# Der Trihs **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 3, 2009, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150 "2009-11-03T08:22:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/321 "2009-11-06T22:57:43Z")
I don’t think hatred is the biggest problem for people like Der Trihs (& honestly, me). It’s generalization. Not everyone in the grip of delusion is really that evil. Once I was one of them, you know, & I had some pretty obnoxious attitudes. I have to remember that, & not react with horror to those who are pretty much the same as I was when I was younger. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/322 "2009-11-06T23:00:06Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Decency to somebody claiming to be thirteen years old aside, I’m not convinced that Der really cares to pitch his arguments strategically: I sense a fair amount of nihilism in his stance. But I might be wrong. Der? Why would you say that? > [@Princhester](#): > > Do you think that if religious people are generally going to be untrusting of you, the most effective way to win their trust is to call them stupid? Nothing I do will win their trust. It’s not my rhetoric that makes them distrust me. > [@Princhester](#): > > It wasn’t a strawman. \*\*Der Trihs \*\*said if you are an atheist you _will_ be hated by most of the population, I said he was exaggerating, and in response you said that the US wouldn’t elect an atheist president, I said this was a leap since who you will elect and who you hate are not the same. And wouldn’t want their children to marry us and regard us as immoral. How is regarding us as evil NOT hating us? > [@Kearsen](#): > > Maybe it isn’t necessarily the religion you need to show respect for, or even a person’s beliefs. It is the person themselves that deserve the respect (well, in regards to their beliefs anyway) Their beliefs are stupid. Calling their beliefs stupid, and them fools for believing in such things IS giving them the respect they deserve. > [@mhendo](#): > > [QUOTE=Yeticus Rex] > To me, DT is now more comparable to Phred Phelps, another hateful person, but with a different view towards religion. This comparison _might_ have the tiniest smidgen of validity _if_ **Der Trihs** spent his life going around to the funerals of dead Christians, holding up signs that insult the deceased, and yelling at the mourners that there is no heaven, and that the corpse in the box is just going to rot in the ground like he deserves. He doesn’t, so your comparison is crap. [/QUOTE] For that matter, I don’t go into threads where people are talking about their dead friend or relative or pet and rant about how they aren’t in heaven but are just corpses. > [@Liberal](#): > > But that’s merely Phelps without the courage of his convictions. DT is a coward, who settles for spewing his hatred on message boards. Ah. So basically someone who goes around harassing people at funerals is morally superior to someone who argues with people in a medium meant for that purpose. And I’d be a better person if I went around to funerals screaming insults at people. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ManiacMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@ManiacMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManiacMan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/323 "2009-11-06T23:09:00Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Powerful he has become… the dark side I sense in him! YES! That is exactly what I meant…well played sir. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/324 "2009-11-06T23:17:13Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Perhaps in that sense, it WAS a road-to-Damascus thing. For me, the best part of the Road to Damascus was when Bob was trying to sneak out of town wearing the fez, while Bing and Carmen Miranda were performing the “Hot Night In The Harem” number. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/325 "2009-11-06T23:23:01Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > No, you missed my point. _I’m_ more comparable to Phred than to MLK, as are you. Doesn’t mean we’re anything like him, just that on the scale of Saint to Satan there’s less distance between us. > > But mainly I was just making fun of your word choice. **Boss** , from my viewpoint, you and I are nowhere near **DT** and Phelps, let alone Satan. On the other side of the scale, nobody here is a saint either, but I know I haven’t condemned large numbers of the populace lately…it’s kind of a pet peeve of mine…because generalizations are generally wrong (including this one).😉 Which word choice? ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/326 "2009-11-06T23:30:21Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > I didn’t miss any point. One can decide for themselves based on **DT** ’s posts here and the Wikipedia page I linked to if your comparison is valid or not. I don’t see why you think I missed your point. Again, one can decide for himself if **DT** ’s hate for people or religion compares to Phelps’. And then they can conclude how ridiculous your comparison is. So what? Do you believe it’s inaccurate? Hey, I provided the cite of the hate (in the first person) for both people. Apples to apples. You provided a Wikipedia page that reads more as a biography of just one of the people…Apples and oranges…makes for a good fruit salad, but not a good comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/327 "2009-11-06T23:36:27Z")
Missed the edit window… ETA: The quotes from Phelps himself that are inside the Wikipedia page are valid though. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/328 "2009-11-06T23:38:19Z")
Why do so many of you think Der Trihs has any interest in converting people to atheism, or convincing them that their religious feelings are delusions. He says what he believes, and defends his viewpoints. So what if people are unable or unwilling to learn from that? He is under no obligation and seems to have no interest in somehow ‘luring’ them onto a more sensible path. Personally, I think religious faith thrives because most people who are in fact contemptuous of it, are not willing to express that contempt in the interest of avoiding conflict. I also think many people who profess belief do so because of pressures from their community, and even though they know down deep that it’s all bullshit, they’d rather go along and get along. If there was more vocal opposition to religion and faith in society, perhaps those people would find the courage to remove their own shackles, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/329 "2009-11-06T23:39:35Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > But it does make the lickle babby jeesus cwy. How is babby Jesus formed? How virgin girl get pragnent? ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/330 "2009-11-06T23:41:26Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > Hey, I provided the cite of the hate (in the first person) for both people. Apples to apples. You provided one cite. I provided another that tells a lot more about the hate and horrible things that Phelps has said and done that some of us that are familiar with Phelps already know about. That you don’t have more dirt on **DT** is your problem, not mine. > [@](#): > > You provided a Wikipedia page that reads more as a biography of just one of the people…Apples and oranges Since you said “DT is now more comparable to Phred Phelps”, me providing information about one of the people was for comparing apples and apples. It’s your job to back up your claim and find anything that would prove **DT** to be regarded as hateful as Phelps. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/331 "2009-11-06T23:46:07Z")
