John McCain trying to kiss the ass of the worst thing in America, the Christian Right, accepted today the endorsement of Christofascist Pastor John Hagee.
Bill Moyers Journal covered this issue a few months ago on PBS which scared my pants off. It's a look into the organization Christians United for Israel led by Pastor John C. Hagee. In short it is a universal call to all Christians to help factions in Israel fund the Jewish settlements, throw out all the Palestinians and lobby for a pre-emptive invasion of Iran. All to bring Russia into a war against us, causing World War III, followed by Armageddon, the Second Coming, and The Rapture so these Evangelicalfascists can all go to Heaven in their lifetime. The wholesale thirsty enjoyable murder of 7 billion people. And of course the Jews who now support them will all go to Hell. And Catholics! And they call Muslims crazy murdering fascists?
This all revolves around what is called Dispensationalism. We live in the Sixth Dispensation with the Seventh being what is often called the Millennium or the End Times. So popular is this thirst to have everyone in the world killed, that Tim LaHaye's Left Behindseries has sold 65 million copies.
This is not some little group of misfits; they include Jerry Falwell's organization, Pat Robertson and his gang, 50,000 evangelical preachers and even Billy Graham. They are prodded on by the the Likud, the powerful Israeli Lobby, American Neoconservatives and as you see in the video, supported by Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, megalomaniac Newt Gingrich and Texas Senator John Cronyn to name a few. As was the case in 2002 and early 2003 the war drums are beating once again not only throughout the GOP, a pre-emptive war with Iran seems inevitable, and if George Bush and comapany can pull it off in the next few months, that will be TWO of the worst mistakes in human history by ONE guy! And there seems to be no helping ourselves. It's more about relilgion than it is oil, two competing EVANGELICAL religions saying my way or the high way, Evangofascism.
Though the video speaks for itself but I would like to add something.
I was having an argument the other day about absolutes when my adversary claimed there was no such thing. I pondered that and indeed found it problematic. It took a few days but I finally came up with the only one I could. 100% of those who have said the world was coming to an end in their lifetime have been 100% wrong 100% of the time.
Hmmm... I doan get it... Must be that THE WORD thing or some silly nonsense.
Recent poll. To Americans, who would you most not ever vote for...
agnostic/aethist 65%
Muslim 48%
Homos! 47%
In America, nothing is worse than a rational person! :)
Any bets on how soon "evidence" surfaces that in the past Obama has been a Homosexual agnostic? They've already
spread the word that he MUST be a Muslim.
That was one jammin' "Muslim" choir
he had behind him. ;)
"100% of those who have said the world was coming to an end
in their lifetime have been 100% wrong 100% of the time."
You can only cry about 50% of the fools 100% of the time, and only cry about 100% of the fools 50% of the time, but you can always laugh at 100% of the fools 100% of the time.
"Must be that THE WORD thing or some silly nonsense."
I don't consider reason to be silly nonsense :)
Your adversary said there were no such thing as absolutes, which in itself is an absolute. That is a nicely self-refuting statement, hence my comment that you had to look no further than your adversary's own words to demonstrate an absolute.
"100% of those who have said the world was coming to an end
in their lifetime have been 100% wrong 100% of the time."
I agree with this statement; however, it needs to be modified since we currently have the ususal horde predicting the end of the world whose lifetime is not quite finished yet. Thus, we might need to say something like this:
"100% of those who have said the world was coming to an end
in their lifetime, and have died, have been 100% wrong 100% of the time."
I see the light!
It is not an absoulute, its is still possible!
Reason is the faith killer...
Say we accept what Jimmy Carter once said regarding Playboy, the thought of it is as bad as the act of it.
If these 40% of Americans who believe and wish for the end times, the slaughter of everyone but themselves (about 7 billion people) then they about 1000 times worst than Nazis.
I found a new bug in the ointment. It is now said that religious faith is not only biological in nature, but has EVOLVED! OH NO!
"If these 40% of Americans who believe and wish for the end times, the slaughter of everyone but themselves (about 7 billion people) then they about 1000 times worst than Nazis."
I'm previously on the record at Rack Jite for opposing dispensationalism.
Since you are not a biologist, I have duly noted that you are placing a great deal of faith in the biologists' authority. With that said, if there is a God, and evolution is true, evidently he saw fit to provide us with a faith mechanism, given the biologists are correct about this one...
However, if there is not a God, and evolution is true, then not only has religious faith evolved, but the electrochemical reactions in your brain that produced the thought that religious faith has evolved, has also evolved, giving it no more authority or basis in truth than any other thought. If thoughts are the result of irrational processess, there is no foundation from which to suppose they can deliver a rational thought.
All in all it comes down to what one wants to believe.
The method of collecting information until there is enough of it that it points to a conclusion. Thats called the scientific method.
Then there is the method of having an already arrived at conclusion and collecting information to fit that conclusion. Thats the called the shit method. :)
"All in all it comes down to what one wants to believe."
I'm proud of you for acknowledging your faith. :)
"enough of it that it points to a conclusion." Interestingly, I never encountered any information with fingers. Universally, it seems that it takes someone to interpret the information that is gathered scientifically. Once we turn this corner, we are firmly outside of the scientific method and into the philosophic realm. A fine example would be your statement: "The method of collecting information until there is enough of it that it points to a conclusion. Thats called the scientific method." We cannot test this statement scientifically, ie in a laboratory, yet we would both recognize its truth.
