[Non-political] News that makes you Laugh/Cry/Both...

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 2:05 pm

of course they do.
why else would they defend their homosexual pedophile priests?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 2:22 pm

It was tolerated, if not accepted per se, until the "anti-sodomy" edicts came out around the same time that priests were forbidden to marry (which I think was during the Middle Ages, but I'm not sure.)

I've got a book or two on the matter although I'm at school right now and can't check.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 2:29 pm

Well the jury is still out on whether or not the medieval church more-or-less endorsed certain forms of same-sex union. Early Chistian rules carried over old Roman attitudes and prejudices of sexual dominance more than flat-out denial of homosexuality (i.e. it was okay for a dude to bang a dude, but it wasn't cool for a man to be sexually submissive, either to a woman or a man). And of course, there are always minority sects with differing opinions on homosexual sex. In general however, views to homosexuality were never positive, and solidified with severe punishments around the 13th century, and didn't really let up until the 18th or 19th centuries.

But I was actually talking more about the history of Christianity and abortion, where views really do change substantially between generations - before 1980 the Southern Baptist Convention actually wanted to loosen restrictions on abortions. The emphasis on restricting abortions in conservative American Christian sects and politics is not unprecedented (the Catholics have been more-or-less against abortion for quite awhile, even though the date of acceptable ranges has slipped back and forth), it became much more of a core tenet (and political issue) after Pat Robertson made it a core issue of the Christian Coalition.

So yeah, I could probably go cherry-pick examples of Christian homosexuals and people that got abortions throughout history that the church (and their Christian friends) that didn't get burned at the stake or even particularly ostracized, but that would be cheating. It's more fair to say that the issue is nuanced, has been subject to a lot of argument and debate, and that Pat Buchanan's (and by extension, a lot of conservative Christian America's) current very restrictive stance comes out of relatively recent marriage between conservative politics and conservative religion on certain topics.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 8:32 pm

Mr. Buchanan wrote:If we Americans cannot even agree on what is right and wrong and moral and immoral, how do we stay together in one national family? If one half of the nation sees the other as morally depraved, while the latter sees the former as saturated in bigotry, sexism and homophobia, how do we remain one united nation and one people?

Today, half of America thinks the country some of us grew up in was bigoted, racist, homophobic and sexist, while the other half sees this morally "evolving" nation as a society openly inviting the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah and that is hardly worth preserving.

A common faith and moral code once held this country together. But if we no longer stand on the same moral ground, after we have made a conscious decision to become the most racially, ethnically, culturally diverse people on earth, what in the world holds us together?

What is the whole deal with this mentality???

There has never been a point in time when America existed as a monolithic faith or some whole of morality - there have always been groups with differing beliefs. Do you know what united them? The belief that there was room for everyone in spite of their differences.

Famous US Stuff wrote:"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands - one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

"We the people of the United States..."

"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."

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me..."

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal..."

There's no "we only want rich white people" in there. There's no "fuck Muslims," or women, or gay people, or atheists. America wasn't created as a Protestant country - or a Catholic one. It was created as a neutral place where individuals could believe and worship the way they wanted to - alongside everyone else.

We are not a country that is united by our religion, or by our race, or by sexual orientation, or gender, or culture. Instead, we are a country united by the belief we are all people, able to coexist despite our differences. That tenet is the foundation of our concept of freedom, and when that core tenet that unites us falters, we suffer as a country.

If this country is divided, then it's because that ideological foundation is being questioned. It is up to us to remind ourselves and each other that our neighbors are people, too - they deserve the same freedoms that we want for ourselves.

Morat · Post by **Morat** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 12:14 am

Maj wrote:What is the whole deal with this mentality???

There has never been a point in time when America existed as a monolithic faith or some whole of morality - there have always been groups with differing beliefs. Do you know what united them? The belief that there was room for everyone in spite of their differences.

Buchanan and the rest of the theocrats don't give a shit what the Bible actually says, what on Earth makes you think they care what the Constitution, its authors, or Lincoln said (or, for that matter, what's on an icky French statue in the barbaric treasonous city of New York)? Many of the founders were Deists, and Lincoln was at most a very iffy Christian. Heck, many of the "Founding Fathers" had no problem signing a treaty that baldly stated that the US was "not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion".

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 12:41 am

Mr. Buchanan wrote:Today, half of America thinks the country some of us grew up in was bigoted, racist, homophobic and sexist,

The hell does she mean, "was"? It still IS all of those things.

Josh_Kablack · Post by **Josh_Kablack** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:57 am

9-year old girl and mom kick up internet shitstorm by trying to kickstart a trip to RPG design camp

Truly baffling.

People run role-playing game design camps?

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 7:44 am

There really needs to be some public education about how the internet works and what you should be prepared for when you visit.

Count Arioch the 28th · Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:09 am

I know it was a shock to me how many people made great sport out of picking every letter of every word apart of everything you said to try to make you look stupid. I didn't know, but the internet was new when I found out.

I do in fact think a "99% of people online are dickbags" lesson should be taught these days, because I'm a firm believer in helping future generations have an easier time.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:44 am

I kind of want to support that Kickstarter... except Kotaku says apparently the money's not going to send the girl to camp, the mother's just going to pay for it herself. So... not sure what the money will do.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 9:11 am

Josh_Kablack wrote:9-year old girl and mom kick up internet shitstorm by trying to kickstart a trip to RPG design camp

Truly baffling.

People run role-playing game design camps?

Someone needs to pay to send Mearls to one. Oh, zing!

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 3:28 pm

Koumei wrote:Someone needs to pay to send Mearls to one.

I think that Mearls' writing shows too much influence from camp as it is.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:36 am

http://gma.yahoo.com/pregnant-man-appea ... ories.html

What is this I don't even.

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 1:39 pm

That kind of thing happens more often than you'd expect.

Of course, it's more common for the spouse to find out that the marriage was invalid only after the partner dies, when there's an attempt to probate the estate and they instead get nothing.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:21 pm

The end of an era.

Disney closes Lucas arts video game developing arm. I was really looking forward to 1313.

Red_Rob · Post by **Red_Rob** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:56 pm

Iain Banks, author of the Culture novels, has been diagnosed with Gall Bladder cancer and may have months to live.

A horrible thing to happen to one of my favourite authors. I think I agree with his friend Ken Macleods assessment: "I'm just holding out for a statistically improbable recovery".

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 1:06 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... osque.html
they are going to discontinue the lego star wars brick set for jabba the huts palace because it's racist to some turks it seems . .

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 5:04 pm

No. I read a statement from Lego that said the palace was set to be discontinued this year, regardless of anything involving Turks.

Link

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 5:37 pm

ah, ok.

Tumbling Down · Post by **Tumbling Down** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:17 pm

Well, it's the DailyHeil, so the story is bound to be at least 70% made up.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 4:56 pm

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/ ... P420130409

"As soon as we heard of this, we quickly replaced it with a bigger and better-looking camel," said the official

Grek · Post by **Grek** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:32 pm

So. If he left the camel in Timbuktu, why does Mali think he wants another?

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:00 pm

Grek wrote:So. If he left the camel in Timbuktu, why does Mali think he wants another?

I don't think they do, which is exactly why they're sending him another. This is what trolling looks like in international politics.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 3:19 am

In Swedish news, we need llamas to scare the wolves away.

Given other headlines there are "That strange woman the English are obsessed with seems to have died" and "The Marx brother with the massive beard: he got some stuff wrong and I passed my first semester of history or economics so I'm going to sound important!", it must have been a slow news day in the second-most Communist country in the world.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:44 am

In more germane news:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... rity-curse

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Technoviking has sued!