Airforce Academy pushing religion in the news...

[Cathan]

Originally Posted by TheGoat

That's because malpractice is a term used in association with professional services, which government run medical facilities do not provide. Professional services are provided by doctors themselves, and you can bet your ass you can sue them for malpractice if the case is egregious enough.

32 seconds on Google turns up the Veterans Administration reporting on its own malpractice claim information.

To hit on the VA... and believe me I have a motherfucking right to hit this subject. In '86 my grandpa, who had had a stroke and wasn't quite right in the head, asks my grandma to take him to the VA because he was having one of his bad times. Grandma told the lady she checked grandpa in with to put him in the lockup ward so he would be safe. Well they didn't and grandpa walked out, sat on the railroad tracks and was killed by a train he waved to. The question mark comes in when there are 2 sets of railroad tracks there. Was he coherent enough to know what he was doing or was he simply mistaken that he was on the same tracks the train was coming on? Among my family we typically believe the worst unfortunately because we know ourselves... None of us wants to be incapacitated in any way and grandpa lived with his stroke's incapacitation for 12 years before he died.

FF to today and I spent 4 years in the Marine Corps and I was fucking broke and poor and in debt with medical bills up to my ears. I've had 6 kidney stones that sent my ass to the hospital. The last stone was .5" by .25" which sent me for a trip to the lithotripsy where the use ultrasonic waves to break the stone up. That was 5k without the doctor's fee. So I finally hit the VA and sign up because I'm tired of seeing my credit go all to hell since I'm a college student with no insurance racking up tons of dr bills. The VA charges me 0$ per year for healthcare and their closest hospital is across town. I had some back problems so they gave me some mild opiate pain killers, darvacet I think it was, and later an MRI. The MRI costs around 1500 to 2k which was way out of my budget. They were honest with me and said I could have the surgery if I wanted it or I could tough it out and see if my back healed on its own. Well I opted away from the surgery since back surgery typically makes people worse from everyone I talked to about it. I did end up having another minory surgery which was free ofcourse and everything has turned out fine witht that.

In the end I'm happy with the VA even with the bullshit that happened with my gpa many years ago. My family had planned to take legal action but the VA lawyers kept putting my family off for another 6 months here, 3 months there and finally the time limit ran out on the suit and they basically fucked us out of any settlement. My family, like me, was not educated on the law and we don't care to just fuck everyone over for everything we can so they were patient. It obviously wasn't the right thing for us to be patient but shit happens. They take care of me pretty well now and I don't have to worry about going to the dr that much anymore so I'm happy. I can't state how much it sucks trying to go to the dr when you know you can't help but default on payment because you simply don't make enough to pay for it, nor can you afford insurance that's going to tell you kidney stones are generally a pre-existing condition for the first year or 2 when I was having 1 every year there for a while.

Yaaay beer, yes I had like 5 but I'm not very buzzed. I still won like 4 out of 6 or 7 games of pool even though I haven't played in a year and half.

Edit: omg looks like some pro republican types are coming out for this thread that lean toward my views typically. Fucking shock and AWE!!!!!! I still believe in separation of church and state wholeheartedly though for you liberals... I think our forefathers had the right idea. I also think it's unlikely anyone was ordered to pray to Jesus Christ so they could do well on a test either... I would say it's more likely they were ordered to pray to satan as they gangbanged the female cadet in the class for their own selfish fucked up motives than they were told to pray to Jesus... /salute you conservatives!!! Represent in all my threads!!!! Maybe we can run the liberals off this board!!!!

[AngryGerbil]

The saying "There are no atheists in foxholes" is not a testament against atheism, it is a testament against foxholes.

Pretend I am holding two pictures in my hands. One of them shows a brown skinned, mustached, middle-eastern muslim with an AK-47 held above his head in one hand and a Koran held in the other, a green Hamas headband on, and a look of pure fire in his eyes as he enthusiatically chants something at the camera. The other is of a white, clean cut, american chrsitian army soldier on bended knee with his M-16 in front of him in silent group prayer with his squadmates clutching his necklace in the shape of a crucifix, just before they embark on some mission. What is the difference between these two people?

Ultimately? We can never know. There may be quite a few differences. Stereotypically however? No difference at all. None.

If your worshipful god gives you reason and/or power for fighting, then you my friend, are truly lost. And if not....and if you are actually tapping into god's power for your ensuing endeavour of warfare, that He is actually granting you strength for such a cause...then I spit in your god's face and piss on his toes.

"HAHA teh Church isz like teh vacations in teh armiez!!1" Fuck you.

[Rune]

Originally Posted by AngryGerbil

Pretend I am holding two pictures in my hands. One of them shows a brown skinned, mustached, middle-eastern muslim with an AK-47 held above his head in one hand and a Koran held in the other, a green Hamas headband on, and a look of pure fire in his eyes as he enthusiatically chants something at the camera. The other is of a white, clean cut, american chrsitian army soldier on bended knee with his M-16 in front of him in silent group prayer with his squadmates clutching his necklace in the shape of a crucifix, just before they embark on some mission. What is the difference between these two people?

I always agree with you, Rodent, but even you have to admit you purposefully chose these to be inflammatory, and even though you say there is no difference, you yourself screwed that up by describing one as a rabid dog and the other as a silent zealot.

0/10 redo

[James]

Originally Posted by AngryGerbil

The saying "There are no atheists in foxholes" is not a testament against atheism, it is a testament against foxholes.

Pretend I am holding two pictures in my hands. One of them shows a brown skinned, mustached, middle-eastern muslim with an AK-47 held above his head in one hand and a Koran held in the other, a green Hamas headband on, and a look of pure fire in his eyes as he enthusiatically chants something at the camera. The other is of a white, clean cut, american chrsitian army soldier on bended knee with his M-16 in front of him in silent group prayer with his squadmates clutching his necklace in the shape of a crucifix, just before they embark on some mission. What is the difference between these two people?

Ultimately? We can never know. There may be quite a few differences. Stereotypically however? No difference at all. None.

If your worshipful god gives you reason and/or power for fighting, then you my friend, are truly lost. And if not....and if you are actually tapping into god's power for your ensuing endeavour of warfare, that He is actually granting you strength for such a cause...then I spit in your god's face and piss on his toes.

"HAHA teh Church isz like teh vacations in teh armiez!!1" Fuck you.

Yeah this whole shit is a tangent and barely worth replying to. Dumbass.

[AngryGerbil]

Meh.

It sounded better in my head while I typed it out. My point was, if you're fighting for God, you are a lunatic. Re-reading it I can see that I didn't make this point very well at all. Oh well. Can I use the "I was drunk" defense?

[Rune]

No I find the "I was ten boxing my AQ-raid " to be a better one.

[AngryGerbil]

I was drunk and ten-boxing AQ while drunk aliens with nanomachines invaded my drunken little brother's mind and made him hack my account and make the post.

[Etadanik]

No one would enter a "foxhole" if he wasn't, in his mind, fighting for the greater good.

What greater good can there be than one's god, whose folded hands clasp the key to eternal paradise?

It isn't rocket science to observe that religion has, and will always be, one of the most powerful instruments of war.

Yet Atheism is not the road to world peace. Atheism is the absence of gods, but it is not the absence of belief. People are willing to die for their beliefs, and whether that belief lies with Allah, Christ, or Democracy and Capitalism really does not matter. Ideology rules the unbeliever, so to speak, and the only way around it is to doubt everything, to believe in nothing.

And that, ultimately, is a very sad way to live. But if you're going to believe in something, why not believe in peace, in the redeemption of mankind in the here and now?

Because that is too great an act of faith. After all, even the ancient religions did not dare preach paradise in this life, lest they be disbelieved.

[Cathan]

That's a hell of a point Etadanik. Why doesn't someone start a religion that believes in peace and paradise here instead of in the afterlife? A wise man once asked me if I liked what I was doing in life at that time. I said no but I will be happy when XXXXXXXX. The wise man told me why put off happiness?

So why do we put off this paradise? Why do we not try and make it happen here instead of waiting for some afterlife that we aren't sure even exists?

Who knew Etadanik was a prophet? I vote Etadanik starts a new religion!!!

[Bralkan]

Paradise on earth was not preached because it wouldn't be believed. If you preached paradise on earth, what is there to control?


example: the Catholics use religion to rule.
Think about it -> your life sucks. But, your told in the afterlife it will be awesome. Eternity of bliss is worth 50-60 years of hell on earth. As a result, South America is the way it is. The conquistadors showed up, told them to except Christianity or die. Oh yea, and by excepting Catholicism you've consented to a life of serving the church to the churches ends, not Gods.

(please don't take that as all catholics are evil latino hators)

Frankly, I read Christianity that way Cathan. Jesus promised heaven on earth. And Jesus only talked about peace. Notice, it is the disciples and others that say most if not all of the "rules" of Christianity.

Unfortunately, I don't like calling myself a Christian (besides the fact I'm skeptical about the resurrection and other divine acts) because of all the lunatics that subscribe to it. I don't want to get wrapped up in that.

Jesus was more philosopher to me.

Although, John Adams did say philosophers can be just as crazy as Christians, Hindoos [sic], and Muslims (he said this in a letter in reference to J.J. Rousseau).

living with out belief is sad?. I disagree. I am a pretty big skeptic in all things. I constantly doubt things - especially those without proof (alright, I'm pretty sold on gravity - at least on Earth). I feel pretty fulfilled in my life. Sure, I can't check off my roadmap to heaven. But I see the growth I've done and how I've dealt with issues: you know, how I'm doing at being "human."

[Benito Fireslinger]

Frankly, I read Christianity that way Cathan. Jesus promised heaven on earth. And Jesus only talked about peace. Notice, it is the disciples and others that say most if not all of the "rules" of Christianity.

1) Where does it say Jesus promised heaven on earth.
2) Where does it say anything about peace?
3) Everything a disciple says or an apostle was told to them by Jesus before he died. Their knowledge was given directly to them from Jesus/God.

[Cathan]

I think it's safe to assume gravity works everywhere in the universe and is the major phhysical force. Quantum level it's a whole different story.

I know religion is mostly about control, that's old news. I think if people preached the peace on earth and paradise here and now maybe everyone would care more about actually making the world a better place than it is.

If I tell you when you die you can go to a better place and have a better life than you have here maybe you think ok so who gives a fuck about this life... If I tell you you have to make this life as good as you can then maybe you think ok I need to get along with everyone around me and do some good things so hopefully that will influence my life in a more positive way. That's a general statement so don't go wasting your time tearing it apart, whoever may be so inclined... I get tired of writing 100% politically correct statements for jackasses that don't even try to understand the context I'm speaking from. Take it with a grain of salt that just maybe I'm not trying to force you to kill baby penguins and mow the heads off kittens... Maybe I should put that in my sig.

[AngryGerbil]

Originally Posted by Cathan

ok I need to get along with everyone around me and do some good things so hopefully that will influence my life in a more positive way.

Perfectly stated. And you don't need to attend mass or read a holy book in order to do these things. Religion loves to tout itself as the source of human morality, which annoys me to no end. Being decent to one another is common fucking sense on the level of the instinctual trend towards greater survival of ones self and the species in general.

[Kan]

Military has always been pro religion infact alot of Drill Sgts freak out on you during basic if you aren't.

[Dumar]

Originally Posted by AngryGerbil

Perfectly stated. And you don't need to attend mass or read a holy book in order to do these things. Religion loves to tout itself as the source of human morality, which annoys me to no end. Being decent to one another is common fucking sense on the level of the instinctual trend towards greater survival of ones self and the species in general.

this is what people that bash religion never get. human morality isn't good and just enough to make the world a better place by itself. what if my morality is to be deceitful, greedy, and maybe have a care about those whom are close to me? or maybe go to the extreme? kill anyone that has something i want. sounds outrageous? why? is that sense of human morality any better than yours? you also say it's common sense on the level of instinctual trend towards greater survival of oneself and the species? well what if i say i disagree with you. i am just as human as you, and i claim my morality is completely different than yours and just as moral. by what right could you call me wrong?

there is no "common, humanistic morality" that we all share and is instinctive of all humans. there is instincts to survive, and that sometimes promotes community. do not confuse the two.