Messages

What Evenwolf said.

What I find amusing is how religions are friendly towards to science when its in their favor, but when it turns up some evidence AGAINST their belief, all of a sudden its just finite human logic, and its the deceptions of Satan, and all that crap.

Many religions will probably be laughed out of existence if they continue to reject scientific evidence against them as it becomes law.

There are actually times when I worry that religion ISN'T serving just as a system to make money and profit. 

I actually find it more disturbing to think that the most radical of radical fundamentalists AREN'T just sitting around a table behind closed doors asking themselves how they can make a little more cash of ignorant people. 

I worry more that they ACTUALLY believe everything they say.  That they really are as blind and fanatical as they appear, and they believe in their heart of hearts that it is their duty to take as many people with them to Heaven as possible. 

A moneymaking conspiracy you can break... one where the leaders actually have faith in what they're saying you can't.

I just play The Sims.

Looks pretty cool, I guess.

I love the saturation and color of the film.  Films based in distant history seem to lean towards that.  I'm trying to think of what the first movie to really use that style was.  First time I noticed it was "Gladiator."  (Fantastic movie, too.)

Blackthorne, the video on that site is mind bending!

Very thought provoking!

Children, as of today, pretty much need to believe in an afterlife.Ã,  Ã,  To get by.Ã,  Ã, To answer the usual questions about existence.Ã, 

What do you mean exactly? 

Are you saying that life is more difficult today than it was when you were a kid?

(I'm not arguing, I'm sincerely interested here.)

I want to believe that when we die, we go onto another realm where there is more growing to be done, more to do, more to see, more to experience.  A place where we're the same, but better.

In addition, it'd be cool if we could not only move through space, but time as well. 

Then we could come into the earthly realm and go back and see our own birth.

We could find the answers to our questions about why things happened the way they did in our lifetime by going back to watch each relevant event take place. 

That's what I WANT to believe about the afterlife, if there is one.

I can't really decide if I want to have an quick death, where I don't even have a chance to know what's happening, or a slow death, where I have time to finally face death and deal with the real emotions of it.

With the quick death, I feel comfortable not having to suffer through it, but then I worry that if there's any god I need to make peace with before I die, I won't have that chance, and then I'll go to hell, be reincarnated as a turd, or whatever.

With the slow death, I'll probably have to deal with phsyical pain, which could be scary.  But I have time to do some inner searching.  Then I worry that there really is a God, and I'll give my soul to him, and when I get to Heaven,  I'll become a totally brainwashed sheep who does nothing but worship and praise him all the time.  Not a very pretty existence for somebody who likes to be free.

I'm not sure whether this was some kind of glitch or something, but when I finished PQ2, all that happened was Sonny and his girlfriend hugged each other, and the game just stopped there.  I don't think it locked up.  Nothing more happened after that. 

Is that the way the game ends?   If so, I was disappointed there.

I think one of the things that nags me all the time is thinking about what it would mean if the Christians are really right. 

What if the next thing I know after I die is God sitting on his throne reading all my offenses off to me, only to conclude by sending me to Hell.

Very interesting answers so far, though!

We've talked everything from adventure games, to politics and religion, to racism, and violence in culture, and a bunch of other stuff I'm not even remembering.

But what about the final question?Ã, 

What about that one thing that nobody can boast expertise of?

What happens to us after we die?

Do we simply cease to exist in all ways?

Do we go to Heaven, Hell, or are we reborn?

This is a legitimate question that I ask myself nearly every day.Ã,  Sometimes it gets downright depression, and even a bit scary.Ã, 

So what do we do when we get down and out, need to talk and find answers to our questions?Ã,  We go to the forums, of course!Ã,  Ã, 

Seriously though, I'm very interested on both an intellectual and spiritual level about the beliefs of others, and on this topic specifically.

I want to have an open discussion about what we believe about what happens to us after we die.Ã,  (Saying we go to the funeral home doesn't count.)

I'm relatively sure this can go over with little or no hardfeelings since death is such an enigma to us all.Ã,  (Or that could be the perfect recipe for a blowup.)

Whatever your opinion or belief is, post it here.

Hehe, interesting idea!  But it would get a little annoying after awhile, not being able to see.  I think it would be better if the gore only splattered on the camera every now and again, say from a powerful weapon, or close range kill.

