[svelte]

[quote=Blogstar] All systems of social convention are bizarre , religion is just one of them…Religious societies are not more ego based than the “separation of church and state” USA, for instance. We just aren’t all that no matter how we try to frame things.
[/quote]

Would have to agree with you there.

When I see these huge expensive stadiums that are built, torn down and rebuilt every few decades to draw tens of thousands of people to watch a group of men chase little white or brown balls around using a set of obscure and nonsensical rules, I think of how bizarre modern social rituals have become.

And the US certainly is as self righteous as any other nation, that is true.

[svelte]

[quote=scaredyclassic]I never masturbate to images of biblical patriarchs wives though.[/quote]

And your wife is wrong – you are funny! This is one of the many examples of posts you’ve done that made me snicker. I just can’t always respond.

[svelte]

[quote=scaredyclassic]It’s at least as possible as Santa. Maybe the kids who believe early on have it right.
[/quote]

Funny you should bring up Santa. Whenever someone wants to talk religion, I usually interject “God is just Santa Claus for adults.”

Think about it. Parents tell kids “be good and you’ll get toys on Christmas day!” And that’s all that is needed to keep kids in line. But that wouldn’t work for adults so they up the ante. “Be good and you’ll get eternal life!” And that is all that is needed to keep adults in the fold.

Which is something that has dawned on me in recent years. Many of these rituals are carefully crafted to keep people in the xyz religion’s fold. And there are many traditions to draw in the next generation too – easter egg hunts….santa claus…all designed to bring the little ones into the fold. Not that I think there was one person with a grand plan that did that – no, I think it was more of an evolutionary (heh) thing through the decades and centuries as churches et al figured out what worked. Process of natural ritual selection if you will.

Many religions have histories so long it is difficult to see how they formed. That’s what makes Mormonism so fascinating. It sprang up out of nowhere in the 1820s. Bam! A new religion with a set of rituals and ideas all their own. How did that happen? Surely that was the brainstorm of one individual. Some random individual, say John Smith. Doing my genealogy has shown me that half my family tree is Mormon in the 1800s and they probably still are today (I’m not in contact with most of them).

It’s all fascinating to me how people can be so hold so tightly to ideas and concepts that seem pure rubbish to other religions. Is the need to belong to a religion caused by the need to belong? Do people just follow into it unquestioning because it was drilled into them as children? Can people really be that easily programmed? Spooky stuff.

I like the comedian who pointed out that the religious can’t just point their finger at non-believers as being self righteous. They are too, for the mere fact that they so steadfastly believe they are right in their religious beliefs points out that they believe all other religions are wrong – a self-righteous point of view.

[svelte]

Happy Easter to all my Christian friends out there. 🙂

[svelte]

[quote=doofrat]Can’t remember where I heard this:
Religion is like a penis: It’s fine if you have one and it’s fine if you’re proud of it, just please don’t wave it around in public or try to shove it down my throat.[/quote]

lol. I think you heard that from me, as I’ve posted it on here before. You have some wording changes in there that I actually like better than what I typically say. Obviously I didn’t practice what I preached (heh) on Kiva. Actually I sorta did since I am anonymous on there.

Most people in my life are unaware that I am a non-believer. I don’t belong to any atheists groups, don’t have one of those fish-with-feet decals on my car, and haven’t filed any remove-that-symbol-from-public-land lawsuits. So for the most part, I keep it down low.

But sometimes people push my buttons just right and it’s like holding raw meat in front of a tiger.

Signing up for Kiva was one of those moments. Someone on here mentioned Kiva and I thought it was a good way to give back to the world. I could encourage independence world-wide by helping fund entrepeneurs in poor countries who just needed a hand, not a hand out.

So I signed up. But first thing I was presented with when I joined was one Christian group after another as options of what I could become a member of on Kiva. Well that was the raw meat. I went looking for a non-believers group and found Atheists, Agnostics, and Non-believers. The only time ever I have joined such a group for anything.

Another ‘raw meat’ moment was during the election with Prop 8. I was doing perfectly fine, was gonna vote against it, wasn’t talking to anyone about it. Then I drove up my street and I’ll be damned if the neighbors on both sides AND across the street didn’t have “Save Marriage” signs planted in their yard, sponsored by a local church. That did it. I put a “Straight Not Narrow” sign in my yard and held a “No on 8” banner on a street corner for full two full days the next weekend.

The third time I can recollect was at work. My boss went to lengths to mention each week about the charity work he did with his church. I smiled and said nothing. Then one week he suggested I join his church group. Raw meat again. I bet he never forgot that conversation.

Anyway, I don’t hate religion or Christians. I just want to be left alone in my freedom from religion. Just don’t hang raw meat in front of me. 🙂

[svelte]

There are several software companies here in San Diego that allow you to take unpaid time off. I’d recommend you take a job with one of them.

You wouldn’t get paid for those weeks obviously, but it sounds as if quality of life is more important to you than maximizing income.

I know several people who supplement their company supplied 3-4 weeks off with 2 or more unpaid weeks off a year. They are happy as clams.

We love France by the way. We go every chance we get.

