I'm sorry, I know it's tragic but I can't get over that name.
Also, it's always striking to me that when bad things happen to bad people (i.e. non-christians), they happen because god is punishing them. But when they happen to christians, it's a terrible accident that is somebody's fault, and it's time for more prayer.
I'm sorry, I know it's tragic but I can't get over that name.
Also, it's always striking to me that when bad things happen to bad people (i.e. non-christians), they happen because god is punishing them. But when they happen to christians, it's a terrible accident that is somebody's fault, and it's time for more prayer.
its kind of like the study done on the effects of intercessory prayer on the outcomes of heart patients done...that the group who knew they were being prayed for actually had worse outcomes on the whole. There were all sorts of justifications for the outcome (ranging from "too much evidence for god isn't a good thing" to "god only answers prayers that are worthwhile, and a 'study' like this isn't worthwhile' or that science just doesn't have much to say about God.) But you can bet your bottom dollar that if the study had given positive results, they'd be all over it, espousing the latest scientific evidence for the power of prayer. The beauty of a their God arguments is that whatever outcome happens is always written off as God's plan - and absolutely nothing can change their opinion.
The name of the ride is what I was laughing at too...the name 'air glory' sounds like they are trying to attach some glorification of god to the ride. i see that a lot around town lately as there seems to be a burgeoning movement towards that 'hip' flavor of Christianity that is all about extreme sports, skateboarding, etc, and how it all glorifies god.
I have. In Cancun, Mexico. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done. While swinging back and forth, probably only about 50% of the time was spent over the air back. We did see someone shit himself, though.
stocktroll wrote:if you homos actually knew real Christian doctrine you would know God doesnt help give special protection to Christians
I know the Christian doctrine quite well. I'm not speaking of the Biblical doctrine, I'm speaking of most Christians self-serving interpretation of it.
Funny how many Christians pray for 'special protection' though. And swear by such prayer.
Not raised by them. Related to some through marriage. And being a biology major at a "Christian" college during my undergrad work left a sour taste for the whole enterprise.
I'd call it frustration more than upset because I've dealt with the ill-effects of fundamentalist dogma directly, both personally and professionally.
Depends on how you want to define frustration and the word upset. I'm not angry. Not losing sleep. But thats about as far as I'll go in the hair-splitting sidetrack.
ic. Sounded like this was heading towards 'ha you're upset.'
I'll answer - the frustration comes from several things - my college advisor and close friend was railroaded out of his position as a biology professor because he was the only guy in the biology department to stand up vocally to the ID movement on campus, particularly in the chemistry department. That was my first taste of religious zealotry perverting science while wielding a powerful political hand at the same time. I could go on about that but I'm not going to. The frustration also stems from the lack of inquisitiveness that I've seen religion have on so many young people. The result will be adults who don't address situations by analyzing information honestly and critically for themselves, but rather instantly turn to the church in order to determine what they should think about a particular subject. I wonder about a possible return to an intellectual dark-age of sorts when it comes to science as a result of the increasing power of Christianity's attack on science and reason. Some may say we are already there. It's obviously not a new problem, nor one I will ever solve or probably even impact.
So yea, that's a general summation of it. My in-laws are the most generous people a person could ever meet and would gave any stranger the shirt off their back, but the very strong role of the church in their lives keeps me constantly reminded of some of the concerns I have.
edit - and to be fair, not ALL christians are out to stop science - i.e. Francis Collins.
Honestly, in my experience the most outspoken believers who extol the virtue of their faith, are almost always either covering up certain inadequacies of their own, or are projecting their past experiences on to others, and believing that the path they took out of them (i.e. being "born again") is the only acceptable or possible path for anyone else.
As an example I've talked to quite a few females who are vehemently anti-choice. They had had abortions earlier in their life, and they feel so guilty about it that they want to prevent anyone else from being able to do it.
I know several people whose lives were "turned around" by accepting christianity in their lives. They will quite openly tell you that your life will never be worthwhile until you "accept the lord into your life."
One of these guys was just a skibum in Colorado for a couple years before he finished college. After college he "accepted christ" and stopped being a skibum and got a good job and became moderately successful in life. So he thinks that if he hadn't started the church part, then none of the rest would have happened. Not only that, but he will tell you that your life is a shell of what it could be if you started doing the same -- i.e. living like him.
Obviously any kind of rational discussion is lost on these people.
They've already based some of the most important decisions of their life on this flimsy rationale, so any attempt to question it is perceived as nothing less than a frontal personal attack on them.
One of these guys was just a skibum in Colorado for a couple years before he finished college. After college he "accepted christ" and stopped being a skibum and got a good job and became moderately successful in life. So he thinks that if he hadn't started the church part, then none of the rest would have happened.
The real kicker is...he may be right. Now, whether da Jesus is actually somewhere in the causal stream is an entirely open question. I know many folks whose lives were dramatically transformed by joining the military...but they recognize that the changes are their own, that military service and discipline helped them see how to be. The big difference is that they don't place the ultimate responsibility for their new found self-respect on an omnipotent Sgt. Rock who lives in the sky.
I have. Great fun. When you come down, you want to go again immediately.
They had three different ropes, light, normal and heavy - and adjusted them further with some thingamajig according to your weight. I fell into the lightest of the heavy category and experienced some intense swinging :icon14: