Because the Christian religion is based not on myth, but entirely on a historical claim, which is that Jesus was raised from the dead. I believe that He was, that there is good evidence to believe that He was, and it has been my personal experience that it is true. The central claim of the Christian religion is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul made this comment:

1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
1 Corinthians 15:18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

The bible tells us in John 3:3 that we must be born again. We are born again when we place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, when we believe that He paid the price for our sins on the cross and that He was raised from the dead. When that happens God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. The Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside out and makes us new people.

In my personal experience, this has happened to me. When I was baptized, I went into the water as one person and came out a different person. I had been transformed on the inside in an instant, losing a lot of baggage and depression and gaining a perpetual sense of Gods presence, and an inner peace and joy that was never there before. I didn't expect this, or anything, to happen. It is a fulfillment of the truth of what the scripture says happens when you are born again.

Never, there will never be a moment when the answer dawned on me, I'm completely thick

"The same road at 2am on a weekend with nobody around could be safe for 60mph. That's safe, even though it's over the limit."

Not safe. It's safer, but that's a different thing. In a built up area you don't know what could step out from behind a parked car, or tree or whatever is around. You can claim you can, but you can't. What you're saying is that it's unlikely there's anything there to hit. Which is true. But unlikely is not the same as it being guaranteed. On a race track the whole area is controlled. You can be sure that there aren't any kids about to run out in front of you. You can go as fast as you like and that's fine. You know the surface of the track is prepared and cleaned, and even if it isn't if you come off there are run off zones and safety barriers to stop you safely. But in the real world things are just never this controlled. Never. There could be oil on the road, there could be mud/stones/whatever. If you come off you could end up hitting the guy walking home from the nightclub, or just killing yourself.

You obviously feel that the risk of killing someone is one worth taking. Please don't try to say that driving through a residential area at 60mph in a 30mph limit isn't risking killing someone because it is. Every time I get in my car, or you get on your bike we risk killing someone, be it ourselves or someone else. Driving or riding over the speed limit drastically increases the chance of any collision being deadly. This guy in the video hits the dear, which would have happened to the best of riders. This forces him onto the wrong side of the road, which again could have happened to any rider. He's just lucky there isn't anyone coming the other way. This has nothing to do with skill. It's luck. I don't like that you are choosing to increase the chances of killing someone else by speeding, and advocating speeding. Like it or not this is the case.

It seems I'm not the only one thinking this way. You're obviously not going to win anyone over to your 'speed is safe' ideas. Speed kills. As for the 60 in a 30 zone thing, if you hit someone at 30mph they have around an 80% chance of survival. If you hit them at 40mph they have around an 80% chance of death. (Figures from UK road safety campaign)

You can choose to ride how you like. You can fool yourself into thinking the world is predictable and easy. So far you've been right, but you're one person, statistically completely unimportant. The fact that you've gotten away with it is no argument at all. Think what you like, but the facts simply don't support your view.

"People will seek god in many ways, but never in ways that endanger their children."

Never say never, there Bob. There are numerous examples of parents killing their children, either by direct action or inaction, in the name of god/religion.

1) Aug 2008: the Neumann family, the Christian Scientists in Madison, WI who allowed their daughter to die of diabetes rather than take her to a hospital, which is something their religious beliefs forbid.

2) April 2009: Marie Moore shot her son, Mitchell, in the back of the head at a Castleberry, FL gun range before shooting herself. In a suicide note left for her boyfriend, whom she calls "King," Marie Moore refers to herself as a "failed queen," writing, "I had to send my son to heaven and myself to hell."

There's even video of this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vPnMbLr5nc

3) Muslim honor killings; too numerous to list here.

In conclusion (gee, I feel like I'm in Comp class again), religion makes people do wacky, unimaginable things, up to and including filicide.

Edit: Apologies, I just noticed you changed yours to private, so I will do the same now.
Edit 2: No fuck it, it's public. Say thanks to this moron: http://rasch187.videosift.com/#comment-897638

Hi again Rae,

First off, I'm sorry about the mile long wall of text. I do hope you will read all of it none-the-less.

I'm glad you came out yourself to address this, because it's better we get this over with properly, so we can move on with our lives.

I'll stress as well, that UP and Rasch got in to their fight on their own, I had no involvement until UP sent me a message about it.

