Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

That’s just you labeling people as idiots, nothing more...

Just the typical response I’ve come to expect. Let me quote myself here just to prove the point.

You aren't any different from 99% of believers out there. In your world, you're either one of them or you're an idiot.

Exactly, just go ahead and keep staring at those fairy lights and Santa Claus...

Of course I want to! It’s honestly going to be hilarious knowing how much this is getting under your skin. You'll probably spend days arguing about it here on the forum even though you shouldn't care one bit in the first place. 🤷

You really nailed those religious values right there. You don't respect anyone else's opinion, you don't respect the people you're talking to, and you're just being insulting by acting like you're some ultimate moral authority. Bravo, truly. Let me say it again: I view the holidays as a time for food, drinks, and hanging out with my crew. I do it for myself, not for you. Whatever you do with your life is none of my business, and frankly, what I do should be none of yours either. 🤷

I'm truly sorry, Paul Martinez73, that you've consciously decided to remain uneducated.
You've simply exercised the freedom of choice that this community affords you. It's a real shame, though, that you put your faith in an institution that wouldn't extend that same courtesy to just anyone...

it seems to me that Paul Martinez73 is one of those "believers" who used to walk to church with their prayer books back in the USSR

ruggedjackal46 said:But here's the thing: you're acting like it's some shocker that a non-believer is out here decorating the tree. People generally scratch where it itches, don't they? Except this situation is a bit more slippery. It isn't just that the church is meddling in politics; it's that they're essentially running pre-election propaganda for a crooked organization called the Republican Party. But then again, I suppose that shouldn't be surprising, considering how much loot the Republican Party has handed out to priests.

It wasn't exactly "sleazy" when the Church was busy organizing all those cash grabs and ini donations during the American Civil War (we all know how much ended up being stolen)
you guys act like the Republican Party are the only thieves, and everyone else is just pure gold

I seriously don't get the people who get all worked up over decorated trees. Like, if it pisses you off that much, just go fishing for ten days or something and stop looking at it.

And imagine if a believer brought this topic up during Christmas, wow
At this rate, you won't even be able to call yourself an American. People will spend three days screaming about where you put the little stuff or why you didn't use a capital letter. You don't even have a comma in your post!
We basically robbed some folks and stole their Christmas tree when we could have just decorated a candy jar instead. It's funny we haven't dug up the data on how many people we cursed out while doing it.
but whatever

Anthony Jackson2 said:it seems to me that Paul Martinez73 is one of those "believers" who used to walk to church with their prayer books back in the USSR

Hey, I went out with my grandma—what’s wrong with that?
Where did you go? To the park with your auntie?
Stop messing with him, man. Can't you just chill?

darkseal9 said:Hey, I went out with my grandma—what’s wrong with that?
Where did you go? To the park with your auntie?
Stop messing with him, man. Can't you just chill?

I don't think you quite grasped what he was saying.
He didn't say his aunt, he said his "Tekica."

darkseal9 said:It wasn't exactly "sleazy" when the Church was busy organizing all those cash grabs and ini donations during the American Civil War (we all know how much ended up being stolen)
you guys act like the Republican Party are the only thieves, and everyone else is just pure gold

I seriously don't get the people who get all worked up over decorated trees. Like, if it pisses you off that much, just go fishing for ten days or something and stop looking at it.

And imagine if a believer brought this topic up during Christmas, wow
At this rate, you won't even be able to call yourself an American. People will spend three days screaming about where you put the little stuff or why you didn't use a capital letter. You don't even have a comma in your post!
We basically robbed some folks and stole their Christmas tree when we could have just decorated a candy jar instead. It's funny we haven't dug up the data on how many people we cursed out while doing it.
but whatever

Since when do we take ten days off?
Well, not everyone works at City Hall or Duke Energy, I suppose.
It’s only two days off, not ten.

Matthew Young35 said:Since when do we take ten days off?
Well, not everyone works at City Hall or Duke Energy, I suppose.
It’s only two days off, not ten.

Seriously Tekica, thanks for pointing that out, but what's the deal, Tekica?

If they tie it up for ten days, whoever here in the CDN area can actually manage—and I don't mean money, I mean who actually has the time to get work done...

