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Stack Exchange
Stack Exchange
2:49 AM
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Q: Has this site or its specific questions been mentioned or referenced in church meetings or activities?

MattDoes anyone mention or reference this site -- or specific questions discussed on it -- in local church congregations, meetings, or activities? I know that there are several members of clergy on this site, or those who minister, assist, and teach in their local and regional congregations. I imagi...

discussion
 
 
11 hours later…
Stack Exchange
Stack Exchange
1:56 PM
Eschewmenical - The Christianity Stack Exchange Blog: How tradition gave us our Bible.
Jon Ericson on August 20, 2012

When I first proposed this topic, I figured I’d take a Bible-thumping, fundamentalist position. But as I thought about it, I realized I can’t do it justice and will probably come off as a caricature. Besides, I really do “accept the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct”. As John Piper put it, “Everybody to my left thinks I am [a fundamentalist]. And there are a lot of people to my left.” Where I diverge from fundamentalism is not in my confidence in the Bible, but rathe …

 
 
1 hour later…
TRiG
TRiG
3:16 PM
Oh God! 50 shades of grace. @El'endiaStarman.
 
 
2 hours later…
TRiG
TRiG
5:33 PM
@PeterTurner If you're still wondering, this is what the FRC is:
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
6:03 PM
@TRiG I find our society's equating of "I disagree with your opinion" and "I hate you" irritating. Surely there are more than 0 shades of gray if not 50.
3
 
TRiG
TRiG
@JonEricson The very point I'm making is that the FRC does in fact hate people, by any reasonable definition of the word.
The Family "Research" Council, lead by the liar Tony Perkins, is a hate-filled organisation. They publish outrageous slander in support of their political positions. They also petitioned the US Congress not to condemn the death penalty for gay people in Uganda.
(And, contrary to much reporting on the issue, the revised Ugandan bill still contains the death penalty.)
@JonEricson One thing you'll find is that many gay rights bloggers are very careful with their language. You won't find Jeremy Hooper at Good As You calling anyone a bigot. The bloggers at Box Turtle Bulletin are very very careful with the words hate and bigotry. They use the SPLC's definition of a hate group, which is carefully thought out and can be applied objectively.
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@TRiG My understanding (which is surely biased by my own religious/political view) is that the FCR asked congress to not include language in the bill that would support gay marriage as a human right. That's a somewhat more nuanced position.
 
TRiG
TRiG
> The SPLC is 100% correct in labeling FRC a hate group. The organization supported prosecution of LGBT people for same-sex relations, they oppose hate crime laws and bulling legislation, they are opposed to equal rights in the workplace, they distort science for political gain, and flat out lie about gay life. Thus, their getting labeled as a hate group has much more to do with simply a disagreement on public policy, as Perkins cynically and dishonestly suggests.
And the grammar there is bad: it says the opposite of what it means to say. Has much more to do with should be has to do with much more than.
Here: have a dispassionate analysis. Reasonable people can disagree on what constitutes a hate group, but as I've said before, words have different meanings in different contexts. As long as you define your terms, you're free to go.
Here's the SPLC's definition: "All hate groups have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics."
And, once you've defined your terms clearly, it cannot reasonably be disputed that the FRC fits the SPLC definition of a hate group.
Okay, I'm going to post the SPLC's statement and then shut up and go do some work.
(Though, frankly, I'm not at all sure why I bother. I'd be much better off spending my time looking for a new job. One that actually paid me.)
 
wax eagle
wax eagle
6:25 PM
@TRiG paying gigs are good
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
6:37 PM
@TRiG I will say, that researching this stuff has revealed a seedy side to conservationism and Christianity (as a political force) that I don't enjoy. You are probably doing some good in that respect.
FRC is an unpleasant organization.
 
TRiG
TRiG
@waxeagle My boss is still talking about cashflow problems and paying me in drips and drabs every now and then. I got enough out of him today to pay my rent, at least (albeit a week late).
@JonEricson As I believe I many have mentioned before, one of the reasons I spend time at Slacktivist is in a conscious effort to remind myself that Christians are not necessarily my enemy (though Christians in the news usually are). Basically, any Conservative Christian talking politics is assumed to be lying until proven otherwise.
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@TRiG My wife quit her job a few years ago (at a pro-life organization, no less) because her boss reneged on a promise to pay her overtime. She ended up going back to school, but that was only possible because of my job.
 
