Oh yes you do. You live in a country where two major political parties willfully don't understand why the big C in their name actually contradicts the separation of church and state.
Oh yes you do. You live in a country where two major political parties willfully don't understand why the big C in their name actually contradicts the separation of church and state.
One of those parties is not a major political party where I live.
Claiming the "No True Scotsman" argument leaves no room to actually define what makes a Christian. If someone says they're Christian but does not adhere to some of the fundamental practices, are they still a Christian? I think by and large you can establish whether someone can be classified under the above if they share a similar set of beliefs and patterns, but that only has to do with cultural identification. Chyron is referring to internal, spiritual characteristics.
The only problem with this is that everyone has a different idea of what makes a ~~~*True Christian*~~~. Growing up Mormon, I can't tell you the sheer amount of times I got told I wasn't a real Christian (not even the times where I was called a devil worshiper). That's the thing, yeah? Christian can mean just about anything for anybody. There are so many denominations, so many different interpretations of the bible, really the best catchall definition is someone who believes in the divinity of Jesus and considers him their savior. And that can fit a whole lot of different people in it.
But I digress. I've stated my opinion and really there's no reason for me to keep going.
In other news, today I receive my map of Southern Quendor and a book of Quendorian Lore from the Zork games. That means I've amassed maps of the Everquest world, the Icewind world, Hyrule, Eorzea, Quendor, Narnia, The eastern seas of narnia, middle earth, the TalesOfMI world map, and I think a few others. In aiming for a room of nothing but maps and images in my loft from which to begin my new writing project.
I typically stay well away from religious discussion threads, but I don't mind discussing statistics!
The Pew Forum is a pretty good source of statistics about religious affiliation and popular opinion about religious "hot button" issues. They are more scientific than religious, so there's no "list of people going to Hell next year" or anything. They ask deeper questions than "What religion are you?" to separate out the people who just say they're Christian but don't actually go to church or practice any particular religious principles.
A couple of interesting ones for the U.S.: A religious breakdown by state shows which citizens of different states consider religion more important, according to a few different factors (Mississippi is most religious in all of them).
Generation-wise, I'm Gen X, calendar-wise, I'm a couple years off. It's a bit odd. Neither my parents, nor I, were the first borns... so that's how that happened. At this point, if I had a child, it'd skip the current generation.
My sister and I are right on the line between Gen X and Gen Y, since unlike other generations, there's not one definitive source for a start point for Millenials. If you go by the sources that start at 1982, we wouldn't be Gen Y (just off by a small sliver). If you go by the sources that start in the late seventies, we would be.
The way I see it, if you go by what makes a person a millenial, we definitely would be. This generation is described as "generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies". Seeing as we grew up with computers and consoles, and had internet in high school (high speed internet even, as we were lucky enough to be in the Time Warner Cable Road Runner test market), and the whole instant message thing blew up with AIM while we were still in high school, I think we certainly qualify.
Three incredibly brave girls have made clear today that they'd rather go to prison for years and years than move even an inch from their beliefs and their right to speak out against a corrupt system. Not a wise move, but a courageous one. Courageous beyond my understanding, sad to say.
Three incredibly brave girls have made clear today that they'd rather go to prison for years and years than move even an inch from their beliefs and their right to speak out against a corrupt system. Not a wise move, but a courageous one. Courageous beyond my understanding, sad to say.
The Westboro Baptist Church may not make me think badly of baptists, but the large group of baptist priests wearing lots of gold and nice clothing that came in well after breakfast was over, showering me with special requests, preaching at me loudly and akwardly having to respond back, then leaving fake jesus money instead of a tip while making me keep breakfast open for another 40 minutes sure do.
I really am a hybrid of generations and it shows that I was born during the transition. I was raised completely without the internet and didn't have it until high school(and it was minimal communication). Yet, I've grown to be quite knowledgeable about technology and you wouldn't even know by talking to me that I grew up with my entertainment being a ball in my back yard(with a handful of Nintendo games later on).
So the new book project is based on the concept of maps as gateways to other worlds. Fantasy writers make up this worlds and write about them, unintentionally tapping visions of other dimensions. Maps drawn on these basis act as an anchor for shifting into alternative worlds of varying sorts.
So the new book project is based on the concept of maps as gateways to other worlds.
Hey you posted earlier about the loft space you're setting up with all the maps... if you're willing to share I'd really like to see a picture when it's done.
Hey you posted earlier about the loft space you're setting up with all the maps... if you're willing to share I'd really like to see a picture when it's done.
Yes yes! I'm going to put up as many as possible and work at it. Starting with QUENDOR!
The theory is that a multitude of worlds and that everyone has an affinity for 'their' world they were born to. When unintentionally lost, you're immediately drawn back to your own world. However very few people ever leave their world in the first pace. A rare few have dreams or fantasies of other worlds they assume to be part of their imagination, and they write books and draw maps of these worlds. An exceedingly, almost infinitesimally small number have no soul affinity for their world, which means they have the potential to detach from it and travel to others. However, first they have to be shown the way. Once something happens that detaches them from their world to shift dimensions, they can do so in the future. However, they require maps, which are illustrative guides to these worlds. Once the person has an image in their mind of the place, the map acts as A doorway to travel there. Otherwise dimensional gates have no anchor and collapse, leaving the potential traveler lost. It's also why a puposeful traveler has to keep a map of their own world on them when traveling because, otherwise, they'll become lost with no way back.
