karenmeal

Did you include walnuts or pecans? That is really the key to making a good banana type pancake. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

I've got one with a nice flannel cover on it. It's a fabulous winter blanket. I want to go climb back into bed... "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

The guy in image 9 looks a little cracked out. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Wasn't Judas set up by Jesus in order to fulfill his prophecy of being denied by an apostle? "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Call me a freak.. but I had a BLAST getting mine taken out! I love nitrous. It's particularly cool when insurance pays for it. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Bust out a dictionary before you school me on semantics. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

The existence of a god (or gods) as the creator is not actually a theory. It is a very weak hypothesis which has not been backed by un-biased research. To use the word theory in a scientific manner is to give credence to an idea. Lets not confuse the way that "theory" is used; it is correctly used for a concept backed by LOTS of evidence such as evolution but completely inappropriate for a warm fuzzy feeling inside people (which can be attributed to natural things) which is often mistakenly cited as proof of a god. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Cougar? Good luck with that. Edited to add: Hey, we've got spotted owls too! I hear those are great with a creamy-lemon caper sauce and rosemary. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Man... you got that one song stuck in my head again! I'm on top of some guy looking down at his johnson and the only explanation i can find are those twelve shots of rye that I made the bastard buy... I've been singing that one alll week. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

This is pretty much what I mean by the use of the word supernatural. (From dictionary.com.) –adjective 1. of, pertaining to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal. 2. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or attributed to God or a deity. 3. of a superlative degree; preternatural: a missile of supernatural speed. 4. of, pertaining to, or attributed to ghosts, goblins, or other unearthly beings; eerie; occult. –noun 5. a being, place, object, occurrence, etc., considered as supernatural or of supernatural origin; that which is supernatural, or outside the natural order. 6. behavior supposedly caused by the intervention of supernatural beings. 7. direct influence or action of a deity on earthly affairs. 8. the supernatural, a. supernatural beings, behavior, and occurrences collectively. b. supernatural forces and the supernatural plane of existence: a deep fear of the supernatural. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Personal experience of emotions/perspective does not equate to the need for a supernatural explanation. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

I think that your style of writing is often very confusing to me and I would prefer not to disect your every argument (even though I can see several flaws) because you have been trained in the art of arguing and I have not, I've just practiced amongst friends and family. Basically, you make the assumption that I put faith in there being no god. This is not the case. I do not put faith in the unproven god. I just would like proof before I believe in something, anything. I happen to think it is less probable that there is a supernatural realm than simply a natural world that can be measured, tested and observed, because all available evidence points to this conclusion. If evidence pointed a different way, then I would tend to believe that way. But it doesn't. So if anyone can give me some evidence that real miracles (acts which defy natural laws) or supernatural events have occurred then I may consider those in my decision. However, I will always maintain a place holder amongst my beliefs that science just hasn't explained some/many things yet. I will frankly never believe 100% one way or the other. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Did you guys all notice that this is from 2002? "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Since you're injured anyways, couldn't you just quit BASE and all until you graduate college? If you've been in for 4 years it couldn't be that much longer. Maybe take up rope jumping in the meantime? Sounds like you've had a really crap year, maybe doing something besides taking some drugs will make you feel more satisfied, like tripping random people on the street with your crutches (I'm sure you have some lying around) ... I don't know. Percosets are fun though, huh? I was on them after surgery a couple months back and I vaguely remember chilling on the couch with my fucked up leg elevated proclaiming to my boyfriend how great life was.

Hey, no worries. I'm just glad that you're interested in learning some truths that are actually backed by evidence. Good luck with the research, and let me know if you'd like a suggested reading list. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Hooray! I got it! This totally makes up for not being able to pack at the end of summer due to my surgery. Yay! Now time to blow it all on alcohol and strippers! "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Nice painting! "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Your ignorance of modern science and evolution are not proof of the existence of a god, merely proof of your lack of knowledge. Get educated and then come back and rationally argue that the presence of the natural world declares the existence of a god/or gods. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Anyone have any experience with these? What could you compare the fit to.. more bonehead, or more hawkeye? "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

