-easily-duped" wrote in message
om...
"John Watson" wrote in message
news:zYqDc.115711$eu.76391@attbi_s02...
"Roger Pearse" wrote in message
om...
"'enry VIII" wrote in message
news:NmtBc.87317$0y.76847@attbi_s03...
"John A. Keslick, Jr." wrote in message
...
The bible is fiction, a myth, baloney, made up by sheephearders
2000
years
ago, get over it and get a life!

"The central tenets of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth was
the
son
of
god, one part of a divine trinity: born of a virgin, he preached to
the
masses, suffered, died on the cross for the sins of man and rose
from
the
dead on the third day. This, along with the belief that his birth
was
preceded by miraculous events, political intrigue and heralded by
wise-men
form the foundation of the Christian faith. However Christianity is
either
peppered with themes coincidentally similar to much older Eastern
religions,
or these similarities are proof positive that church founders
plagiarized
other faiths: "

This is intellectually illiterate.

But true!

You don't know what truth is then. You must be a jerk!

I may be a jerk but I do know what the truth is and it sure isn't some
bible
thumper calling on some Santa Claus like bible character to destroy
anyone
that doesn't believe the same bullshit as he does. G

And you are an Asshole! VBG

Then again you must be an asshole for not knowing what asshole means.

It's a great definition for morons like you and your ilk! VBG

Herrrrrrrrrr. You should be ashamed of yourself.

"Not-easily-duped" wrote in message
om...
"John Watson" wrote in message
news:Kp4Ec.131219$0y.17423@attbi_s03...
"Not-easily-duped" wrote in message
om...
"John Watson" wrote in message
news:I3JDc.191091$Ly.10437@attbi_s01...
"Not-easily-duped" wrote in message
om...
"John Watson" wrote in message
news:zYqDc.115711$eu.76391@attbi_s02...
"Roger Pearse" wrote in message
om...
"'enry VIII" wrote in message
news:NmtBc.87317$0y.76847@attbi_s03...
"John A. Keslick, Jr." wrote in message
...
The bible is fiction, a myth, baloney, made up by sheephearders
2000
years
ago, get over it and get a life!

"The central tenets of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth
was
the
son
of
god, one part of a divine trinity: born of a virgin, he preached
to
the
masses, suffered, died on the cross for the sins of man and rose
from
the
dead on the third day. This, along with the belief that his
birth
was
preceded by miraculous events, political intrigue and heralded
by
wise-men
form the foundation of the Christian faith. However Christianity
is
either
peppered with themes coincidentally similar to much older
Eastern
religions,
or these similarities are proof positive that church founders
plagiarized
other faiths: "

This is intellectually illiterate.

But true!

You don't know what truth is then. You must be a jerk!

I may be a jerk but I do know what the truth is and it sure isn't some
bible
thumper calling on some Santa Claus like bible character to destroy
anyone
that doesn't believe the same bullshit as he does. G

And you are an Asshole! VBG

Then again you must be an asshole for not knowing what asshole means.

It's a great definition for morons like you and your ilk! VBG

Herrrrrrrrrr. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Nope, but it does get very embarassing to attempt to communicate with you,
so without further ado:

*PLONK

John

In article Dh4Ec.195489$Ly.75907@attbi_s01, John Watson wrote:


Oh, I see, the bible only means what it says when probably interperted by a
Christian! Yeah right!


If the best you can do is deny that a parable is a parable in order
to promote your bigotry, I suggest you take your irrational hatred
elsewhere.


billo

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
In article Dh4Ec.195489$Ly.75907@attbi_s01, John Watson
wrote:


Oh, I see, the bible only means what it says when probably interperted by
a
Christian! Yeah right!


If the best you can do is deny that a parable is a parable in order
to promote your bigotry, I suggest you take your irrational hatred
elsewhere.

Yeah right! It has been noted that you deleted all of the bible quotes that
you couldn't explain away as "parables".

Typical Christian trait, be dishonest and hope that you don't get caught at
it. G

I have no hatred, just don't want people like you preaching a bunch of
nonsense to the uninformed.

Thomas Jefferson and I happen to agree on religious beliefs.

"Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who
believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong."


-Thomas Jefferson (Notes on Virginia, 1782)


And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme
being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable
of the generation of Minerve in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that
the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do
away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and
genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors.

-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823

Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one
he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear.

