Comments by Colwyn Abernathy

Comment #177966 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 10, 2008 at 4:39 am

I mean, I know he's not every woman's idea of a dream date, but on a dark night with the light behind him...

"I am the terror...that flaps in the night..."

EDIT: Bonus geek points for finishing it. ;)

And easily troubling enough that the guy wasn't "the greatest man ever to live".

That honor of course, goes to Norman Borlaug.

SECONDED! If it weren't for P&T, I wouldn't know who the hell he is, or the incredible work he's done for our species, especially for those who're a different colour than him. And Stein says science leads to killing people...

Also what is it about Americans and ancestor worship.

We're...turning Japanese? I really think so. ;)

352. Faith in Britain today

Comment #177965 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 10, 2008 at 4:34 am

Well, except for his shagging of a woman he literally owned as property, but hey....;)

"Greatness" isn't the same as "Perfect". But then, I got the image of red haired mulattos running around from that comment...and that made me giggle. Lincoln was racist too, but I digress. ;)

353. Faith in Britain today

Comment #177957 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 10, 2008 at 4:09 am

'Athiests,(sic) it's not you, it's us, please come home, we've been complacent, we know, but honestly, we can change, and this time we really mean it.'

Highly reminiscent of the Vatican's "Catholics Come Home" ad campaign.

http://www.catholicscomehome.org/

How this got an "org", oh right, religion...when it's clearly a re-recruitment campaign...

354. Faith in Britain today

Comment #177952 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 10, 2008 at 3:51 am

No one generates their own faith: it always comes to us through the goodness, example and insight of others: that is the meaning of tradition and the roots of this tradition lie in the goodness, example and insight of our Lord Jesus, God's Word made flesh, the Jewish tradition on which he draws and the Christian tradition which he creates by his risen presence.

This reminds me of what Bill Hicks once said, and I'm paraphrasing, "You do know that all those men, who started all tradition? All of 'em....are fucking dead. Isn't it time to start a NEW world, one of our own choosing? One we want?"

At the simplest level, this is what it means to be Catholic, to belong to a living community of faith that extends across the centuries and will extend until the end of time.

Or the end of species. Or the end of our Sun's life. Or the end of superstition. Or the end of faith holding sway over political power. You know, whichever comes first...any of those are far more likely than the end of the time...oh the arrogance...

355. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176880 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 8, 2008 at 8:27 am

I really thought he should have just spoken gobly gook when they told him to speak in tongues. But the song was hilarious.

Actually, I thought his Russian "tongues" was far more poetic and ironic, considering that prolly NONE of them had heard a Cyrillic language in their lives. Irony: he's speaking an ACTUAL language when it's not supposed to mean anything. Delicious. :)

356. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176879 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 8, 2008 at 8:20 am

You think child preachers are scary....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zxCqa-4DlE

The Baby Preacher...

357. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176856 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 8, 2008 at 7:20 am

"In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I cast out the demon of the intellect!" Fortenberry continued. "In the name of Jesus, I cast out the demon of anal fissures!"

You're shitting me...PLEASE! How the hell do you juxtapose INTELLECT with ANAL FISSURES? This is my biggest beef with my fellow countrymen, they exhalt ignorance. The adore NOT knowing things, relying on the stock "goddidit", and this is truly saddening and scary. Tho I can just see the satire now: "Fundies Gone Wild!".

358. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176846 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 8, 2008 at 6:52 am

Fortenberry then started in on a rant against science and against scientific explanations for cycles of sin. "Take homosexuals," he said. "Every single homosexual is a sexual-abuse victim. They are not born. They are created -- by pedophiles."

Fuck you, Fortenberry. Seriously. Not only do I have family (not ONCE abused) who are gay, but I've worked with gay casts. NONE of them spoke of being sexually abused. One even talked to me about his belief that since he had always been gay, God MUST have made him that way, and god loves all his creations as they are, since he made them, right? Rationalise THAT, you homophobic fuckers!

EDIT:

When they're away from the cameras, the preachers feel even less obligated to shackle themselves to facts of any kind. That's because they know that their audience doesn't give a shit. So long as you're telling them what they want to hear, there's no danger; your crowd will angrily dismiss any alternative explanations anyway as demonic subversion.

And this is what makes cultish brainwashing so infuriating...and dangerous.

359. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176840 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 8, 2008 at 6:40 am

The wound, it turned out, was something that was inflicted upon us because of a curse, a curse that perhaps spanned generations in each of our families.

Secular psycho-gook with a HINT of Shintoism. You must restore your family's HONOUR! ;)

360. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176831 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 8, 2008 at 6:22 am

"Hello," I said, taking a deep breath. "My name is Matt. My father was an alcoholic circus clown who used to beat me with his oversize shoes."

Oh, I could SO sell that, a real test of the actor's mettle.

361. Research Volunteers Needed

Comment #176480 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 7, 2008 at 12:48 pm

You need to enable cookies.

"Cookies?! What would I do with cookies?"
"Ya EAT 'EM silly mustache man! Whoah, dumber than advertised."
-Albert Einstein & Dot Warner, Animaniacs "Cookies for Einstein"

I cannae resist! ;)

362. Research Volunteers Needed

Comment #176474 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 7, 2008 at 12:28 pm

OO! Just thought of a good question after completing them:

"Democracy is an American idea."
-OR-

"Democracy is originally an American idea."

I'd be interested to know how many people believe that to be true.

363. The detail in the Devil

Comment #176039 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 6, 2008 at 12:14 pm

Haha, you RPG nerds

Damn right. If it's a good story, sign me up. :) I love a good story.

364. The detail in the Devil

Comment #175989 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 6, 2008 at 10:24 am

But all that aside, I think it would be so fucking cool to be demon possessed.

I agree on this, especially if one is able to shift into and out of demon form, a la Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga. Dibs on the hinged arm blades!

365. The detail in the Devil

Comment #175876 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 6, 2008 at 7:31 am

Reverend,

I am playing it for fun and am aware, of the etymology and varied history of the name; Chemosh of the Moabites, etc. Just getting the Ba'al rolling as it were.

You're fired...thanks for the PUNishment, Magilla. ;)

366. The detail in the Devil

Comment #175861 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 6, 2008 at 6:59 am

"It's demonology 101," says Bradshaw. "I wrote it so that the layman could more easily find out about demons and evil spirits, and I've inserted the research in the form of a novel. You find out all about it."

Um...yeah. Research in NOVEL form...what, like "The DaVinci Code"? OOO! I read JK Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, that must make me an expert on magic! Do me a lemon, srsly.

EDIT:

asking if people could be that inhumane to each other independently of ultra-human assistance,

Yes.

or if a kind of demonic possession was involved.

Wouldn't that be convenient? Absolve humankind by blaming entities we cannot measure or observe infecting a small portion of it. The lesson here is: EVERYONE is capable of being completely rotten to other, different people. Biggest influence? RE-LI-GI-ON. Demons? Please.

367. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #175342 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 5, 2008 at 9:29 am

There is no such right as 'the right not to be offended; indeed, I am deeply offended by the contents of the Koran, with its overt hatred of Christians, Jews, apostates, non-believers, homosexuals but cannot demand its suppression.

Not only cannot, but WILL not. Who's up for banning mustard? WHO'S WITH ME? Nobody? Good, it'd be a fool's errand to try, but it may enlighten a few minds.

368. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #175341 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 5, 2008 at 9:27 am

As everyone has observed recently,the majority do tend to be listened to.

Aye, but more often than not, it takes the voices of a minority crying, "OI! 'Ang on a mo'!" to get the dialogue started, and this is what courage and honesty demand we do.

369. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #175337 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 5, 2008 at 9:11 am

Wilders, who lives under perpetual armed guard due to death threats, recently released a 15 minute film entitled Fitna ("strife" in Arabic) over the internet.

"Seriously, what's wrong with a strongly worded letter to "The Times"? -Marcus Brigstocke

EDIT: Somebody needs to close off their italics tag...Sam? Hellooooo?

EDIT: EDIT: Much better, thank you. :)

370. Muslim Rebel Sisters: At Odds With Islam and Each Other

Comment #175035 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 4, 2008 at 8:21 am

Even in his own writings, he goes on about how he could never find a 'pure' enough woman, and ended up a repressed batchelor.

Wow, arbitrarily set, and unreachable standards. I've been happy with all the "dirty" "impure" women I've been with. Reminds me of Walter from Jeff Dunham's act. "Why not 72 slutty broads who KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY'RE DOIN'?" ;)

371. Muslim Rebel Sisters: At Odds With Islam and Each Other

Comment #175031 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 4, 2008 at 8:14 am

On the one hand, with "The Enlightenment", we have freethinking, rejection of dogma & doctrine, support for human rights, representative rather than authoritarian government, evidence-based reasoning (hence science), and tolerance. (If a religion met these criteria, would we worry about that religion?)

Well, I for one, certainly wouldn't. I have no problem with people who want religion in their lives. I DO, however, have a problem with people who want religion in MY life.

372. Muslim Rebel Sisters: At Odds With Islam and Each Other

Comment #175027 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 4, 2008 at 7:44 am

Ms. Manji offers her own support for Mr. Berman's conjecture: "Had I grown up in a Muslim country, I'd probably be an atheist in my heart."

And yet knowing that, she isn't. Odd. At least she recognises that it's a cultural bearing as opposed to a naturalistic one.

EDIT:

Ms. Manji, too, sees feminism as the linchpin for Islamic reform. "Empowering women," she says, "is the way to awaken the Muslim world."

Empowering the "underclasses" of any gender or stripe is the way to awaken the ENTIRE world. Which is why I find the idea of a caste system repellent as well.

But she is not only a committed feminist (bad enough in the eyes of Muslim conservatives). She is also an open lesbian â€" a rebel twice over.

NO WAI! I didn't know that. Talk about self-definition and emancipation from sexual "morality". Rock on! :)

The difference between them "really is between those outside of a faith and those still within it," says Ms. Manji's friend the writer Andrew Sullivan. "Hirsi Ali has abandoned faith for atheism. Irshad has taken the harder path, I believe."

Well, that's certainly debatable, but otherwise moot. While Manji may seem a larger threat (the lesbians seem to be for some reason) because of her actively trying to reform the system, Ali is an outright apostate, denying the system as a whole. And with compatriots like Hitch, I don't think she's taking a path any less difficult. What if more and more women just decide to leave altogether?

373. Evolution's Critics Shift Tactics With Schools

Comment #175023 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 4, 2008 at 7:29 am

In a bid to shape biology lessons, they are promoting what they call "academic freedom" bills that would encourage or require public-school teachers to cast doubt on a cornerstone of modern science.

Because they know so much more than the people who actually do all the un-sexie work, and they can't provide any evidence for their claim, so they STILL are trying to discredit real science ONLY because they can't make it jibe with their religious beliefs. Morons.

374. Truly Bizarre : Indians Throw Babies 50ft From Roof To Thank God.

Comment #175018 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 4, 2008 at 7:06 am

I'm aghast and flabbered. I'm founded dumb. And I thought the Sikhs literally putting their scriptures to bed was idiotic. This ups the ante by adding infants, amateur stunt work, and a possible entry into the Darwin Awards. Apparently these beliefs don't account for a newborn's still developing skull and skeletal system. Appalling.

375. Pat Condell: Anthology DVD available now!

Comment #175014 by Colwyn Abernathy on May 4, 2008 at 6:38 am

Then you totally undermine yourself by the use of vindictive, gratuitous language in an ad-hominem attack.

Yup, our Styrer doesn't pussyfoot around. While I agree that it's hardly necessary, it wouldn't be Styrer without it.

376. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #173090 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 30, 2008 at 10:22 am

In the U.S. women do not have constitutionally protected equal rights - The LDS made sure of that when it helped defeat the ERA back around 1978.

(Oh shit, I probably started some more contention!)

Great, thanks a lot for posting legal history will, now they'll never shut up. ;)

Good call, BTW. I hadn't known that. I'll look more into it.

377. Pat Condell: Anthology DVD available now!

Comment #173076 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 30, 2008 at 10:04 am

Not my style of humour, I have to admit, I go for silliness more than anything else

No, stop that! It's far TOO silly! ;)

378. Pat Condell: Anthology DVD available now!

Comment #173064 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 30, 2008 at 9:47 am

"Peace...and I mean that...most sincerely."

Spot on, Josh. Great idea for a compilation! I imagine Pat's thrilled. They should redfine his witty rantings as "unapologetics". ;)

379. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172393 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 2:14 pm

"One time I failed a blood test."

That's nothing, I got a negative on one of mine.

On another test I got an "A" and two "C"s..... Bad news is that it was a Hepatitis test.

