Universe a Simulation?

[Kinich Ahau]

They are all barking mad.

[psychodiva]

Sinfidel wrote

http://www.theapologeticresponse.org...astor-repents/

If you are calling me an apologist you can go fuck yourself sweetie.

If you want a real to and fro about whether religion is a mental illness- I refer you to each and every link I posted in responses on this forum over the past few years. I would also urge you to do your research and be ready with facts and figures that prove your assertion that 'religion is a mental illness'.

As I said before- just because it looks like mental illness to someone does not mean it is mental illness. Now- some of those using the religion for their own ends may in fact be mentally ill- this does not make religion itself a mental illness. Some of those attracted to religion may be mentally ill- this does not make religion itself a mental illness. Some of those who do extremely bad things in the name of religion may indeed be mentally ill- this does not make religion itself a mental illness. Some who are religious may develop mental illness as a result of the religion - this does not make religion itself a mental illness - do you see where I am going with this or should I go on?

Human beings as a whole do not like to admit that bad people just do bad things because they are bad people. I believe and am pretty certain that religion is a root of evil and is a very very bad thing and is utilised as an excuse for bad behaviour by bad people - that does not mean it is a mental illness.

[psychodiva]

Kinich Ahau wrote

They are all barking mad.

No- they really aren't- most are just bad.

[psychodiva]

Sinfidel wrote

The daily slaughter goes on, and it's not the Baptists and Anglicans doing it!
Personally, I think those who

Execute their own child for falling in love
Think that chopping off hands, hanging/beheading/buurning alive people is great public entertainment
Use young children for suicide bombers
Kill girls or throw acid in their faces for attending school
Murder people for writing books or satire
Force women to live in a tent with a slit to look through
Execute people for leaving their religion

And a litany of other holy horrors.
Normal? No. Mental? - definitely.
I regard them as sub human monsters who should be "cleansed" from the gene pool.

I agree- all of those things are reprehensible - I'd hate to turn into a Nazi to rid the world of them tho. And you don't have to be mad to do those things- I've worked in Criminal justice long enough to know this. I've also worked in mental health long enough to know what real madness looks like.

Now- sweetie- are we sticking to proper conversation or are you going to continue to try to score points off me and call me an apologist again?

Please be aware I may not answer straight away for one of many reasons:
1 I am ignoring you
2 I am too busy with real life
3 I'm actually working with mad murderers and people who think raping a 3 month old baby is a neat idea.

so don't worry

[psychodiva]

Davin wrote

Though, psychodiva has already covered it more than a few times, I'll just go back and read those.

LOL yes- but I'm only toying with the twit when I have to write and thus inevitably procrastinate - so feel free to read everything I ever wrote before as I don't have much free time.

Although being called an apologist irked me for about five seconds I must say ...........

[Kinich Ahau]

To be fair Diva, I think the apologist thing is just the website title.

[Francis]

There is some common ground here. I hope that the French situation will give resurgence to the idea that we supposedly believe in the west - that government and religion are separate and that freedom of speech is a more important value than offending some fundamentalist person.

I did not agree with much of what Mr. Hitchens said, but before he died he criticized the west for tiptoeing around this question. He was right about that. Freedom of speech (and other freedoms) are more important than any principle of Islam or any other religion.

We cherish these freedoms, no less than any person cherishes their religion. Of course we all hope that Islamists - the current bad actors in this situation, develop enough maturity to quit this violence over cartoons and words. But if they don't, we may end up having to defend our cherished values in the exact ways we are hoping to avoid.

[Kinich Ahau]

Are you just posting different topics in random threads?

[Francis]

Kinich Ahau wrote

Are you just posting different topics in random threads?

I believe there was a reference, by way of conversation, about whether religion was a mental illness. A lot of that certainly had to do with what happened in France. Sure, the conversation had little to do with whether or not the universe is a simulation, but I didn't start the conversation about Islam and mental illness.
Who is going to mind a few words about freedom of speech?

[Kinich Ahau]

Many of us Aussies aren't particularly enamoured with the US idea of free speech, We believe in a certain amount of freedom of expression but we have laws against hate speech here, laws that have been used on both sides of this coin recently. A very good thing I think. So we might be talking about different things. Your nations fringes are full of loud loonies. We are lucky ours are usually pretty quiet in comparison unless they're in parliament. Later.

[Francis]

Kinich Ahau wrote

Many of us Aussies aren't particularly enamoured with the US idea of free speech, We believe in a certain amount of freedom of expression but we have laws against hate speech here, laws that have been used on both sides of this coin recently. A very good thing I think. So we might be talking about different things. Your nations fringes are full of loud loonies. We are lucky ours are usually pretty quiet in comparison unless they're in parliament. Later.

As both of our nations have legal systems based upon English Common Law, while there are differences, how we view speech freedom has much more in common than different.

[dogpet]

Who set nursie off?

[Sinfidel]

Davin wrote

I kind of miss having snow.

Not having snow may have saved your life. For God's sake, don't build a snowman - a Fatwa has been issued!

DUBAI (Reuters) - A prominent Saudi Arabian cleric has whipped up controversy by issuing a religious ruling forbidding the building of snowmen, described them as anti-Islamic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_6455138.html

What will the religious lunatics think of next!

[Sinfidel]

Francis wrote

Further, your refusal to even do the most modest of internet inquiry into this question indicates a mind closed to any theories or science which might upend the atheist applecart.

Wrong again, Bozo.

Quote:
It’s very shocking when supposedly intelligent people seriously consider the idea of our universe being a simulation. Reminiscent of flies attracted to a rotting carcass, hypothetically intelligent people are drawn to this idea of reality being simulated. Note how David Chamlers considers the metaphysics of the Matrix. The simulation argument is merely an escapist fantasy, intellectual decay, a new form of religion, a topic in my opinion fit only for discussion by daydreamers or people tripping on magic mushrooms or LSD. Very worryingly many respected media organizations give credence to the simulation meme. The notion of our universe being simulated is anti-intellectualism therefore we must fiercely oppose it.
....
The realm of simulation thinking is comparable, in my opinion, to a situation where people on hallucinogens invent wacky theories about flying pink elephants. I’m definitely not stating simulation devotees are high on LSD or any other drug. The point is merely metaphoric or analogous regarding similarities between Abbie Hoffman levitating the Pentagon and simulation devotees thinking we are living in a computer program.
.....
By the end of this critique you will hopefully agree my logic corroborates a classification of nonsense, stupidity, religion, psychedelia, or mysticism applicable to the simulation argument and its devotees.
....
There are blatant similarities between religion, New Ageism, insanity, and the mind-bending consequences of psychoactive drugs but these categories of irrational thinking are subtly different to each other. The connecting theme is irrationality or stupidity. The idea of our universe being a simulation is a new type of irrationality similar to previous categories of irrationality.
http://hplusmagazine.com/2012/11/09/...tion-nonsense/

[Kinich Ahau]

I used to really like the word "matrix" but now you can't use it without everyone thinking about bloody movie.