And if you put it like that, you flatly ignore everyone who isn't religious, since you only compare religions. But I'll forgive you. If by "most people" you meant "almost all people" then my argument still stands, as roughly 13% of the world's population is too large a number to overlook. However, these statistics may be of course biased (see below) or you may not have meant that. Then your retort is acceptable. I meant that extremist societies often don't offer an alternative to their religion, thus leaving generations to come in the dark with little else to believe. The willingness to side with any philosophy depends on the amount of information you have on that philosophy. Is that so hard to understand? Also, in those extremist societies (such as Islam extremists) questioning your belief can result in punishment. Some are religious out of fear. The entire point was that the truth will find its way eventually. Therefore, if it provided an illusion that would have been shattered by now. And that's where my argument comes in. Whether it is justified or not, atheism has been winning ground over the past decades. Compare the popularity of atheism now to the past if you will. Are you saying that there has been no relative increase in followers? That's quite ridiculous. I know the kind of topics that are discussed (problem of evil, problem of hell, science vs miracles, how to deal with doubts of Christianity etc.). I also know the kind of arguments that are used and quoted by other Christians. I also know that it'd be bigger news if it effectively proved God's existence. And that you'd have used it's arguments a long time ago if that were the case. That question pops to mind first: if it proves the existence of God and you read it, then why aren't you doing a very good job proving anything? :) Bunterx already answered your questions and he did a great job (much obliged and welcome back by the way). Yeah, there are probably atheists who think that. And they violate the laws of science indeed. However, like Bunterx said there are those who do not believe that something can be created from nothing. And no, I don't know what came first. I have admitted that a while ago (making me repeat myself says more about you than it does about me). However I do not believe that a conscious being has created and guided the universe to its present state. Many Christians believe that God isn't matter, which of course raises the question of how something immaterial can be conscious. If you have indications that such a life form does exist, then by all means don't keep us at the edge of our seats. We have already explained the hypothesis that complex molecules are derived from simple ones. Which is more disorderly to you: a heterogenous environment or a homogenous one? Of course they are violated, since the law of biogenesis and the cell theory have never incorporated the origin of life to begin with. It's true that I believe that organisms first arose from non-living matter. This was triggered by the reduction of the atmosphere which in turn allowed the synthesis of simple monomers (which increased in complexity over time). That being said it's no suprise that nucleotides could be somewhat abundant in that primordial soup so they could form polymers (RNA). The nucleotide source is of course finite so there would be compounds that are less likely to degenerate than others. Stable molecules remained untouched. There is proof that self-replicating molecules with catalytical properties exist and have existed (ribozymes come to mind). Sadly, I don't know what it is. The RNA world hypothesis is now deemed unacceptable; prebiotic conditions make that pretty hard. However, the discovery of urazole and guanazole as acceptable alternatives for uracil and cytosine respectively reduces the problems. It's another thing I like about science: the possibility to make progress. Causality merely states that one event is triggered by another. And causality is true until you apply it to the very beginning, in which we are all stuck. Since you're such a big fan of the law of causality I'm sure you can explain which "cause" is at the root of God (God's existence being the effect). No, I do not. If you look closely, you'll see that the human body is full of deficiencies and inefficiencies. I'll pick one example out of the pack. As you probably know, sperm production is hindered by body temperature, which is why human testicles lie in a scrotum rather than in a body cavity. However, the vas deferens shows a bizarre "detour" that intelligent design cannot explain. It consists of a long rostrally oriented curve before it bends caudally towards the penis. This upward orientation is not at all necessary. That's by far the dumbest thing I've read this month, and I've read some dumb things. :D While it's true that we make claims without proof, there is no telling that we do so more than a Christian. I can't explain the origin of life or the universe. Nor can you or your God. We're all in the dark. Our amount of "faith" concering the origin of all things results in a stalemate at most unless you can explain exactly how God created the universe and living organisms. It would make my day to see you try. :)
Religion's role in creation is linked and correlated to countless other facets and arguments from either side often overlap. It'd be silly to think you could just take them apart and deal with all of them separately. That's not how it works. Yet another God thread? :( Bad idea imo. An argument so invalid is a rarity these days... * First of all; most people? For your information, Hinduism accounts for more than 80% of the Indian population. That's more than 800,000,000 people which you flatly ignored. And those are the Hindus of India alone. * Secondly, a lot of people in extremist societies believe in the world's creation by a single deity only because they have never been taught anything else or are registered as religious because they might have to face consequences if they didn't. You encourage an open mind but you didn't even take those factors into account. Naughty naughty. :) * And last but not least... Over the course of history, Christianity has had its peak popularity since its inception. Relatively speaking, its popularity has declined while the popularity of atheism has increased. The tables have turned quite a bit actually; there are schools that don't even teach the subject of Religion anymore (which was unthinkable a few decades ago). But thanks for backing up my argument. You're a sweetheart. ;) "Ended up proving it?" It's common knowledge that The Case for Faith did nothing of the sort. :) *flush* It's a pile of arguments but nothing concrete. Arguments that are refutable, and I don't doubt that even a man of little intellect such as myself could see through a number of them if it were necessary. It's not mean until it gets personal. I tackle but I tackle to conquer the ball. No harm done, no foul play. It's true in soccer and it's true in life.
