winsor

How could a "perfect" person make "imperfect" choices to sin or do evil? I thought he just explained that quite well. Thinking is not your long suit.

Why not object to the Christian Rodeos as well? Christian Rodeos?! Ewwwww...

Dillinger, Bugsy Malone, Baby Face Nelson, Al Capone. History repeating itself. Heh. Good catch. Probably meant Bugsy Seigal. Or Bugs Moran.

Do you acknowledge it exists in nature beyond humans? For example, other apes. I acknowledge its existance from an intellectual standpoint, I just don't get it at a gut level. Women either register as viable or not. Men and other species elicit a dial tone. I have been in environments where women were not present for very extended periods of time, and men or other species never started looking good. Growing up in a family of artists, I have been around gays my whole life. As long as it does not involve me, I find the whole thing to be uninteresting. I do rather draw the line when it comes to such things as AIDS. Any time you had an epidemic of a fatal disease, there was no question that quarantine was in order. However, while gay communities were being devestated (not just decimated), you had a vociferous political bloc fighting for the right to pass on the infection - which boggles the mind. I am a big fan of personal responsibility for the results of one's actions. I like the idea of legalizing drugs - with the caveat that an OD is an automatic DNR. Similarly, a mandatory AIDS test where "positive" is indicated by Rigor Mortis would have served to nip it in the bud. The bottom line is that I fundamentally do not care what people do, so long as they do not hurt anyone else and they leave me alone. If they position themselves such that I have to decide between my interests and theirs, there is the stray chance that I will choose mine. BSBD, Winsor

Perhaps, but I am concerned by groups who simultaneously seek "recognition" and "equality." Recognition entails acceptance as a distinct entity. Whether it is Sharks/Jets, WW II Vets, Left-Handed People or whatever, setting a group up as a bloc is a double-edged sword. If you seek to be treated as a distinct entity, that may well be the result. Equality is also a double-edged sword. There have been many places where I have been grateful that my rights were not on a par with the locals. Solidarity is nice in theory, but when they break out the rubber hoses (or worse) my participation is on the order of Get Well cards. Drawing lines of demarcation should be done with care. If you create a bloc, to a greater or lesser extent you justify the attendant stereotyping of its members. In addition, if a group sets itself up as a distinct entity, its goals will be considered against those of nonmembers of said group. Thus, if you set yourself out as different, expect to be treated as such. BSBD, Winsor

I don't buy it. When I hit puberty, the reaction to females - smell, touch, taste - went off the scale. There was no interchangeability with whatever substitute may have presented itself. Even now I do not understand the attraction to much of anything but an attractive, willing member of the opposite sex. I am not going to give anyone grief for whatever they choose to do with other willing adult humans (though I prefer to be spared the gory details in general), but I do not pretend to identify with activities that I find uninteresting. Without getting specific, there are quite a few seemingly popular activities or fantasies that I find repellent. Even hint at violence, for example, and I'm gone. In any event, the drive to procreation seems to be hardwired. Quite how it morphs into much of anything else is beyond my comprehension, which is the way I like it. BSBD, Winsor

Dillinger, Bugsy Malone, Baby Face Nelson, Al Capone. History repeating itself.

It blows me away that you appear to think there's a dime's worth of difference between one side of the aisle and the other. It's like having a preference between Collie shit and Terrier shit.

With nitwits like Gore leading the charge, we stand a very good chance of maintaining our high standard of effecting cures much worse than the the diseases. Even if we agree that there is a down side to drinking heavily or living in a drug-addled haze, only a moron could conclude that Prohibition or the War on Drugs were anything close to beneficial overall. One could make a strong point that Malaria, West Nile and Yellow Fever are carried by mosquitos, and that killing mosquitos is thus a good thing. The Al Gore approach is akin to using shotguns to kill mosquitos. I am not pro "climate change" so much as I am anti-moron. Whatever the problem you wish to address, please keep the stupidity on a leash. BSBD, Winsor

Well you have so far attempted to use very poor logic in place of actual evidence to support an ancient mythology. So no you haven't been doing well. Would it help if I used good logic in place of evidence? Either would be a start. You have shown a command of neither evidence nor logic of any sort. It is like having a 6-year old pick a fight, and then get mad because they are not taken seriously. Have fun with your invisible friend.

Striking out, as usual.

I expect such a response. Characterize your invisible friend as a moron and you should expect it to be treated as such. If you are going to hang out with make-believe entities, you could do a lot better.

And why would He create someone who would do nothing but spend his entire life being rebellious, arrogant, and ungrateful towards Him, hating and cursing Him with every breath? And yet, would die for that person anyway... Amazing! Retarded.

it is a small community. Blue skies, Winsor Is that a short joke? Nope. If you stick around, you will see familiar faces wherever you go. There are not that many people for whom skydiving is a lifestyle, and you are likely to jump with a lot of them if you get out and about. Blue skies, Winsor

Drive? I have an airplane. It is 5 miles from my door to the cockpit.