I was under a completely different impression about being invited to bea's place and honestly I still am. I didn't try to force myself over there, but when she invited me, however casually, we discussed quite a bit on messenger afterwards. I wouldn't have gone over there if I had been given the slightest impression that she was not comfortable with it. I'm very sorry that she did feel pressured into it, but I never intended to do that. I just saw a trip to Texas as a golden opportunity to get OUT, get away from Denmark for a while. As we discussed in our chats, I had been feeling restless and bogged down in everyday life for a pretty long and her invitation was like a blessing to me (for lack of a better word). I may have been eager about it, but I don't know what to say - I just wanted to get out. I didn't buy the tickets overnight - we did discuss it, and we chatted quite a lot before I did come over there, and she never gave any indication that she didn't want me to come over.

In the very first chat we had on messenger, I very clearly remember it, you said.. "I could seriously fall for you" and followed it up by "but I'm actually already taken (...)" and we got into a discussion about jake and all that. I accepted it already then. We both carried on afterwards with talking dirty and watching all that weird porn (you were quite as much to blame for that!) and I had loads of fun, because you were much different from anyone I knew. You made me smile when we talked.

I'm sorry I didn't let the coming to meet you lie, but I was not being so frantically serious about it. I really wanted to meet you, yes, and to be honest I still would, in a crowded room, with many sifters. At a siftup, perhaps. (Incidentally, I have nothing against Jake. I think he's a good guy and you two ARE lucky to have found each other.)

I never meant to imply that he and you were not serious. You made it abundantly clear that you were very serious, I was just being a smart-ass, because if I had been in his shoes that's what I would have wanted to do. I never meant to imply anything about you and Jake with that, so I'm sorry you saw it as such. I really am.

About skype and messenger for that matter, I only asked for your skype address once and it was partly meant as a joke; and with your reply "no way, that's just for me and jake" I let that lie. The other part of that was that I wanted to just talk with you, to hear your voice, and it had been a long time since we chatted, so I wrote that message - as you said, so shoot me...

I know you hate hurting people and I appreciate that, but in the end this has hurt a lot more. If you had told me something to the effect "I think this coming over to meet me is making me uncomfortable, because you're too persistent - I like you as a friend, but I don't want to meet with you, at least not on my own or right now" I would have apologized right there and I would have learned to ease up with you. Instead I kept teasing you with it, and as I've said before, to jake and you, I believe, my common sense was just out of wack because of all the shit we talked about. I never saw it coming that you just did not want to talk to me, and when you wrote your "tired of the bullshit" I had no idea what you were getting on about, so it hurt.. to be honest, it really hurt. I was messed up all day from that and that's why I was so after getting a bigger reply after that. I felt as if I had been hit by a bus, because I truly considered you a friend.

About the trip to Texas. I did not get the impression that it was a disaster at all. She was a bit pissed with me for the boob grabbing, but it was only two days after she booted me because she had to tend to her father's funeral. In that two day span, everything was just dandy, I mean, she never gave any indication that it was so disastrous. Yes, the boobgrabbing was way over the line, we've been over that a million times and I've apologized as much as I can about it. The environment that they created was a factor in me doing it, it was not just "because I was drunk" - I wasn't THAT drunk, and I don't get grabby in general. When I am in good company, with people I consider friends, I can be quite dirty talking, sure, but I'm not a sexually offensive guy physically at all, I just followed their lead when they freaking made out on the porch I though, "well three can play that game" and did it. I know that was wrong, but that's the reason I did it. I didn't want to freak them out as bad as they clearly did, and they didn't do anything at the time, they just basically shrugged it off.

As we have discussed earlier, I portray myself here as pretty much myself - not completely, I take it to much larger extremes here, but mostly I'm just being myself.

