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Meta: Catching up with Things at SoylentNews -- Site Summary 101 comments
It has been a while since I've written a site summary, and I've been meaning to do so for a while now. So, I'm just going to get started and hope that will motivate my getting it done.
As always, if this kind of story is not of interest to you, another story will be along before long.
Otherwise, read on below the fold for what's been happening.
- Daylight Saving Time
- Things are Difficult for Everyone
- Digging out of my System Crash
- System Outages
- Staffing
- Story Cadence
- Statistics
- Fundraising
- Site Updates/Enhancements
Discuss! 217 comments
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(Score: 4, Touché) by martyb on Sunday January 17 2021, @06:52PM (7 children)
Thank you SoylentNews!
There is so much I have learned from the community -- and still do -- on a wide range of subjects!
Thanks for allowing me to be an active part of this site!
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:11PM
You are welcome. Don't let your head get too big.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by krishnoid on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:33PM (1 child)
Healthy Tech [soylentnews.org] rating for "soylentnews.com" over past 12 months:
Overall: suitable for nerds of all ages.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @03:18PM
(Score: 4, Insightful) by driverless on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:27PM (3 children)
And a nice thing about Soylent is that, unlike the other site, it's still (mostly) possible to have a civilised, sensible discussion in which various groups express different points of view without it degenerating almost instantly into flamebait and trolling.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @10:55PM (1 child)
That's right. Here it takes several hours before the flamebait and trolling kick in.
Seriously, thanks SN for being a place where I can tell my stupid little quips (like the one above) and not have it be tracked back to me to be fired and jailed and raped to death in prison, which is the style these days. I really do appreciate that.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday January 18 2021, @01:33AM
AC didn't kill himself!
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @04:07AM
Except when the khazar jewish rats are involved. They will misguide a discussion into something not about khazar jewish rats and their crimes.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Sunday January 17 2021, @06:54PM (13 children)
Some of our members would be right at home on an intentionally blank discussion!
(Score: 5, Funny) by martyb on Sunday January 17 2021, @06:58PM (5 children)
Huh?
;^)
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:34PM (4 children)
Just checking to see who I can trigger. ;^)
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:45PM (1 child)
Shouldn't that be "whom I can trigger"?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:59PM
Whom said that?
(Score: 2) by driverless on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:30PM
Not as many as if it said slegs blankes rather than just "blank".
(Score: 1) by mce on Sunday January 17 2021, @11:23PM
Not me. That's for sure...
(Score: 4, Funny) by Walzmyn on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:01PM (2 children)
I feel attacked.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday January 18 2021, @03:16AM
If the shoe fits...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Monday January 18 2021, @05:50AM
That's because 99% of all posts are to tell the parent that they're wrong! Now stop being such a snowflake!
Discuss? No! Too much talking, not enough acting! Do something!!!
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:20PM
At least I can honestly say I RTFA this time (by which I mean the summary).
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:23PM
They are called, "Runaway1956 journals".
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @10:04PM
Blank Stare
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @03:47AM
Intentionally blank is a good discussion, sure. But why do we continuously avoid discussing the proper use of the interrobang‽
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:15PM (24 children)
Modern discussion boards (eg discuss) devote a section specifically to spam. This allows spammers to spread their spam while anyone who does not want to see it can simply not visit that section.
When will soylent news adopt this modern approach?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:21PM
Those disciplined spammers!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by martyb on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:26PM (5 children)
[Asserts facts not in evidence]
This site is strictly non-commercial. If you wish to have a place for spam to be posted, you are more than welcome to create, support, maintain, and pay for your own site.
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 4, Informative) by driverless on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:32PM (4 children)
I think he's talking about sites like Parler, which devote (checks source) 100.0% of the site to that. The remaining 0.0% is set aside for polite, fact-based discussion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @10:11PM (3 children)
It is common on discord. If you are polite to spammers they are polite to you.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @12:28AM (2 children)
I authorize you to post spam on every discord. That is your spam section.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @02:10AM (1 child)
It isn't enough, spammers feel the urge to spam every discussion they visit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @06:21AM
Which is why sites like this [stopforumspam.com] exist.
(Score: 3, Touché) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:31PM (7 children)
We're still mostly using perl from the 90s, what do you think?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:36PM
Maybe a "spam" account with it's own journal? Default login password "spam". The spammers can share an account, and you can ensure that the journal entries never show on the front page. Win-win?
/sarcasm
(Score: 2) by looorg on Sunday January 17 2021, @08:02PM
Old tech, best tech!
(Score: 2) by Tork on Sunday January 17 2021, @10:42PM (1 child)
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 4, Interesting) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday January 18 2021, @01:45AM
Funny you should mention that. I've been considering moving the backends to a Perl application server instead of Apache/mod_perl for a while now. Just haven't had the time to start poking at it.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Monday January 18 2021, @12:50AM (1 child)
Are you at least using a current version of the interpreter/distribution? If so, I'm good with that.
(Score: 4, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday January 18 2021, @02:04AM
No but a damned sight more current than we started out with. We're currently on Apache 2.2 and a 5.20.x version of perl. mod_perl had been the holdup as it hadn't been updated for a while the last time I had time to burn on that. Looks like we should be able to move to Apache 2.4 and a more recent version of Perl though.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday January 19 2021, @05:23PM
Would it be possible design and code wise to have messages show all, or a selection larger then one, modifiers a post has gotten? Up to some kind of limit. Sort of like (Score:0 Interesting Funny Troll) or (Score:3 Interesting (x3)) something similar. It could be interesting. As it is now it only shows one of them and I'm not really sure if it's just the latest one applied or if they are ranked somehow.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by fakefuck39 on Sunday January 17 2021, @11:07PM (4 children)
Side story. Being born in soooviet raashaa, there were no ads on tv or newspapers. just some light propaganda. because there weren't companies.
towards the end there, right before my step dad got a job in the states (where most of the family was), they started allowing companies, as long as they were partially owned by the state - or some shit like that - i dunno, i was tiny.
so then private newspapers came. with ads. and we've never seen ads, and ads were so cool and interesting. so many people, mostly whilst taking a royal shit, would just flip through the ads. then, a brilliant lady thought up a plan. a newspaper called "Reklama" which means "Ads" - and it was just 20 pages of ads. And people paid to buy that newspaper, and companies paid to put their ads in it. It was brilliant. About a decade later, another fat lady in Chicago, a friend of my mom's, completely copied that format. She made it free, and would drop off a stack every month at russian grocery stores, on the floor by the exit. She makes enough to live on from businesses buying the ads in her 100% ads newspaper. People don't buy it, but they do grab a copy for the shitter.
