metadigital

... or the jews.

Though the media is keen to polarise perceptions about 'who' and 'what' a Christian is, the fact is that there is a large range of theologies denominationally that indicate that there is really no 'normal' or 'standard' point of view. The Radical Theology with which I feel comfort is neither dominant nor fringe, it has a voice within the Church as an extension of the Body of Christ. It is easy to engage in polemic against Christianity by citing verse literally to challenge those who claim literalism as an authority for their more fundamental theology - sort of ironic. For me, I find that there is so much history and depth to Christianity that it requires an intentionality that takes a lifetime to begin to find comfort with it as an expression of one's spirituality, as opposed to dogma. Part of any difficulty that revolves around a discussion of Religion is the use of language. The set of assumptions and biases that are never checked can end up juxtaposing people before they even attempt dialogue. Your use of faith - for instance - is what I would call belief. Faith is not an articulate set of precepts - rather it is, for me, what one knows through discernment. Beliefs are linguistic attempts to intellectually describe faith. The problem is that once written, there is a tendency to concentrate upon the word and not the fact that it is the expression of one person at one moment who would likely describe it otherwise the next time. Though this may seem semantic, perhaps even pedantic, it is important to normalise such discussion in order to attempt to establish a shared vocabulary. In such a pluralist society, there is a tendency for two people to debate a point, using the very same words, when they are fact in possession of very different meanings. Though I am not a Roman Catholic, I would say that the RC tradition has in fact a great respect for women. I would contend, though I may disagree with my Brothers and Sisters of the RC denomination with various areas of interpretation and theology, that there is indeed a sanctity with which the RC tradition holds and honours women. Blanket statements about anyone's tradition can be difficult to defend on a personal basis. I am not an apologist for the treatment of women within the RC tradition, but nor am I comfortable using a generalisation to identify a truth. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You are hiding behind semantics. you are close to speaking in Yoda-riddles! the only way any of us will comprehend God is to devote a lifetime of prayer? Whilst I don't doubt your belief nor your sincerity, I find it meaningless to this discussion. This is how we explain away the inconsistencies of the Bible? How many Christians believe this? Roman Catholics still have icons and connonise saints! I understand that most(?) Christians don't subscribe to a literal interpretation of the Bible. It is quite extraordinary how many Christians have little or no idea what the Bible contains or represents, or have actually read it! -- and, more importantly, any other scripture, like The Qur'an. (After all, until 1967 the roman catholic mass was read in Latin: the Panza Pope Benedict XVI's first mass was back to latin.) I can only assume there is a wish for secrecy: some sort of gnosticism, which is what you seem to be saying. Your literacy notwithstanding, I find christianity in general a patronising social contruct. Defending it merely impoverishes your credibility: why aren't women permitted to be Bishops? (Let alone homosexuals -- didn't Jesus preach inclusion -- prostitutes, tax collectors, gentiles, anyone except gays?) I found Robert Heinlein's Job: A comedy of Justice a particularly entertaining discussion on the whole "worship-complex" of a creator being, for example.

I think you may have over-compensated for the godless state of Communism to bound headlong into an intimate relationship with a metaphysical being, but each to his/her own ...

Yep, a little Jedi Mind Control on the Malek Puppet ... :D

Did you ever see the interview with John Cleese, Michael Palin and the Archbishop of Cantebury? (I'm not making this up!) It wsa shortly after the release of Life of Brian, and it demonstrated how much the Church wishes to avoid any direct scrutiny, by simply denying any possibility of rational debate on the historical Jesus ... which all clergy must come to terms with in their studies but which they keep from the laity. Featured the best put down I have heard for an Archbishop (by Mr Palin) ... Be careful some of them might hear God respond ...

It's ironic that the catholic faith, which was born of rebellion from the oppressive dogma has become the oppressive dogma that in turn is rebelled against by the modern faiths. Then again, The Church of Latter Day Saints regard themselves as Christians, too, and Jehova's Witnesses. Every crackpot Church davidian, Jonestown .... just look at the schisms in the last two millennia! How many Popes have just said whatever was expedient -- not just for the Church, but for their own personal gain? Popes with multiple wives; Popes that ordered the Crusades ... talk about ex cathedra infallibility being the worst dogma.

