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Thread: A thought provoking Royal Dragon E-mail

  1. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Drake View Post
    Communism is relatively new. They'll need more time and more people in order to catch up.

    Hitler was a christian, actually. But like muslim extremists, he had issues keeping in line with the teachings.
    Hitler in practice was NOT a christian by any standard.

    Because you are a member of a church that does not ipso facto make you a representative of the ideals upon which the church was founded, I.E christianity or any other religion for that matter.

    Islam at least recognizes the divide between the faith and the faithful.

    It is important to not make statements that are obviously incorrect and in and of themselves further baiting in another direction.
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  2. #47
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    I'm just curious, but where the heck did this claim of "Religion is the #1 cause of all wars" come from anyway? It's bandied about like some kind of pseudo-fact, but what is the starting point for this? Are we just assuming that when Og the Caveman got a bunch of his fellow tribesman together to beat up Grog and his tribesmen that it was because of some religious conflict? Where are the statistics?

    For every war that has religion as its major cause (or uses it as an obvious ploy for some other underlying cause, vis a vis the later Crusades) there are many more for which Land-Grabbing/Natuaral Resources, Ethnicity, Politics or Revenge are to blame. If we can urge people to get rid of religion for the sake of peace, let's get rid of those things as well. No more ethnic diversity, no more politics, no more economy, and no more possibility of personal emnity. Those are all things that, like religion aren't "necessary." Gee, that sounds like an awesome society to me!
    "Prepare your mind..." "For a mind explosion!"
    -The Human Giant, Illusionators

  3. #48
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    Religion is an excuse for hatred and war, not a reason.
    Psalms 144:1
    Praise be my Lord my Rock,
    He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !

  4. #49
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    I'm probably about the most virulent opponent of religion on this board, and even I laugh at the "religion is the #1 cause of all wars" claims I always hear thrown about, when it's thrown about in this fashion. When people say that stuff, they're just making inflammatory remarks, throwing down the gauntlet, etc., and I know because I sometimes do that just to **** someone off, and yes, I know it's juvenile....LOL.....

    The reason religion is implicated in some of history's most reprehensible crimes, massacres, and genocides is not because of a belief in a certain god, etc. Religion is an "organizing principle". Religion (from "religare" [which means "to bind]) groups people together more successfully than any other institution. People martyr themselves for secular ideologies just as willfully as religious martyrs, so the flair for "post-mortem" theatrics isn't an isolated phenomenon curious to the realm of religion.

    What happens is that religion takes on a "mob morality mentality", where shared values define the mob. But I've never seen a congregation--even the really wacko ones--where anything like "shared values" can be considered as something whole. Not everyone--but most people have a personal ideology, even though they might publicly agree with a "mob morality mentality" to keep in line with their friends and family--all of whom present the same "false face" despite personal convictions. This is what makes the institution of religion so reprehensible.

    Now, for reason religion is capable of committing such grievous errs as the Crusades (esp. the Cathar Crusade and their forays into the Languedoc), the Inquisition, the numerous persecutions of the Jews (3 or 4 major expulsions from Europe), witch hunts, Islamo-fascist terrorism (or whatever the kids are calling it nowadays), Shao-lin Do, etc.:

    People take their personal prejudices into the religious world, the which often have nothing to do with religion whatsoever, and find various others who share those reprehensible values.......and in order to motivate others who would be not otherwise inclined to support them, they try to tie them into the "mob morality mentality" that religion upholds. Others stand under the umbrella that opens only to keep from getting wet.

    Pretty soon, you have two or three nutso's in charge of a mob that doesn't know why it's formed, only that it's a mob bonded by their religious beliefs (because it's the only one they have in common). But "religion", in this sense, is not the cause. It's just the common bond.

    Israeli's and Palestinians don't fight for religious reasons anymore. I bet that only about a 100 or so ever did during the whole conflict. We see it that way, because we're looking in on it from the outside, trying to make sense of it. But in reality, the children are conditioned to hate the other faction from birth. Children's TV programming in Palestine basically brainwashes children to think of Israeli's as crass, stupid, apes---it's institutionalized racism at its worst. Religion has nothing to do with this. It's just human prejudice. Religion is a convenient label, where other "differences" might be nondescript or indistinguisable by sight.

