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The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.
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Non-Christians invited to give Lodi council invocations: Why don't they participate?
As the controversy continues over local ministers offering prayers at the beginning of Lodi City Council meetings, the question has arisen about non-Christians being invited to participate.
In recent years, invocations at Council meetings have been dominated by Christian pastors.
No one from the Buddhist Church of Lodi has participated.
Or the Lodi Muslim Mosque.
Or the Deshmesh Darbar Sikh Temple.
Or Lodi Rabbi Raphael Pazo.
It's not that non-Christian faiths haven't been invited. City Clerk Randi Johl said that she mails letters to all religious leaders in Lodi at the beginning of each year. Then it's up to the pastor to respond and set up a date with Johl for him or her to give the invocation.
City spokesman Jeff Hood said that Natalie Reyes, representing the Baha'i faith, gave an invocation several times in the late 1990s and early years of this decade.
Former Lodi Muslim Mosque President Mohammad Shoaib and Sikh temple board Secretary BalBahadur Paul say they aren't aware of any invitations from the city. Paul said that if the temple was invited, it would definitely come to his attention. Both said their houses of worship would participate if invited.
"Why not? Absolutely," Paul said. "Everybody is created equal."
New Lodi Muslim Mosque President Khan Afsar added, "We are willing — anywhere, anyplace, anytime."
Pazo, the Jewish rabbi from Lodi, declined to participate.
"I've been asked, and I've refused," Pazo said. "The business being transacted there has nothing to do with any church. It's inappropriate. It is not related to God."
The Rev. Harry Gyoko Bridge, minister of the Lodi Buddhist church from 2006 until he was transferred to Oakland in January, said he declined because Lodi churches don't practice interfaith dialogue very much.
"I'm sure I could have said something appropriate, like about being mindful of our motivations and striving to act with wisdom and compassion," Bridge said in an e-mail.
"Perhaps if there were more interfaith dialogue already occurring in the religious community, I would have felt more comfortable participating," Bridge said. "I understand that there used to be, but that it stopped at some point several years before I arrived."
The Lodi Buddhist Church hasn't had a minister since Bridge left. Church President Gordon Nitta said it would be up to the new minister whether to offer a prayer at City Council meetings.
Paul, from the Sikh temple, suggested that an interfaith board be established in the community so that events can be scheduled where representatives from different faiths can discuss their religion with each other.
Lodi has a ministerial association, but it is limited to Christian pastors, according to its president, Kevin Suess.
Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.
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Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 16, 2009 6:31 PM:
Victim Status of that level is as fragile as a soap bubble - a prick will pop it. "
Lodian wrote on Sep 16, 2009 9:08 AM:
rantraves wrote on Sep 16, 2009 8:59 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 16, 2009 7:28 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 16, 2009 5:11 AM:
You see, Mr. Kimono, after stepping into a handy alcove (click, click, click) to change from his street clothes into the colorful tights, mask and authentic cape of "Mr. Free Speech", whines to the LNS management until the episodes of Jerry and Dottie are deleted. "
Lodian wrote on Sep 16, 2009 12:36 AM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 15, 2009 9:44 PM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 15, 2009 8:23 PM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 15, 2009 7:59 PM:
Lenny my boy
10-4!
:) "
dyan wrote on Sep 15, 2009 7:39 PM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 15, 2009 5:56 PM:
Dyan is my attempt to understand the conservative mind. With each issue, I try to imagine what I would think if I were a complete idiot AND a conservative (but I repeat myself). What leaps to mind is then what is written under Dyan's name.
LOL!!!
This is either the greatest fraud perpetrated on these fora since Brian claimed to be a Navy SEAL or it is complete B.S. "
dyan wrote on Sep 15, 2009 1:42 PM:
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 15, 2009 1:24 PM:
The ugly truth is thatDyan is now and always has been my subtle attempt at satire.Perhaps I should say TOO SUBTLE attempt at satire since the inherent irony in her posts has apparently gone completely unnoticed.
