Damn. Didn’t work.

That’s because it was a STRONG tag and not a B tag. I’ve fixed it. Should be OK now.

My eyes thank you, but my optometrist curses you.

So where do think we all came from, Les?  I want an answer and some evidence.

Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but I originally came from Pontiac and I have a birth certificate to prove it.

So where do think we all came from, Les?  I want an answer and some evidence.

There’s wide-spread (but hushed-up) evidence that most of us come from women. Usually kicking and bawling, but we still have to accept that truth.

Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but I originally came from Pontiac and I have a birth certificate to prove it.

You don’t look like a car, Les. You look more like a… Harley bike

Points, views, and opinions of religian, I think will always be debated.

“From: God/dess
To: Our Children of Earth
Re: Idiotic Religious Rivalries

Dear Children (and believe us, that’s all of you), We consider ourselves pretty patient folks. For instance, look at the Grand Canyon. It took millions of years to get it right. And about evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell, and gene by gene.

We’ve been patient through your fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take Us for granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.

We want to let you know about some of the things that are starting to tick Us off. First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Us up a wall. Enough already! Let’s get one thing straight: These are YOUR religions, not Ours. We’re the whole enchilada; We’re beyond them all. Every one of your religions claims there is only one of Us (which by the way, is absolutely true). But in the very next breath, each religion claims it’s Our favorite one. And each claims it’s scriptures were written personally by Us, and that all the other scriptures are man-made. Oy Vey. How do We even begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?

Okay, listen up now. We’re your Father AND Mother, and We don’t play favorites among Our children. Also, We hate to break it to you, but We don’t write. Our longhand is awful and We’ve always been more of “doers” anyway. So ALL of your books, including those Bibles, were written by men and women. They were inspired, remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. We made sure of that so that you would never trust a written word more than your own living heart. You see, one human being to Us, even a bum on the street, is worth more than all the Holy Books in the world. That’s just the kind of folks we are. Our spirit is not a historical thing. It’s alive right here, right now, as fresh as your next breath. Holy books and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not more so than the least of you. They were only meant to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection with Us.

Which brings Us to Our next point about your nonsense. You act like We need you and your religions to stick up for Us or “win souls” for Our sake. Please, don’t do Us any favors. We can stand quite well on our own, thank you. We don’t need you to defend Us, and We don’t need constant credit. We just want you to be good to each other.

And another thing, We don’t get all worked up over money or politics, so stop dragging Our names into your dramas. For example, We swear to Us that We never threatened Oral Roberts. We never rode in any of Rajneesh’s Rolls Royces. We never told Pat Robertson to run for president, and We’ve never, EVER had a conversation with Jim Baker, Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy Swaggart! Of course, come Judgment Day, We certainly intend to.... The thing is, We want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to Us. The true purpose of your religions is so that YOU can become more aware of Us, not the other way around. Believe Us, We know you already. We know what’s in each of your hearts, and We love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy Us. That’s what religion is best for. What you seem to forget is how mysterious We are. You look at the petty differences in your Scriptures and say, “Well, if THIS is the truth, then THAT can’t be!” But instead of trying to figure out Our Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature, which by the way, you NEVER will, why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in all religions.

You know what We’re talking about. Love and respect everyone. Be kind, even when life is scary or confusing. Take courage and be of good cheer, for We are always with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear Our still, small voice. (We don’t like to shout).

Leave the world a better place by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for you are Our Own Children. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of you that can die surely will, and the parts that can’t, won’t. So don’t worry, be happy. (We stole that last line from Bobby McFerrin.) Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so complicated? It’s like you’re always looking for an excuse to be upset. And We’re very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think We care whether you call Us.... Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Diana, Wakantonka, Brahma, Cerridwen, Father, Mother, God, Goddess or even the Void of Nirvana? Do you think We care which of Our special children you feel closest to, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Gerald, Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Us and Our Special Ones any name you choose, if only you would go about Our business of loving one another as We love you. How can you keep neglecting something so simple? We’re not telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, learn from them, just as you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents. But do you walk around telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs? Your religion, like your parents, may always have the most special place in your hearts, We don’t mind that at all. And We don’t want you to combine all the Great Traditions in One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has a unique style so that people can find the best path for themselves. Know that Our Special Children, the ones that your religions revolve around, all live in the same place, (Our heart), and they get along perfectly, We assure you. The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none. Our blessed children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive religious bigotry and confusion. The whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns.

