Sunday, April 06, 2008

OF ANGELS AND PINHEADS AT RU, cont'd

"Who are you consulting with, JRR Tolkien? I don't really believe that the world would be well served by a return to medieval nonsense. Do you?

Isn't this the very irrational xxxx that RU was established to oppose and correct?"

**Ryan Dube edit - removed rude comment**

From a post by Wetsystems (me), 9/6/07 (The rude word was "crap.")


"What is considered "irrational" is subjective.

For example, I consider it highly irrational to repeat the same offensive remark after receiving an edit and a warning. You clearly do not. It's subjective.

You are suspended for a month.

If you start emailing people, trying to create drama, and attempting to cause hate and discontent as a form of 'retribution', you can consider yourself permanently banned.

-Ry"

From Ryan Dube that same day



And the next day:

"The ban is now permanent. Toon will never again set foot at RU."

-Ry



The foodfight over Chorlton's insistence on Reason continues over at Reality Uncovered- a site from which I've been banned (see above) for expressing the same sentiments. As you may recall, the current incarnation of this pissing contest began with arch skeptic and clear thinker, Chorlton, taking exception to the preachings of that sanctimonious fool, Scarz, concerning the purported 'reality' of an all-controlling realm of invisible evil angels performing the work of El Diablo with the help of space aliens and other assorted demons and banshees. While to any reasonable human-being of the twenty first century such a balderdash brew of medieval superstition might seem laughable at best- for the the board owner, Ryan Dube and a sycophantic gaggle of board activists, it simply constituted an attack on Christian faith. Dube's final position on the subject was to refuse further discussion on the basis of ones inalienable right to an unquestioned 'faith' in all subjects suitably unprovable and arcane. He then took further refuge in a self-pitying appeal to his amen choir- claiming his life is very difficult and that his sister is very ill. In other words he's involved in his own personal battle with the devil at the moment and he'll be back at'cha when the tempest subsides- and presumably after his butt-boyz (Broadbent, Scarz, AD et al...) manage to get Chorlton banned for daring to present a case for enlightenment and Reason. The story can be followed here.

For clarity sake let me paste in full Chorlton's latest response following a repost of my initial rant from April 2nd on the matter.

INITIAL RANT:

Well it seems as if our old friend and member, Chillibum, has finally taken the religious zealots to task over at RU. His initial thrust was in demanding that Thumper (Savonarola) Scarz provide a modicum of proof for his angelic meanderings. Good work, old man. But it seems our Chipdink has pissed off the intrepid Reverend Dubious and his choir of butt-boyz who continue to maintain that the 'teachings' (read: superstitions) of the good book require no proof for their proposition that we are indeed controlled by a coterie of invisible demons.

I think Chimpbutton's point is well taken: how can a forum which purports to consist of rational skeptics not question the ludicrous claims of the religious nutters in their midst? I guess that in the last analysis when the heavy stone that covers clarity is lifted by that ridiculous icky-feelings-pool of Reality-Uncoverists what they expose is a viscous cluster of dissembling, evil creepy-crawlies... Oh my!! Put the stone back and run like hell to jeezizzz!!

Follow this discussion here: www.realityuncovered.c...6937#16937

Said Savonarola Scarz to Chumpchange:

Quote:
" You have a right to your opinion Chorlton as I have a right to mine. If you think of me as a lunatic for valuing scripture you aren't the first and certainly will not be the last. If I'm wrong on my belief in God and the scriptures then when it's all said and done,I will have lost nothing.

Nothing from nothing leaves nothing.
"

To which I would add:

As your fellow lunatic and intellectual superior, Dan Quayle, so famously admonished: "A mind is a terrible thing to lose."

ASM (American Society of Morons) leadership committee


CHORLTON'S RESPONSE TODAY:

Zep tepi said:

"That's not very respectful, is it? More so in light of the fact that I have pm'ed you with a clarification of what you can and cannot do in the Spirituality forum. If anyone else had mentioned the "deafening silence", then fair enough - they haven't yet received an answer to Access Denied's excellent question. You, however, already have. What's more, I also shared private details of some of the things that are going on in Ryan's life at the moment, the tip of the iceberg being the life-threatening illness of his sister. Ryan has not yet experienced the awful reality of what it means to lose someone very close to you, and as a result is having a very hard time dealing with it. In addition to that he is also working most of the hours in the day and night just so he can get through the financial mess he finds himself in at the moment. I know he shares that particular predicament with an unhealthy amount of people right now throughout the world, but that and the situation with his sister means his priorities lie elsewhere at this particular moment in time. "

Strange then that he took time yesterday to reply to several other threads and it also didnt stop him making his original posts?

I'M having a bad time at present too, I would say a lot more so that than Ry, as you well know. But I dont let that cloud for one moment my grasp or reality.

Reality to me is being able to question everything. I have a right to do that. You may say, "not here", thats your prerogative.

But the self same person who is demanding proof of evidence from one person is giving someone else laissez faire to duck the question.
One could say that John Lear has a deep belief in what he says. Should he be asked for proof OF COURSE HE SHOULD.
One could say the Pope has a deep beleif in what he does, but are you saying he shouldne tbe questioned if given a chance and asking for proof? NO
Scarz has made many references to UFO's and ET's in his posts that to me makes it open season to demand proof on his God. If his posts had been nothing more than quoting scriptures and psalms fair enough I would have backed off. But he didnt. HE chose to bring in UFO's and 'spirits' and 'Angels'
linking them in with God.
Well Im sorry I want proof, If it cant be provided then he shoud treated like Lear or Serpo or the like.
Maybe I seem too hard?.Ive probably been on this earth a bit longer than most and in all that time Ive seen no proof of God, spirits Angels or the like. So will I question the existence of them YOU BETCHA
As I told you, I have a very dear friend of mine laying dying at the moment, a compassionate god would have taken him in the blink of an eye, but no, my friend is left to rot in bed as he lives, watching bits of his body dropping off him
A compassionate GOD ? don't make me laugh.
My mother died very recently, well her body did, but her mind died years ago from Alzheimers and I watched as she slowly became someone else, watched as her brains slowly turned into a lump of lard.
My brother in law laid in agony for months before he died of mesothelioma, and someone out there says we have a compassionate God, a God of love, and denies me the right to demand proof. THAT WONT WORK WITH ME.
Ive seen people in some countries who should have been put down at birth, we do it to animals, why do we let Humans suffer in pain and agony for years? because of a God, don't make me laugh.
The religious people have an answer for every question thrown at them, but the one thing they cant do is show one little piece of evidence for the existence of their evil pain giving god.

Ive got to go out to visit my friend in Hospital now, to do things for him the nurses wont but I repeat, Ill be back in about 4 hours

I repeat:
Reality to me is being able to question everything. I have a right to do that. You may say, "not here", that's your prerogative. Ban me if you wish. I'll still be out there questioning though. I think the last word out of my mouth will be "Why"?

I'm sorry if this post comes across as hard, Ive had to be hard in my life for reasons people, not even my sisters , will ever know.

As a final. Ry I feel for you, I know where you are at and where your mind is. Ive been there, I'm there now. I'm also there with you, behind you.
Remember people as they were, the good times, the fun times, nothing, not even death can take those things from you.