My Hopes for Certain Broadcasters This Thursday (September 11th)

[firepoint525]

Funny how righties hate taxes but they are so willing to give money to the military. Other NATO countries spend less than one per cent of GDP on the military, so they have all sorts of money for universal health care, education and ways to make life better for people who don't own stock in defense industries.

Do you REALLY believe that they support their entire defense spending a paltry 1% on their military? If you do, there is some ocean front property in Nebraska with your name on it. The reality is that WE support their defense with OUR tax dollars, leaving them all this $$$ to spend on socialized medicine. If we pulled out (as maybe we should), then they would be forced to defend themselves or they would be overrun by the islamofascists.

Funny thing how the Islamic religious right is no different than the US religious right. Only the US religious right can't get away with beheadings, but they'd do it if they could.

How many churches and synagogues are there in muslim countries? Now how many mosques are there here? No, we are NOT the same. Nice try with that one!

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." - Samuel Johnson

America: Love it or leave it.

 

[firepoint525]

I believe no person would have treated the twenty-fifth day of December like an outcast or used it as a synonym for the series of tragedies that occurred in New York, New York, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania on the eleventh day of September in 2001 if they had occurred on the twenty-fifth day of December of that year instead.

December 25th is not the birthday of Jesus. It was the date of the pagan winter solstice festival (actually off by a few days, since it would be the 21st) and was co-opted into being a "Christian" holiday around 400 A.D.

 

[FredLeonard]

December 25th is not the birthday of Jesus. It was the date of the pagan winter solstice festival (actually off by a few days, since it would be the 21st) and was co-opted into being a "Christian" holiday around 400 A.D.

All late December festivals are lumped under the category of "winter solstice festivals." Lots of religions have/had them. The Roman holiday the church intended to copt was The Feast of Sol Invictus (invincible sun). It celebrates the sun starting to come back, a few days after the solstice.

And, yes, the US spends an estimated 4.4 percent of GDP on the military. NATO countries spend around one percent over even less. So, they get all those social, medical and educational benefits the US lacks. So, who is the sucker here?

Shows what a sick country this is: Billions for the military but not one cent for health care, education, social assistance...

 

[Mario500]

December 25th is not the birthday of Jesus. It was the date of the pagan winter solstice festival (actually off by a few days, since it would be the 21st) and was co-opted into being a "Christian" holiday around 400 A.D.

I did not suggest the twenty-fifth day of December as being the actual date of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth (I hope that was the Jesus you were referencing). I was only using it as an example of a day that I doubt any person would treat like a outcast due it being a holiday for many folks.

 

[FredLeonard]

I did not suggest the twenty-fifth day of December as being the actual date of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth (I hope that was the Jesus you were referencing). I was only using it as an example of a day that I doubt any person would treat like a outcast due it being a holiday for many folks.

Events on holidays often become linked to the holiday. Palm Sunday Massacre. St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Yom Kipur War. If planes had been flown into buildings on December 25th, it would have been called The Christmas Attack on the World Trade Center (or something similar).

For the record, the person you are referencing was not called "Jesus." If anybody asked one of the apostles, "where's Jesus?" they'd have had no idea whom he was taking about. His name was Jeshua to his parents and everybody who knew him. And first century Jews were never referred to by their place of residence but by their patrimony (i.e., Yeshua Ben Yusef). But Christians want to pretend their god wasn't a Jew.

 

[landtuna]

While I don't see such a history of incendiary remarks from you, you don't seem to be much closer to the truth, either.

What is "the truth"? I, and many others, do not see the faintest of truths that a "god" actually exists. There is no baseline evidence that anyone in the name of Jesus actually lived - and the most serious of religious "experts" cannot fill in the many blanks in his supposed life. Organized religion is nothing more than an effort to control the masses and has the same basis in fact that a parent does when threatening a child with lack of presents from Santa "if they don't behave". The whole idea is ludicrous.

People throughout history have claimed to be pious Christians. Some actually adhered to the faith's tenants but many other did not. Christianity does not have a record of success and frequently the most devout are the worst practitioners.

While I am personally a believer in living life according to the Golden Rule I do not subscribe to the false litany of religious teachers who would try to control me with fanciful tales of the supernatural. If history has taught us anything it is that religion is the greatest divider ever devised by man.

 

[CTListener]

What is "the truth"? I, and many others, do not see the faintest of truths that a "god" actually exists.