I'll respond to your statements in reverse chronological order if you don't mind. I'm glad you brought that up actually. I'll interpret it this way (plot twist ahead!). Despite initial disbelief and protest against the idea of the planet being a sphere rather than a disk, the idea found its way to us anyway. The vast majority of the people are now convinced that the world is -approximately- round. If the truth doesn't find a way, then it'll make a way. And this example deals considerable damage to the foundations of the "open mind", effectively demonstrating its very pointlessness in many cases such as this one. 'Tis the power of facts: they're there to stay whether you like it or not. Which is exactly why I won't care for any religion. God's existence can never be 100% proven (nor disproven; view other topic) while scientific hypotheses can be proven or refuted by facts most of the time. As such, they are more reliable in general. This brings us smoothly to your other point... I have no use for a theory that cannot prove itself. Unless of course it can. In which case I wonder why that hasn't happened yet. Or did I miss something? I'm not blind and deaf, I'm just harder to please. And science and facts, while not perfect, have done a much better at that than any religion has ever done. But you're always welcome to try. Let's dance! :D
To be honest I hate the "leave spacing between every line of dialogue" structure. It stretches long paragraphs even more and it seems kinda pointless (It's clear when someone else is saying something? Or isn't it?). Lengthy dialogues (which I believe there will be) would be cut up in fragments so small that the whole becomes an eyesore imo. :wacko: Also I have yet to read a novel that actually uses it, and I've read quite a few. :unsure: A space now automatically implies a change of characters, which has the same effect as the "=======". So one side of the problem is now solved. === "Well, Miss Langrange, you're perfectly healthy.", Dr. Antonov ascertained. He kept calling her by her last name even though Aryane had repeatedly permitted her physician to call her by her first. "Thanks, doctor. That's good to hear." But Aryane already knew that there was nothing wrong with here. She hardly needed the confirmation. "But fainting isn't always the result of a physical malfunction. Have you been stressed or depressed lately?" "No, not at all.", the girl lied. A smile she hastily forced had to add to the credibility. Aryane quickly looked for her wallet. She wanted to pay Weggerik Antonov and get it over with before he started to ask more personal questions. "By the way, Miss Lagrange.", Weggerik addressed her. The girl froze and looked in her doctor's direction. "I think this day should become one of global mourning, so I won't charge you this time." "Global mourning?", she wondered. "Bauker Groeborg died exactly one year ago.", Weggerik accusingly reminded her. Aryane felt rather stupid: how could she have forgotten? Weggerik Antonov had been one of Groeborgs strongest supporters over the years, and he never hid that. His wife even left him because of his fanaticism, or so the rumour went. Because of the absent-minded impression the young girl gave him, Weggerik just had to ask one more time: "Are you sure you're not under stress?" "Yes, very sure.", Aryane responded and she put away her money. Weggerik thought of her and his other patients; he diagnosed and healed them, they paid him. An agreement...As it always used to be on Earth and on these vessels, everything happened by a contract. And not even Bauker Groeborg would have been able to make a change in that. Nearly midnight. Commotion in the beating heart of humanity. The mothsership Galilei was pulsing as it had never pulsed before. Breathing intensely. Dividing adrenaline. Linel Messer and Jentsey Callagher, released from the talkative flash flood that was Rabelais, had their attention glued to a big screen where the visage of a young man was visible. "But are you absolutely sure?", was what Linel wanted to know. "Nope, not quite. That's why I'd like permission to launch the satellite." "And when would you have the results?", Messer inquired. "Within a couple of days. Traveling distance is about 4 or 5 days. If we launch the satellite now, we'll be sure to have the results before then...I hope." Linel and Jentsey looked at eachother for a moment. "Very well then.", Linel decided, "Launch it!" "Understood." Jentsey stepped closer to the screen and caught the pilot's attention. "Would you like to make the announcement tomorrow afternoon?", she requested. "Do I? Hell yeah! Thanks for the honour, Ms. Callagher!" "You're welcome. Oh, and Vamen...Talk professionally." The transmission ended. "What did you do that for?", Linel asked. "What do you mean?" "You know..."Make the announcement". This case is way too unsteady. What if it turns out to be a complete...turkey?" "Then I'll take responsibility myself. Don't worry." She took a seat in a desk chair and sighed deeply. "I don't know if I should tell you this, being my rival and all, but I was getting sick of