BBC Blog Network

User Profile

potatoman65

Listed below are comments made by potatoman65 between Friday, 24th October 2008 and Tuesday, 13th October 2009.

«Newer
Older»

Notts County cannot stay out of the headlines 00:20am on 13 Oct 2009 "Charlie" McParland...a comparison to the Charlie Chaplin waddle in the way he ran as a player. I am an exiled Pie in Campbeltown.

I think the sacking was the wrong decision. I suspect it was more to do with his abrasive (which came across as insecure) manner in front of the press. The results and performances (from what I heard and the little I saw) had earned him a run imo.

Peter Trembling has done a great job in general, until now...I hope they make the right appointment for a replacement. I would welcome either Steve Coppell or Peter Taylor.
No Bible for second oath 10:58pm on 22 Jan 2009 arclightt said: "...doesn't that mean that our real job here is to maintain to the greatest extent possible an ideological vacuum with regard to our public policies, in which neither theism nor atheism has primacy?

I'm ready to do that job...how about you?"

I agree with that statement, and I am glad that you, as a Christian, believe in the importance of keeping ideology out of political decision making. You must see however, that among people of an evangelical persuasion at least, you are in a minority. Take attitudes to gay marriage as an example. According to evangelicals in general, the bible says that homosexuality is a sin, and therefore public policy that sanctions this "sin" is wrong. Therefore public policy should be changed.

Where is the neutrality here? To many people this seems like a massive intrusion on a private behaviour which harms no one, merely because a certain group of people don't think it's right.

The implication of your post suggests that it is people who chose not to live by faith, who should become more tolerant. Examples such as this suggest something very different.
No Bible for second oath 3:24pm on 22 Jan 2009 "If the second oath was legally the one that counts then one can say he was sworn into office without using a holy book."

Hallelujah! ;-)
Freethinkers welcome! 1:26pm on 21 Jan 2009 Americanson said: "To us, it is like the non-Christian is standing on a train track with their back to the on-coming train and we are simply trying to warn you to get off the track; yet the person does not believe there is a train much less a track! To make matters worse, there are other people on the track that are trying to keep you there."

This has nothing to do with love. Only fear. You think that person has to get off a track they can't see to avoid a train they can't see or they will be damned.

You are right that grown up adults of sound mind are free to ignore you if you tell them this. But what about children, who are naturally going to have a tendency to believe the adult who clothes and feeds them...the adult who is their first experience of the world. The loving thing to tell a child would be...look at the world, ask questions, learn, make up your own mind. I know from experience that children are taught (and this is considered to be loving) about this mythical train of damnation and are told that the way to avoid it is to believe what you believe. If children were left free to choose they would simply choose life and living...not fear filled dogma.

You speak with the appearance of love but your beliefs are governed, for their continued acceptance, by fear. If the train existed, and God loved us, then it would all be a little clearer than waiting for someone with special train sight to come along and tell us that a train was there even if we can't see it ourselves.

"God tells us to obey our government's laws, but when they oppose His, we cannot follow them as God's law trumps man's laws. If man's laws are not based on that which is right and true, then they are flawed."

Hey, that's convenient. Shame that the bible is so open to interpretation. It says a lot of things that you would call God's law, and another Christian would not. The Jihads of Islam leading to terrorism are extremist interpretations of the Koran. Likewise, people can get up to all sorts of mischief after reading the bible, and calling it God's law. It has happened frequently through history, and will happen again. But of course you have the good interpretation.

Sorry, for going off topic, but I hate to see fearmongering in the guise of concern.
Morphing America? 2:37pm on 06 Nov 2008 Ed Iglehart *211 (via link) "If we think feeding nine billion is going to be problematic, try supplying nine billion individual mobility units. Maybe they can do without housing or clean air....
And in aid of what? So we can rush around from place to place without ever having enough time to actually be anywhere, and the faster and further we scurry, the more we need to ignore the places we are passing through...

...We're running pretty damned fast, but I wonder if we have much idea of where to"

Wise words. Thanks for the link.

"My pessimism evaporates whenever afoot in the forest. Care for the woods and the vegetables. Slow down and enjoy the journey. And hope we can somehow avoid war."

Yes. Yes. It's a tragedy that we didn't avoid that war but I understand there will shortly be a retirement home opening for bitter, shrivelled neo-cons. So the vegetables are already being taken care of. ;-)

Peace to you too, and thanks for your great input during this election season.

David
Morphing America? 11:30am on 06 Nov 2008 @55 "We promise to keep the toilet seat down if you promise to squeeze the toothpaste tube from the bottom..."

I could have done without that mental image;-)
Morphing America? 11:27am on 06 Nov 2008 @ 53 "Right; that's enough I'm off for a glass of wine and an early start to sort out the sheep and horses."

Drinking before breakfast isn't a good sign;-)

But seriously, an interesting take on America, politics, and life in general. I think I agree with you.
Unhelpful messages 1:42pm on 25 Oct 2008 eightypercent @219: "Give us a break, guys ! We've heard it all from you time and time again and it's not getting you anywhere."

Hi Mr 80! You're using this language of "us and them" quite a lot. I happen to agree with a lot of what you say, but not everything. I also agree with some things that are said by those who are not Obama supporters.

If you could make your argument and not assume there is an "us" that is behind every word it would, in my opinion, carry more weight rather than less.

Pedantic maybe, but if you're thinking it then better out than in I say ;-)
Unhelpful messages 00:44am on 25 Oct 2008 TmacPen @87

"I can say honestly" that you really need to see a doctor about that case of paranoia you've got. It could develop into something more serious. Seriously.
Why poll numbers vary 10:09am on 24 Oct 2008 About witches....I have no axe to grind but I have been to a wedding on a beach here in Scotland, which was overseen by two lovely people who referred to themselves as witches. Their own beliefs, it seemed to me, were all about becoming "connected" with what can be seen and felt and touched and smelt. A very earthy sort of faith.

For many years I was part of of an evangelical christianity that is probably the equivalent (in a very British way) of the sort of religion that Sarah Palin ascribes to. I believe it is a lot more prevalent in the US than here. I cannot accept the things I used to accept (and I have prayed against demons and witchcraft) but the people I knew were usually well meaning.

I think that the idea of praying "against" witches is an ignorant thing to do, and it is a concern, but it is almost certainly a part of the culture Palin grew up in. People should be concerned, but they should be far more concerned with her grasp of issues and her ability to lead and represent the whole nation, not just a small section of it.

Now that really is a worry.

«Newer
Older»

^ Back to top

BBC MMVI

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

BBC.co.uk

BBC Blog Network

Find and talk to the BBC's bloggers.

User Profile

potatoman65