Dyan is my attempt to understand the conservative mind. With each issue, I try to imagine what I would think if I were a complete idiot AND a conservative (but I repeat myself). What leaps to mind is then what is written under Dyan's name.
I will admit that, stylistically,I did start off with Brian as my archetype is mindless dogmatism and complete disregard for the facts formed my compass in the early months.
Since then, however, Dyan has proven to be a useful tool for me, as I try to navigate my way through the currents of today's politics. Trying to know the mind of the enemy sharpens ones own understanding and outlook. I hope that you will all understand if I continue to use this useful tool to explore our ever changing world.
As Dyan, of course,I will deny everything.
-D(ixon i)VAN "
dyan wrote on Sep 15, 2009 12:54 PM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 15, 2009 12:00 PM:
I wouldn't know, but glad you feel good about it. "
dyan wrote on Sep 15, 2009 11:47 AM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 15, 2009 11:30 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 15, 2009 8:56 AM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 15, 2009 8:23 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 15, 2009 7:01 AM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 14, 2009 8:37 PM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 14, 2009 8:36 PM:
uncle stinky wrote on Sep 14, 2009 8:10 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 14, 2009 7:51 PM:
Do you have your own? Is there a valid comparison by an expert of the two? Doesn't matter.
What matters is you "Feel" she is intelligent. "
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 14, 2009 5:32 PM:
Funny how the free thinkers coalesce into fewer bloggers, but the regressives keep creating more new monikers. "
Lodian wrote on Sep 14, 2009 3:35 PM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 14, 2009 3:34 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 14, 2009 1:51 PM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 14, 2009 1:08 PM:
" Lodian=Voter. Same Person "
Well, that's a compliment for me, but I doubt it's a compliment to voter. Voter is much more intelligent than I. :-) "
dyan wrote on Sep 14, 2009 12:49 PM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 14, 2009 12:36 PM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 14, 2009 11:06 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 14, 2009 10:47 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 14, 2009 10:42 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 14, 2009 9:14 AM:
pooreastside wrote on Sep 14, 2009 8:02 AM:
I still say, anyone who wants to attend is free to do so. They don't ask for your religion or lack of at the door.
Isn't it funny when you don't agree with someones point of view, all of a sudden it is because you are uneducated or don't understand?
I understand enough to know some of these blogs are personal against other posters, back and forth with nonsense directed at each other. Pat Maple for one. "
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:51 PM:
Don't you go changing Bryan! "
Lodian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 9:45 PM:
" Hang on to your guns, Lenny! That will be the Messiah's next move, right after amnesty for illegals... and he says they won't be covered in the health care plan. Right! "
Does anyone think Brian is still under the impression that we all think he and dyan are two different people? Who does he think he's foolin'? "
Lodian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 9:41 PM:
Hmmm, what do ya think, Bob? lol! "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:12 PM:
" Leonard: You make a good point, but it wouldn't apply to your situation since you used that same first and last name when you wrote a letter to the editor a few years ago.
Hmmm.... I certainly don't recall that one AND, since I have never attached a physical address to the Leonard Pone name, it seems pretty darn unlikely.
Do you recall what the letter was about?
I started using pseudonyms years ago after a fellow I knew who posted on the religious forum at the New York Times was forced to move by anti abortion fanatics who threatened to kill his wife and children after he made pro choice posts under his own name. "
dyan wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:10 PM:
Aimee wrote on Sep 13, 2009 6:25 PM:
LOL!!! "
Aimee wrote on Sep 13, 2009 6:24 PM:
I'm not very good at coming up with nicknames, although I'm told that Bob WhoSays Nothing has christened me with some sort of a nickname that is a cross between Brian's name and my own. Guess he's got a bit more imagination that I do. "
Aimee wrote on Sep 13, 2009 6:15 PM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 5:45 PM:
Did you actually buy a firearm? "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 5:44 PM:
Face to face you probably don't have nearly the nerve. Choose your battles wisely sir.
Chuckle...
As always with Brian it finally comes to the threat of physical violence.
