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Comments by Corylus


201. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #159851 by Corylus on April 13, 2008 at 8:55 am

Hurray! I now know how to talk down Styrer when he gets wound up: distract with Cat Stevens.

I'm a' singin' Moon Shadow next time :-) LaLa

Dr Benway

What to do about all this
Maybe one of us should offer to 'fight alongside them' when they come on so they don't feel swamped? This will

a) Provide good practice for the person playing 'Devil's (Christian's?) Avocate.

b) Stop the new guy feeling swamped.

c) Seem fair

d) Maybe cut down on rudeness.

e) Also, having someone understand your viewpoint, but still not agree with it can be a thought provoking sensation.

I'm willing to do this now and again, but would probably be best twinned with an Anglican moderate as I know that type of thinking best... real biblebots will need someone else.

202. Richard Dawkins and Bill Maher

Comment #159847 by Corylus on April 13, 2008 at 8:41 am

Layla

Heck, I'd go, just to be part of the experience (though most Hajj packages offered in this country start in the neighborhood of $5000 a head, so it would be an expensive field trip)!
Yes, I've always suspected that the hotels in Mecca put their prices up during that time of the year ;-)

203. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #159812 by Corylus on April 13, 2008 at 7:36 am

Teehee.

I am now tempted to ask Stryer what he thinks of that Westlife* cover of Father and Son, but I wouldn't want to get him cross :-)

*Hides behind a chair with Bonzai...*

P.S. Hi David, nice to see you full of the joys of spring.

[Edit] *Or was it Boyzone?? Nevermind: same difference.

204. Richard Dawkins and Bill Maher

Comment #159800 by Corylus on April 13, 2008 at 7:16 am

Julius

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

I am very glad to hear that you don't waste your notes.

I am also sure that the Kensington Church is very pretty. However, I don't think I will be going; I couldn't bring myself to even give symbolic coins, which I then hope will go to the more reasonable causes.

To my mind that would be like me, (an ethical vegetarian) paying for a ticket to go to a function organised by the Meat Marketing Board and desperately hoping that they only spend my money on the cucumber sandwiches.

I simply would not be able to square it with my conscience. So, I doubt that we will agree on this one. Ho Hum: happens :)

Anyway, one good thing, maybe our chat will show our visitors from Expelled that atheists do not avoid Churches because they are scared of them.

In fact, there is one that I visit often.

It has been converted into a library; I sit under the beautiful high ceiling reading my books and my little black atheist heart sings :P

205. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #159763 by Corylus on April 13, 2008 at 4:02 am

Arh, I see that David Robertson is busy playing with his new toy... and his new toy is playing with him.

Seriously though, I do feel sorry for Richard Morgan. It is obvious that he has spent his life looking for one specific thing that will make him consistently happy. I fear he is in for disappointment this time too. Happiness is not a thing to be found, it is a side effect of action: an epiphenomenon.

Until he twigs that one he is never going to find what he is looking for.

206. Richard Dawkins and Bill Maher

Comment #159755 by Corylus on April 13, 2008 at 3:21 am

Hi Julius

Don't worry, I am not going to ask you to deal with another very long post. It is just that there is one thing that I am curious about with regards to the whole 'cultural catholic' thing. I wonder whether you can help me out.

You say that you enjoy going to church for the ritual and what have you. You enjoy it. Fine.

OK, not my idea of enjoyment. I would rather have a lay in on a Sunday morning. Going to church would involve waking up early, putting and on my best clothes, going to a big building, listening to man droning on etc... only to fall back asleep again! . Personally, I would rather just roll over, start snoring again and save myself the whole effort :)

Anyway, I digress. My question.

When the collection plate comes round do you put money in it?

I am sure that you are smart enough to see what I am asking. I can understand how people enjoy ritual and nice buildings. What I cannot understand is why people continue to finance institutions whose rationale they do not agree with, and whose track record is, to put it at its mildest, questionable.

I am curious as to how you deal with this conflict. Maybe you just slip a button on the plate and hope no one notices?

Thanks.

207. Inadequate, private and late apology with grotesquely inadequate excuse

Comment #159097 by Corylus on April 11, 2008 at 12:35 pm

This takes me back to this thread.

http://richarddawkins.net/article,621,Panel-discussion-on-atheism-where-no-atheists-are-included,CNN

This was when another idiot made the statement that she just wished all atheists would 'shut up'.

