The Hazards of Belief

Scofflaw

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Finally, a chance to address somebody as, Your Beatitude.

Certificate of Sainthood from Universal Life Church? Only $10.00. I've been a ULC Minister since 1995, never did me (or Ian Paisley) any harm!

cordially,
Scofflaw

Tar.Aldarion

I like the sound of that parking placard. Consider me a minister.
There are a surprising amount of things I wish to purchase there.

Asiaprod

Scofflaw wrote:

Certificate of Sainthood from Universal Life Church? Only $10.00. I've been a ULC Minister since 1995, never did me (or Ian Paisley) any harm!

cordially,
Scofflaw

I don't believer what people will try to sell. Damn, I'm going to do it for the fun. Any ideas anyone for a good saintly name and a date of choice.

I love the warning on the offer:

Note: If you wish to have a future date applied (i.e., a birthday or other date of presentation), please specify. We cannot backdate any record, as these are legitimate church records.

5uspect

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Finally, a chance to address somebody as, Your Beatitude.

Does that make me almost worth worshiping?

Tar.Aldarion

Can we a church and have tax exemption? Pwease.

5uspect

Sure isn't the FSM going for full recognition as a religion?

robindch

The Church of the FSM? With the proceeds tax- and regulation-free, the guy could make millions! I'm surprised that nobody has thought of that before!(*)

(*)Er, um, haven't they?

5uspect

Didn't the Jedi petition the UN recently or something?

Scofflaw

robindch wrote:

The Church of the FSM? With the proceeds tax- and regulation-free, the guy could make millions! I'm surprised that nobody has thought of that before!(*)

(*)Er, um, haven't they?

"You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion."

As quoted in a 1994 affidavit by Sam Moskowitz which states that L. Ron Hubbard declared this in response to a question from the audience during a meeting of the Eastern Science Fiction Association on 7 November 1948.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Esmereldina

Scofflaw wrote:

Certificate of Sainthood from Universal Life Church? Only $10.00. I've been a ULC Minister since 1995, never did me (or Ian Paisley) any harm!

growler

another interesting one from nigeria,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6252463.stm

"Nigerian high court has sentenced a Lagos preacher to death by hanging for setting fire to members of his congregation, killing one woman.
Emeka Ezeuko, better known as Reverend King, was found guilty on one count of murder and five of attempted murder.

In July last year, he accused six members of his Christian Praying Assembly church of sinning by having extra-marital sex.

He poured petrol over them before setting them alight.

Ann Uzor died in hospital from her burns.

Rev King allegedly told members of his congregation that he was Jesus Christ, a claim that gave him the powers to punish sin. "

I can't quite picture the part where you allow someone to pour petrol over you just because you think he is Jesus.

SonOfPerdition

growler wrote:

I can't quite picture the part where you allow someone to pour petrol over you just because you think he is Jesus.

I was wondering the same so i googled the case and I just found a more detailed article. I'd say this is not so much religion gone bad, but a nutter using religion as a tool to further his own gains.
... it's pretty disturbing reading

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/january07/13012007/f613012007.html

Scofflaw

What about supporting more war in the Middle East because you believe the end times are here, and peace is a sign of the Anti-Christ?

The troubling worldview of the 'rapture-ready' Christian.

cordially,
Scofflaw

robindch

Not quite a hazard of belief, but a hazard of somebody else's belief:

http://www.kget.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=f290458b-dd7d-4a20-ac99-525e48365b08

BAKERSFIELD - A family is turned away by a local pediatrician, they say because of the way they look.

The doctor said he is just following his beliefs, creating a Christian atmosphere for his patients. Tasha Childress said it’s discrimination. She said Dr. Gary Merrill wouldn’t treat her daughter for an ear infection because Tasha, the mother, has tattoos.

The writing is on the wall—literally: “This is a private office. Appearance and behavior standards apply.” For Dr. Gary Merrill of Christian Medical Services, that means no tattoos, body piercings, and a host of other requirements—all standards Merrill has set based upon his Christian faith.

“She had to go that entire night with her ear infection with no medicine because he has his policy,” Tasha Childress said.

Merrill won’t speak on camera, but said based on his values and beliefs, he has standards that he expects in his office. He does that, he said, to ensure the patients he does accept have a more comfortable atmosphere.

According to the American Medical Association and other doctors, he reserves that right. “In the same sense that any other business person has the opportunity to decline service, be it a restaurant if they’re not dressed properly, be it any other type of business,” said Dr. Ronald Morton, Kern County Medical Society. Morton said certain ethics apply if a person’s life is in danger, but besides that, there is no requirement to serve anyone they don’t approve of.

“I felt totally discriminated against, like I wasn’t good enough to talk to,” Tasha Childress said, “like he didn’t have to give me any reason for not wanting to see my daughter because I have tattoos and piercings.”

17 News found other patients who had a different experience with Merrill. “I have tattoos, actually, and no, nothing’s ever been said about it,” Brandi Stanley said, Merrill’s patient.

Childress’ insurance company, Health Net of California, who referred her to Merrill, said in a statement: “We provide our customers with a wide breadth of doctors that meet certain medical quality standards … If a customer doesn’t feel comfortable with a particular physician, it is our responsibility to provide that customer with access to another doctor who does meet their needs.”

But that’s not enough for Childress who wants the policy changed immediately and an apology from the doctor for making her feel like an outsider. “Really, it didn’t matter what he didn’t want to see us for. It isn’t right,” she said.

Scofflaw

Good web design is apparently something that is frequently a casualty of a strong urge to tell the world your truth.

The people involved are US Senators.