it. Aside from a politician, I'm still a human and a woman...I'm craving change." She touched her forehead as if she was suffering from a headache. "No, I understand. Change would be...nice." Jentsey and Linel were very strong characters. They never showed their weaknesses in public, and they both knew how to handle their deficits. But this was nothing to be ashamed of: everyone wanted change. The human race had become too stagnant for its own good. "I am going to order every single pilot to accelerate...Just a little. Are you okay with that?" Linel did not understand why she was asking his permission. He merely answered: "Go ahead. But if you're wrong about this..." "But what if I'm right?" "Well...Aside from a politician, you're still a human and a woman. I'll blame your female intuition." Both of them laughed. "Linel...Thanks for letting me vent.", Jentsey thanked her competitor. "No problem.", and both of them went to their respective beds. It was a magnificent feeling, the thrill of change... It was a tree A tree with golden leaves Cloaked in smoke Stroked across heliotrope Nearer, nearer, so near Honeyed light Spiced with warm darkness Ingrained delight With a fragrant desire To taste her own leaves She could picture the entire scene, from top to bottom. And although she hoped it in hindsight, Aryane had had no control at all about her dream, that nightmarish nectar. She could only replay it, andtry to cut away that last emotion, the one of insatiable longing. Her thoughts returned to art class. Talented as she was, Aryane could afford to drowse away every once in a while, but what she really wanted was to pay attention. After three minutes of doing so however, something queer happened... On the screen in front of the classroom, the face of a young man, about Aryane's age, appeared and spoke to them: "Greetings, Earthlings...Sheesh, I sound like an alien...Greetings, fellow Earthlings! May I have your attention, please? I am Picard pilot Vamen Egeleerd and I have a special announcement to make. Last night, at 23.04, the Explorers discovered a new planet and confirmed the prescence of water. A photography satellite has been launched that will gauge organic activity on this planet and test it on its ability to sustain human life. It'll only be 4 days after this one until we get there. We will impart you with as much information as we can during that time. Good day to you all." The transmission ended.
The amount of characters can be a bit frightening, but truth be told their numbers will increase even more and I try to multi-layer as many of them as possible (though not necessarily in this chapter). I'm trying to let the simple situation evolve to something more complex. I need a large cast of characters who interact with eachother. They will all have their point in the story, rest assured. This first chapter is kind of an introduction to the characters. It sets a light on their personalities and how their lives intersect with others'. There are few actual plot points. I have weird spacing habits indeed. I usually leave a space when either of these occur: (1) a shift of setting and characters (2) the same scene with the same character, but with a pause in it (a snippet of scene where nothing happens and which is cut out) (3) when a character is waking up or brought back to reality after a dream, spacing out or any mind screw moment really. I see your point. I really do. But I'm not going to insert something along these lines: "Times Square, New York City, 3:00 PM" Simply because you, the reader, are often not allowed to know. Also, keeping you in the dark the first few lines adds to the mystery and intrigue, at least that's what I've been told. In other words, you were meant to struggle and make discoveries along the way instead of a setting being given from the very beginning. I want to face slap you with it. :p By realistic I do hope that you're referring to the way I have portrayed the characters and not the overall setting, because there will be more sci-fi and fantasy elements interwoven in the story in later chapters. :unsure: I'll try this: I'll leave spaces every time there is a change of character. In any other case I will separate them with "..." indicating a pause. I hope that helps, even if it is a little. I will do that to my past entries as well. === White hands. She was still running...somewhere. Cold, marble-coloured arms grabbed her limbs. Reality was pulling her right arm, Existence tried to rip off her left. And at the far end of her body, Life tugged both of her legs. A torso sank inside of her. Aryane Lagrange felt her tendons gradually giving out. She would lose it to Life, Existence and Reality. Some part of her was ready to give in; it did not mind. Everything she had already belonged to that triplet of ghostly forces anyway. But another side of her did not want to be separated. It did not want to be named and classified. It only wanted to be Aryane... Her two conflicting opinions fought, in a land that had been peaceful once but which, from that moment onward, would be forever mangled. Since she wasn't even