I would urge anyone who hasn't seen this one to give it a view.

208. Richard Dawkins on The Big Questions

Comment #159066 by Corylus on April 11, 2008 at 11:59 am

Never mind Cartomancer I laughed alot.

209. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #159060 by Corylus on April 11, 2008 at 11:45 am

Prankster

Let's all agree to let it go?
I think that is a very good idea.

Mike, I wasn't happy at all about what you said (just as you weren't happy about what I said). However, am willing to admit that it is possible that you did not mean the things you said to come across the way that they did.

To that end, I am willing to draw a line under this whole business and let this thread die a death.

210. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158802 by Corylus on April 11, 2008 at 3:54 am

Steve

(I really hope this isn't RM. It would be desperately sad if it was).
I don't think so, for all his faults Richard Morgan was never that homophobic.

I agree with Paula, that this is an American.

Eg The mention of Walmart expecting everyone to know what it is and then this...

For if the High Priests of Academia are right, then through Humanism men can become gods. Their rhetoric justifies Pragmatism, Socialism, and Bureaucracy controlled by PhDs as Progressivism under Officialdom. In short, the Statistist dogma becomes Scientism and the Collectivist governance becomes a Technocracy.

RichardM, was never that concerned with politics.

He would not make a statement like this, or I think, understand why it is an utter pile of drivel.

211. Expelled producers accused of copyright infringement

Comment #158064 by Corylus on April 10, 2008 at 3:29 am

A bit of good news for the morning.

I wonder whether this will delay the release date? That is the sort of thing that costs film companies money.

212. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #157860 by Corylus on April 9, 2008 at 4:06 pm

Mark Smith

I hear you, and admire you for making that comment. I am not one to make snap judgements. I always always try to avoid causing hurt whenever I can.

However, I put one question to you. This man has been a member of this site since 2006. He has been posting all in a variety of threads.

Bearing this in mind do you really think that he was unaware of Benway's gender?

Personally I don't think so.

[Edit] Goldy

I always notice you. You are kind, but you don't take any nastiness. I admire that.

I agree that this site has got fraught in the last couple of days; there has been a whole lot of stirring going on. I have asked people to chill myself, and completely understand where you are coming from.

However, I really don't like nastiness either.

213. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #157804 by Corylus on April 9, 2008 at 2:45 pm

Dr Benway

I really, really try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I let a lot of things slide, because it is not fun when you are continually looking out for the worst. For example, I tried very hard with Richard Morgan because

a) He seemed needy and I'm a sucker for waifs and strays
b) He was grumpy. I have a certain fondness for grumps as they are fun to play with and are often very soft underneath.
c) I did see his, somewhat overfamiliar, comments, but put them down to on older man driving up to little blue pill city and overcompensating.

Strangely though, I was surprised, but not surprised, when you busted him lying. At the moment, I don't know what hell is going on in his head and I frankly don't give a shit.

Mikejswalker though, is an entirely different kettle of fish (I don't think he is Richard Morgan, I don't think his head is filled with wool, I think it is something else) ...

On first reading I flicked past the rug comment as my brain filed it as a strange (mebbe hippy) reference to walking barefoot on carpets. (I can be naive at times). I looked again when you pointed it out and was not impressed.

Personally, what clinched it for me was this:

I can't post much more coz i'm sitting across from a lady i'm having dinner with and she's looking at me and my laptop funny.
followed by
Typing through desert.

The nasty implication from this poster being that "I am disrespecting another woman (who doesn't know about it) whilst at the same time hassling you... Bitch."

I could hear the vile laughter and felt sick.

Later on, when busted, he tried the 'distract with compliments ploy'...
I do not try any under handed means to court or gain favour. I applaud when i feel it's warranted and laugh at Benway and Reverend and marvel at Mphil and Allanf and Allanw and chuckle at Styrers' dickensian speak and smile at your balanced interjections.
Finally, we see someone who uses phrases like 'extreme calumny', but misspells toupee as toupea.

For pity's sake, just how fucking stupid does he think the people on here are?

