God's Next Army

SLAM: debunk creationism, pseudoscience, and superstitions. Discuss logic and morality.

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PainRack
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God's Next Army

Post by PainRack »

God next army

Now, conservative americans going to christian colleges? I can understand that.

What I can't understand is how America, supposedly the most technologically advanced nation in the world can have citizens amazed at riding an underground train and of course, biology teachers teaching nonsense.
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Post by Lagmonster »

That link doesn't seem to work, but I think you meant this one.

If that is the right one, it's fucking scary. Especially the teacher saying to his class, "Religion is necessary to the maintenance of a republic institution whether they believe in it or not".

Especially telling is the fact that they admit that their debating and legal courses are the most important there, and that they have consistently won top awards for debating across the country. They are literally training evangelicals to stomp opposition in the political and legal arenas.

Just in case anyone thought that the scientific education and professions didn't matter, that's the bulwark against many of their issues, people. Beat Christian politics: Study science.
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Post by Admiral Valdemar »

Ah, I caught this on Channel 4 when it was shown a few weeks back. I only saw the first 40 minutes before I felt I needed something else to do, like kill people in DoD:S.

This, The Root Of All Evil? and The Power Of Nightmares sum up the modern US quite nicely.
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Post by JediMaster415 »

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Ah, I caught this on Channel 4 when it was shown a few weeks back. I only saw the first 40 minutes before I felt I needed something else to do, like kill people in DoD:S.
You got further into than I did. I barely watched five minutes before stopping. I'm depressed enough as is.

"Training for political warfare"? There will be a coup sometime in the next fifty years. Either, after they are thrown out of power or because they weren't thrown out of power fast enough.
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Post by Elaro »

If their debating is in any way similar to what we see on this board, how exactly can they win top awards? Consistently?
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Post by JediMaster415 »

Elaro wrote:If their debating is in any way similar to what we see on this board, how exactly can they win top awards? Consistently?
Because I don't think we've seen anyone they've trained. We get the standard evangelical who thinks a couple of pretty words about God will sway people.

Or the other debating teams just sucked that much.
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Post by Feil »

Elaro wrote:If their debating is in any way similar to what we see on this board, how exactly can they win top awards? Consistently?
Winning.

Especially if the debate is judged by a person not intimately familiar with the rules of logic, it's easy to be bamboozeled in debate. Quick thinking, winning rhetoric, and anticipation of the opponents argument are what matters in verbal debate, not logic and evidence.
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Post by Admiral Valdemar »

Course they'll have a coup. Never heard of Nehemiah Scudder? You US is just asking to become a theocracy, as if it isn't already one in all but name now anyway.

The Crusaders for Christ now just don't use swords anymore. They use the soap box.
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Post by Lagmonster »

Feil wrote:Especially if the debate is judged by a person not intimately familiar with the rules of logic, it's easy to be bamboozeled in debate. Quick thinking, winning rhetoric, and anticipation of the opponents argument are what matters in verbal debate, not logic and evidence.
Doubtless they actually are trained to debate and debate well, and normally compete on topics that don't require fallacious logic to make points.
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Post by mr friendly guy »

I wonder how they would fare against one of us in a debate, both written vs verbal. Presumably they have an advantage in a verbal debate where they can think on their feet and deny any statements they made several minutes ago if need be. I suspect we can win written debates. In verbal debate its harder as you need to be able to summarise thoughts in only a few words, and concepts like evolution require more than just a few words. I still feel with someone like Darth Wong, Rye, Durandal's brand of sarcasm we would be hard to beat. Especially considering logic and evidence is on our side and we know how to wield it.
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Post by Gil Hamilton »

That's super. Of course, the fact they they unabashedly state out in the open that their goal is specifically political and designed to infiltrate all levels of government specifically to effect public policy toward their personal faith should in no way be interpreted as malevolent. No sirrie.

Still, it's perversely incredible how utterly committed they are to lacking free will. They are like little Christian battledroids. They can't conceive of being wrong and want nothing better than to be good little gears in the cog. Any setback is in fact a blessing, any defeat is just God's Will. Any evidence that doesn't comply with their worldview is wrong categorically and they'll fight on that endlessly. No wonder Republicans love these drones so much.

And did anyone besides me find the guys comment about how their campuses homogenity was their strength that was going to get them to head more than a bit sinister?
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Re: God's Next Army

Post by Uraniun235 »

PainRack wrote:What I can't understand is how America, supposedly the most technologically advanced nation in the world can have citizens amazed at riding an underground train...
Not only do we have huge tracts of rural land (ever looked at a map of the US?) but there are multiple cities (Seattle and Portland come immediately to mind; there are probably others) which have no subway system whatsoever.
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Post by Admiral Valdemar »

The video URL seems to have died, so here's the correct link again.
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Post by Darth Wong »

Lagmonster wrote:Especially telling is the fact that they admit that their debating and legal courses are the most important there, and that they have consistently won top awards for debating across the country. They are literally training evangelicals to stomp opposition in the political and legal arenas.
When your position is weak, you need exceptionally skilled debaters to promote it effectively. That's why they train people to do nothing but debate these issues, while their opposition typically spent most of their time learning a real trade, and take to debating only because they are angered at the bullshit.
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Post by Admiral Valdemar »

I do like how, near the end of the programme, you see the College Republicans recruit a good deal of these Christian zombies to go and lobby, promote and hammer home the Kilgore campaign manifesto in Newport News. It's not so much a factor of debate skills there, it's more a simple drive based on rabid adherence to this age old doctrine of Bible and "traditional family values" (the college singing hymns is quite daunting in ways, especially when they trot out the "using powers for good" mantra afterwards). I'm actually curious how they'd do on science issues (leaving aside the Republican game of ignoring most things like global warming and homosexuality as a natural thing) given they're not even taught evolution, yet, likely get taught equally bizarre (in their minds) concepts that still go against Biblical teachings.

