Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

Merry Christmas!

brightpilot6 said: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."

So, what you're getting at is that people who head to Church just to sit there and listen to sermons... you don't exactly consider them the brightest bulbs in the room? I guess that's one way to look at it. Maybe.

Is that really the conclusion you managed to draw from this entire post? Is that truly the point you're trying to make? Good grief. It’s exactly this kind of reasoning that shapes my opinion of people, rather than whether or not they bother stepping foot in a church.

brightpilot6 said: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."

I mean, I pulled that conclusion from what you said, but I wasn't trying to imply you were wrong or anything like that. I was honestly just posing a question. 🤔
You mention people getting their heads filled with nonsense from some pulpit, but to me, that just sounds like you're trying to say that the folks who actually buy into that garbage are just easily led and don't bother using their own brains... I guess.

Well, that's just a straight-up fact (though, obviously, it doesn't apply to everyone)

ruggedjackal46 said:So, what you're saying is most priests are just spineless cowards letting their "brothers" embezzle hundreds of millions from their congregation? Bold move.

Are you really calling yourself a coward just because you're letting a tiny handful of thieves rob you blind? We're talking hundreds of millions lost to companies like Walmart and others like it...

God 🤦

What kind of logic or methodology are we even talking about here... seriously...
Formal reasoning has reached entirely new heights of absurdity

Down with Kant
Down with Tubic
Down with Kovac

Paul Martinez73 has finally stepped forward

Paul Martinez73 said:Are you really calling yourself a coward just because you're letting a tiny handful of thieves rob you blind? We're talking hundreds of millions lost to companies like Walmart and others like it...

Look, I didn't get to pick my country any more than a Priest gets to pick his calling or the specific organization he serves—you know, the one where he'll quietly cover for his brothers when things get messy. You get what I'm saying?

Noah Roberts46 said:The Church as an institution? Give me a break. What's your reasoning there?

It’s pretty much what Noah would have typed, so why not just ask him instead?
To answer Matthew Young35—even though I already said I wouldn't bother replying anymore—and this Henry guy who keeps trying to walk a fine line with those cheap little jabs...
Matthew, look, sorry German is my primary language, so I end up typing everything in caps out of pure habit. Sometimes I accidentally capitalize Streetcar, oops, my bad. Feel free to correct me if you're feeling helpful; maybe fix my posts and it'll eventually stick...
And yeah, back in the day, I actually carried a Party booklet and a "slip" to churches to check people in (is that alright now?). We didn't use Social Security numbers back then, so sometimes things just slipped through the cracks...

Take darkseal9, for instance—I definitely didn't sign him up.

Just another patriot living beyond the borders, an "American and a moral giant." Touche

Anyway, if anyone here happens to be familiar with VIS Niprije, I’d suggest they try singing those Cavoglav melodies to the tune of "Lijepa li si."

Just to watch the whole universe come crashing down.

Paul Martinez73 said:It’s pretty much what Noah would have typed, so why not just ask him instead?
To answer Matthew Young35—even though I already said I wouldn't bother replying anymore—and this Henry guy who keeps trying to walk a fine line with those cheap little jabs...
Matthew, look, sorry German is my primary language, so I end up typing everything in caps out of pure habit. Sometimes I accidentally capitalize Streetcar, oops, my bad. Feel free to correct me if you're feeling helpful; maybe fix my posts and it'll eventually stick...
And yeah, back in the day, I actually carried a Party booklet and a "slip" to churches to check people in (is that alright now?). We didn't use Social Security numbers back then, so sometimes things just slipped through the cracks...

Take darkseal9, for instance—I definitely didn't sign him up.

No problem at all. I got the impression you were implying that you capitalize Church out of respect. I just wanted to point out that "the Church" and "a church" aren't quite the same thing. As far as I'm concerned, you can write CHURCH, ChUrCh, or cHrCh for all I care.
I'm no grammar Nazi; I make plenty of mistakes myself when posting on forums. Every now and then, I'll correct someone who is persistently wrong without being malicious, and I appreciate it when people correct me too. It happens.

As for Tekica, I wasn't calling you out. I was simply explaining what a Tekica is. If you have an issue with that, take it up with someone else.

Ashley Bailey6 said:I have one question for you then.

If you aren't an atheist, what are you?

And don't say agnostic. That's just a fancy way of saying "I can't decide if I want to eat or sleep."

Just your average local stray, if you must know.☕

Usually, these kinds of threads are sparked after a joint and a liter of cheap booze, shared with some girl with German-style tattoos you met two hours ago, where you try to navigate the conversation with broken English, blaming any awkwardness on "miscommunication" the second you say something too wild. But fine.