Of course, that's the older generation. Me - I got soylent. And when add sour cream to my mexican food, the word "soylent" just feels like the right word to describe what's happening on the toilet as I type this, brown chunky liquid shooting out, hot laptop sliding around ever so lightly on my thighs, a prick here and there from a leg hair getting caught in a loose t4 screw. Gonna have to jump up on the sink and rinse off my ass with soap after this - a wet wipe just won't do. what were we talking about again?
oh yeah. what would be helpful is just a separate toggle for "spam"that collapses just that mod, while reading at -1, but only after several people mod as spam, with zero other types of mods.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @11:41PM
Used to be that way, back in the UUUUUSA of the same era. No ads by Lawyers, no pharma ads allowed, no "feminine hygiene" or "happy Bob" ads. But then the Soviet Union dissolved, and the advertising shit hit the fan. Now broadcast and cable TV seems to be nothing but "Ask your doctor about" if you think you might be going to die from being a Boomer. Wasteland of death and despair.
(Score: 1) by schusselig on Sunday January 17 2021, @11:47PM
Damn. I already spent all my mods today already upping non-spam -1s and such. Consider this your +1 Informative.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday January 18 2021, @03:23AM (1 child)
I was really impressed in East Germany in 1990... rode my bike literally for days across the countryside, through towns, and would rarely see a sign for anything except maybe street and city names. Want to find a food store? Look for the rack of empty glass bottles outside - and not out front, either, they'd usually be tucked around the side somewhere. Want a room for the night? Look for signs in the window (we're talking 7cm x 12cm cards with a thinly handwritten: "Bett frei" on them), but no guarantee a given town has one, and I never found a town with more than one. Want to know the % fat in that sausage you bought? No, no you do not, just be thankful they had sausage at all and look out for the bone chips.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by fakefuck39 on Monday January 18 2021, @02:53PM
My aunt was russia's administrative ambassador to east germany. that place was like some soviet ghetto at the time - understandable, because after ww2, like romania it was an occupied territory governed with the bloody fist of retribution and resentment. it's amazing how the country changed after the wall fell. I remember watching reagan's "tear down this wall" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NjNL4Nsa4Q [youtube.com]
What's funny is I look at Reagan as one of the worst presidents, who did long-lasting damage. Almost Trump-level bad. Because the guy was an actor, able to rile up support from the below average, completely unqualified to run a country or an economy. But he did end the cold war, and that still makes him a good guy.
And it's his idiocy that ended it too. He was in old sci-fi movies, and star wars and space lasers to him was a reality. So he started the "lasers in space" program, made a bunch of "lasers in space" computer animations, and fully believed after seeing those cartoons that the program was successful and working, despite literally every engineer telling him it doesn't work, and we can't make it work.
Here's what I remember from news within the USSR though: the Americans have space lasers that can shoot down our ICBMs. Here's what years later my gramma, who was in the KGB in her youth, told me: americans got space lasers that can shoot down our ICBMs.
Reagan so pathologically believed in this lie, he convinced Gorbachev that it was true. Russia tried to catch up - with their own ICBM defense, and missiles that could get through this impenetrable laser grid. Moscow spent crazy amounts of cash, couldn't make it work, and decided peace was the only way not to lose. So that senile bumbling fool of an actor ended the cold war, because of his dementia.
I feel everyone should watch Good Bye Lenin (warning: it's in german, grab some subtitles). It really captures the time and emotion of the transition from communism. What it does omit though is the bloody lawless period with street gangs and crimelords. I don't know if you had that in Germany, but we definitely had that in Russia. Thankfully after I was long gone.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday January 18 2021, @04:54AM
When the bad guys will send their requests with &evil=true [blogspot.com] in rfc3514 compliant [ietf.org] packets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @08:57AM
Offering a helping hand here.yes. we do have that. The URL is slightly different but the layout is more or less the same. Even better, you can submit spam stories with a good chance (+/- 8%) they will be accepted. I will provide you with a link. Bookmark it so you don't have to scroll back through here to find it: http://Slashdot.org [slashdot.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @09:04AM (1 child)
You've obviously not seen the crap that clogs the journal system.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @01:15PM
+5 insightful
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:28PM
N/T
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @07:42PM (6 children)
Every now and then I see (or offer) a prediction in discussions here. I'd like a way to flag some of these, so we could see how they worked out.
For example, I say, "Tesla stock is a bubble and before the end of 2021 it will be traded at less than half of its current $826.16 share price." Some other SoyLentil flags this as a prediction, adds the prediction date (like: 2022/01/01) and the story and prediction go into time stamped buffer...to be added back to the Submit Story Queue on the reference date.
If the editors in early 2022 decide it's an interesting story and prediction, they promote it back onto the home page for review of the accuracy of the prediction.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Sunday January 17 2021, @08:26PM (2 children)
As opposed to you bookmarking it and verifying the outcome yourself, along with some pithy comments?
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @08:54PM (1 child)
I think that poster was suggesting it so that we could scrape and semi-automate prediction checking.
Personally I would be into a <prediction> tag that a commenter could choose to apply to their post, but others couldn't. But it seems like a bit of effort for questionable returns, unless other lentils jump in and say how much they'd like/make use of it.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:17PM
> semi-automate prediction checking.
Correct. Thanks for clarification. Computers are good at cron jobs and implementing it here would mean the service was available to all at SN.
Yes, I could bookmark and re-submit myself, but chances are that I'd forget to check bookmarks at the right time. I'm not much of programmer (I write macros, sometimes) so it would be painful for me to automate something like this personally.
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:37PM (1 child)
So when did I start predicting that Trump twatting on Twitter(R)(TM) would end badly? Probably from day one in office at least.
Honestly figured it would just get him in to really hot water one day. But instead it virtually resurrected the Confederacy, started an attempt to overthrow the government, killed a few people, trashed the capital, turned the US in to a laughing stock, and Trump STILL doesn't understand that he did something wrong.