214. Richard Dawkins on The Big Questions

Comment #157660 by Corylus on April 9, 2008 at 11:49 am

For everyone's information

I googled 'ASMarques' and 'holocaust'.*

It appears that this individual gets up to this sort of thing a great deal.

*Warning: If you do the same you will have to disinfect your PC.

215. The Atheist Next Door

Comment #157051 by Corylus on April 8, 2008 at 2:06 pm

Phil

Nah! It was faked. You could see when they turned away, they had glinty red eyes....

Damn straight. That poodle looked pretty shifty too.

216. Richard Dawkins: 'Growth in creationist beliefs a problem for schools'

Comment #157026 by Corylus on April 8, 2008 at 1:47 pm

Al

all will be forgotton
That's the spirit.

Styrer

Strikes me that you are the type of person to wade in guns blazing as soon as you think people are being unfairly treated.

It's a nice personality trait, but you do get false positives sometimes; especially if you jump in before the old red mist clears.

Come on, mate, let it drop.

---

A general comment on this whole business:

I am feeling bad for someone called Richard right now and his surname is not Morgan.

[Edit: looks like I was too late. Oh, well]

217. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156502 by Corylus on April 7, 2008 at 5:03 pm

Mike, I read what people write on here and talk back to them primary to learn things.

You cannot teach me anything more about certain types of people than I don't already know.

We are done.

218. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156493 by Corylus on April 7, 2008 at 4:46 pm

Mike

You are shitting me here arn't ya boys?


Boys?? WTF?

Why does everyone I speak to on message boards always assume I am male?

Do I have little dormouse testicles showing in my picture? Have I had my fur cut in a particularly mannish fashion?

Oh rats. It's the whiskers isn't it! I've tried bleaching, electronlysis: the works.

The blighters just keep growing back.

219. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156484 by Corylus on April 7, 2008 at 4:20 pm

Peace

mikejswalker -you know the Doc is a bird right?
Huh? Don't the wings and the beak give it away :D

Seriously though, he got told off for patronisingly using the term 'ladies' earlier on. I think he was just ringing the changes.

Seems to have a real downer on Benway though.

Maybe he just doesn't like smart girls.

220. Russell T Davies: Return of the (tea) Time Lord

Comment #156479 by Corylus on April 7, 2008 at 3:54 pm

Well! I make a throwaway comedy comment about leotards, thinking that it might raise the odd smile, but no responses, toodle off to do some work, and return to find lots of comments.

Mitchell
Sounds like you have a very tough situation to deal with there. Not going to try to empathise as I haven't been where you are, and I know you hate being patronised, but you do have my sympathy.

My father is a 'don't give a stuff agnostic' he is happy to go to church services if he has a reason - weddings etc, I think mainly because he likes to sing. Generally he isn't bothered either way.

My mother was for many years what I would call an 'angry agnostic' (they do exist!)

E.g. "I don't know whether or not god exists, but I really, really hope he does, just so that when I die...... I can give that %&*&wit a piece of my mind!" ( Irate would love her) She has since moved to an atheist position as she finds the problem of evil impossible to overcome.

I do not know whether you will ever change your father's mind. I think you are being very wise taking it slowly though: best to try to make people bend rather than break. Maybe the suggestion of going to a more moderate church might be a good thing? Slowly and gently is often the best way. Make it clear you love him; so it is not always a fight. Best of luck.

Sargeist I really do think Marilyn has a huge sense of humour :-) it is just that people don't expect it, because of the way he looks.

Cartomancer
Blimy! Your chum has been doing some thinking.
Personally, I am not very good with the whole issue of gender politics in that my interests tend toward other things and, as a dormouse, I don't get out much. All that sleeping cramps my style. Plus,as a straight female most of it simply goes over my head. Case in point (as I appear to be in self-disclosure mode) when I was studying in Brighton I used to frequent what I thought was a simply a nice friendly pub. (You can see where this is going can't you??).

I remember noticing that the barmaid was a big tough looking girl, I recall being a little miffed that no men ever chatted me up, but the penny only dropped when I went to the lav one day and saw graffiti on the wall stating 'real lesbians don't eat quiche'. (Even then my first thought was 'stop dissing vegetarians'). I am very, very daft at times.

Accordingly, I simply don't know what to make of your friends theory. Seems hugely overcomplicated to me. Let's put this in context, some women like ultra masculine men, some women like gentle and sensitive men. This is a matter of personalities not politics. I fail to see why things should be more complicated just because people are homosexual.

