“That's a kindly thought, Radstockjeff. Yes, this latest quake will surely be the last straw for many people in that unfortunate city. So many of its beautiful old stone buildings had already been toppled and are slated for demolition, and now this! It must be having quite a psychological toll on people's well-being. Maybe they're starting up a fund to collection money to help people.”

“A beautiful yet dangerous part of the world to live! I hope everyone over there is OK?

My thought are with the people of NZ.”

“A prayer? Ask your god to stop destroying Christchurch and let them live their lives free from his or her capricious moods.”

“Good point, JessePinkman, and suitable too for this Sunday morning as church bells toll in Bath and elsewhere and deluded people go to prostrate themselves before a creation of their own imaginations, a supernatural creature that simply does not exist.

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? - Epicurus, c. 341-270 BCE

The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reasoning - Voltaire, 1694-1778

The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church - Ferdinand Magellan, 1480?-1521

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful - Lucius Annaeus Seneca, c. 4 BCE - 65 CE

A casual stroll through a lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, 1844-1900”

“With all due respect, I do not think that this is the place to air your views on religion. As a resident of Christchurch and someone who has experienced many a shake I can tell you there are many many people relying on faith to get them through this. Some have faith in God some have faith in other religions and some just have blind faith but what few are doing is seeking blame for what mother nature has challenged us with. I can also assure you that all the messages of support have been welcome by Christians and non Christians alike and no matter what the content. Support is support and all is welcome.”

“Well, Chizzer84, with all due respect to you, anyone in Christchurch who is relying on blind unquestioning faith in a supernatural being, which of course does not exist, "to get them through this" can expect only complete disappointment.

It is only the ingenuity and determination of men and women which will get the people of Christchurch through their earthquake tragedy and its after-effects.

When central Christchurch has been rebuilt it will be men and women who will have rebuilt it, and not any spirit, ghost, pixie, fairy, elf, god, or host of angels.

Fact.”

“Like I said - this is neither the time nor the place. I will say this though, neither you nor I can PROVE that these "supernatural beings", as you like to call them, do or do not exist. It is the individuals choice as to what they believe in and as such should be respected and by continuing the discussion, after I express the feeling that it was not appropriate, you show no respect for me or the people of Christchurch. If you feel the need to comment again that is your choice but don't expect me to respond. Thank you”

“No, mate, you are wrong. It is ALWAYS "the time and place" to counter and challenge abjectly unthinking nonsense.

Furthermore, in response to remark about proof, it is up to YOU as the person telling us that there is a great spaghetti monster flying in the sky (or any other nonsense, ancient or modern) to prove your that your assertion is more than a mental delusion.

Do not try the coercive tactic of trying to link lack of respect towards people who choose to believe in supernatural nonsense to lack of sympathy for people who have suffered from a natural disaster. For the opposite is true. Those whose minds are unclouded with voodoo nonsense are more able to appreciate the full scale of a natural disaster. They do not attribute natural disasters to the wrath of some supernatural pixie and they do not expect some supernatural pixie to clean it all up.

A casual stroll through a lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, 1844-1900

The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reasoning - Voltaire, 1694-1778

The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church - Ferdinand Magellan, 1480?-1521

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful - Lucius Annaeus Seneca, c. 4 BCE - 65 CE

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? - Epicurus, c. 341-270 BCE”

“Well, after that I certainly believe in the existence of the "god complex".”

“Then, Batmansmells, we must all asume that

as you abhor racism
you have a "race complex";

as you have abhor discrimination on the grounds of sex
you have a "gender complex";

as you disapprove of the discarding of litter on the streets and paths of Bath
you have a "litter complex";

as you disapprove of discrimination against older people in the workplace
you have an "age complex";

as you abhor cruelty to animals
you have an "animal complex";

and so on and so forth.”

“Hahaha you don't know what it means, do you? Poor lamb, here's a quote from Wikipedia to help you out:

"A god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. A person with a god complex may refuse to admit the possibility of error or failure, even in the face of complex or intractable problems or difficult or impossible tasks, or may regard personal opinions as unquestionably correct. The individual may disregard the rules of society and require special consideration or privileges."”

“Batmansmells, with respect, your very brief contribution to this thread gave no indication of your own position. It merely introduced a term, offered no context, but was clearly critical.

Despite your now having shared with us all precisely what you meant by "god complex", one is still at a loss as to your own position.

I invite you to commit yourself and take a stand.”

“Nice dodge, although a little predictable. Got that one from "Trolling for Dummies" I suppose?

I'll be straight with you, it's more fun watching you fill in the blanks for yourself. Those assumptions you made earlier were hilarious, and as a bonus you had no proof of any of it! (Obviously a sign of delusion, based on what you said earlier)”

“Thank you for finally revealing yourself, Batmansmells.

Now we have something of the measure of you.”

“A picture based on very limited information. Useful, but not conclusive. Sound familiar?”