You bastid...thanks for making me feel guilty for laughing. :P

EDIT:

Come on, the ladies totally would prefer the hat. "Ladies" being Sharon and I.

The shades sold me on it, not being a lady, of course. ;)

380. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172392 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 2:12 pm

Okay okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way, Kyrie has responded to the various questions posed. I'd take a whack at it but I'm not going to be on much longer.

381. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172381 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 2:05 pm

I thought is was a blown glass ash tray. Damn I fail the blot test everytime.

I didn't know anyone could PASS those things.

382. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172370 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 2:00 pm

Well in any case, it's better than one of those annoying animated avatars.

No pleasing some people, I reckon. ;)

"That's just what Jesus said, sah!"
-Michael Palin, Monty Python's Life of Brian

383. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172365 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 1:59 pm

Aye, the top one MPhil...more rockstar-ish. :) And recent! Bonus!

EDIT: Confused your "my current" with the pic being current...apologies!

384. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172327 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 1:31 pm

I dunno, what do you really look like? You could be a 300lb man with a beard for all we know :o)

She's Mark Bunker? ;) I'm kidding, I don't think he's THAT heavy. www.xenutv.com

385. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172320 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 1:19 pm

Yeah, I'm heinously ugly. It took a good bit of photoshopping to get me to look like this. ;-)

Aw, you just couldn't leave me to my idealistic image of you, could ya? ;) Me, I prefer to err on the side of teh funneh.

OH! I FORGIVE YOU STUPID PEOPLE!

For reference: www.illwillpress.com

386. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172316 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 1:17 pm

For instance, I am actually a horribly disfigured werewolf, but I found a good angle in my photo.

Detroit still sucks, tho. :P Just kidding, I don't follow baseball, (and I'm from Philly!). I just couldn't think of a better gag. ;)

387. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172295 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 12:53 pm

Is Kyrie a member of that Mormon compound? I am beginning to wonder.

Got me, but I find Kyrie's fuzzy logic indicative of some kind of manipulation.

388. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172290 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 12:51 pm

So in summation. She waxed racist, tried to change the post, lied, was caught, tried to claim the changes were minor, then fled destroying all evidence upon departure.

Really a low life move.

And thanks again for even further clarification, al. :) I'll restate it: is it REALLY too much to admit a wrong? Seriously, would you have continued to harp on her if she'd've just come clean? I certainly don't think so. Was the apology all she was after? An expression of a genuine mistake built on a lie? Damn, I've been away too long. Best of luck on reaching your weight goal! I've never understood lifting myself.

389. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172288 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Colwyn@169,

Bunnyboiler went back and edited a post (was #23) in the middle of an argument with al-rawandi, tried to screw an apology out of him on the basis of "misreading" the post, was asked if she edited the post, lied repeatedly, got caught, and went back and deleted all her posts (about 10 in total), so the numbering of posts is wrong and referred-to posts are gone. At a guess, the most relevant posts are now probably between about #45 and #65, or thereabouts. You'll probably get the picture from the 2nd page of comments.

Thanks for the update update, emmet! :) You cleared everything up nicely in your defense of your liar accusation, (I forget what post number). Pity she just couldn't come clean about her dishonesty and continue to contribute. Ah well, some people just can't own up to being human like the rest of us and falling into familiar traps. Is it really too much to stop, take a breath, and go "MY BAD!" We're not infallible, after all. ;)

390. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #172251 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 29, 2008 at 11:44 am

bunny,
You didn't mention anyone in particular. You only ever mentioned Iraq in a general sense. Thus your racist outburst must be read in the same sense.

Did I miss something, or was the post Al referenced to deleted? I'm still on the first page of comments and I find myself confused. What was the rest of it? Anybody remember?

EDIT:

Yes, if you did not edit the post, I will apologize and remove my posts if you so wish.

Now I'm REALLY confused! They must have been deleted because I can't find the post Al is answering. Oh well. It's tough to follow with all the missing posts.

391. Orangutan attempts to hunt fish with spear

Comment #171023 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 28, 2008 at 8:45 am

Forgive me for this, but I can't resist this gag...

"OOO-BEE-DO! I wanna be like you-hoo-hoo! I wanna walk like you, talk like you, too-hoo-hoo. You see it's true-hoo-hoo, an ape like me-hee-hee can learn to be, hu-human, too!

