A few choice comments arrived over the past few weeks, and I thought I’d share them with you.
First, we have the usual arrogant and ignorant mushhead who tries to find hypocrisy in my acceptance of determinism. When will these people learn that determinism doesn’t preclude actions directed at changing people’s minds—and even successfully changing them? Maybe this is a Poe, but if so it’s not even slightly amusing.
Reader Peter comments on “Jesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Some Animals are More Equal than Others“, and throws in a bit of name-calling:
No such thing as free speech Jerry you mug. There’s no free will according to you you spineless scum. How can there Be free speech and no free will, it’s all determined!!!
Clown.
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And then the usual stuff. Reader “Dave Green” tried to comment on the same post:
You are one Dumb Fuck!!!
At least he gave me the respect of capitalizing my epithet!
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Reader “Son of man, ” commenting on “Deepak denies that HIV causes AIDS,” is worried about my spiritual welfare.
Please seek a personal relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – John 3:16
No, thank you.
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Reader “Ahmed Islamov,” who gave his website link, levels a strong accusation against me about “My New Republic post on the death of Makayla Sault“:
I know, you found a sensitive topic that you are trying to exploit to earn views, hits and comments on your blog (or whatever). However, no matter what emotions you think you have right to be overwhelmed with, it is immoral to attack parents with accusations like that. There is much more that you do not know.
“Immoral”? Seriously? If there is more about this issue that I do not know, the newspapers didn’t find it, either. And if I wanted hits (and $) I could have joined Patheos.
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Finally, reader “Rogers Ola” comments on my post “Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons weren’t racist“:
In my opinion, if the journalist of charlie hebdo continue with the sacrilege, France will be risking every islamic nation going on a full blown war with her. Because I don’t understand why a paper will try to indicate an animation of the prophet Muhammad (SAW), when even muslim don’t represent Him (SAW) in any form whatsoever.
At first I didn’t understand “SAW,” but Wikipedia gives the answer (my emphasis):
The Arabic phrase ʿalayhi as-salām (عليه السلام), translating to “peace be upon him” is a durood or conventionally complimentary phrase attached to the name’s of the prophets in Islam. The English phrase is also given the abbreviation pbuh in writing. An extended variant of the phrase reads ṣalla llāhu ʿalay-hi wa-alehe-wa-sallam (Arabic: صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) “may Allah honour him and grant him peace”. The Arabic phrase is given the name ṣalawāt and it is often abbreviated saw in writing in an English-language context.
At any rate, “Rogers Ola” appears to be a Muslim, and if he is I’ll say this to him: Your implicit threats are toothless, branding you as one of those thugs trying to shut up criticism and mockery of your faith by intimidation. Sorry, but it won’t work on this website. By the way, “Rogers,” did you know that at one time some Muslims did depict the Prophet (viz., some Persian miniatures), and they weren’t even beheaded? Here are two pictures of Muhammad (SAW) from the Wikipedia page “Depictions of Muhammad”.
Here he is going to heaven on his human-faced horse:
I’m curious why jihadists haven’t attacked the Wikipedia staff.
I thought “of the prophet Muhammad (SAW)” meant the imminent removal of a cranium from the torso…
That human-faced horse is disturbing.
I know. Is that supposed to be one of his wives?
Ha! Yes, maybe that is ‘heaven’. Ought to explain the myth’s serial, or rather parallel, womanizing.
If sex is allowed on a camel, why not on a horse?
Oddly, I read that as sea horse.
I suspect a malfunctioning hippocampus.
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Is that where large, semiaquatic mammals go to get an education?
(Assuming it’s working properly.)
Stop horsing around! That’s just apferd.
For anyone not aware, “Hippocampus” is also the name of the seahorse genus.
IIRC, the brain’s hippocampus was so-named for its sea-horse-like shape.
Hippos is Ancient Greek for horse. Hippopotamus means “river horse” (that is Latinized since river is Potamos without the “us” as that is a Latin ending.
And “campus”?
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I couldn’t wait for Diana; I googled it.
“…hippocampus is derived from the Greek hippokampus (hippos, meaning “horse,” and kampos, meaning “sea monster”)…”
So is a camponologist somebody who studies monsters?
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Ding dong!
And is a school campus a big sea monster?
Ha ha I answered before I read your reply. I think I like the translation, “sea beastie” better. I totally would have translated this way in a class. My language teachers were always highly entertained with my test answers.
Sea monster.
There is also a brilliant short story, “Hippocampus,” by M. K. Hobson. You can listen to it in four minutes here.
✔️✔️
But more logical than a centaur as it has a mammalian 4 limbs…?
But at least centaurs have a human torso. Just the face looks like something from The Body Snatchers.
Yes! Just when you thought it couldn’t get any creepier…
What, you’ve never watched an episode of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?”
My little pony is scary but not as human faced.
I think maybe Ahmed Islamov is just riled up because he thinks you’re stealing clicks from his “Uzbekistan in pictures” section of hid web site.
John 3:16 is a great verse. For in what sense did he give his son? His son popped down here for a mere 33 years (nothing in god-time) and then was retrieved back up into Heaven. What kind of yo-yo gift is this? Or is Jesus really and truly separated from god, and thus truly given away, in which case where is he?
Verily, theology is baffling.
