YOUNG24 IT MAKES US THINK YOU ARE SHOUTING!!! AND THEN WE GET FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE!!! MAINLY FIGHT!!!
I read other post and people use caps and it is not an issue. And actually I was shouting because I was offended!!
how to ruin an intelligent honest conversational thread. 1 get an overly eager Beliver to commit a minor ettiquette error in the act of offending many others. 2 get a bunch of people that enjoy attacking the Beliver for his ettiquette issues more than contributing to a, rather contributing to any thread. 3. make both sides unable to see that different people have different opinoins and those opinions will not change by telling them they are wrong and being rude. 4. make both sides belive that they are on topic, and that they each must react to each other multiple times guarenteeing the last word. 5. butterflies are pretty, I like the way they.... STAY ON TOPIC
I think it's fine if you're actually shouting, actually. Then it's accurate. And I don't know about those other posts, but I see a lot of folks receiving grief for all caps. There's Trader_Jorge, who used to close a lot of his posts with all caps absolutist statements, but after numerous comments from other posters, he's backed off a bit. Or maybe he's saving up. But whatever, you aren't the only one to receive comments. My point about "fight or flight" was sincere, by the way, despite my all caps sarcasm. I think it's just human to receive (perceived shouts) less rationally than more even-keeled statements. Just MHO. By the way, I think multiple exclamation marks also do a disservice to posted comments, leading people to take them less seriously (I know, I can see the replies coming ), but one exclamation mark gets the point across.
is this Elaine Benes? "maybe i don't use my exclamation points as haphazardly as you do!" "what, you don't think having a baby deserves an exclamation point?" uh oh, i got off topic again, will the topic police come and punish me?
We are on topic. We've simply added "punctuationist" and "capitalizationist" to the list. I confess, I am an unrepentant version of both of those "ists." I addressed the racist angle in my life earlier. I'm a little religicist, because I've met way too many afluent westerners in San Francisco who claim to be Buddhist because they read one or two books and then meditate between martinis once or twice per month. So now, if someone tells me they're a Buddhist, I am automatically suspicious of the person being a poser. Also, if someone volunteers their religion, no matter what it is, within the first few minutes of meeting them, I feel myself backing away from them already. I'm a religion-on-the-sleeve-ist.
Mrs JB, "As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, even so the wise are not ruffled by praise or blame." -- ibid. Wasn't it obvious I was externalizing there? Time for my first martini of the evening!
Drexlerfan22:- thanks for your frank and honest feelings. I hope you will take this in the good spirit it meant! Although you wont expect it, I believe your in for a big surprise, just after death. I hope its pleasant for you.
There's no reason to revel in it if you and I are right and he is wrong. It doesn't sound like it is sent in good spirits. You may as well have said: "Enjoy your trip to hell." Not good.
When I read the post about how christians are thifts ,cheats, and liars I felt I had to comment. I think it was unfair to talk about my "minor ettigutte" error on the computer when it took away from my point. Iam new at this, Iam open for help, but I will not be attacked. I joined this forum thinking people were going to be open minded. Not slandering someone for speaking their mind. My intentions was not to offend anyone the way I've been these past few days. When you bash someones faith that is deep. And I do not want to belong to a forum who will do that. I did not want to get off the subject, but I see it has. I am sorry for that voice of reason. And for the record Iam a female(you said," his ettiquette issues").
I am conflicted about religion. I see the beauty and need for spirituality, but I think organized religion has been on balance destructive. There is nothing like having God on your side, or thinking that you do, to make you capable of any stupidity, or cruelty. You don't have to go back to the Inquisition to figure this out- just look at the last week with those idiotic statements by Fallwell, the riots in India and the bombing in Bali. You don't hear of many agnostics taping a bomb to themselves and running into a crowd to blow everybody up, now do you? On a personal level, a lot of my family are deeply religious and after a rough patch they have accepted my non-belief, or at least have left me alone. I am basically against the missionary mindset. I am in favor of secular humanism in the Erasmus mold and hope that fundamentalism of all faiths goes the way of the wooly mammoth and the eight track player. One other predjudice of mine: I can't stand snobs. I hate, hate, hate people who think that poor people somehow deserve their fate, or that they are automatically lesser people. That **** went out with Charles Dickens. I also loath the anti-South bias of some people in the north. I visited some friends in New York a couple of years ago and when a person we were socializing with found out I was from Texas they started speaking to me in this exageratted drawl and could barely hide his disdain for the South. After asking him what indoor plumbing and book lernin' was like in the big city he left me alone.
Religion is a real tough one for me. I think a certain amount of God in your life is a good thing but I have a hard time just totally giving over my entire being to God. I dont thank God for everything good that happens, I dont blame him or ask for His divine intervention whenever something bad happens, and I dont feel like praying all day long. I enjoy going to church but I dont want someone harrassing me when I dont show up. I dont particularly care to become friends with the people I go to church with because I dont feel comfortable around them. My cousin is a person like this and I dont care to be around her either. I think it is because they expect you to act a certain way and I dont always feel like acting like that. If I want to watch an R rated movie or tell a dirty joke, I dont want to feel like I am offending someone. I like hearing about God and how to live a good life but I dont care to have everything in my life revolve around God. I know this may sound dumb or arrogant but I think it is kind of ridiculous for God to expect us to worship him and just give everything to Him. It is very difficult for me to honestly worship God. I assume He is all powerful and all knowing and that is great for Him. I believe Jesus Christ was God's only son and that He came here to die for my sins. I have accepted Him into my heart and I want to be a good person and live a good life. I also want others to know about this and I hope they accept His salvation also. I am not going to bother other people about it and I dont have this conviction in my heart to spew love and worship to Him. Maybe someday I will. I know this has been a long answer but I feel overly religous people are hypocritical and overly critical. I think they are fake also and that makes me sick. I know I am not perfect and Jesus said that none of us are. So why try to act like it. As far as other religions go, if that is what floats your boat then great. If it doesnt hurt anyone else and it makes you feel better about you, then wonderful. I just think my is right but dont expect me to push it on you. In turn, I appreciate you not trying to push yours on me even though you think yours is right. Hopefully that somewhat answers that question. I dont think I have said exactly what I wanted to say and may add more later.
I'm slightly racist and slight sexist, but I'm not bigoted in either way. It's just that I say boneheaded racist and sexist things because of the way I see it. I will try to do the best thing and see where it shakes up. Sometimes it reinforces my ideal behavior and other times my actual behavior. In the end, my conscience balances everything out... As for religion, I hate the Bible pushers who cram their unsolicited ideals down my throat, but I can fairly distinguish them and other religious zealots from the normal Christians or religions . There's a degree of tolerance that I can only take so far. i.e. Someone who thinks that "all non-Christians will goto some form of Hell" but respects the lives of other people I can respect, but I might not like. On the other hand, strict interpretationists who believe in Prophecy, for example, and supports the state of Israel just for the sake of Prophecy and believe non converted Jews will burn in Hell, I don't like nor do I want to know what they're like.... Such a glib categorization for a serious topic...
