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Yup, I went back and looked. You're right, my bad. Nobody could possibly fear me, anyway. I'm a big jolly goofball I realize that. I thought atheism was defined as a belief that there is no God (whether it be pagan, the gods of Olympus, nature,etc) at all. I'm not aware of any belief systems that have an afterlife without belief in some "guiding force / (s)", but it's been awhile since I've taken any religion classes. Gadgetlady, I don't think you're a nutjob for believing in a young Earth. You can believe whatever you want...I'm okay with that. I meant to say (and did a poor job of expressing myself) that I was on a nutjob website that happened to espouse young Earth. There were plenty of other oddball things on that site such as dinosaurs living with people, and Adam and Eve populating the entire Earth. It was the culmination of several things that prompted me to label them as nutjobs.

RAS, how'd it go, man?

Wow....you look like a totally different person. Turned out great. I know this is the understatement of the century, but.......man that looked extremely painful!!

Ok, now we're talking! I like the more civil tone!! Gadgetlady, I mean intelligent design is not a "scientific" theory because it can never be absolutely proven (although it can never be dis-proven, either). You either believe it or you don't. Macmadame, I don't get where you're referencing the age of the Earth. Why would Christians (and actually Jews and Muslims, since we share those books of the Bible) claim the Earth was younger than it actually was? Nobody thinks the Bible was literally written on day 6. *edit* Ok, I was googling and saw where some nutjobs came up with the "young Earth" theory. It goes like this: they traced the genealogy from Jesus back to Adam and tallied up the years. Oooooookaaaaaaaay..........BTW, this group states unequivically that dinosaurs lived with people. Right. Ah well.....there's some in every group. Regardless, I think intelligent design should at least be mentioned (that term covers every conceivable religion, past and present, right?) Wasa, there has to be a "start point" to creation, no matter how you believe it started, right? I mean, where did the cosmic dust and radiation come from before it all collided together to form the universe? I'm glad your nephew is questioning things, both secular and spiritual. I hope he keeps his open mind. Ya never know where it might possibly lead him one day. The main "perk" I get from my Christianity is peace. What ultimately gives you a sense of peace, Wasa? MacM? (BTW, not a "loaded" question. I really want to know)

Correct, it's not a scientific theory. But it is a theory nonetheless. And you'd be hard pressed to find even a few Christians that don't believe in some form of creationism! But....here's the thing. A belief in creationism doesn't, IMO, rule out the big bang theory. I don't have any problem thinking that it maybe God created the world in a big cosmic *poof*. I do have a question about how somebody could look at the complexity of the human body and of the world and just think it happened by "coincidence". But like somebody posted earlier, I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

Wow, everybody has been busy lil' beavers posting over the weekend. It takes me a little bit of time to play catchup, Wasa, because I rarely peruse and post on this board on the weekends. Kids trying to hog all my time, dontyaknow. But I will attempt to answer all your previous posts. I didn't really think you'd be afraid of me per se.....you just said something like "Damn right we're afraid of Christinas", and I am a Christian, so I was just applying the statement to its logical end. I think we're getting wires crossed on the ACLU thing. I don't want specific religious prayer in school (for the reasons you've mentioned), but I see nothing wrong with a moment of silence, which is what the Ill case centers on. Why would the ACLU fight a moment of silence? Why did they in Va. when that state tried to pass a "moment of silence" law (that's the one that went to the supreme court.....oh, I can post links if you want)? And why has the ACLU not filed a brief on the Muslim public school in NY? I don't even want creationism taught in public school, McMadam. But I don't want evolution or the big bang theory taught as a fact, either, since they're both only theories, as is creationism. What my ideal teacher would say, basically, is "that as of right now, many scientists believe X, or that the evidence supports Y....but some people believe that the universe was created by a higher power. But since this is school and not church, we'll focus on X and Y". See, I don't mind if a teacher doesn't teach creationism, as long as she doesn't mock it in front of the class. Again, I don't see all the fuss there, as long as both sides are mentioned fairly. And, I've taken away some education from here. I thought that atheists didn't believe in the concept of a higher power (and therefore an afterlife) in any way, shape, or form. This is kind of a hot button issue, and I would remind my fellow Christians to try and temper their passion a little ('cause we're not going to change somebody's mind on the R&R forum of LBT).

Just checking in, everybody. I go for fill #2 on May 8th, and I'm pretty excited. Welcome, Peri.

Do you mean weight loss medicines?

On a somewhat related note (a few posts back) I am a closet "Rock of Love" addict. What is strange to me is that I've found myself liking Brett Michaels a whole lot more since he's done the show. Oh, I know a lot is probably scripted, but for some reason (maybe it's that he's been so forthcoming about, say, his hair extensions) his being on the show has humanized him a lot more. I used to think he was a jackass, but now....I guess I'd down a few with him.

Agreed. The band is one of those tools where you get out what you put in. Now, plateaus may occur after significant weight loss, and weight loss gets slower and slower the closer you get to goal. Sometimes the band is an exercise in patience (but slower weight loss is generally more healthy, and generally stays off longer).

Right. I read the Narnia series (and to be honest, didn't particularly enjoy the books. I much prefer C.S. Lewis' nonfiction essays on theology). I agree with you that non-Christians might not even be aware of the undertones, as it is subtle (IMO). His Dark Materials is quite explicit. Maybe nobody would have read the books if the controversy hadn't exploded like it did (To be honest, I would have suspected the studio of stirring up the controversy for media coverage, if they hadn't caved and re-written the movie). I myself am an avid, almost complusive reader, and so I tend to imagine everybody else rushing out to read as well. Hmmmmm, maybe I'm a bit narcissistic, eh? LOL

lindata, I'd vaccinate if I were you. The potential benefits outweigh the potential risks, IMO.

