Equal Protection for all Religion?

No, I wouldn't. I don't know what you mean by "the heavens" nor by "complex".

"My shmaguffle is brabtoquirous." also isn't a fact for quite the same reason.

brabtoquirous - is a drug extracted from a complex turquoise compound with infinite synergistic properties. some people get shmaguffled on the stuff.

ghost dog wrote: to protect genuine Satanist one would have to allow LaVeyin satanists and contrarian satanist to be laughed off the face of the Earth.

How do you define genuine? If someone believes something truely, regardless of whether they're LaVeyan Satanist, Christian, or church of the flying spaghetti monster... who are you to tell someone they are not genuine?

I am Nobody. I am stating this in regards to freedom of religion. Will you allow me my freedom?

Can i not laugh at those who hate individuals for thinking for themselves? Or would it make you more comfortable if i toed the line silently unresponsive to the masses of lemmings that mock the Truth?

ghost dog wrote: I am Nobody. I am stating this in regards to freedom of religion. Will you allow me my freedom?

I wasn't aware that I was preventing it... when I say 'who are you'.. I am not talking you specifically, I am talking about generally.

Edan wrote: How do you define genuine? If someone believes something truely, regardless of whether they're LaVeyan Satanist, Christian, or church of the flying spaghetti monster... who are you to tell someone they are not genuine?

I have this same conversation all the time with a coworker who thinks all subsets of Christianity other than hers (which she just refers to as being Christian) aren't actually Christians. Well they are, they're just not the same kind of Christian as you are.

The world is so full of people who refuse to see things from another person's perspective. Why can't everyone see that they're all wrong and I'm right about this? :laugh: _{see what I did there?} :laugh:

ghost dog wrote: would it make you more comfortable if i toed the line silently unresponsive to the masses of lemmings that mock the Truth?

Truth does not need protection. Truth persists no matter what people think of it or how they treat it. People mocking it does not bother it at all.

Nobody was not bothered. Nobody has no body to protect. That is why Nobody makes some people uncomfortable. that is why the question is posed "who is Nobody to speak of the Truth?"

Truth is hard to find for some, and impossible, in this incarnation, to find for others.

Why was the library in Alexandria burnt to the ground?

Whether the Truth needs protection or not is a matter of opinion. If people cared about Truth most christians would not think that christmas is a christian holiday.

should the truth about how to purify water be protected? if that truth is lost so will more life be lost. some people think this is a good thing.

"Who is Nobody to say "the self professed vegan that eats Mickey D's, sausage, and various animal based carion every day is not a genuine vegan.""ghost dog. "if a carrion eater of all types of animal flesh wants to claim to be a vegan, as long as they truly believe it, they are genuine." somebody.

ghost dog wrote: If people cared about Truth most christians would not think that christmas is a christian holiday.

Okay, look:

"Christmas" comes from the original title "Christ's Mass", which is a mass (service/ceremony) in which Christ is celebrated. The focus for Christmas has always been the nativity, due to the nature of the narrative of the religion, so the birth of Christ has always been central to the holiday.

Do we (Christians) really believe Christ was born on Dec 25? No. We don't. We know He wasn't because a) his historicity is still in the air, and b) if it weren't, contextual cues put the time of his birth closer to the general time period of the celebration of the Jewish new year on the first of Tishrei (which usually falls in September in more Western calendars). Not that any of that matters any more than deciding to hold your birthday celebration on Saturday when your birthday is on Tuesday because people have work schedules.

So, why is Christmas celebrated in December? Partly because of Saturnalia, partly because of Yule, partly because Christianity was lacking a winter solstice holiday. We stole bits and pieces of both of the previously mentioned celebrations partly to Christianize those peoples and partly because those peoples became Christian.

Stop saying Christmas isn't a Christian holiday. It very clearly is, since we rather kind of invented it. It just happens to take place coincidentally with other holidays which it shares similarities to because of syncretism of local faith.

steamboat28 wrote:

ghost dog wrote: If people cared about Truth most christians would not think that christmas is a christian holiday.

Stop saying Christmas isn't a Christian holiday. It very f***ing clearly is, since we rather kind of invented it. It just happens to take place coincidentally with other holidays which it shares similarities to because of syncretism of local faith.

Takes place coincidentally with other holidays.... no. Lets be clear, the leaders of this faith stole traditions from just about any faith viewed as a threat, then they placed their holy days right on top of others in vain attempts to stomp their faiths out of existence. Just about every tradition AND belief in Christianity is "borrowed" from paganism or some other faith.