Don't worry though, my friend, I certainly do not. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 4:44 PM:
If you fire your weapon in the same way you fire your mouth, you most certainly would not be one of them.
-Coming from a person who makes it a habit of talking a lot of long sh&#, I take it you don't like the competition?
Face to face you probably don't have nearly the nerve. Choose your battles wisely sir. Some day you might find out that I'm not so quick to buckle at the knees as you make me out to be. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 4:06 PM:
" I have often been persuaded by Al Gore to use the internet even though it's a bold face lie that he invented it.
Indeed, and one almost exclusively spread by conservative nit wits. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 4:05 PM:
I've often been persuaded by you to get a conceal and carry license. Whether you realize it or not, there are probably just a many liberals that don't want to take away our right to bear arms as conservatives.
Actually, I was trying to persuade you to buy and maintain a firearm.
While I absolutely support the right to bear arms and I believe that the requirement that a citizen obtain a government permit to exercise that permit, there are very few people who I would actually encourage to carry a weapon on a daily basis.
If you fire your weapon in the same way you fire your mouth, you most certainly would not be one of them.
I am curious though. Have you actually purchased a weapon and made the transition from subject to citizen? "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 4:00 PM:
Was this after you posted your full name on the forum section of this site, Mr. Pone?
Chuckle....
Is there some rule that says online monikers can't have last names? "
Aimee wrote on Sep 13, 2009 2:59 PM:
Was this after you posted your full name on the forum section of this site, Mr. Pone? "
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 13, 2009 2:56 PM:
Lodian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 2:10 PM:
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:57 AM:
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:51 AM:
I can see where you might find it a rare occasion for you to be persuaded by a conservative. Perhaps it's your unwillingness to seek a common ground with them. But then if you were to admit this you couldn't play the victim anymore. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:45 AM:
I am curious. What would be an example of an issue on which you were persuaded by a liberal? "
I've often been persuaded by you to get a conceal and carry license. Whether you realize it or not, there are probably just a many liberals that don't want to take away our right to bear arms as conservatives. And on climate change, you have persuaded me on many occasions to seek a common ground with you on this issue. I'm not too sure that I could say the same thing for you. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:37 AM:
Perhaps you do not realize it, but the LNS is quite unusual in the way that it attracts posters of all partisan stripes.
-I do realize it. And I also realize that the left has this unquenchable thirst to be intellectually dishonest.
I call them as I see them. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:25 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:24 AM:
-I'm always open to ideas from anyone, regardless of their political affiliation, and I don't find it a betrayal of my party that I am persuaded by a liberal
I am curious. What would be an example of an issue on which you were persuaded by a liberal? "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:22 AM:
It's quite simple that if Obama cuts 500 billion from medicare many seniors
will suffer. Not that I should expect you to be persuaded by such a simpleminded person like me. A convoluted mind like yours just doesn't have the time to get down to such basic
and rudimentary thinking. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:18 AM:
" Leonard's view of reality is all-knowing, all-seeing. Disagree with him at your own risk. "
-It's gotta be tough being Leonard. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 10:12 AM:
I wonder, do you want to be persuaded by liberals?
-I'm always open to ideas from anyone, regardless of their political affiliation, and I don't find it a betrayal of my party that I am persuaded by a liberal. I don't struggle nearly as much as you to cross the aisle. And I don't wear my political affiliation on my shirtsleeve
nearly a much as you. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 9:32 AM:
I can accept that. But I can't accept the fact that you inist on telling people their posts are unacceptable and then go on to post things more unacceptable.
With the exception of your use of racial epithets and extreme homophobia, I do not think that most of your posts are unacceptable.
For the most part, they are just simpleminded. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 9:29 AM:
-But this still doesn't erase the fact that you believe you are head over heals
in your thinking than anyone here, even regardless of their political affiliation.
I am always intrigued by your apparent belief that you know what I am thinking.
On the contrary, the reason I post here is because of the quick and interesting thinking that comes from both sides of the aisles. Perhaps you do not realize it, but the LNS is quite unusual in the way that it attracts posters of all partisan stripes.
