The Hazards of Belief

kiffer

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

This is really vile.

ugh... these people make me very sad and angry.
I just don't know how to react... I knew these places existed, and knew they were pretty awful. I just didn't realise that there were so many of them.
I don't see how they got her through the airport restained with a belt.
I'd like to think that I'd have caused a scene at the airport, whispered to the security guard at the metal detector, "these men aren't my family, they are forcing me to go with them, help me"...
I'd like to think that I'd have done that even whilst terrified and 16, but thankfully I'll never know... I do know that if someone burst into my room at night when I was 16 they'd have a pile of screaming flailing biting but ultimately useless nerd rage to deal with I can't imagin asking what they wanted... Though I would probably have been fairly easily restrained and once I was in such a facility I'd probably have toed the line and tried to weather it out. Though a 4am escape escapade sounds like the way to go.

Galvasean

robindch wrote: »

Barney Frank pwns a fundie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYlZiWK2Iy8

Dining room table? No Barney, tables are atheists!

Galvasean

kiffer wrote: »

I'd like to think that I'd have done that even whilst terrified and 16, but thankfully I'll never know... I do know that if someone burst into my room at night when I was 16 they'd have a pile of screaming flailing biting but ultimately useless nerd rage to deal with I can't imagin asking what they wanted... Though I would probably have been fairly easily restrained and once I was in such a facility I'd probably have toed the line and tried to weather it out. Though a 4am escape escapade sounds like the way to go.

I wonder what legal ramifications would occur if they tried to kidnap someone (because let's be honest, that's exactly what is going on) and the victim fought back, injuring and or killing the would-be captors. Who would be at fault in the eyes of the law? The parents I'd assume for inviting thugs over to kidnap their child...

kiffer

Galvasean wrote: »

I wonder what legal ramifications would occur if they tried to kidnap someone (because let's be honest, that's exactly what is going on) and the victim fought back, injuring and or killing the would-be captors. Who would be at fault in the eyes of the law? The parents I'd assume for inviting thugs over to kidnap their child...

Well the kidnapee would be defending themselves, and also a minor... The kidnapper would dead so obviously can't get in any further legal trouble... What sort of legal case could be taken against the parents?
Wrongful death? Child endangerment/abuse?
I assume it's not legally kidnapping even though I think it's morally and ethically wrong.

robindch

kiffer wrote: »

I assume it's not legally kidnapping [...]

I'd have said there was an arguable case that it is. Either way, if the story is fully true as written -- and frankly, it's so purple that I can't help but have my doubts -- then there are people out there who need to be locked up for extended periods of time and I include the parents in that.

Galvasean

Man mistakes law student for devil, kills.
http://www.thejournal.ie/man-charged-with-clare-murder-told-gardai-i-killed-the-devil-151560-Jun2011/

I just saw this over on the Islam forum:

A Jewish rabbinical court condemned to death by stoning a stray dog it feared was the reincarnation of a lawyer who insulted its judges, reports say.

Link.

Poor dog.

AhSureTisGrand

Galvasean wrote: »

Man mistakes law student for devil, kills.
http://www.thejournal.ie/man-charged-with-clare-murder-told-gardai-i-killed-the-devil-151560-Jun2011/

Unfortunately that's probably a case of schizophrenia or some other illness. I remember a similar story where a man flashed his penis at the Gardaí saying it was the "Devil's willy"

robindch

gvn wrote: »

I just saw this over on the Islam forum:
Link.
Poor dog.

The court has denied the allegation:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13838347

The Beeb wrote:

Jerusalem court denies dog condemned to stoning

Reports that a Jewish rabbinical court in Israel condemned a stray dog to death by stoning have been strongly denied. The source of the report, Israel's Maariv newspaper, apologised for its headline and for any offence caused.

The head of the court, Yehoshua Levin, was quoted by Maariv as saying: "There is no basis for abuse of animals from the side of Jewish Halacha [law].''

In a statement, the court denied that a dog had been condemned. A dog had entered the court and been removed, it said.

The story was reported in the Israeli and international press, including the BBC News website. The original reports said that the dog entered the Jerusalem financial court several weeks ago and would not leave.

It was reported that the dog reminded a judge of a curse passed on a now deceased secular lawyer about 20 years ago, when judges bid his spirit to enter the body of a dog. The animal was said to have escaped before the sentence was carried out. An animal welfare organisation filed a complaint with the police against a court official.

lolo62

in the words of shaun ryder ''religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell, spirituality is for people who have been there''

Turtwig

Was thinking of the funny thread, but then again I decided here was far more appropriate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRdAe3UAIVs

CiaranMT

^^^


Shoot them all.

Pygmalion

CiaranMT wrote: »

What's the point of baptising people who are already long dead and who would laugh at the notion if they were still alive?

