War and Pieces

[China Cat Sunflower]

Originally Posted by juantoo3

I probably should take this moment to note, I am impressed with how far you have come along...when you first arrived you were having fun tipping apple carts. You are still capable of tipping apple carts, but you also show you know how to play nice, and for all it's worth I am grateful you do choose to play nice much more of late. Thanks.

BTW, how is Kathe? I am surprized she is not around here more, I miss her input. FWIW.

I don't know what Kathe is up to. I haven't seen her around on the other forum I post to of late. She's a real gem!

I'll tell you the truth Juan, I like more of a mosh pit atmosphere. When I came here I thought "now here's a nice little forum with potential, all it needs is a bit of stirring up." There were just too many chains begging to be yanked, and there still are. But I'm tryin'.

Chris

[InLove]

I was wondering about Kathe, as well. I never really got to "meet" her, but I enjoyed reading her posts. If you know her and see her somewhere, Chris, tell her she is missed here, and that we need her input on the "Mystery Thread".

Hang in there, Chris--you're a gem, too! Behave just enough so we don't lose you, okay? I need you.

InPeace,
InLove

[China Cat Sunflower]

Originally Posted by InLove

I was wondering about Kathe, as well. I never really got to "meet" her, but I enjoyed reading her posts. If you know her and see her somewhere, Chris, tell her she is missed here, and that we need her input on the "Mystery Thread".

Hang in there, Chris--you're a gem, too! Behave just enough so we don't lose you, okay? I need you.

InPeace,
InLove

I dunno D, participating on this board is one of the most frustrating experiences I've had in a long time. But then there's something to the idea of tethering yourself to something frustrating because it makes you think and ultimately brings out the best in you. Still, I'm on the verge of walking away. It irks me that Terrence was banished. For one thing, he was a nearly perfect bad example. But mostly it irritates me when all voices can't be heard. I don't want to play it safe. I want to live large. I want to rock and roll with the punches, write on the cutting edge of my consciousness, and be wrong and apologize. I want to learn. I hate that this forum treats us like we're still in grade school. We're adults, we don't need kid gloves. But no, everything is dumbed down to the lowest common denominator in the misguided persuit of avoiding stepping on anyone's precious feelings. What a load of crap.

Chris

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by China Cat Sunflower

I dunno D, participating on this board is one of the most frustrating experiences I've had in a long time. But then there's something to the idea of tethering yourself to something frustrating because it makes you think and ultimately brings out the best in you. Still, I'm on the verge of walking away. It irks me that Terrence was banished. For one thing, he was a nearly perfect bad example. But mostly it irritates me when all voices can't be heard. I don't want to play it safe. I want to live large. I want to rock and roll with the punches, write on the cutting edge of my consciousness, and be wrong and apologize. I want to learn. I hate that this forum treats us like we're still in grade school. We're adults, we don't need kid gloves. But no, everything is dumbed down to the lowest common denominator in the misguided persuit of avoiding stepping on anyone's precious feelings. What a load of crap.

Chris

We get the most of you...no complaints there Chris.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by juantoo3

Oh no! Q! Say it isn't so.... and I had such high hopes for you!

LOL, I am impressed. That is quite an achievement.

Well, it was the early 80s, and I had brain cells to burn (and the Coast Guard didn't/doesn't allow pharmacuticals...), but that is another story...

[China Cat Sunflower]

About Kathe:

I met Kathe on the Select Smart board. Well, let me back up a second. I started out posting on the Prodigy Interfaith Debate board. I had taken one of those deals where I bought a computer for, like $150.00 but had to take a two year contract with Prodigy to get the swingin' deal. Three years later Yahoo bought Prodigy and closed the board. It was a kind of diaspora for all of us because we had a really great, diverse R&S board going. I wandered around looking for another home and wound up on SS. But that board is polarized between believers and athiests. That got boring, so I started looking around again. But then one of the old Prodigy crowd found me and directed me to the Aantares board where some of the exiles had regrouped, and were hanging out. I asked Kathe and a couple of other people to come over with me. She was frustrated with the SS board too.

We had a pretty good thing going on the new R&S board at Aantares, but the board was skewed toward a majority liberal point of view, and the liberals became intolerant of the fundies and tried to drive them off. Of course, with no one left to argue with the board petered out. But it wasn't just that. We all started to become more interested in the political debate. Aantares has an extremely rough and tumble political debate board. And we started talking more, and more about politics and less about Religion and Spirituality. And the philosophical differences between people's spiritual point of view started to take on political overtones.

So I looked around again, and I found CR. I tried to get my friends to move over here with me, and many came and checked it out. But people get used to where they're at and don't uproot easily, plus we're all preoccupied with the political thing, holding our collective breath until Nov. 7th in the hope that things will change, so it's harder to take the time for spirituality and such.

Chris

[Faithfulservant]

hey china.. that was pretty interesting how you ended up here. Im a creature of habit and I dont hop around too much either.

[juantoo3]

Originally Posted by Faithfulservant

hey china.. that was pretty interesting how you ended up here. Im a creature of habit and I dont hop around too much either.