It is true that some posters here simply do not have the intellectual gifts they need to make a meaningful contribution but, these unfortunate individuals only make up a small percentage of the posters on either side. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 9:25 AM:
I really don't think
he wants a conservative to persuade him.
Wow! Another stunning observation!
I wonder, do you want to be persuaded by liberals? "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 9:15 AM:
There are plenty of intelligent conservatives who post here.
-But this still doesn't erase the fact that you believe you are head over heals
in your thinking than anyone here, even regardless of their political affiliation. I can accept that. But I can't accept the fact that you inist on telling people their posts are unacceptable and then go on to post things more unacceptable. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 9:02 AM:
people to higher standards than himself. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:57 AM:
he wants a conservative to persuade him. "
dyan wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:41 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:37 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:34 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:32 AM:
You constantly remind all of us conservatives that we couldn't possibly know or understand anything as well
as a liberal like you.
Yeah, that one isn't going to fly. There are plenty of intelligent conservatives who post here. You just don't happen to be one of them. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:09 AM:
I'm sure Stalin made many statements that people use on a daily basis. But that won't keep you from slinging
mudd at people you refuse to find any common ground with. "
Brian wrote on Sep 13, 2009 8:02 AM:
You constantly remind all of us conservatives that we couldn't possibly know or understand anything as well
as a liberal like you. Your reputation as an arrogant and condescending person precedes you.
You seem to be quite proud of these traits. "
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 12, 2009 10:33 PM:
Is Bryan a closet pinko??? "
Leonard wrote on Sep 12, 2009 6:57 PM:
That being said, I'm sure you're aware
of Stalin's track record.
Absolutely. The man was a monster. I just don't believe that you know anything about the subject.
If I have learned one thing over the last few years on these fora, it is that your ignorance is both broad and deep. "
Brian wrote on Sep 12, 2009 1:33 PM:
" Brian wrote on Sep 12, 2009 12:10 PM:
Seems fitting for them to repeat history.
Chuckle....
Are you going to tell us about history, Brian? "
-Unless they had already decided to remove anything bad about Stalin's regime in the name of political correctness when you went to college. That being said, I'm sure you're aware
of Stalin's track record. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 12, 2009 1:10 PM:
" Voter: Not trying to...remember opinions are like...everyone has one.
And, as Patrick reminds us, some have two or three. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 12, 2009 12:48 PM:
Seems fitting for them to repeat history.
Chuckle....
Are you going to tell us about history, Brian? "
Brian wrote on Sep 12, 2009 12:10 PM:
With the possible exception of the communists, I don't think there has ever been a nation that didn't think God was on their side. "
-Good,
Then I think it's safe to say that there are some Communists who are intentionally trying to remove all
references of God and there is no better place to start then make government the new religon. It happened in Russia. Seems fitting for them to repeat history. "
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 12, 2009 11:28 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 12, 2009 10:42 AM:
Many people believe that it was the will of God that America was created.
With the possible exception of the communists, I don't think there has ever been a nation that didn't think God was on their side. "
Brian wrote on Sep 12, 2009 10:19 AM:
" I think Rabbi Pazo put it best, these meetings have nothing to do with God, why do we need any religious invocation?
-Obviously this Rabbi has never seen this inscription on the wall and is therefore not touched by the significance of what it says. "
Brian wrote on Sep 12, 2009 10:17 AM:
Many people believe that it was the will of God that America was created.
So, I disagree that these meetings don't have anything to do with God. "
Brian wrote on Sep 12, 2009 10:12 AM:
Then how do you explain
the "In God We Trust" inscribed in the stone wall in the House of Representatives. "
snowridah wrote on Sep 12, 2009 8:37 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 12, 2009 7:55 AM:
Methphors...
Chuckle.... "
voter wrote on Sep 12, 2009 7:15 AM:
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 12, 2009 6:48 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 12, 2009 5:48 AM:
Get a set.