Yeticus Rex, are you suggesting Der Trihs change his beliefs, or conceal them, or lie about them? Or are you claiming that his speech is behavior, and he need to change his behavior regardless of his beliefs? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/332 "2009-11-06T23:59:40Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Nothing I do will win their trust. It’s not my rhetoric that makes them distrust me. It’s definitely your rhetoric that makes you untrustworthy. I don’t care if my elected official believes in an afterlife, and I can think of an atheist or two that I know personally that I would trust with my life. Then again, I also like sugar in my porridge, so what do I know? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/333 "2009-11-07T00:10:45Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > It’s definitely your rhetoric that makes you untrustworthy. In what way? And of course, the population in general distrusts atheists simply because they are atheists. After all, you can’t be moral without believing in God. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/334 "2009-11-07T00:11:28Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > It’s definitely your rhetoric that makes you untrustworthy. > > I don’t care if my elected official believes in an afterlife, and I can think of an atheist or two that I know personally that I would trust with my life. Then again, I also like sugar in my porridge, so what do I know? What I don’t know is what your post means. YOU don’t trust Der Trihs because of his rhetoric, even though there are other atheists you would trust with your life? I hope but don’t expect to be able to vote for an ‘out’ atheist for president in my lifetime – I mean one who is a major party candidate and has an actual chance to win. I _hope_ that Barack Obama is actually smart enough to be an atheist, and is cynically pandering to the electorate by falsely professing religious faith. And I’m almost ashamed for wishing that he is more hypocrite than believer, but there you have it. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/335 "2009-11-07T00:17:03Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > And I’m almost ashamed for wishing that he is more hypocrite than believer, but there you have it. Being a hypocrite about that is better; not admirable, but better. At least the hypocrite is rational; that makes them less dangerous. More likely to recognize the actual consequences of their actions. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/336 "2009-11-07T00:32:33Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > You provided one cite. I provided another that tells a lot more about the hate and horrible things that Phelps has said and done that some of us that are familiar with Phelps already know about. That you don’t have more dirt on **DT** is your problem, not mine. You realize that I can’t link a search, but I did give you the directions for generating that link: > [@](#): > > BTW: Phelps didn’t write his own Wikipedia page and DT doesn’t have a Wikipedia page specific to him…but for a true comparison, just go directly to [http://www.godhatesfags.com/](http://www.godhatesfags.com/) for Fred and then do a **SDMB search for Keyword: “Religion”, User Name: “Der Trihs”, and choose “Any Date” to find the 497 threads he participated in** …that’s the comparison I’m talking about. > [@Fantome](#): > > Since you said “DT is now more comparable to Phred Phelps”, me providing information about one of the people was for comparing apples and apples. It’s your job to back up your claim and find anything that would prove **DT** to be regarded as hateful as Phelps. [One selection from those 497 threads.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8352827&postcount=16) I find that that quote pure Phlepsian (not in belief, but in delivery), pretty much says it all. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/337 "2009-11-07T00:36:42Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > How is babby Jesus formed? How virgin girl get pragnent? They need to do way instain posters\> who kill thier kittehs. becuse these kittehs can’t frigth back? It was on the news this mroing, a pastor in cans who had kill his three kittehs. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/338 "2009-11-07T00:38:59Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Yeticus Rex, are you suggesting Der Trihs change his beliefs, or conceal them, or lie about them? Or are you claiming that his speech is behavior, and he need to change his behavior regardless of his beliefs? The latter. I respect his beliefs, but his hate contained in those beliefs will not serve him well in the long run, because those type of folks usually will need professional help, or will suffer damage emotionally and psychologically. Again, this thread was about the **DT** ’s hatred, not his actual beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/339 "2009-11-07T00:40:51Z")
Honestly, I see no actual hatred in that post you linked to. I see _contempt_, but not the foaming-at-the-mouth frothing spittle-flecked hatred he would need to even be considered Phelps-like. I think your sensitivity is turned up pretty high here. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150/340 "2009-11-07T00:49:54Z")
One of the things that I think make the religious folk around here uncomfortable about **DT** is that he thinks that they’re so deluded, he knows them better than they know themselves. **DT** : You’d vote to put all the gay people in concentration camps if you had the chance! **Christians** : No, we wouldn’t! **DT** : Yes, you would! You demonstrate that with your other votes every day! If you weren’t so religiously deluded, you’d see that! Not in so many words, of course, but no matter who’s right, I can see that as a source of friction between the two groups. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-trihs/516150.md?page=18)