Open Threads are now going to be insult-free

Some religiously-minded people have been using the Open Threads on this blog (free speech for commenters) to insult other commenters in a nasty way.

I apologize for allowing this to go on, though I have been disapproving some of the extra nasty comments.

My rationale, for what its worth, was that allowing religious people to show how hateful and mean they are demonstrates why it makes sense to either be an atheist, or to be a religious person who is a normal nice human being who respects the views of others.

But now I've decided to adhere to the rule I've stated in every Open Thread post.

Leave a comment on this post about anything you want to talk about. Remember that I'm moderating comments, so it could take a while for your comment to be published. Almost every comment submitted to an Open Thread will be approved. Personal attacks on someone are an exception. Argue with ideas, not insults.

A commenter who doesn't use his real name, but goes by "Georgy Porgy," has been one of the worst offenders. So from now on Georgy Porgy is no more. He, or she, can take their hateful comments and spew them somewhere else. 

And if he or she tries to comment under another fake name, Georgy Porgy will have to behave himself or herself, unlike the little boy in the namesake children's rhyme. 

Georgie Porgie, Puddin’ and Pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry,
When the boys came out to play
Georgie Porgie ran away

So Open Threads are now safe for people to leave comments on. Like I said, the worst offenders have been religiously-minded people, mostly followers of a guru, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, who heads up the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) religious group. 

Why they think it reflects well on Dhillon and RSSB to be so nasty is beyond me. But it does show that religiosity can bring out the worst in people, not the best.

Comments

[Jen]

"Why they think it reflects well on Dhillon and RSSB to be so nasty is beyond me."

People will always defend their beliefs when they are being criticised. If you did not have this website for those of us to read what others are saying and hearing about what is happening at Dera it would be a great loss. I check out the Churchless site every morning and find it very interesting.

Isn't life all about light and dark, good and bad, and most of us simply trying to find some kind of balance from the chaos. Also, for the believers it must be hurtful when their leader is being judged and criticised. Sure, you can say well then they should not be reading this blog but then there would be only one-sided opinions which would be very boring.

If everyone agreed with each other's beliefs this world would not be what it is and in my opinion we are here to search and discover what the truth is and each person's so called 'truth' will be their own.

[Brian Hines]

Jen, you didn't read what I wrote in this post very closely. I didn't say people couldn't talk about RSSB and happenings at the Dera. What I said was that insulting other people isn't acceptable. Please read this post again so you really understand what my point was.

[zenjen]

Thanks Brian,

I get what you are saying about insulting others!

I'm going to post as zenjen from now on seeing as there is another Jen posting on CofC.

[Sonia Taylor]

Thank you 🙏

But for the most part, I’ll stick to your posts. And if I suspect an insulting RSSB troll, I’m not even responding or acknowledging their comment. But if they are kind, then I’ll reply.

It just feels like we’re playing that arcade game of stomp the ground hog. As soon as you knock one back into the hole another one pops up.

I enjoy reading the posts and comments on this blog, but no one needs to leave feeling worse... I found myself getting way more upset than I ever have even in my offline life and that’s completely unhealthy and unnecessary. I certainly don’t expect people to agree with me all the time but jeez... it seems like there is a little army of RSSB-ers determined to get everyone riled up.

Anyway, I’m glad it’s a safe zone again...

Thx 😊

[Spence Tepper]

Thank you Brian Ji

[Simply Red]

Well he hasn't been posting for some time now - whilst holidaying in India, but I presume this also applies to this other poster who posts under Jesse.

[Simply Read]

I miss Jesse. He’s pretty funny most of the time. I hope he’s safe from the Coronavirus. I’d be nervous about traveling right now.

[sonia]

I read ‘Caffeine’ by Michael Pollan today. He mentioned something about the effects of caffeine on spiders that got me curious so I did some more reading about it.

Here’s a curious bit of information about effects of drugs on Spiders web weaving (check out pictures online of the different webs orb spiders weave when under the influence of specific drugs):

The stoned spiders changed the size and shape of their webs, making them smaller and irregular, but they kept on weaving in the early morning. Witt also found that caffeinated spiders produce smaller but wider webs, and that low doses of LSD made the spiders spin more webs with regular patterns. Peters eventually gave up, but Witt continued studying spiders.

"Dr. Witt's detailed analyses revealed that while all orb-web spider webs look basically alike, each is unique to the spider who built it. In fact Dr. Witt was soon able to identify escapees by their webs. The webs also reflect genetic relationships; those built by sibling spiders are more alike than those constructed by cousins," explains Jane E. Brody at The New York Times.

[j]

Don't be a James Bean. It's not quite fair to ban someone from the forum altogether when you've set up an "open" thread and multiple people were piling on insults.

[Jesse]

Online insults are the spice of the nightmare we call modern "life." But as I always say, it's not my blog so I follow the rules.

I'd rather laugh for an hour reading hilarious personal insults (especially if they're written by Aussies) than to read suicide inducing 90 page exegesis on the TRUE nature of REAL saints any day. Serious thinking about non-serious topics such as the nature of the unseen universes and who, if anyone, among us has magical powers of crystal astral projecting light is the closest thing to a discernible-to-laypeople mental illness I can think of.

But if you want to speculate more for the heck of it, please try to understand that I'm a real saint, I can heal you, and I know where you all live, but it doesn't matter because I was born to love and not to judge dumbs and poors. You are in a safe space when you're with me as long as you don't make any false moves.

[Spence Tepper]

Jesse
90 pages? I can put you to sleep in two!
And then you can forget what was bothering you.

[Dungeness]

@ But if you want to speculate more for the heck of it, please try to
@ understand that I'm a real saint, I can heal you, and I know where
@ you all live, but it doesn't matter because I was born to love and
@ not to judge dumbs and poors.

Hollaleujah, another one saved. A sinner, one of us, has
risen. Rejoice. Throw away your prayer beads.

His pure glance destroyeth unholy exegeses and sinchit like
chaff in the wind. His laughter lightens the heaviest of yokes.
Verily, as he uttereth, "He was born to love".

Put a nickel on the drum, Brother... for the "dumbs and poors"
among us who hath not tasted the Sweetness.

[Sonia Taylor]

Hollaleujah, another one saved. A sinner, one of us, has
risen. Rejoice. Throw away your prayer beads......

Posted by: Dungeness | February 10, 2020 at 03:11 PM

😆

[Sanjay Bansal]

Hi,

Is anyone know when GSD needs to appear in the court again?
As l remember he was supposed to appear in Nov but made many excuses then it was said that he needs to appear again on 6th Feb but l can't see any information about it...

[271 Days]

Maybe you could set up and open open thread in which anyone can say anything including insults.

[8.9 Months]

That’s what twitter is for