Patrick, have you been sniffing around my crotch again?
I told you already, I don't swing that way.
As for getting a set, you wouldn't know a set if they were smiling down on you in all their magnificence. The only thing you know about cajones is what you've seen in those nasty magazines you read. "
Robb wrote on Sep 11, 2009 8:29 PM:
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 11, 2009 6:09 PM:
" Thank you for the thoughtful editing, Mr. Terrible. Your compassion speaks volumes
I am sorry Mr Dyan, I had not realized that you required compassion. Does your condition prevent you from seeking employment?
If so, kindly post your address and I will be happy to send you a few bucks to support you and your family (although I suspect I am already doing that with my tax dollars).
We Jews have always made seen alms for the mentally disabled as a virtue. "
voter wrote on Sep 11, 2009 5:14 PM:
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 11, 2009 4:15 PM:
Billy: You HAVE nothing to teach...if you did you would have imparted your knowledge by now...stick with the hyperbolic world you live in. "
Mystery girl wrote on Sep 11, 2009 2:53 PM:
Pazo, the Jewish rabbi from Lodi, declined to participate.
"I've been asked, and I've refused," Pazo said. "The business being transacted there has nothing to do with any church. It's inappropriate. It is not related to God."
The comments and the atheists who participated comes to mind. Why comment on things that have absolutely nothing to do with them?
What is related to God?
Not much in the responses so far...Cheesy grin...
Mystery Girl.xx "
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 11, 2009 1:35 PM:
Poor Rhodie. "
Rhodie wrote on Sep 11, 2009 1:27 PM:
Rhodie wrote on Sep 11, 2009 1:23 PM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 11, 2009 12:15 PM:
I appreciate your hunger to learn what I have to teach, Pat, but we have much work to do before you’re receptive. Right now you’re still too twisted up in your affected trauma. "
Rhodie wrote on Sep 11, 2009 11:03 AM:
I guess he thinks it is okay when he says it. "
Rhodie wrote on Sep 11, 2009 10:59 AM:
I have often wondered about the wisdoms and knowledge that was lost from the Native American tribes after Europeans decimated their tribes.
When I travel, one of my favorite things to do is talk with Native American (and really any tribal culture) artists about the traditions behind the art and reasonings why. I've spent hours at reservation visitor centers absorbing history and traditions. It is a shame that so many Americans treat this aspect of our nations history with such disrespect. "
dyan wrote on Sep 11, 2009 10:54 AM:
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 11, 2009 10:43 AM:
Thank you for that bit of protection...I will sleep easier in my tipi tonight.
Context...background, circumstances, milieu or situation...you place the emphasis of your statement on religious persecution, not the fact...the land was taken for reasons OTHER than God.
Straw man (two words): an issue or person of little significance, put forward to be easily defeated. Be an educator not an enemy...fill this blog with intelligence that we can all use Billy. Why make us wait?
dyan: We played a game called hoops dating back to the 1200's. In the 1500's the Cherokee tribe devised sewer systems, hot water systems, and a host of other civilized ways...like two story homes with wood floors and shutters. You should see their tipis now! "
dyan wrote on Sep 11, 2009 9:28 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 11, 2009 8:41 AM:
I want you to know, Pat, that I had nothing to do with your death. If that was, like you said, a roving pack of rabid Christians, rest easy knowing that I oppose their immorality and violence as much as you.
And you surely are confusing me with Jerome R. Kinderman (easy to do because the guy has a string of aliases about forty miles long), because I never said a word about curtailing your free speech – I only pointed out your rank hypocrisy. I understand your need to build a strawman for your stories, but it’s not me. "
dyan wrote on Sep 11, 2009 7:48 AM:
rantraves wrote on Sep 11, 2009 7:20 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 11, 2009 7:20 AM:
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 11, 2009 7:14 AM:
Leonard: Only those who play the game get hurt...I learned a long time ago that only a MAN of convictions uses his real name. Get a set. "
rantraves wrote on Sep 11, 2009 7:10 AM:
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 10, 2009 9:33 PM:
Please repeat so I can sent it to Bill Gates.
