The Swamp

Congrats J-Lo

Providence, RI Named Most Godless City In U.S.

howard wrote:Congrats J-Lo

Providence, RI Named Most Godless City In U.S.

Already been deemed dubious. I'm working on it though.

My Facebook has no idea who I am...

Ray Comfort is banning people from his Facebook page for not using caps appropriately...

Why am I not following this page?


ETA: I wonder what his policy is on G-d. We know what Unhyphenated felt.

How does he feel about Al Jeezis and Joe Skydude?

Can he ban himself for using the idiotic description "giving caps" (presumably the distribution of hats) instead of "capitalization of proper nouns"?

With the way Most hardcore Christians randomly Capitalize, I'm guessing he'll be down to no Followers in a day Or two.

Scottie wrote:the idiotic description "giving caps" (presumably the distribution of hats)

God went with MACK, and Jeebus took a SKOAL (the green makes his eyes pop)

The internet is freaking out on Doris Burke right now over this...

Oh shit...

It's about time someone had a response like hers to an answer like his. In fact, that should be the norm.

I even love her follow up: You have nothing to do with it?

Classic.

I salute Durant for having the courage to come out as aChristian. It is tough in this day and age of persecution.

Doris Burke is forced to clarify her position...

He just took me by surprise with his reaction — not because he’s a believer, I’m a believer. It was an incredible demonstration of humility in the context of what has been a truly spectacular stretch.

Of course she gets it completely wrong. The idea that the creator of a 900 trillion light year sized universe intervenes in such a fashion that benefits your jump shot while mass suffering is occurring on a global level that would make the greatest sociopaths blush is hardly humility.

....aaaaaand she's back to being that Doris Burke again.

Either the Virgin Mary is visiting the holy land, or these folks have the worl'd first saint-shaped oil keg.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/02/12 ... cries-oil/

Let me ask you guys for some advice because I'm not sure if I should say something or let this go. My first grader was telling me about school yesterday as she always does and the teacher was giving a lesson about things that are real and fake and things that can be both. So she drew a Venn diagram, with real on one side, fake on the other, and then both in the middle of course. On the fake side she wrote things like Spongebob and Cat in the Hat. In the middle she wrote princesses. But the very first thing she wrote on the diagram on the real side is "God."

Now my daughter has no idea I'm an atheist or what that even is so she didn't think anything of it, she was just telling me the lesson. I also couldn't care less outside of the classroom what people tell my kids about religion. Hell my mother tries to rain down Jesus on them every chance she gets. I'm just not sure it's a public school teacher's job to tell kids that God is real, or even bring up God at all. It'd be just as wrong to tell them that God is fake and by the way...could you imagine if she'd ever put God on the fake side? There'd be parents outside that school with pitchforks.

Also, what if you have a kid in the class that really thinks God is fake? Now you're either forcing a 7 year old into a debate over the existence of God with her entire class or just alienating her in general.

So, although I wouldn't call this proselytizing, it just seems like a sleazy way to sneak religion into the classroom. I'm leaning towards saying something but I'm also worried about planting either a conscious or subconscious bias in that teacher's head against my kid.

I would suggest going to a school administrator (principal, vice-principal, etc.) instead of the teacher and just be "hey, I'm not sure if this actually happened because sometimes the message gets mixed up with little kids, ha ha ha, but (story about teacher saying god is real here) and I'm not sure that's a good thing since this is a public school and all, but I thought you might be interested because it's one of those things that sometimes can become and issue with some parents and you might want to check on it and nip it in the bud if it actually happened..."

I'd also add that you should suss out the Principal's level of belief before going in to see him. If he's a bible thumper, the discussion could lead you in a difficult direction.

But otherwise, the previous suggestion is a good one.

Now then, just imagine if the situation was reversed - if a grade two class was told that God didn't exist. There'd be a picket line up within 12 hours.

If I felt it were my duty as a public educator to indoctrinate children, that's exactly the under-the-radar tact I would use.

