sidneybear

I'm no fan of the church either - it's corrupt in many ways and has become stuffed with people who aren't religious at all. The current Archbishop of Canterbury is a good example: he's just a politician who preaches wokery and most Christians I know don't like him one bit, and ignore him at the parish level. The same can also be said for Pope Francis. That said, Christianity as a belief is quite separate from the current church bureacrats, and those who follow Christianity seem to lead wholesome and happy lives, just as genuine Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Jews do. Now you're being unpleasant because you've run out of rational arguments. In none of my above posts did I say I'm a Christian myself, but I am tolerant of Christians, and I applaud them for finding happiness, in the same way I applaud other groups who do likewise. Quite unlike you, in fact. You seem rather envious of them, or you wouldn't be making such an issue out of nothing.

People were alive before scientific methods were developed, as you must know.

Again, it's unfair, and even bigoted, to tarnish millions of Christians over the actions of a small minority of criminals. As for science, anything that hasn't been proven empirically is up for debate, and its theories are often debunked. Science hasn't yet found answers to the most fundamental questions, and makes lots of about turns. It's overrated in many ways as an answer to everything, when at its outer reaches (like why were here) it's just a bunch of academics debating differing nebulous hypotheses in the hope that they'll keep getting funded.

Religion brings joy and happiness to a great many people. Take Thailand, for example: it certainly isn't a theocracy, and people are free to believe in what they want to believe. That said, religion is a thread that runs through Thai society, bringing joy and encouraging people to do the right thing. Not everyone succeeds, of course, but the genuinely Buddhist Thais I've met are delightful and decent people, whom I could trust with my life. Now if you think that's a 'scourge', then that's your prerogative. But (genuinely) religious people do seem to have a certain contentment, one that isn't derived from reliance on scientific explanations for everything.

I don't want to see a theocracy, far from it. My point is that your attack on the ten commandments in favour of "counselors" is misguided. There's nothing wrong with living a wholesome life, and Christianity in no way prevents that from happening. Indeed, Christianity was a founding philosophy of the giants of the past, upon whose shoulders we sit. Fact is, Christianity has done a lot of good in the world. As for those phoney priests who commit sexual offences, they are just evil people pretending to be religious. It's unfair to say that such behaviour is a Christian trait, when it's actually a criminal trait.

In what ways? There's nothing particularly destructive about the ten commandments, or their equivalents in all the main religions. It's hard to follow them, but those who do are honest, decent and are of no threat to society. Non-religious people (who don't really exist because people have to believe in something) would do well to follow the ones that forbid murder, theft, envy, shagging your neighbour's wife, etc. "Counselors", on the other hand, preaching this or that woke gospel, haven't seemed to have improved society at all, despite getting paid handsomely to talk a lot of pernicious nonsense.

Shish! What an idiot. He should be put in a mental hospital to chilli out for a while.

More likely a bad acid trip.

All he needs to do is go to France and cross the channel to England on a rubber dinghy. He'll then be put up in a nice hotel and given benefits.

What exactly have all these "counselors" achieved anyway? They've been around for years but look at how degraded western society has become. Let's face it, the world would actually be a better place if people even tried to follow the ten commandments. As for the western world turning into a theocracy, wokism bears all the hallmarks of one, so you might have a point. In the absence of Christianity, even in its mildest forms, some countries like Britain may eventually become Islamic theocracies too. People, it seems, need to believe in something.

Christians generally keep a low profile theses days - there aren't many left and most keep to themselves and are are not like the ones the OP describes. The real zealots these days are the woke activists that take offence at any innocent comment. They denounce people, cancelling them and getting them fired for disagreeing with their creed and woke gospels. A wicked and intolerant lot, who have taken over many institutions in the west. Let's hope they don't get a foothold in Thailand, but thankfully Thailand is conservative in many ways so it's unlikely.

A friend of mine was fired by BUPA when he turned 70, despite all their glossy brochures on cover for life. They did offer to renew his wife's policy though.

Cobra Gold will soon be replaced by Golden Dragon, considering how quickly China is expanding its navy.

Exactly. The engine and chassis are the vehicle. It's an old pick up with refurbished bodywork.

Supermonk!

Sounds like a rather heated argument. Anyway, sure they'll get back to drinking together of they survive.

By "elevate", you mean make it more like the ghastly western world. No thanks.

I'll bet he cancels his trip for "health reasons" if Prayuth get back in.

My thoughts exactly. I hope he pulls through, but he is a candidate for the Darwin awards if ever there was one.

Not if they hit the bars and run out of money.

Thailand reflects the temperament of the observer, so cheer up and Thais will smile at you again.

First World problems

Marketing messaging brought to you by the big dope lobby. Here's what real medical professionals say: https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/index.html Smoke it, if you wish, but be aware of the various risks and don't pretend that it's harmless, because it isn't despite all the marketing by the Big Dope industry.

It's amazing how powerful the big dope lobby is. Who would have thought that Thailand would have legalised it? Fact is that dope causes mental illness in some of its users.

Stand on a chair and make a hissing sound, watching for movement in the undergrowth. Its reaction may vary, depending on how it interprets your dialect. If there's no response, it's moved on.