Also I know that we have discussed your inability to find a woman. You yourself put it down to the fact that you had to get drunk to converse with them, and once that had happened you tended to become lewd and inappropriate, the drink was doing the talking

I think you are getting at this from a wrong angle. They are two different issues. One is that I don't have the nerve to approach strange girls, or really strangers altogether, but I loosen up when I get a beer in me. Most guys can relate to that, girls too, I would think. Second, I'm not lewd and inappropriate around people I don't know, even when I'm drunk, I only get like that around people that I like - as in if we're a bunch from my year on the university out getting smashed or something. The reason I got like that at bea's place the one night, was because I was having a good time and the three of them were good company. Yeah, I did swear to the three adults, but I never did so to any of her kids - I don't want to freak out kids, I don't really even like kids, but I think I behaved pretty well around her children in general, except for when we had that game of scrabble and I swore to iv or bea in casual conversation, when the little one had just snuck out from the bedroom. I was doing this partly to be intentionally teasing, because we had just had a discussion earlier about what one should and shouldn't say to kids. Bea had sworn as well earlier in casual conversation, so I did not take that as so terrible. Evidently, I was mistaken.

I never EVER said anything sexual to any of her kids. I'm appalled that she thinks that, because I don't do that.

The remark after the siftup was not aimed at you at all and I was perplexed that you saw it as such, because we didn't have any secrets at all. As we chatted on messenger about, I never intended it for you it was just a general remark to sifters.

Concerning rasch. I made it clear in private to you that I didn't like him. He was an obnoxious person and he should go suck a fuck. I still hold that opinion. If our roles had been reversed, I would have told YOU to take care of the situation, instead of interjecting myself as a fucking savior to get you poor women the rescue you so needed. That's because I'm a nice person, who don't put my own ego in front of everyone else's. The chat that he quoted between you and him seems to me to be pretty damn two-faced from you as well. You present yourself one way to me and another to him. That's not nice,, at all. I know exactly what he did and so does everyone else - it's plainly public. He acted like an aggressive brute trying to verbally punch me out in his comments. He attacked me way earlier than that as well, the comment you laughed about a while back, even though he did apologize for that afterwards. He deserves the tiny little corner of shame that he painted himself into.

The accusations made against me are many and plentiful (well, three in total counting boobgrabbing, gutter mouthing and your own), but I think it's a shame that yours and bea's have been muddled together, because they are really two separate issues.

I'm quite angry with bea still, because it's because of her that this has blown up and blown so out of proportion as it has. This was not my doing - any of you could have approached me privately and that could have been that - if you had explained what I had done wrong. All of you, except Cari, just ignored me and left me in the complete dark. Cari kept me on facebook and was in general like she always was, but said she didn't want to get involved when I asked what was up with bea, because she had removed me from facebook. I respected that and I still do - she acted the most like an adult. I think you are out of line to suggest why she apologized, but while you may or may not be right, she apologized none-the-less. And we are still friendly around each other, even though she is the one that was slighted the most. I'm not going to visit her in person, probably ever, but that doesn't mean that we can't be civil. I still think she's fun and a boon.

It's likely that she didn't actually forgive you at all and that she is too nice of a person to really come out and say what she thinks. I can relate.

You are being awfully passive-aggressive here and presumptuous. I would welcome her saying all she wanted to me in private if she wanted, but she already has - and we've patched things up as far as we could at this time. We're in a good place now both of us as far as I know.

Bea got blamed for everything justly in my opinion - I got my share of grizzly attacks too, which I feel terrible about, but I owned up to my fucking mistakes - she just shits on the floor and slams the door behind her. She has as much blame in this situation as I do and if she wants to flame out, as she did, then I have no interest in patching anything up with her. She was fun to talk to, if a big damn bit more crazy than you, for instance, but fun non-the-less. Not so much anymore. I acted pretty well over there and if she had issues with me, she could have just told me. We sat on her porch and talked while she smoked plenty of times and no indication at all. Her family and friends were never there except Cari and their friend Rick on that Tuesday with the boobgrabbing (and of course the kids, who I was very nice to).

Have I lied to you before? Honestly, ever? I've only ever been painfully truthful and if I wanted to just talk shit, wouldn't I have painted a much more rose-tinted version? I'm sorry you are taking her version, because it is far more skewed than mine is - and dammit, I ought to have deserved some trust with you.. we were friends!

I've reflected on this long and hard, I truly have, and I think I have learned from it as well. I've toned down my lewdness and I find myself holding my tongue more often than before. But not much else is to change, unless I want to be a completely different person, and all my friends seem to like me as I am just fine, so I don't want to change into something I'm not.

