Personally, I feel pretty protected from the links. I have special software on my computer that sees his picture on his posts and doesn't open the links unless I click on them ;-) So far it's working.

Unfortunately it doesn't protect me from people going ballistic because someone has put text in front of their eyes that somehow threatens their underpinnings.

But as being a devout and practicing egocentric I have spent so much of my life assuming most of the people I meet are idiots and likely to say something I find absurd and would make my head explode if I really cared what they thought, I'm usually pretty prepared for on-line discussions.

When anyone who isn't name Joss Whedon starts talking about anthropomorphic deities I know their God is made more in their own
image than the reverse. :-) And when the Book of Revelation gets taken seriously I'm pretty sure they've never done acid ... or did way too much.

Once in a while I'll argue if I'm bored as I don't have the patience or small motor skills to be very good at Grand Theft Auto or Halo, but it gets old quick. Then I'll wrap myself in my magic cloak of high-functioning ADD and slip back to my Fortress of Inattention and Indifference and shout "Ni" over the battlements.

Hey, when are you coming up to the North Shore for a steak?


>I can identify with Tuvia, even though I agree that "bemused" (and bored, and amazed at the lack of curiosity inherent in Rick's religious postings -- there's a ton of good work on the historical Jesus over the past 30+ years) is an appropriate response. I've done it time and time again (with miserable results) with kids being raised. Ask politely. Get nowhere. Ask insistently. Get nowhere. Demand now. Get chaos.
>
>I know for me, and I think for many of us, software development is something of a "safe haven." By and large, the UT has been managed well enough to maintain that social-emotional status (as many other forums do not). "Missionizing" does seem to me to be a violation of the compact. And I think Tuvia may not have understood (as I didn't until I just did some exploring) that there is now a Chatter Forum, distinct from the Chatter Category of the VFP forum. Religion is a category within the Chatter forum. So long as Rick doesn't keep putting irrelevant (to the technical issues) links to that other forum in tech posts, I think the problem may be solved.
>
>Hank
>
>
>>>>>I do not give 2 hoots whether you are floored. There is no religion section here, and you
>>>>>are supposed to stay on topic. The topic here is The ProgramminG Mess, and I started the thread.
>>>>
>>>>I posted my reply in the Chatter -> Religion section. Message ID: 1572701
>>>
>>>I don't give a flip anyway where you posted it. This is a computer forum and keep your missionizing to yourself here. Just stop replying to my thread and shut up about it. Don't stick your arrogant missionizing nose in my thread again.
>>
>>Okay, I really tried to stay out of this but you are making a fool of yourself. Rick is obviously "on a mission" - so what. Most of us have made whatever counter-arguments we care to, assessed if they would have any effect and moved on. Rick, for his part, has abided by an agreement to move his proselytizing to Religion where it won't offend the sensibilities of those who seem to fear it rather than just be bemused by it.
>>
>>But your reaction is so far over the top it reminded me of something earlier that very much formed my impression of you :
>>
>> Message ID: 031156 when you really got pushed out of shape when Tore forwarded information from Janis Booth, whom many of us have long regarded as a friend. Somehow you feared you we being subjected to an "agenda".
>>
>>Skin this thin and intellectual and philosophical underpinnings that fragile must make life very hard for you. Perhaps you would feel more comfortable in less public forums where your view of reality was not so bombarded with ideas that agitate you to this degree.
>>
>>Starting a thread does not give you ownership of it anymore than asking a question in a public meeting gives you permanent control of the agenda.