Proxima Centauri

I didn't think I would need help from, Secular Lifestyle and Support but its happened. I live in Birmingham, England. Birmingham is a secular and multi-cultural city. So what's gone wrong? I've been reading the posts of Gemma Therese on this Website. Ghastly Gemma, she is and Terrible Therese. One of her masterpieces was the following.


(I've left her spellings as they are.) I know there's no rational reason to worry about Gemma's opinion about all this. I've tried to refute Pascal's Wager for someone else. Here's the link.

<a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=55&t=000513" target="_blank">http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=55&t=000513</a>

Still she posted her rubbish on Saturday. The following Sunday I felt uncomfortable. "Am I in a more serious position than I was before? Should I be at Mass?" I'm getting over it. I'm embarrassed explaining this to scientific rationalists but she may have had a similar effect on other folks using the Sec Web. Especially she may have upset people new here who don't know how to deal with Pascal's Wager.

Gemma Therese was dishonest. Earlier in the same discussion she said the following.
First she says, " I would not wish hell on anyone." Then later she says things, which, if her beliefs are true, increase our chances of getting there. Looks to me more like she's a control freak that anything else.
I don't think what she says is even true according to Roman Catholic beliefs. I was at a Roman Catholic school for a year. At that school most of the girls were Roman Catholic but about a quarter were Protestants. (A few didn't believe in God at all but couldn't admit it). There was a certain Monsignor Foster who taught us there. Monsignor Foster told us we wouldn't have to attend Mass unless we came to believe the Roman Catholic Religion. He couldn't easily have upset the parents of the Protestants by saying what Gemma Therese said. Now does the eternal and immutable truth taught by the Roman Catholic religion depend on what is practical and convenient in a given situation? Perhaps? Does Gemma Therese claim to know Roman Catholic beliefs better than Monsignor Foster?

Some Christians claim that the Pope is Antichrist and for them presumably attending Catholic Mass is damnable. For any who want to act on Pascal's Wager going to Catholic Mass gives no guarantee of avoiding Hell. Here's what a vitriolic Protestant says.

The above quote is from Ian Paisley's website. Here's the link

<a href="http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=antichrist_4" target="_blank">http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=antichrist_4</a>

I'm not supporting Ian Paisley's website. I'm just showing that following Pascal's Wager doesn't work. All right I don't need secular support anymore. I've sorted it out. Still I can't be sure there aren't some readers of the Sec Web who are now going to their local Roman Catholic Church and getting brainwashed by their local Roman Catholic Priest because they are worried Gemma Therese just might be right. And later their kids might be raped by their local Roman Catholic Priest. I've decided to send this to Miscellaneous Religious Discussion.

There are many different types of Christians visiting our website. Some come genuinely seeking information. Unless there is evidence they are doing harm they are best treated with tact as we can sometimes deconvert them. We should be tactful to Christians who show signs of being willing to listen to what we say and who, it seems, may be persuaded to follow the Scientific Method. So long as there is no evidence they are doing harm we should be tactful. Again we may be able to deconvert them. Those who refuse to listen to us and are expert at psychological manipulation are a different matter. Those who know how to manipulate irrational human feelings in particular require less tact.

Why have I spent so long writing this? The Internet is relatively new and rapidly evolving. I hope Gemma Therese is the last of her kind. We can't guarantee this. As it becomes clear that ordinary Christian proselitisers don't convert us the various Churches, Catholic, Protestant Fundy etc may send more like her. If that happens we will need a policy to deal with them.

[ August 24, 2002: Message edited by: B.Shack ]</p>