The Best Of... discussion

fan mail from Christians.

http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blo...

Hell Monkeys.

I'm stealing that. :}

ROTFLOL !!!!
I love this Renee, you made my day!

". . . YOU believe your great, great, great grand-parents were actually bacteria . . ." He reads all of that wacko shite so well!

I only hope that some of the senders see that and hear him reading their missives . . . and it hits them that they're being laughed at.

And wouldn't you like to see that -- as the one writer would like to peer down from heaven as Dawkins is slowly broiled in hell? Well . . . I wouldn't really, now that I imagine it. Too disturbingly sad.

I got stuck in a school run by people like that for three years.

I've seen enough!

I'm sorry to hear that. I was exposed to rabid Christianity only when visits to grandparents (great people, but) required church/Sunday School/Bible School attendance so traumatic I wrote a cathartic story some years later. But THREE YEARS! You may have to write an entire series of satiric vampire/zombie type novels as an antidote.

I have to say though: I am talking to Hispanas here and nearly all are Catholic and raised Catholic, but are warm, funny, tolerant individuals. I do not agree with many of their beliefs I'm sure, but we are tactful around that . . . I think the Protestant religions have bred some particularly narrow, repressive and oppressive strains.

Metamorphoses may have covered that, Kallie, and then some, lol. Without any vampires or zombies ;-)

And, in contrast to the fundamentalists, The Black Dog Dialogues is rank blasphemy. And it's beautiful.

But hell, I'm blasphemy walking :D

I had to take some time off from BDD to get a couple of the old writing group voices out of my head and it was a great move. Coming back to it with fresh eyes, re-reading renewed, there are passages that made me weep and gave me chills.

Kallie wrote: "I have to say though: I am talking to Hispanas here and nearly all are Catholic and raised Catholic, but are warm, funny, tolerant individuals. I do not agree with many of their beliefs I'm sure,..."

My husband had those nice experiences when he lived in NM Kallie. My experience with catholic people is mostly positive, evangelical types are different. I guess I am lucky I have not had the extreme experiences you and Renee have had regarding religion.

My bunch were Fundamental Baptists. They think the Southern Baptists are liberal libertines who are all Going to Hell.

My experiences with Catholics (and I went to school in Bay Area public schools through grade school before we move to The South) has all been positive. My favorite holiday, ever, growing up was spending Thanksgiving with the Dudziaks while my mother was in the hospital having my sister. Polish Catholics are the warmest, best people in the world to celebrate anything with. My good friend, whose animals I sit or, is another Polish Catholic, and all the varieties of Catholics in our California world were tolerant people — with the inevitable few, too human exceptions. But overall, Catholics and Episcopalians — and obviously, Unitarians — have all been that way.

Hell, even the Snake Handlers I've met around here have been way more tolerant than that bunch of Fundamental Baptists.

Oh, yeah. And we had KELP for Thanksgiving at the Dudziak's. Cooked like greens. It was the coolest thing ever to me at six years old, lol.

Baptists -- my family too. But I was talking to someone today and she told me yeah, all that about Catholics being warmer, but Hispanos are also supposed to be tough, not cry no matter what happens. Another woman said that when she and her sister would get on the bus this one stupid girl would say stuff like: "Here come the rancheras in their homemade clothes" and her little sister would cry -- funny imitation of pathetic weeping -- so: "I HAD to hit her. And she was so stupid she just kept on saying things. Every day she would say something and I would have to hit her and be in trouble before I got off the bus."

Hilarious but also disturbing, given that religious extremism is raging throughout the world. It is beyond me how people who profess to love God can be so full of hatred.

I also don't understand why so many people are mortified by the idea that we evolved from apes, who are highly intelligent creatures and in many ways more humane than humans.

Exactly. people don't understand how evolution works, and they don't bother to try and find out. Too bad, since it is fascinating stuff and quite believable. the fact that 98% of our DNA is the same as a lowland gorilla's is so astoundingly interesting and profound- I would love to see one in the wild.

Michael wrote: "Hilarious but also disturbing, given that religious extremism is raging throughout the world. It is beyond me how people who profess to love God can be so full of hatred.

I also don't understand w..."

I don't understand either. It's just silly. We didn't exactly evolve from apes, at least not the ape species we know, and not even the ancient apes whose fossil remains have been found . . . BUT we definitely share a common ancestor with the apes on our planet today. They just haven't found that ancestor yet and may not because fossil remains are so rare.