FWIW, I stumbled on this place quite by accident, doing research for a paper. The only other forum I participated on was a place that offered scholarships. I took a devil's advocate position in favor of war...against all comers...for quite a while, leading up to and for a short time after the start of the current goings on. Which is why I took an oath to myself I would not discuss the current situation here, and that I would only discuss war in philosophical terms. So far, I think I have pretty well stayed true to that, and I have every intention of staying with it. (this is *not* a dare...)

Oh yeah, the paper I wrote, dealt with the development of abstract thought, art and religion in pre-historic humanity. I am quite proud of that paper, and the concept still lingers in my thoughts. And the scholarship site...after three tries I got a $250 scholarship prize for third place...at a time the money was really needed. Made me feel really good to get paid for something I wrote. That was the first, and so far only, time. I figure if it's meant to be, it will be. Until then, I'll just keep plugging along...

[Faithfulservant]

lol is that why you stay off the politics board?

[juantoo3]

Originally Posted by Faithfulservant

lol is that why you stay off the politics board?

Yep! That and I seldom see anything that interests me.

I'm more into the development (evolution) of morality, like why are we moral? Especially, why are we moral if there is / was no God to begin with? Seems a pretty tall stretch of imagination just to invent "G-d" and convince the rest of the tribe to appease "Him."

[Faithfulservant]

I totally hear you... evolution makes no sense if you consider the conscience.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Even our forefathers knew this truth .. I wonder what they would think if they saw what we have done to this country in just 2 hundred years... There are nations of people thousands of years old we are just young enough to be able to look back and see what it was that we did wrong... Think we are too arrogant to admit we were wrong?

[cyberpi]

Originally Posted by China Cat Sunflower

I dunno D, participating on this board is one of the most frustrating experiences I've had in a long time. But then there's something to the idea of tethering yourself to something frustrating because it makes you think and ultimately brings out the best in you. Still, I'm on the verge of walking away. It irks me that Terrence was banished. For one thing, he was a nearly perfect bad example. But mostly it irritates me when all voices can't be heard. I don't want to play it safe. I want to live large. I want to rock and roll with the punches, write on the cutting edge of my consciousness, and be wrong and apologize. I want to learn. I hate that this forum treats us like we're still in grade school. We're adults, we don't need kid gloves. But no, everything is dumbed down to the lowest common denominator in the misguided persuit of avoiding stepping on anyone's precious feelings. What a load of crap.

Chris

Terrence was banished? Why? That irks me too if it is true.

[Saltmeister]

Originally Posted by China Cat Sunflower

I hate that this forum treats us like we're still in grade school. We're adults, we don't need kid gloves. But no, everything is dumbed down to the lowest common denominator in the misguided persuit of avoiding stepping on anyone's precious feelings. What a load of crap.

Chris

Well? Why not? Everything we post here can be seen.

The Internet can be much like a hit-and-run battlefield. Fire and forget. No hard feelings, man. No harm's done when you drop a "few" harsh words and insults. Moreover, who cares when it's on the Internet?

But when it comes to religion, things can get personal. You're not just talking about someone's beliefs and convictions, but also their identity. Their self-image. Their concept of who they are.

It would be like insulting someone by calling their mother, father, brother or sister or friend a @#$%^&*(. Pardon me for the example.

The words you post don't just disappear. Everyone who logs on can read them. The words don't just go away. They have consequences. They may even create enemies . . . You will be remembered, not forgotten.

The next person who reads them make can have a severe emotional reaction. It's not just rashes, itchy heads and headaches. Black eyes may be waiting

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Saltmeister

Well? Why not? Everything we post here can be seen.

The Internet can be much like a hit-and-run battlefield. Fire and forget. No hard feelings, man. No harm's done when you drop a "few" harsh words and insults. Moreover, who cares when it's on the Internet?

But when it comes to religion, things can get personal. You're not just talking about someone's beliefs and convictions, but also their identity. Their self-image. Their concept of who they are.

It would be like insulting someone by calling their mother, father, brother or sister or friend a @#$%^&*(. Pardon me for the example.

The words you post don't just disappear. Everyone who logs on can read them. The words don't just go away. They have consequences. They may even create enemies . . . You will be remembered, not forgotten.

The next person who reads them make can have a severe emotional reaction. It's not just rashes, itchy heads and headaches. Black eyes may be waiting

Interesting. Chris takes offense to "dumbing down" the forum, but when it get's hot he's the first to call someone an "idiot", or "that's a keeper", or notify the authorities. But it is ok for people like him to express themselves without predjudous? I suppose Christians are supposed to be lambs before the slaughter...

Not quite. It's called give and take. I'll say again, not all "sheep" are ewes. Some are Rams with horns.

[China Cat Sunflower]

You sound a little butt-hurt Q!

When did I ever call anyone an idiot? Look, you're a moderator. You should hold yourself to a higher standard. If you don't have the temperment for it, and I often question whether you do, you should resign and re-join the rank and file. I don't have a problem with anyone expressing their point of view, what I do dislike is moderators who, for example, go on a personal rant, and then close the thread when the response gets too hot for their personal likeing. I only ever flagged one post- yours. And I'm not the one who's still digging up graves.

The fact is, you want to be everyone's daddy. You want to be Skipper, and everyone else should be Little Buddy. I ain't your Gilligan.

Chris