Now, how is my prediction going along that one day cell phones will physically brutially rape people, but people will be happy about it because they love their cell phones so much?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday January 18 2021, @01:15AM
you take take my phone out of my cold, dead a.....
??
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Monday January 18 2021, @01:44AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2, Interesting) by lcall on Sunday January 17 2021, @08:29PM (60 children)
Since I know most of the time people don't want to listen to all my opinions, I get it out of my system by putting it on my web site, which also is mostly unread as far as I know :) . But it is low-tech and skimmable and currently non-JS, so hopefully one can quickly find something interesting? :) Tech, climate change, religion, life lessons and how they relate to "maturity models", some relaxatation, even politics, buried in there.
http://lukecall.net [lukecall.net] (https ... later).
(Score: 1) by lcall on Sunday January 17 2021, @08:34PM
ps: the religion part is "how I know...".
And there are always fun tech topics like: OpenBSD, fvwm, Rust, tmux/xterm, postgresql, sqlite, vim, bash. Most *long-term* usefulness I'm currently thinking. Or at least enjoyable to learn and I'm developing a respect.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @08:58PM (54 children)
Hey, you follow
Can I suggest instead striving to "treat others as they would have you treat them"?
If you think you'd want to be de-queered if you were queer, for example, that doesn't mean queer folk want to be de-queered.
Yes, it's impossible to /know/ how someone else wants to be treated. But you can get a good approximation, if you recognize you're unsure in a moment, by asking.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:15PM
I think the golden rule implies the platinum rule. Even if as simply as: if I have some good ice cream I want to share, not everyone has the same taste in flavor or dessert types. If we are both honest and kind I think it goes a long way in any situation. Thanks for your comment.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:18PM (37 children)
ps: if you read the first/top link "how to read content at this site" and then have other feedback about my site (like readability vs. skimmability), I'm interested.
(For font & page style issues, I see that as something best set at the browser, for accessibility etc purposes, in case someone wants larger print or such for every site they visit. But feedback welcome.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @09:41AM (3 children)
For what it is, the format is fine. Changing font size is trivial in-browser. Structurally the pages are loose groups of points so there's nothing more suitable than the unformatted list you already use.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday January 18 2021, @04:28PM (2 children)
Thanks. I'm hoping that if someone wants more about each point they can click for as much detail as they want (or ask for more). Something like lines being the same as skimming across topic sentences or summaries, and click for the full paragraph of details.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @07:54PM (1 child)
Sure. Of course you have to flesh it out with that content, to have that mechanism work. But you wrote your knowledgekeeper software just for that, so you'll be fine, yea? :)
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday January 18 2021, @08:40PM
Maybe we already are understanding each other, but in case for clarification: clicking a link takes you to another page of things which could be links or bullets, but which combined represent the detailed paragraph for the item clicked (which is also the title of the new page). So, every page is a topic sentence (title) and details (all the lines, which themselves are both content, and can be clicked for more). A big outline of everything... I hope that makes sense.
Thanks for your comments. :)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday January 18 2021, @11:57AM (32 children)
Okay, question for you...is there anything about the golden rule, or being a good person in general, that precludes a non-religious person from following it? And if so, what is the point in having the "right faith" so long as you do the right things?
Look, I won't lie, if the three Abrahamic religions are a trilogy of horror films, Mormonism is the bizarre crossover fanfiction with the Sonic the Hedgehog furry fandom full of Mary-Sue original characters and egregious retcons of the central plot points. You believe Yahweh and Jesus were once mortals, are separate beings, and that properly-sealed, married Mormon men will get their own worlds to rule over in perpetuity (and if you didn't know this, you don't know your own religion as well as you think you do). It's an obvious man-made cult, the Scientology of the 19th century.
Despite that, you seem to be basically a good person. I've met people from many religions who were also good people, and they were good people because they had everything in common *except* their religions.
Doesn't this mean anything to you? Do you think you'd suddenly be a worse person if you converted to another religion, or even became an atheist? If not, *why not?* Think hard about those questions.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @01:18PM
> is there anything about the golden rule, or being a good person in general, that precludes a non-religious person from following it?
Nothing at all. I'm the post-theological that posts as AC every now and then. Never been part of any organized religion, or read any religious texts as anything other than history. Early on, my parents discussed the Golden Rule in practical terms, I got the message, and it has served me well.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday January 18 2021, @04:22PM (29 children)
I'll try to answer, though it's not clear if you wanted answers or wanted to make statements, but feel free to let me know if you want more or less.
Certainly the Golden Rule is for everyone. I hope we would all see it makes sense and is for the best, for everyone. We have chances to lift mankind and have joy in the progress of others and ourselves. I also believe that it and all good things, including anyone's conscience, come from God, who is the father of our spirits, and lets us choose for ourselves, but invites us to do good because He wants the best for us. He also allows choices, consequences, and growing experiences for our eventual good, and allows people to make choices which cause harm, but will provide justice and mercy in wisdom in the end. Also that this mortal life is neither the beginning nor the end.
As in the linked site (http://lukecall.net), I have learned some things for myself so I don't have to ask someone else or depend only on written things. I hope that if you explore what I have written (which I tried to make so it can be skimmed or read in depth, per one's interest), you might see what I mean, and that now I personally know it is true, *and that it brings joy and many great/good things into my life for which I am grateful!!*, so I also know if I were unfaithful I would lose many good things which I desire. I also believe you and anyone can find out for yourself, if you want. There are details there about that.
The things you said I believe do not sound at all familiar. If you are truly interested enough to read what I wrote already, and have specific sincere questions, I will try to answer, though I'm just me and will make mistakes, but will try.
I wish you much happiness in things that last forever. :)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @07:57PM (2 children)
Sounds like you're answering "because it makes me happy" as if happiness is a good and right thing. Correct reading?
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday January 18 2021, @08:53PM
Good question. Not quite what I meant. That is good, and a step, but insufficient. I believe that not only is God real, but that he has given us commandments, which include ordinances and a specific path to eternal life of joy and greater capacity and opportunities than we have ever realized, But receipt of those things depends on our keeping his specific commandments and receiving the ordinances that let one enter into and continue in the path, such as baptism by one having the proper authority. Just like one needs a drivers license for certain opportunities (to drive), or other qualifications to be a be able to do certain things in this life.