sure that she was hurt, she could not even scream in pain... ... Aryane had been on a vacation to an unscathed land. Soon she would return and she would, although perhaps not whole-heartedly, pledge her allegiance to all three of them. The three who were kings but not lieges. "Aryane...Aryane...", Niej had bent over her daughter's face. When Aryane opened her blueish eyes (which she had inherited from her), she smiled. "Welcome back, sweetie." "Mom? Mom...", Aryane sighed. Despite feeling temporarily safeguarded from another mental uproar already , she was still quite relieved. She gave her mother a big hug. Her father stood behind his wife, looking concerned. "You passed out at some point. What happened?", Welbeau worried. "I just...wasn't feeling well.", she croaked. "You still look pale.", her father resumed, "It's a good thing we called doctor Antonov." "Thanks.", Aryane said. She didn't think it was really necessary, but a consultation wouldn't take that long anyway. "Hey, Aryane! You woke up!", a child cheered. Aryane looked. She recognized the familiar voice. "I found you lying in the hallway so I ran to your parents!" A girl in a grey synthetic fur coat jumped on the bed. "Glad to see that you're okay!", the girl said genially. "Thanks! And thank you very much for all your help! I owe you one, LaMaan." LaMaan was a cute girl. She was as welcome at her parents' place as she was at home. Some neighbourhood members had even mistaken them for sisters. Bust most importantly, Aryane and LaMaan were Niej and Welbeau's life-jackets... "It's been a whole year since he died. A whole year already...", a man recalled. "Yes. But at least we were able to manage...Let's drink to that.", a woman relativized. She lifted her glass of wine; the man hesitantly mimicked her. They drank slowly but couldn't prevent a horrible silence to fall. It spread across the room like a lethal gas; it would hungrily absorb their voices even if they wanted to speak. Linel Messer and Jentsey Callagher were stupefied; they seldom talked to eachother privately (if ever) and did not know how to conduct themselves in this context. They had often been political adversaries; civil, yet conflicting. "I think we should be grateful. If he had passed away a couple of years sooner, we might not even have been able to leave Earth.", Linel said. The gaseous quiet withdrew, evanescing in an equally unpleasant vacuum. "Don't say such things...", Jentsey admonished, subliminally agreeing with every word Linel had said. Two more minutes passed... "I summoned another guest here as well...He will be here shortly.", Jentsey informed. "Medard Rabelais?", Linel asked somewhat rhetorically. Jentsey nodded. Neither of them were very happy with the prospect of Medard showing up here. Although Linel and Jentsey disagreed rather frequently, their dislike of the French dandy was mutual and they occasionally banded together to oppose Medards ridiculous ideas. Before Linel could do as much as sigh or pull a fitting face, Jentsey explained: "If he found out that we have had a private conversation about something like this, there's no telling what kind of rumour he would spread." Linel agreed. Even though he was a coxcomb, the Rabelais family has always had influential supporters. Two more minutes passed... If the slide doors weren't secured, Medard Rabelais would have let himself in. Jentsey Callagher allowed him in instead. "Bonsoir, Jentsey! You look lovely! And good evening to you too, Linel!", the fop greeted. He kissed Jentsey on the cheek twice and shook hands with Linel while thanking his host: "It was most kind of you invite me. Most kind!" And they talked for hours, so much that Linel and Jentsey wanted the fiendish vapour of silence to fall over them again. "Don't stare like that.", he commanded his eyes. "Go to sleep." Nenck Dercinches had experienced one of his worst nights ever. Aryane had been behaving differently lately, she was more off her rocker than usual. Her fear of freaking out that night had passed on to him as well. He had found Aryane an interesting girl. She hadn't been in many romantic relationships despite her good looks and friendly personality. He figured her interest in girly subjects was definitely to blame, but there was something else as well. Aryane had a tendency to speak her mind and out her ideas at all times, and they were either way too complex and abstract for someone else to understand, or shamelessly (almost taboo-breakingly) open. Nenck concluded that his friend was too introverted and at the same time too outspoken to engage in a long-term relationship. As for himself, he had always liked but never loved Aryane Lagrange, and he had never even quested for the "why?". Their friendship just felt sufficient, that was all. He turned around, lying on his side, and he peered through the window into outer space. He thought of the outside of the ships, cold and grey. "What does it matter? All the love here is made of metal anyway..." And Nenck wanted to be somewhere else. At a place where he could love and where he could look for someone who would love him too.
