Sounds to me like the sort of stuff that keeps people away from churches generation after generation.

Hi consumingfireV4.0

Well, he is not alone in that mission is he?

I'm wondering who the "we" and "us" are?  I confess to not being fond of folk who refer to themselves in the third person.

So this was a part of which conversation (thread references are sometimes helpful) and how did the conversation get to this point and where did it go afterwards?

Grace and peace to you.

John

I just returned recently to Wondercafe, so I'm trying to play catch up on things.  GIA seems to thrive on attention and is 'fundamentalist' in that he considers HIS view as the only correct answer and everyone should think as he does.  Good Luck!  Intimidation and false assumptions aren't licence to twist everything to your own liking and expect everyone else to go along under "'penalty"' of being called names, etc.  The best thing to do is ignore him, refuse to be baited by his posts, and go on.  The one advantage to beating your head against a wall is that it feels good when you stop.  One church denomination had a minister who was doing 'improper' things.  When confronted, he replied they couldn't kick him out, he's independent.  They replied that he was, and now he was very independent. He wasn't leaving them, they were leaving him.  If you ignore him long enough, he may get the message.

I gotcha!  Just think "Homer Simpson" and we'll understand more about GIA.  D'oh.  How could we have missed that?

GIA classifies himself as being Gnostic I believe. He believes its his duty or mission in life to enlighten others. I've checked out some of the other forums he posts on. He usually doesn't receive much in the way of responses. I believe he's retired and may be a loner meaning the internet is a hobby for him providing  some contact with humanity.

I agree with Rev. John  that nobody is twisting my arm to respond to or post in his threads.

Hi, John.  Especially his thead on slavery which got removed by admin, I presume.  I gave up.  His idea of 'discussion' seems to be you either agree with him or you're wrong.  Even when you do answer his 'question' (as if anyone is obligated to do so), he won't acknowledge it as 'answered' unless it's in his favour.  Just leave the guy alone, I guess. I see he's trying to troll his way back in by going to his former threads and trying to argue with those who have posted last month.  I have better things to do with my time.  Sleep, watch gorgeous women at the mall, eat apples, be an annoyance on wondecafe, whoops, I'd better stop already.

Another fine example of how DL/GIA answers someone who disagreed with him/her on another website:

"Thanks for the B S dogma. All hear say.

Eve gave man his moral sense by eating of the tree of knowledge.
Would you give up yours?

That knowledge is the only thing that places us above the dumb animals.
Why would a God deny man knowledge that makes man a better man?

Regards
DL"

Wow, the level of maturity is impressive.  Can you imagine him/her in a university classroom setting? 

.. 

But then, if he wasn't mean spirited, academically incompetent  and opinionated he might have no personality at all.  He also seems to disappear on the weekends.  Hmmmmm.  Just speculation.

Chansen, GIA and I are NOT an item, and if you're fishing for a threesome, I'm not into that either.  Sorry.  I realize it's Friday night but my door doesn't swing that way.  I couldn't ENGINEER such a STRUCTURE.  Could you?

  Sorry to break your heart.  Hey, why don't you and GIA hook up?  We could call you 'the Odd Couple'.

I don't follow your logic but then, I'm watching Montreal lose right now to Pittsburgh.  Unfortunately.

Well, this person totally agrees with you!. He also decries those obnoxous people who think that his sense of humour is not fondness - producing.

This area is a necessity, filling a void long ingored: A place where drivil, nonsense and utter worthless posts (Of which this is a prime example) is actually paid attention to by people whose brain needs a rest.

Time's up, people! Time to return to the Rishi-level!

Now, lets' see, which one do I get? Oh! They come together!

I have no soulmate because I have no soul.  I sold it years ago for tuition money.  I wish I had it back, however.  I need a mobility scooter, and would like to sell it again.  My soul is sitting in a sealed container on a mantle in the house of the buyer.  Maybe I could break in and steal it back.  AFter all, i have no soul, eh?  Chansen, I didn't know you believed in the 'soul'.  How can you be a soulmate without a soul? 

God ... everything was bored with nothing ... in true scientic form they made soemthing from nothing (called Love) and gave it two sides like Din Aries Coin ... are amused to see the sides battle ID out like Christians in the forum (Wonder Cafe?).

There are the primitive sorts and the Roman sorts ... obscure and oppressed because they can't get outside the temple of self ad mire Asian!

That's an An Neg Maw eh ...!

Much is lost in transliteration ...

I majored in sarcasm in University, but only retained about 10% of it.  Time for a refresher course.

Well, ostensibly my first major was in Chemistry and Math, but sarcasm seemed to be the 'in' thing at that time.  (Only one person ever took a swing at me.  He was too drunk, missed, and fell on his side.)

Yes indeed. The moment one does not believe in talking animals and water walking, one becomes academically incompetent and intellectually inferior.

Better that, in my view, than be gullible enough to believe in fantasy.

If a believer makes a claim, it is to him to back it up.

When believers invoking a book that begins with talking animals, what should expect from non believers if not incredulity?

If I came to you to preach of God and said that the information had to be believed from a book that had flying pigs in it that were supposed to be real, would you give much credence to anything I had to say.

WTF do believers in what others call fantasy expect from those who will or cannot believe in talking animals and miracles of all kinds?

I see nothing wrong with non believers asking those who claim that God lives, to put up or shut up.

You would do the same to me if I preached a God of flying pigs.

Believers just do not believe that reciprocity is fair play and expect others to do or believe what they themselves would reject if put in a different form.

Regards

DL

 Look at his avatar. Learn from the story of Adam and Eve, and ignore the snakes in Paradise. joejack

DL/GIA/ nobody has to put up and nobody has to shut up on your, or anybody else's, say so.  You can ask whatever you want.  You can ask 'why is there air?'  You can ask will the Leafs ever win the Stanley Cup in our lifetime.  Nobody has to shut up because you, or anyone else, tells them to.  That's arrogance to the max. Are you going to get a court order or gag order to enforce your demands?   Who died and made you 'God'?  I see nothing wrong with telling anyone with this arrogance to mind their own business and get a life.  I'd go on, but the Vancouver game is about to begin.  People have preached whatever they wish and no one has asked them for proof because, unlike you, nobody gives a hoot.

 Remember GIA avatar song? Trust in Me

My avatars song is The Bear/Bare Necessities

I don't have to be tolerant of your ridiculous beliefs, just like you don't have to justify your ridiculous beliefs.  As long as those beliefs are (a) ridiculous, and (b) completely baseless, you run the risk of having them laughed at.  Just keep telling yourself that I'm going to hell if it makes you feel better.

It's not like your beliefs have made you the poster boy for tolerance either, so I'm apparently not missing out on much.