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01 Apr 05 - 01:32 AM (#1448628) Subject: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Amos Sent in to Declan McCullagh's Politech list: DENVER, Co. -- Apple Computer is facing criticism over its Macintosh computers from an unusual source: religious conservatives. They're upset about products from the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer maker being associated with a logo of a two-horned red devil. "That suggests Satan to me, and I don't think I'm alone," James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, said during an interview on Fox News Channel on Thursday evening. "Apple needs to realize this is offensive to God-fearing Christians or face a boycott." Apple's OS X computers are based on software called "FreeBSD," which has chosen a pitchfork-wielding devil as its logo and mascot. FreeBSD is published by the FreeBSD Foundation in Boulder. Dobson said he and other religious leaders had become aware of the devil imagery as a result of Apple's expected release of its new Tiger version. "No respectable American company should want to ally itself with the Lord of Darkness or make light of him," he said. Another reason why Christians may want to choose Microsoft products is that Apple computers are based on the "Darwin" code, Dobson warned. "If you ask me, Steve Jobs should rename it 'Paley' to avoid further confrontation with our community," he said. William Paley is the early-19th century English theologian who advanced the theory of intelligent design, basically that some facets of nature were so complex that they could have been created only by God. Charles Darwin is known for his theory of evolution. Apple released a statement late Thursday that said: "Jokes about daemons and wizards and the Berkeley Unix mascot have a long history in the computer world. We mean no disrespect toward Christians and will work with the FreeBSD Foundation toward finding a more appropriate symbol for our products. We thank the Rev. Dobson for bringing this to our attention." The FreeBSD Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that opposes the teaching of evolution, wrote a letter to Apple last week raising questions about the use of the name "Darwin" in the OS X code. The think tank is sponsoring a lecture in Seattle next week titled: "From Darwin To Hitler: Does Darwinism Devalue Human Life?" Anyone should have predicted this -- that symbol of the Apple with the bite out of it has been around since 1982, right? And after all, all red critters are Satanic and everyone knows that Darwin while posing as a scientist was a degraded Satanic pervert of some kind, am I right? May all the powers preserve us from this kind of extremist madness. A |
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01 Apr 05 - 03:42 AM (#1448679) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Boab Has this buffoon actually SEEN the devil? Or is it the "devil he knows"? Can't recall which character in English literature coined the phrase, but it seems a good fit here--"pish, tosh and piffle"! |
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01 Apr 05 - 06:40 AM (#1448789) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: robomatic It's a little reminiscent of what happened to Procter & Gamble in the 80's. In those pre-web days, a mimeograph rumor got out that their corporate logo was a secret satanic symbol. I believe they soft pedalled the logo for a number of years and then brought it back. They're also going to have a little problem with one of their internet search tools: Web-devil. Macintosh could try calling their next system "jimson weed" Sounds innocent enough, but this herbal remedy is also called "The Devil's Apple." Then there's: Apple and the Church Of Satan Is it a sin to buy a MAC? And I Still Can't Tell If This Site's For Real! Right now most Christians, and most Evangelical Christians I am sure don't have enough time to spend on this kind of weirdness. It's fun to poke fun at the 'outriggers of sanity' one can find on the web. But Apple Computer is doing real well right now and this is not a widely held attitude. |
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01 Apr 05 - 06:50 AM (#1448800) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: GUEST Happy April 1st |
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01 Apr 05 - 06:57 AM (#1448809) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: GUEST,Mingulay at work How come such a bigotted, moronic, mindless twat such as this gets to be listened to by anyone higher than an ameobea? In his own funny way he proves Darwinian theory that creatures adapt to their environment, although in his case it's a pretty scary one. By the way, does his title of Rev. mean anything in global terms or is it self-aggrandisement? Whatever, he's obviously never heard of love thy neighbour or turn the other cheek. Perhaps he's written his own commandments! Sorry if I seem a little vitriolic, but people like these make my blood boil. By the way, I am not of any particular religious persuasion although I lean toward Wicca. |
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01 Apr 05 - 07:13 AM (#1448829) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: katlaughing This guy is very for real and has a LOT of followers: his website. When I worked with the human rights org. in WY, we were always getting alerts about his so-called righteous actions and how to counter-act them. He's been around for a number of years, headquartered in Colorado Springs, I am sorry to say. (Funny story, though, mingulay, which you might enjoy. While at a wholistic fair, I met a fellow from Colo. Springs who had worked on building "Focus on the Family's" headquarters. He and other builder friends were pagans. As they lay the concrete flooring, he told me they inscribed a pentagram in the wet concrete in the corners of each room before the carpeting was laid!) I cannot believe Apple would cave in to this! If we start a letter campaign it might help! kat |