"Thats the called the shit method." Truer words were never spoken, or in this case, written. However, we are fortunate enough to have other methods at our disposal: mathematics, logic, experience, to name three. Hence, the dilemma posted above is simply a false dichotomy.
In the final analysis, both science and other forms of knowledge are founded on the same inferential basis and logical structure. So it is difficult to criticize "non-scientific" thought without criticizing scientific thought in the process...
Reminds me of Crystal back in college. She was the hottest thing around, a real heartbreaker. Two of my pals succumbed. :(
I was lucky enough to know when to get out though.
Philosophy major! For every piece of candy you had to listen to two hours of gooblygook on what candy is, what it means, and its spiritual meaning...
This statement is not scientifically verifiable :)
"I was lucky enough to know when to get out though." Hey, I knew her and several of her friends...same story, friends succumbed, was fortunate to get out. They still call me from time to time, but I don't answer the phone.
Music major! We used to get together and listen to music, fire up the Les Paul and Fender Twin reverb. The girls I ran with didn't like philosophy too much. Instead, I would usually get a couple hours of Led Zep :)
Of course, now I see that Ontology is where it's at...
You had to look no further than your adversary's own words: "my adversary claimed there was no such thing."
:)
Recent poll. To Americans, who would you most not ever vote for...
agnostic/aethist 65%
Muslim 48%
Homos! 47%
In America, nothing is worse than a rational person! :)
spread the word that he MUST be a Muslim.
That was one jammin' "Muslim" choir
he had behind him. ;)
"100% of those who have said the world was coming to an end
in their lifetime have been 100% wrong 100% of the time."
You can only cry about 50% of the fools 100% of the time, and only cry about 100% of the fools 50% of the time, but you can always laugh at 100% of the fools 100% of the time.
I don't consider reason to be silly nonsense :)
Your adversary said there were no such thing as absolutes, which in itself is an absolute. That is a nicely self-refuting statement, hence my comment that you had to look no further than your adversary's own words to demonstrate an absolute.
"100% of those who have said the world was coming to an end
in their lifetime have been 100% wrong 100% of the time."
I agree with this statement; however, it needs to be modified since we currently have the ususal horde predicting the end of the world whose lifetime is not quite finished yet. Thus, we might need to say something like this:
"100% of those who have said the world was coming to an end
in their lifetime, and have died, have been 100% wrong 100% of the time."
It is not an absoulute, its is still possible!
Reason is the faith killer...
Say we accept what Jimmy Carter once said regarding Playboy, the thought of it is as bad as the act of it.
If these 40% of Americans who believe and wish for the end times, the slaughter of everyone but themselves (about 7 billion people) then they about 1000 times worst than Nazis.
I found a new bug in the ointment. It is now said that religious faith is not only biological in nature, but has EVOLVED! OH NO!
I'm previously on the record at Rack Jite for opposing dispensationalism.
Since you are not a biologist, I have duly noted that you are placing a great deal of faith in the biologists' authority. With that said, if there is a God, and evolution is true, evidently he saw fit to provide us with a faith mechanism, given the biologists are correct about this one...
However, if there is not a God, and evolution is true, then not only has religious faith evolved, but the electrochemical reactions in your brain that produced the thought that religious faith has evolved, has also evolved, giving it no more authority or basis in truth than any other thought. If thoughts are the result of irrational processess, there is no foundation from which to suppose they can deliver a rational thought.
You're right--reason is a faith killer. :)
The method of collecting information until there is enough of it that it points to a conclusion. Thats called the scientific method.
Then there is the method of having an already arrived at conclusion and collecting information to fit that conclusion. Thats the called the shit method. :)
I'm proud of you for acknowledging your faith. :)
"enough of it that it points to a conclusion." Interestingly, I never encountered any information with fingers. Universally, it seems that it takes someone to interpret the information that is gathered scientifically. Once we turn this corner, we are firmly outside of the scientific method and into the philosophic realm. A fine example would be your statement: "The method of collecting information until there is enough of it that it points to a conclusion. Thats called the scientific method." We cannot test this statement scientifically, ie in a laboratory, yet we would both recognize its truth.
"Thats the called the shit method." Truer words were never spoken, or in this case, written. However, we are fortunate enough to have other methods at our disposal: mathematics, logic, experience, to name three. Hence, the dilemma posted above is simply a false dichotomy.
In the final analysis, both science and other forms of knowledge are founded on the same inferential basis and logical structure. So it is difficult to criticize "non-scientific" thought without criticizing scientific thought in the process...
Reminds me of Crystal back in college. She was the hottest thing around, a real heartbreaker. Two of my pals succumbed. :(
I was lucky enough to know when to get out though.
Philosophy major! For every piece of candy you had to listen to two hours of gooblygook on what candy is, what it means, and its spiritual meaning...
This statement is not scientifically verifiable :)
"I was lucky enough to know when to get out though." Hey, I knew her and several of her friends...same story, friends succumbed, was fortunate to get out. They still call me from time to time, but I don't answer the phone.
Music major! We used to get together and listen to music, fire up the Les Paul and Fender Twin reverb. The girls I ran with didn't like philosophy too much. Instead, I would usually get a couple hours of Led Zep :)
Of course, now I see that Ontology is where it's at...
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