Get with the program! If you really want to help, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and good humor. We’ve given you all the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving and laughing together.

In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust, Us
~ unknown author~”

Hey you FSB, have you ever considered going to hell?

Try heroin and crack at the same time, then have a
six pack of beer and a pack of cigarettes.

Try heroin and crack at the same time, then have a six pack of beer and a pack of cigarettes.

That sounds like a great start for a Friday evening.

hey i’m a christain and i dont want to give you the same old boring reason why i am. but its obvious you find it hard to understand christianity and the belief of a God so how overall can you question what you dont understand?
I believe for personal reasons more than fact and figures i mean if you dont believe in god whats the point of it all and in the end what i have come to know is impossible to be a lie as i have seen miracles and lives changed. Your questions can only be answered through faith you cant have your questions answered then choose to believe and belief in God is not something you owe him but if you try just try then maybe you will come to know him and his love.
Well i probably aint been much help and feel free to take anything i have just said and judge it and question it but in the end you got a choice to believe in the un believeable and i’ve made my choice and i’v come to know the truth and that truth is tht jesus died for our sins and we no longer need to feel guilty for our sins as you are forgiven and loved no matter what you belive.
Sorry if aint been much help to ya but if you want one random fact tht i can randomly think of to prove gods existance well jesus is 80% more likely to have existed than julius caesar which means everything he has done for us is true.

if you want one random fact tht i can randomly think of to prove gods existance well jesus is 80% more likely to have existed than julius caesar which means everything he has done for us is true.

Please, JS, tell us more about this.  How do we know that Jesus is 80% more likely to have existed than Julius Caeser?

JS: jesus is 80% more likely to have existed than julius caesar which means everything he has done for us is true.

Did you just make that up? Come on, admit it. You just made that up, didn’t you? 

In answer to the Jesus is more likely than Caesar bit, take a look at this site.

Hey, someone. I’m 80% more likely to exist than you are…

hehehe

I’m not really here, which means you’re all defenseless against me.

From the semi-mythical shores of Skullcrusher Island I shall launch my evil monkey-pony hybrids at you all while I watch on the widescreen HD of my golden submarine. The howling of my wolves shall drown out your screaming, and your God shall not protect thee.

Which, all in all, is about as likely as mythical Jesus parachuting down to my mythical island to tell me Julius Caesar didn’t exist. I didn’t know this thread had gone on this long, but I figured I should post just to see if I couldn’t sucker someone into believing in Skullcrusher Mountain. It’s way cooler than some hairy Jewish dude whose main claim to fame is that he got executed for hanging out unlawfully with a bunch of other guys, and a whore (presumably for variety).

In other words, I’m subscribing.

some hairy Jewish dude whose main claim to fame is that he got executed for hanging out unlawfully with a bunch of other guys, and a whore

And if ever there was someone who should be receiving sympathetic treatment from civil liberties advocates, it is him, whether mythical or real.  Or so one would think.

Whenever I’m reading comments like “just someone” makes I’m always hearing them say the same thing in my head and it always sounds like this:

Umm...Jeee-zus...silly disbelievers in awesome Jeee-zus...you just don’t understand...me, me, me praying for you...grrr...heathens...believe what I believe, you idiot...sweet dead Jeee-zus, we killed him...feeling sorry for you...you should feel guilty for killing poor Jeee-zus...hmmm, navel lint. How’d that get there?...grrr, I hate the free...I, I, I have the facts....me, me, me...you’d better believe me or Jeee-zus will hurt you...poor dead Jeee-zus...you,you, you = evil.

