->  ->> Who was it who said, "The Devil can quote scripture for his own
->  J> purposes?"
-> 
->  J> Actually a lot of people have. Shakespeare in Merchant of Venice
->  J> (Referring to Matthew Chapter four, which refers to Psalm 41.)
-> 
-> Not sure if you're right, but that's not important.

Wait, 'till I catch my breath! I'm shocked! Shocked! To think that you
don't consider me an ultimate authority.
Yeah, I was making it all up.
-> 
->  ->> The point is, the Flat Earth Society, (which still exists,
->  J> surprisingly,)
->  ->> can find scripture to back their strange view of the universe.
-> 
->  J> What is really mind-blowing is that strange as that might be (and
is)
->  J> stranger still is the universe(s) of the Quantum field, string
theory,
->  J> dark matter, cosmic acceleration, antiparticles borrowing energy to
->  J> become...to become! Space time and ten (or11) dimensions, parallel
->  J> universes...
-> 
-> Oh yeah. The more we study the universe, it just becomes more and more
-> incredible. Not the severely limited universe of the Bible-thumpers.
Depends on who is doing the thumping: I thump it; I think everyone should
be conversant with it, as part of our culture; that it contains much wisdom
and beautiful poetry and glimpses of ancient beliefs...after that how far
you want to go into the heart rather than the logic of the bible is up to
the individual. I my view eventually you see more and more clearly just how
rich it is and how it has managed to survive as well as it has for as Long
as it has...  
-> 
->  ->> Fred Phelps can too.
-> 
->  J> Is he someone I should look up?
-> 
-> Only if you don't mind getting pissed off.
-> He and his family "church" are the bunch that travel around
with their
-> "God Hates Fags" and "God Hates The US" signs.
-> They've been picketing military funerals, saying "God Hates Soldiers"
and
-> lately they've gone over to picketing Jews.
-> They're attention whores, and simply vicious.

Ah yes, I dimly remember. 
-> 
->  ->> So can the "God says to make me rich" preachers.
-> 
->  J> Rich preachers piss me off.
-> 
-> Especially the ones that are obviously rich yet continue to beg for
-> money, like Pat Robertson.
A unique case: a Presidential Candidate who informs us regularly that God
tells him several things, political in nature, I think...A lawyer who found
out that with a legal organization one can with ease garner a billion
dollars...once your business becomes tax free...  
-> 
->  J> But then, rich congressmen piss me off too, if they weren't rich
when
->  J> they got into politics...
-> 
-> Or if they got rich DUE TO their politics, like the corrupt bastard Dick
-> Cheney.
The rich appointed Cheney to follow The Plan, which required a a crisis to
implement. Nest-o timing. Could have worked. Republicans could have been
permanently ensconced. Hitler could have won. I might not have become the
worlds greatest poet. 
-> 
 
-> Snyder comes across as an intolerant asshole.

The opinion held by a non-Christian doesn't bother him, and if he is of
martyr - mind to any degree, probably enjoys being scorned. (Although his
replies lack judicial restraint, becoming more rant like...The thought
occurs to me: Maybe he has read quite a bit of Ingersol, and fears
argument.
-> 
->  J> Ive Been studying and enjoying the study of the Bible for 62 years
now
->  J> and I'm still studying it and am far from being a biblical
scholar...
->  J> (I've also become a  lover of the Koran, The Bhagavad Gita - Sufi's,
->  J> Jains, Buddhists (Mahayana)...It's a wonderful theological world
-and
->  J> a great hobby. So, I'm a heretic. So, I started my own church. :-)
The
->  J> only one I know not looking for new members or money :-)
-> 
-> Yeah, I started my own club years ago, BAT.
-> Burn All Ties.
-> 
-> I hate wearing a tie, and feel those useless hunks of cloth should be
-> burned. 
-> 
Because many years ago I once wanted to be super-hip, (60's) and I paid a
lot of money for cuff-links. I still have the damn things, and haven't worn
a tie OR cuff links for the last 40 years... :-)
Banning other people from wearing ties however, makes you of course a
fascist of the worst order and should be whipped to death. Freedom!

-> 
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5