-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787

The whole history of these books [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful
that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have
been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to
them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what
parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence
that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other
parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate
those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, January 24, 1814

John

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
If the best you can do is deny that a parable is a parable in order
to promote your bigotry, I suggest you take your irrational hatred
elsewhere.


billo

Bill, I have no problem believing that much of the Bible was written in the
form of parables. You cannot imagine the arguments I have had with
fundamentalist Christians when I have suggested that the creation outline of
Genesis, could, without loss of religious significance, simply be
interpreted as a parable intended to show that God took a personal interest
in the development of life on the earth. THAT way of looking at Genesis was
never acceptable to them. Their response was inevitably that the creation
story is meant to be read as the literal "truth" and as the only valid
"scientific" explanation - and internal inconsistencies, such as the two
completely different and mutually incompatible explanations of the creation
of man are glossed over with far-reaching and unconvincing semantic
gymnastics. It creates a problem for those of us who are not hostile to
Christianity, but who would like some acknowledgment that religious issues
and interpretation are not always matters of black and white, right or
wrong, my way or the highway.

In article dppEc.1397$XM6.1165@attbi_s53, John Watson wrote:

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
In article Dh4Ec.195489$Ly.75907@attbi_s01, John Watson
wrote:


Oh, I see, the bible only means what it says when probably interperted by
a
Christian! Yeah right!


If the best you can do is deny that a parable is a parable in order
to promote your bigotry, I suggest you take your irrational hatred
elsewhere.

Yeah right! It has been noted that you deleted all of the bible quotes that
you couldn't explain away as "parables".


The bottom line is that your lead example is false. Once you admit
that, I will be happy to move on to the next. The net habit of
throwing out a shotgun list of non-apropos tidbits, pretending
that they all apply to your point, and then jumping from one to
one in order to avoid dealing with your falsehoods is both classic
and easily dealt with. So, rather than jumping around, let's
deal with them one by one.

The first quote is a parable; Jesus did not give the command you
pretend. Once you admit this first falsehood of yours, we can
easily move on to the next.

I have no hatred, just don't want people like you preaching a bunch of
nonsense to the uninformed.

Thomas Jefferson and I happen to agree on religious beliefs.


And to the sexual exploiation of slaves, no doubt.


billo

In article ,
gregpresley wrote:

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
If the best you can do is deny that a parable is a parable in order
to promote your bigotry, I suggest you take your irrational hatred
elsewhere.


billo

Bill, I have no problem believing that much of the Bible was written in the
form of parables. You cannot imagine the arguments I have had with
fundamentalist Christians when I have suggested that the creation outline of
Genesis, could, without loss of religious significance, simply be
interpreted as a parable intended to show that God took a personal interest
in the development of life on the earth. THAT way of looking at Genesis was
never acceptable to them. Their response was inevitably that the creation
story is meant to be read as the literal "truth" and as the only valid
"scientific" explanation - and internal inconsistencies, such as the two
completely different and mutually incompatible explanations of the creation
of man are glossed over with far-reaching and unconvincing semantic
gymnastics. It creates a problem for those of us who are not hostile to
Christianity, but who would like some acknowledgment that religious issues
and interpretation are not always matters of black and white, right or
wrong, my way or the highway.





The problem is not that you have issues with some fundamentalists. The
problem is that people pretend that one, usually incomplete and
inaccurate, view of fundamentalism represents all "Christians." The
same people are quick to point out that such generalizations are wrong
for other things -- that anybody who sees all Moslems as fundamentalist
islamofascists, or all African-Americans as pimps and crack addicts, or
all Jews as money-grubbing bankers are acting like bigots -- are
equally quick to embrace bigoted characterizations of Christianity.

In fact, Christianity, because of the inherent ambiguities I mentioned,
covers a profoundly broad swath of belief. People who opine about
fundamentalism forget that it is a *reactionary* belief in opposition
to Protestant Christian liberalism that formed the mainstream of the
early 20th century, and that fundamentalism even in itself, covers a
broad range of belief.

I don't ask that you ignore real differences you have with certain
kinds of fundamentalism. As a mystical Christian, I also have a
very hard time with certain tenets of it, and they with me. What
I ask is that you do the same thing that any enlightened person
should do with any broad heterogeneous group. Recognize that it
is broad and heterogeneous. Holding up a crack whore and claiming
that she represents all women, or all members of her race, or all
members of her social class, or all members of her political
affiliation -- **or all members of her religion** -- is simply
a bigoted generalization.

I don't know anything about you. I don't know your religion, your
sex, your race, or where you live. But I bet that I could find
an asshole of any such, and pretend that it represents all people
of your religion, your race, etc. Would it be correct for me to
do so?

People who blather on about Christianity, who drag up pronouncements
from a thousand years ago, who want to characterize modern Christians
by stories from half a millenium ago, who pull out bad examples and
ignore the millions of counterexamples are simple bigots.


billo