In relationships you have to be both willing to look after others and be able to trust enough to allow yourself to be looked after in turn. This is very rarely equal though; certain types of people tend towards taking on one or the other role.

You like sensitive men? Maybe you just like looking after the people you care about. Nothing political about that. Just human.

Some men like masculine men? Maybe they just like being looked after. Nothing political about that. Just human.

P.S. Have to say though that the Chav fascination business is just surreal?? WTF!! Now That's weird.

Geoff

Dunno if I qualify as "uber-straight" or not, but in my case the sexual preference of a musician/band is totally irrelevant to whether I like their music or not.
Good for you. I try very hard to separate the art from the artist. I manage this with sexual preference, but less often with other viewpoints.

For example, I think Enders Game is a brilliant book which I really enjoyed the first time I read it, however, when I later found out what a furniture chewing, moon baying, batshit insane bigot Scott Orson Card is I could never view it in the same way again.

----

Irate,
Simply Red. Oh dear. I hear the dislike of Mick Hucknall. However, I do hope that this is not just due to his ginger hair; as that's prejudice. Just because it is less common doesn't mean that it is unnatural :P

----

Richard If you are reading, sorry for taking a thread off tangent again! I hope you enjoyed your time on the set of Doctor Who.

221. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156181 by Corylus on April 7, 2008 at 3:19 am

Yeah, I know Keith,

But, as the man said, "Blessed are the cheesemakers".

222. Russell T Davies: Return of the (tea) Time Lord

Comment #156179 by Corylus on April 7, 2008 at 3:08 am

Mitchell

Which is odd, as bigotted and hateful as he is against homosexuality, he still doesn't mind being huge fans of Queen
What is it with uber straight men liking Queen? I know someone like this myself. I can only conclude that they manage to completely push Freddie Mercury's life style out of their minds; or maybe there are a few that simply do not realise?

I recall as a kid watching Freddie on the television jumping about in a leotard. "Wow, I thought, he looks just like a P.E (physical education) instructor!"

This to me was the epitome of masculinity.

I was not the most savvy of children :D

223. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #156175 by Corylus on April 7, 2008 at 2:47 am

Some of you might find this interesting reading (it is Wikipedia; but I don't give a flying &*%$ - it's a good summary!)

It concerns the subject of defence mechanisms. These are the strategies that we, as vulnerable humans, use to deal with harsh reality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_mechanisms

There are a lot of mechanisms; some more helpful than others. Humour is one of the helpful (level 4) ones, as is coming over all altruistic and empathic.

The fact that people deal with reality in different ways does not mean that they are unfeeling; the opposite in fact.

Accordingly, I do not worry about people with different mechanisms than me so as long as they are level four or (sparingly) level three. I worry about people who do not need them at all e.g. "no sense no feeling".

If anyone is interested, my personal favourite defence mechanism is intellectualisation. Not always healthy, but I never claim to be perfect :-)

Lets all cut each other a little slack.

224. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #156008 by Corylus on April 6, 2008 at 1:30 pm

I like to run different viewpoints past myself and try them on for size...

At the moment, I am playing the lurking moderate Christian reading the passive/aggressive posts of sdbranum.....

Currently banging head on wall and muttering STFU.

225. A Letter From Hell

Comment #155974 by Corylus on April 6, 2008 at 12:59 pm

IloveRickLyon

This video was made to scare Christians into acting and doing what they were called to do.

Huh? If someone is called to do something why do they need scaring as well?

226. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #155883 by Corylus on April 6, 2008 at 8:32 am

Child.

227. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155815 by Corylus on April 6, 2008 at 1:12 am

A word of defence for Brian; he called his first sock puppet the latin for sock puppet! The second one was a parody on a fundy.

He was only playing :-)

228. Fleabytes

Comment #155752 by Corylus on April 5, 2008 at 3:30 pm

Dr. Benway

Anyone check out "Casimir Pulaski Day"? (see above post)
I had a listen.

I agree it does have honesty in that actually deals with a tough subject rather than harping on about how happy the world is with God in it -which seems to be the standard thing in terms of any Christian music I stumble across. It is also technically very complex and melodic - yes it is beautiful.

