# Polycarp did you forget to take you pills? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 3, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640 "2003-12-03T03:54:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 36
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/701 "2003-12-11T13:55:20Z")
Well, having reflected on this thread last night, I see that my frustration with religion in America has turned me into a bit of a butthead. I’m sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings. I truly believe that everyone has the right to their religious beliefs. Obviously, I also think all the good on this planet has been and will be achieved by man without the help of a supernatural being. I think I just saw one too many Baby Jesus scenes this holiday season and I sort of lost perspective. While my opinions remain essentially the same regarding matters of faith, I came off a bit harsher than I would have liked. Poly and anyone else I may have offended, have a happy holiday season. Rest assured I will not be calling the authorities to whisk you away to a rubber room on a sleigh ;). ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/702 "2003-12-11T14:07:28Z")
> [@](#): > > In my experience, most people who think the world is getting ready to end are delusional, and when I see them on the street I label them as crazy So, therefore, in your experience, most mainstream conservative Protestant Christians are delusional. And crazy. That’s what you’re **saying** , DJ. Think about it. I know lots of clinically sane, non-obsessive people, who, as they go about their daily tasks with every evidence of complete mental normality, nevertheless firmly believe we’re living in the End Times and expect Jesus’ imminent return any day now. This doesn’t make them “crazy”, just “religious”. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/703 "2003-12-11T14:20:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalhoun \* > \*\* I truly believe that everyone has the right to their religious beliefs. Obviously, I also think all the good on this planet has been and will be achieved by man without the help of a supernatural being. \*\* Ironically (at least based on our interaction in this thread) I agree with you completely on this. Your olive branch is appreciated. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/704 "2003-12-11T14:23:07Z")
Yes, that last post showed a lot of grace, **Kalhoun**. (And thanks for the work on your coding! 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/705 "2003-12-11T14:30:22Z")
You know what they say…coding is as coding does!! ---
**Author:** ![IWLN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5ac83/32.png) [@IWLN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IWLN)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/706 "2003-12-11T15:12:31Z")
Awww…Don’tcha just love a happy ending.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/707 "2003-12-11T15:14:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by E-Sabbath \* > \*\* > Re: 2012 religious… You know, I’m going to disagree. I’m seeing the rabid religious types growing older and older. Not that there aren’t younger ones, but the zeitgeist seems to have changed a bit with the expansion of the world. The New Age is all but dead. I see something happening, certainly, but I don’t know what. \*\* “and what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward Bentonville to be born…” 😉 On the other discussion about Poly’s stability- while I think his speculations about gay teen JC II are a bit over the line by any historical C’tian standards, I certainly don’t see any fanaticism or zealotry on his part. It’s not like he tracked down the IP, checked the star alignments of when the page was posted, and lit out on a camel bearing gold, frankincense & myrrh… but I do wonder if his camel hair coat is comfy. _G_ ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/708 "2003-12-11T15:20:55Z")
You know, it sounds a lot more like **Poly** is considering this kid a potential “saint for our times” than a “Savior Act II”. In which case, can those who don’t subscribe to his theory please stop claiming that **Poly** considers “Adam” the next Jesus? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/709 "2003-12-11T15:32:52Z")
Someone asked that earlier, JayJay…and he never responded. I’m curious if he meant “saint” or “savior” as well. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/710 "2003-12-11T15:32:53Z")
Well, to show how a political liberal can still be an evil capitalist, I looked at this kid’s (presumed) family, realize that four or five of Sam’s heirs are in the Forbes Top 10 (and if Sam were still alive with his money in one place Bill Gates would place MANY lengths behind the winner) and that NONE of them are my customers, and wonder if some well-placed “worship” might give me an in with his parents, aunts, and uncles. Come on, it’s not like they or I have any chance of being called in The Rapture so I have to plan for making a living during the End Times. 😉 However, I’m still having problems with Mary Magdalene II being a bedwetter. (BIG 😉 ) > [@](#): > > I had the opinion that something major would break about a dozen years into the 21st Century back in the '80s As did my wife. “Don’t worry too much about the credit cards because it won’t be long before that’s irrelevant.” Easy for HER to say–she was working part-time then and I was the guy scraping together the minimum payments every month. But then that white buffalo was born…but has since turned brown. (I once had a chance to buy the mounted head of an adult white buffalo. I’m not a believer in Lakota legends of White Buffalo Calf Woman but I hedge my bets and thought such a thing could be REALLY bad mojo to have hanging in my living room. And would attact bugs. And it cost around $1500 that I didn’t have. And would be staring at me with big glass eyes whenever I watched TV because I have only one wall big enough for it (bison are HUGE!). So it went the way of the authenticated-by-Nimoy-himself prop phaser as things I never bought when I had the chance to.) ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/711 "2003-12-11T15:59:21Z")
