Has anyone read Shantaram? I was at a bookstore a while back and there was a table that was organized by genre (sort of) and it was on it, and considering I read many of the other books also on that table I was considering reading it as well. Is it any good?
That's the book about a drug dealer right? If it is, the only reason I know about it is because Johnny Depp's been trying to get it made into a movie for a while.
It's a semi-autobiography about a bank-robber who broke out of prison in Australia and went to India where he became a smuggler and such for the Indian mob. My friend's mum knew the guy before he got arrested.
Has anyone read Shantaram? I was at a bookstore a while back and there was a table that was organized by genre (sort of) and it was on it, and considering I read many of the other books also on that table I was considering reading it as well. Is it any good?
That's the book about a drug dealer right? If it is, the only reason I know about it is because Johnny Depp's been trying to get it made into a movie for a while.
It's a semi-autobiography about a bank-robber who broke out of prison in Australia and went to India where he became a smuggler and such for the Indian mob. My friend's mum knew the guy before he got arrested.
Man, that is a blatant allegory for Zoroaster.
Why do people keep trying to force their religions on me?
Has anyone read Shantaram? I was at a bookstore a while back and there was a table that was organized by genre (sort of) and it was on it, and considering I read many of the other books also on that table I was considering reading it as well. Is it any good?
That's the book about a drug dealer right? If it is, the only reason I know about it is because Johnny Depp's been trying to get it made into a movie for a while.
It's a semi-autobiography about a bank-robber who broke out of prison in Australia and went to India where he became a smuggler and such for the Indian mob. My friend's mum knew the guy before he got arrested.
Yeah that's what it was. Man it's going to be such a kickass movie
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever are also a fantastic series.
Holy shit that's the name of them. My uncle gave me the first one and I was taking a break from it on account of too much school reading and I lost it in the process and couldn't remember the name.
When I first read the Golden Compass and the sequels, I didn't pick up on the atheist thing. Probably had something to do with me being 12 and in Catholic school at the time.
I read it again the other day and holy shit it's obvious.
I can't wait to check out Amber Spyglass next time I go by Borders. Golden Compass was good, but Subtle Knife was amazing.
Metzger MeisterIt Gets Worsebefore it gets any better.Registered Userregular
edited January 2008
Guns don't kill people, but they sure do make it easier.
Also, it's the cardiac arrest caused by massive blood-loss and organ failure do to catastrophic shock and damage to the tissue that a bullet causes that kills people.
Lots of people.
And squirrels and deer and chipmunks if I'm around.
When people are denied guns, they turn to knives. Just look at London.
It's the same with religion. There will be people who abuse power regardless of the source of that power. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", no? Certain atheists are fond of bringing up the crusades, but are happy to ignore the soviet pogroms, which were just as atheistic as the crusades were religious, and ended more lives by multiple orders of magnitude in a much shorter period of time.
The problem isn't religion, atheism, guns, racism, drugs, poverty or illiteracy. The problem is people.
You read my fucking mind. I want to hug you. There needs to be a hug button, and a list next to private messages that reads users who have sent you a hug.
When people are denied guns, they turn to knives. Just look at London.
It's the same with religion. There will be people who abuse power regardless of the source of that power. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", no? Certain atheists are fond of bringing up the crusades, but are happy to ignore the soviet pogroms, which were just as atheistic as the crusades were religious, and ended more lives by multiple orders of magnitude in a much shorter period of time.
The problem isn't religion, atheism, guns, racism, drugs, poverty or illiteracy. The problem is people.
When people are denied guns, they turn to knives. Just look at London.
It's the same with religion. There will be people who abuse power regardless of the source of that power. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", no? Certain atheists are fond of bringing up the crusades, but are happy to ignore the soviet pogroms, which were just as atheistic as the crusades were religious, and ended more lives by multiple orders of magnitude in a much shorter period of time.
The problem isn't religion, atheism, guns, racism, drugs, poverty or illiteracy. The problem is people.
Soviets weren't really atheists.
They worshiped The State.