I veer between classical and rock, so this isn't my normal thing, however, by co-incidence I did hear another song by this artist recently that was really striking.

It is called John Wayne Gacy Jr. (There are a couple of videos with it in on Youtube)

Not easy to write a thoughtful, compassionate song about a serial killer, but this guy pulls it off.

Very talented and; I suspect; extremely humane.

Trouble is, he buys into the Christian line that we are all inveterate sinners and that everyone is fixable. I do not think that either assumption is true.

229. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #155713 by Corylus on April 5, 2008 at 10:12 am

Oh crap. I was too busy getting analytical about the facts in this case that I didn't get empathic or laugh.

Wanders off to shoot self for the dual sins of lack of feeling and lack of humour...

230. Beware the Believers

Comment #155512 by Corylus on April 4, 2008 at 4:02 pm

Phil

You are right, by virtue of being human we are emotional. Sometimes we have only a bad option and a really bad option to choose between. There is no point in trying to pretend that the bad option has no effect on us because it will.

Personally, I try to respect people's subjective feelings and emotions, whilst at the same time I seek to investigate why people feel the way they do and whether or not it is rational for them to do so.

Morality is not an either / or choice between thinking or feeling. You get awful results when you exclusively plump for either.

I don't presume to have all the answers, but I do know that you have to both think and feel while constantly checking both viewpoints against the other.

Gotta go now.

Dormice need their sleep :-)

231. Beware the Believers

Comment #155500 by Corylus on April 4, 2008 at 3:25 pm

Phil

But isn't the range of other factors to be considered wider than this?
Absolutely, it is. This is why we have to talk in depth about issues such as abortion.
The fact is we don't do judging harm well (like being able to push the one person off the bridge to save five others.) and we'd not be human if we were good at it...we'd be Vulcan.
No, we are not very good. We tend to make moral judgements intuitively rather than rationally.

The trouble really starts though when people start assuming that this intuitive reaction is a manifestation of objective God given morality.

Then we all wind up in the cack. For if something is objectively wrong then it must be legislated against. Once that happens humanity and an understanding of subtleties goes out of the window and you end up with shattered lives.

Mark Smith Thank you; that pretty much sums up my position as well.

232. Beware the Believers

Comment #155487 by Corylus on April 4, 2008 at 2:48 pm

Kardahovel

I would be very surprised if you were not male. However, you have a curious nature and a gentle, therapeutic demeanor.
Tee hee :-) way to cover your bets, dude!!

Actually, I'm female.

Teapot - you are wrong too. Early thirties and Capricorn.

Oh bollocks - I cannot believe I have been coaxed into talking astrology on an atheist message board!! Hangs head in shame...

233. Beware the Believers

Comment #155483 by Corylus on April 4, 2008 at 2:39 pm

Great teapot ,

I'm with Quetz here in that I do not agree with your viewpoint, but you are of course entitled to it.

I would add two provisos though.

1) I hope that you wouldn't be prone to legislate for it.

2) You can take knowledge of conception as a cutoff point if you wish, but if you do this you still have the problem of deciding what to do in the case of non-viable conception. (I am talking about ectopic pregnancy and cases of severe disability here).

I think that you would be ok with abortion in these circumstances, but you will need to have a separate reason for arguing for it.

It is really not an easy question.

234. Beware the Believers

Comment #155479 by Corylus on April 4, 2008 at 2:33 pm

Kardashovel


My wife, who majored in ecofeminism, has informed me that men tend to be more mercenary in arguments: taking on positions that are extensions or reductions of their actual viewpoint, but arguing forcefully nevertheless.

Do you think she is correct?

Interesting (sorry to butt in here Anna).

Personally, I do not think it is a good idea to pidgeon-hole people in such a fashion.

Personalities differ, just as genders do.

Kardashovel, let's do an experiment; you have chatted to me for a bit, but I don't recall giving you any particularly personal information...

What sex do you think I am? I'm curious.

235. Beware the Believers

Comment #155450 by Corylus on April 4, 2008 at 1:59 pm

Great teapot

To me the morning after pill is in bad taste, the person taking the pill is assuming conception has taken place.
Actually, it is a bit more complicated than that; some emergency contraception works by delaying ovulation.

See this interesting post by PZ Myers on "Plan B".

