Another Stake in the Heart of Atheism

[_Gadianton]

While this is more along the lines of attention-seeking than insanity, I will point out one aspect of Nightlion's irrationality that hasn't been commented on. He's well aware of his intentional fallacious questions and points that assume away his claims. This is for effect. What I don't think he's aware of his how internally inconsistent he is with the points he makes, nor how short his attention span is. In this thread, he began with promises of "another stake" he'd drive through the heart of atheism, but he couldn't even get through the post without forgetting what he wanted to say. Then he came back and made some stupid point, but closed up saying that "another nail" had flashed through his mind, and not only had he forgotten what metaphor he was on, stake through heart vs. nail in coffin, he had already forgotten what the "nail" was that just flashed through his mind just then, and promised to return with it. So he's down one stake, and one nail.

Then, he returns with a "bonus stake"; fortunately, he didn't forget that one as soon as he thought of it and was able to type it out. But he's getting awful sloppy with his metaphor -- a stake through the heart or silver bullet, like an Achilles heel, suggests a single point of failure kind of vulnerability. It makes little sense to pull the "lynchpin" from a wagon wheel five or six times before it comes off, or to pull the lynchpin after the wagon has already crashed. Likewise, to keep pumping a variety of arrows into the heel of Achilles or driving a variety of stakes the heart of a vampire, suggests stupidity in the fact that the deed has already been done and the act is of no consequence, or it suggests a situation other than single point of failure, and calls for a different metaphor.

He returns to make a point that, for whatever reason, isn't deemed a "stake", but by doing this shows he's now completely forgotten about the original stake he'd promised and the subsequent "nail" he also forgot about, and is using the thread for stream-of-conscious rather than to make an actual point. I doubt he even has a criteria for what counts as a "stake" that lays atheism dead vs. just some random thought; probably his points along with their consequences are interchangeable depending on his mood.

For his last two posts, he gets into spats with two of the contributors and apparently has not only forgotten the point he wanted to make with this thread, but has even forgotten he started the thread for a point.

The lesson here potentially is less about sanity, as I think Nightlion is perfectly sane, but more along the lines of the deterioration that comes in our ability to think clearly as we put so much effort into protecting ourselves from criticism. While Nightlion is likely very bright, the fact that he is not open to any criticism of his thinking in any way, and turns any refutations of his points into victories justified by some kind of silliness, has obviously taken its toll as no forethought is necessary in his posts since he does not consider it possible to be mistaken on any point. I don't think that he realizes that not only the intended irrationality comes across as "insane", such as all the "Once again me typing this very message proves that I have ridden to the highest heaven in glory..." but his unintended forgetfulness about the points he's trying to make, and inability to coherently put thoughts together over even a handful of posts, shows a sad deterioration in intellectual life that comes with years and years devoted to self-protection.

[Guest]

Once again, Gad, you prove yourself a master of putrification (sigh) and image craft.

[_Quasimodo]

I suggest you stuff your pretence. Your making the same lame attempt to shame me so not to make any rational defense of your passion for faithlessness as the rest of club dead.

Please make a cogent point of my precise irrationality. You won't because if I defend against all wonderfully in rational dominance I deserve a doctorate of merit. That you fear as do all the spiritual zombies.

It is just so LDS in hypocritical cowardness. Somehow their shy ways have become your ways. It has been too long a repugnant massage of my image to act as if I NEED kid glove treatment. What crap.

No pretence, Night. Just concern for a friend.

You are lashing out at everyone. Even those that try to defend you.

[_Nightlion]

I suggest you stuff your pretence. Your making the same lame attempt to shame me so not to make any rational defense of your passion for faithlessness as the rest of club dead.

Please make a cogent point of my precise irrationality. You won't because if I defend against all wonderfully in rational dominance I deserve a doctorate of merit. That you fear as do all the spiritual zombies.

It is just so LDS in hypocritical cowardness. Somehow their shy ways have become your ways. It has been too long a repugnant massage of my image to act as if I NEED kid glove treatment. What crap.

No pretence, Night. Just concern for a friend.

You are lashing out at everyone. Even those that try to defend you.

Yeah, I know. It pisses me off that even the damn atheists are hypocrites. I took some refuge among supposed neutrality only to realize it's the same ol'.same ol".

[_ludwigm]

NL, I'm with Quasi and DrW on this and I consider myself your friend not foe.

You see, bud spud , consensus is all. The moaning dead are scared poopless that my great rationale might break the damnation of faith they have well
stanched over the years. So this assault upon my sanity is only to scare the rabbits back down their holes.

There is a Hungarian saying (and I hope I can convey it in translation):
- when one says you are drunken, protest (object? challenge?)
- if another says the same, think
- after third warning go home and have a good night's rest

[_sunstoned]

There is a Hungarian saying (and I hope I can convey it in translation):
- when one says you are drunken, protest (object? challenge?)
- if another says the same, think
- after third warning go home and have a good night's rest

Excellent advice.

[_Gadianton]

Once again, Gad, you prove yourself a master of putrification (sigh) and image craft.

Well golly gee Nightlion, if you say so. Now, how about coughing up that stake and nail you owe us?

[_Nightlion]

The crux of hypocrisy is in taking oneself seriously. While I do appreciate some gestures of fairmindedness it mostly reinforces the construct of self respect.

Years ago I was esteemed far more crazy by this board than even today. I don't count that progress just life. While if truly concerned I could prove Gadianton spun his entire tripe out of whole cloth I think it too obvious to begin with.

Atheists here have not addressed my point of their self contradicting hypocrisy. Gad admitted it but offered nothing sensible to refute my insight.

Who takes themself more seriously tha Satan. That is the natural man. That self seriousness is what must be forsaken to become acceptable in a gospel covenant with God that will bring forth an abundance of evidence to rest and quite all spiritual anxieties.

[_Nightlion]

Night, I don't think the timing of your rant, right after GC, is a coincidence.

I gave hardly a passing thought to anything LDS Conference wise. I far less covet anything about it any more that what is Catholic.

[_Nightlion]

I somehow missed reading Tarski's first post here and am intrigued by his dilemma. You cannot know God on your own terms. I suggest that you can only discover that which is equal or less than what you are on your own terms. It takes real faith to connect with that which is greater than you and that faith follows a thread of God's terms only or it will disconnect entirely. This is forsaking the world and taking no thought for your life and being contrite and broken hearted and repentant as a meek child knowing nothing before the awaited manifestation occurs.

I am referencing much scripture here as these are not my own thought yet it was my actual experience.