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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Ray's Election Prediction

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https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5823596693953871104&postID=5909969258341462389&page=1

14 comments:

  1. Try pointing this out to him, he'll censor you.

    I tried, three time, when he was claiming objectivity on politics (especially when "Non-profit status" came up) but he wouldn't let it through. I'm surprised he didn't delete the blog.

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  2. I was thinking about his 'Palin Rocks' post last night and I realized that, for the fundies, it didn't matter who won.

    Obama wins: it's a sign of how depraved the times have become. Godless America. Muslim/atheist agenda. Baby killing. Sign of the end-times. Antichrist.

    McCain wins: Prayers answered. Power of God prevails. Saving babies. Moose killing. Great White Hope.

    It's the same with a lot of things in the fundie mind-set; any evidence/proof/event/disaster/triumph can be twisted to make it seem like that's what their God meant the whole time. It's actually pretty pathetic.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. expatmatt -

    I would submit this in addition to your post:

    What if McCain had won:

    Obama voters:
    - a sign that the American public hasn't gotten over it's racist attutudes; Racial equality set back 40 years (or 'hundreds' of years);
    - majority of (redneck) voters still clinging to 'their bible and their guns';
    - Voter fraud in some states
    - Four more years of failed Bush policies;
    - '100 year war' of the 21st century
    - Moose hunting becomes new national pasttime; Moose become extinct in 4 years;
    - Obama voters 'disenfranchised' and kept from the polls; take the battle to the Supreme Court; demand recount of states with close margins;

    It's the same with a lot of things in the atheist mindset; any viewpoint/attitude/issues that contradict their own are seen as twisted and based on a pathetic belief in a deity.

    (deleted/reposted to correct some horrible typos)

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  5. loaf - you're most likely right.

    It must be a thankless task - being mother to us Raytractors, wagging your finger and pointing out our prejudice :)

    But it's a valued role. At least by me. When you make comments like that last one I go "ah shit, what a spoilsport. Damn, she's got a point"

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  6. LivingasOneFreed sez:

    What if McCain had won:

    ...

    You'll notice that none of the responses you postulated involve the assumption of the existence of a god, as well as the arrogant and unwarranted assumption that said god's motivations are known to us.

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  7. laof,

    You are quite definitely correct. But that doesn't negate what I wrote.

    Also, I think there is a difference between trying to find excuses for why things didn't go your way [Obama voters if McCain won] and claiming that it did go the way you (or your God) wanted, even if it didn't go the way you wanted [fundie voters].

    Please note that I am not saying fundie = McCain voter, I know it's not that simple.

    And to further note; Jean has already said in another thread that Obama's victory is a sign of the end-times (God's will). My hypothesis was that if McCain had won, believers would have put this down to God's will too.

    It just kind of diminishes the wow factor of believers having God at their back when no matter the outcome, they can always say that that was what God wanted all along and that the outcome is further proof of God's hand in the affairs of man.

    Is that not reasonable?

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  8. Ok, what Trip said.

    Damn you and your succinct stylings!

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  9. expatmatt said:

    "And to further note; Jean has already said in another thread that Obama's victory is a sign of the end-times (God's will). My hypothesis was that if McCain had won, believers would have put this down to God's will too."

    I'll give you that; I follow 'Jean' very little so I wouldn't doubt she said that.

    stew - because of your earlier criticisms of me, I'm not sure how to take your 'mother' post. My sarcasm detector is in the shop, getting it's 100,000 comment checkup...
    (they pile up when I have to use it on this blog.)

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  10. I broke my fast and posted on the Palin Rocks thread, since Ray hasn't posted a new one. Just reminded him of Romans 13. Last night I was reading his post about his TV show and cigars and how it was dumb and evil to smoke. Them I came across this quote by Ray's big hero Charles Spurgeon:

    "When I have found intense pain relieved, a weary brain soothed, and calm refreshing sleep obtained by a cigar, I have felt grateful to God and have blessed His name." -Charles Spurgeon

    I posted it under "Spurgeon Gold" but it hasn't appeared. Big surprise.

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  11. laof - I'm sorry, I'm not a very consistant person.

    I have a terrible habit of hunting with the pack, and my episodes of altruism are outnumbered by my bouts of snarl and attack.

    As I am an ex-believer I understand many of your positions even though I no longer agree with them.

    I admire your consistancy (stubbborness?) and appreciate your presence amongst the Raytractors.

    If sometime in the near future you find me once again biting your ankles, I apologise in advance for the sudden change. What can I say? I'm a jerk.

    I recommend to you some the maxims by which I try and live my life:

    "Never ascribe to malice that which can more easily be attributed to stupidity"

    "Be excellent to one another"

    "It'll do for now"

    The anonymity of the net makes it easier for me to forget those and call people retards, idiots, flakes, liars and fuckwits.

    Although sometimes people on the net really are fuckwits.

    You're OK.

    Mostly ;)

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  12. Stew wrote,

    "The anonymity of the net makes it easier for me to forget those and call people retards, idiots, flakes, liars and fuckwits."

    Agreed, but there's an upside to that, too.

    It's sometimes useful to be able to talk on such a blunt level, freed from social niceties. The type of conversations we have on this blog are much more direct than conversations you could ever have with anyone but your closest friends and family members.

    But we get to have such conversations with people from a wide range of places, with varied backgrounds, etc. That's pretty fascinating stuff. Yeah, sometimes it gets petty, and I get petty sometimes too, but that's a small price to pay for the overall benefit of being able to talk fairly openly with people from around the world.

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  13. Stew said:

    (some pretty nice things and then ended with:) "You're OK.

    Mostly ;)"

    < sarcasm-free zone >

    Thank you very much. I felt your sincerity.

    You and most others here are ok too.. mostly.


    :-l aof

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  14. And Geoff too... what I said before.

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Unlike Ray we don't censor our comments, so as long as it's on topic and not spam, fire away.

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