The Plan of Happiness is specific, and administered only by his authorized organization. A big part of our beliefs is that he is a God of order, not of confusion, and the official organization is His Church, to teach the pure doctrine and administer it. Those who do not have the opportunity in this life but would have received it, will have the opp'ty later. Those who reject it will receive only what they were willing to receive. Many in the past have used the verbal cloak of religion for selfish purposes, but He will put all things right eventually. And the opportunities are so much greater for peace, and joy.
Like, Noah was sent with a specific message. "Being a good person" wasn't enough: they needed to get on the ark. And so with Jeremiah -- they needed to change their ways and keep specific commandments, and there were major consequences.
So it is today -- we have living prophets who give us specific counsel that pertains to the times in which we are living, and which is really important. Very many things, but one doesn't have to learn everything at once. There is much available at the sites mine links to, so not a bunch of secrets at all, but one has to start at the beginning to appreciate it (I think) or it will seem pointless. There is so much, and it is good! :)
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday January 18 2021, @09:37PM
Maybe I should add: While in mortality we have promised to care for one another, and do so in extensive programs and in an organize (not haphazard) way. Only by the proper authority do we have the chance to have our families sealed together so that, if we are faithful, the family ties can continue into eternity. (Not against anyone's wishes.) Only by the proper authority can we be forgiven of our sins (and we are commanded to forgive others). We believe that only through Jesus Christ can we be saved from death & hell -- eternal punishment, but by following Him in truth we can have peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come. The world needs Him, as He knows how we can live to overcome our problems and prepare for future ones, He can and will help us do it, and without Him there will not be peace on earth.
We also get opportunities to learn about the nature of God, of our pre-earth life, the purpose of life, why bad things can happen to good people, and things about our postmortal life and purpose. We learn how to have happy families, and enjoy great support systems for doing that, no matter where we may live. A health code that has resulted in longer lifespans than average, for a long time now, and other benefits. Tools for when there are the inevitable challenges in life.
You did ask why it matters. :)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday January 19 2021, @01:58AM (25 children)
You're really not thinking about this...anyone who insists on "eternal life" has very clearly not thought the implications through. I don't even know where to start with the rest of this stuff :/ There's way too much crazy to unpack here in just a couple of forum posts.
Thank you for at least admitting, if perhaps unintentionally, that religious morality boils down to selfish consequentialism though. I always find it amusing how so many apologists of all stripes will bang on and on about morals and then flat out admit they basically do what they do in anticipation of a forever-reward. ALL morality boils down to "satisfaction of the individual moral agent," and on that front we Deists, Spiritists, agnostics, atheists etc. have the religious beat by a country mile, if only because we cut out the middleman (middle-God?) and just do good for its own sake.
And let's be clear about something: you do not "know these things to be true." You *believe* they are true, but revelation and fideism are of necessity private and do not serve as a valid tool of argumentation to convince others. The one possibly evidential argument you have, that you believe X and Y good things have happened because of it, is so weak as to be almost completely invalid, and can just as easily be run by any well-off member of any other religion.
Would you suddenly become less good, less giving, less moral, if you woke up an atheist one day? If not, why not, and if so, why so?
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Tuesday January 19 2021, @08:00PM (24 children)
It is hard to know what I would be like. I have had thoughts in multiple directions when I imagine it.
I have listed evidences on my web site which continue to be convincing to me. Not to you (so far).
Thanks for the discussion, & all best wishes! :)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday January 20 2021, @12:31AM (23 children)
Oh no, you don't get to just dismiss this.
See, you've revealed in another post that it's not reeeeeeeeeeeeally about doing the right thing with you. No, it's about avoiding "eternal punishment." And apparently, according to you, it's not good deeds that matter here but belief. Now I always thought under Mormon theology, decent unbelievers ended up in the Telestial Kingdom, but whatever; point is, you've fallen into the same trap that stunts the moral growth of Christians and Muslims: your loyalty to your God extends only so far as he can harm you, and all moral questions are shorn of any context other than "is this part of my marching orders?"
I hope I don't need to point out the fundamental problem here: do you do what's good because it is in itself good to do, or are the things you do good solely because (you believe) your God commands you to do them? Be careful with this one...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Wednesday January 20 2021, @06:03PM (21 children)
OK :) I'll answer (stream-of-conscoiusness...) according to my understanding, not being an official rep you know. But I am a lifelong one who studies and tries (more on that at my site also; I said to one of my brothers, they can write on my tombstone "He tried." My brother said "followed by, '...everyone he met'". He's always good at lightening things up.).
The liars, adulters, murderers go to the Telestial Kingdom, only after they have paid for their own sins. What we might call honorable people wind up in the Terrestrial Kingdom, after their own payment is done. I guess those are nicer places than this life, but I prefer to, as you point out, avoid the punishment. But even more, I want the opportunity to be with our Father in Heaven in the Celestial Kingdom, and with my very patient wife(!!), and our families(!), for eternity. (I'd also like to have some time in a silent room with a window, but maybe I won't be as introverted by that point.) That implies further opportunities for service, work, growth, without which I ... hard to imagine how to deal with that loss. We have been thru a lot, and I do love and trust those people.
I also want the best for everyone else, because that makes me the most happy/glad/satisfied, knowing they have have as *much* good as they are willing to accept, and why else would I bother with this discussion? What would I get out of it, if I didn't want to see people happy. (But you are smart and I'm sure will come up with something I haven't really thought of. Maybe a sense of superiority or something, or winning an argument, but I'm too tired to be glad to win an argument, I have to prioritize where my energy goes nowadays. And I've learned the hard way, multiple times (enough now I hope already!!?) that doing things to look good or superior has embarassing, bad results. Always ouch when I try that.) I think about our family a lot. My wife and I work at preparing as we can, so that I/we won't be a burden to others later, but it could still happen (and I'd be honored to care for our parents or other such). But I think about their long-term happiness quite a bit, and much of what I have written at my site is in the hope of helping, eventually .. .someone ... avoid some grief, especially in things I have learned well enough to know confidently. Is that arrogant or selfish? Maybe in some way, I don't really know. Because it makes me happy to think I might have helped someone? Oh well. God knows and I trust whatever He says about me at the judgement -- as I know he knows our intents, thoughts, strengths, weaknesses, and actions.