Is The State a god now?
The Soviets condemned any belief in god as counter to the benefit of the people. "Opiate of the people" and whatnot. They were more than happy to condemn any religious organization, only barely tolerating those who were willing to act as puppets of the governments, and to arrest or execute their adherents.
When people are denied guns, they turn to knives. Just look at London.
It's the same with religion. There will be people who abuse power regardless of the source of that power. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", no? Certain atheists are fond of bringing up the crusades, but are happy to ignore the soviet pogroms, which were just as atheistic as the crusades were religious, and ended more lives by multiple orders of magnitude in a much shorter period of time.
The problem isn't religion, atheism, guns, racism, drugs, poverty or illiteracy. The problem is people.
Soviets weren't really atheists.
They worshiped The State.
Is The State a god now?
The Soviets condemned any belief in god as counter to the benefit of the people. "Opiate of the people" and whatnot. They were more than happy to condemn any religious organization, only barely tolerating those who were willing to act as puppets of the governments, and to arrest or execute their adherents.
Yes, The State can be a God. Try asking a fundamentalist Christian if they consider the Communist perspective on The State to be a form of idolatry.
But maybe you should reread what you just wrote. Like, a few times. Until it stops being simplistic, community college horseshit.
If you don't have the patience for that--and who could blame you?--, maybe you could realize how there are only trivial differences between an ostensibly atheistic government that encourages an ideology exalting the state, and a theocratic one exalting a god.
Hell, if you wanna be obscure, Hitler was a painter, and a vegetarian.
negaGodwin?
Hitler didn't execute people because his painting and vegetarianism required it. The Soviet pogroms were a direct result of Soviet teaching, often (and most famously) derived from their need to eliminate any non-atheistic organization.
People will always revere something. People will always be cruel, hateful, and violent. They often use the first to justify the second, regardless of what that first thing is. Replacing religion with atheism won't solve this. The Soviets tried to replace religion with Atheism, and it quickly resulted in cruelty, hate, and violence.
When people are denied guns, they turn to knives. Just look at London.
It's the same with religion. There will be people who abuse power regardless of the source of that power. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", no? Certain atheists are fond of bringing up the crusades, but are happy to ignore the soviet pogroms, which were just as atheistic as the crusades were religious, and ended more lives by multiple orders of magnitude in a much shorter period of time.
The problem isn't religion, atheism, guns, racism, drugs, poverty or illiteracy. The problem is people.
Soviets weren't really atheists.
They worshiped The State.
Is The State a god now?
The Soviets condemned any belief in god as counter to the benefit of the people. "Opiate of the people" and whatnot. They were more than happy to condemn any religious organization, only barely tolerating those who were willing to act as puppets of the governments, and to arrest or execute their adherents.
Yes, The State can be a God. Try asking a fundamentalist Christian if they consider the Communist perspective on The State to be a form of idolatry.
But maybe you should reread what you just wrote. Like, a few times. Until it stops being simplistic, community college horseshit.
If you don't have the patience for that--and who could blame you?--, maybe you could realize how there are only trivial differences between an ostensibly atheistic government that encourages an ideology exalting the state, and a theocratic one exalting a god.
The Christian concept of idolatry includes anything that takes God's place of worship, whether or not it is a god. The State, as the Soviets understood it, is not a god in the theistic sense, and so 'worshiping' it does not prevent the Soviets from having been strictly atheistic.
I hope you realize you made my point for me. The Soviet Block and Medieval Europe are examples of, as you put it, an "atheistic government" and a "theocratic one" (using a generous definition of theocracy). These certain atheists like to point out the Crusades as an example of how religion has a negative impact on society. The Soviets, being strict atheists, did not avoid similar atrocities. A strictly atheistic society does not, then, preclude large scale hate and violence as these individuals would have people believe. The problem is with human nature, not belief in god.
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It's a semi-autobiography about a bank-robber who broke out of prison in Australia and went to India where he became a smuggler and such for the Indian mob. My friend's mum knew the guy before he got arrested.