And if ever there was someone who should be receiving sympathetic treatment from civil liberties advocates, it is him, whether mythical or real.

Yeah. It’s a real shame I pick and choose to whom I ‘should’ feel sympathy. 

And if ever there was someone who should be receiving sympathetic treatment from civil liberties advocates, it is him, whether mythical or real.  Or so one would think.

He’s dead already (if he ever existed) and he was under Roman law, not my own. If he was a living, breathing person under American law then I might worry some.

I think my personal views on civil liberties surprise people though, considering that I wouldn’t be particularly against running people up on crosses if we were lawfully executing someone anyways. If you’re going to kill someone anyways, then cruel and unusual is subjective; and you might as well make it as horrible as you can manage to keep people from doing the things that get them there. A feather touch followed with a hammer, that’s my justice system philosophy.

to keep people from doing the things that get them there.

The object of execution is simply revenge as it doesn’t seem to work very successfully as a deterrent, does it?
I am amazed that any predominantly xian country still has the death penalty.
They sure don’t try to emulate the peaceful Jesus; they love the OT death loving god and definitely not the fifth commandment just like many of the old popes ... eg “Pope Alexander was poisoned by his successor Our Most Holy Father John XXIII”.
Nicole Kidman/The Interpreter: Revenge is a lazy form of grief.

If you made it sufficiently painful and gruesome, then presumably your deterrent factor increases. Dying by lethal injection, with your last meal in your behind? That sounds kind of peaceful. It you made it something that onlookers described regarding the painful screams for decades after the event? Maybe that would work better.

Or maybe it wouldn’t.

Really, in prison forever or dead on a slab? Makes no difference to me until I get pegged for the crime.

I duuno, MM.
I’d assume (maybe incorrectly) that the majority of death sentences handed out are for crimes of a particular horrification level as to leave the jury disgusted by its pre-meditation - the type of person we generally regard as an animal.
I’d assume again that whether the manner of death was peaceful or horrific (?) these people would still commit the crimes as they probably don’t have a highly developed conscience ... but if that’s the case surely there’s a simple gene that can be found to measure their pre-condition - maybe psychopaths have a fucked-up gene, completely different of course to the mixed up gay gene. 

Really, in prison forever or dead on a slab? Makes no difference to me until I get pegged for the crime.

Only problem I have with that one is that one day I maybe in the wrong place at the wrong time without an alibi and be wrongly-convicted.

Only problem I have with that one is that one day I maybe in the wrong place at the wrong time without an alibi

Maybe so, but that’s an issue with the integrity of the process not one with the punishments mete out as a result of it. I’m all for correcting failures of the system that puts people in prison, that delivers people into punishment, but I don’t have so much mercy as much as an interest in an orderly society that responds to the culture that spawns it. But so few people are actually put to death that I just don’t have an enormous problem with how they kill people, nor do I have an issue with the vague justifications for state sponsored executions.

Since the difference is usually permanent incarceration or death, I just don’t see any practical difference in the terms of removing someone permanently from society one way or the other. So, improve the conditions that land you there, but once you get there I don’t have a problem flaying you alive or drawing you and quartering you anymore than I do tossing you into a hole and forgetting about you.

I disagree with you but don’t have the ability to go any further and I’m lazy.
I can only leave you with a Wiki site and a world comparison site I like a lot.
peace. 

I would be OK with letting the top 5 of the states listed in that Wiki on US capital punishments form their own country.  After we take all their nukes.

Back in 2000 (I think) the “Daily Mirror” that odd thing a left wing tabloid, printed pictures of all 150 of the men Bush had executed in his role of govenor of Texas. It claimed 3 were almost certainly innocent, found guilty because of that basic US crime, being black, while 3 more were mentally subnormal, and not able to understand their actions.

Execution and life without parole given as a sentance admits the defeat of the human soul, no hope of change and education.  Very few deserve to be totally abandoned.