Prayer to start a race

Here is where you can find this is the Koran:

Part 11, Surah 9 under At-Tawba, verse 111, about 1/3 into the Koran.

What's with this site? It's always eating posts. Maybe time for a server upgrade?

So a semi-literate dude claiming to be a college instructor and tossing out mistruth after blatant mistruth is calling others ignorant? I realize that the crap on this board threatens to shatter irony meters around the world, but I'm not convinced you aren't shining us on. If you are, well done.

So the onus for understanding that in the Bible, "day" doesn't actually refer to a day and "year" doesn't actually refer to a year lies on the atheists? Good deal. Why is it that the Bible is the only "historical" text in existence with passages that must be warped beyond recognition in order for them to almost make sense? Could it be that it's not in the least factual?

It doesn't matter whether Adam supposedly lived to be 80 or 800, though, because the Genesis account is bullshit no matter how it's framed. Even the most liberal of interpretations by apologists cannot take the Bible out of the "wild and perverse fiction" bin.

In most areas I'm about as far from "the left" as possible (contrary to the stunted stereotypes propagated throughout the fundie community like a Christian form of crabs, not all nonbelievers are raging liberals, activist judges and lawyers, terrorist sympathizers, etc.). But you're correct - I am one of those crazy bastards who would rather rely on facts than faith when it comes to shaping my world view. Not being hamstrung by religious doctrine is exactly what has allowed me to rise above the level of many of my contemporaries in numerous areas, chief among them education (i.e., I can enjoy a geology or biology textbook without fretting over how it invalidates any literalist view of the Bible).

I hope you're not one of those people who thinks that having a personal god is somehow required in order to do good by others or achieve “fulfullment.” Altruism is easily explained on both biological and sociological grounds.

As others have said, have your gods if you like, but don't pretend they explain anything that hasn't already been explained, and certainly don't expect people with no use for them (which is everyone, strictly speaking) to not respond to nonsensical offerings like yours.

Once again another person that cannot see two sides on issues. You live in a small world. Lets take the example of the number 40 in the Bible. That signifies period of suffering with the flood or Jesus in the wild. Yes, numbers could represent more than being an actual period of time. How can you ignore all the great early cultures involved in the Bible and not learn more about them since you are so bright? I see the Bible as a history book that has great insights into many cultures and will a give better understanding to their existence.

It is amazing people are one sided now. Actually the church split in the early 1900s with more liberal christians wanting to focus on the social needs of others while the more conservative christians wanting to focus more on reaching the world by spreading the message. You see the liberal christians tend to vote more for Democrats who support the social issues. The conservative christians tend to vote more for Republicans who support their programs. Being one sided is like a conservative saying Bush is doing a good job. For those who voted for him according to polls are more in agreement that he does need to get busy and start connecting better with the people. Please got outside of your world and discover more knowledge then you get from listening to the media.

I'm sorry, but in all honesty I find it painful to read your posts. I mean, if it was just the lousy grammar OR the content, I could deal with it, but as presented, OUCH!

you are so smug wrote:

For shame! A guy with expertise in DC/AC circuit theory can't figure out the demographics of the country? 80% Christian. What's the % of races run by non-Christians? And just to put your smug, more atheist-than-thou posting to rest, I ran a race in Burlington Vermont with about 10 invocations including an atheistic testament to, well...atheism (yep, no joke)...so there....

What are you trying to say here, that 4 out of 5 US races that start with a prayer should use Christian prayers? That's just dumb. That would simply mean that the other religions would be equally invasive. I don't care if the demographic is 99%, inserting a prayer into any secular endeavor is inappropriate. It's JUST AS INAPPROPRIATE as a race starting with something like "May the fact that there is no God in the universe kindle your spirit and speed you on to a wonderful race!"