It appears to speak some sort of pidgin English. "
jeff wrote on Sep 10, 2009 8:06 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 7:54 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 7:49 PM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 10, 2009 5:11 PM:
Wow.
They ridiculed you, killed you and took your land?!
Thank goodness you got better.
I’ll have to be more considerate of your delicate condition now that I know you personally were so traumatized.
As far as people “like me” who, as you claim, ridiculed you, killed you and took your land “…because of the centuries old beliefs in a Supreme Being and the use of Wisdom from those sources, I think you need to re-examine those reputed sources of wisdom – they don't seem very effective. "
Leonard wrote on Sep 10, 2009 4:41 PM:
Leonard: Be a man and use your whole name.
See... I made little Patrick cry.
Patrick, I learned long ago that only a complete and total moron uses his real name on online fora. "
jeff wrote on Sep 10, 2009 4:21 PM:
jeff wrote on Sep 10, 2009 3:54 PM:
here's a word for you to look up. metacognition. it seems like it's something you have little experience with. "
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 10, 2009 3:52 PM:
I call these people asses too. The statement stands.
Leonard: Be a man and use your whole name.
Ivan: Why do we keep looking into space? We already know everything we need to...we are all going to die some day...why does Science keep looking? "
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 10, 2009 3:39 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 3:34 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 3:31 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 3:29 PM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 10, 2009 3:09 PM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 10, 2009 3:03 PM:
But at least face your own silliness, Pat. It's the only path to getting better.
Don't laugh at Patrick. It makes him REALLY angry and he's liable to start calling you names. "
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 10, 2009 2:40 PM:
Are you asking me for the Secrets of Creation? I'm sort of limited for space, here, Pat. Why not open a science book and find out?
The origin of God? Well, the short answer is that he’s man-made.
What else would you like to know? Ask.
You called another blogger an ass for his post before going on at length telling us about how your particular brand of name-calling is inherently more worthy than any others’ and is therefore somehow exempt from your own ridiculous Blog Cop regulations. Now, I’m not opposed to calling other bloggers asses when they are and, in fact, I may have done it – though I don’t think I’ve ever used exactly that word. But at least face your own silliness, Pat. It's the only path to getting better. "
Lodian wrote on Sep 10, 2009 2:25 PM:
" The genetic code, Ivan- the genetic code.Can you comprehend the odds of that or is it beyond the powers of your little mind? "
dyan: You don't value math, so what do you care? "
Lodian wrote on Sep 10, 2009 2:22 PM:
" dyan, Now, I will agree you are more educated in two areas: christianity and crazy. "
LOL! Crazy, for sure. :-) Christianity... not so much. "
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 10, 2009 1:53 PM:
The matter comes to choice...choose one...I choose the other. "
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 10, 2009 1:47 PM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 10, 2009 11:17 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 10, 2009 11:15 AM:
Isn't this what people who can't comprehend a concept always do? Obviously, you don't understand the odds in random creation of the genetic code.
The problem here, as I see it, is that you simply don't understand the concept of odds.
What Ivan is saying is true, statistically speaking, it is less likely that a supreme being popped into existence and then created the Universe, than that the Universe itself simply popped into existence.
Of course, for those of us who's religious beliefs are based on faith, this sort of thing does not actually pose a problem. "
jeff wrote on Sep 10, 2009 11:10 AM:
the idea of a creator, or anything "beyond" the scope of the universe, cannot be proven or disproven. It is one of the implications of the incompleteness theorems of kurt godel. this also sets up the premise for the movie, the matrix. go ahead, read up. i studied and wrote a paper on godel as an undergraduate. "
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 10:48 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 10:46 AM:
jeff wrote on Sep 10, 2009 10:39 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 10:28 AM:
jeff wrote on Sep 10, 2009 10:22 AM:
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 9:49 AM:
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 10, 2009 9:14 AM:
Have you ever considered a career as an organ donor? It seems to be the only path to usefulness that is open to an individual such as yourself. "
jeff wrote on Sep 10, 2009 9:13 AM:
btw, what in THE heck does this mean, 'Can't you only think of time as measured by the Earth's rotation around the Sun, Mr. Terrible?' Are you really asking if he has the ability to ONLY think of time relative to the Earth's orbit?