We live in an an anarcho-syndicalist commune, not some self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working classes are exploited in a theocratic dictatorship ... ... Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony ... you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you ... if I went 'round saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Nope, Obsidian finished the patch since a few week, read the developper message. It's up to LA, who took nearly one week to put online a single web page with links to internationnal versions of the 1.0b patch, to release the patch. By the way, I find quite strange that LA were so eager to release the game for christmas and is now taking ages to release finished patches... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That must be sarcasm. There is one important event that has happenned between the release before Christmas and now: the transfer of money from your account to LAs. Yep, the could always release a beta patch. (Heck, they have thousands of beta testers waiting to file their reports online ...) "

fighting Malak

Lego SW was on the latest PC Zone demo disk. (I haven't installed it yet.) Their review said it was loads of fun but too short (like 4 hours long). No surprises about the RotS game: I guess we should expect the game to be aimed at the tweenies demographic: they, after all, are much more forgiving of blatant rip-off plots and techniques. (How many kids watch movies start-to-finish and then again, again, ad nauseum?)

Well, you've got to whinge about the ending to be really part of the group.

Yep, the rise of art generally co-incides with the fall of civilisation: look at the fall of the Roman Empire ... Great inkwork!

Nope. Mira/Hanharr are the only NPCs that are restricted by alignment. Handmaiden/Disciple are restricted by gender. Aside from that, you don't HAVE to rebuild HK-47, and you must get everybody else. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> G0-T0 and Mandalore are pretty incongruous for a Light Sider, but still they are available. And .

If you are saying that this helps explain the conflation of so many different concepts of "god" as portrayed in the moveable feast that is the Bible (God of Vengence, God of Mercy, Mother Earth Goddess, etc), I guess this is an interesting point. Unfortunately there are far too many fundamentalists who demand strict observance of their literal interpretation. This viewpoint is itself quite progressive.

I don't agree. Perfection is not a comparative: you cannot be more perfect anymore than you can be "a little bit pregnant". Goodness might be subjective, but not perfection.

Yes, but only .

Well, before the edits removed this option. So the distinction is moot.

... it's funny I was reading the Bioware developer's notes and they did mention they had inspiration for one of the early characters after visiting the midlands of England ...

Yeah, but that Cleopatra was a bit of a bike: she ended up with his best mate, Mark Antony. :ph34r:

Hooray! (w00t) Yes, William Gibson is da man! Cyberspace is his invention: he is a Tolkein for the third millennium. Please?

Unfortunately "goodwill" seems to be an optional extra when it comes to the goldrush mentality of the fanboys in this thread (see <{POST_SNAPBACK}>), so LA are (quite rightly, methinks) prioritising quality waaaaaaaaaaaay down the list of requirements for games.

FaramirK, I thought "Christ" was a secular title given to the senior ranking Jewish leader of the time Nope. It is a title of divinity. As for Mary's Gospel, I doubt its validity, and I am confident that it will be disproved in time... But believe it if you will, it's your right after all. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You seem very confident. I would say almost fundamentally confident. " Hubris is Mother Nature's way of bringing the overconfident down to earth.

Ah, but the sources quoted in a wikipedia article can (and should) be confirmed just as easily (and moreso) than any other article in any other library. So don't just stop at the Wikipedia, go forth and research! For example, one of the quoted sources was an article (translated from German) of Dr Albert Schweitzer's thesis on the historicity of Jesus. I am quite prepared to accept him as an expert (D. THEOL., D. PHIL., D. MED.) Unless we follow Rosbjerg's existentialist position, and doubt everything outside our heads (which, I suppose includes our heads ...) then we have to make some assumptions. The alternative is spending the rest of the thread arguing semantics. I think it is a little arrogant to conclude the reverse is true: that other sources are any more reliable (Bible? " )

I think the argument is derailed: we are not necessarily talking about physical violence. The issue I believe revolves around the Christian imperative to actively evangelise: it is a hostile act to assume moral, spiritual and theological superiority and try to convert the "heathens" to the word of God. If you are a Buddhist, you do no such thing. Live and let live.

Yep, Roman Catholics believe that, for example, stillborn babies (who naturally haen't been baptised) go to a "special" afterlife called limbo. There was even a case last year (in the headlines because it was a politician's family) where the Catholic priest refused to baptise a fatally ill baby in hospital. Good ol' Anglican priest had no compunction and they baptised the little girl before she died, a couple of hours later. The Protestant (Apostolic) churches (formed after the reformation) are not so strict.