This is really annoying. And then you have to sort everything out to put in your wallet while they stare at you to get out of the way. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Oooh Oooh!! My favorite, Douglas Adams!! (By the way, this book is dedicated to him.) Frankly, it is quite laughable to compare atheism to some sort of dogmatic belief system. Here is a brief story of how I became an atheist: Raised Christian, Sunday school never made sense. I always wondered why the bible was so hard to read and make sense of. It always seemed very vague and I was very frustrated as a kid. I went through the motions of being a good Christian, all the while feeling a bit empty when everyone else claimed that they were being touched by god. I quit going to church because it made little sense and was nothing new. And I don't sing. After a while, it dawned on me that the concept of god wasn't super probable. Especially a god that had been humanized to the extreme. I read some books by Bertrand Russell and Douglas Adams. These world-renowned thinkers agreed with the conclusions that I had been arriving at on my own. So I tried on the term agnostic for a while. Amazingly enough, I stayed the same person. I didn't go out and start vandalizing buildings or stealing shiny things. I'm still a moral person and if a cashier gives me incorrect change, I always say something. I also stayed just as happy, everything was the same. I read some more books, proclaimed my newfound atheism to my parents. My mom admitted she has had doubts since childhood and she slowly is reading the same books as me and realizing that the can call herself an atheist if she wants. My dad admits that to him, church just fulfills a social need. Life is good, they are proud of me for doing my own investigation and thinking for myself. Even if they don't fully agree, that is not an issue. In fact, I think the world looks much more amazing now through a lense of atheism. I go backpacking and am in awe with the beauty of the landscape.. all created through tiny tiny changes over billions of years. Not with any intentions to please me or anything.. it just turns out that the world is an amazing beautiful place on it's own. Why waste our lives dreaming of a fluffy heaven place when if we open our eyes and see the world we're already living in, we might just notice how amazing it is. And it as that much more amazing when you realize it lacks a design, it just is that way, and we are all winners of a universal lottery. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

I never said that Jesus never existed as a historical figure. He could have been a very misguided man (as to his divineness) with very good ideas on how one should live their life. So he can remain part of my argument. Would Jesus (who you guys worship) really appreciate the state of money squandering in modern churches? The answer I'm sure (as someone who was "raised" religious) is a resounding Hell no. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Why would god require that Jesus die to save you all? Why not just grant forgiveness and save Jesus the torture? Really, what was the point? "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

Frankly, if my brother hadn't BEGUN the proselytizing, I never would have brought up the issue with him, realizing that we are likely bound to forever disagree. But since the day his preacher gave a sermon about the need to convert people, I can't have a real conversation with my brother for fear that he will bring religion into things. I talk about a hike that I went on that was really beautiful, and he says, "God sure is great, isn't he?" And I respond with something like, "It's amazing what a few billion years and the accumulation of very small changes can accomplish." And it is downhill from there, because he thinks I'm going to hell. I don't EVER attack his beliefs, I always defend mine when talking to him. Besides the fact that I didn't start this conversion mission and only rebut my brothers attempts, why should I not let my brother know how I lead my life? Maybe you are implying that being an atheist is something that I should hide from my family members. And actually, atheists do much less proselytizing than you imply. How often have you gone to a football game or something and heard an atheist get on the speaker and mention something about the wonders of evolution? Ummm... never. But how often is a prayer said before something like that, quite often. Also, the fact is, religious folks in this country outnumber atheists about 9:1. So that is a whole lot more proselytizing coming from the religious. Have you ever heard a political candidate thank god or bring religion into his campaign? Sure. All the time. Have you ever heard a political candidate speak about some atheist agenda? Never! No where did I say that all religious people are people who don't exercise independent, rational thought. I was speaking about my brother. However, I will say that I think that quite a few religious people have never really questioned their belief system in a productive manner and simply do as they are told. And about the cult comment, here are some definitions of a cult: -a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader. (Haven't you watched those preachers on TV? I'd call them charistmatic.) -a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies. At my brothers church he is convinced to donate 10%of his income, which the church then squanders on luxury items and making the church look lavish. (TO be fair I know that some is donated to charities, but a lot is squandered on the building and maintenance of his mega-church.) Is that really necesary? Would Jesus even really like that? "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

I think that this would be a great book to buy for him. Other favorites along this line are: Why I Am Not a Christian - By Bertrand Russell The Salmon of Doubt - By Douglas Adams (posthumous collection) And I'm sorry but my books are all packed away due to a recent flood. I can look through the collection once I put things back and give some other suggestions. On the brother note... I have read several Christian books for him. Unfortunately, to discuss those types of books with him, he would have to learn a lot about objectively assessing an argument and how research is actually done, specifically, the value of something that has been peer-reviewed. It is really a circular argument when he tends to cite one book as evidence for god. "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham