WillingToDie

[1]Well, you may loathe him but you sure have a lot in common with him. [2]No and no. [3]Do you really believe that the muslim extemists want to kill us because of something we've done??? It's because of what we are or, more accurately, what we are not. We are not followers of allah, for the most part. It's a 'take over the world' type thing. Get used to it; you will see it again. I did not say I don't care what the Europeans think; I said they are not being forced to adopt our culture. I said I don't care what the Middle Eastern crazies think; and I don't. If that's arrogance; so be it. [4]Support for Israel, besides being 'cool', is necessary for their survival. If you want to be right with God, it's also required. I commend you for wanting to do something to change the things that are not great about the U.S., that's a good thing, but repeating the 'blame America first' mantra doesn't show concern for this country; only contempt. [1]The only thing I have in common with him is that we are both to the left of you. He is just far further to the left then I am. [2]Do you really believe that the events that happened at Abu Ghraib were not human rights violations? Being forced to strip naked, stand there with a hood over your head while a car battery is attached to your genitals is not human rights violations? [3]Yes, I do. While who we are may play a small part in it, they hate us primarily because of what we've done, one of bin Laden's big problems is that we have our troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, which contains two of Islam's holiest cities. Religion is just a convenient motivator for the peons they send on suicide missions. [4]I'm not sure that support for Israel is required to be right with God, as I'm not convinced that present day Israel has any connection beyond its name to the original Israel. If I'm wrong, please correct me. As for Israel itself, I'm not sure I can support their current actions. I'm sure they're just doing what they feel they need to do to survive, but I think it's ultimately making the situation worse. Again, support for them is all well and good, but a healthy critique every now and then is good. As for "blame America first", I think that we have created many of our current problems, and the best way to solve these problems is to recognize our mistakes, and look for a change in direction.

Barack Obama is a self-professed Christian. Take that as you will.

Not sure I follow Backontrack is asking if we are willing to lay down our life for our brother. Yes. But I'm not sure how that relates to the topic at hand.

I'd gladly die for Christ, after all, I'd merely be returning the favor, How about your brother? Not sure I follow

Michael Keaton was no Batman! I agree, Michael Keaton wasn't great as Batman. But the Villains were phenomenal. And, truth be told, I'm a bit of a Tim Burton fan.

How about getting your information from someone besides Michael Moore? To put it kindly, you wouldn't know a human rights violation if it jumped up and bit you. Btw, I don't give a flying fig what Middle Easterners think of us and, if Europeans don't like our culture, no one is forcing them to adopt it. We make mistakes, for sure, but our 'uncompromising support' for Israel is NOT one of them. Do you really have such a low opinion of your country and, by association, of yourself??? Wow, way to make an off-base assumption. I loathe Michael Moore. So, Abu Ghraib wasn't a human rights violation? Detaining prisoners without due process is not a human rights violation? And you should care what Europe thinks, since they're our allies, and we need their support. You should care about what the middle east thinks of us because, I dunno, we're kind of entrenched there. And the more they hate us, the more young people they'll send to blow things up. Think: if the people of the middle east didn't hate us, think 9/11 would have happened? I think not. This is exactly the kind of attitude that makes people hate Americans: arrogance. And you know, support for Israel is cool and all, but I think a "X nation, right or wrong" kind of attitude is not a good one to have. And as for my opinion of this nation, like I said, I don't hold to "my country, right or wrong" attitude. I think it's better to recognize our nation's shortcomings and do what I can to change them.

And? Transgenderism is a legitimate psychological issue.

How about supporting brutal dictators when it suits us? Or a unilateral attack on a sovereign nation that turned out to have no WMDs. Or how about, in the 80's after helping Afghanistan fight off the Soviets, we just left them there to put the pieces together themselves (that worked out great, didn't it?) As for the Middle-East, yes our uncompromising support for Israel is indeed part of the reason for Anti-American sentiment, there's also the matter of our position in the Sudan conflict. Apparently, most middle-easterners consider us to be selfish, violent, and greedy. And I can't say that that sentiment is entirely without merit. now, I don't deny that our freedoms may be part of the problem, to say that is the main reason is a gross oversimplification. On top of that, to say that Europeans dislike us because of our freedoms is just silly. They're annoyed with us because of our general attitudes when we go to their country. And the Invasion of Iraq surely didn't help things. Then there's the feeling of cultural imperialism, as globalization continues, you have European countries, who take great pride in their own cultures, who feel that America is encroaching on their own culture. And let's not forget that, despite all our grandstanding about human rights, there are blatant human rights violations, even if you don't count waterboarding (which I do).

I would say that, given our foreign policy, it's no wonder we're perceived as arrogant. And that whole "they hate us for our freedom" bit, I don't buy it, although it is a handy bit of rhetoric.

Actually, I'm pretty sure abortion has nothing to do with the US's popularity (or lack thereof). I would think it would have more to do with our foreign policy.

I have problems with the system as well, mainly because if you live in say, a state that generally goes red (say texas) and you vote Dem, you're vote essentially doesn't count. Likewise, if you live in say, Cali, and vote Republican, you're vote essentially doesn't count. And then you have instances where a candidate wins the popular vote, but still loses the election.

I personally love the X-Men trilogy, even though X3 was...dissapointing. My only complaint: too much Wolverine, no Gambit. The Tim Burton Batman movies were excellent, but I absolutely love Batman Begins, and I'm super pumped about The Dark Knight. I would also like to add that, while not a superhero movie, Sin City was extremely well done.

the review says ADULTS ONLY, KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN........... if i can not let my grandson watch it, then i have no need to be watching it either..... if i am to raise my grandson to be pure, i have to set the example.... it matters not why, violence, sex, gore, drugs (booze included) or other reasons, if it is not suitable for a child below the age of 5, it is not suitable for me or my family... Prov. 4 mike well, that is a shame. Especially considering that just about every masterpiece of film is not suitable for a 5 year old. we are suppose to keep our minds, hearts and souls clean..... besides that, we do not watch much TV...... i have not had cable since 1995, only the broadcast stations, and those i am not in to ..... too much junk.... screening the shows that are watched very carefully..... if a person watches a lot of skin, they will become numb to seeing it and it will no longer "bother them" to see it, even total... if a person hears foul language, the same thing, they will become numb to it and start accepting it.... if a person watches a lot of violence they will also become numb to it and will start accepting it as normal.... what we put into our minds/souls, will remain there.... mike I agree with you, much of TV is rubbish. I mainly limit myself to educational tv (history channel, discovery channel, etc) when I have it. While I disagree with your assessment, you're free to do as you wish in this regard. I really loved The Prestige...I've actually got another good friend of mine coming over tonight, to watch it, as he hasn't seen it yet...I like nearly anything by Christopher Nolan, or Guillermo Del Toro, for that matter. That's the whole reason why I just bought Pan's, even though I hadn't ever seen it...I know with Del Toro, it would be stellar. I have looked into The Orphanage already The only del Toro movie I had seen before Pan was Blade II, which was...yeah. And have you seen the orphanage? If so, what did you think? I have not had the chance to see The Orphanage yet, no...I do, however, own every other title by Del Toro (I adore the Blade Trilogy, yes, even though the final one was a horrible sell-out cheese fest and one of the main characters was a Pro Wrestler...) I may end up starting a parallel thread so that we can discuss movies in general and Superhero movies in particular!...Have you seen The Illusionist, and if so, which do you think is better between it and The Prestige? I've only seen The Illusionist once, and I throughly enjoyed it. I think that comparing the two movies is like comparing apples to oranges. If forced to choose, i think I would have to choose The Prestige. And I'll see you on the Superhero thread.

the review says ADULTS ONLY, KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN........... if i can not let my grandson watch it, then i have no need to be watching it either..... if i am to raise my grandson to be pure, i have to set the example.... it matters not why, violence, sex, gore, drugs (booze included) or other reasons, if it is not suitable for a child below the age of 5, it is not suitable for me or my family... Prov. 4 mike well, that is a shame. Especially considering that just about every masterpiece of film is not suitable for a 5 year old. we are suppose to keep our minds, hearts and souls clean..... besides that, we do not watch much TV...... i have not had cable since 1995, only the broadcast stations, and those i am not in to ..... too much junk.... screening the shows that are watched very carefully..... if a person watches a lot of skin, they will become numb to seeing it and it will no longer "bother them" to see it, even total... if a person hears foul language, the same thing, they will become numb to it and start accepting it.... if a person watches a lot of violence they will also become numb to it and will start accepting it as normal.... what we put into our minds/souls, will remain there.... mike I agree with you, much of TV is rubbish. I mainly limit myself to educational tv (history channel, discovery channel, etc) when I have it. While I disagree with your assessment, you're free to do as you wish in this regard. I really loved The Prestige...I've actually got another good friend of mine coming over tonight, to watch it, as he hasn't seen it yet...I like nearly anything by Christopher Nolan, or Guillermo Del Toro, for that matter. That's the whole reason why I just bought Pan's, even though I hadn't ever seen it...I know with Del Toro, it would be stellar. I have looked into The Orphanage already The only del Toro movie I had seen before Pan was Blade II, which was...yeah. And have you seen the orphanage? If so, what did you think?

the review says ADULTS ONLY, KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN........... if i can not let my grandson watch it, then i have no need to be watching it either..... if i am to raise my grandson to be pure, i have to set the example.... it matters not why, violence, sex, gore, drugs (booze included) or other reasons, if it is not suitable for a child below the age of 5, it is not suitable for me or my family... Prov. 4 mike well, that is a shame. Especially considering that just about every masterpiece of film is not suitable for a 5 year old.

For those who say that one should not marry outside the faith, how do you deal with 1st Corinthians 7? I recognize that, in context it seems to be referring to new converts married to an unbeliever, but could it not be applied also to marrying an unbeliever? And, of particular interest is verse 14. -Peace

An excellent movie, one of my favorites. I let my friend borrow it, and while the cover terrified his wife, he rather enjoyed it. If you enjoyed Pan's Labrynth, I suggest you look into Guillermo Del Toro's new movie, The Orphanage. It's a shame that foreign movies have so little mainstream success here in the states, as some of these movie are truly phenomenal. The Prestige is an excellent movie as well (Christian Bale is one of my favorite actors).

I'm not even sure it's a widely accepted distinction here. It may just be something I made up, I blame it on my philosophy training, y'know, making new distinctions.

I would classify what you describe here as a "fundie" rather than a Fundamentalist. I recognize that thisn is not a distinction made by all, however I think it is a useful distinction to make.

yes, thats also my question. I was intentionally vague on this point. Note how I asked how many of you consider yourselves fundamentalists.

How many of you would consider yourselves Fundamentalists?