[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by laserdisque

Everyone loves drunken priests and firefighters!

Can't vouch for that, but the Deep Fried Pollack at Blessed Sacrament is fantastic!

[GMinSWO]

[quote=WesternPilgrim;8904771]"Funny, they remind me of America just 40 or 50 years ago. Was our country run by the Taliban 40 or 50 years ago?"

A little over 100 years ago Mormons were killed by other Christians because they believed in a different creed, because these other Christians saw their beliefs and actions as subversive to society. No one was there to protect the Mormons even though the 1st Amennment guanteed them this right.

Just because it was acceptable back then to persecute the Mormons, did not make these actions right. What makes our Country wonderful today, as compared to 100 years or even 40 years ago, is that we are striving to become a nation more closely reflecting the founders grand vision. Where people who are living within the laws of this society have the right to voice and express themselves and their beliefs, no matter what the majority of the people believe or think. I don't like the Westboro people and their views, but if they are following the laws set out by society, then they have the right to voice their disgusting views, even if their views will pollute our children's mind. That is the cost of living in a great and "free" society. Over regulation of people's right of free speech sounds eerily like the Junta in Myanmar. That is why the 1st Amendment is our greatest right.

[GMinSWO]

[quote=WesternPilgrim;8899558]"Sorry, but there is no "basic fundamental right" to promote sodomy or associated "lifestyles". Traditionally, courts have ruled that freedom of speech does not protect "disturbances to the public peace, attempts to subvert the government, inciting crime, or corruption of morals". (Gitlow v. New York, 1925, and Whitney v. California, 1927)

Although the courts have degenerated in recent years, I believe they will return to sanity once the public realizes they no longer have a constitutional foundation and are simply making things up as they go."


These "traditional" court decisions were handed out at the same time that Jim Crow laws were allowed to exist, believe me this is not a coincidence. I really hope the courts will NOT return to the "sanity" you hope for!

You think recent decisions supporting the 1st Amendment are really straying from the "Constitutional Foundation", fine. Bet you do not feel the same way about recent BROAD decisions about the 2nd Amendment, but since that helped you keep guns around then it must be a GOOD decison. (By the way, I do not disagree with the 2nd Amendment decision I am just beringing it up for an example)

By the way, under the law, (Lawrence v Texas 2003) homosexuality is not considered sodomy. You can keep your "tradition" to yourself.

[WesternPilgrim]

Originally Posted by mattpoulsen

First, I am a republican. But I'm a social liberal.

Your party affiliation is irrelevant. You are a liberal, period.

Originally Posted by mattpoulsen

Further, there is plenty of middle ground. My wife is a Catholic for god's sake. I absolutely respect religion and religious people.

What a joke. You say you respect your wife's Catholic faith as you blaspheme God in the same breath. I'm sure she feels the love.

Originally Posted by mattpoulsen

You can use your religion to demonize essentially everything humans do. Yet, you focus on the gay issue because it disgusts you personally.

Whether it disgusts me, or anyone else, is completely beside the point. All behaviors have moral content despite how anyone feels about it. (This is precisely what makes you a liberal, by the way. You boil everything down to personal feelings, taste, and opinions. There is no objective truth in your world.) I am only "focusing" on homosexuality because homosexuals are presently demanding everyone's attention, affirmation, and approval. When they back off, I promise not to give it another thought.

Originally Posted by mattpoulsen

Well, there are plenty of things about you that disgust me personally, but I would be the first one supporting your rights if someone advocated stripping them. That is the issue I have. And, further, it is very very non-christian.

You are quite the theologian, I see! Not merely a liberal, agnostic, relativist blasphemer, but also an expert on Christian doctrine! And the central doctrine of Christianity according to theologian Poulsen is ... supporting the sacred right to be Disgusting! Just priceless.

[thatguy1]

Why can't we all just agree that God does in fact hate Omaha? Everyone knows that...

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by burgerflipper

Why can't we all just agree that God does in fact hate Omaha? Everyone knows that...

Hey knock if off. If God hated Omaha, He wouldn't let the Catholics have all those fantastic Fish Frys!

You know it's true!

[ehenningsen]

Originally Posted by WesternPilgrim

Your party affiliation is irrelevant. You are a liberal, period.



What a joke. You say you respect your wife's Catholic faith as you blaspheme God in the same breath. I'm sure she feels the love.