And the Book of Mormon (and probably the Bible too, I just remember somewhat fewer exact things there) says we will be judged for (things like?--from rough memory) our intents, thoughts, words, and actions. Not just belief (and certainly not what "I'm holy and so much better than..." t-shirts we might wear for everyone to see). We are commanded to be meek, humble, obedient, and faithful. (The Sermon on the Mount is amazing to me in its depth, to-me literalness, its ability to teach over time and on multiple repeated readings, and I think is vastly under-appreciated. I wish I had appreciated it more literally when I was much younger.)
If you *really, really* want to know what I think, understand the Book of Mormon and put it to the test. Then you'll know. Without knowing that, I often think it's just too much work. And its teachings are profound and good and uplifting, after many repeated readings.
If I haven't answered your question (or fully exposed my in/ability as to whether I know enough to do so), maybe a rephrasing of it will allow another try?
Maybe it is because I deeply, after repeated/many experiences with enough of the things, believe in the rest of thet things I He has plainly said, and that things always go better when I am humbly obedient, and I want the good results, not the bad results. Including happiness for everyone I can think of, and I don't want to be blocked in my future growth, due to my own stupidity. Like, today my body is not being as helpful as I would like, but there are some tech things I want to be better at (in vim, first), and so I will hopefully be able to study. In the next life...well, I just won't want to stop, or something like that. And the family stuff above. Some say that life in the Celestial kingdom is all about service. Whatever the Lord says, I'm on board, because I know His path is the one that leads to joy for everyone, and that he "grants unto men [ie, people] according to their desires", so we need to educate our desires, obey and trust Him. And long experience, pleasant and unpleasant, shows I'm happier that way. Now that my trust (and obedience) are better than they were in years past (I'm not comparing with others, just saying I've learned some things), my happiness just increases. It seems *so* much better to learn the easy way (trusting His words), than the hard way (try disobedience and experience life's consequences, when I really did know better...). But I think I said that part at my site also.
There is another quote, about how the message will ... ~ "penetrate every clime, and be sounded in every ear ... until the great Jehovah shall say, 'The work is done.'" I find that moving, and my total focus now is on serving how I can, prioritizing well, etc., resting or adjusting when that is the wisest thing. If that is insufficient, I fully expect the Lord will at some point show me where I need to make changes, as He has done in the past. I trust Him.
I saw a quote once, where Confucius (sp?) said something like, at ages 20/30/40/50/60 he, in increasing degrees, cared whether he knew about, wanted to know, wanted to follow, or really loved to follow, the will of Heaven. We are all in a process. I certainly can't claim to be perfect or finished, but I know I am trying, and again, I wholly trust God's judgment, since I know He understands all the right things, and can mix justice and mercy appropriately for all of us -- as He has said in many respects, while also knowing that mercy can only displace justice, when we are penitent and humbly enter and stay in the path, pressing forward to the end. He said, "...this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man [ie, people--his children]." But He doesn't force us. One of our (your & my) purposes here in mortality is to see what we will choose, when we have choices (and to learn from our experiences).
We believe there have been many, inspired with parts of the truth, what they were ready for. I think Confucius would be one of those.
Have you looked at my site much? Any comments/suggestions? And much better still, if you get (online, or free physical copy) the Book of Mormon (I link to Church site places where it can be found), and test it for yourself. It says how. :)
Sorry if I'm long-winded, especially if I still haven't managed to answer your question.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday January 21 2021, @01:16AM (20 children)
Again: nothing you're saying requires a God. If anything, the atheists I've met have almost without exception (I can think of only 2) been better people and better Christians than the Christians I've met--again, almost without exception.
In fact, I would say the atheists are purer and more sincere in their doing good because they don't expect any eternal reward for it. They explicitly tell me they think I'm anywhere from sadly delusional to insane for believing there is a God and that the end of the body is not the end of one's personal existence. I wish they were right, as I'm very, very tired, and my good deeds are slightly poisoned because of the extra dimension of calculation that goes into it because of this.
So...again, why does doing good require a God? What would be different with or without one? You need to answer this, because your entire morality and moral life hinges on it.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Thursday January 21 2021, @04:52PM
I believe all good things ultimately come from God, even when atheists do good, because He created us all, has given us our conscience, our ability to think and choose, etc., but I don't expect that I can prove that to you, and I don't think it would help much if I tried to. You didn't answer about whether you have explored my web site, particularly to learn why I believe what I do (there is much detail there).
I have not claimed that my thinking or beliefs meet your philosophical criteria for acceptability, nor is that my goal. :) I do claim that I have found some truths for myself, such that I no longer depend on others to tell me whether they are true. If your goal is to debate and find whether I pass your criteria, I don't see how my saying any more will do good for anyone.
If you are sincerely seeking truth yourself, I suggest that the best way is to: humbly & sincerely do the homework and ask God for help. He is not bound by our philosophical constructions or logic, but His ways are higher and greater than ours, and they encompass *all* truth, including the many things that we mortals haven't figured out yet. In our understanding, we are like little children compared with Him, but if we sincerely seek and ask Him, with an expectation or commitment that we will follow the truths we learn, then we can find, and He will help, in His time, as He has promised. He always keeps His promises.
I again challenge you to sincerely read the Book of Mormon for understanding, and put it to the test it describes, if your goal is to find truth. If not, I don't know that I'm helping. Regardless, best wishes to you, in every good thing.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Thursday January 21 2021, @05:33PM
ps: Maybe I should ask, to understand why I am not helping: Why is it important to know if doing good requires a God?
Is it to determine whether there is a God? Or, to settle a past debate you had with someone else? Or to help answer some other question?
If it is to determine whether there is a God, I strongly suggest that a better way is to ask Him. In the Bible, James 1:5 says (if/as memory serves): "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not [ie, doesn't condemn or criticize you for asking], and it shall be given him." You are one of his precious children, and you don't have to submit a form to any bureaucracy and wait to find out whether you will ever hear back -- it is 1 hop only, you and Him. Others can help, but no one else can replace that role for you. There are many instructions on how to pray (not memorized or rote repetitions), but basically to start, after finding a private & respectful time & place to (probably kneel and) 1) address him ("Dear Heavenly Father..."), 2) "I thank thee..." and fill in what you are grateful for (life, food, tools, you know more specifically for yourself), 3) "I ask thee..." (or "please help me with.../to know...", and say those things you feel and want/need to say, remembering that He is a loving parent, then when finished 4) close "...in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." (we are commanded to pray in His name.) Then I suggest that you listen and pay attention to what you think and feel, and probably even write it down, thank Him for it, and ask if there is more, etc. Then follow through on what you have learned.
