"I'm not religious at all, at all... I don't even believe in God... But... I'm still an ardent Catholic, of course".

Dara O'Brien - Irish comedian.

Yadda wrote on Apr 28^th, 2013 at 12:43pm:


I drink so little that I'm better categorised as a non drinker.

I find Christians are quite liberal with their alcoholism tho... why is that?

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What is the positive of Nothing to excess? Everything in good measure? Not a very Christian approach you have going there Yadda... perhaps you should internalise those scriptures you read rather than merely quoting them... your advice may prove more valuable as a result... never know... worth a try.

For me however, my life is about increasing the sum total of pleasure in the world and reducing the sum total of suffering in the world. Excess plays no part in my world therefore... as excess leads to suffering... gluttony for example does not produce pleasure... it produces the pain of bloating and a feeling of being unwell. Eating until you are satisfied however is very pleasurable.

More significantly... in my world it is people who count the most and developing relationships that are meaningful is the greatest pleasure of all.

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I find meaningful relationships with people I encounter of far more assistance than trying to believe in a god I do not.

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I don't exist in a moral wilderness... I exist is a moral structure that is challenging, meaningful and beneficial to humanity.

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I am luckier than most... I see consequences before experiencing them so can quickly choose well those actions that increase the sum total of pleasure in the world and avoid those actions that increase the sum total of suffering. I acknowledge however that some people struggle more with living a moral life than others, because some of us are more empathetic than others. 

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If that focus is that which predates his existence... that is Ancient Greek meditations on What is good and how do we live the good life... then I am quite happily living the good life without the need a bible... thanks anyway.

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Really? Sounds profoundly wrong when pitted against my moral compass.

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You would do well to avoid playing god... telling me what you think your god will do to me without first hearing it from your god himself.... well, you remember what happened to Moses when he did that don't you?


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Christians have a habit of misrepresenting the ideas of others so as to denigrate them... This nonsense above in response to Hellenistic Hedonism has been going on for centuries... yet the writings of Epicurus are so far removed from what Christians claim of them, that one could say with all honesty that Christians are being dishonest... which is not a moral place from which to explore the writings of others. 

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From my experience, the majority of mankind who live in the West, tend to live materially guided by sound bites gathered from the mass media.

Another (hilarious) irony...

We're all here discussing religious and quasi-religious ideas... On Sunday

muso wrote on Apr 28^th, 2013 at 3:23pm:

Yairs... That's the Penn & Teller of it.

Soren wrote on Apr 28^th, 2013 at 9:05pm:

Sure... Bearing in mind, however, that there's nothing necessarily anti-atheistic about an atheist whistling a hymn or a carol.

Yadda wrote on Apr 28^th, 2013 at 10:30pm:


Surely a Christian is that person who identifies as one... yes? I certainly think so. And the majority of Australians identify as Christian... so perhaps these drunken buffoons who are making our cities unsafe at night are your typical 'Christian' type after all.

But not to worry.... all they need do is say sorry to God after each drunk and disorderly session, each bashing, one night stand, abortion etc and all will be well because God is Love and Forgiveness... epic lol

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Pretty much sums up Christianity... don't you think?

Sappho wrote on Apr 28^th, 2013 at 1:53pm:



Meaningful relationships ?

Really ?

Joining ourselves to, what [of 'importance'] ?

We will all die alone.