TRiG
TRiG
@JonEricson One of my semi-serious dreams is to retrain as a sign language interpreter.
My mother did it. Left school in England after her O-levels. Moved to Ireland as a young married women. Raised three kids. And after I (the eldest) had graduated with a degree in chemistry, she went to university herself.
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@TRiG My son is at an elementary school that specializes in DHH education. I love watching parents, teachers and students communicate. So expressive!
 
TRiG
TRiG
@JonEricson The linguistics of it is quite fascinating. Is your son deaf or hearing impaired?
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
6:52 PM
@TRiG He wants to go to the middle school that has a sign language program, but he his hearing is fine. It's kinda neat that they have mixed classrooms.
I'm not sure how common that is.
 
TRiG
TRiG
@JonEricson It kind of is and kind of isn't, and can get quite political. In general, bringing kids with various forms of disability into mainstream education can help with social integration, but deaf kids tend to be more isolated in a society where other people are hearing.
And the debates about that can rage for years.
 
wax eagle
wax eagle
@TRiG :( ick. glad you can make rent, but that's not a good thing
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@TRiG One thing that works well at our school is that parents of deaf kids are often not deaf themselves. So our PTA has a mix, which does some good in terms of making sure everyone's needs are at least considered.
The communication barrier does prevent my son from befriending in any deep way any of the deaf kids.
 
TRiG
TRiG
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
7:18 PM
@TRiG I had no idea how idiotic people were about Eugenics until I read Mr. Chesterton's book. Teaching different sign language to deaf boys and girls is pretty low.
 
TRiG
TRiG
@JonEricson Well, I suppose that's the Catholic Church for you. It's low, and it's nonsensical, as deafness is rarely genetic anyway.
 
wax eagle
wax eagle
@JonEricson have you followed any of the still ongoing fallout from Eugenics boards here in the states? NPR runs a story every now and again. Particularly on forced sterilizations.
I think NC is still working on (or has passed) legislation to compensate victims, and several other states or still working on it
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
7:31 PM
@waxeagle I've managed to miss that. Of course, my exposure to news is pretty much limited to the LA Times (I go straight to the sports section) and the Washington Post website (I go straight to The Fact Checker).
 
wax eagle
wax eagle
@JonEricson I was listening to NPR a fair amount for a while during my commute, then they hit pledge week and I stopped listening again...
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@waxeagle I love NPR, but the pledge drives and local programming around here just kill it for me.
 
wax eagle
wax eagle
@JonEricson yeah, thankfully our local station leaves ATC and ME intact unless they are pledge driving and they do that 2 months a year
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
For a while, I was mixing their podcasts into my commute.
 
TRiG
TRiG
7:48 PM
@JonEricson BBC. Seriously. I grew up on BBC Radio 4.
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@TRiG One thing I do like about our public radio station is that they broadcast BBC world service programming at night. It's too bad the BBC shut down their shortwave service in the Western Hemisphere. I'd like to listen in.
 
TRiG
TRiG
@JonEricson It's still available online.
I think I remember hearing that DAB doesn't work in the States, because the required wavelengths are used by the military.
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@TRiG But I don't have the internet in my car. ;-)
I guess I could look into podcast or somesuch.
 
TRiG
TRiG
@JonEricson Digital Audio Broadcasting can work on car radios.
@JonEricson And yes, they do do podcasts. Strongest recommendation possible for In Our Time.
 
wax eagle
wax eagle
@JonEricson that's where the smartphone helps, I stream ESPN in my car on my commute
 
 
2 hours later…
JustinY
JustinY
10:26 PM
How is user1311390 offering bounties for more rep than he has?
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@JustinY Hmmm... Looks like they are going out with a bang: "please delete me".
You lose the reputation immediately when you offer a bounty.
So they had 912 rep until just a few minutes ago.
 
JustinY
JustinY
ohh, that makes sense
 
Jon Ericson
Jon Ericson
@JustinY It does look strange...
 
 
1 hour later…
Caleb
Caleb
11:42 PM
Hey guys does anybody know any backstory on Mathew7.7 aka user1311390 and why they might be quiting?
 

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