Der Kommissar

A decent rule of thumb with psychiatrists is that if they try to prescribe drugs on the first consultation, you need to find a new one. Yes, there are plenty of people in the field of psychology who do good work with the tools they have; unfortunately, this field is also plagued with charlatans who are, like ticks, difficult to pry out completely. Oh, and OP, I really would strongly advise seeing a mental health professional if you're causing yourself bodily harm to cope with stress. I wouldn't advise "self-diagnosis," but be sure that you're honest in sessions when speaking about what, why, and how far you go in your behaviors/feelings to the best of your knowledge.

Perhaps the same could be said of all religions! minorities. Institutionalized racism to the detriment asians in the U.S. is a historically interesting topic, though. The only thing your average American student hears about is Japanese internment.

Microsoft Security Essentials.

This is what we call a 'confirmation bias'.

I SEE SPY A SPY I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE

It's a bit dated, but this should suffice.

I'm always watching. It's from this.

While I revile theists, the First Amendment is quite clear. It doesn't say "freedom of religion unless you get all butthurt." It's not a complex issue. Now, if you think we should change the First Amendment, that's another issue entirely.

Do you REALLY need to have an extended, thoughtful discussion on gay cartoon porn? If it's your thing, good for you. If it's not, leave well enough alone.

Don't waste money buying an anti-virus. Your best bets are Microsoft Security Essentials or Avast! Antivirus.

Basic vaccines are provided at government-run health officers for "free." The swine flu shot costs 15bux. I've heard nothing about vaccine recalls, but I assume that if they were done it was because the vaccines in question were improperly manufactured or stored in some manner that rendered them impotent or detrimental.

That should be hardly surprising coming from the Catholics. This is the church with representatives in Africa telling the people there that condoms cause AIDS because they find contraceptives religiously objectionable. Considering that the city government already funds a portion of their charity, the impact shouldn't be as severe as one might fear.

Don't be an idiot, Santa Snake. Okay, okay, I'll try not to ask the impossible: don't be a complete idiot. You mischaracterize my post. I was commenting on the fact that religion has been only one driving factor in the many atrocities that it has been attached to, and that it's intellectually dishonest to suggest that religious mania alone is to blame (though, as I noted, that has its own disgusting effect). I, nor anyone else, should feel to point out that religion is an element in good acts simply because we state that it's one in nasty acts.

I don't hold deep grudges in general, so the need to "forgive and forget" rarely arises. When I do hold a grudge, though, it tends to outlast any actual anger and to just become a casual thing.

As much as I loathe organized religion as a frequent tool of control, this is not an intelligent comment to make. Religious war, including the examples you named, are/were socially and politically complex, not a mere matter of religious mania. Religion tends to be a way to easily manipulate plebes into dying for some faraway asshole's profit, yes, but it alone isn't responsible. I would, however, imagine that the modern world would be a more pleasant place without the onerous influence of the political religious. Social and scientific progress frequently meet challenges and setbacks from people who still believe in the imaginings of a bunch of bronze age primitives. That a being with no more legitimacy than the tooth fairy could still influence politics in the first world is certainly not pleasant.

The general rule with Jesus in reference to old laws seems to have been "follow the old ways )unless I say otherwise,)" I believe he basically says as much on at least one occasion, Matthew 5:18?

CotM was easily the hardest GBA Castlevania, but it wasn't that bad. The (admittedly flawed) DSS system is a very useful way to level the playing field, particulary against tougher bosses like Ardramelech, Hugh, and Dracula himself. Most of the bosses aren't that bad, in my opinion - Death is downright pathetic, for example. I agree that the control's a bit sticky (mostly due to the need to double-tap to run), and that the common enemies tend to repeat, but this is tempered somewhat by the game's newness and generally huge size. CotM was a good game with good art direction that made you work to win, and I liked that. It's not perfect, but it manages to be enjoyable despite all of that.

I was scrolling through this thread with my hand on my cheek, thinking I'd make a mildly sarcastic remark about how I clicked on this thread for the opportunity to shit down someone's throat, but found myself dismayed and pleased to find nothing to shit on. Then I got to Hero's post, which goes to show that persistence pays off. Psych research has generally not supported a significant influence of homosexuality on a child's own sexuality. There is an apparent greater degree of tolerance, however, and if I remember the research correctly, more open-mindedness concerning sexual experimentation. Whatever difference is made doesn't appear to be sensational, however. Sexuality is a complex trait, and we're only beginning to acknowledge our own construction of sexuality as being false. Examples from the animal kingdom and our own past indicate that occasional homosexual behavior (and, more rarely, exclusive homosexuality)is not some strange modern fad, but a persistent, recurring trait of sexuality. Kinsey's famous scale, though not without its flaws, is a pretty iconic representative of current thinking on sexuality - that is, it operates on a spectrum, and tends to be far more flexible than our "you're gay/you're straight/you're bisexual" attitudes as of late. No research by any reputable academic source supports the theist-espoused idea of "sexuality by choice," and studies have shown that there is some definite genetic correlation (twin studies are magnificently useful). Since it wouldn't be a post by me if I didn't include an unnecessary ad hominem attack, I'd like to close by implying that Hero votes Republican and listens to Rush Limbaugh.

Pascal's wager is for pussies.

How did that make any sense in any kind of context at all The joke is that the Wii is full of stupid, purile shit that only little old ladies find cool. Like the Bible.

There's no reason to believe what they say on television about their line of investigation. Police agencies regularly lie about that, as disinformation is a powerful weapon.