Russ, it looks like I have made an error in saying that you believe that bad things happen to people because they deserve them. This must be SoSick's jurisdiction alone. Indeed in looking over your posts here I have not seen any evidence of this belief from you and I am sorry to have made a false accusation there. I have to admit I do have a memory of you, I and Pwcca having a conversation where you had said that the people in Africa are suffering because they are not Christian. I have been unable to find the post where this was said and I'm not sure where I might have gone wrong, but he and I both do remember the conversation. If I cannot find it I will not allude to it again. What I've found so far is claims from you that America became powerful because, as you say, it was founded on Biblical law, and countries which aren't are headed for disaster.
As far as LinearAQ, we can see whether he tames his language a bit. I think it comes out of frustration. I've seen it many times on EvC, where a creationist debates with biologists and archaeologists and refuses to listen to anything they say. You may think this is heroic, but to the people who have spent years of their life researching these things it can sometimes be incredibly frustrating. I'm not making apologies for him but he has actually posted some good challenging questions about the things people have said here. Would you please give me an example of what you mean by "strife and hollow accusations"?
Can you find a quote from me where I am "willfully insulting" SoSick? Where I have made assumptions about her personal life or questioned her intelligence? Yet it's OK for her to post those sorts of things about me because she posts useful content elsewhere? If these are the rules here then it negates most of what you have said to me because since I post useful things too, I can freely insult forum residents in a similar way. I think you'll find that I don't, and I wouldn't, because I don't believe that is how an adult on a forum should behave.
Much of the rest of the content of your post addresses your personal religious standpoint and how you and others here do not like it being questioned. From this point of view, anyone who questions creationism and its proponents (i.e. "Dr." Hovind) is full of hate and deceit. For example:
In my long history of debate with you, it is clear to me and those I know who have looked on that you twist truth and what other people say—sometimes deliberately, sometimes (probably) self-deceptively—and hurt people in the process.
The truth in this very statement is twisted. I do not have a personal attack agenda here. I am not trying to strip people of their Christian faith. I am not the devil incarnate. I have been challenging statements here about creationism because I do not believe that there is sufficient evidence for this model over evolution. I know many Christians who are also evolutionists. If an entire faith is based on creationism and the literal truth of the Bible, however, then I can understand why it must be upsetting to have any of those things questioned.
As long as this particular forum is here, though, this is what's going to happen. It does say, after all, "What do you think?" If it upsets you that people are posting points of view that differ from yours then why not, as I have suggested before, make this your Creationists Corner and ensure that the rest of us are not allowed to talk here?
You tell me I have spoken hateful worse about the Bible. I have said that it contains truth and wisdom. I do not happen to take the book literally and I do not choose to follow it as my holy book. It was written by men thousands of years ago and reflects their customs and laws. If you consider this point of view to be hateful then I'm sorry you feel that way -- but you must recognise that most other people in the world think this too, including most non-Christians.
Who initiated these comments Linda—that is—who made the initial insulting remarks?
I made no insults. I was examining and questioning statements SoSick had made in the debate about creationism. It's post 246720. Are you telling me, as someone who is familiar with debate tactics, that it's OK to respond to questions by dodging the issue and instead resorting to what's been called here "character assassination?" My questions were about woolly mammoths, flying reptiles, limestone, etc. The response I got was "you are stupid . . . you know nothing" etc. I can understand it as a one-off, when no other ideas of how to respond to my post sprang to mind, but it wasn't a one-off. I have never belonged to another forum where it was OK to posts these kinds of comments to other members.
"A few residents of this forum honestly think they are in God's good books and that he gives them special favours and knowledge."
God does indeed give Christians special favors and knowledge. I can attest to this because I have experienced it myself.
If you would be willing to humbly and sincerely ask Him, you may just experience what I, and many of my fellow Christians, have. I sincerely hope you do one day.
So there is no dispute about that particular comment I made at least.
Finally, you said:
These posts are defamatory, inflammatory, and serve no apparent purpose than to satiate your hatred for the things I believe and have researched for decades.
I could say exactly the same thing about all the creationist claims here. I could accuse all the resident creationists of twisting facts and "hatefully" rejecting the science that I and others have presented. You don't like what I said about Hovind. Maybe I feel the same about the quote-mines that have been taken out of context from respected scientists such as Eldrege and Gould, not to mention all the research that has been cited here and ignored or brushed off as "lies".
Like I said, if you don't like the debate, why not change the format and put it to an end. Otherwise you will continue to hear from people who dare to question creationist beliefs.