So you guys think go to the principal before talking to the teacher, huh? I guess I'd be worried about the teacher thinking I was undermining her. Does the principal have an obligation to keep that anonymous?

Principal is a woman by the way. Not that it matters; just clarifying for Pruitt's pronouns.

Jerloma wrote:So you guys think go to the principal before talking to the teacher, huh? I guess I'd be worried about the teacher thinking I was undermining her. Does the principal have an obligation to keep that anonymous?

Principal is a woman by the way. Not that it matters; just clarifying for Pruitt's pronouns.

i think you have the right idea. talk to the teacher. teacher could get defensive with the principal if you went over the teacher's head. if the teacher says "yeah, i did it.", then you go to the principal to lodge a complaint. she admitted it. and she shouldn't be doing that shit, anyway.

While I didn't put it in my original response, I did think about suggesting an anonymous letter to the principal/administrator. Part of that was because I had a nagging thought that attaching your name to it could lead to some sort of backlash against your kid, but I imagine paranoid scenarios like that sometimes.

Also, part of the reason I suggested going the administrator was because if the teacher has stronger religious beliefs (I assume this is possible or even likely due to the mention of god being real as opposed to the pen in her hand or her desk), any questioning about this would possibly be viewed as an attack on her and her religion, risking turning this conversation immediately adversarial. Hence, the casual discussion with the administrator, which is easily played off as "hey, maybe my kid didn't tell me exactly what happened/I misunderstood what she was saying" and "hey, I'm just looking out for you and the school because you know there are some wacko parents out there who might fly off the handle at something like this."

any questioning about this would possibly be viewed as an attack on her and her religion, risking turning this conversation immediately adversarial.

Exactly. While I'd normally welcome that conversation, the last thing I want to do is get in a debate with my kids' teacher over the existence of God.

I'd leave the school out of it and just tell my kid that's it's not clear at all that God is real. There are an infinite number of better examples for "real."

Now if it happened again a time or two, THEN I might speak up but otherwise the potential hassle is not even close to worth it.

Shirley wrote:I'd leave the school out of it and just tell my kid that's it's not clear at all that God is real. There are an infinite number of better examples for "real."

Now if it happened again a time or two, THEN I might speak up but otherwise the potential hassle is not even close to worth it.

This is correct, but I have a feeling Jerloma might think this more worthy of discussion than you or I would.

Pruitt wrote:Now then, just imagine if the situation was reversed - if a grade two class was told that God didn't exist. There'd be a picket line up within 12 hours.

In the States, sure. Here, not so much.

Confront the teacher with a copy of the diagram and ask point blank "Did you teach the children in your class that Spacemonster Boogeyman Biff is real?"

Don't try to get her fired and ruin her life. That's what PC leftist assholes would do if a teacher said "nigger" or "kike" or "retard" or whatever; they would do everything possible to fuck up that teacher's entire life. Don't be like that. PC assholes are a cancer on humanity. Explain to her that she violated a law of which she is doubtlessly well aware. Explain to her that there are a million real world examples of things that could be used on the "real side" of the Venn diagram. Boogeyman Biff is not one of them. Tell her you're not going to file a formal complaint. This time. Next time will be a different story.

Lo Lo Ma wrote:So, although I wouldn't call this proselytizing, it just seems like a sleazy way to sneak religion into the classroom.

It's very sleazy. And deliberate. I'd also ask my kid if this teacher has ever mentioned Biff before. In any capacity.

Jerloma wrote:Let me ask you guys for some advice because I'm not sure if I should say something or let this go. My first grader was telling me about school yesterday as she always does and the teacher was giving a lesson about things that are real and fake and things that can be both. So she drew a Venn diagram, with real on one side, fake on the other, and then both in the middle of course. On the fake side she wrote things like Spongebob and Cat in the Hat. In the middle she wrote princesses. But the very first thing she wrote on the diagram on the real side is "God."

