@fredsbend Indeed. I think it can help our side of our interactions too, such as perhaps avoiding figurative language where possible

@fredsbend Does the fact that he changed his name from Bye to BYE count for anything?

@fredsbend It's not a matter of being stupid! Frankly it's more likely the rest of us being stupid for the crazy experiment in the philanthropy of religion divorced from actual faith. It's just that his objectives are cross-wise to the site and he keeps trying to mash a square peg in a round hole.

@Caleb Oh, my. He also deleted what he had in his profile description about himself.

Looks like ceases participation briefly has a good chance of outpacing continues to participate.

@curiousdannii I'm just sick enough that I might test your theory and will use figurative language and such.

@fredsbend Oh so evil. That's a good way to earn a few more weeks in purgatory ;)

Baw. What's 21 days on a couple hundred years.

I'm agnostic now and somewhat vocal about it. I'm a straight up heretic. A murderer of the soul.

I'm not sure I'll even go to Purgatory at all, if you know what I mean.

@fredsbend I just like to joke about it. Sin can't be quantified, but sometimes it would be nice if it could be!

@curiousdannii I think Catholics do believe that it can and is. I'll have to check my moody handbook. Or perhaps @MattGutting knows.

@fredsbend Believing that the opposite will occur means that you can prophesy against the prophecy. It is like a muffler the two cancel each other out. That is why he said the last will be the first, and if two of you agree on anything it will be done for you.

@BruceAlderman So that you know that the truth is in you. I have indeed given up on foolishness. I am very serious now.

The Lord's name is a form of the word "be". I find it interesting that the word Amen means "So be it"

@Onlyheisgood. Please read this meta post, and note the announcement in this room on the right—and keep that separation of conversation types in mind going forward. Be aware that the majority of conversations you're having will need to migrate to the new room.

> “Christian Science is like Grape Nuts; it's neither grapes nor nuts and Christian Science isn't Christian or scientific.” — John MacArthur

@fredsbend Didn't even last a day: christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/38884/…

@fredsbend – Speaking as a Mormon, I can confidently say that you won't go to Purgatory ;)

Again with this guy.

He often employs straw men arguments. What the hell does CARM's authority have to do with anything? You either agree with them or you don't.

And unless you belong to one of the hierarchical churches, like LDS or RCC, then the concept of authority really doesn't mean much.

And even then, philosophically, authority is an illusion if you lack the power to enforce it.

The RCC, for example, can opine all they want about heresy over here and heretic over there, but they can't do anything about it beyond complain.

Okay, rant over.

@fredsbend I just flagged his comment as "too chatty."

@Mr.Bultitude If anything, it's non-constructive, but I'd rather the comment stay because the name "Joyce Meyer" has created problems before on this site.

It's a straw man that I'm certain Meyer followers would employ after reading the answer.

@curiousdannii "have difficulty understanding figurative language and tend to use language literally", "attempts by the listener to elaborate on the speech's content or logic, or to shift to related topics, are often unsuccessful" - if my conversations with my girlfriend are any indication, I might have Asperger's

@Mr.Bultitude lol. I think we both know what's going on there.

Pink vs. blue.

@Mr.Bultitude Every person is on the autism spectrum somewhere.

Like meeee

Apparently

@curiousdannii Don't get me started on the massive over diagnosis of autism.

I mean, you can just have a little trouble reading and I bet you can find a doc that will say it's a form of autism.

Especially in docs that specialize in treating it. You know that whole thing about hammers thinking everything looks like nails.

I deal a lot with doctors and many of them fall prey to this kind of thinking.

Endocrinologists think everything wrong with you is about your hormones.

Optometrists think everything wrong with your brain is caused by eye/vision problems.

Allergy specialists think everything wrong with you is caused by what you eat or are breathing in at home or whatever.

Then there's the docs that have absolutely zero training in some field, like allergy medicine, and they dismiss it out of hand. They're almost worse because they stifle knowledge (especially patients') and don't even realize it.

@fredsbend I'm not a nail. I'm a man. Now where's that diagnosis?

Two rants in a day. You're killing me Smalls!

@Mr.Bultitude Now you're getting me started on the problems with patients.

You damn patients! You went to the doctor to be evaluated and treated. You don't tell the doc what to do. He tells you, lest you clutch your chest and fall over dead.

Come on, son. Three rants now. I've gotta get outta here.

@fredsbend No seriously the whole idea is that everyone is on the system. The problem is too many are treated with drugs for what is really bad parenting etc

@curiousdannii Exactly. The same thing with ADD in the early 90's. Every other kid was on ritalin.

Sometime behavior is just bad learned behavior.

Psychologists understand this usually.

The psychiatrists who prescribe usually don't. Another hammer-nails problem.