> [@](#): > > You know, it sounds a lot more like **Poly** is considering this kid a potential “saint for our times” than a “Savior Act II”. In which case, can those who don’t subscribe to his theory please stop claiming that Poly considers “Adam” the next Jesus? Thanks. Well, to be fair, **jayjay** , I get the impression that **Poly** ’s not quite sure whether, _if_ this kid fulfills the world-changing potential he thinks he sees, it’ll be as God’s instrument, or as God made flesh (again). (And, since flesh is imperfect anyway, I’m not sure how big a distinction that is.) -Not that either notion is inconsistent with **Poly** ’s expressed religious beliefs. What I _do_ object to in this thread (and previous ones) is the claim that **Poly** ’s approach to religious understanding is inconsistent with “what Christians are _supposed_ to believe”. It wasn’t until this thread that I actually took a close look at Epicopalian doctrine. ([http://www.episcopalian.org/](http://www.episcopalian.org/)) I’m hard put to find a radical departure on **Poly** ’s part from the catechism, and certainly a questioning and critical approach to one’s use of scripture seems to be _encouraged_ in his church. What the charges of so-called “cherry picking” seem to miss is that belief is a _process_. That’s why we speak of “belief systems” and why we accept that those systems produce revisions and changes in doctrine. To criticize a faithful practitioner, one must criticize the whole denomination, and if one’s entire basis for criticism is reduced to “inconsistency” between denominations, it becomes nothing more than an observation of the obvious. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/712 "2003-12-11T16:34:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jayjay \* > \*\*You know, it sounds a lot more like **Poly** is considering this kid a potential “saint for our times” than a “Savior Act II”. In which case, can those who don’t subscribe to his theory please stop claiming that **Poly** considers “Adam” the next Jesus? Thanks. \*\* Agreed. How about calling him “Biblical Adam Redux, Revenge of The Gays”? He, in turn, is the son of the Virgin Lesbian Goddess Diana and The Original MFIC, Huitzilopochtli – who was, of course, a black Mexican with Asian features and a Caucasian soul. Why? Because that how I ‘see’ Him of course. Should all of the above happen as is my unfailing beleif, it will also increase the potential of baboons flying outta my ass to 100%. Hey, it _could_ happen, right? Isn’t that what faith is all about? Question is, at what point does one become offically nuts? If they believe all of the above? Some of it? If so, which parts and why? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/713 "2003-12-11T17:15:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RedFury \* > \*\*Hey, it _could_ happen, right? Isn’t that what faith is all about? Question is, at what point does one become offically nuts? If they believe all of the above? Some of it? If so, which parts and why? \*\* As insanity is culturally defined AND as Western culture accepts Christian beliefs as within the norm I’m thinking that it’s the non-Christians who risk being considered insane. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dalovindj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dalovindj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalovindj)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/714 "2003-12-11T17:34:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Where does the violet tint ends and the orange tint begins? Distinctly we see the difference of the colors, but where exactly does the one first blending enter into the other. So with sanity and insanity. > > ~ **Herman Melville** ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/715 "2003-12-11T17:53:40Z")
It’s a game of inches. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/716 "2003-12-11T21:24:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalhoun \* > \*\*It’s a game of inches. \*\* Ah, so that’s why I like baseball!! 😃 To make it totally clear, I see the kid as. in the near future, having some very strong impact on how our culture sees, views, and reacts to things generally, probably starting with but likely not limited to gay rights, gay-bashing, and child abuse. I phrased that claim with great controversiality in the GD thread. In point of fact, I’d rather not attach a proper noun (“saint,” “savior,” “reformer,” “agitator”) to him. The point behind this whole discussion is that (IMO) he will produce unexpected results. By the nature of that claim, I cannot be specific on what they are; I don’t know. The predictive validity of my claim will be established if, in 2020 or 2050, one can look back on what to us is the near future, and see that he had an impact _on human affairs_ equivalent to Gautama, Mohammed, Christ, Jeanne d’Arc, Gandhi, King, FDR, Carolus Magnus, Peter the Great, etc. It’s on his acts, not on the category in which one pigeonholes him, that I’d prefer to have my hypothesis judged. (I realize that that can be seen as sidestepping the savior/saint question – but what I’m saying is that I foresee him as a leader for our times that will do the unexpected. The Buddha was not the expected Mahatma of Hinduism; Christ was not the expected Messiah of Judaism; the French praying for deliverance from the English weren’t expecting a peasant girl from Lorraine. God is always surprising us. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/717 "2003-12-11T22:01:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Polycarp \* > \*\*God is always surprising us. \*\* I’ll say. For instance: > [@](#): > > \*\* A powerful earthquake hit the Indian subcontinent last Friday while the nation of India was celebrating 51 years as a republic. The earthquake, which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale, flattened much of the northwestern state of Gujarat, one of India’s most industrialized states. Tremors also were felt in neighboring Pakistan and Nepal. The epicenter of the quake was Bhuj, an ancient town in the Kutch region of the state. The earthquake damaged dozens of towns and cities and flattened about 79 villages completely. > > The initial death toll was estimated at 500 people, but the revised estimated rose as high as 11,000 by the next day and the estimates were revised to 20,000 by the third day. According to the state government, the official death toll is around 30,000, although the Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes suggested that the toll might be as high as 100,000 and the number of injured twice that. The Red Cross put the death toll at around 50,000.\*\* [Thousands die in quake](http://flathat.wm.edu/February022001/newsindex7.html) Sinners all of them, no doubt. ---
**Author:** ![IWLN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5ac83/32.png) [@IWLN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IWLN)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/718 "2003-12-11T22:25:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RedFury \* > Sinners all of them, no doubt. We’re here to learn and experience. Human response to such tragedies are mixed. Many of us hear about other people’s pain, step up, send money or find out how we can help. We learn how to care. This make’s better people. Other people simply spend time counting the baboons flying out their ass and only learn to count. They make good scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/719 "2003-12-11T22:59:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by IWLN \* > \*\*We’re here to learn and experience. > Human response to such tragedies are mixed. Many of us hear about other people’s pain, step up, send money or find out how we can help. We learn how to care. This make’s better people. Other people simply spend time counting the baboons flying out their ass and only learn to count. They make good scientists. \*\* :rolleyes: That was really, really stupid. Truly moronic. Astonishingly dumb even. There, I feel better now. Either RedFury’s point just flew right over your head or you are saying thousands of people died so that a few could become better persons and elicit some kindness and compassion. How warming. Or, exactly what are you saying besides making idiotic slams against scientists? (Scientists?! What the fuck?) Congratulations on learning how to care. Must be quite an accomplishment for you. ---
**Author:** ![dalovindj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dalovindj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalovindj)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640/720 "2003-12-11T23:15:25Z")
Thanks for the clarification, **Polycarp**. But it raises a couple of questons. Let’s look at your initial controversial statement: > [@](#): > > IMHO, He will make Himself known fairly soon, and in a way that nobody, including me, expects. Those who believe in Him will recognize Him from His teachings – but a lot of those who claim the Christian faith will reject Him because He will contradict the dogma they hold more precious than following Him. > > I have a very strong hunch that I do in fact know his identity . . . You state that it is your opinion that the person you are speaking of is ‘Him’. Now, from my past experience I’m led to believe you must be referring to your god (God) when you use a capital letter at the begining of the word ‘him’. So it is natural to assume that God is the subject when you say that you ‘have a strong hunch you know his identity’. One could conclude that you suspect Adam to be God in a human form. But when you get to the ‘I have a hunch that I do in fact know his identity’ you use the lowercase ‘him’. This capitalization stuff can get confusing. You have now said: > [@](#): > > I’d rather not attach a proper noun (“saint,” “savior,” “reformer,” “agitator”) to him. This looks like it has a different meaning than your original statements. Tell me if I am getting it wrong: 1. You expressed that you suspect a certain person is “Him”. 2. When you say ‘Him’ you mean God. 3. You, therefore, suspect a certain person is God. All of this seems clear to me from your post. However, now you do not want to attach a proper noun to (lowercase) him. From this I can only come to a certain number of reasonable conclusions: 1. You have changed your mind. In the initial posting you think you know someone who may be God. Now, you just think you have found someone who will become religiously important. If this is the case, what changed your mind? What did you see before that you don’t see now? 2. When you said ‘Him’ initially, you weren’t talking about God. This would seem to conflict with your standard usage. I would be surprised if this is what you meant. 3. You think of this person as being God in the sense that we are all God. An “If God is everything than we are all God!” type of sentiment. In this case the fact that the kid is God isn’t really significant. We’re all God. I’m God, you’re God. All 7 or 8 Billion of us and the stars and the Earth too. I also doubt that this is what you meant, and I don’t recall you subscribing to the idea of the Universe as God. 4. You never thought the kid was God (Him) incarnate and just phrased it the way you did to generate attention. I really hope this isn’t the case. 5. You haven’t changed your mind at all, rather you are just trying to rephrase it in a way that is less shocking and gives you some wiggle room. Could you help out a bit here? Does there not seem to be a contradiction? Is it because you changed your mind (fine if you did)? Have I missed something? Am I misreading your use of the word ‘Him’? Thanks. DaLovin’ Dj [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-did-you-forget-to-take-you-pills/216640.md?page=37)