I've also learned that there are people in this world, who will fuck you over. I am not one of those people and I don't think you are either. We all make mistakes and misjudgments and I think you are misjudging me. I still would like to be your "friend" in some capacity, but you make it pretty clear you don't want that. I'm sorry you don't. I will consider myself as on friendly terms with you and if you do come back to the sift some time, then I will treat you respectfully and I hope you will do the same thing with me.

I still feel terrible about how all this happened and about how our friendship fell apart. :-/

Nicki.

PS. Incidentally, I have found a woman, who I am very glad for and who for some bizarre reason likes me a whole lot too, so I HAVE grown a bit at least.

In reply to this comment by alien_concept:
OK, first of all I want you to know, I happened upon this whole conversation between UP, rasch and yourself as I still visit now and again. Don't for one moment think that he's come crying to me.

If rasch was referring to anything creepy, then it wouldn't have been logs of conversations we've had, it would have been PM's. And also pointing out certain things you had written in threads, baiting me etc. Most of it was not private.

I wish I'd have come straight to you once everything had come out regarding bea, but honestly at that point I had already had enough of our relationship on here and had been avoiding talking to you for ages. Yes I'm a coward for not just straight up telling you things were bothering me. And yes, everything here could have been dealt with differently. The main reason for me not coming straight out and ever saying anything, was because I really felt that the way I carried on with you, that I had encouraged you. I am very open and broad minded. We have discussed numerous topics and I always came across like I was comfortable in anything we discussed. And for a long while I was.

Quite early on it became apparent that you had feelings for me. At this point I told you about myself and Jake, because I didn't want you to think that any relationship between us was possible. You will notice that Jake not once ever had a problem with the way we behaved around here or in fact on messenger. He just saw it all as a bit of fun and nothing to get possessive about. It was nothing to do with him, right? Because we were just friends, fooling around and being risque for a laugh.

The things that started bothering me were that you wouldn't let the coming here to see me lie. I'd give you a thousand excuses as to why it couldn't happen, at least not any time soon. But it was so regular, and the comments you made about how if you were Jake you'd have been here with me already (implying that he wasn't serious about me? that's kind of how it felt) and always with the questioning. Why did you have to wait til after he had been here, where do you live, what's your skype address (even though I told you that skype was only something I used for me and him). And telling me you'd found out how much it cost to get here etc etc. It built up and built up, and I didn't know how to tell you to back off without hurting your feelings entirely. I HATE hurting anyone, and like I said, I blamed myself for having not said anything before and letting it get to the point it was at, and potentially giving you mixed signals, by first telling you I was unavailable and then carrying on flirting with you (out in the open)and sharing graphic (although always sickly amusing) porn, and discussing other such personal subjects. I hadn't been careful, so instead of fronting it out with you, I ignored you. So shoot me...

When bea messaged me after you had left Texas, she did it not to gossip, but because your visit there had been a fucking disaster, she felt that you didn't understand any boundaries, you made her feel uncomfortable with the things you were coming out with and you had told her that you intended to come and see me. She felt like she had to warn me about how you had presented yourself there. The thing was, so many things rang true on what she was saying. That she hadn't outright invited you - just in the lounge she'd said off the cuff as she does, that yeah you should come to Texas one day, and the next thing she knew you'd booked tickets and she didn't have a clue how to say no. Well, you were relentless with me about coming here...

That you had made inappropriate sexual comments in front of her children. Well I remember one time you making one about my daughter too, something about when she came of age, blech. I took it as a joke, at the time although it didn't sit comfortably with me. Also I know that we have discussed your inability to find a woman. You yourself put it down to the fact that you had to get drunk to converse with them, and once that had happened you tended to become lewd and inappropriate, the drink was doing the talking. Now considering that you spent time there getting drunk and you definitely thought it was ok to grab IV's breast (btw, justifying that by saying that bea had just done it, what the fuck???) it didn't take much to come to the conclusion what with everything else that you were indeed not in your right mind. Whether you agree or not, that's how it all came about. It felt like the character you "played" on here, wasn't just a character after all. And that was fucking disturbing to me.

I sat on it forever. I wasn't going to bring any of it up because bea did not want the drama, and neither did IV. She also felt partly responsible for giving you the wrong idea about things because of the way she converses with everyone. And she didn't want it all to drag out like it has. But as I told you, after numerous PM's and references in video threads, then the limerick, and THEN what I truly felt to be another jab against me when you mentioned in the sift up thread that anyone who had secrets with you weren't secrets any more, I finally blew my lid. I just didn't want to be here any longer.