One wonders what type of giving it really was if the fellow knew this would end in a few days
If Jesus is his only begotten son, does that mean he has lots that were created by some other method?
Does the original phrase go “his only begotten son” or “his only, begotten, son”?
Damned syntax. Does the original phrase go “his only begotten son” or “his only, begotten, son”.
If it’s the former, sir, you just spearheaded the most important development in Christian Theology (TM) since the invention of Limbo (TM)!
LOL. I don’t know Greek, so can’t help you there.
There’s also the point they had to specify “son”. Perhaps he had a daughter or daughters, begotten or otherwise, too.
There’s the usual method of begetting someone and then there’s god’s method (whatever that was) so I think it should have read ‘his misbegotten son’
Peter’s comment on free speech and freewill leaves me wondering if he has just enough intelligence to open his mouth to feed and nothing more.
Oh Jerry, I’m sure that if THE Jesus literally showed up on your doorstep you might invite him in for tea. Could be an interesting conversation. The problem is, he never literally shows up on anyone’s doorstep.
(1) This just shows your opinion is a very poor guide to international poltics
(2) Six Day War. Yom Kippur War. And while we in the US often use France as the butt of our military jokes, the reality is that compared to Israel, France is a bigger, better equipped power with lots more nukes and larger global projection capability.
Whenever I hear about the Yom Kippur War I think about this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Herrings
😉
Not even when the Jeebus-butt dog drags his sorry wormy posterior in over the doorstep?
In this world of pareidolia, someone, somewhere must have recognised Jeebus in a turd spread on a s(l)idewalk. Surely?
I’ve always found this whole ‘personal relationship with Jebus’ business rather creepy. It sounds like these people not only love Christ, it sounds like they are actually in love with Christ.
“I use to be a necrophiliac until some rotten [pudendum] split on me.”
(Does the un-Bowdlerised version work in American?)
I don’t have much say except I enjoy reading what you have to say, your critics on the other hand are boring idiots. Keep up the good work and good writing.
What? But the argument was so convincing. And even referenced!
lolz.
If God so loved the world, then why didn’t He give it an infinite number of Sons?
Jeez man, wasn’t one more than enough? 🙁
Good Lord, don’t give them any ideas.
My first thought, too!
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Me too!
So many infidels, so little time.
I thought Mohammed (SAW) meant Mo is the director of that torture horror movie.
Makes complete sense, doesn’t it?
“ISLAMIC JIHAD – from the director of SAW”
Don’t miss the sequels.
“I’m curious why jihadists haven’t attacked the Wikipedia staff.”
Previously a volunteer on the Wikipedia incoming mail. We certainly did get TONS AND TONS of messages on this subject. There were several letter-writing campaigns cut’n’pasting a standard text. There were enough of them that we had a generic response template in the system for them. I don’t know of any actual threats, however.
Amusing tidbits, whether ‘Poe-try’ or not.
Only visitors from the Asylum expect other responses than “No, thank you” here!
It is only sacrilege for those who are members of the same religion. Everyone else is free to express what they want, believe what they want, and accept the fact that this is myth.
Clearly, whoever painted those portraits was No True Muslim.
I shouldn’t joke. Being the wrong kind of Muslim can have terrible consequences.
Which just demonstrates that all religion is an artificial construct, else there would be one agreed god.
PS “Ahmed Islamov,” THIS IS NOT A BLOG!!!
I understand that many depictions of the prophet have his face rubbed off — this was a process that took place over the centuries.
The painter’s dead, right? QED.
“I’m curious why jihadists haven’t attacked the Wikipedia staff.”
Some will probably do so now.
After all, it is an established fact that many jihadists are avid WEIT readers.
Iranians also apparently kept their habits of wine until the recent revolution, too.
Apparently the interpretation of the rule there was “don’t get drunk”, rather than “don’t drink”.
I’ve noticed (SAW) and (PBUH) many times in exchanges with Muslims and reading their exchanges.
Every time I see the use of PBUH I can’t help but think of Nazi Germany and the “Heil Hitler!”, “Heil, mein Führer!” or “Sieg heil!”
I wonder how many say it because it’s expected and it shows that they are a ‘true Muslim’, as apposed to respect for a person who is long dead?
How much of it is rote, and how much fervent belief, and how many say it just to fit in and avoid doubt being cast onto them, in places where such doubt can be hazardous to ones health?
Or is it so ubiquitous that it doesn’t really mean anything at all, like saying “Bless you” after someone sneezes?
Also, Hail Hydra.
Hey, Prof., if I ever say something so stupid that I end up on one of these lists, can you call it “Readers’ Boca Burger”, since I’m a vegetarian?
Thanks!
There is a lot of beautiful art work depicting Muhammed. It’s a shame Islamist extremists’ decisions mean more can’t enjoy it. Whether Muhammad can be depicted is an interpretation, not a commandment.
Hmm, PDF takes on a whole new meaning?
People have already addressed the good stuff.
I will just say that readers’ beefs are some of your best posts, close second after the best science posts.
Shia Muslims have never had a problem depicting the Prophet. Intolerance of this practice is a Sunni thing and it’s a relatively recent prohibition, at that.
If they use EMACS too, then we’ll have a real Holy War on our hands!
I know – it’s a vicious world!