Please, keep talking, but remember, better to be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt. "
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 10, 2009 9:12 AM:
-Ivan,
This doesn't mean that a supreme being doesn't exist. And you can't refute
that a genetic code exists.
Of course it doesn't mean that a Supreme Being does not exist. What it DOES mean is that it is statistically more likely that life was created through a random set of events than that it was created by a Supreme Being.
In an infinite universe, everything is "possible". "
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 9:06 AM:
Brian wrote on Sep 10, 2009 8:31 AM:
" Mr Dyan, I did answer your silly little question.
It is a statistical fact that it is MORE likely that life formed due to a random set of events than that a Supreme Being capable of creating life sprang into being on its own.
-Ivan,
This doesn't mean that a supreme being doesn't exist. And you can't refute
that a genetic code exists.
We'll have to excuse Ivan for his mind being on permanent reverse. "
Brian wrote on Sep 10, 2009 8:25 AM:
" Bryan, there simply is no hope for you.
-Perhaps you're right that there is no hope for me to convince you how much you make a fool out of yourself everytime you raise your ugly head on these bloggs. "
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 10, 2009 8:20 AM:
It is a statistical fact that it is MORE likely that life formed due to a random set of events than that a Supreme Being capable of creating life sprang into being on its own.
Of course, asking an individual like yourself, who was apparently incapable of comprehending even basic Algebra, to deal with questions of math and statistics is like asking a dung beetle to compose a sonnet. "
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 7:58 AM:
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 10, 2009 7:46 AM:
" The genetic code, Ivan- the genetic code.Can you comprehend the odds of that or is it beyond the powers of your little mind?
Hmmm... if the odds of that are great, what are the odds of a supreme being who could create it just popping into existence out of no where.
Surely greater, I would think.
Can you comprehend that with your little, tiny, puny mindlet, Mr. Dyan? "
dyan wrote on Sep 10, 2009 7:24 AM:
davidd wrote on Sep 10, 2009 6:48 AM:
This allows *everyone* to pray in the manner they choose, or not pray if they so choose.
More details at www.LodiUnited.org. "
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 10, 2009 6:07 AM:
Ivan Dixon wrote on Sep 10, 2009 4:53 AM:
" Gee. If a supreme being does not exist, how did life begin? "
Well Mr Dyan, here's another imponderable.
If a supreme being DOES exist, who created it?
Answer me that one and I will give you a shiny, valuable wooden nickle. "
sooziesdad wrote on Sep 10, 2009 1:31 AM:
ordinarycitizen wrote on Sep 10, 2009 12:37 AM:
ordinarycitizen wrote on Sep 10, 2009 12:20 AM:
religiousnonsense wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:38 PM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:31 PM:
KenH, I appreciate your sentiment, but I must disagree with your comment, "There is no right from wrong when it comes to religions..."
There ARE religious wrongs and they are reported daily. Religions that teach members to kill, to hate, to subjugate others. Those are teachings of religions that are considered today to be thoroughly mainline.
There are people who regularly post on these blogs that would gladly mount a crusade or jihad to subdue citizens with whom they disagree - all while mouthing religious platitudes.
There are certainly bad religions with evil people who follow them. "
Cogito wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:28 PM:
davidd wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:21 PM:
KenH wrote on Sep 9, 2009 9:37 PM:
I also believe that humor is the best medicine, waking up with a good chuckle is a whole lot better than %$#@. So, as contribution to the story, I posted a well written and humorous verse that was indeed on topic. Who knows, an editor/writer probably got a chuckle out of it. "
dogs4you wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:51 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:49 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:47 PM:
voter wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:04 PM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 9, 2009 5:47 PM:
Are you able to accept the application of your accusations to religious zealots, including many so-called Christians?
