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No danger of falling over, I just form a tripod in my unaroused state. If I'm overexcited, if my luck's in I'm lying down anyway.
I remember a time when my darling Sam said she fancied trying out a nine-inch dick; I said "You should have mentioned it earlier - it's a bit too late to fold it in half now!"
And then I woke up.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
August 27, 2012 at 11:56 pm (This post was last modified: August 28, 2012 at 12:00 am by Cyberman.)
(August 27, 2012 at 11:36 pm)DeistPaladin Wrote: How to dance the "scholars say shuffle" when defending the existence of the "historical Jesus".
Step 1: The Ad Hominem
Dismiss the skeptic as a "crackpot". Group them in with Dan Brown, Holocaust deniers or other conspiracy theorists. The best way to win the argument is to not have it but, if you must, make all kinds of inappropriate comparisons. It may help you shove the burden of proof on them.
Step 2: Appeal to Authority
If you are unsuccessful at discouraging the skeptic, if they keep making pesky demands for evidence, just keep saying "all the scholars say..." and hope that substitutes for proof.
Step 3: No True Scotsman
If the skeptic points out some scholars like Robert Price doubt the existence of a historical Jesus, clarify your statement about scholarly consensus with "no SERIOUS scholars doubt that..."
Step 4: Pad the Resume
Do not go to this step unless absolutely necessary. Stay inside of steps 2 and 3 as long as you can to draw out the debate. The evidence is really thin so don't go there until the skeptic and the audience is worn down.
If the skeptic stays on top of you demanding evidence, trot out the usual suspects: Tacitus, Josephus and the Talmud. If the skeptic is savvy enough to point out all the problems with each of these, dance back to step 2 with "well, the scholars don't agree with you."
Step 5: Argumentum Ad Nauseum
Hit the "reset" button at the first opportunity. Go back to step 1 and repeat as necessary until the skeptic gets tired and gives up.
Didn't you do a video about this on one of your channels, or did I just dream it?
[Edit: Actually if I remember aright, it wasn't a video, you posted something similar over at the original JNE forum many moons ago. I think I still have it as an article in my God-Squad folder (no copyright infringement intended, of course).]
(August 27, 2012 at 11:44 pm)padraic Wrote: I really empthasise, I had those problems, plus tripping over or sitting on my scrotum. Of course, that was before the operations. (five)
So this is you:
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
(August 27, 2012 at 11:56 pm)Stimbo Wrote: Didn't you do a video about this on one of your channels, or did I just dream it?
Quote:[Edit: Actually if I remember aright, it wasn't a video, you posted something similar over at the original JNE forum many moons ago. I think I still have it as an article in my God-Squad folder (no copyright infringement intended, of course).]
Open license.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
How about that, correct on both counts - a double hit! My powers are simply awesome!
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
No one is here because I can handle all of you motherfuckers!
"The lord doesn't work in mysterious ways, but in ways that are indistinguishable from his nonexistence."
-- George Yorgo Veenhuyzen quoted by John W. Loftus in The End of Christianity (p. 103).
(August 28, 2012 at 1:14 am)Minimalist Wrote: Doubtless, one of the shitheads will wander along and explain that you should listen to those "authorities!"
I still remember that guy from the JNE forums that pretended to be a "scholar" with an organization that couldn't be found on the web dancing that dance. I had to post seven demands for evidence before he moved off of steps 2 and 3.
Of course, authorities are only godly sources of the Truth when they say what these people want to hear. Bart Ehrman ceases to be a reliable authority when he's writing about the problems of interpolation, pseudo-epigraphy and the different Christianities of the first few centuries.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell