Because theists aren't truly happy unless they hate.

(October 16, 2018 at 5:51 pm)no one Wrote: Because theists aren't truly happy unless they hate.

I'm sure they don't ALL hate us. I mean, a lot of them are dead.

(October 16, 2018 at 5:51 pm)no one Wrote: Because theists aren't truly happy unless they hate.

Nothing is more satisfying than having one’s basest of urges satiated under the guise of fulfilling the noblest of missions. Proving that for the needy, the wish thinking and intellectually flaccid has been the secret of success of religion since the beginning.

Explains the crusades nicely.

My family and I love Harry Potter.

(Also, there are various Christian themes throughout the books, including 2 lines from the bible on the 7th book. One from the Old Testament, and one from the New.)

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(October 8, 2018 at 9:43 am)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: The only thing I liked about Harry Potter was the soundtrack. Otherwise, to me it was just schlock...at least compared to much better juvenile fantasy like Wizard of Earthsea.

Did you read all 7 books?

I'm asking this because you really can't judge the series if you only read a couple of the books, or only watched the movies. It gets sooo much deeper starting about halfway through the series. The first 3 books are really just laying the foundation. The 4th book is the transition to the much darker and deeper books 5, 6, and 7. And the movies dont do it justice either. There is no lack of depth to Harry Potter. Its sooo good!

(October 17, 2018 at 10:40 am)Catholic_Lady Wrote: My family and I love Harry Potter.

(Also, there are various Christian themes throughout the books, including 2 lines from the bible on the 7th book. One from the Old Testament, and one from the New.)

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(October 8, 2018 at 9:43 am)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: The only thing I liked about Harry Potter was the soundtrack. Otherwise, to me it was just schlock...at least compared to much better juvenile fantasy like Wizard of Earthsea.

Did you read all 7 books?

I'm asking this because you really can't judge the series if you only read a couple of the books, or only watched the movies. It gets sooo much deeper starting about halfway through the series. The first 3 books are really just laying the foundation. The 4th book is the transition to the much darker and deeper books 5, 6, and 7. And the movies dont do it justice either. There is no lack of depth to Harry Potter. Its sooo good!

When I finished "The Deathly Hallows" I turned to page one and started it again.

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Now a days, I pretty much just scroll through the Today's Posts section every couple of days or so and see if there are any interesting thread topics to look at. This thread, like pretty much all others, is filled with anger and hateful blanket statements about an entire group of people. I always wonder if the people who make those comments and/or kudos those comments know that they are acting no differently from the hateful type of Christians they condemn - putting human beings into boxes, strawmanning them, and throwing them away as though they aren't each individual people. This is the type of thing the religious fundamentalists types have a reputation of doing.

I get it. This is an atheist forum. This is where atheists come to release the frustration, anger, hurt, and/or isolation they feel as a result of being atheist in a mostly theist world, or any past bad experience they've had from people of faith. Which is fine, I understand. What y'all get here (your own space of like minded individuals) is what we get in church or religious group gatherings. This is a safe haven. An echo chamber. Three years as an active member of this forum has shown me that this just isn't the place for diverse groups of people to come and have productive discussions about their differences and attempt to understand each others' point of view... even though they disagree. And that is fine.

Anyway, I'm not sure why I rambled off about that in this thread. I guess every time I pop in to visit, I am reminded once again of why I've backed off.

(October 8, 2018 at 12:28 am)Rev. Rye Wrote: You know, the sad thing is the real reason they hate Harry Potter is because some of them don't understand that The Onion is not a legitimate news source. I wish I were making this up.

Yo! In a world so often bereft of small pleasures, I would like to thank Rev. Rye for linking me to a letter written by a Christian fundamentalist who takes an Onion article seriously. I want to read more of Christians taking Onion articles seriously. It is a newly-found hobby.

For those who didn't click the link:



The part about the virgins being gravy got me the most.

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(October 17, 2018 at 11:21 am)Catholic_Lady Wrote: .
Now a days, I pretty much just scroll through the Today's Posts section every couple of days or so and see if there are any interesting thread topics to look at. This thread, like pretty much all others, is filled with anger and hateful blanket statements about an entire group of people. I always wonder if the people who make those comments and/or kudos those comments know that they are acting no differently from the hateful type of Christians they condemn - putting human beings into boxes, strawmanning them, and throwing them away as though they aren't each individual people. This is the type of thing the religious fundamentalists types have a reputation of doing.

I get it. This is an atheist forum. This is where atheists come to release the frustration, anger, hurt, and/or isolation they feel as a result of being atheist in a mostly theist world, or any past bad experience they've had from people of faith. Which is fine, I understand. What y'all get here (your own space of like minded individuals) is what we get in church or religious group gatherings. This is a safe haven. An echo chamber. Three years as an active member of this forum has shown me that this just isn't the place for diverse groups of people to come and have productive discussions about their differences and attempt to understand each others' point of view... even though they disagree. And that is fine.

Anyway, I'm not sure why I rambled off about that in this thread. I guess every time I pop in to visit, I am reminded once again of why I've backed off.

We miss you. 

That's not all that goes on here. I think you are characterizing the whole forum according to the one thing that bothers you. But I understand how and why it does bother you...

Thanks for popping in.

PS:   This is a standard emoji now... if that does anything to entice you back.

(October 17, 2018 at 11:21 am)Catholic_Lady Wrote: .
Now a days, I pretty much just scroll through the Today's Posts section every couple of days or so and see if there are any interesting thread topics to look at. This thread, like pretty much all others, is filled with anger and hateful blanket statements about an entire group of people. I always wonder if the people who make those comments and/or kudos those comments know that they are acting no differently from the hateful type of Christians they condemn - putting human beings into boxes, strawmanning them, and throwing them away as though they aren't each individual people. This is the type of thing the religious fundamentalists types have a reputation of doing.

I get it. This is an atheist forum. This is where atheists come to release the frustration, anger, hurt, and/or isolation they feel as a result of being atheist in a mostly theist world, or any past bad experience they've had from people of faith. Which is fine, I understand. What y'all get here (your own space of like minded individuals) is what we get in church or religious group gatherings. This is a safe haven. An echo chamber. Three years as an active member of this forum has shown me that this just isn't the place for diverse groups of people to come and have productive discussions about their differences and attempt to understand each others' point of view... even though they disagree. And that is fine.

Anyway, I'm not sure why I rambled off about that in this thread. I guess every time I pop in to visit, I am reminded once again of why I've backed off.

Thanks for the monopole.

Also, it's hilarious how little people would think about the more ridiculous nature of the way they portrayed the Church of Satan. The obvious irony of the head of the Church of Satan calling something a "Godsend" being the most blatant example, but about five seconds of research shows how everything is wrong: first of all, there is no High Priest Egan of the First Church of Satan. There are two Churches of Satan, and their heads are Peter Gilmore and Karla LaVey, and both are based in San Francisco. The former has a strict policy of not accepting converts under the age of majority, even if they're 14-year-olds who figured out it's just Nietzsche with a goat mask and Ayn Rand with a strictly apolitical orientation. I know this from firsthand experience. The latter strictly vets any potential members before they join.

It's like that scene from Brüno where the title character goes on a talk show to show off this photoshoot with ridiculously offensive photos of him with his black baby, but because the audience is so offended by his homosexuality, it makes no difference that the photos look blatantly fake:





Then again, that's the movie's big strength: showing how some people can be so committed to these stereotypes that they don't even bother to think that maybe this person might be exaggerating it. I highly recommend that someone who wants to watch the film listen to the commentary before the movie. Or at least this video.