From The Jungle Book, sorry! :)

392. Science leads to killing people

Comment #170861 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 28, 2008 at 5:32 am

But, he is for science control - because people don't kill people, science does.

Suns don't kill people; people WITH suns kill people. ;)

393. Science leads to killing people

Comment #170858 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 28, 2008 at 5:30 am

"I have a theory that Ann Coulter is really on our side. She just acts crazy to point out the lunacy of the far right. And the craziness allows her to sell books and make money.

If so, she's got nothing on Stephen Colbert. At least there's no question it's satire with The Colbert Report. I can't tell with Coulter, and I'd hate to be taken for a ride without at least KNOWING it's just a ride. ;)

394. Science leads to killing people

Comment #170848 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 28, 2008 at 5:11 am

Thunderf00t is the man. His series on Creationism, as well as AronRa's "Fundamental Falsehoods of Creationism" are great crash courses in the "debate" of science against non-science.

395. If God Is Dead, Who Gets His House?

Comment #167733 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 24, 2008 at 9:41 am

And now there are enough posts for me to say it.

After reading so many disparate posts, I would not want to spend one fucking minute in a semi-confined space, named 'church' or not, with the damn contrarian lot of you.

Take this as a compliment, folks.

Please return the compliment. You beautifully independent fuckers.

The pint offer still stands, mate. That is, if you can stand being in a confined space with me, even if that space is called a "pub"? ;)

396. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #167023 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 23, 2008 at 2:46 pm

This suggests women should accept the 'it was only sex' excuse then? ;)
What does Tribonin mean? (Scuse my ignorance)

SRY! Pun on impotence medication in Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. Tribonin=Try Bonin'. As for the excuse, well, "It's evolutionary, honey. My genes are selfish, not me!" ;)

EDIT: OOO! Another idea for a Robot Chicken sketch! ;)

397. Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital

Comment #167013 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 23, 2008 at 2:39 pm

Cartomancer:
"This sounds like something straight out of a cultural anthropology textbook or an egyptian magical papyrus."

Or a Monty Python movie.

NO, NO N...STOP THAT! STOP THAT! THIS IS FAR TOO SILLY.

;)

398. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #166900 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 23, 2008 at 1:33 pm

Further to the dirtiness of sex, I am intrigued by how it seems to be received in some non-believers minds that I have spoken to, that there could be anything 'dirty' about sex.

I disagree. Sex is dirty only if it's done right. ;) IE: it's done in an enjoyable way amongst consenting adults that really piss off those who view such fun as "dirty."

Is this from cultural tradition, or is it more deeply ingrained - perhaps from sex (in the male) having had to be a furtive stealing of the rarer Alpha-male's entitlement?

I've read studies done on infidelity (number of years ago) that demonstrated that women tend to view emotional infidelity (forming an intimate friendship with another female) as worse than physical infidelity. (Tribonin) Men were of the reverse, they didn't care that their mates were befriending other guys, so long as they weren't shtupping. They cited cultural/evolutionary factors, stating that females viewed emotional intimacy as a greater threat to the stability of the "provider" remaining with them, but weren't as pissed if they were just boning. (They were still pissed, tho) OTOH, sexual intimacy was more a threat to the male passing on his genes to the next generation, (ie. the selfish gene) but didn't care as much if they were just friends. So long as they weren't tradin' fluids.

How this is pertinent to sex in and of itself being dirty, taboo, or wrong, I've no real idea. I just thought the study was interesting. ;)

399. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #166849 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 23, 2008 at 1:02 pm

"Perhaps he might care to re-read the book of Job. Throughout most of this deeply mysterious and spiritual book, Job patiently suffers but essentially is steadfast in his faith in God's justice.

I've never understood this rationalisation of Job. Why any loving god would willingly torture one of his most penitent children, YET STILL KNOW HE'S NEVER GOING TO CAVE, is monstrous. Just to prove a point? To Satan? Were I god, I'd've told Ol' Scratch to shove his opinions up his arse, I'm not putting my beloved Job thru that, even tho no matter what I do to him he won't break. What do you think I am, a sadist?

Wait...

400. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #166830 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 23, 2008 at 12:52 pm

Damn, Dennett. That was like Harris but with more balls. (Apologies to the ladies) Reading this I can't get that image from the D to the Dawk parody vid of Dennett in the pimp furs, hat, and gold chain. YEAH! ;)