Hazmat 5.

cordially,
Scofflaw

shatners basoon

SonOfPerdition wrote:

I was wondering the same so i googled the case and I just found a more detailed article. I'd say this is not so much religion gone bad, but a nutter using religion as a tool to further his own gains.
... it's pretty disturbing reading

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/january07/13012007/f613012007.html

Man thats grim...

Takes all sorts i suppose!
That being said its hardly surprising, nutters can often be charasmatic, there's no more romantic an image than a nutter!:p
Our race, the sheep we are, tend to fall for that sort of thing!

growler

Yet another horrible story abouot the hazards of someone else's beliefs, this time from Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6321363.stm


Again I simply cannot imagine any parent refusing a relatively simple operation to their infant son / daughter because of their religion, if this was some primitive tribe in borneo I might have some sympathy but from western adults the barbarity, stupidity and pointlessness of it seem so much more frightening.

Scofflaw

Violence sanctioned by God can increase aggression, especially in believers, according to new research published in the March issue of Psychological Science which may help elucidate the relationship between religious indoctrination and violence, a topic that has gained renewed notoriety in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Article here.

cordially,
Scofflaw

5uspect

growler wrote:

Yet another horrible story abouot the hazards of someone else's beliefs, this time from Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6321363.stm


Again I simply cannot imagine any parent refusing a relatively simple operation to their infant son / daughter because of their religion, if this was some primitive tribe in borneo I might have some sympathy but from western adults the barbarity, stupidity and pointlessness of it seem so much more frightening.

It amazes me how people can be so convinced of their supernatural destiny to allow such things to happen. Is the real world really that difficult to deal with?

Dave!

Those parents are f*cking disgusting animals :mad: Vile creatures.

Zillah

growler wrote:

Again I simply cannot imagine any parent refusing a relatively simple operation to their infant son / daughter because of their religion, if this was some primitive tribe in borneo I might have some sympathy but from western adults the barbarity, stupidity and pointlessness of it seem so much more frightening.

Your child dying is a drop in the ocean compared to an eternity of suffering.

Like Sam Harris explained, if you have an atheist living on one side of you, and a child molestor on the other, the atheist is a far bigger danger if you're a believer. The child molestor might abuse your child sexually, whereas the atheist could lead them to Hell.

Thats why you need to nip it in the bud at the belief in God at all.

robindch

Nashville taxi driver gets into a religious argument with passengers. Tries to run them over.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/NEWS03/70226019

Disciplinary hearing set for cab driver accused of homicide attempt

A disciplinary hearing is set for tomorrow for the Nashville taxi driver who is accused of trying to run over two students after a heated discussion over religion last week.

The hearing for driver Ibrahim Sheikh Ahmed, 37, is on the agenda of the 1:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday of the Metro Transportation Licensing Commission. Ahmed was arrested Feb. 18 on charges of criminal homicide after police said he hit Ohio student Jeremie Invus with his United Cab Co. van. Ahmed is in the Metro Jail awaiting trial.

Another student, Andrew Nelson of Dayton, Ohio, dodged the van as it sped toward them. According to a police report, the three men had a conversation about religion while in the taxi that "became heated." Shortly after the men paid Ahmed, he chased them in his van across the parking lot and over a curb, police said. Metro police spokeswoman Kris Mumford said one of the students is Catholic and the other is Lutheran. Mumford said that Ahmed's religion was not known.

Ahmed has had at least two other run-ins with police during the past year, including a high-speed chase through Nashville in his taxi, according to Metro police reports.

Scofflaw

Again, nowhere better to put this - Amazon reviews of the Bible.

cordially,
Scofflaw

5uspect

Thats just amazon.co.uk, amazon.com is far more entertaining...

for example one review is titled:
"Know the Bible that Fits Your Beliefs"

While another poster says:
"It's small enough to tuck into our bag of resources."
Resources? I don't even want to think about what else they've got in there!

then there's:
"The King James Version of the Bible (a.k.a. the Authorized Version)"
I so want the unauthorised version where they're all snorting coke.

Thanks Scofflaw, I now have a new way to waste time online!

Zombrex

robindch wrote:

Nashville taxi driver gets into a religious argument with passengers. Tries to run them over.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/NEWS03/70226019

LOL ... he waited till they paid before he ran them over ... a typical taxi driver

Dades

5uspect wrote:

"It's small enough to tuck into our bag of resources."
Resources? I don't even want to think about what else they've got in there!

"Holy water - check. Sharpened crucifix - check. Ear plugs - oh, I'm wearing them..."

Zillah

The Atheist wrote:

"Holy water - check. Sharpened crucifix - check. Ear plugs - oh, I'm wearing them..."

We're going Vampire hunting? Yay! I'm going to Heaven!

Scofflaw

Another one of those things that have no particular thread (Weirdness of Beleif, perhaps), but that you just want to share - a very nice cult comparison chart. Perhaps not everyone will share their interesting definitions of either Christianity (writings associate: Bible only) or cult (entry 4: Islam).


cordially,
Scofflaw

SonOfPerdition

Scofflaw wrote:

Another one of those things that have no particular thread (Weirdness of Beleif, perhaps), but that you just want to share - a very nice cult comparison chart. Perhaps not everyone will share their interesting definitions of either Christianity (writings associate: Bible only) or cult (entry 4: Islam).


cordially,
Scofflaw

Never heard of some of them, interesting reading the various pages describing Christian science and unity. Damn, fair play to Mary Baker Eddy, died a millionaire! I fear this atheism lark will never make me rich. :rolleyes:

Scofflaw

SonOfPerdition wrote:

Never heard of some of them, interesting reading the various pages describing Christian science and unity. Damn, fair play to Mary Baker Eddy, died a millionaire! I fear this atheism lark will never make me rich. :rolleyes:

Hmm. I just clicked the Islam link - which takes you to a page explaining how Islam is wrong. Nice...


cordially,
Scofflaw