Kallie wrote:
"I don't understand either. It's just silly. We didn't exactly evolve from apes, at least not the ape species we know, and not even the ancient apes whose fossil remains have been found . . . BUT we definitely share a common ancestor with the apes on our planet today. They just haven't found that ancestor yet and may not because fossil remains are so rare."

Yet there are people who don't believe in fossil evidence, and think that humans are so above apes in intelligence that how can we possibly have that ancestor in common. Ugh- what is happening out there? People are more ignorant than ever!

Richard Dawkins is sexy.

For a fuck-fuckity gaytheist that wants to have anal intercourse with Hell Monki!!!!!!! :}

E.D. wrote: "For a fuck-fuckity gaytheist that wants to have anal intercourse with Hell Monki!!!!!!! :}"

Hahaha! His delivery was so funny, love him.

Did you catch the one where the person is adamant that the earth is only 10,000 years old?

I've met people who say 6,000 years.

They also believe that Elvis is alive and that the moon landing was fake.

Michael wrote: "I also don't understand why so many people are mortified by the idea that we evolved from apes, who are highly intelligent creatures and in many ways more humane than humans. "

Come on Michael, let's be honest. The thought that your great-grandparents were actually bacteria is rather terrifying.

Good one Paul!
Actually, it would have been better if my grandfather was bacteria.

Renee wrote: "Did you catch the one where the person is adamant that the earth is only 10,000 years old?

I've met people who say 6,000 years.

They also believe that Elvis is alive and that the moon landing was..."

My sister married a creationist who believes the earth was 6,000 Yrs old. I don't think he believes Elvis is alive and the moon landing was fake though. He's more enlightened.

"Enlightened".

I think I peed a little. Haahhhh! :}

Karen wrote: "My sister married a creationist who believes the earth was 6,000 Yrs old. I don't think he believes Elvis is alive and the moon landing was fake though. He's more enlightened. ..."

Has he taken up the Paleo diet then? Oh, no. That would be older than 6,000 years.

Kallie wrote: "Karen wrote: "My sister married a creationist who believes the earth was 6,000 Yrs old. I don't think he believes Elvis is alive and the moon landing was fake though. He's more enlightened. ..."

H..."

Lol. It's too bad because my husband loves evolution science, all science, and the can't discuss. We just avoid religion talk and my bro in law never imposes his beliefs, which is good.

OH!!!!

The next way to make a gazillion off a diet craze would be to come up with The Eden Diet.

An apple a day . . .

Renee wrote: "OH!!!!

The next way to make a gazillion off a diet craze would be to come up with The Eden Diet.

An apple a day . . ."

Hahahaha!

They could be yawning, but . . . http://www.sadanduseless.com/2015/02/...

Might be yawning, but they're enjoying it!

There's something immeasurably satisfying about a good yawn. It's like an internal stretch.

Paul Martin wrote: "Come on Michael, let's be honest. The thought that your great-grandparents were actually bacteria is rather terrifying."

Hey, some of my best friends are bacteria. (They're mostly in my gut.)

As Milton Berle said, "good evening, ladies and germs . . ."

And Gracie Allen! I like my bacteria too, and my mites.

“A process which led from the amoeba to man appeared to the philosophers to be obviously a progress though whether the amoeba would agree with this opinion is not known.”

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”

~Bertrand Russell

Proof of evolution?

http://skiffyandfanty.com/viking-amoe...

Renee wrote: "Proof of evolution?

http://skiffyandfanty.com/viking-amoe..."

I would say so.

So, this afternoon I was telling my mother I wanted to show her the Richard Dawkins video (she likes him a lot) and my sister said "who's Richard Dawkins.."
Yep, she's the one married to the guy above who I mentioned. :)

Did you enlighten her? Or let her believe he's a deceased game show host whose gimmick was kissing?

At least they're both Brits.

My dad's argument against evolution is still "then how come there are still monkeys, huh? Haha idiots!"

Renee wrote: "Did you enlighten her? Or let her believe he's a deceased game show host whose gimmick was kissing?"

Hahaha! I told her who he was. She can feel as dumb as she wants, she knows I have more intellect because I use it- she could use hers but chooses not to-I'm sure a therapist could figure that one out!

Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We SurvivedThis is an excellent book, exploring some 27 humanoid species that have been discovered, of which only ours remains:

Michael wrote: "Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We SurvivedThis is an excellent book, exploring some 27 humanoid species that have been discovered, of which only ours..."

It sounds interesting

Will wrote: "My dad's argument against evolution is still "then how come there are still monkeys, huh? Haha idiots!""

Really? Really? I'm lucky then, my parents are pretty enlightened.