This is a frequent habit of all the best examples (IMO) who have ever lived, and most successful people in ways that are important to me, for learning and growing in the things that matter most in the long term. And this all applies and inter-relates closely with other things I wrote previously, like reading the Book of Mormon and putting it to the test.
Now I apologize if I have gone farther than you want, I mean no offense. You are not forced to want or do any of this, of course. But in case you find it desirable and/or helpful at any time. I have found with long, many, easy & hard experiences, that it is.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Thursday January 21 2021, @05:53PM (17 children)
pps: you said "...because your entire morality and moral life hinges on it." If that is your only reason for pressing the question of whether doing good requires a God, it seems like your goal is to show that I am wrong or at least not well-founded in my thinking. While that might make sense as part of a debate for the sake of debate, I hope I have shown it doesn't change my thinking either way, since I have determined there is a God, to my own satisfaction, by other means, and that He has given us commandments, instructions for our own time, our own lives, information about our purpose, etc., etc.
If you want to know for yourself whether there is a God, I have suggested the best ways I know, and again, more at my site.
Sorry if I have wasted your time. I hope not.
:)
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday January 23 2021, @04:39AM (16 children)
You seem to think you're talking to an atheist here. I believe in God. *You* don't, in the sense that the being you worship does not meet the definition of what it is to *be* God, ergo, your religion is a form of demon worship. Your responses to most of my questions are themselves question-begging, as in "ask what you're looking for proof of." That's...disappointing, verging on incredibly creepy. I can see your eyes glazing over when you type that kind of thing.
Despite that, you still manage to be a good person. The thing is, you do it in spite of your religion, not because of it. So why are you so unwilling to engage honestly with the questions being asked of you?
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Saturday January 23 2021, @07:49PM (15 children)
Wow.
I suggest that from here, we both try to be sincere and follow what we have determined to be true, with kindness & honesty. (I will try to let you get in the last word now, if you like. )
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday January 24 2021, @01:27AM (14 children)
That's a passive-aggressive attempt to save face in the teeth of someone who very obviously knows more religion, apologia, counter-apologia, logic, and moral philosophy than you do. No one is buying it.
You talk a big game, but the instant someone who knows their stuff challenges you it's "well let's just agree to disagree." Which is a polite way of throwing a permanent bitchfit and nursing your willful ignorance as if it were something to be proud of. You shame God, religion in general, and yourself with this attitude.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Thursday January 28 2021, @06:54PM (13 children)
An idea: Maybe we can instead see how to learn something from each other and encourage goodness whenever we find a chance, without hostility.
Maybe I have been unable to answer your question about whether God is required to do good, because I can't make sense of the question yet. I don't know how to think about it, any more than I would a question like "if I didn't exist, would I want to do good?". Maybe we can agree that there are different kinds of motivation, and the best one is a love for God and others. But I think any reason to do good is better than none, because when we do good we grow, and our reasons for doing good can improve toward the ideal, as part of that growth.
I believe the teachings of the Book of Mormon and Bible, therefore I believe that Jesus Christ taught us how to live & how to treat others. He taught about keeping the commandments, loving others including our enemies, doing good to others, even those who do not do good to us, to be meek and poor in spirit. And He taught us to turn the other cheek rather than to be contentious, and much more. What do you believe about Him and about those principles?
You also haven't answered my questions. I have determined learned for myself that the Book of Mormon and teachings of Jesus Christ are true, regardless of philosophy etc. You can too. You also haven't said what you think about when I said how you can determine that for yourself.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday January 29 2021, @12:53AM (12 children)
I've read the Book, and also some scholarly deconstructions of it. Long story short, it doesn't look in either tone, grammar, word choice, or word frequency, the way any genuine Abrahamic scripture does. It's fanfiction, and poorly-written fanfiction at that.
More to the point, it's also moot: the entire class of "persona God-figure" concept is internally self-inconsistent. No matter what the details of any given holy book are, the simple fact remains that not only is observable reality incompatible with the idea of such a God-figure, but the very existence of anything aside from said God-concept proves it has no referent in reality. We can get into the details of why--it has to do with the definition of what it is to *be* God, and the immediate entailments of the same--if you're interested, but honestly, so far it seems to me like you're deliberately stonewalling and trying to disguise it as "civility."
Also, what I believe about any specific religious figure is immaterial to morality. This is because morality is by definition interpersonal (which among other things means it makes no sense to speak of morality during a state of affairs in which ONLY a God exists). Morality is about finite, sentient beings dealing with one another, and far from being a set of free-floating Platonic "thou shalt nots," it emerges from the interactions of intelligent, social beings and their environment.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Friday January 29 2021, @04:30PM (10 children)
You said you believe in God. Q1: To you, what does the word "God" mean?
I don't see how I'm stonewalling (maybe that is Q2), but I am trying to express the truth that I understand, to the best of my ability. God Himself can help us find and understand ultimate truth, regardless of academic definitions and mortal philosophy where we think up things and put our little limits on Him. He is real and our Father, we lived with Him, He has a plan for our happiness, and He can help us learn and understand.
We mortals don't have the authority to define God, but rather are His subjects and should learn such things from Him. By asking, doing, etc., as I have said. Philosophy of humans shouldn't get in the way of asking Him, learning from Him, and doing what He says. When we do that, He has promised we will learn and understand more, until the "perfect day". I.e., we don't make the rules, He does.
There is some disconnect between us that I am still trying to identify, whether it is in our use of terms or something else. But what I wrote just above is foundational for me.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday January 30 2021, @01:06PM (9 children)
I'm not even going to go into why your third paragraph is a classic exercise in question begging, good grief...
Instead, I'll make this simple: list off the attributes a being must have in order to be God. Compare that list with the God-concept of the Abrahamic religions, which, yes, include Mormonism. There's...not a lot of overlap, if you're doing it honestly. All the best arguments for there being a God are Deist, and dishonest apologists like to smuggle Yahweh in when they think we're not looking.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Saturday January 30 2021, @06:12PM (8 children)
Did you see my other questions (2-7)? (some were in a ps, followup comment)
I'll add to those: (I am very confident of it, based on personal experience that I cannot deny.) Q8 do you think God has ever spoken to man? Q9 how and when? Q10: would that be important, if so? Q11: would it be important to find out, either way?