You see, that's a basic difference that people forget (or don't recognize): the fundies whine about the lack of confirmation of their private beliefs in public settings, but the atheists don't. The atheists don't stand up and say "We want statues and plaques and whatnot that proclaim the lack of a god or gods". Instead, they simply say "Hey, don't foist your stuff on me." For the two sides to be equivalent, the fundies would have to be complaining about a statement of NO god being foistered upon them. No statement at all (which is what the atheists want) is in no way equivalent to a statement declaring no god or which denigrates god.

truth behold wrote:

Once again another person that cannot see two sides on issues. You live in a small world. Please got outside of your world and discover more knowledge then you get from listening to the media.

You're a f***ing clown, but lets pretend you can ditch the floppy shoes and the red squeaky nose on demand and participate in a sensible conversation. What are the "two sides" you keep mentioning? To simplify, the two sides I'm aware of are "truth" and "bullshit." All other divisions are meaningless.

As a historical or scientific guide, the Bible - its status in the eyesof some as a spiritual manual notwithstanding - falls cleanly into the latter category. If you believe otherwise, please offer something besides circular babble about the number 40 or retire from the discussion. And if you think I get my ideas from the media, dream on. That's another thing you godly jackholes like to believe - that belief in gods is the default condition, and the friggin' liberals are responsible for undermining this inherent trait. Buddy, we're all born naked and atheists and to get into "heaven" we have be believe in supernatural overlords and be robed. It's a sick world.

Lest you think I am picking on Christianity in particular, allow me to confirm that other religions, notably Mormonism, are just as dumb or dumber.

I agree religion is bs, but I still like to talk in Old Testament English.

So forgiveth him who talketh smack, and saveth thou who washeth thine meat in your heavenly sink. Refraineth from teabagging on the sabboth, for it is he who saves his teabag for thine holy Thursday who shall cleanseth thine balls in the eyes of thou savior.

What about my religion? How do you consider one who wears a towel on his head?

hahahah sorry... next time someone makes a prayer for races Ill yell the shma. You are all loco!

You would be the guy at the circus cleaning up the elephant crap. That it would symbolize your life of every person crapping on your sorry brainless self. Every comment I heard from you can be find in a media article. A brilliant comment you made on people being atheists from the start! Almost all people in the world did, have, and will believe in a higher power(s) or

being(s). You currently are 2.5% of the world population. It seems you have Napoleon Syndrome. The fact you radomnly happen through natural proces is 10 to the 40,000 power. Even Crick (founder of the DNA structure by the way) admitted it is not likely to happen through that process. I would say your view by far is the dumbest.

Lets look at the bible being more than a spiritual guide. Take a look at the story of Jonah where it talks about how he saw the mountains of the sea. That was not discovered until the mid 1900s when proven through sonar technology. How was that added into the context?

You can take number 6 or 7 in the bible to find its meaning signifies more than a digit. You can read about Assaryians, Romans, Greeks, and many other cultures in the bible. Then hold a masterpiece on the rising and falling of kings and empires. To read about warfare and battles brings a great historical understanding to how it developed each century. It is more than a spiritual manual. Nice try! Please go open a book and discover true knowledge instead of your warped one-sided uneducated view.

Just so you know that I am not a creative historian, I quote "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried. that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep"

I Corinthians 15:3-6

This was the Apostle Paul writing in his epistle to the church in Corinth.

Why do you get so angry at this discussion and use words like shit and glass dicks? if you have something intelligent to say at least do so with some grace and dignity.

truth behold,

How many well educated people have to tell you that your grammatically suspect, stunningly illogical, nonsensical rants only make you look dumb before you cease and desist?

"The charm of knowledge would be small if not so much shame had to be overcome on the way to it."

--Nietzche

For what it's worth...though it's easy to throw the rock on this guy, who I struggle myself with and consider myself one of your wacked-out, evil Christians, be careful.

It's Nietzsche not Nietzche.

Put the rock down and at the same time I'll pray for someone else besides Truth Behold and my sorry ass to defend our faith, that is wonderful when lived according to the teachings of a wonderful man who loved and asked that we forgive and love humbly.