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01 Apr 05 - 07:18 AM (#1448834) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Ron Davies Hey, Apple better watch out. After all, consider the bad press already in Genesis. Or should we consider the date? |
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01 Apr 05 - 07:38 AM (#1448863) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: GUEST Take it seriously folks. These Evangelicals are a greater threat to progress and civilisation than any terrorist out there. This is the REAL war we have to fight, enlightenment against ignorance. It's been fought for centuries, but everytime the civilised think they've won, out from under the stones come the ignorant faith driven bigoted. Fight the good fight. |
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01 Apr 05 - 09:41 AM (#1449018) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: GUEST,Mingulay at work Like the story Kat, sort of thing I would do. These people do make you wonder, however, seems to me they would love to re-enact the Spanish Inquisition,Salem Witch Trials etc. etc., and to think that your President goes all out for any religious vote! |
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01 Apr 05 - 10:00 AM (#1449038) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: robomatic I think the real threat is from nameless April fool's GUESTS opining about what the real threat is from. |
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01 Apr 05 - 10:40 AM (#1449055) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: GUEST,khandu Look let's just settle all this right now... To find out where you stand (of fall!), go HERE! Good luck!!! ;-) k |
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01 Apr 05 - 10:41 AM (#1449056) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: GUEST,khandu I wonder why they don't have a "Mudcatters-Click Here" on the page! k |
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01 Apr 05 - 12:19 PM (#1449147) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: frogprince What a trip: the only people "blowing the whistle" on the pitiful liars are the honest pitiful. |
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01 Apr 05 - 12:57 PM (#1449201) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Amos Dr Richard Paley, linked to at the above "I Still Can't Tell if this Site's for Real" link, is a piece of work indeed. He is convinced that --just for one moronic example-- the name of the e-Mac is SECRETLY supposed to stand for Evolutionsim. This sort of idiocy would be scary if it weren't so downright disgustingly thick-headed -- I bet there aren't ten people in all of Apple's corporation who use the word "evolutionism". Every one of his assertions depends heavily on button pushing, blind association, non-discrimination between vaguely similar ideas lumped toghether as one, and other brands of sheer stupidness guised as the most fawning sort of condescending, saccharine religiosity. What a nincompoop!! A |
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01 Apr 05 - 02:33 PM (#1449310) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Don Firth "There are people who could find something to offend them merely by walking through the debris after an explosion in a Scrabble tile factory." —Penn Gillette, comedian |
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02 Apr 05 - 05:04 AM (#1449848) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Wolfgang ridiculing people with faith (in the thread anti-social behaviour) I wouldn't have answered 'yes' unambiguously to the question whether such ridicule is antisocial behaviour in my eyes, for some statements or actions like the one ortrayed in this thread really deserve ridicule. Like for instance in another thread Amos once had started about someone believing being unvulnerable to magig bullet (or so). I haven't rechecked that other thread but my memory say that at least one Mudcatter contributing here has in the other thread admonished us for laughing about that silly belief. In my eyes, both are about equally silly and deserved the ridicule. Wolfgang |
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02 Apr 05 - 11:58 AM (#1450095) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Amos IIRC that was a news article about a tribal dustup in which someone had subscribed to a belief that a ritual would make them invulnerable to buillets, somewhere in Africa it was, and then they put their superstition to a material test and were killed in consequence, as one might have expected. Quite silly, but if you start off from a false architecture you end up with a lot of bad design. Every belief you embrace has consequences, and the human mind is a little bit sloppy about thinking them through before throwing themselves in boots and all to one that comes around. This raises an amusing thought. Beliefs at all levels of cognition are for trade all over the place wherever one or more people talk -- swapping, or giving, or enforcing them is mankind's most widely loved sport. If only we could quantify it as we do, say, sow belly futures or the price of sorghum, what an interesting ebb and flow the numbers would reveal!! A |
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02 Apr 05 - 12:12 PM (#1450104) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Peace khandu's link opened up on the Microsoft program I use. I SAW THE PAGE! Am I doomed? Let me know ASAP because if I am truly fooked, I won't have to do my income tax this year. |
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02 Apr 05 - 12:15 PM (#1450108) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Peace Picture of the devil. |
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02 Apr 05 - 12:20 PM (#1450113) Subject: RE: BS: The Divine to the Ridiculous in America From: Peace Just goes to show ya that even assholes can believe in God. |
