[Flipside]

You'd probably have to be English to understand that one

Basically, just as I thought the conversation about comparative religious positions had stopped, it started again.

[jdjtcagle]

<-- not English...

[Polpolion]

To quote Mark Twain (sort of) A job is play until you get payed to do it. Then it's a job.

IIRC it's something along the lines of "The only difference between play and work is that you are obligated to work."

EDIT: The real one:

Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.

[jdjtcagle]

Obligation is not healthy for your brain it creates negative effects... That's why I'm here not doing my work

[Admiral_Stones]

What I HATE about this ****ing, inbred, ****born example of a nearly christian-extremistic website, the U.S. Army and U.S. Army related stuff in general is that the Army is displayed as something: Epic, Heroic, Solidary, you are helping your county on way to world up ****ing to free the world of the terrorist plague, you are only doing the best for the whole Earth the ****ing Mr. Bush needs to help and protect, there's no way something negative involved in slaughtering civilians and terrorists, and well, if your conscience is STILL bothering you, you can ask god, and he will purge you of all sins you ever did and everythings fine again. Hell, this reminds of the 'Holy Crusade' thingys.

Truth is however that you will return as a depressive, thousand-yard-staring vegeteable of nothingness. War does terrible things to humans and the human psych, but the Army keeps saying that it's actually helping, you will return as a hero (heroic vegetable) and such stuff.

[jdjtcagle]

Your right, it is portrayed as something that is epic and heroic... but some of these people are veterans of war and feel a blind loyalty to a nation they swore to protect.  I agree, I get a uneasy feeling every time there is mention of the war and it's heroic soldiers.  It's not right but they are fighting for what the believe in and that is commendable. 

I will not fight in war, because I'm not fighting for Bush... I feel I understand that, but they are still people that do die for a cause (lost or not)

[NGTM-1R]

Truth is however that you will return as a depressive, thousand-yard-staring vegeteable of nothingness. War does terrible things to humans and the human psych, but the Army keeps saying that it's actually helping, you will return as a hero (heroic vegetable) and such stuff.

Considering this town is overrun with current and ex-service personnel, I have smack you upside the head repeatedly. I know a lot of people who went to Iraq and it did nothing horrible to them. The most any of them have complained of is being too light a sleeper now, they can't run a fan at night because it wakes them up. Hell, my father is a Vietnam veteran and he's perfectly stable, well-adjusted. He even admits to having some fond memories of the place. I doubt anyone's going to remember Iraq well, simply because it's got that middle-of-****ing-nowhere thing going on (the Brits, I'm told, refer to being sent to Iraq as being 'sent to the sandbox'), but it's not some kind of horrible soul-eating meatgrinder everyone likes to think of it as. Everyone likes to pretend if you kill someone or are involved in the process of doing so it magically ****s up your mind, but it's not true, as anyone who looked at murder statistics could figure out.

While I'll be one of the first to hop on the "the greatest treason is to do the wrong thing for the right reason" bandwagon, you're also letting your hate for the method flow into your opinion of the cause. It is not a necessary cause, certainly, but still a good one. The way it's being done isn't the best, sure, but we live in an imperfect world, and it's really the only option that will have any effect within the next couple of decades.

[colecampbell666]

You'd probably have to be English to understand that one

Basically, just as I thought the conversation about comparative religious positions had stopped, it started again.

I understood it (it applies to Nova Scotia, too) I just don't see how it applies.

Mr. Bush

It's Dubya.

I'd like to serve in the military, in the RCAF (if I can find it) or the USAF. I plan on joining the reserves next year.

[Nuclear1]

Stones, that was honestly unnecessary. I mean, do you even understand what this whole thing is about?

This isn't the Army Chaplain coming up to soldiers and telling them that if they die in Mosul or Fallujah they get a special spot in heaven. In fact, that's the exact enemy we're fighting. This is more of a comfort/reassurance to the military members who are worried (not just about dying, but finances at home, marriage issues, their children, Dear Johns...).  Sorry to say, but a large number of US servicemembers are devout Christians-trust me, I'm serving with them.

[Polpolion]

I plan on joining the reserves next year.

You're 15. Is that allowed?

And the air force is probably one of the least traumatizing branch of most militaries, except for maybe the coast guard.

[BloodEagle]

You're 15. Is that allowed?

I plan on joining the reserves next year.

15 + 1 = 16. 

[Polpolion]

You're 15. Is that allowed?

I plan on joining the reserves next year.

15 + 1 = 16. 

Congratulations, BloodEagle! You can do simple arithmetic!

Once again:



Is that allowed?


EDIT: USAF reserve eligibility.

And I don't feel like looking for the RCAF.

So apparently, next year he will be 17. I guess you were wrong, BE.

[Flipside]

You'd probably have to be English to understand that one

Basically, just as I thought the conversation about comparative religious positions had stopped, it started again.

I understood it (it applies to Nova Scotia, too) I just don't see how it applies.

You will one day, probably the day you stop posting in religion threads

Edit: And for clarity, if you imagine the Mods and Admin being the guys with the flags, I mean something like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWXd4zKW-Mk

That's a religion thread from the outside

[Nuclear1]

Yeah.

Try asking Security Forces, pararescuemen, combat controllers, EODs, or any aircrew member who's had an incident with his or her aircraft (decompression, hostile fire, or any number of mechanical problems that could kill them).

The Air Force is the safest branch overall, but there are jobs and incidents that can traumatize an airman just as much as an Army or Marine infantryman.

Here's a didjaknow: one of the first combat casualties in Iraq was an AF security forces airman, A1C Jacobson.

[Kazan]

Everybody believes in something,

i find this statement offensive and insulting.

the Kampus Krusade for Khrist is one of the most bigoted and obnoxious campus groups in existance.. they didn't get the s/c/k spelling change on ISU's campus for nothing.

[jdjtcagle]

You don't believe that we can be 100% sure there is no God?

That is a belief.

[Kazan]

You don't believe that we can be 100% sure there is no God?

That is a belief.

no i don't believe that*, thank for you for demonstrating my point oh presumptuous one

* because it's damn near impossible to prove a negative.  Without evidence of any nature supporting the existence of one you still have no basis to believe.

[jdjtcagle]

I know what your trying to say that atheism is not a belief for you.  But you do have the worldview that presupposes the non-existence of God. When your asked which view (theism/atheism) better explains the reality you live it... do you not feel obliged to defend your view opposed to the other worldviews out there?

I believe the belief in God CAN be falsified and the believer willing to change his mind. All that needs to be done is to refute the solid philosophical arguments offered in behalf of God's existence (rather than simply offering some off-the-wall possible alternative explanation as is so often done).  If one could show me how it is more reasonable to believe that something can come from nothing out of nowhere caused by nothing fully charged with energy I would take one huge step away from theism. If one could show me a better explanation for our moral experience than theism, I would take another huge step away from theism. Unfortunately, however, atheists have not been able to provide superior explanations to theism.

[Aardwolf]

Percent of the world's population that is not atheist: 98%
Percent of those people who could be convinced that there beliefs are full of crap: 10%

Percent of these statistics made up on the spot: 100%

[Nuclear1]

You can't not believe in something Kaz.

That's simply impossible.