Now my daughter has no idea I'm an atheist or what that even is so she didn't think anything of it, she was just telling me the lesson. I also couldn't care less outside of the classroom what people tell my kids about religion. Hell my mother tries to rain down Jesus on them every chance she gets. I'm just not sure it's a public school teacher's job to tell kids that God is real, or even bring up God at all. It'd be just as wrong to tell them that God is fake and by the way...could you imagine if she'd ever put God on the fake side? There'd be parents outside that school with pitchforks.

Also, what if you have a kid in the class that really thinks God is fake? Now you're either forcing a 7 year old into a debate over the existence of God with her entire class or just alienating her in general.

So, although I wouldn't call this proselytizing, it just seems like a sleazy way to sneak religion into the classroom. I'm leaning towards saying something but I'm also worried about planting either a conscious or subconscious bias in that teacher's head against my kid.

Haven't you seen enough evidence of how your State reacts when you attempt to take G-d out of the public schools?

Don't try to get her fired and ruin her life.

Yeah, I have the most zeroist intention of anything like that. I'm actually leaning towards just letting it go in fear that it would escalate to something beyond "please stop doing that."

Haven't you seen enough evidence of how your State reacts when you attempt to take G-d out of the public schools?

I have but I'm guessing nobody would want to rape me anyway.

Scottie wrote:
Confront the teacher with a copy of the diagram and ask point blank "Did you teach the children in your class that Spacemonster Boogeyman Biff is real?"

Don't try to get her fired and ruin her life. That's what PC leftist assholes would do if a teacher said "nigger" or "kike" or "retard" or whatever; they would do everything possible to fuck up that teacher's entire life. Don't be like that. PC assholes are a cancer on humanity. Explain to her that she violated a law of which she is doubtlessly well aware. Explain to her that there are a million real world examples of things that could be used on the "real side" of the Venn diagram. Boogeyman Biff is not one of them. Tell her you're not going to file a formal complaint. This time. Next time will be a different story.

Lo Lo Ma wrote:So, although I wouldn't call this proselytizing, it just seems like a sleazy way to sneak religion into the classroom.

It's very sleazy. And deliberate. I'd also ask my kid if this teacher has ever mentioned Biff before. In any capacity.

This is what I would emphasis but I would make it clear that her actions are crossing the line

howard wrote:Snake-handling Kentucky pastor dies after serpent bite

Apparently the Westboro Baptist Church is going to picket his funeral because of some sin or another. Or maybe just irony

Bensell wrote:

howard wrote:Snake-handling Kentucky pastor dies after serpent bite

Apparently the Westboro Baptist Church is going to picket his funeral because of some sin or another. Or maybe just irony

I wish WBC would take the mantle on the snake handling thing. If there was a G-d...

Pat's still the best...

I don’t want to get graphic — that guy on Duck Dynasty got graphic and it got a little disgusting — but when you see what they do, it’s not very pretty.

Woman finds Jesus in Goldfish cracker. I know these stories are a dime a dozen, but this one got me. Not sure what the funniest thing is, as there are several great lines.

Institutionalize that woman immediately before she hurts someone.

Jerloma wrote:Institutionalize that woman immediately before she hurts someone.

She studies each of the thousands of goldfish she eats. Several pounds a week. So basically she was looking for a Jesus-looking cracker for a long time. I love the minister, or whatever he is, claiming this is a miracle. Assuming this is a sign from Jesus, what a lame miracle. What do they think this proves or does?

Eating several pounds of Goldfish® each week, she'll be institutionalized soon enough, with diabetic complications.

Someone help me here because I want to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. Remember that Bible mini-series on the History channel where they had Satan that looked just like Obama? Well that's being made into a TV movie for NBC and Satan apparently didn't make the cut, but...

"It gives me great pleasure to tell you that the devil is on the cutting-room floor. This is now a movie about Jesus, the son of God, and the devil gets no more screen time," Downey told THR. "For our movie, Son of God, I wanted all of the focus to be on Jesus. I want his name to be on the lips of everyone who sees this movie, so we cast Satan out."

Is this asshole actually equating this to performing some sort of exorcism or is that an actual saying among the film industry? Like would the producers of 2.5 Men actually say "We cast Charlie Sheen out"?