If you had have been on the outside of this looking in like rasch has been, I'm pretty sure that you would have, after all the evidence presented to you, felt that it needed to once and for all be addressed. I'm not saying he couldn't have gone about it in a better way, he definitely could. But then, so could we all have done, isn't that right? I'd like you to stop blaming him for everything now, it's somewhat projecting rather than really taking a look at how and why things have happened how they have. He has freely admitted that he should have been more discreet, and now he is just left defending his corner without really being able to say anything at all. Enough is enough.

I hope this explains what you have wanted to know. Whether you agree with the accusations made against you, they have been made. Not just by one person, but two and that's not including her family and friends who were around too I'm sure. IV apologised with you to keep the peace and not let it all get blown up publically like it has and to stop bea being blamed for everything like she was after she flamed out. It's likely that she didn't actually forgive you at all and that she is too nice of a person to really come out and say what she thinks. I can relate. I hope you reflect on all of this and you consider how things can end up, as have I on numerous occasions. And yes, it's your word against hers. Either of you could be talking shit. But I'm taking her version, as have people chosen to take yours.

Rae

joedirt says it all... a ridiculous solution to a problem that was never there. Have a permanent balcony and sliding doors, preferably with flyscreen and you're done.

read the article.
it goes into further detail.
bibles instead of bullets...nice ring.but it is false.
this is what i referred to as the deplorable tactic of twisting scripture to justify horror.on one hand it eases the conscience of a religious soldier,and on the other has the facade of preaching the gospel.
ill call it what it is...bullshit.
what if,lets say hypothetically,your town of devout christians was invaded by muslims.and those muslims sought to save your soul by preaching the one true god..allah..and gave everybody in town english versions of the qu'ran.would you embrace this action?deem it true and holy?
or would you view it as blasphemous and maybe even heretical?
how would you view these things as you watched your neighbors die and their houses burned?
how would you feel about these muslims then?
how would you feel if these muslim soldiers called themselves warriors of allah?
and how would that be different if they called themselves warriors in christ?

truth is a relative perception,and when christians start to call themselves warriors in christ,and that this is a "crusade" against the muslim heathens and that fact alone justifies whole-sale slaughter.when young men are convinced that they are killing in the name of GOD.
well.....we should all stand up and take notice.
because religious rhetoric is just that..rhetoric.
be it muslim or christian.
and i defy anyone to find me a passage where jesus spoke of whole-sale slaughter as being righteous or divinely inspired by god.
those young men are being deceived by those who would exploit their faith to enact atrocities by twisting scripture.be they muslim,christian or jew.
they are false.

for most of human history wars were fought using religion,but it was always the same goal.dominance of resources to perpetuate the powerful,by using the poor,ill-educated and "disposable".religion is a powerful tool to ignite the masses into a war spirit.
in the past 100 years that has shifted to nationalism,but still the same goals,using the same people.and always with the same results...death.
not for those who engineered these wars,be they the papacy,the crown or germany,US..oh heavens no.
it is the highest form of blaspheme..to murder in the name of god.

you seem a decent sort JF,dont fall into the trap those who speak falsely would lay for you.
there is never a holy reason to kill,maim,murder or go to war...never.
there is only greed.

i agree with all of the detractors.

i do not post videos i didnt think about first. im not throwing out videos like poo to a wall. i realize the things i post are not for everyone, but i also find them all to be extremely worthwhile and thought provoking. there are alot of factors that go into whether or not a video gets sifted its first time through. i think the time of day you sifted it is a huge one, i would say about 1/2 of my sifted videos didnt make it through their first time around. if my video doesnt make it through because i keep wierd hours and sift at wierd times, what makes you think it would have anymore luck the second time? i have 75 sifted and 12 pq's right now. all of them quality (imo). half of that 75 languished in my pq for a few weeks or a month or 2. i dont think any of them should ever be killed off or denied a chance for some attention especially since i post alot of worldaffairs things i feel are important but may not be immediately interesting. it takes time for them to gain exposure. it sounds like there is an assumption that if somethings been sitting in the pq too long it sucks.