[svelte]

[quote=CA renter]
Unfortunately, we don’t have any living relatives other than my MIL who is barely able to take care of herself at this point. I think that’s why I get so stressed about it. One of my dearest long-term friends (since 5th grade) and her husband agreed to be our kids’ guardians; but, in the meantime, they’ve had four kids of their own and a heart attack and stroke between them (and they are health nuts!). Just not sure that they could handle it now, but I’ve not pushed the issue with them. Don’t want to hear that they’ve changed their minds.
[/quote]

Yeah, I shouldn’t have said “supportive relative”, as it really doesn’t matter if they are a relative or not.

I better understand your concern now – we had two choices for guardians of our kids should that have been needed. Over time I became fairly dissatisfied with both those choices as I watched the potential guardians lives unfold and how they handled a few events in their lives. But they beat any other alternatives we would have had by a long shot. Sounds like you are in a similar boat. 🙂

[svelte]

UC, you should peruse kiva.org

For the longest time, the group that had loaned the most was the “Atheists, Agnostics and Freethinkers”. (The group I belong to on there)

I’m not sure if it is still the same way as I’m just in there long enough to fund new loans now and haven’t bothered looking at the stats.

[svelte]

[quote=CA renter]Since UCGal and CE have brought it up, anyone else here feel an incredible sense of worry and anxiety once they had kids? Like UCGal, my family has been overrun by cancer, and I’ve lived with at least one of my parents having cancer (5 “deadly” cancers between them, plus non-melanoma skin cancers) since I was 13 years old.

I don’t ever remember being quite as worried about my own mortality when I was younger, but once I had kids, I’ve become obsessed with making it until at least my youngest’s 18th birthday. Been worried ever since I got pregnant.

Anyone else feel this way?[/quote]

I did a deep dive studying breast cancer last year, and one thing I discovered was that women with young children were much more likely to choose mastectomy – often double mastectomy – over lumpectomy than women without young children.

Why? I surmise it is because women are driven to be there for their kids at all costs. Nothing is more important to them than supporting their kids through childhood.

A very admirable trait, I might add.

I didn’t realize how much anxiety I had over the responsibility of raising kids until my youngest one turned 18. That month, I can clearly remember telling my wife it was as if I’d become weightless…I did not realize what a mental burden that responsibility was until it was gone.

So yes, I definitely do know what you are talking about CA.

At the same time, I agree with Scaredy that a person’s mental composition is pretty much complete by 5-7 yo. So as long as you have supportive relatives that could look after your kids should you pass, you should really relax and not worry so much about them. Of course I’m one to talk since I couldn’t do that myself.

[svelte]

[quote=AN][quote=svelte][quote=AN]
Neither. Most criminals don’t work.[/quote]

You know what the eff she meant.

Do most employed persons who commit crimes work in the public or private sector.

If you want to get technical, I would submit that virtually every person alive has broken the law at some point. Making us all criminals. And most of us work.

[img_assist|nid=17992|title=What Day Is It|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=500|height=500][/quote]
wow, someone got their panties in a bunch.[/quote]

heh! I don’t wear underwear! 🙂

Let’s review.

You tell CA that the multiple choice answers she supplied do not include the right answer.

I point out (a) you purposely misconstrued the question to make her look bad and (b) she did supply the right answer.

You double-down on online misbehavior by insinuating that my silkies are bent out of shape.

Obfuscate and deflect. You getting ready to run for office?

[svelte]

[quote=AN]
Neither. Most criminals don’t work.[/quote]

You know what the eff she meant.

Do most employed persons who commit crimes work in the public or private sector.

If you want to get technical, I would submit that virtually every person alive has broken the law at some point. Making us all criminals. And most of us work.

[img_assist|nid=17992|title=What Day Is It|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=500|height=500]

[svelte]

[quote=njtosd][quote=FlyerInHi]If I were gay, I’d know nothing about women… But I’d have lots of fag hag friends.[/quote]

Based on what I’ve read, what you “know” about women is similar to the stereotypes I used to hear bandied about at my parents cocktail parties in the 70s. Maybe you’re in your 80s, but not gay.[/quote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X_pmHr7zW8

[svelte]

[quote=scaredyclassic]Ran into some guntards in a local open area. We were Rick climbing. Some were shooting relatively responsible toward other rock.

But then these guntards were just wandering around shooting in no particular fucking pattern. We had to crawl over contact their buddy and get them to fucking knock it off do we could get out
[/quote]

Sounds like former neighbors of ours. They set cans up on their fence and did target practice. The guy that lived directly behind them had to run around the block and tell them to knock that shit off since they were aiming DIRECTLY AT HIS HOUSE.

I guess idiots do a lot of stupid things, but when you put a gun in their hand that stupidity becomes very very VERY dangerous.

[svelte]

I’m impressed with her dirty mind! That could be a lot of fun!

But the vindictive part of her mind negates that about twenty-fold.

If this would have been one evening of feeling mean and she regretted it the next day, that’s something I could forgive quickly. But to go on and on and on and ON. She needs to pay for that.

[svelte]

Bad behavior in the city:

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Kathy-Rowe-Carmel-Valley-Freak-Show-Rape-Prank-254664621.html

[Author]

Posts