Not to mention if you lose some weight before the wedding.....it'll make for a better wedding night...heh heh. :smile:

Well....to totally be a wet blanket / downer kind of guy...the last statistics I read was that there are about 33,000 cases per year of being "awake" during anesthesia (hospitals are slowly adding precautions such as EEG monitoring during surgery to prevent this). However, 33,000 cases divided by umpteen gazillion surgeries done means your chances of waking up during surgery is pretty slim. Remember, there is also a chance (however slim) that an airplane will fall out of the sky and strike your car as you drive. :smile:

Same as ATD for me. I don't have a very labor intensive job. I had my surgery on Friday and went back to work on Tuesday no problem.

Hi Fanny. It wasn't the movie I had a problem with as much as it was the trilogy of books the movie was based on. The three books "The Golden Compass", "The subtle Knife", and "The Amber Spyglass" make up the His Dark Materials trilogy. The series starts mildly, and doesn't start getting really blasphemous until the third book (of which I gave away the "surprise" in the post you quoted me on. Uh, sorry if I ruined it for anybody). Apparently, from what I read on IMDB, the movie was toned down before it was released in an attempt to pacify angry Christians. I always read for myself any "controversial" books before I judge them. There is still an anti- Harry Potter backlash from some religions here in the States. I found nothing wrong with the Harry Potter series. And I wouldn't have protested the making of "The Golden Compass"...I just wouldn't have seen it. So did I answer your question? I tend to ramble when I write late at night.

Sorry I scared you, Wasa. I'm sorry that I have no clue what I'm talking about when mentioning persecution. I'm sorry that I don't know what persecution even means......but hey, at least you can get some giggles whenever I bring it up, right?

I do believe (without conclusive, objective proof, I might add) that my daughter's selective mutism was because she was given double the vaccinations she should have been given (a long story). I don't disagree with the science behind vaccines. I believe the causitive agent was a preservative added to the vaccines to preserve shelf life (and thus make more money). My daughter is of the age to have been vaccinated when the agent was still present in the vaccines (it has since been removed). I think it a little suspicious that when doctors and lawyers were looking into the preservative, a law was passed that gave the "giants" of the pharmaceutical industry immunity from litagation over this particular preservative. But in the end......I've seen nothing conclusive.

No reason you couldn't go and hang with the buds! If anybody asks why you're not drinking as much, reply with "what's it to ya, Nancyboy?" and then clamp in a bearhug. Oh wait....that advice may only be applicable to my friends. Your milage may vary.

Hey BB. I have to agree with Jack. Putting off until November seems to be a pretty long wait. I don't know about you, but with my appetite I could easily have put on 30 lbs in 7 months. You have the chance to lose a substantial amount (I'm a believer that guys lose a lot faster) instead. Ultimately, it's your choice. Keep us posted, man.

Then why did the ACLU fight the law tooth and nail? In fact, they fought it all the way to the Supreme Court. There's a current challenge to the law in Illinois. And, what special perks have Christians historically enjoyed? Other than, I guess, the 1870 establishment of Christmas as a federal holiday... I know several atheists. I can usually catagorize them into 2 broad groups: 1) The athesist that doesn't believe in God, but doesn't belittle me for doing so, or 2) The angry atheist that jeers me because I do believe in God (I've gotten comments that my religion makes me a simpleton, that I'm partaking in the opiate of the masses, and how can I choose superstition over science?). Christians afraid of atheists? I'm not....at least until they toss me into the arena to battle lions! I don't think there are many lion tossers on this site.

Yup. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

It really makes me mad when doctors spread misinformation like this! Don't let anybody (including any of us here) tell you what WLS to go with, even your doc. You have to do your homework and come up with your own decision. It's much harder to make an informed decision when jackasses like this lie to people.

I'm slowly losing, tp. And I hear you about the variable "tightness" of the band. When I first wake up, it's difficult for me to eat (Amy did actually cover this). Drinking a little bit of a hot liquid seems to help. I've only had 1 fill so far, so I didn't really expect this issue to come up just yet. I wish I could come to a support group and put some faces to these names!! Maybe nobody will book the sleep lab one Monday night and I can sneak down...

I remember the fuss over The Golden Compass. I confess, I wouldn't want my children to see it. It's not that I fear that the movie would make them question their belief (I think it is the duty of all Christians to question the faith. Belief without question leads to a very weak faith indeed, IMO). Rather, it's that I find the concept blasphemous (by the end of the series, God is shown to be a liar, feeble, and senile....He's killed) and my kids are too young right now. Once you see something, you can't unsee it. I have absolutely no problem with the Harry Potter series. Prayer in school. I totally agree that prayer shouldn't be forced on anybody. What I don't understand is how anybody could object to a moment of silence used to pray (to God of choice), meditate, or just reflect on whatevah. What's the harm in that? I do think the ACLU has a bias against the Christian faith. There is a publicly funded Muslim school that operates in New York City. The ACLU has not issued one writ about that school. Now don't get me wrong....I have nothing against an Islamic school. But if it's funded by taxpayer dollars, isn't the separation and church / state violated? If this were a Christian school, I'm pretty sure the ACLU would have shat their pants in excitement. So, I'm a Christian. I don't mind what other people do in the name of worship (as long as they don't break any laws). Most Christians I know feel the same way I do.....but it's the nutjobs that get all the media attention (and we all know that every religion / club / random group of people has a nutjob or two lurking about).