All the best.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday January 31 2021, @12:15AM (7 children)
I did see them, and I was hoping you'd take the hint. It seems you haven't so I'll say it explicitly: your "Q"s are begging the question. Do you truly not see why "See, you SAY you aren't sure about X, but have you tried asking X directly?" is question-begging? If not, you are in deep epistemological doo-doo. And, again, revelation is necessarily private and cannot convince an onlooker, for reason that SHOULD be but apparently are not obvious.
So...one more time: do you understand the attributes a being must have in order to BE God? Please list them (they're mostly, though not all, words beginning with "omni"). We can then compare Yahweh to that list.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Sunday January 31 2021, @05:39PM
Previously, you believe God exists, or something to that effect. Can you clarify what you meant by that? Why do you believe that? How do you think one determines that?
How is it question-begging to ask what is foundational to you, and the like.
I have tried at length to explain my beliefs in detail. If you only ask questions and do not answer mine, I'm not sure where to go next. I think not all my questions could be considereed q-begging, as they ask what you think about things, in specific ways, and are not always assertions. If you feel they imply wrong assumptions, could you pls point that out and clarify what you *do* think about the underlying assumption, for each? I think that would help me understand what you are saying, better.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Sunday January 31 2021, @05:46PM
OK: I'll go along with omniscient and omnipotent, and I would certainly hope for trustworthy, but I'm sure I would start adding things from my beliefs which might not be what you are asking, and which I have already indicated in some detail (by reference if nothing else), and I doubt that I'm qualified to make a complete list. You could provide your list (in addition to the the other in my last comment)?
(Score: 1) by lcall on Sunday January 31 2021, @06:16PM (4 children)
And: Is there a most-likely-known-to-me name for your belief system? If not, how would you describe it?
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday February 01 2021, @02:07AM (3 children)
There's no good name for this, but "Deism" is probably closest, though that implies a kind of ontological distance I don't subscribe to. The most accurate one I've found so far is "panentheism"--note the extra "en" in there!--which is basically a type of monism that boils down to "everything is part of/some aspect of God." This is distinct from pantheism, which is basically just reverential atheism; they're almost exact opposites, actually.
So, God's attributes. A few you're missing here are divine aseity (God is contingent on nothing, and everything else that exists is contingent on God), perfection, and self-sufficiency.
These attributes lead into what I've seen called the Problem of Non-God Objects. Which is, briefly, the paradox of anything-other-than-God existing at all. As to why this is a paradox, it's because the most perfect state of affairs is the one in which nothing but God exists. Since God is perfect, this entails that anything-not-God is less than perfect. Since God is contingent on nothing and ontologically prior to everything else that exists, THAT entails that there was a pre-existing, primal state of affairs--note that I'm not saying "previous time" here because time itself is one of God's creations!--in which this was the case. This, in fact, would be the original state of existence.
So...we have a timeless original state of affairs in which nothing but God existed, and it was by definition the most perfect possible state of being. After some undefined and undefineable eternity, this perfect being suddenly decides to create. Why? A perfect being has, in the most global, overarching, all-encompassing sense, no reason, no desire, and no need to create anything. Maaaaaybe you could say making copies or aspects of itself would be an exception, but even then, it really doesn't have any reason to. Furthermore, why would a perfect being create imperfection? HOW would a perfect being create imperfection?
You have to realize, any response you come up with that begins "Well, God wanted..." or "God was lonely" or anything like that is blasphemous, because it denies the perfection and self-sufficiency of God. Nor can you weasel out of this with "love is grauitous," since that's both untrue and irrelevant: any kind of love aside from the questionable concept of "self-love" requires another object than the self. Even a desire to love is still a desire, which as discussed above, a perfect being does not and cannot have. No amount of weasel-wording or Clintonesque "it depends on what your definition of X is" can get you out of this.
This paradox destroys not only Yahweh and all the Abrahamic religions at one fell stroke, but also the entire class of "personal God" concepts. Every. Single. One. And it does it without needing to point out the ridiculous inconsistencies, contradictions, cruelties, stupidities, and outright errors in any specific Scripture.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday February 01 2021, @05:55PM (1 child)
Thanks much, for those comments. To me, the Problem of Non-God Objects doesn't exist. I refer back to my earlier comments that He is not defined by our philosophy, but rather we should learn from Him, as (my words/thots here) we are relatively rather small and can come to wrong conclusions on our own, to say the least. (Like a goldfish in a bowl in a living room, determining how to play the stock market, or astrophysics, but that's just my little very-imperfect analogy.)
We believe He said "This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." And that He went through a growth process, and is now exalted, and is also subject to eternal laws, or would cease to be God (but does not, as He obeys them perfectly). Part of our growth process (gratefully) is the ability to make choices, experience consequences, etc. We believe we all lived with Him as His spirit children, before we were mortally born with physical bodies, and reached a point where we could no longer become more like Him without obtaining a physical body and gaining experience from making choices of our own. And other important aspects of His Plan for our happiness: ~ "Adam fell, that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
Also, we just don't know all about what came before our Heavenly Father, nor is that critical at this point for our making right choices -- we can have enough now to choose right vs. wrong, and more light and intelligence comes to us, from Him, as we do so, but by His rules, not ours. I can say that the more I learn, the more glad and grateful I am. I have read multiple times that according to some study or other, ours is the only church (or religion? I forget) where increased education correlates with increased devotion. We believe He said "This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
Again, there are things I have learned for myself and know, that help me greatly(!) amid the trials of life. (Again, more at my site.) Among the many: I find the Book of Mormon (and Bible, and others) amazing and helpful -- after many years they still have the ability to teach me great new things, to help me want to be a better and to help me improve, and I have many evidences of their veracity. This isn't sufficient to prove it to someone else, as you pointed out, but it is enough for me to be confident that someone else can also find these truths for themselves if they sincerely want to find out. I'm sure you can find conflicts in my reasoning, based on human philosophy, but I don't feel bound by such limited human philosophy, when I have found and am still learning and practicing at using these fulfilling and ongoingly-helpful and joyful truths for myself. I just don't need to worry about if someone can disagree with strong big words, as I can see their limits. :)
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday February 02 2021, @01:21AM
Good grief...are you unable to understand the plain meanings of words or what? This is not about "my philosophy." That's toxic postmodern bullshit. Words have meanings.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday February 01 2021, @06:09PM
I forgot to mention: we believe the Bible not as literally true word-for-word (like "6 days" I suppose, vs. the Hebrew that I gather means "6 time periods", and yes in its current form there are inconsistencies, at least about what Paul saw vs. heard, for example, etc): but one of our Articles of Faith says we believe it to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. Anyone who has tried translation knows it is difficult to be precise, and anyone who knows other humans should know our work is fallible. But the Bible is yet very valuable and important and needed. And for these fallible humans, we have living prophets to help us with the needed details; and for the exciting questions to which we don't yet have answers, we can pray, ask, and wait, and try to prioritize well. Many more things will become known in future, that are unclear now; it is not a perfect world and we don't expect everything to be just how we want right now, yet.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Friday January 29 2021, @04:42PM
ps
Q3: what is foundational to you, in this subject?