    The sunnis, shiites, and kurds don't fight for the sake of Islam's "Mahommedan right to succession". They fight because they're fighting for political legitimacy and a right to power. Even the original fight in religion was a power struggle--hence, it was one of government--not Islam's religious principles. The "religious" principles behind martyrs--they're just good PR for a violent religion. hence, it's religion taking credit for this principle:

    If you stick certain kinds of people in certain situations, they'll become violent and murderous. We've had what? Six (major) school shootings in 7 years? It doesn't matter where they're raised or what their religious groundings are--certain environments will turn out murderous people. Look at LA gangs, for Christ's sake. They're the same kind of "organizing principle"--"mob morality mentality"....

    The institution of religion is no different than one of any kind of government, and good and bad things can come out of it. This is why religion is pointless at best, and why it is, I admit, sometimes commendable. If someone goes into religion with a positive ideology, like Mother Theresa (even though she doubted religion at times, she didn't doubt her committment to humanity's welfare), then you'll get a lot of good out of it. Religion magnifies good intentions, gives them funding, means, staffing, promotion, etc. Religion also magnifies bad intentions, giving them funding, means, staffing, promotion, etc.

    It's just like any other organizing principle, and can be used for both good and bad, despite the fact that their premises are unsound, false, and "romantic", and there isn't any god and we're all a bunch of hairless apes trodding a rock that's dropping through space-time at remarkable speeds unwatched, unguided, and unolved by anybody high above.

  5. #50
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    **steps down from soapbox. Exits, pursued by a bear.**

  6. #51
    Og the Caveman got a bunch of his fellow tribesman together to beat up Grog and his tribesmen that it was because of some religious conflict? Where are the statistics?

    Reply]
    No, that one was not about religion, it was about martial arts politics. Grog and his tribe had been repeatedly shooting thier mouths off about how thier style was better than Og's. After many months of tolerating this bs Og and his tribe could not take it any more.

    They went there with the original intent to try and discuss the issue with Grog in hopes a peaceful solution could be struck; because Og's tribe really liked the Women of Grog's Tribe; but Grog would not listen and a forecefull ass kicking ensued.

    Because Og's tribe were skilfully players of the ancient prehysterical art of Cavasaurus Combat (tm), they quickly conquered the Grogs.

    They used the techniques of Prehysterical Punch, the Caveman Kick, the Preditorial Pounce and occasionally the Caveman Club (The weapon of the style) early one morning just before sunrise when the Grogs were just waking up. To this day the Term "Groggy" refers to this ancient early waking state that was the Grog's undoing and gave the Ogs such a tactical advantage.

    When it was all over, the Ogs had all the Grogs women (And thus clean and neat caves) and the Grogs were relegated to the outer realms where they were used in service as bait to help catch Dino dinners for the rest of the tribe.

    Not only does this story document the Great ubber Prehysterical Grand master Og, the very FIRST prehysterical Grand master of Caveasaurus Combat, but it also marks the first Emperor/King of humanity AND the simotanious separation of mankind into upper and lower classes (The Middle class was still a long way off and had not been invented yet )

    After the Grog Vs Og war, The Great Prehysterical Grand Master Og, in his wisdom used the remaining Grogs as slave labor to build a large pile of rocks, to be used as mankind's first sacred place (we call them temples today). This pile of rocks was a special and sacred place where the original martial art of Caveasaurus Combat could be studied and expanded upon for the strength and defense of this primitive tribal empire. The art has been passed down generation, to generation in accordance to the great Og's decree for 180,000 years or so now (depending on how old the Hom0saipen really is).

    This is why we have the great art of Caveasaurus Combat to this very day. Of course, the art has grown since then. The original 4 techniques have been expanded to 8 or 9 or so and include the Stegosaurus Stomp, Teradactyl stone (throwing rocks) and the pointy stick as well as a couple others in its arsenal.

    And that Children, is the REAL story of the war between the first tribes of man and the official founding of the Caveasaurus Combat style!!

    You may now continue with your practice.
    Last edited by RD'S Alias - 1A; 02-23-2008 at 08:28 AM.

  7. #52
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    Ah yes, Cave-o-saurus... not bad, for a fake style that is.

    Only grand-poo-bah-Ugh learned the for real deadly prehistoric art- MMD (Mixed Mammal Defense.) It was practical to the point where it made "no BS" martial arts like BJJ, Wrestling and Muay Thai look flowery.

    For Example:

    MMD against a takedown.
    Uke tries to shoot in against Tori to take him down and armbar and/or choke him.
    Tori has a big rock.
    Uke goes for the shot!
    Tori drops the rock on the back of Uke's head!

