Disqus - Latest Comments for RCLN

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 13:08:51 -0000

It doesn't appear that you're willing to answer my question about being a Jehovah's Witness... so let me just say, in answer to your question as to whether I would 'put my child's hand on a hot stove for stealing from a store' that I obviously would not. No loving father would. But I'm not sure what that has to do with what the the god of the Bible would do... I wouldn't have my son executed for being stubbornly disobedient [Deuteronomy 21:18-21], gathering sticks on the sabbath [Exodus 31:14], or engaging in sex with another male [Leviticus 20:13]. Would you? And yet those are all things your god demanded people be stoned to death for. (Stoning IS torturous, is it not?) Considering that, I fail to see what's so inconsistent in thinking that he'd condemn sinners to a fiery end--- whether it's finite or eternal.

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Thu, 31 May 2018 15:42:38 -0000

I answered your question about not being [raised] a Baptist. Why won't you answer mine?

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Thu, 31 May 2018 13:20:07 -0000

The only 'special rights' here are ones you enjoy--- but want to withhold from others. Equality and inclusivity are all that's sought.

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Thu, 31 May 2018 12:21:56 -0000

No, I was not. Are you a Jehovah's Witness? I've read the book in its entirety, along with the rest of the New Testament and all of the Old. More than once. It's how I know that there are almost as many takes on these doctrinal matters as there are churches, sects and denominations [30,000 and counting]. That you look to your sect [a 'faithful and discrete slave' residing in New York] to tell YOU what the Bible really means--- when it quite "literally" says something else--- tells ME you're no different from some dupe who looks to the Vatican or Salt Lake City to make sense of a hopelessly arcane text.

Spin it any way the WTB&T$ tells you to, but it takes a whole lot of tap dancing to make the words "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" mean something other than what it says. And what it says sure as hell sounds like torture to me. Whether it's temporal OR eternal.

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Thu, 31 May 2018 02:10:26 -0000

It won't survive via masturbation either. But when has anyone ever let that stop them?

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Thu, 31 May 2018 01:51:18 -0000

I'm no more "confused" by religion [a supernatural explanation for natural phenomenon] than I am confused by superstition. Neither one is rational and it's for that reason that I'm prejudiced towards both.

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Thu, 31 May 2018 01:14:49 -0000

You don't consider being "cast into a lake of fire" torture?

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Wed, 30 May 2018 00:35:46 -0000

Except that your mythical being had nothing to do with creating scalpels or surgeons, any more than any other mythical being did.

Monotheists reject ALL gods but theirs. Atheists simply go them one better.

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Wed, 30 May 2018 00:25:01 -0000

Who'd freely choose to follow the path of anyone who threatens to torture them if they don't?

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Wed, 30 May 2018 00:14:30 -0000

Seems you're equally inclined to absurd probabilities.

Re: Letter: If God made LGBT people, it suggests he’s a cruel God

RCLN — Tue, 29 May 2018 23:58:10 -0000

God's "cruel" for making minorities? Ones the majority marginalizes? Are you sure you're putting the onus on the right perpetrator?

Re: Media Memorialize Mormon President Less Charitably Than Fidel Castro

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 23:03:33 -0000

Your latest response is nowhere to be found so I'm posting my response to it here:

"Advocating for the well being of children means outlawing divorce? Yes, forcing children to remain in an abusive environment is definitely looking out for their best interest."

You might have a point if all divorces were about domestic abuse. But they're not. They're often about issues children are entirely oblivious to, like financial ones. Addiction. Infidelity. And other Irreconcilable differences. Are there single parent households children would do better in than abusive two parent ones? Sure. Just as there are same sex couple households children would do better in than opposite sex households.

"Yes I dismiss outlawing divorce because, you know, I am willing to recognize context and nuance."

Great. Then in the interest of children, outlaw divorces for all but those that involve abuse. How about that?

"And in case you didn't notice, the articles I posted are written by adults who were adopted as CHILDREN by same sex couples. They are not merely opinion..."

The articles you posted are purely anecdotal. I could post very similar ones about children's experiences in foster homes. Does that mean we chuck the foster home system?

The majority of gay married couples' households don't include children. So why deprive them of marriage?

