Amadan
Posts: 1337
Joined: Jan. 2007
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| Quote (Schroedinger's Dog @ May 06 2011,12:36) | | Quote (noncarborundum @ May 06 2011,12:22) | | Quote (CeilingCat @ May 06 2011,01:12) |
I wasted a few bucks on reb Maverick's tome. Here's a sample of his "reasoning": | Quote | True devotees of naturalism
Talmudic sources describe the practices of an ancient pagan cult called Ba'al Pe'or. The adherents of this sect showed their devotion to their god by first defecating in front of his statue and then proceeding to engage in some of the more standard types of debauchery. Defecation as a form of worship might seem odd to us in the 21st century, but the obvious meaning behind this act was to proclaim the glorification of, and an exclusive devotion to the physical and material aspects of existence. If it were suggested that the above described scatology would be an appropriate expression of their own absolute commitment to naturalism and materialism, I imagine the reactions of Lewontin, Hitchens, Dawkiins, Ruse, Dennet, Pinker, et al., would be comically squeamish (although I don't rule out the possibility that they could surprise me). Despite that, my guess is they would still feel right at home in a post-worship philosophical discussion with the naturalist/materialist "theologians" of the Ba'al Pe'or seminary. |
That's from location 3820-3833 of the Kindle iPhone app and pages 225-226 of the book.
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It's probably not relevant, but I found it amusing nonetheless, that Strong's Hebrew Lexicon defines Pe'or as "gap" (a geographical feature?). Ba'al being "lord" or "master" (as in Ba'al-Zebub, the Lord of the Flies), this would make Ba'al-Pe'or "Lord of the Gaps".
Who knew the God of the Gaps had worshipers back in Biblical times? And that they were full of shit, even then? |
POTW? |
Seconded!
I, for one, welcome our interstitial overlords.
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"People are always looking for natural selection to generate random mutations" - Densye 4-4-2011
JoeG BTW dumbass- some variations help ensure reproductive fitness so they cannot be random wrt it.
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