the solution is actually downvoting downvote worthy videos. i heard another interesting idea, i dont know if i agree with it completely, but it is interesting: if you view a video, you must vote on it. period. if you didnt like it, dont be polite and back out quietly like you were never there, click the down arrow! if it gets negative votes, its not siftworthy, its gone. someone else is still free to try again at a later date, if its really crappy its gone. more room at the top for the quality videos and the tubes wont be clogged up with crap that will never get sifted because its no good. its ridiculous to have "notorious downvoters" downvoting should just be as big a part of the sift as upvoting. since alot of quality videos are posted i do expect more upvotes, but downvotes should not be regarded as personal or impolite and should just be very much a fact of life and should happen often.

are there really vote cliques??? i dont even look at who sifted a video when i vote on it. sure there are people i have spoken with more than others, e-like more than others, agree or am amused by their comments more than others, and sleep with more than others . but that doesnt mean anything when i vote on the video. when i feel compelled i will browse through a few pqs, usually once a week or so.

SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
911 is a Joke

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Times Like These

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Never There

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Ana Ng

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Sweet Caroline

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Cant stand losing you

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Brand new funk

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Forget about Dr Dre

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Like toy soldiers

WHAT IS 2+2?
Norwegian Wood

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Around the world in a day

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Wonderful World

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
I'm Bad

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Rat In The Kitchen

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Love The One Your With

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Should I Stay Or Should I Go

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Scarborough Fair

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Leader Of The Band

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
88 Lines About 44 Women

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Thank God I'm A Country Boy

WHATS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Fell in Love With a Girl

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Skateboard

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Maria Maria

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Close To The Edge

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Tripping Billies

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
That Voice Again

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
The Bitch Is Back

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Black Dog

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Riders on the Storm

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Afternoon Delight

The Palestinians would not accept living in Israel now, because this has gone for too and too much blood has been spilled. The only solution is a two state solution, but the momentum towards that is never there because many factions in Israel's government believe that all of Israel is theirs and thus have used policies designed to keep the peace process in formaldehyde.

The Muslims and Jews have occupied the lands in peace for ages, it is only when we factor in political interests that declare the land for one or the other religious denomination do the problems arise.

I fervently believe that civilians in both Palestine and Israel wish for nothing more but peace, and could live with each other in peace. Economic interdependence has seen Israel rely on Palestinian labour countless times and conflict between both as only seen both lose out on economic progress, Israel doing far better because of the massive injects of funds it receives mainly from the US.

However we have political movements like Likud and Zionism and extremist thought in Hamas and other entities that make this a virtual impossibility. The reason for the existence of both is varied, in Israel there is the Manifest Destiny belief, in Palestine there is the oppression and deaths of family members that fermented armed struggle that can only end in the destruction of Israel.

Obama came into the Presidency saying that one of the key factors is that Arab states must recognize Israel, how do you force other nations to suddenly normalized relations with a hostile nation? Its like the UK telling the US to normalize relations with Cuba.

I believe everyone is complicit in the events that we see played out, neither Hamas nor the Israeli leadership will suffer from the deaths in Gaza. But the Palestinians see Hamas as the only entity that is actively fighting IDFs aggression, the whole world condemned the attacks, did anyone do anything other then declarations and condemnations? No. Alot of Palestinian civilians got killed.

And no Israel is not a perfect state as you claim, read on HRW and its own news organizations, Israel's Knesset parties nearly threw out an Arab Israeli calling him a representative of terrorists and a immigrant.

Like all Arab democratic states (of which there are few but they claim to be democratic in spirit! LOLZ) it also abuses the democracy it declares to possess, the IDF and the government as a whole have always the security issue to clamp down on progressive movements and protests. Just like every other corrupt Arab state out there who declare the Israeli actions as horrible but beat the shit out of its own citizens for protesting the same.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/01/21/gaza-crisis-regimes-react-routine-repression

Arabs in my region suspect Obama will change things but he won't, he is a Zionist representative as much as Bush. Bush left office by calling Israel. Obama entered office by calling Israel. The US is the key factor in changing all this however the entire nation in the US is under heavy influence via AIPAC, WINEP, MEMRI and numerous other organizations that paint a very one sided picture of the conflict.

The resolution of this conflict is a corner stone of ending terrorism and extremist action against the US from the Arab world.