(on a side note, I'll post a maps thread with my maps in a few hours )
So ... it's a bit like the books in Myst, isn't it?
It's more about dreams. Writers don't create these worlds, they preexist. Dreamers tap into an energy that underlies all worlds an are able to see into them. What they write tends to be a mixture of imagination and a real, parallel existence. But you can't write anything "into" that existence that wasn't already there. Those who dream the greatest are the least attached to their world via their soul affinity. Contact with objects affected by the energy that underlies all worlds - such as Wichita Dreamcatchers - can spark visions of these overlapping, other worlds, such as the beast spiritual realm envisioned by native tribes.
But yes now that I think about it there are some similarities, given they both use an imaginative product for world travel.
Comments
One of those parties is not a major political party where I live.
Same here. And the other one completely forgets that there ever was a C in there. They must have lost it.
The only problem with this is that everyone has a different idea of what makes a ~~~*True Christian*~~~. Growing up Mormon, I can't tell you the sheer amount of times I got told I wasn't a real Christian (not even the times where I was called a devil worshiper). That's the thing, yeah? Christian can mean just about anything for anybody. There are so many denominations, so many different interpretations of the bible, really the best catchall definition is someone who believes in the divinity of Jesus and considers him their savior. And that can fit a whole lot of different people in it.
But I digress. I've stated my opinion and really there's no reason for me to keep going.
In other news, today I receive my map of Southern Quendor and a book of Quendorian Lore from the Zork games. That means I've amassed maps of the Everquest world, the Icewind world, Hyrule, Eorzea, Quendor, Narnia, The eastern seas of narnia, middle earth, the TalesOfMI world map, and I think a few others. In aiming for a room of nothing but maps and images in my loft from which to begin my new writing project.
The image on the left is the computer simulation of Curiosity's landing... the image on the right is the actual satellite photo of the landing.
I think wizards must work at JPL and NASA.
The Pew Forum is a pretty good source of statistics about religious affiliation and popular opinion about religious "hot button" issues. They are more scientific than religious, so there's no "list of people going to Hell next year" or anything. They ask deeper questions than "What religion are you?" to separate out the people who just say they're Christian but don't actually go to church or practice any particular religious principles.
A couple of interesting ones for the U.S.: A religious breakdown by state shows which citizens of different states consider religion more important, according to a few different factors (Mississippi is most religious in all of them).
Religious views by generation/age group is also interesting.
We need something cool... like the Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters or something.
Okay. Maybe I shouldn't name things. But still. Come on!
generationally... not chromosomally.
The way I see it, if you go by what makes a person a millenial, we definitely would be. This generation is described as "generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies". Seeing as we grew up with computers and consoles, and had internet in high school (high speed internet even, as we were lucky enough to be in the Time Warner Cable Road Runner test market), and the whole instant message thing blew up with AIM while we were still in high school, I think we certainly qualify.
I want to be like them.
Are you talking about the Riot girls in Russia?
This guy's been posting MULTIPASS in the Fifth Element Game for PC forum of Gamespot for two years now. Over and over, MULTIPASS.
http://www.gamespot.com/the-fifth-element/forum/multi-pass-53449013/?page=0
Nobody played that game, and nobody goes to that forum. It's like it's his corner of the internet to just... be.
Hell yeah.
I hope a trolling mod deletes it all for the lulz.
I've been following that for a bit (Daily KOS is an American's best friend). Damn shame. Not like anyone can touch Putin, sadly.
Hey you posted earlier about the loft space you're setting up with all the maps... if you're willing to share I'd really like to see a picture when it's done.
Yes yes! I'm going to put up as many as possible and work at it. Starting with QUENDOR!
Or make a thread in General chat ("[Fantasy] Maps thread"). I might have stuff to contribute, as I've been quite the map maker in former days.
Tell me, what sort of genre are you thinking of doing?
Will it be like a mystery adventure a la something like The Longest Journey?
Or a more actiony-comedy goofball route like The Librarian?
I could get behind both of those!
EDIT: Ever read Inkheart?
That was a pretty cool book, about writers being able to write and read stuff out of books.
(on a side note, I'll post a maps thread with my maps in a few hours
It's more about dreams. Writers don't create these worlds, they preexist. Dreamers tap into an energy that underlies all worlds an are able to see into them. What they write tends to be a mixture of imagination and a real, parallel existence. But you can't write anything "into" that existence that wasn't already there. Those who dream the greatest are the least attached to their world via their soul affinity. Contact with objects affected by the energy that underlies all worlds - such as Wichita Dreamcatchers - can spark visions of these overlapping, other worlds, such as the beast spiritual realm envisioned by native tribes.
But yes now that I think about it there are some similarities, given they both use an imaginative product for world travel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOxt9PoJNkg
I have never seen Ben Affleck's directing, but who knows? Maybe he's like Quentin Tarantino or Kevin Smith: Better cut out for directing than acting.
He has directed some amazing movies.
Also, I'm sleeping with Ben Affleck. http://youtu.be/TwIyLHsk2h4
(Unless he decides to do an entire 180 on us like some directors have done...)