Disqus - Latest Comments for mattcook

Re: Religious Spotlight: The Aztecs

Cookie — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:51:37 -0000

The only way to know is to listen! (or google it :-)

Re: Get out of Line, Fanboi. Your Desperation Disgusts Me.

Cookie — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:27:59 -0000

John, if that's true, then it's a statement about how sad Nik's proposal is ... because people who have truly thought about it (like Nik) are sorely outnumbered by the uncritical nitwits who can be manipulated ad nauseum .... oh, wait a minute ....

Re: Religious Spotlight: The Jews

Cookie — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:59:40 -0000

But did you know before you googled the answer?!?

Re: Obama's "It Gets Better Video" is Purely Political

Cookie — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:42:45 -0000

Is he though? Despite President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and many other national democratic figures who have participated in the "It gets better" campaign, not a single nationally elected republican politician (who claims that they do not discriminate and support the freedom of 'lifestyle') has opted to participate in the campaign, though they have been asked.

It may still be my naivety and believe in particular liberal ideals, but Obama is still a better choice of a politician than others, and I don't think his participation in this video was completely political.

Re: Bonneville Salt Flats

Cookie — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:45:40 -0000

When I was driving across the country, moving to my new life in California, my dad and I passed through northern Utah. We drove over the wide expanse of the salt flats and it was *beautiful*. In fact, there was a thunderstorm moving across the plains, and you could see 70 or 80 miles in front of the car - the lightning jumped from the sky and scorched the salt flats in front us to the southwest. To the northwest, the sun was setting over the mountains of Nevada and burst many colors over the hilltops. It was spectacular!

Re: Passing thoughts, pressing dreams

Cookie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:55:03 -0000

Actually I wrote that while sitting amongst the Christians last night. Thanks for thinking it's beautiful.

Re: They Call Me Fousheezy - Wes, somebody I know (on Facebook), just entered a...

Cookie — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:23:24 -0000

First off, crazy like whoa.

Second - Corey ... dear, dear Corey. I've invited you to atheist movie night once ... /maybe/ twice. Let's face it - we each hold study groups/movie nights and invite people so that we CAN share our beliefs and discuss these things with others - to suggest that "no point did I state in my invitations that you (or anyone invited) should come listen to what I believe or what the ministers leading our study believe" is just ridiculous. That's the whole point of inviting people - is to share your ideas with them.

Thirdly - this hypocrisy must stop here. Both you (Corey) and Cameron seem to think that John's post is 'disrespectful' because it is pointed and disagreeable with your personal viewpoint. Since when did vehement disagreement become disrespectful??? Nothing John said is incorrect and none of it is an ad hominem attack on you ... until Cameron calls John a 'douchebag'. Corey you posted on a public FACEBOOK WALL POST about your personal relationship with some sort of deity, and John saw it, came to his personal blog so as not to 'disrespect' anyone on the facebook wall post, and posted his personal response about gays who cling to religion as fundamentally as you do need to grow up and realize that Christianity IS NOT compatible with being gay. In no way is this a 'douchebag' thing to do, in no way is he being intolerant, in no way is he forcing you to read his blog and accept his beliefs. Would he like for you to wake up and change your mind? suuure - but YOU found HIS blog ... his personal place to express his personal opinions, thoughts, concerns, and intellectual meanderings. Just because you find his viewpoint disagreeable doesn't mean he's disrespecting you.

Lastly - he's right. Your idea of Christianity is definitely not compatible with being gay. It's very clear that both historically AND theologically gays are not welcome in the eyes of the judeo-christian god. You can stop parsing words by Paul ... you're about as bad as the intelligent design apologists trying to claim that a 'day' isn't really a 24-hour day, but really 'a day in the eyes of god' ... that's fucking bullshit. Corey, you're trying to rationalize things away because you can't give up an imaginary friend. That's not a disrespectful thing to say ... it's just the truth. It's very clear from the conversations that we've had in person that you have not reconciled anything between your faith and science - you've just been ignoring the glaring holes in logic, and clinging to an idea that makes your feel better at the end of the day. It's fine if you want to do that, but don't expect other people to RESPECT you for such a ridiculous idea.

The bottom line: it's cosmically ironic that you put on the label of 'doctor' and 'scientist' yet betray the very principles underlying these identities by professing FAITH as an evangelical christian. For goodness sake, at least be a deist so that there's some sort of wiggle room. Evidence is only good for you, sometimes??? Reason only works in the laboratory??? Logic is only useful in clinical trials??? I believe Epicurus (341 BCE - 270 BCE) sums it up best:

“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?”

It's amazing - the greeks were disproving god(s) long before the delusional and possibly fictional 'prophet' could come along and establish the place where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth ... eternal separation from the grace of a deity. It takes gentle jesus, meek and mild, to get the first mention in the new testament of the place we now know of as hell. Compassionate god my foot.

Re: OK Christians

Cookie — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:52:10 -0000

woohoo! now, if only we could get you published in the nytimes or something ...