"To anyone still reading, if you're interested in thinking this issue through beyond the rote answers people like RCLN cling to, then read the links I posted."

They should also read my response above. Not that they'd be swayed by reason any more than you are. This site is just brimming with right-wing religiots who'd agree with anything written by anyone opposed to marriage equality for gay people. Hell, some no doubt would like to see a return to the Good Book's solution. (Leviticus 20:13)

1) Outlaw divorce for any reason other than domestic abuse because, well, context and nuance...

2) Have the government issue Civil Union licenses for all because, hey, they're the SAME thing as marriage without the religious connotation, right? (Or maybe not, you can't seem to decide.)

Love won, hate lost, get over it.

Re: Media Memorialize Mormon President Less Charitably Than Fidel Castro

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 22:48:16 -0000

<sm><sm> I see you still failed to respond to any of the articles I posted, or the
substance of the actual argument. You continue to dodge any real
discussion and simply prefer to double down on flawed logic.

Advocating
for the well being of children means outlawing divorce? Yes, forcing
children to remain in an abusive environment is definitely looking out
for their best interest.

Hey everybody, RCLN thinks that in order to keep kids
safe, women married to raging drunks who beat their spouses and children
should have to stay in that situation. Got a spouse whose molesting
your kids? RCLN thinks that if you care about children, you shouldn't be
allowed to get a divorce! Oh no, his cognitive dissonance insists on
it.

Sorry RCLN, but your view on divorce is as distorted and narrow as your understanding of marriage.

Yes I dismiss outlawing divorce because, you know, I am willing to recognize context and nuance.</sm></sm>

Re: Read The Gospels To Discover The Jesus Nobody Likes To Talk About

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 15:22:36 -0000

I've read every bit of circular nonsense you've coughed up. 'Hell is the absence of God's presence, so God doesn't send them there.... Except we really don't know for sure... All we know is they're not in his presence.'

EVERY Xian claims to have "the truth," Ben, to the exclusion of any and all Xians who disagree with them. You say there isn't infant damnation, others say there is. You say there's a Triune God, others say there isn't. Some say faith alone saves, others say faith and works. Some say full immersion baptism, others say not. Once saved always saved, you can lose your salvation. There are ones who vehemently disagree with you--- and can go toe to toe in citing scripture to corroborate their position. Not that you cite much to begin with. So why should anyone believe you and not them? Answer? There is no reason.

Re: Media Memorialize Mormon President Less Charitably Than Fidel Castro

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 14:21:01 -0000

"ENTERING into a legal status" isn't what Civil Unions are all about, Jason? Explain that to me.

The fact remains, if marriage is a religious institution, the state has NO business in it. And if Civil Unions are good enough for gay folk, they're good enough for YOU. Moreover, if you were REALLY interested in the well being of children, you'd advocate outlawing divorce. But of course you dismiss all that because it doesn't comport with your REAL agenda. One so transparent anyone can see it.

What's HILARIOUS is you posting editorials and presenting them as fact--- and I'm STILL amused you're a knob. Quit being butthurt, put on your big boy pants. and realize gay people are NOT going backwards. Any more than Women, or Blacks or Jews are. Much to the chagrin of right-wing religiots.

Re: Read The Gospels To Discover The Jesus Nobody Likes To Talk About

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 14:09:09 -0000

And I'm saying that because we know God is merciful, we can't say he would necessarily damn ANYONE--- if unbaptized inherently sinful beings can bask in his presence for all eternity. As for "erroneous positions," they're the ones the other guy holds, huh? "There are a lot of false truths out there, including those posing as Christianity, but there is also one truth,"... and it just happens to be the one you hold. What are the odds!

Sadly you don't even see what a doctrinaire, deluded, sanctimonious person you are. You're proof taht those who don't rely primarily on reason in arriving at their positions, can't be reasoned with.

Re: Media Memorialize Mormon President Less Charitably Than Fidel Castro

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 13:52:04 -0000

I just did. You cite, "CHILD MOLESTATION AND THE HOMOSEXUAL MOVEMENT"? You really are a knob.

Your posts are full of internal contradictions.

"Both SSM and divorce hurt children--- but you only want to outlaw SSM and not divorce."