How about we all put the pointless rocks down and agree on the following and end this holy war on a running b-board of all places.

1. We won't agree -- ever.

2. Some people believe in Christ or FSM or whatever.

3. Some people can't stand being preached to. This includes Christians and atheists and all the other people.

4. Being selfless, humble, and helping others is a good goal for all of us. Some believe Jesus taught it, some don't believe in Jesus and don't care, but there's no arguing with the point because all good teachers in history have taught it.

Peace?

I doubt it, but I'll try it.

Hey duh, I'll buy into your truce as long as we can add 1 more condition:

5. Christians will stop trying to cram their faith into all aspects of public life. They will take their faith private, as intended.

Deal?

Peace out.

Deal. I know what you are talking about. I'm a private man who believes in private faith, seperation of church and state as Jefferson and our brilliant Founding Fathers intended. It's sadly ironic that this country was founded by people wishing religious freedom and escape from the grip and control of the Anglican/Catholic, disgusting Papist church and here we are. I'm the kind of guy that literally throws sh-t at the televangelists, gets disgusted at the Catholic Church's pathetic and horrendous abuses/coverups, but yet goes to church every Sunday (Catholic) b/c it gives me an experience I just can't describe. Despite myself, this is a wonderful country that celebrates freedom and diversity and the lines need to be Grand Canyon-esque between us Jesus freaks and people that want to go and do whatever they want to do on Sunday or behind closed doors with consenting adults. I joined the fray which is very rare considering my usually-private beliefs because I didn't appreciate what some atheists were writing on here and actually took offense (shame on me I know) to some of the comparisons and descriptions of something and someone I hold dear to my heart. Now that was a mouthful and sorry if I preached to anyone. May this country return to the ideals and standards that our brilliant, enlightened founding fathers intended.

I forgot to add a few of my favorite Bible quotes that supports the Pope's (pasta that is) condition, and the end to the pointless holy and unholy war.

I know there's some odd Bible quotes, and a lot have been thrown around on this b-board, but these are gems and often ignored by 'Christians' as well as not known to some 'tolerant' atheists.

Sorry..no preaching intended or trying to convert anyone...rather intended to get us to end the threads

"(But) take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father."

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."

So everything I've written can be disregarded on the basis of its already having been proposed somewhere else, but it's valid for you to plumb creationist sites to come up with bullshit probability figures? I'd explain to you exactly how and why natural selection is a directed process and not a random one, and would direct you toward elegant dissections of the "abiogenesis-is-too-unlikely-to-have-happened-without-God" canard (hint: Think simultaneous molecular aggregation events, not the sequential ones assumed by bullshit creationist "modelers"), but it appears that you are overly taxed already and I don't want to be responsible for any CVAs this evening.

The Bible is interesting. I've read it. It is also a literary compost heap of failed prophecies, plagiarism, and murderous directives. It is easily deployed as a tool of sheer evil and, with its accounts of people turning to salt, talking donkeys, ritual gang-bangs, and incest, is a joke far too many people take seriously. The Gospels are obvious knock-offs of one another penned by anonymous writers who lived long after Christ himself died. You or I or W. Axl Rose could write an account of Jesus' life as historically accurate as those of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. That so many take these 66 books as the literal truth in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary is probably humankind's greatest collective failing and stands as the chief reason we would not be regarded as an intelligent species by an objective alien observer.

So you're quoting the Bible in order to validate the historical aspects of Christianity as set forth in...uh, the Bible? You're right, that's not creative at all. It's old hat.

Your own logic is flawed, as the choices are not restricted only to religious or atheist alternatives. Plenty of races that aren't affiliated with or sponsored by any religious organization feature pre-race prayers. That's what makes you myopic, also, because you don't consider anything beyond the scope of your limited personal experience.

That may very well be, but my logic isn't flawed nor am I myopic when I suggest to end this insanity per my request above. The thread ends.....here? WEJO, cut tape. Roll credits. Man hates man. Doesn't get along. Argues. The end.