Whether it disgusts me, or anyone else, is completely beside the point. All behaviors have moral content despite how anyone feels about it. (This is precisely what makes you a liberal, by the way. You boil everything down to personal feelings, taste, and opinions. There is no objective truth in your world.) I am only "focusing" on homosexuality because homosexuals are presently demanding everyone's attention, affirmation, and approval. When they back off, I promise not to give it another thought.



You are quite the theologian, I see! Not merely a liberal, agnostic, relativist blasphemer, but also an expert on Christian doctrine! And the central doctrine of Christianity according to theologian Poulsen is ... supporting the sacred right to be Disgusting! Just priceless.

Wow.. Just wow.. You are by far one of the most persacutory people I have encountered on this or many other boards.. Why do you do this to people?

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by ehenningsen

Wow.. Just wow.. You are by far one of the most persacutory people I have encountered on this or many other boards.. Why do you do this to people?

You misspelled persecutory.

Just thought you should know that.



Now... Back to those Catholic Fish Frys.

[mattpoulsen]

Western,

First, my wife isn't a ridiculous fundamentalist. And she realizes god probably doesn't care whether I violate a rule that was allegedly handed down in the time of Moses. She doesn't mind me saying "christ" anymore than she cares if I touch the skin of a pig or failed to gouge my eyes out when I thought lustfully about her prior to marriage or decided to mow the lawn on the sabbath. So she doesn't get to worked up when I say christ, jesus, jesus christ, god, or for jesus christ god's sake. So, ya, there is plenty of "love." Can you possibly be any more pretentious, judgmental, condescending? You're a small minded person who is simply scared of the world around him.

Second, I am a student of religion. But NOT just extreme fundamentalism. How could I be agnostic without deeply studying religion. In fact, I was rather devout up until the age of 16. I don't have these opinions because they are convenient. I have them because that's what I come to understand after deep and thorough thought. In fact, I'd be willing to bet I know your religion better than you do. I'm just no longer a devout "believer" per se. Further, do you even know what agnostic means?? It doesn't mean athiest. How many religions have you considered or studied before settling on the one you hold infallible?? You don't think its odd that there are 100's of religions in the U.S. alone and all of them claim that their path is the only true path??

Third, I am only liberal on social issues! This shows how narrow minded you are. In your little world there are two sides. You think those who are "your version of christian," also have to be conservative on every other issue...including economics and military issues. And those who disagree with your twisted version of religion have to be crazy liberals. Well, I have never met a reasonable minded person who was strictly conservative on every single issue....or strictly liberal on every single issue. So the answer is I'm conservative AND liberal...if you're not then you're not thinking for yourself.

Further, I don't base my stance on gay marriage because of "feelings." I base them on a fair reading of the Constitution. I am no relativist. I do believe in absolutes...but the fact that I don't agree with you on what those absolutes are does NOT mean I'm a relativist. I simply don't think "being gay" is something the government should be involved in outlawing. And the fact someone who enters into a gay marriage does NO harm to the rest of society. I simply think your ridiculously bigoted and hateful world view is immoral....not gay sex.

Finally, who gets to decide what is moral behavior and what isn't?? Why can't you see that dilemma? Would it be okay to have a group like the Taliban determine what is moral and what isn't moral?? Too bad we didn't have a 200+ year old document that could help us determine how to navigate the issue?!

Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but most of the founding fathers were social liberals and fiscal conservatives. It is only recently the GOP has become so ridiculously polarizing. For god's sake...the GOP was the liberal party just 140 years ago. And the republican party is dead until they kick out the clowns like yourself who have hijacked it. At any rate, your fundamentalist ignorant group is quickly dying out, so rest assured, in short time, reasonable minds will prevail and the true republican party will reemerge.

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by WesternPilgrim

(This is precisely what makes you a liberal, by the way. You boil everything down to personal feelings, taste, and opinions. There is no objective truth in your world.) I am only "focusing" on homosexuality because homosexuals are presently demanding everyone's attention, affirmation, and approval. When they back off, I promise not to give it another thought.

The way you spew the word liberal makes it sound like Fred Phelps and Rush Limbaugh are your heros.

Homosexuals are not demanding anyone's approval, attention, or affirmation, they just want the freedom to live their lives without your religious restrictions placed on them.

Trying to restrict other people's lives due to your religion is a half goose step behind Hitler, the Westboro Baptist Church, and the Taliban.