You've misread what I wrote entirely.

Firstly, by saying that if you want to stop people from saying that we're having religion forced on us then you'd better stop all the people who are doing those things I listed from doing them before you can be in a position to suggest that we don't have just cause to say it's being forced on us. I wasn't suggesting that YOU personally are doing those things, I was saying that those things ARE being done by others, so you have to accept that there are many of us who feel that religion is being forced into areas it should not.

And I wasn't saying that YOU posted the video to show how closely Mormonism sits with mainstream Christianity, moreso that's what the video itself tries to do. It lists all these things most Christians believe in a way of saying 'look, we too believe these things', and then lists a few of the things that make them different, all the while making sure that the viewer remembers 'we believe in the bible AND the book of Mormon' in a way trying to make mainstream Christians feel more comfortable with them.

And if you think that mainstream christianity is a bit crazy, but Mormonism is not, I would like to know how you believe that one is and one isn't when they are so far alike and I can't see anything not in Mormonism that would make it less crazy than mainstream religion.

Stop taking everything as a personal attack, they're not, I used 'you' because you were getting annoying at me suggesting that religion is being pushed on people. I was saying the things that you would have to get rid of (amongst other things) to stop those of us who say that to have just cause to do so...

In reply to this comment by thepinky:
You seem to think you have my motives pretty well pegged there. Especially in that last paragraph. Wow. Your prejudgments of me seem to be clouding your vision.

Now I quote you, with emphasis on certain words:

And if you're going to get upset about people using terms like 'forcing beliefs', then you'd better stop having evolution be pushed out of classrooms in favour of intelligent design, you'd better stop making it be a necessity for those who run for office have to demonstrate that they're good God fearing people, you'd better stop hardline christians trying to enforce 'rules' from the bible into the laws of nations... The beliefs ARE being forced on people, so don't get shitty if those who don't believe in them are getting a little angry about it these days. The supposed separation of church and state is becoming less and less real.

You seem to know an awful lot about my political opinions (and actions, since I'm supposed to "stop"). I believe in evolution, I don't believe that presidents need to be Christian or that they ought to have to use their religious beliefs to get elected, and I don't know what kind of influence you expect me to have on hardline Christians or which laws you are referring to.

Yes, the Mormons ARE a top notch lot, whether they believe in a false religion or not. The verity of the religion has nothing to do with their value as people. I didn't post the video in the hope that it would "swing favor back(?) to the Mormons." I posted it because it is a straightforward outline of the church's beliefs instead of the skewed versions that fly around on videosift. It would be ridiculous for me to suppose that I was going to have any positive affect on "those who disagree with religion." I don't really know where you got that or what it has to do with anything, frankly. I'm not trying to show you all how true it is, I'm just showing you the truth about what Mormons believe. All of your comments have been kind of bizarre and irrelevant, as if you think that I'm trying to legitimize all religions with this video or something.

And I did NOT post the video to show people how similar to mainstream Christians Mormons are. I think that mainstream Christianity is a little bit crazy, so why would I want to do that? You're putting motives into my head that were never there. I just want to show people that Mormons are just another religion. They have unconventional religious beliefs, but they aren't malicious, and they deserve tolerance.



In reply to this comment by spoco2:
I think my issue with this video Pinky, is that you've posted it as if it shows the Mormons as actually being a top notch lot. When in fact it very nicely demonstrates so many issue with the Church of JCLDS and other branches of religion as a whole, which is why I did my big lists. If you believe that this video could swing favour back to the Mormons then I just don't think it works at all, it merely shows us even more points that those who disagree with religion can pick on.

It's never ever going to make people like Mormans more, or any other branch of Christianity more to just list out their beliefs like this because they all just seem so incredibly laughable. You're posting this from the point of view that we think 'mainstream' Christianity is ok, and so look how similar Mormonism is to it! All this has done is said 'Hey, look, we believe in all the same stuff that you ridicule in other religions and pile on another book of things you'll find even harder to believe on top of that'.

And if you're going to get upset about people using terms like 'forcing beliefs', then you'd better stop having evolution be pushed out of classrooms in favour of intelligent design, you'd better stop making it be a necessity for those who run for office have to demonstrate that they're good God fearing people, you'd better stop hardline christians trying to enforce 'rules' from the bible into the laws of nations... The beliefs ARE being forced on people, so don't get shitty if those who don't believe in them are getting a little angry about it these days. The supposed separation of church and state is becoming less and less real.