Paul Martinez73 said:It's because that's how I choose to write.🤷
I capitalize Dad, Mom, Son, and the Church out of pure respect for the individuals and the institutions.

What "perspective" are you talking about? Go ahead, tell me, since I haven't actually written anything expressing an opinion on it. I might actually be closer to your way of thinking on this topic than the other side, except I look at things objectively. I don't like what happens, but I'm not shocked by it either. Honestly, I find it hilarious when people move away from their tiny hometowns and suddenly feel the need to criticize everything, acting like they're experts on life just because they finally made it somewhere. I certainly wouldn't go to someone living in New York City or Chicago for three generations just to lecture them on how they're doing everything wrong.

All I said was that it's totally normal, especially within the American community living in Germany, to show up to a mass in New York City and find it ridiculous that someone mentioned they should have voted for Miroslav Škoro. And I also pointed out that these topics aren't avoided in any other countries in Europe, given how many services I've attended around the world.
They only get mocked because they've never traveled further than their own backyard.

The Church as an institution? Give me a break. What's your reasoning there?

The Church, when referred to as an institution, is capitalized because it functions as a proper noun in this context, rather than out of any specific sense of deference.
🤦

loneseal said:The whole issue with the atheist crowd is their mindset—they act like nobody should believe in anything at all.

ZZ, do you seriously feel the need to go around pestering people about why they shouldn't believe during Christmas too?

It was already answered for you quite explicitly and clearly before, but you don't seem to care; you just keep nibbling away at the edges like a little mouse.

darkseal9 said:Seriously Tekica, thanks for pointing that out, but what's the deal, Tekica?

If they tie it up for ten days, whoever here in the CDN area can actually manage—and I don't mean money, I mean who actually has the time to get work done...

Tekica, you remind me of those people back in the USSR era—the ones crowding the altar today, but who used to spend their time logging everyone attending Mass just to send those records over to the CK.

Matthew Young35 said:The Church, when referred to as an institution, is capitalized because it functions as a proper noun in this context, rather than out of any specific sense of deference.
🤦

You speak with wisdom.

Matthew Young35 said:Tekica, you remind me of those people back in the USSR era—the ones crowding the altar today, but who used to spend their time logging everyone attending Mass just to send those records over to the CK.

Man, talk about FBI tactics right there.

What kind of absolute character do you end up getting stuck with right on Christmas 🤣

Paul Martinez73 said:I wasn't actually surprised by it, and I even mentioned being glad about it in one of my posts. I was being sincere, I just don't want to spend the next 350 days listening to everyone call me an idiot, which tied back into that discussion we had a few days ago regarding Faith and the Church.

I can agree that it’s slippery, but "weird"? Not quite. I wouldn't lump everyone together; there's a small minority taking the money, sure. But the majority answering that call are just doing their jobs conscientiously. Like Suker would say, every single coward has their own little grain of truth. I’d say it’s mostly just a leftover habit from the old days when the Church was exclusively tied to the Republican Party—if you were a Priest, you basically had to be a Republican. Besides, since the other side opposes the Church itself, it would be pretty foolish to campaign for them, don't you think?

So, what you're saying is most priests are just spineless cowards letting their "brothers" embezzle hundreds of millions from their congregation? Bold move.

So, is our Church no longer aligned with the Republican Party? 🤣

Skoro certainly felt the weight of that shift during this election cycle. Honestly, he probably would have even made it into the runoff if it weren't for some divine intervention.

For thirty years, they've been protecting a pack of thieves masquerading as an organization. For me, that's where I draw the line. What’s worse is that their most vocal supporters are often the very people filling heads with nationalist nonsense and intolerance toward anyone perceived as different. They are always standing by when it's time to sharpen the rhetoric or direct that specific segment of voters who view the New Testament as a political guidebook from the pulpit.

That petty, short-sighted, self-serving brand of politics is personally the biggest reason I’ve distanced myself from all of it. If I were to ignore the illogicalities and the atavisms—which aren't exactly rare in ancient traditions—one could certainly extract a beautiful life ethic from the New Testament even in modern times; but quite simply, everything associated with them just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's much the same as their secular counterparts in the Republican Party, with all those superficial displays of "patriotism."