Man, that is a blatant allegory for Zoroaster.
Why do people keep trying to force their religions on me?
You mean the people who see Jesus in a piece of toast?
I actually saw that once; It was a portrait of the Last Supper, made entirety from squares of toast, on display at a Ripley's Museum.
no; like, people who look at the toastmarks on what comes out of their toaster at home and see jesus in them
Certainly not have this handy item to mock them with.
Hehe, I'm so silly. ^^
I need two.
it is my favorite book
it's basically a vision of hell written in the style of joyce. this is a terrible summation because it is so much more than that, but whatever.
but I already have that, and it is part 3(?) of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Because I'm going to say ASOIAF and Ender's Game, and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
I recommend it to anyone.
Holy shit that's the name of them. My uncle gave me the first one and I was taking a break from it on account of too much school reading and I lost it in the process and couldn't remember the name.
I can't wait to check out Amber Spyglass next time I go by Borders. Golden Compass was good, but Subtle Knife was amazing.
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essentially, yes
that's why people should have limited access to guns
Shit, I'm an atheist, and I disagree with that.
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what are you, a commie?
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Also, it's the cardiac arrest caused by massive blood-loss and organ failure do to catastrophic shock and damage to the tissue that a bullet causes that kills people.
Lots of people.
And squirrels and deer and chipmunks if I'm around.
Yes. You win, sir.
:^:
I kill people.
It's the same with religion. There will be people who abuse power regardless of the source of that power. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", no? Certain atheists are fond of bringing up the crusades, but are happy to ignore the soviet pogroms, which were just as atheistic as the crusades were religious, and ended more lives by multiple orders of magnitude in a much shorter period of time.
The problem isn't religion, atheism, guns, racism, drugs, poverty or illiteracy. The problem is people.
I thought it would be Teefs, but then, I'm a little sloshed.
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You read my fucking mind. I want to hug you. There needs to be a hug button, and a list next to private messages that reads users who have sent you a hug.
They worshiped The State.
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Hell, if you wanna be obscure, Hitler was a painter, and a vegetarian.
Is The State a god now?
The Soviets condemned any belief in god as counter to the benefit of the people. "Opiate of the people" and whatnot. They were more than happy to condemn any religious organization, only barely tolerating those who were willing to act as puppets of the governments, and to arrest or execute their adherents.
these things are not obscure
But maybe you should reread what you just wrote. Like, a few times. Until it stops being simplistic, community college horseshit.
If you don't have the patience for that--and who could blame you?--, maybe you could realize how there are only trivial differences between an ostensibly atheistic government that encourages an ideology exalting the state, and a theocratic one exalting a god.
Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Last.fm | Pandora | LibraryThing | formspring | Blue Moon over Seattle (MCFC)
negaGodwin?
Hitler didn't execute people because his painting and vegetarianism required it. The Soviet pogroms were a direct result of Soviet teaching, often (and most famously) derived from their need to eliminate any non-atheistic organization.
People will always revere something. People will always be cruel, hateful, and violent. They often use the first to justify the second, regardless of what that first thing is. Replacing religion with atheism won't solve this. The Soviets tried to replace religion with Atheism, and it quickly resulted in cruelty, hate, and violence.
Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Last.fm | Pandora | LibraryThing | formspring | Blue Moon over Seattle (MCFC)
The Christian concept of idolatry includes anything that takes God's place of worship, whether or not it is a god. The State, as the Soviets understood it, is not a god in the theistic sense, and so 'worshiping' it does not prevent the Soviets from having been strictly atheistic.
I hope you realize you made my point for me. The Soviet Block and Medieval Europe are examples of, as you put it, an "atheistic government" and a "theocratic one" (using a generous definition of theocracy). These certain atheists like to point out the Crusades as an example of how religion has a negative impact on society. The Soviets, being strict atheists, did not avoid similar atrocities. A strictly atheistic society does not, then, preclude large scale hate and violence as these individuals would have people believe. The problem is with human nature, not belief in god.
And you could put a little more effort into not sounding like a pompous ass. :P