Larry! You're like a superhero (or supervillian?) with this power! Remember, like Peter (Spiderman) Parker's uncle Ben said, "With great power comes great responsibility!"

See if it works on Rush Limbaugh!
"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope Obama fails ....... uh, geeze! I just wet myself!"

Think of all the good you could do!

One day, I would like to see some high school somewhere pick a Satanist as valedictorian.

That would certainly bring all the nut-jobs out of the woodwork!

How about the wood-jobs out of the nutworks?

I'm concerned about the high unemployment rates, so I guess jobs are jobs......

Harley is talking about closing their new refurbished plant here in my neighborhood. They said it needs retooling? Odd man?

I dunno PS. I studied that book a little. I don't take intolerance as the message. If you want to get specific to Christians, they have one message: Love the lord your god, and your neighbor as yourself. I think the problem is that a lot of them (especially the ones with the clout and the money) don't adhere to the message...

I dunno, that whole burn in hell thing is pretty hardcore! Besides, the Taliban don't seem to interested in materialism? and besides, that whole lord your god and neighbor stuff just applies within your sect because pretty soon that same god said go practice genocide on your neighbors the Canaanites (he pointed off in that direction over there)!

The problem is the huge disconnect between the teachings of Jesus (Mohammed ... whoever) and the messages that come out of the mouths of many preachers (a'immah, etc.), and their followers.

My personal motto is "There is no 'god' and, if there is, I oppose it" (which probably sounds kind of intolerant, but it's all in the definitions, ultimately) but, anyway, I don't really look at religion as inherently bad (except on some days, when I'm really annoyed). It's what the person does with it, and their life. If a person makes their religion and their god about power and control -- which is what the Taliban and the "burn in hell" people are about really -- and they take over government with the intent of imposing their religion on everyone else, I don't like them, and I think they are intolerant and can be dangerous. (Of course, that also applies to people and their cars.) If they're just control freak god worshippers but have no aspirations of ordering anyone else around (e.g. Amish), I have a theoretical disagreement with them, but really who cares? They make the world a more interesting place, plus they make good pie.

But there also are more highly "evolved" forms of religion (imho) which are not at all about the power-and-control-freak gods. All religions have their mystical sides and I might not spin the same way as a whirling dervish (for example), but I don't think they're intolerant or dangerous. And then there are the religions which are either nontheistic (Sea of Faith Christians, some Buddhists) or so close to it that it hardly matters. But this other side of religion tends to be too quiet, so the jerks get all the press.

Holly Near speaks about this thread much more eloquently than I:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEJx8cYnUuE

it was the anti-christ that did it Lar

I believe in the mystical experience and have said so many times around and about here! I believe Einstein's Theories on Relativity are the result of a mystical experience. I believe Helmoholtz concept of the second law of thermodynamics was the result of a mystical experience. I believe Hitlers creation of the Nazi regime the result of mystical experience. I believe the mystical experience the result of concentrated thought resulting in an epiphany experience that makes one feel its "mysticism". Some might call this meditation. One way to practice it is to clear you mind completely (a Buddhist approach). One way to practice it is to feel your head with complicated mathematical puzzles or conceptual riddles (the Einstein approach). Another is to fill the brain with paranoia and hatred (the Hitler or Revelation approach). I don't deny mysticism and its potential benefits and its horrible failures! THe point is that it all starts in your head, remains in your mind during the gestation and spews out of the more gifted ones in stories and theories and ideas. Then a rational human race needs to scrutinize these results for value and reject the bad and preserve the good!

I am not opposed to mysticism or the practice of meditation! I just don't accept the results of these activities as The Word od God!

Oh, so the devil made you do it then?

Thanks, Kevin! I haven't seen/heard Holly do that in awhile, but it's a favorite of mine because (besides liking her so much), I agree--she says what I mean but far more understandably.