HEY! I WANT SOMEBODY TO SEND ME OFFENSEVE IMs, PREFERRABLY W/ A SUBJECT LINE AND CORRESPONDING SUBJECT MATTER OF HOTT TEEN RACISTS PUNCHING EACHOHTERS PENISES!1!!1!!1!!!!11!!!!!11!

to quote one of those funny in jokes no one but 12 17 teen year olds who went to summer camp will get, "I don't get it" [laughter]
Is the above meant to be ironic, or is he (or she, but i'm thinking he) really a phreakin' nut job?

I think he/she posted it for comic relief on this edgy topic.

Yes, HE posted it pretty much for his own amusement because he was bored, and wanted to see how folks would react, and it has nothing to do with him being a phreaking nut job.

I thought it was quite hilarious, and I giggled and giggled like a little school boy while reaching for the peanut butter... 

Okay, seriously, I'll stop before Mark Foley comes knocking on my door.

As far as the discussion about grudges and apologies go, I'm not sure why somebody would hold a longer grudge against another in "real life" than on the net.  Particularly if you see that person daily. 

Sure, you may have had a big fight, but as time passes, you start seeing the things you originally liked in that person to begin with and all is calm.

On the net, there's a lot more anonymity, and it generally has the same effect.  You may at first avoid getting into discussions that person is in, but after a while, everybody forgets it, and we move on. 

HEY!  I WANT SOMEBODY TO SEND ME OFFENSEVE IMs, PREFERRABLY W/ A SUBJECT LINE AND CORRESPONDING SUBJECT MATTER OF HOTT TEEN RACISTS PUNCHING EACHOHTERS PENISES!1!!1!!1!!!!11!!!!!11!

Very interesting point, wolfy.

I agree with what everybody else is saying here.

We do a lot better than a lot of other forums when it comes to handling a massive conflict. 

Plus, not ALL controversial threads develop into a fight.  The thread I posted about religion was very productive and respectful.

It isn't the controversial threads that start fights, immature people who can't handle a debate start fights. 

I believe that debating is a good, healthy thing that has the potential to make you grow intellectually.  I know that I have been shaped by a little bit here and a little bit there of all the debates I've had online, and in "real life."

I've always been fascinated by this debate, not only with violent/controversial video games, but also movies and music and so on. 

It's hard to deny that media has an influence on you.  It does.  Which is why it's so powerful.  That, of course, includes video games.

After first discovering Duke Nukem 3D, for instance, I noticed that I had become more interested in guns and weapons. 

Keyword: Noticed. 

I understood that the game was influencing me, and I also understood that it was a GAME, and trying to mimic the action in real life was no way to solve real problems.

Kids who go and shoot up their schools aren't doing so because of aggressive music, violent video games or movies.  They are, however, drawn to the harsher games, music and movies due to an already bad attitude.  At most, the media irritates the situation.

The Ranting Gryphon did an awesome job summarizing this debate.

Here be adult langauge and thought-stimulation:

http://www.ranting-gryphon.com/Rants/2rant-movie_violence.mp3

(This one's about movie violence)

http://www.ranting-gryphon.com/Rants/2rant-military.mp3

(It starts out about violent videos on the net, and the military, but it becomes more relevant to this topic towards the end.)

Squinky, that's very special. 

I've never finished a game, but I've written many stories.Ã, 

You're not always going to have inspiration.Ã,  If you can find inspiration by reading your favorite book, watching your favorite movie, or playing your favorite adventure game, great!

But sometimes you have to sit down and FORCE yourself to write even when you don't want to.Ã,  Once you get going, you'll see it start to come together, and you'll get really excited.Ã,  That, in turn, will help motivate you to continue.Ã, 

That's how I keep moving with stories and things I get stumped on.Ã, 

P.S.

Sometimes it's easier to recruite a few helpers to do the things you aren't too good at, and would only slow you down to have to do yourself. 

Okay people, da Raggit wants in on da IRC, but da Raggit can't find where da AGS IRC channel went.

I went to the official AGS webpage and clicked on "Chat" but the pictures that show you what to enter are missing...

so what do I have to enter in the server info to find AGS?