No one guy is worth hurting yourself for. You'll get over him. It'll take some time but he wasn't the right person for you and you'll realize that. Others and better roam this earth. They always do.
Which brings me back to my previous question, albeit rephrased: why doesn't God persuade us atheists? If he exists, then why doesn't he guide those who think that he doesn't to the knowledge that he does?
Stars could have dissolved into flickering ashes when Joy outed even the slightest hint of vulnerability. Aryane put away her brush and welcomed her with a: "Yeah, come in." Joy walked into the room, her eyes falling upon Aryane's paintings. She didn't look any different. Aryane tried to have a good look at her friend's face to see if she had been crying, but she had to be careful not to alert her of her concern. When she finally got the chance, Aryane didn't remark a trace of tears. When she thought about it, she had never even seen Joy cry despite their old friendship. She linked it to and even blamed it on Joy's lack of tragedy in her life so far. "We have some shopping to catch up on.", the blonde stated. It sounded more like an order than an offer. Aryane was in two minds. Today was the 27th, on which she had planned to go to her parents. On the other hand, refusing Joy's request could harm their camaraderie. And going against Joy when she was in a bad mood wasn't a very good idea. Aryane Lagrange peered out the window: the stars were still there. "She's not coming..." She sat in wait in front of the small circular window, as if she had any chance of spotting her daughter in outer space. "Nope, she's not...", a man sighed. He was reading the news in front of his computer, having given up hope some time before his wife had. Their daughter had become their messiah, their ticket to love and happiness. Sadly, her visits became less and less frequent since she had entered college. "So how was your day?", Niej Lagrange asked her husband. "Just...the usual. How about yours?", Welbeau replied. "Yeah, same here." Aryane's mother sighed deeply. One could have felt an invisible, inaudible martyr falling to the floor, and bleeding to death. "Hey, Aryane. Wait up...", the chubby student Laërtes panted. "Huh...Huh...Shouldn't you be at your parents'?" Laërtes once again comfirmed the fact that he had a magnificent memory and was a dear friend to her. Laërtes remembered his friends' pleasures and hassles as if they were important to him personally. However he was mostly too shy to actually use that skill for conversation... "She rescheduled.", Joy interfered, "Some of us want to enjoy life before it burns out." "As if someone like you would know the secret to living...", the bookwurm said. "What's that supposed to mean? Did the piece of furniture that ran away from its library find some elixir of life in one of his books?", Joy teased. Her tone was soft, high-pitched and at least as annoying as a buzzing mosquito. "******...It was figure of speech. I meant to say that people like you are clueless about how life should be lived. Day to day, whim to whim, vice to vice, solution to vice." Was there such a difference? Aryane got stabbed in the front by vexing difficulties again. She had to think of her parents again, somehow... "Oh boy, I feel a lecture coming up he-" "That's enough!", the neutral observer interrupted. "Both of you." She glanced at the two of them and ran off, but not to the boutiques Joy would take her. "Hey, girlfriend. Where are you going?" "To my parents!" She wanted to smile, she wanted to talk, she wanted to confirm...
A coincidence. I don't believe in a Hollywood curse.
I don't know...How would they (or we, the players) know that those Heartless are linked to the Organization members?
I agree with fire mage. Gloves aren't necessarily a Disney Trademark (Ash Ketchum, anyone?). And I think they're just there to make the character look "cooler".
If guiding someone towards a desired path is tampering with free will, then we all violate against the free will principle. Persuasion should not be confused with force. As a matter of fact, guiding your people towards wisdom is a deed that can be attributed to love.
