# A religious argument I mishandled in Great Debates: Better handled here **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 19, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984 "2013-07-19T22:25:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/41 "2013-07-20T19:40:47Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > This is why I asked the moderator to close the thread. I don’t need such hostility. Then why did you start this thread in the fucking BBQ Pit? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/42 "2013-07-20T19:43:30Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Learned your lesson after accidentally crushing one too many mice, eh? Mice, eh? Then where do birds stand? When will you learn YOUR lesson, smart-aleck? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/43 "2013-07-20T19:44:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Then why did you start this thread in the fucking BBQ Pit? Go back and read the OP, smart guy. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/44 "2013-07-20T19:46:35Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > You sound like a movie lawyer conducting a bellowing, red-faced cross-examination against a hapless witness on the stand in some Hollywood movie of the forties (except for the gratuitous obscenity, of course). :rolleyes: To sum up your “disquisition,” You are telling me, “You are too stupid to understand, let alone question anything about science, so shut up and go to hell!” followed by a swift kick. I could have had the same effect by reading H. L. Mencken or listening to my drunken ex-stepfather (deceased for eleven years) when he was roaring drunk and belligerent. Your verbal belligerence puts me in mind of a boxing opponent who is a homicidal maniac on speed. > > This is why I asked the moderator to close the thread. I don’t need such hostility. Um, no. You are wrong again. Have you spoken to a professional about those anger issues of yours? Really, you react in a very hostile manner to almost anything you hear, seem to pick up on certain hot-button words or phrases, and do not respond to the actual statements that were made. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/45 "2013-07-20T19:48:18Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Mice, eh? Then where do birds stand? > When will you learn YOUR lesson, smart-aleck? I guess you don’t get basic literary references either. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/46 "2013-07-20T19:50:04Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Mice, eh? Then where do birds stand? > When will you learn YOUR lesson, smart-aleck? I have no desire to try to teach you any “lessons”, because you have shown absolutely zero ability to listen to evidence and judge it on its merits rather than dismissing anything that doesn’t conform to your narrow, ignorant view of the world. So at this point I’m content to just point and laugh at your epic fail. ---
**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 20, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/47 "2013-07-20T19:54:39Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > This is why I asked the moderator to close the thread. I don’t need such hostility. This is not hostility. Not even close my friend. You simply don’t understand the topic. Not even the fundamentals of the topic. No hostility there. No indication that I"m “roaring drunk and belligerent”. My comment should not put a normal person in mind of a “homicidal maniac”. You seem to be going a little over the top. A bit. Maybe lie down and have a cool drink. These are the plain and simple facts. On this topic, you know so little that yes, you should remain quiet. And it does not really matter if you are “6 foot two” or “not a cream puff”, or if you think that people deserve “a punch in the face”. The facts remain the same. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/48 "2013-07-20T19:59:48Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Um, no. You are wrong again. Have you spoken to a professional about those anger issues of yours? Really, you react in a very hostile manner to almost anything you hear, seem to pick up on certain hot-button words or phrases, and do not respond to the actual statements that were made. Almost anything I hear? From a post by Euphonious Polemic: _And the main point is: You don’t have the background in science, nor the critical thinking skills to even tell that he’s full of shit. His completely erroneous words sound pretty good to you because they fit with your world view - you can’t see the outrageous errors in them because you don’t have the basic tools._ So you think I’m overreacting to that? I wonder who is deficient in thinking skills here–it’s sure not me. **I** am the target of all of these criticisms and I won’t sit still for it. I am not Stoic and apparently that bothers you. Too bad. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/49 "2013-07-20T20:07:01Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Right - stupid motherfucker it is, then. \<\\> You have shown me how to talk out of both sides of your mouth, as it suits you. Your earlier post certainly suggests **you** are narrow and ignorant. And to read the later one suggests you think I would conveniently forget the earlier one. From this point on, therefore, I can consider your posts quite worthless. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/50 "2013-07-20T20:07:30Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Almost anything I hear? > > From a post by Euphonious Polemic: > _And the main point is: You don’t have the background in science, nor the critical thinking skills to even tell that he’s full of shit. His completely erroneous words sound pretty good to you because they fit with your world view - you can’t see the outrageous errors in them because you don’t have the basic tools._ > > So you think I’m overreacting to that? I wonder who is deficient in thinking skills here–it’s sure not me. **I** am the target of all of these criticisms and I won’t sit still for it. I am not Stoic and apparently that bothers you. Too bad. But he was right. You did not know as basic a concept as falsifiability in science. You seem to believe that capital-S Science is a series of statements passed down from on high, and have shown no indication that you want to educate yourself enough to participate in any discussion of science. You like to take quotes as if they were data and get overly defensive when told the writer of that quote was mistaken. Then you find other quotes rather than understanding why the first one was wrong. And then you threaten physical violence. That is the reaction of a school-yard bully, and not an adult. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/51 "2013-07-20T20:18:03Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Now I’m sure you are very good at many other things. But in this particular case, you’d be better off to acknowledge that you are completely out of your depth. For the same reason that I would not try to swap engines in my car, (I don’t have the foggiest idea about cars or mechanics), you should not even try to discuss this topic. Dingdingding, we have a winner! > [@dougie\_monty](#): > > To sum up your “disquisition,” You are telling me, “You are too stupid to understand, let alone question anything about science, so shut up and go to hell!” followed by a swift kick. Not quite. More “You lack the knowledge to understand how dumb you are, please stop talking about this subject”. By all means, please, inform yourself and come back with more knowledge. (Some of us might also be open to fielding questions, if you actually presented them as such!) But at this point, you’re a poster child for Dunning-Krüger, and that’s not a good look. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/52 "2013-07-20T20:24:39Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > If there was humor in the post I replied to, a quote from Shakespeare is appropriate here: “caviare to the general.” And if you’re as smart as most of the Dopers posting here make themselves out to be, don’t tell me you don’t know what Shakespeare meant by that. Yeah. Putting knowledge in front of you, dougie\_monty, is the same as pearls before swine. Odd that you picked up on that. > [@](#): > > I don’t see humor in a passage that contains wild insults. As you noticed, all it got from me was a reaction of anger. In law, libel, for instance, isn’t libel unless a third party understands it as defamatory. And nothing else in the post seemed to be humorous, either. The funniest part of this bit from you is that you followed it shortly thereafter with a disparaging comment regarding a “movie lawyer”. But since you brought up the law, sue me. That should be a fun exercise given my locale. \*As to the humor, I’ll clue you in at the end of this post. > [@](#): > > And don’t think of me as a cream puff. I’m six-foot-two and husky and have scared quite a few people. I don’t know. You strike me more the Village Idiot type than a Frankenstein’s Monster type. At any rate, your attempt at intimidation isn’t working. > [@](#): > > I don’t like fights, however, and would rather avoid one. I think you’re a lying sack of dung. Why? Well, you like to threaten people with physical violence and now you say you wish to avoid fights. Here’s a concept: don’t threaten people. \*As promised, a clue to what the humor in the post is: It’s the same humor that’s present in any post you make–the poster, you, are the joke. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/53 "2013-07-20T20:34:18Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > From this point on, therefore, I can consider your posts quite worthless. Please do. I’d consider it a point in my favor. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/54 "2013-07-20T22:12:24Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > […] You did not know as basic a concept as falsifiability in science. > _:Sigh: I tried to make it clear, once somebody was good enough (in Great Debates) to give me the proper definition of the term as it was used in that context, that I had bridled simply because I had never heard or read the term used in that way–remember, as I said, I took chemistry, not biology, in high school, and I did not take any specific science courses in college. (When I have a chance I will seek the definition in the Oxford English Dictionary, in a library; I have long taken that as the ultimate authority on words in English.)_[…] > You like to take quotes as if they were data _[?]_ > and get overly defensive when told the writer of that quote was mistaken. Then you find other quotes rather than understanding why the first one was wrong. > > _This makes it sound like you expect me to hang my head in shame and penitence, and forget about trying to defend my position; I made a mistake, so you say, therefore I should not proceed. :rolleyes:_ > > And then you threaten physical violence. That is the reaction of a school-yard bully, and not an adult. _There are plenty of things that have been said to me in this thread (including the link to “born without a brain”) which, if **I** said to anyone, would certainly provoke physical violence–against **me.** I think someone is mighty damned intolerant. I would have settled for no namecalling at all and no impugning of motive, if that has come up._ ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/55 "2013-07-20T22:19:58Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > […] Here’s a concept: don’t threaten people. > […] Here’s a concept: Don’t _provoke_ people. You win The Bronx Cheer. 😛 How d’ya like **them** apples, Edgar? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/56 "2013-07-20T22:21:10Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Please do. I’d consider it a point in my favor. You DO that. Add it to the one on top of your head. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/57 "2013-07-21T00:06:22Z")
Sorry–I just could not take myself seriously lately. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/58 "2013-07-21T00:09:56Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Sorry–I just could not take myself seriously lately. 🙂 You think anyone has been taking you seriously? You need help. Hopefully the mods will give you some shortly. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/59 "2013-07-21T02:02:06Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Here’s a concept: Don’t _provoke_ people. > You win The Bronx Cheer. 😛 > How d’ya like **them** apples, Edgar? 😃 So let me get this straight. Words from some person you don’t know, have never seen or met drove you to make a physical threat (something really silly on the Internet given the first part of this sentence) and you’re blaming the other person for “provoking you”??? :dubious: Someone needs to grow up and get a grip. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984/60 "2013-07-21T03:23:42Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Here’s a concept: Don’t _provoke_ people. > You win The Bronx Cheer. 😛 > How d’ya like **them** apples, Edgar? 😃 You say a lot of very stupid things. This is one of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-religious-argument-i-mishandled-in-great-debates-better-handled-here/663984.md?page=4)