JackC

Why not indeed. Except this isn't about me giving, it's about them taking. How would you like to have to opt-out of a government scheme to seize your financial assets in the event of your death?

Simple. Even though I'm dead, people do not have an automatic right to my stuff. They should ask nicely if they can have it after I've finished with it, not just assume that they can take whatever they want just because I didn't say no.

I think I'd be OK with that. The thought of recieving a donor organ isn't something I'd feel 100% happy about. I don't carry a donor card and I've got a DNR order so I guess I've put my money where my mouth is. If it was someone I cared about, I'd prefer to stand by whatever they decided. Although I hope I never have to test that theory.

Perhaps. Organ donors might help the individual but I'm not totally convinced. Years ago famine, pestilence and war were pretty good mechanisms for keeping the population in check. These days, famine and petilence are largely under control at least in the western world and they don't do wars like they used to either. We live in a world where more people are kept alive way longer than would ordinarily be possible. The end result is an exponential growth in world population and it's becoming a problem. Possibly the biggest problem. Personally, I find the idea of recieving a donor organ a bit gruesome. It's basically socially acceptable grave robbing to feed frankensteins monster. So I got rid of my donor card and replaced it with a DNR order.

With a DNA database and a presumed consent for organ donation, it's almost like they've got the tape measures out before you've even snuffed it.

Payroll record changes are estimated to have a 1% error rate, billing records have a 2-7% error rate, and the error rate for credit records may be as high as 30%. [T.C. Redman, Data Quality: Management and Technology, (New York, Bantam Books, 1992)] If a DNA database does better than any of these examples and has an error rate of less than 1%, that means a potential 600,000 people in the UK will have the wrong data in their file. In many cases, people only find out that their details are wrong when it wreaks havoc on a part of their lives. If the bank gets your credit rating wrong and you are refused a mortgage that's one thing. If the government gets your data wrong and you end up on the sex offenders register that's quite another. And you'll have the devils own job trying to correct the errors in a distributed database, if you can even find them. How many databases are you on that have faulty information in them? It really would be a good idea to sign the petition. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/DNA-Database/

Hmmm... long post. Thank God for ADHD.

This is a really bad idea. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/DNA-Database/

Oh I dunno, take number 2 for example. The one about graven images. Is that really the second most important rule in God's book? Really? Don't you think that almost any other rule would be a bit more important? I'd think even one that says "try not to deep fry all your food" would top a prohibition on effigies. Oh and how are you supposed to treat your neighbour if you're into masochism and he's not?

Fundamentalist-Atheist thinking right there. If you've actually got a successful logical argument for God, you'll owe a biblical amount of beer.

That's what I was going to say. It's not that Marx's atheism influenced his social theories, more that his social theories influenced his anti-religious stance. Marx wasn't an atheist as far as I can tell. He had no beef with god, just his earthly political wing. Even his "opium of the people" remark was just regurgitated from the writings of half a dozen or so earlier authors. Not that an pro-religious stance would have made much difference to the success, or lack thereof, of Marxism.

I assume you are insinuating that I am a closet theist. I can assure you, I am not. That reality exists only in your head, blissful as it may seem.

You could say that. But either way the illusion is revealed and they can see both views. The viewer must then decide which one is real and what the consequences of that decision would be. I think it is better to take both views before making that decision don't you?

I got a parking ticket once. I thought I was bound by the law so I must pay the fine. It wouldn't do me any good to simply refuse to believe in the ticket. It would catch up with me sooner or later. Imagine my suprise when I found out that the ticket had been issued by a bogus company that had no business issueing parking tickets. If I refused to pay, there would be no consequences because the ticket wasn't real. If I paid, all I would be doing would be lining the pockets of a fraudster.

But capitalism is real. You can measure CD players, widescreen TV's and electrical tin openners. So your belief in God depends on governmental permission? If the goverment outlawed religion tomorrow, you'd instantly be an atheist? What a load. So what? Money might not make you happy, but the lack of it sure doesn't fucking help.

So the happiness, industriousness and self-reliance of a nation is 100% to do with their piousness and has nothing to do with the economic model they follow? OK then, there's no point talking to you anymore.

And what has Karl Marx got to do with anything?

Yep, carbon offsetting is a guilt tax just like gym membership. It just makes you feel a bit better about shoving that third jelly donut into your face.

Not a drug, possibly a form of delusional psychosis but I'm not qualified to say. Unfortunately, the realisation that God hasn't got your back because he's a fictional character is a source of serious depression for some people. It's understandable too. Absolutely everything you KNEW to be true turns out to be a hoax, that's a serious change in world view all at once and it takes some getting used to. If everyone around you is a believer and those who aren't are a minority shunned by the majority, it's not going to be an easy transition. Religion is a bit like this picture of the pretty young woman. It's all great until you see that it's a picture of the old woman. There's no going back once you've seen that, it's impossible not to see it for the illusion it is. Alternatively depression could be Gods punishment for loosing faith. After all, God just couldn't let the guy enjoy all the rampant drinking, shagging and pilaging he can do now he's an infidel before he gets tossed into the pit for eternity. That would just be mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZN1puUwH0c

LMFAO. Christianity isn't a religion, atheism is, no wonder people get confused about the meaning of the word "religion". Whatever dude, I'll just stick to the regular dictionary.

No. The government cuts all our food up into bite size chunks for us. Fuckin' spiders.

I take it you're not a big fan of leading by example then?

What threads? All the threads about guns and crime around here are about the UK. Usually accompanied by a poll.