At 53" you are likely to be stuck with custom gear as your only option. I have known people to be able to use "children" sizes for some sport gear, but skydiving does not have a large assortment of gear sized for youngsters. Also, there is the issue of weight. Scaled against a low-fat person my size, you are talking under 75#, and most canopies are designed for more of a load than that is going to provide. Openings are likely to be softer than the same canopy with a higher loading, pressurization will be less, speeds are going to be slower, and low-speed handling is going to be different. Be advised that when you get on the small end of the spectrum, scaling performance gets decidely nonlinear. 2:1 loading under a 60 is going to be greatly different than under a 120, and 1:1 loading under a 100 is going to be quite different than under a 200. Do not take much for granted, and play with any canopy up high before you see what it does near the ground (a good policy in general). The bottom line is that you are likely to be enough outside the envelope that many rules won't quite apply. The good news is that there are jumpers out there who are well shy of 5', and much can be learned from their success in the sport. If you stick around, you will get to know them - it is a small community. Blue skies, Winsor

I'd be careful with that "no one disputes" comment. There's almost always going to be some denier out there. When you use buzzwords like "deiner" you invalidate your standpoint. Calling people heretics (or any variant thereof) is up there with Godwin's Law.

Got you covered. I am proof of what I say, as are many other believers. I was doubly blind. But through the Grace of God now I can see and live life more abundantly. If you knew anything you would know that spiritual phenomenon is validated by the fruit it produces not by some experiment. ... +1 PTL I look at it this way. You have victory, I have victory. He does not sense victory. Who becomes the logical target for his anger? It is a normal and expected function of the ego. It is difficult to overcome. Personal surrender is tough. That is why we need Jesus the Christ. Clues. $0.05.

Got you covered. I am proof of what I say, as are many other believers. I was doubly blind. But through the Grace of God now I can see and live life more abundantly. If you knew anything you would know that spiritual phenomenon is validated by the fruit it produces not by some experiment. ... The fact that you randomly combine words whose meaning is beyond you is typical. That you pretend to have a logical basis for your delusions is laughable.

You would like to oversimplify the issue and, in doing so, ridicule and dismiss the opposing viewpoints. It’s not that simple. Religion aside, I’m talking about what created/started the universe. It is your presupposition, is it not (as an atheist), that everything came from nothing on its own, blew up, and organized itself through random process, and sustains itself? I’m just trying to establish that starting point which is in fact an atheist/naturalistic standpoint? It is also a faith position because you can’t prove it. Is it also not true that one’s presuppositions influence their worldview (e.g. we study to understand God’s creation and bring glory to Him versus study simply for the sake of accumulation of knowledge). Otherwise, if you're just going to sit on the fence and hurl insults, aren't you really an agnostic and, by definition, at least open to the idea of a supernatural origin? Again, semantics has you in over your head from the outset. All of your guesses are wrong, and it is my prerogative to call you on it without the obligation to set you straight. You do not qualify for admission, and could not afford the tuition.

If you are capable of comprehending the obvious, no explanation is necessary. If you are incapable of comprehending the obvious, no explanation will suffice. Hey, I am not claiming that an invisible friend, courtesy of a magic jewish zombie, is the basis for everything. If I were to make such a claim, I would reasonably expect it to be met with a bit of skepticism. I am not saying that I am right, just pointing out that your claims are patent nonsense.

I place stock in results. God gave us Wisdom to shape our personal realities around His love. The results are truly transforming and liberating. The alternative is to reject Gods Wisdom and create a reality based on our lusts with woeful consequences. ... Again, any double-blind attempt at verification of your claims reveals them to be complete bullshit, coming and going.

If you claim atheism, then you do in fact claim knowledge. An atheist, in the true sense of the word, declares with certainty that there is no God. Agnosticism, on the other hand, makes no decision either way. It is reserved and declares that there is not enough evidence to make a decision. In addition, by saying that you claim no knowledge, you are denying your presupposition. In order to hold the atheistic or naturalistic position, you must presuppose that all matter, energy, and the laws of physics came from nothing, blew up, and, on its own, became organized and progressed into what we see and experience today. Since no one can prove that scientifically, you must begin with that presupposition which is a faith position. That presupposition will then influence your future interpretations. It will influence and inform your worldview. Logic, semantics and linguistics are not your long suit. So long as you stick to "God said it, I believe it and that settles it," you're good. The moment you go beyond that, you've blown it.

You know nothing. What you think you know about God is vacuously inadequate. If you had the slightest inkling of how ignorant you have become you would hide you face and nash your teeth. Just another example of how arrogant and spiritually blind we can become. TRULY PATHETIC! ... That's "gnash." For someone to berate me regarding my ignorance of Tooth Fairy protocol or of the Laws of the Leprechauns does not really carry a lot of weight. I doubt your invisible friend needs you to rise to his defense, since he is either possessed of Great Magick or completely imaginary. I do not claim knowledge; I am calling bullshit - big difference. You are claiming knowledge - with the caveat that anything I dispute has to be taken on "faith" because it fails verification by any objective, double-blind measure. I, however, place no stock in make-believe. You can revere the sayings of people who had just figured out they had opposable thumbs and could use rocks as tools, or you can put it into perspective. Do not expect me to be impressed if you choose the former approach. BSBD, Winsor