I also can't stand the accents on some of these dorks. Americans have nasal voices to begin with, but these people are grating.

If this stuff was in a movie, you'd cry foul for it being OTT.
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Post by Xess »

That is some unbelievable shit. I keep thinking it's parody but then I remember that these are real people, then I die a little bit inside. :(

I just can't believe that, it's scary.
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Re: God's Next Army

Post by Darth Wong »

PainRack wrote:God next army

Now, conservative americans going to christian colleges? I can understand that.

What I can't understand is how America, supposedly the most technologically advanced nation in the world can have citizens amazed at riding an underground train and of course, biology teachers teaching nonsense.
America is increasingly relying on Asian and Indian immigrants to fill the ranks in its science and engineering schools.
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"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing

"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC

"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness

"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.

http://www.stardestroyer.net/Mike/RantMode/Blurbs.html
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Post by Count Dooku »

That's terrifying. These kids were BRAINWASHED! I've got to go to class, but I've left off on the part where the kids are getting home schooled (about 10:00).
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Re: God's Next Army

Post by Gil Hamilton »

Funnily enough, of PHC happy gang of homogenous youths that the guy was so proud of, I saw a grand total of two students who weren't lily white to my knowledge. Given how similar they look, you'd think Patrick Henry was one of those schools with "Whites Only" policies that occasionally there is a legal battle over, but that's not listed on the website. What is funny to me is that college websites, particularly fundie college websites, usually trip over themselves to make sure all the photos of their students are packed with minorities to show how diverse they are. I mean, if there is one black kid on campus, he's going to be in alot of photos. I've had rice with my Kung Pao with more color than the PHC website.

Normally, I wouldn't read too much into that. It is a small campus in Virginia. Yet some how after that video there is a sinister quality to it.
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Re: God's Next Army

Post by Lagmonster »

Gil Hamilton wrote:Funnily enough, of PHC happy gang of homogenous youths that the guy was so proud of, I saw a grand total of two students who weren't lily white to my knowledge. Given how similar they look, you'd think Patrick Henry was one of those schools with "Whites Only" policies that occasionally there is a legal battle over, but that's not listed on the website.
You know something, I can't name any black or asian evangelical Christians off the top of my head. I'm drawing a total blank. I can name plenty of generic Christians who are black, native american, asian, or something else entirely, but no fundies. Then again, fundamentalism is a father-to-son sort of thing.

Although now that you mention it, and it was probably a coincidence, it was neat that their choice was to follow a tall, white, wholesome down-home farm-bred American blond boy with clean habits and a mind-your-daddy, love-your-mommy attitude.
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Re: God's Next Army

Post by Gil Hamilton »

Lagmonster wrote:You know something, I can't name any black or asian evangelical Christians off the top of my head. I'm drawing a total blank. I can name plenty of generic Christians who are black, native american, asian, or something else entirely, but no fundies. Then again, fundamentalism is a father-to-son sort of thing.

Although now that you mention it, and it was probably a coincidence, it was neat that their choice was to follow a tall, white, wholesome down-home farm-bred American blond boy with clean habits and a mind-your-daddy, love-your-mommy attitude.
You get tons of minority Baptists and various Born Again type groups, particularly with African Americans or Latinos who've been converted on various missions. Tons. Very serious ones too, complete with all the fire and brimstone. Those pastors tend to put out a hell of a sermon.
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Post by Darth Wong »

The Caribbean is crawling with black fundies. South America is crawling with latino fundies. And in the Philippines, the fundies are so hardcore that many of them crucify themselves at Easter. Real crucifixion, with spikes.

The reason you don't see too many Asian fundies around here is that most of the Asians who immigrated to Canada are better-educated.
Last edited by Darth Wong on 2006-06-20 12:49pm, edited 1 time in total.
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"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC

"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness

"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.

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Post by Admiral Johnason »

Well, they've taken the "I can't hear you." and "NA NA NA NA NA" tactic to a whole new level.

The conservatives can't keep this up though. When the US starts loosing ground in the world and China restarst the space race, the GOP will be forced to act to shut them up. And then the Dems will get to have some real fun. ANd then the US will pull itself off the ground and start to kickass agian, then the GOP will take credit and turn back to it's base, and we will have to go through this again.
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Post by wautd »

I feel sick
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Post by Davis 51 »

I'm up to the part about the homeschooled kid in Ohio. It's absolutely sickening. I can understand homeschooling only when there are no good public or private schools in the area, but when a parent chooses to shield their child from the outside world completely, it's disgusting.

What's worse is the fathers reaction. ("He's like every parent's dream! He would get up in the morning, and he would study! And he would study up to the time he came to work, and when he got home he would study some more! It's not uncommon to hear him discuss the bible while he's working! It's not uncommon. We just accept it as part of his lifestyle!") It makes me wonder. How much education does he have outside the Bible? Is he studying anything else besides the Bible? Math? History? Probably not.

As for the college, it's a small college that I never even heard of before. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
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