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/04/why_the_wingnuts_hate_plan_b.php

236. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155338 by Corylus on April 4, 2008 at 10:50 am

My problem with Pascal's wager is that is falls apart as soon as you stop presuming that belief is 100% volitional.

One can profess a belief in something certainly, but that is a very different thing from holding a belief.

As God can see into minds, he will pick up those who were fakin'...

My gut instinct is that Pascal's wager is often used either by people who find it hard to put themselves into the minds of others (egocentric types) or used by those who are themselves working very, very hard to keep believing.

237. Pastor attacks scientist's talk

Comment #154997 by Corylus on April 4, 2008 at 4:00 am

Artful_Dodger

We don't take poetry literally.
Actually sometimes we do; there is a tradition of using the methods of poetry (rhyme and meter) in order to aid memory. Poetry used for teaching is taken literally. For example,
The Properties of Bile
Bile for the liver emulsifies greases
Tinges the urine and colours the faeces
Aids peristalsis, prevents putrefaction
If you remember all this you'll give satisfaction.
Now, this is obviously to be taken literally. When we read a text, any text, we try to work out whether it makes sense; i.e. whether it either does, or probably, corresponds to what we consider to be factual reality.

Poetry allows us to use ambiguity and unusual combinations of words. It is often beautiful and as a lover of words I would not be without it.

However, just because poetry exists does not mean that God does or that there are "special types" of poetic truths.

You can argue, of course that The Properties of Bile is not a proper poem, but you would have to explain why it is not a proper poem when it has the form of one.

If your answer is that because it corresponds to reality then you have just shot yourself in the foot as regards your argument from poetry.

If God is a poem, then by definition he isn't true.

238. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #154723 by Corylus on April 3, 2008 at 3:48 pm

Officials said that he may have attempted suicide after realising his prediction had been wrong. Mr Kuznetsov has been declared to be suffering from schizophrenia and held in a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
Schizophrenia? Hmm... Dunno.

You have to be consistently organised to be a leader of any group. Even/especially? a sect.

Florid episodes do not help with that.

Dr Benway. You about?

239. Beware the Believers

Comment #154693 by Corylus on April 3, 2008 at 3:14 pm

Anna

What does it mean, then that I own a handgun...
It means that they have it for your own use and you (sensibly) do not make a point of waving it at non - interested individuals in an anti-social fashion :P

240. Pastor attacks scientist's talk

Comment #154682 by Corylus on April 3, 2008 at 3:05 pm

OK. I am aware that as a mere human I am prone to bias, accordingly I periodically talk to people with different viewpoints to check that I am not getting tunnel vision.

(Tis a fundamentalist atheist thing).

Bearing that in mind, I ran this article by mild mannered agnostic family member (with no history of dealing with Rev. Robertson) and asked her what she thought.

Verdict? "Dude sounds worried and close to a throwing a wobbly".

241. Beware the Believers

Comment #154640 by Corylus on April 3, 2008 at 2:28 pm

Al

In short yes, there is a greater phallic connotation with the handgun

Thanks Al - I knew I was right on that one.

242. Beware the Believers

Comment #154630 by Corylus on April 3, 2008 at 2:21 pm

Well Al appears we have come to the same conclusion via different routes. That's cool :-)

Incidentally, I'm interested as a non gun owing Brit - with a level of myopia that makes shooting an extremely bad plan...

Do you think there is any difference; in terms of the phallic connotations; between those that own rifles (the tool for the job in terms of hunting for food, if you eat meat) and those that own handguns??

Handguns seem to me to particularly relevant to this question as they appear so designed for fingers.

Thoughts?

243. Beware the Believers

Comment #154615 by Corylus on April 3, 2008 at 2:05 pm

Arh yes "becomethearrow" that was the name!

Not content with a phallic style handle, he also saw fit to put up a picture with him holding a dick extension gun as well.

Woah, I'm betting it's small.

Hi, Kardashovel (waves).

244. Fleabytes

Comment #154082 by Corylus on April 2, 2008 at 2:32 pm

Frankus

Wouldn't it be great to play poker with this guy?
Remind me to raise him £87.50.

245. Fleabytes

Comment #154066 by Corylus on April 2, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Well, for once my browser has managed to load this huge thread without collapsing, and I see that clearthinker/wee flea is back.

Comment 153838 by Incredulous

Wondering why you were picked out by him?? Don't sweat it. This is a pattern you will see with all of Robertson's posts that respond to many people at once. He will always:

1) Ignore the really tough / subtle posts (I think MPhil will be waiting for a comprehensive reply for some time)

2) When he has to deal with someone clever (or really seem evasive) he will pick a part of a comment out of context in an attempt to make that person appear to be unsubtle, when in fact they are anything but. (e.g his response to Dr Benway)

3) With polite but difficult factual questions he will pick out a tiny subsidiary part of the post out to reply to; giving the impression that he is engaging when he is not. (e.g. his response to Mixmastergaz).

------

This is all pretty calculated, however he shows his true colours by not being able to resist doing the following as well. (He is nowhere near as in control of himself as he thinks he is).

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4) He will also pick out a short post at random, from someone he has never addressed before. He will be extremely rude and dismissive to this person. He is pissed and wants to kick the cat; any cat. Someone has to be upset, he does not care who.

As a natural bully he will choose a person that he does not recognise and hopes to be able to dominate / upset. The little toerag cannot resist picking on people that (he thinks) are not his own size.

He is not very smart though and assumes that people only read those comments addressed to themselves, scan over everything else and do not notice these little flashes of nastiness.

I tend to notice, as I really do not like bullies, and I suspect that I am not the only one.

It is just another one of his little tells.

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N.B. He has seriously misjudged you though as you are obviously quite capable of looking after yourself. I doubt he will pick on you again now you have told him where to stick his opinion. :-)

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On the music debate, one of my favourite pieces of music is Faure's requiem (unsure about his religious affliations but the language is obviously religious). However, I also like Metallica.

Guess I am just having my cake and eating it.

246. Vatican: Islam surpasses Roman Catholicism as world's largest religion

Comment #153111 by Corylus on April 1, 2008 at 3:54 am

Steve

Poodle hair does not look dignified on a wolf.
Irate
Poodle hair doesn't even look dignified on a poodle :) .
Dignity is over-rated. Fun is unrated.

http://www.labradoodle.org.uk/gallery.php?imgnum=7

Put poodle hair on a Labrador and you have dog heaven.

http://www.labradoodle.org.uk/

247. Beware the Believers

Comment #152432 by Corylus on March 31, 2008 at 2:32 am

Comment 152389 by Clearthinker

I was making a comment about your personality David not the video.

There is a distinction between a person who tells a lie and a liar. The former is one who tells a lie unwillingly, while the liar loves to lie and passes his time in the joy of lying... The latter takes delight in lying, rejoicing in the falsehood itself.
In case you do not recognise the above, this is from Augustine's essay on lying.

(Cited by Harry G. Frankfurt in his wonderful little book On Bullshit )

As I say, busted long ago.

248. Beware the Believers

Comment #152225 by Corylus on March 30, 2008 at 1:25 pm

As always, when given the choice between arguing for a position with evidence to support it and a position that he thinks might upset people the Reverent Robertson (aka Clearthinker ) opts for the latter.

See comment #152203

David, you were busted a long time ago. Give it up. You are moving from the predictable to the downright boring.

249. Beware the Believers

Comment #151874 by Corylus on March 29, 2008 at 3:41 pm

Benway

Link to the last thing you remember reading or seeing that made you laugh out loud.
Ok. (Warning - bad language)

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/animals/animals-headlines/'look-at-the-size-of-this-f*cking-rat'-say-zoologists-20080105608

250. Police: Girl Dies After Parents Pray for Healing Instead of Seeking Medical Help

Comment #151872 by Corylus on March 29, 2008 at 3:34 pm

Flying Goose

"He pointed out some time ago, that NOT ONE Christian has seen fit so far to come on this thread to defend the parents of this unfortunate ex child."

How can one defend the indefensible?
Absolutely correct. Logical inpossiblilty.

However, there is a huge difference between, comprehending an action (or lack of action) and condoning it.

Practically though, if you understand why people sometimes act in an unforgiveable fashion in certain types of situations, you can work towards stopping said situations reoccurring.

Just because you understand something does not mean that you have to defend it.

Understanding is what is required here, and that is all that I personally ask for.

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