"The [religious zealots] seldom answer questions", and that is often the case - we've seen it here many times.
"The [zealots] mock what they choose to not understand", you proved it earlier with your own "...let me make silly of your belief" comment.
"[Zealots] congregate in small groups and espouse THEIR beliefs...", like the Christians demanding Christian prayers be the official government prayer at city meetings?
"...all the while trying to deny others theirs in the SAME venue" you said - and it is most often the case. "
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 9, 2009 4:15 PM:
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 9, 2009 4:11 PM:
LodiFreeThinker wrote on Sep 9, 2009 3:53 PM:
Very well said, thanks for that. It is a lovely town, full of all kinds of people.
I would like to concur with davidd.
Anyone; pastafarians, rastafarians, buddhists, christians, sikhs and everyone in between, if you believe our public meetings are best served by a policy of inclusion, versus narrow protection of one faith, please join us at www.LodiUnited.org or on Facebook by searching for "Lodi United". "
Wickster wrote on Sep 9, 2009 3:22 PM:
goaskalice wrote on Sep 9, 2009 3:16 PM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 9, 2009 1:24 PM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 9, 2009 1:19 PM:
Your demand for respect after calling another poster an ass relieves you of the expectation of recieving it; further, you have no reason to expect protection of your beliefs from being "mocked". Yours are no better than anyone else's and "Freedom of Religion" and "Freedom of Speech" are terms with which you should become acquainted. "
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 9, 2009 12:51 PM:
Separation of church and state means that the State cannot dictate which, what or where religion can be observed. We are the State. We vote...and as We do laws are made or unmade. That is until the Courts change our minds. You can worship all that you wish..or not...without mocking others. I wish people spent this much effort and air on more important things like child abuse and political claptrap that ruins lives. "
Godfather wrote on Sep 9, 2009 12:13 PM:
religiousnonsense wrote on Sep 9, 2009 11:52 AM:
What ever happened to the separation of church and state? "
Cogito wrote on Sep 9, 2009 11:32 AM:
Cogito wrote on Sep 9, 2009 11:31 AM:
Jeff wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:38 AM:
Cogito wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:30 AM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:04 AM:
Pastafarians unite! "
wtf wrote on Sep 9, 2009 9:43 AM:
Which is unfortunate.
The suggestion by Mr. Paul from the Sikh Temple regarding the formation of an interfaith board here in Lodi is spot on. Something along these lines would open communication, further understanding of the "unknown" (the other faiths) and, I think, go a long way to creating an even tighter knit community.
We really are not all that "different" from each other!
Honest! ;) "
Jenn H wrote on Sep 9, 2009 8:55 AM:
Mad Dog wrote on Sep 9, 2009 8:41 AM:
Jeff wrote on Sep 9, 2009 8:27 AM:
Peas be unto you. "
davidd wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:39 AM:
I have been told that the policy clearly states one must be a "faith-based leader" to give an invocation.
I looked for the policy online but was unable to find it. I will confirm. "
pooreastside wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:29 AM:
davidd wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:28 AM:
Cogito wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:28 AM:
yeah you wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:06 AM:
Cogito wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:06 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Sep 9, 2009 6:59 AM:
Pat Maple wrote:"What an ass." "
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 9, 2009 5:36 AM:
KenH wrote on Sep 9, 2009 5:31 AM:
Pat Maple wrote on Sep 9, 2009 5:24 AM:
KenH wrote on Sep 9, 2009 5:04 AM:
“Let us sing praise to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, for He is a loving God. Of His might and dominion, there is no compare; of His mercy and deliciousness, there is no equal. No other god can challenge Him; in the taste test, He is invincible. Through His pasta, He has blessed us with everlasting life, and holy is His Name. For He is the Flying Spaghetti Monster: the One, True, and Most High God, creator of man and midgit, giver of pasta, giver of sauce, from age to holy age; not created He was, but ever He lives, through the glory of spaghetti, now and forever. R'Amen.” "
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