"Civil Unions are virtually identical to marriage--- but somehow they'll only work for gays and not straights."

"Marriage is a religious institution--- but a secular state should be officiating them."

Re: Media Memorialize Mormon President Less Charitably Than Fidel Castro

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 13:28:48 -0000

And there you go railing against others who've advocated for policy changes and seen them come to fruition.

You personally would prefer if the government didn't have to be involved at all, but conclude that's not possible? They don't HAVE to be involved in marriage; not as long as Civil Unions are an option--- and virtually identical, so you say. People were saying the very same thing 20 years ago about the impossibility of SSM, or 50 years ago about interracial marriage. You won't know until you try. It's a common sense solution that everyone could agree on. Except, of course, those who just want to continue to marginalize gay people as 'other'. That's not YOUR agenda, is it?

If civil marriage licenses granted by a secular state are somehow "sacred" then that must stop, no? Justices of the Peace and the public buildings they officiate these "sacraments" in are paid by ALL taxpayers, gay and straight alike... The fair and most logical course would be for the government to get out of the holy matrimony business altogether and only allow civil unions for all. Religious institutions can dispense sacraments. Except for nomenclature, they're no different from marriages anyway, according to you. Lead by example and stump for Civil Unions for everyone. It's far more likely that Christian Conservatives working in concert with many others will succeed with doing that than that they'll turn the clock back on same-sex and interracial marriage.

(You cite, "CHILD MOLESTATION AND THE HOMOSEXUAL MOVEMENT"? You really are a knob.)

Re: Read The Gospels To Discover The Jesus Nobody Likes To Talk About

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 12:39:52 -0000

Even ones "inherently sinful" who die before baptism---- or who wouldn't have been baptized in any event. I mean, if we're going to say that because we know God is all merciful and that he wouldn't damn any of his children, why limit it to just babies? I'm not advocating the damnation of babies or anyone else. What I'm saying is that, like a whole lot of things, the Bible can be made to support all sorts of positions, despite your claim that 'answers exist to all my questions'. They don't. Because if Christians themselves can't agree on those 'answers', why should anyone accept any of them as being definitive?

Re: Media Memorialize Mormon President Less Charitably Than Fidel Castro

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 12:28:14 -0000

You obviously imagine a lot of things, Minjae. And I've better things to do than entertain them.

Moreover, what I think of baptism isn't material to a discussion of whether your church withholding baptism from a willing Mormon with free agency is the right thing to do. It's punative, and you know it.

Re: Media Memorialize Mormon President Less Charitably Than Fidel Castro

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 12:23:34 -0000

If that's not the preface, how do you know what's prophecy and what's not? Was Monson's "Good Morning," prophecy? Why not?

Being conservative in your financial affairs IS NOT prophcy, just good financial sense.

Re: Read The Gospels To Discover The Jesus Nobody Likes To Talk About

RCLN — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 12:11:09 -0000

"We don't know what happens, but we know who God is, so we have good
reason to believe (and hope) that ________ wouldn't be damned"

a) Devout Jews before Christ
b) People who never heard the Gospel after him
c) Good people everywhere
d) Everyone eventually

Re: Read The Gospels To Discover The Jesus Nobody Likes To Talk About

RCLN — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 14:15:53 -0000

Try concluding with, "KNOWING 'X' is true vs. NOT KNOWING 'X' is true, ARE mutually exclusive propositions." If you're saying they are reconcilable, I don't see any common ground.

Though if you want to conclude without acknowledging that, I won't disrespect you for it. Just SMH.

Re: Read The Gospels To Discover The Jesus Nobody Likes To Talk About

RCLN — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 13:38:45 -0000

Either you KNOW inherently sinful unbaptized babies ARE deprived of God's eternal presence--- as clearly stated in the Baltimore catechism--- or you don't KNOW that they are, discount that authority, and rely instead on conjecture. There are no two ways about it.

Re: Media Memorialize Mormon President Less Charitably Than Fidel Castro

RCLN — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 13:33:38 -0000

Is it a "punishment" to require children to wait until adulthood to make this decision given that their parents do not support the beliefs and teachings of the church?

Unequivocally, yes. It's punishing children for the 'sins' of the parents. As to "what I've never complained about," you haven't the vaguest idea...