Q4: what do you think about prayer?
And Q5 have you received answers to personal prayer?
Q6 What to you is the basic nature of God, and Q7 how is that known?
(Score: 1) by lcall on Wednesday January 20 2021, @06:48PM
ps: He also said "... men are that they might have joy." (again, men meaning men and women, His children)
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday January 18 2021, @04:25PM
(ps: the part about "own worlds" might be a common belief, but I don't think is doctrinal. The scriptures quote the Lord as saying "In my Father's house are many mansions..." and many other things, but we don't know everything about the hereafter. What we do know is he loves all his sons and daughters and "is no respecter of persons", in other words, loves everyone more than we can really understand now. I hope that make sense. What a mortal said or did is not nearly as important as what He says & does...)
(Score: 2) by driverless on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:35PM (10 children)
That's (a) getting a bit too metaphysical for many to work with and (b) requires mind-reading skills. I prefer the CoC used for many years at the Kiwicon conference in NZ, "Don't be a dick". Most people have a pretty good idea of when someone's being a dick, and thus should know how to avoid doing it themselves.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @09:43PM (2 children)
Apparently these days, "being a dick" means disagreeing with someone and having the facts to back it up.
The dick is in the eye of the beholder. (That's what SHE said!)
(Sorry, I had to pre-emptively post that parenthetical statement before some other chump replied.)
(Score: 4, Funny) by driverless on Sunday January 17 2021, @10:58PM (1 child)
It's more enjoyable if the dick is in the mouth of the beholder, but whatever floats your boat...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 17 2021, @11:12PM
You should speak to Armie Hammer about that. [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by crafoo on Monday January 18 2021, @01:33AM (5 children)
I disagree. I've found that in the last 5 years or so, simply disagreeing with someone online is considered everything from: rude, sexist, "being a dick", and harassment. There is a very real forced-compliance taking place online.
(Score: 3, Informative) by driverless on Monday January 18 2021, @01:36AM
Naah...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @07:14AM
Stop talking like a Nazi, crafoo! Did you ever wonder why your "disagreement" is seen as rude, threatening, and being a dick? You advocate genocide, and people will react negatively!
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday January 18 2021, @11:53AM
So start up your own safe space, with hookers and blow and Confederate flags lining the walls. In fact, forget the hookers and blow.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Monday January 18 2021, @04:08PM (1 child)
You forgot fascist and "literally Hitler".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 19 2021, @02:24AM
Aww, do people not like your support of a literal fascist? Do they make comparisons to famous previous fascists? Poor baby, such means words, I bet no liberal knows what that is like /sarcasm
(Score: 1) by lcall on Wednesday January 20 2021, @06:26PM
Actually, "don't be a jerk" sounds decent.
But the AC suggested asking, which in many cases seems like a really good idea. I think we don't know what we don't know, and multiple perspectives can *really* help fill in blind spots sometimes, but we often won't get those without asking, listening, and thinking. Maybe repeatedly. Doesn't mean we have to agree, but ... interesting or really useful things can turn up.
(Dear humanity: I'm asking, and reading, and thinking. Just not too much at once so I can process things in reasonable steps.
And my web site noted somewhere above has much that I already think, or at least my current starting point, so we hopefully don't have to repeat a lot of ground..? :)
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday January 18 2021, @02:09AM
Yet another fine argument for wanting others to leave you the hell alone, no need to grab a new perspective and there you are not bothering anyone else.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday January 18 2021, @03:54AM (2 children)
Fuck no. Some people would share some value of the golden rule. And others would want the world on a really nice silver platter. Sorry, some people just have a ridiculous sense of entitlement.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 19 2021, @02:29AM (1 child)
Oh my, khallow khallow what have you done?
"Some people would share some value of the golden rule"
sounds good to me
"And others would want the world on a really nice silver platter"
also no problem there, sounds more like those people will be disappointed more than not but everyone else will appreciate their attention
I see, you disagree because you want to genocide the people that "just have a ridiculous sense of entitlement." Hyperbole yes, but what are you advocating? Someone feels entitled so they should be punched in the face? Racists should be put in jail?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 19 2021, @05:22AM
Sounds like "genocide" is a meaningless word here. Why should I take your post seriously with this sort of junk in it?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Monday January 18 2021, @03:24AM (1 child)
Obligatory reminder that there is no such thing as "god".
[cue the endless extravagant fictions and construction paper mock ups that don't prove anything but only serve as cover to hide ignorance behind]
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday January 18 2021, @04:31PM
Thanks for your comment. I have learned some things for myself and now know, regardless of others, though others can also learn if they want. The site explains further, and I will try to answer questions about parts that someone has explored and where there are insufficient details. :) All the best to you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 18 2021, @05:49AM (1 child)
I have a web site as well. I don't post to it very often, and no one visits except the search bots. I don't permit comments, since I don't want to. I only got the domain for email use anyway.
I sometimes wonder if Gab's Dissenter browser has a comment page for my site, but I've decided I don't really want to know.
(Score: 1) by lcall on Monday January 18 2021, @05:45PM
Curious what you do post.
I agree that having one's own domain makes email much easier. I wrote some related stuff: http://lukecall.net/e-9223372036854565565.html [lukecall.net] (like . Feedback welcome; probably it has less than you already know.