# religion and ego **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 7, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917 "2007-07-07T23:25:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [July 12, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/102 "2007-07-12T15:11:26Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Awww Thats so cute. [/QUOTE] What a smug response. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/103 "2007-07-12T15:20:27Z")
Not even. There is hate so therefore there is no god. There is apathy therefore there is no god. It was not an addition to the argument at all. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/104 "2007-07-12T15:21:30Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] Am I reading this correctly? Are you threatening or challenging Satan to a steel cage death match in the physical world?.. [/QUOTE] Too funny. Would it be on PPV or FTA? šŸ˜‰ Place yer bets right here. Bets. Anyone? Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/105 "2007-07-12T15:26:01Z")
**Zoe** , godā€™s hardly like a 'puter program. Hereā€™s betting that for any/many parts of the ā€˜programā€™ you say you _know_ youā€™ll find another believer telling you youā€™re misinterpreting the ā€˜programā€™ and then give you the ā€˜rightā€™ instructions. Again weā€™re taking about _religious faith_ā€¦thus really, anything goes, since evidence/proof is utterly unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/106 "2007-07-12T15:48:39Z")
[QUOTE=DevNull] (snip) but you also mention not eating meat on Fridays which is an exclusive Catholic thing as far as I know. Indians ate meat whenever. I donā€™t think Indians acknowledged Friday until we took over. [/QUOTE] Minor quibble time-- No intention to hijack ā€“ Depends on what you mean by ā€œCatholic.ā€ Eastern Orthodoxy is certainly distinct from ā€œRoman Catholicism,ā€ yet also enjoins no meat consumption on Fridays of most weeks, and on most Wednesdays as well. The fasting that is urged to be kept, or at least attempted, is far more extensive than was generally practiced even before Vatican II. (Iā€™m going by my experience with people of the Russian Church Abroad here.) On Fridays of ā€œGreat Lentā€ even fish was proscribed. Iā€™ll never forget one RCā€™s reaction. ā€œWHAT? :eek: šŸ˜• They canā€™t eat FISH on Friday?!ā€ /Minor quibble over - Back to regular discussion, pleaseā€¦ * * * True Blue Jack ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/107 "2007-07-12T16:41:26Z")
[QUOTE=Omegaman] Well he did have free will, BECAUSE HE DID IT! Just like you and I. Iā€™ve been on both teams, my friend, BE ABSOLUTELY SURE! So I know! You can write it off to whatever you like but I WAS AN EVIL FUCKER! You get the choice, you make the decision.Period. As I well know, Satan is a FUCK HEAD of the highest order, so I doubt he would have a change of heart. You know what Iā€™m thinking know? That you think that Angels are better than us! Canā€™t be my friend! If they were, they couldnā€™t change THEIR freaking minds! So be sure they have the choice just as we do. Apparently all of them arenā€™t BIG ASS PUSSYS like Satan! Some have balls like real men do!They know what is right and what is wrong just like the sun rising every damn day does! So call me a nut if you like! There _WILL_ be no proof until you step over that threshold that is death. BOTTOM LINE! Until that happens itā€™s just a bb in the middle of an eight lane highway. Not a damn thing. [/QUOTE] If Satan does have free will, heā€™s not evil, heā€™s stupid. (Or mentally deficient.) What else would you call someone who knows heā€™s going to lose but still does it? Did God make him stupid, or did Satan drill a hole in his head for some heavenly version of _Jackass_ or something? You say heā€™s evil. Evidence? He didnā€™t have anything to do with Adam and Eve (check it out and try to find Satan in Genesis) he was Godā€™s right hand man in Job. He supposedly tempted Jesus, but people have hallucinations in the desert. He supposedly made Judas do it, but without Judas where would Christian salvation be? We know that God killed billions and ordered his people to wipe out opposing tribes. So who is evil again? Are you sure youā€™re backing the right horse? Maybe youā€™ll go to heaven and find it a regimented concentration camp, and Iā€™ll go to Shawā€™s version of hell with wine flowing 24/7 and comfy chairs. And if it seems Iā€™m laughing at your religion, it is because I am. Youā€™re a nice guy, but you believe in a load of rubbish. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/108 "2007-07-12T16:56:16Z")
[QUOTE=Omegaman] Come on! Do you think Iā€™m actually threatening a person? Gee, Iā€™m sorry you donā€™t get it TnD. He and I have had business before so be sure I have it in for him.(satan). I just get tired of seeing his handiwork every time I turn around. Be sure I know I couldnā€™t defeat that filthy scumbag but you could bet your last dollar that I would die trying. Please try not to judge me as I donā€™t judge you. You worship God as you like, and Iā€™ll do it the only way I know how. With all the love I can muster. Oh, except for that greasy scumbag, satan. I forgot one thing. Even though the fight might be spiritual be sure he has an soldiers just like God does. [/QUOTE] No. I, personally, do not think that you were actually threatening either Satan or some person with death. What I was attempting (too subtly) to point out, however, is that your syntax was sufficiently unclear that your post could be read as a threat against some unidentified person. In addition, your hyperbolic style, as well as being unclear, will (to the extent it has not already) get you labeled a loon. This means that some significant number of posters will see your username and simply skip over your posts, effectively silencing your voice for those people. It also means that for some significant numbers of posters, you will have a target painted on your forehead that will encourage them to bait you. In the Pit, that is not a problem, but in the other Fora, it means more work for the Mods, either telling them to behave themselves or admonishing you if they strike a nerve and you lash back. Hence my tag line from our discussion a couple of days ago: Time, place, context. Had I beleived that you were actually issuing threats, Iā€™d have closed my post with the ā€œModeratingā€ tag. You are welcome to continue posting in your current style; I am simply pointing out that you may not be communicating the thoughts that you think you are (and that your current style is going to invite unwelcome attention that still misses the points you are attempting to convey). ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/109 "2007-07-12T17:03:54Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] The RCC sets its teachings at a high bar. A pope is perfect. The bible is the word of god.The church is a perfect institution. [/quote] I am not a practicing anything, but it was my impression that in the Christian faiths, God is the only thing that is supposed to be perfect. (Maybe Jesus, too. Dunno.) But humans are born flawed. Therefore, the Pope (and any human made organisation, like the RCC) cannot be 100% perfect either. The RCC _has_ evolved. Painfully slow, Iā€™ll grant you. For example, women in the RCC are closer to being equals now than in anytime in the past. Slavery is condemed now, IIRC, by the RCC. The Pope and the church organisation are just supposed to be more educated in how to become closer to god. Are my impressions wrong? > [@gonzomax](#): > > Once you get old enough to learn a little history , the edifice begins to crumble. For me ,once the history of the church was learned ,crazy popes doing anything to keep their power, crusades building churches in far flung areas that could use help surviving etc. Then so many nutzos representing the christians. Swaggert, Falwell and now David Vitter. Well, I am not willing to excuse the bad things that happen(ed) in the name of religion. But I consider a lot of those bad things to be the fault of the humans, not the religion. (Crusades done because of desire for a land grab, Bishops selling ā€œpardonsā€ out of greed for money, and so on.) > [@gonzomax](#): > > I am not sure there should be churches. Religion should be intensely personal. Keep it to yourself and dont judge. OK, fine. I donā€™t doubt that you have run across smug evangelical types. But it is a common mistake to assume that everyone of the spiritual subset is the same. Stereotyping leads to bigotry, or other problemsā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/110 "2007-07-13T01:24:12Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] No. I, personally, do not think that you were actually threatening either Satan or some person with death. What I was attempting (too subtly) to point out, however, is that your syntax was sufficiently unclear that your post could be read as a threat against some unidentified person. In addition, your hyperbolic style, as well as being unclear, will (to the extent it has not already) get you labeled a loon. This means that some significant number of posters will see your username and simply skip over your posts, effectively silencing your voice for those people. It also means that for some significant numbers of posters, you will have a target painted on your forehead that will encourage them to bait you. In the Pit, that is not a problem, but in the other Fora, it means more work for the Mods, either telling them to behave themselves or admonishing you if they strike a nerve and you lash back. Hence my tag line from our discussion a couple of days ago: Time, place, context. Had I beleived that you were actually issuing threats, Iā€™d have closed my post with the ā€œModeratingā€ tag. You are welcome to continue posting in your current style; I am simply pointing out that you may not be communicating the thoughts that you think you are (and that your current style is going to invite unwelcome attention that still misses the points you are attempting to convey). [/QUOTE] Well as I told you before I appreciate your attempts to council me but your exact words ā€œAm I reading this correctly? Are you threatening or challenging Satan to a steel cage death match in the physical world? Or is there some other object of your intentions?ā€ sounds a lot like you believed me to be threatening satan which was indeed the case. I was, however, not threatening a human being, but as you wrote this, ā€œIf you are having a flashback and threatening some human, you are treading the thin line of permitted behavior on the SDMB where we strongly disapprove of declarations of illegal behavior (and threats are illegal in all 50 states, the D of C, and all territories).ā€ it kind of seemed to me that you thought I might be threatening someone. Now I think we both know that you are far more intelligent than me, as Iā€™m sure most posters here are, but you making these statements, then, thinking that I could percieve them to be any thing other than what you said is, well, ludicrous.