Yeah sure. No problem. *clicks*
And I have the right to try and convince people to believe something else. And I have the right to compare my "beliefs" with others. And I have the right to question yours. Yay rights! In other words, prayer is a placebo. You think it'll help, so you'll try harder. And if it doesn't, your disappointment will be all the bigger. And last but not least, asking someone else for helps almost always involves shedding a part of the responsibility of your task off yourself. I'll go with a trend you started and give a corny example. Or better yet, I'll give you several. Some dude (let's call him Richard) wants to be a top athlete. He is religious so he prays and goes to church. Richard goes to church once a week, secretly contacting God to make his dream a reality. On top of that, just to make sure the big man upstairs heard him, he prays every evening before he goes to sleep. Of course he trains too. How long does a visit to church take? In my town it's about 45 minutes. Seven short prayers a week, how long should that take? 10 minutes total? That comes down to 55 minutes a week. That's a lot of laps he could have run, or workout exercises. The example is silly but I wanted to demonstrate that time wasted praying often could be spent on more useful activities. I will admit; the harder he trains, the more disappointed he will be if he still fails. But it's the same with praying. See below. Example number two. Claire's daughter is very sick. As a matter of fact, she's dying. Claire is religious too. After visiting hours she prays. Praying to God to help a dying daughter takes some time since Claire first has to suck up to him a bit and then has to explain all the fifty million reasons why her daughter should not go to heaven just yet ("she's always kind to other people, has her whole future ahead of herself" etc). In other words, praying demands quite an effort by Claire but she's more than willing to give it. But then the unthinkable happens...Claire's daughter dies! *sad piano music plays* The disappointment and despair is big in any case, but I'd imagine it'd be even bigger if she spent more time praying. Now don't get me wrong; there is probably nothing Claire could have done instead of praying in this case (unlike the previous example). However, I'd find it pretty reasonable that Claire is disappointed that her efforts didn't pay off. More disappointed than she already was. Poor, poor Claire. Third example. The horror continues! Tyler found his cheating wife in bed with another man and pumped both of them full of lead in a blind rage! Luckily, Tyler is a devoted Christian, immediately feels sorry for his actions and prays to God for forgiveness (sacrament of confession, whatever). According to Christians, God is a nice guy so he forgives him. Why? Because he prayed. Because he felt sorry. It's a bit late for that isn't it, Tyler dear? The cops still arrest him, the judge still sentences him and Tyler finds his prayers to be hollow words at least in this life. But by praying, he finds comfort that he may be permitted into heaven in the long run anyway. Comfort that he arguably didn't deserve. Or you do absolutely nothing and hope for that other person to come clean up your mess, which is what some Christians do as well. They have God watching over them and treat him like a shield that guarantees that "everything is gonna be all right, either in this life or the next". Which isn't the case. Actually, I deliberately never brought that up because the past is the past. Recent generations of Christians show very little violent hostility, if any. So let's not stumble over what's happened way back when. Killjoy. :p Now that I was having fun...
Just try a lot of things. Experiment a little. That's the only advice I can give I'm afraid, and I wouldn't be suprised if it's already been given (haven't read the other replies). Good luck with finding something new for ya.
Married couples can get STDs too. If you want actual responsibility, both the man and the woman should have themselves tested for STDs before even considering having sex. If they do no such thing, then they are still irresponsible. Are you going to judge all married couples who didn't do such a test? I'm dying to hear your answer. :) No, I don't. That's just it. They're very alike. So why bother? Says who? You never gave any valid reasons as to why it should have superiority over living together. None that I haven't countered yet (or that I will counter in this post). Your line in bold means exactly "making it harder for the guy (or the girl, whatever) to leave". I think you overestimate marriage, and I've seen the "commitment" it promises water down a great deal when difficulties arise. The consequences are indeed more dire. Both of them can break up and get a divorce and there may be harm done to both of the partners, even though none of them may be to blame. You never know what may happen. Maybe the both of them are indeed not all that commited to eachother and they break up. With "more dire consequences" to go through, married couples will have a harder time carrying on with their individual lives than unmarried ones. The unmarried couple has considered such a situation, so they're responsible like that. See that word "responsible" pop up? Bet you didn't see that coming. :D It's the truth though; you said yourself that there are couples that don't want to be together for their whole lives and therefore choose not to marry. And they have a right to shape up and look for new love. Note that this is a sketch of a situation without children involved. So in any case, marriage is a contract. In this case an