For me, spirituality isn't really about religion or the lack thereof; it’s more of a personal philosophy and a way of looking at things. I see this world—in all its magic and mystery—as a singular, divine entity with infinite facets, something that deserves quiet, dignified respect along with everything that makes it up. I suppose that falls under some kind of pantheism or paganism, call it what you will.
Atheists tend to trivialize that magic by trying to explain, define, label, and rationalize every living thing, effectively sucking the joy out of existence through sheer over-analysis. There's just no need for it.

By the way, you guys have been tripping harder than usual over the last few pages. Ugh. I'm just watching.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:Just another patriot living beyond the borders, an "American and a moral giant." Touche

Let me answer you one last time before I just hit the ignore button. No, I’m not some overseas patriot. Nor am I an "American," though I can tell that really rubs you the wrong way given how you act. I shouldn't even type it again since I already took enough heat for what I called you earlier ☕

The German language is my primary tongue because I've been working for a German firm for 15 years now—and yes, even here in Washington, D.C., I work for Germans, using German for writing and reading eight hours a day (Matthew Young35, did I get all that right? Just kidding). I also spent several months living abroad...

Now, why don't you go shove yourself into whatever corner you usually try to stuff everyone else into, and then go play pretend with whoever you want. And as for the... thanks.

Matthew Young35 said:No problem at all. I got the impression you were implying that you capitalize Church out of respect. I just wanted to point out that "the Church" and "a church" aren't quite the same thing. As far as I'm concerned, you can write CHURCH, ChUrCh, or cHrCh for all I care.
I'm no grammar Nazi; I make plenty of mistakes myself when posting on forums. Every now and then, I'll correct someone who is persistently wrong without being malicious, and I appreciate it when people correct me too. It happens.

As for Tekica, I wasn't calling you out. I was simply explaining what a Tekica is. If you have an issue with that, take it up with someone else.

I capitalize all those places, even though I know it isn't strictly correct. In a formal conversation, I’d definitely pay attention to that. But in a Chat, or on a Forum, etc., I’ll write Church (the building), Mosque, Theater, Dad, Son, Family. Mostly because I don't view them as just buildings when we're discussing them. For instance, if we start a debate about how the local theater is garbage, I won't type out the full name every time; I'll just use a capital letter for Theater to show respect to the establishment itself, rather than treating it purely as a pile of bricks. I'd use lowercase if we were just commenting on the architecture itself. If we're talking about the Theater as a whole entity—including the people working there and the profession they represent—then I'll use a capital to honor the people, the craft, and everything else involved while I'm commenting.

It's the same when I say I'm going to Church. I'm not going to a building just to sightsee. I'm going to Church (the building), but I'm going for Mass, honoring the people, the profession, and the faith. If I were commenting specifically on the layout or some construction work, I'd use lowercase. I've never been referring to just the walls here, and it's the same deal with the Mosque.

So, hopefully, that makes it a bit clearer why and how I do it. Grammatically, it might not be perfectly accurate, but hey, it's a forum. If those folks in the European Union Parliament can be illiterate and not know the basics of a foreign language, I can afford to slip up a little too. Though, when I actually put in the effort, I can be quite literary... but that's just my way of messing around.

Anyway, wishing everyone the best in the New Year.

We're all just God's kids and He loves us all, even young Henry who thinks at seventeen he's already mastered everything there is to know about the world.

Paul Martinez73 said:Let me answer you one last time before I just hit the ignore button. No, I’m not some overseas patriot. Nor am I an "American," though I can tell that really rubs you the wrong way given how you act. I shouldn't even type it again since I already took enough heat for what I called you earlier ☕

The German language is my primary tongue because I've been working for a German firm for 15 years now—and yes, even here in Washington, D.C., I work for Germans, using German for writing and reading eight hours a day (Matthew Young35, did I get all that right? Just kidding). I also spent several months living abroad...

Now, why don't you go shove yourself into whatever corner you usually try to stuff everyone else into, and then go play pretend with whoever you want. And as for the... thanks.

Why would it bother me? I've already dealt with plenty of people like you who always care more about everyone else's business than their own. You are actually the textbook definition of an uneducated, narrow-minded zealot who spends his time peeking into other people's apartments, checking their beds, snooping through bank accounts, counting everyone's blood cells, acting like a know-it-all, and pretending he's the moral compass of the world.

I wasn't following this, and honestly, I don't have the energy to slog through all the crap you guys just typed out. But seriously, can someone please give me the TL;DR? What’s the actual beef here, who's fighting, and what's the deal with Paul Martinez73 versus everyone else?

This thing even put Mexicans in Mexico at risk. 🙂🙂