You seem to think you have my motives pretty well pegged there. Especially in that last paragraph. Wow. Your prejudgments of me seem to be clouding your vision.

Now I quote you, with emphasis on certain words:

And if you're going to get upset about people using terms like 'forcing beliefs', then you'd better stop having evolution be pushed out of classrooms in favour of intelligent design, you'd better stop making it be a necessity for those who run for office have to demonstrate that they're good God fearing people, you'd better stop hardline christians trying to enforce 'rules' from the bible into the laws of nations... The beliefs ARE being forced on people, so don't get shitty if those who don't believe in them are getting a little angry about it these days. The supposed separation of church and state is becoming less and less real.

You seem to know an awful lot about my political opinions (and actions, since I'm supposed to "stop"). I believe in evolution, I don't believe that presidents need to be Christian or that they ought to have to use their religious beliefs to get elected, and I don't know what kind of influence you expect me to have on hardline Christians or which laws you are referring to.

Yes, the Mormons ARE a top notch lot, whether they believe in a false religion or not. The verity of the religion has nothing to do with their value as people. I didn't post the video in the hope that it would "swing favor back(?) to the Mormons." I posted it because it is a straightforward outline of the church's beliefs instead of the skewed versions that fly around on videosift. It would be ridiculous for me to suppose that I was going to have any positive affect on "those who disagree with religion." I don't really know where you got that or what it has to do with anything, frankly. I'm not trying to show you all how true it is, I'm just showing you the truth about what Mormons believe. All of your comments have been kind of bizarre and irrelevant, as if you think that I'm trying to legitimize all religions with this video or something.

And I did NOT post the video to show people how similar to mainstream Christians Mormons are. I think that mainstream Christianity is a little bit crazy, so why would I want to do that? You're putting motives into my head that were never there. I just want to show people that Mormons are just another religion. They have unconventional religious beliefs, but they aren't malicious, and they deserve tolerance.



In reply to this comment by spoco2:
I think my issue with this video Pinky, is that you've posted it as if it shows the Mormons as actually being a top notch lot. When in fact it very nicely demonstrates so many issue with the Church of JCLDS and other branches of religion as a whole, which is why I did my big lists. If you believe that this video could swing favour back to the Mormons then I just don't think it works at all, it merely shows us even more points that those who disagree with religion can pick on.

It's never ever going to make people like Mormans more, or any other branch of Christianity more to just list out their beliefs like this because they all just seem so incredibly laughable. You're posting this from the point of view that we think 'mainstream' Christianity is ok, and so look how similar Mormonism is to it! All this has done is said 'Hey, look, we believe in all the same stuff that you ridicule in other religions and pile on another book of things you'll find even harder to believe on top of that'.

And if you're going to get upset about people using terms like 'forcing beliefs', then you'd better stop having evolution be pushed out of classrooms in favour of intelligent design, you'd better stop making it be a necessity for those who run for office have to demonstrate that they're good God fearing people, you'd better stop hardline christians trying to enforce 'rules' from the bible into the laws of nations... The beliefs ARE being forced on people, so don't get shitty if those who don't believe in them are getting a little angry about it these days. The supposed separation of church and state is becoming less and less real.

dag told me that they're working on fixing/overhauling that whole system - soon, soon, it'll be back to normal.

In reply to this comment by critttter:
I THOUGHT something was odd with the filters when I got an alternate live version of 'Eighteen' submitted with out any consternation. Discard away, thought it was odd that it wasn't here....

In reply to this comment by Krupo:
True, it is a dupe - looks like the filter mechanisms are fritzing. Sorry but we must *discard while figuring out what's up with the filters.

I THOUGHT something was odd with the filters when I got an alternate live version of 'Eighteen' submitted with out any consternation. Discard away, thought it was odd that it wasn't here....

In reply to this comment by Krupo:
True, it is a dupe - looks like the filter mechanisms are fritzing. Sorry but we must *discard while figuring out what's up with the filters.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'i, need, your, arms, around, me' to 'need, your, arms, around, me, cake, never there' - edited by Krupo