emotional one. "You must love me till death do us part." Well no, you don't. A loveless marriage doesn't help anyone. Spread out and find a new spouse. Diminishes the meaning of the action? It is only the meaning you give to it. What right do you have to call your meaning is the meaning? What happened to all potential other meanings? Are they of no value to you then? How is that any different from tearing down another's opinion? How unbelievably insensitive. The COCP's triple barrier formula reduces pregancy risks to 0,3% if taken correctly and consistently. Add the effectiveness of a well-applied condom (failure rate 2%) and you should know that chances of pregnancy are quite small. Besides, it may not even as far as a baby. But I'll share my opinion on abortion some other time. ;) I meant individual banning. Like you do. My bad, that wasn't very clear. Hate to rock your uninformed little world, but retroviruses like AIDS can easily sneak into a host's body through blood. One contaminated needle is enough. Furthermore, some STDs can be transmitted through saliva. And last but not least, you could have inherited it from your mom at child birth or through breastfeeding. I'll admit; the fewer people you sleep with, the smaller the risks. But there's always a risk. It's just a matter of how certain you want to be. I'll take more risks than you will. And I find your level of security to be ridiculously high. Which brings us to the catch: calling everyone who doesn't share your opinion on safe sex irresponsible makes you hardly any better than me. Unfortunately, you have never even considered that. You're heartless. :( If they don't understand the importance of their decision before the wedding, then they could be categorised as irresponsible (here's that magic word again, we certainly have a theme running here, don't we?). In other words, a wedding is quite a waste of time, as much as premaritial sex is. But I have nothing against it because it's "harmless" fun, as much as premaritial sex is. Nothing that's fun comes without a risk. Your low risk sex life works out for you I guess but I prefer the middle course: I'm having fun yet I never impregnated a girl and no one ever called screaming in horror that I gave her an STD. So I like my way better than yours and I'm rubbing it in because I'm a filthy sadistic *******. :D And because I like testing my way against someone else's. Guess again. Why didn't you do so from the very beginning since it's been relevant all along? Jeez Louise... Because it's unnecessary. It's a waste of time and money. Questioning their commitment to one another just because they don't feel the need to get married is kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinda disrespectul, don't you think? :) Now go apologize to all unmarried couples who love eachother just as much as your average married couple. But you know I won't. ;) Wrong choice of words indeed. Oh well. Gave you a chance to be funny. :) I don't believe in the God concept because of the sheer number of Bible stories refuted and deemed unlikely (props to science). Knowing this I started putting my grey mass to work and came to the conclusion that God is quite possibly a metaphor, a symbol for a way of living. One which I'd rather not follow because of my alternate views on right and wrong :) Sadly, many Christians don't consider that possibility and believe in his existence despite that they never sensed him and despite all those prayers that have remained unanswered. Yup, it's gonna take a lot more science to debunk that idea. :D Thinking you have me figured out without even meeting me? You say you've given me a chance but when push comes to shove apparently you'll judge someone you never met all the same. :D I don't mind in the least though. I never wanted a chance to begin with. ;) If their resolve is strong enough they'll survive it unscathed. Opinions need to be torn down every once in a while. I was doing you a favor actually. Tsk, ingrate! Bring it, punk! :D I give thee this invisible medal for kindness and generosity. I used it as a valid argument several times. And you've always ignored it. Perhaps you should have asked someone to push you closer to the screen? I gave you one. The most logical explanation of all actually. They don't have to. It's unnecessary. A waste of time. If the couple truly loves eachother, then they will make an unofficial yet no less truthful commitment to one another anyway. And if they don't love eachother then they will simply ignore said commitment regardless of marriage. Want me to Google divorce statistics? Hmmmm...I'll go with B. That was a fun little game, but the example was terrible. :( For you see, if love is doing everything in your power to keep your loved one from suffering (in the long run), then the mother has indeed done everything she could and she has expressed love. God however, who is said to be slightly more powerul than my mom, does not. On top of that, God is supposed to be the origin of everything, including suffering. What could our dear friend the G-Man possibly hope to accomplish by bringing suffering into this world and then supposedly guide us towards maximum prevention of that same suffering? That is questioning God. That is logic. But then free will has also given us the power to hate him and not to believe in him. Let's talk about the non-believers. How is God gonna make them love him?
That's indeed my question.
5, I guess.
You're sick. You deserved to be stuffed with Furbies.
I'm bored enough to fry my clothes, eat them, steal other clothes from a hobo, eat the hobo, play at karaoke and trash said karaoke machine. So yeah. *set fire*
