# A pitting for Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 19, 2021, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791 "2021-07-19T01:39:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/141 "2021-07-19T22:21:24Z")
As a mod you need to support more dumbassery, otherwise the dumbasses will take their ball and go home and this will be an echo chamber of reason. And we will all go mad. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/142 "2021-07-19T22:39:00Z")
And the atheists among us will find a way to prevent deformed children from being born, without abortion, and it will somehow be bad!\* \*This is a deliberate misreading of Paul’s overly terse response to my post. It’s not a completely unreasonable one, but, though I think his inability to interpret blatant sarcasm is a bad sign, the wrong one. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/143 "2021-07-19T22:53:11Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > His in action on the AIDS epidemic grew directly from his catering to far right Christians. May I mark you down as “Yes, but?” ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/144 "2021-07-19T22:53:11Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > “Lysenkoism” has become the byword for politically driven pseudoscience precisely because it _was not_ the apogee of modern science in the day and place at all. thanks, I came in to say pretty much this. Well put. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/145 "2021-07-19T22:55:02Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > May I mark you down as “Yes, but?” I don’t know what that means. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/146 "2021-07-19T22:57:08Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Even if we grant this … Again, “Yes, but.” Meaning that what I said was true but it does not matter that it is true as there is a greater truth or something. In any case, it is time for _Jeopardy_! ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/147 "2021-07-19T22:57:34Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > all lives are considered sacred Lysenkoism was the pinnacle of modern scientific thought in the day, Reagan was non-religious and you can’t think of any examples of Christians who don’t respect all life (they’re all against the death penalty I suppose) You’re not exactly in touch with reality are you? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/148 "2021-07-19T22:59:27Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Meaning that what I said was true but it does not matter that it is true as there is a greater truth or something. > > In any case, it is time for _Jeopardy_ ! Yes, it snapped. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/149 "2021-07-19T22:59:40Z")
Well it is possible Ronald Reagan was both a good Christian and a good American in that he never much let the former impact on the latter. But as I said, it is time for Jeopardy! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/150 "2021-07-19T23:01:10Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Meaning that what I said was true… Very little of what you have said in this thread is true. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/151 "2021-07-19T23:07:30Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > But as I said, it is time for Jeopardy! AKA “I cannot defend what I said, so look over there!” ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/152 "2021-07-19T23:09:00Z")
I can honestly only think of two explanations for all this- Somebody has gained access to his account. I do not mean this as a joke. He has decided to get himself banned. ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/153 "2021-07-19T23:10:55Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > **Science** is not so encumbered. Stalin, or Mao, or Hitler, or Pol Pot judged the value of a life on a more mercurial basis. None of these monsters were scientists. It is insulting and wrongheaded that you seem to be blaming science, which is just a rational way of understanding the world, for their deeply flawed values. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/154 "2021-07-19T23:11:45Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I can honestly only think of two explanations for all this- > > Somebody has gained access to his account. I do not mean this as a joke. > > He has decided to get himself banned. I agree. None of this sounds like the person who used to be Paul\_in\_Saudi. When did he change his name? Did he move to the US or where? Maybe this is just another person with a different name? Or he’s been kidnapped by aliens. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/155 "2021-07-19T23:13:07Z")
Perhaps as a martyr. The best martyrdoms happen in the pit. I mean, it’s super easy to flame out in a place like great debates. But here, without all the rules? Magnificent. You’ve got to burn twice as bright. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/156 "2021-07-19T23:21:45Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Yes, in the past, the fairly far-off past religious people led the slaughter and persecution of the weak and the unpopular. What’s your definition of “the fairly far-off past”? Last Friday? “The past decade has witnessed a sharp increase in violent sectarian or religious tensions. These range from Islamic extremists waging global jihad\* and power struggles between Sunni and Shia Muslims in the Middle East to the persecution of Rohingya in Myanmar and outbreaks of violence between Christians and Muslims across Africa. According to Pew, in 2018 [more than a quarter](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/06/21/key-findings-on-the-global-rise-in-religious-restrictions/) of the world’s countries experienced a high incidence of hostilities motivated by religious hatred, mob violence related to religion, terrorism, and harassment of women for violating religious codes.” [https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/how-should-faith-communities-halt-the-rise-in-religious-violence/](https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/how-should-faith-communities-halt-the-rise-in-religious-violence/) > [@](#): > > Maybe I ought not to have dredged up Churchill. Probably not. Unlike you, Churchill did not attempt to demonize science as a whole, but rather was noting that evil people had perverted science to serve their purposes. \*including the 100,000 or so deaths in Afghanistan and Pakistan in this century caused by the Taliban. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/157 "2021-07-20T00:09:29Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > None of this sounds like the person who used to be Paul\_in\_Saudi. I liked **Paul\_in\_Qatar** best of all, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/158 "2021-07-20T00:32:51Z")
Since Paul is imploding, I’m gonna be pedantic on atheism. It’s not commonly used to mean simply, “Lacking a belief in religion,” any more than “bald” is used to mean simply “lacking hair.” If you see me eating an apple and say, “Ooh, I like bald apples!” I’ll think you’re getting at something kinky, because _apples aren’t bald._ Nobody ever calls an apple bald, and if you did, people would think you’re weird. Clouds aren’t bald. Rivers ([with very rare exceptions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_River)) aren’t bald. Toothpicks aren’t bald. Mountains **can be** bald, if they’re lacking the forest cover that other mountains have. Bald doesn’t mean “lacking hair.” It means “lacking hair\* in the places that hair\* is typically found.” Atheism means essentially the same thing: it’s applied to an entity capable of considering the existence of gods who has not formed a belief in gods. Atheism is the **considered and reflective** absence of a belief in any god. People will call babies “bald,” because sometimes babies do have hair. Nobody outside of a pedantic argument ever calls a baby “atheist.” So when folks say that atheism is a belief, they’re not right–but they’re not entirely missing the mark either. Thus endeth my pedantry. \*or forest if you’re talking about mountains ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/159 "2021-07-20T00:48:19Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Again, “Yes, but.” > > Meaning that what I said was true but it does not matter that it is true as there is a greater truth or something. > > In any case, it is time for _Jeopardy_ ! Well at least you’re being **blatant** about trolling now. > [@DocCathode](#): > > He has decided to get himself banned. Yeah, even in the Pit you’re not allowed to be a full-on troll. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791/160 "2021-07-20T01:15:15Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > You then decided to mock him by acting like the only thing an LGBT person would have to fear is being prayed for. > > I mocked no one. I would have thought the one with the chip on their shoulder was the one making bigoted accusations. Am I mistaken? You said, and I quote: “Were you concerned they might pray for you?” That’s obviously mocking someone saying they were scared of what they might do. It’s like saying “why are you scared of dogs? What are they gonna do, lick you to death?” And, again, there was no bigotry. I will admit there has been some bigotry against Christians here in the past, but the post you replied to contained no such thing. It was just a guy talking about how he was afraid of how bigoted Christians have treated him in decades past if he had revealed he was not straight. Not all Christians—just the bigoted ones. The reality is that many who called themselves Christians very much tried to hurt LGBT people. A lot of “Christianity” has been caught up in “machoism” and forcing people to conform. This is a part of Christian history that many of us are trying to improve upon. But denying our past does not accomplish this. Ignoring those who tell us of how bad things were, let alone mocking them, does not help us become better. And, yes, I say “us,” because, in theory, Christians are the body of Christ. We’re not acting merely as ourselves, but as Jesus’s representatives on Earth. We are supposed to be the “light of the world,” trying to improve the darkness. And, to do that, we must remove the darkness within ourselves. And, yes, we ultimately need God’s help to do this. The way you responded came across like when some white people who cry racism when someone talks about how black people still face racism today. They’re uncomfortable discussing it, so they want to act like it’s the other person being unreasonable. But we as Christians have to face the truth, even when it makes us uncomfortable. Jesus was not one to defend a comforting lie. When we do so, it starts to make it seem like maybe everything else we believe is just a comforting lie we tell ourselves. A poster was expressing some of the hardship they faced being LGBT in a world that didn’t accept him. And, yes, many of those who wouldn’t accept him were Christian. It does not make sense to belittle his concerns given what history shows. If he were bashing Christianity, I could see getting upset. But he wasn’t. That’s why you come off as having a chip on your shoulder. Well, that at the very defensive, snarky responses in this thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pitting-for-paul-was-in-saudi/946791.md?page=9)