Well, except for the simple, seemingly unanswerable chicken/egg question. And even then, there might still be an answer to that that humans just haven't stumbled upon yet that doesn't involve a belief in a long-haired guy or two up there in the sky pulling all the strings.

 

[landtuna]

Because humans don't find a ready answer to natural questions we have invented fairy tales in which to believe. As someone else said earlier "that does not make them so".

If scientists had taken the religious route instead of using the brains they were born with today we would be as dumb as a box of rocks - and very close to what the Middle East is today. You don't have to look very far to see what disasters modern society would be in had people settled for faith-based "answers".

The fact remains that neither science nor religion can answer all the questions (such as how the universe began). The difference is that science will not accept the statements by religion that it came from a cabbage patch in the sky.

 

[Avid Listener]

What is "the truth"? I, and many others, do not see the faintest of truths that a "god" actually exists.

Whether you, or anyone else, believes in anything or not, matters of public policy that are made based on how a huge group of people behave based on their beliefs should be based on an accurate understanding of what those people believe. In World War II, America didn't have to believe in or endorse the teachings of Shinto, but in making plans for waging the war against Japan in the Pacific, we had to take into account the teachings of Shinto. For example, it taught that a warrior who died in service to the Emperor would be reincarnated. As a result, Japanese soldiers were less likely to surrender than to fight to the death. That's an historical fact, you can look it up. Likewise, our plans to dealing with Islamic terrorists have to include accepting that they believe that if they die in jihad, they go straight to a wonderful reward in Paradise. Agree with that teaching or not, it's what the enemy believes, and is therefore important for our side to take into consideration.

Frankly, I don't give a damn what anyone did centuries ago. Those people are long dead. Right now, in the year 2014, things are what they are, and we need to deal with them according to current reality.

 

[landtuna]

Frankly, I don't give a damn what anyone did centuries ago. Those people are long dead. Right now, in the year 2014, things are what they are, and we need to deal with them according to current reality.

"Those who do not know history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them." - George Santayana

 

[dhett]

Never burned anybody at the stake? Maybe you should read a little history. Ever head of the Inquisition? For centuries, burning at the stake was the common punishment for "heretics." Also "witches." Ever heard of the Cathars? Hussites? Even John Calvin got into it. He liked to sit and watch, and insisted on keeping flame down so victims would cook more slowly. Sometimes Christians change their mind: They burned Joan of Arc at the stake and then dug her up and made her a saint.

Then there's the Crusades. On their way to killing Muslims, the Western Christians stopped off in Constantinople to kill Eastern (Orthodox) Christians.

Slaughter of followers of native religions in South America and Africa.

One more time.

Christ had 2 commandments: love God, and love your neighbor. Christianity is following the teachings of Christ. Burnings at the stake, slaughter of "infidels", the Crusades - none of it fits Christ's commandments to love, therefore, none of it was Christianity.

You want to find some reason not to count all that and to consider all those people "not Christians." Whatever keeps you in the cult.

You swallow the contradiction because you're desperately hanging on to your hatred of Christianity, along with your hatred of just about everything else.

 

[dhett]

What is "the truth"?

If you don't know, then how do you know that what you're saying is actually true? Therefore, nothing else you write matters.

Hooray for relativism.

 

[sdwulfdawg]

I hope news broadcasters and other broadcasters specialized in dealing with news and public affairs do not use this Thursday to remind their audiences about the series of tragedies that occurred in New York, New York, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania on the calendar date for this Thursday back in 2001. I also hope they would not use the calendar date in reference to the tragedies this Thursday or any day before or after this Thursday because no calendar date should be overshadowed by tragedy from a particular time.

I'm not very optimistic about the possibility of these broadcasters treating this Thursday like any new Thursday, though, which is why I have no plans to watch certain TV and radio news and discussion programs this Thursday. I may not even watch any sports programs this Thursday due to the possibility of their having references to the tragedies.

What in the HECK are you talking about? I guess people should not remember birthdays, too?

 

[Mario500]

^What did you mean and why did you capitalize an entire word?

 

[Avid Listener]

"Those who do not know history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them." - George Santayana

Irrelevant, and not addressing what I was talking about.

 

[Avid Listener]

^What did you mean and why did you capitalize an entire word?

He meant to say Hell, but knew that would give you the vapors.

 

[Mario500]

^Only sdwulfdawg knows what was intended.

 

[harrisburgpatv2]

He meant to say Hell, but knew that would give you the vapors.

I shall be sending you a bill for the monitor that just shorted out because I spat coffee all over it.