(Not to quote mike tyson)By my way of thinking that would be you judging me to either be stupid or insane. Take your pick. But be sure of this my friend in Jesus, I would give my life for you just like I would for _any_ of Godā€™s children if it was needed to save your life. Thatā€™s how I judge you. Equal to every one in every way. So, to be sure, Iā€™m sure you are right in the end. Some posters will think me a complete nutjob and skip over my posts. But you know what? I kind of wish they would. Some posters revel in attempting to arouse me to the point that I will say something harsh to them and they can laugh their asses off. All I will say about that is the internet is nice that way, donā€™t you think? You may say just what you please and thier will be no reprecussions unless I was to get my little feelings hurt and run away and hide, and I have seen many posters do just that. But itā€™s not happening. If can you let someone like **Der Trihs** say he wishes every soldier in I raq would be killed then surely you can allow me to vent on the _only_ thing I really hate. The greasy shitstain satan. I suppose you will still say OM, itā€™s not the time or place context to speak your mind. I wonā€™t argue that statement could be true. But if itā€™s so, then why let the conversation go that way in the first place? I know you do this job out of the goodness of your heart (Iā€™m not joking, my friend, I know you donā€™t get paid) but heck! You know how this crap gets out of hand! Iā€™m not the only one in this thread to be acting up. You know what, I could just erase what I just said but I want you to see it. If thatā€™s what I wanted how could I ask you to help me be a better poster? What a dumbass I can be. Forgive me and please donā€™t stop trying to council me. I promise you, I will become proficient at this. You heard about the monkey piloting the spaceship, right? šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/111 "2007-07-13T01:35:48Z")
[QUOTE=RedFury] Too funny. Would it be on PPV or FTA? šŸ˜‰ Place yer bets right here. Bets. Anyone? Anyone? [/QUOTE] Well Hell Red! You know Iā€™m from Vegas! Iā€™ll get you twenty to one on that lickety split! But when you lose, best to pay up. You know the mob isnā€™t as far away from Vegas as you think. When I was just a wee asshole, I fired a rail with Tony Spilotroā€™s kid. And you know what? He didnā€™t like the looks of me so much. He looked a little nervous. So donā€™t start with the balling when some scary bad dude shows up with a hard on for you. They scare me plenty. Plenty, my friend. And what the heck is FTA? I donā€™t think we have that in my neck of the woods. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/112 "2007-07-13T02:08:55Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] If Satan does have free will, heā€™s not evil, heā€™s stupid. (Or mentally deficient.) What else would you call someone who knows heā€™s going to lose but still does it? Did God make him stupid, or did Satan drill a hole in his head for some heavenly version of _Jackass_ or something? You say heā€™s evil. Evidence? . [/QUOTE] Itā€™s his bag! Itā€™s what heā€™s all about. See Revelation. I have to tell you my friend, with a grin ear to ear, I have been in _many_ fights, and you know what? I knew right then who would win. I canā€™t believe people fight professionally. But it didnā€™t stop them from doing it. Fisticuffs is a thing of the past though, now itā€™s all about steel. I read a book once (Iā€™m not shitting you! I read a book!) called ā€œHagakure, The book of the Samuraiā€ if you like to read I would highly suggest it. It taught me many things of the ways of men and their follies. I saw some stupid movie one time where they kept quoting ā€œThe Art of Warā€ and I read that too, but itā€™s not about soldiers, itā€™s about generals, kind of leaving me way out of the loop, as Iā€™m a scrapper (fighter), I make my own calls in the way of violence, and I absolutlely _could not_ have another tell me who to kill. Killing is very personal. Guns are for soldiers, and I am just, kind of, well I like to think, a warrior for God. Although killing for Him is really only required for soldiers, dying might required for anyone.----- Itā€™s not something Iā€™m proud of but more like a calling. Itā€™s a coarse instinct, not mind excercises. But this book of the samurai is very much about a _manā€™s_ role in conflict, and well hell, everyday life. Be sure that as I donā€™t judge people, I donā€™t judge their religions either. They all seem to point to the same God. Different prophets and all that, but really at the core, the same thing. Be sure it makes me question being a Catholic, as they judge people kind of left and ,as far as I can tell.(hijack) but I still feel His presence in the church, so I know at least Iā€™m on the right track. As far as you laughing at me and my religion, have at it. Again, just like _e v e r y_ single person on this planet I would walk the walk just for you. Youā€™re one of His and I have no right to judge you, that is for Him alone. So while your having fun, laughing at me and the rest of His children, I pray that you will at least think of the words I have spoken to you, here. I am a warrior for Him. Not everybody is, but we all will do His work, for any human being. Somehow I really doubt that if someone like me gave his life for you and my dying words to you were ā€œIt was Godā€™s providence, not my sorry soulā€, you wouldnā€™t be yucking it up so much. Perhaps you would. If thatā€™s the case, you are a far greater warrior than I will ever be. To make His decisions for Him are the ultimate in hardness. You know the saying ā€œBorn again hardā€? It gives me the shivers every time I think of it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/113 "2007-07-13T02:41:38Z")
Does the Catholic church qualify as monotheistic.? You have the father ,son, holy ghost,The Devil. Angels, the devils helpers. All have godlike qualities. Is this polytheism.? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917/114 "2007-07-13T03:55:52Z")
[QUOTE=Omegaman] . . . but you making these statements, then, thinking that I could percieve them to be any thing other than what you said is, well, ludicrous. [/QUOTE] The point of asking you what your intention had been was intended to get you to re-read your post and review your actual words to see how you had been unclear. It is not a big deal and I am not accusing you of doing anything wrong. It was just an effort to get you to see how you might be hurting your own cause on this board. Iā€™ll bow out of these ā€œcounselingā€ posts. Enjoy yourself while youā€™re here.. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-and-ego/410917.md?page=5)