So they can say "Hey look, George Carlin was a Mormon, we're the coolest religion around".

liamw

Scary but funny. :eek:

fcuk me.. in both senses of the word

robindch

Who was it who said that brains times beauty is a constant?

liamw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRdAe3UAIVs

The longer version. :rolleyes:

robindch

Hot creationist totty moved to hazards thread.

nozzferrahhtoo

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/priest-tells-of-mass-horror-as-man-goes-on-rampage-2806654.html

Seems there is even hazard in being a priest now.

Best quote is when trying to identify the attacker the priest said "He may have been deranged".

Great... so that distinguishes him from all the other people who were there.... how?

Liamario

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/priest-tells-of-mass-horror-as-man-goes-on-rampage-2806654.html

Seems there is even hazard in being a priest now.

Best quote is when trying to identify the attacker the priest said "He may have been deranged".

Great... so that distinguishes him from all the other people who were there.... how?

B...b...bu....but....it's god's house? Why would he allow this to happen?!??!

nozzferrahhtoo

Dunno but even better now in this opinion piece Author Anna Nolan says:

"I don't know why this attack should seem worse than any attack that happens during the day on the street, but it just does. On the street, we can expect someone to lift a purse, shove a pensioner or nick a bike. That's the street. It's dog eat dog. But in a church, I have this old-fashioned idea of everything staying at the door."

Yes Anna, thats EXACTLY what tradition has been. Priests push little children to their knees, or bend them over, have their wicked way and the crime stayed at the door. Covered up. Hidden. And the perpetrator protected. Staying at the door is the PROBLEM with the church, not something to get nostalgic and hark back for.

""Is nothing sacred?" Well, actually some things are" She says in her piece. Yes. Some things like Children and Childhood innocence are. Things that were stolen from people in the churches whom she is lamenting.

Turkana

The faith healers who claim they can cure cancer

A group of faith healers who claim they have miracle cures for cancer and HIV have been condemned as "irresponsible, even criminal" by a professor of complementary medicine, following a BBC Newsnight investigation.


The group of healers, collectively known as ThetaHealing, claim that their technique - which focuses on thought and prayer - can teach people to use their natural intuition and "brain wave cycle" to "create instantaneous physical and emotional healing."


ThetaHealing have about 600 practitioners in the UK who charge up to £100 per session.


But the healers' claims have been called "criminal" and "not supported by any kind of evidence" by Edzard Ernst, Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, whose unit not only carry out their own studies but also assess those done by other researchers.


Newsnight recorded Warrington-based ThetaHealing practitioner Jenny Johnstone - who charges £30 for a telephone call or £400 for a course - making a number of claims about the technique, including:


"There was a baby I worked on over the telephone and from one day to the next the cancer in his stomach had just disappeared."

If you want more here's the link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9519657.stm

Dave!

He'll probably get sued for libel over that...

ShooterSF

The professor really should really ask to have his title rethought. I had to google him to find out he scrutinises complimentary medicines.

robindch

ShooterSF wrote: »

I had to google him to find out he scrutinises complimentary medicines.

He's well-known and well-respected in skeptic circles. He's well-known amongst homeopaths, chelators, osteopaths and the rest of 'em.

ShooterSF

I'm brutal with names. Read it and in an hour could not remember it. I need the name to be able to tie to something and a picture of the person. Only then have I hope

robindch

Swedish Pirate Party tries to get file-sharing recognized as an official religion, so that they can get their act of worship protected under the "freedom of religion" get-out clause. Unfortunately, they fail:

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/07/07/Sweden-File-sharing-not-act-of-worship/UPI-57381310055881/?spt=hs&or=on

Penn

robindch wrote: »

Swedish Pirate Party tries to get file-sharing recognized as an official religion, so that they can get their act of worship protected under the "freedom of religion" get-out clause. Unfortunately, they fail:

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/07/07/Sweden-File-sharing-not-act-of-worship/UPI-57381310055881/?spt=hs&or=on

Really? That failed? Shocking

Turtwig

I think this might be an oversimplification as I never really learned much about the SSC but if it's true I'm going to weep..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgbjb8229f8

biko

A man was killed when a homemade bomb exploded in an Islamic boarding school in eastern Indonesia which police say has links to jailed radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.
"An improvised bomb exploded in one of the school rooms on Monday at 1530," local police spokesman Sudjoko province told reporters, adding that the school's treasurer Firdaus was killed in the blast.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Explosion-in-an-Islamic-school-in-Bima,-students-were-building-a-bomb-22079.html


Sorry students, the bomb teacher won't be coming in any more.

IRISHREDSTAR

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/priest-tells-of-mass-horror-as-man-goes-on-rampage-2806654.html

Seems there is even hazard in being a priest now.

Best quote is when trying to identify the attacker the priest said "He may have been deranged".

Great... so that distinguishes him from all the other people who were there.... how?

"internet broadcasting service" is this on ytube yet, sounds so funny maybe church is getting better bring some popcorn