    Not to say that there wasn't ground grappling in the art- Grand Poo Bah Ugh took his inspiration for it by watching a confused Sabertooth Cat try to copulate with a resistant Wooly Mammoth in a Tar pit; a tradition that survives into the modern day.

    To this day, MMD students still visit his shrine at the La Brea Tar Pits.
    Last edited by BlueTravesty; 02-23-2008 at 08:37 AM.
    "Prepare your mind..." "For a mind explosion!"
    -The Human Giant, Illusionators

  8. #53
    cjurakpt Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by BlueTravesty View Post
    To this day, MMD students still visit his shrine at the La Brea Tar Pits.
    La Brea Tar Pits? There are no La Brea Tar Pits in Scotland!

  9. #54
    Quote Originally Posted by Shaolin Wookie View Post
    I'm probably about the most virulent opponent of religion on this board....
    Look at LA gangs, for Christ's sake.....
    Like you said.......?

  10. #55
    Quote Originally Posted by cjurakpt View Post
    La Brea Tar Pits? There are no La Brea Tar Pits in Scotland!
    ????
    What is WRONG with you?
    BOTH of the preceding posts re the "Cave-arts" were sourced on apocrypha purporting to account for the earliest days/founding of "Chicagoland" (aka "a large pile of rocks").....
    (ok, maybe we've got to include Disneyworld, too)

  11. #56
    Ah yes, Cave-o-saurus... not bad, for a fake style that is

    Reply]
    The style is not fake. I learned about it in an old library book on prehistoric cave paintings. The entire style was codefied on a cave wall by our caveman ancestors. I was able to decipher the cave paintings from the pictures in the text book, and thus revive the style in the 1990's.

    Right now, I am the only known prehysterical Grandmaster of the style, but I have issued several Black Pelts and one mastership since I began teaching it.

    If you doubt the legitimacy of the art you can go to E-budo.com and search out my senior disciple yamatodamashii and ask him. He was my very first Black Pelt and is now a Master of the art in his own right.

  12. #57
    ????
    What is WRONG with you?
    BOTH of the preceding posts re the "Cave-arts" were sourced on apocrypha purporting to account for the earliest days/founding of "Chicagoland" (aka "a large pile of rocks").....
    (ok, maybe we've got to include Disneyworld, too)


    Reply]
    Cavasaurus Combat predates Chicago by about 170,000 years.

  13. #58
    Quote Originally Posted by RD'S Alias - 1A View Post
    Right now, I am the only known prehysterical Grandmaster of the style....
    OTOH, you've been "at it" long enough now that it's redundant to say that you're "pre-" anything.... you may henceforth simply consider yourself and your writings as hysterical...
    (in whatever sense seems most appropriate at the time)

  14. #59
    Quote Originally Posted by RD'S Alias - 1A View Post

    BOTH of the preceding posts re the "Cave-arts" were sourced on apocrypha purporting to account for the earliest days/founding of "Chicagoland" (aka "a large pile of rocks").....
    (ok, maybe we've got to include Disneyworld, too)


    Reply]
    Cavasaurus Combat predates Chicago by about 170,000 years.
    Possibly, but that same pile of rocks is still there.....

  15. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by RD'S Alias - 1A View Post
    Ah yes, Cave-o-saurus... not bad, for a fake style that is

    Reply]
    The style is not fake. I learned about it in an old library book on prehistoric cave paintings. The entire style was codefied on a cave wall by our caveman ancestors. I was able to decipher the cave paintings from the pictures in the text book, and thus revive the style in the 1990's.

    Right now, I am the only known prehysterical Grandmaster of the style, but I have issued several Black Pelts and one mastership since I began teaching it.

    If you doubt the legitimacy of the art you can go to E-budo.com and search out my senior disciple yamatodamashii and ask him. He was my very first Black Pelt and is now a Master of the art in his own right.
    Oh yeah? Well I learned my style by dreaming about an immortal who learned the style by stumbling by a conveniently lost manuscript written by a monk who learned it by dream-visitation from Guan Yu (who told me to tell you "Wuz Up, Homes!" by the way.) who learned it by watching fish duel in a steam, and the fish were the reincarnated souls of the sabertooth and the mammoth who were having visions of Grand Poo-Bah Ugh!! If we're using circa 1800's "tall tale" CMA History standards, I just trumped every fighting style out there.
    "Prepare your mind..." "For a mind explosion!"
    -The Human Giant, Illusionators

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