By This is an unusual way to combat smoking by creating non-smoking units:
The military has declared a war on smoking, unveiling an ambitious plan to lower its service members’ smoking rate by 3 percentage points this year, the defense ministry said Monday.
Some 47.2 percent of military personnel were smokers as of the end of last year, higher than the average of 39.6 percent for the country’s adult males, according to government data.
“Under the smoking reduction goal, the defense ministry designated 100 non-smoking units of the armed forces nationwide in May and has taken other diverse anti-smoking measures,” said a ministry official.
It marks the first time that the military has selected units for its anti-smoking campaign in order to induce the members to quit the habit.
The entire compounds of 21 military units out of the total 100 were designated as non-smoking zones, and all members of the units, including their commanders, were advised to give up smoking for more than six months, the ministry said. [Yonhap News]
It looks like the ROK military is doing what the US military wishes it could do.
She hasn’t seen...
11:55 pm on July 6th, 2011 1
“…were advised to give up smoking for more than six months, the ministry said.”
???
So can they start smoking again after 6 months?
3:11 am on July 7th, 2011 2
Leon LaPorte 1, maybe it means they were informed six months in advance that their unit would go smokeless.
Now here’s a topic for atheist discussion clubs: if a benevolent God created us, why did he make us susceptible to a carcinogenic addiction?
3:45 am on July 7th, 2011 3
2 Free will. It’s all a test. Temptation. Etc etc ad nauseum…
4:16 am on July 7th, 2011 4
God didn’t create us in they way that is popularly believed…
…nor, for the most part, does God care about us as individuals unless we come to God’s attention…
…but God DOES care about mankind.
6:33 am on July 7th, 2011 5
#4 True. He only lets about 1 billion of us starve to death at any given time. I’m sure it’s his plan. Of course then there are the 2/3rd of the planet he can’t seem to locate.
8:13 am on July 7th, 2011 6
Leon,
“He only lets about 1 billion of us starve to death at any given time. ”
It may well be EXACTLY God’s plan.
God truly wants mankind to succeed.
The 1 billion that are starving are the ones who are not succeeding… and are likely a hindrance to mankind’s overall success.
“Of course then there are the 2/3rd of the planet he can’t seem to locate.”
Don’t confuse the modern Christian god with God.
God inspired many religions in many places for many reasons.
Leon, I understand your vocal irritation at the current crop of man-made and highly-divergent versions of god being foisted on a gullible and needy public.
I’m not pushing anything… but if you are really interested in asking some questions, I have some answers.
10:00 am on July 7th, 2011 7
CH: He’s not.
1:49 pm on July 7th, 2011 8
Yes, when babies are in a famine or a war, it’s God’s plan that they should starve. See? There are lots of topics for command-sponsored atheist discussion clubs. If troops have this option, they won’t waste one minute on indecent activities.
10:21 pm on July 7th, 2011 9
Glans,
God cares about mankind. God does not care about men… or babies.
11:10 pm on July 7th, 2011 10
Deep discussions like this are more satisfying than any form of tobacco.
11:47 pm on July 7th, 2011 11
@Chickenhead
Where do you derive your views of God?
12:52 am on July 8th, 2011 12
“Where do you derive your views of God?”
That’s a fair question… but there isn’t really an answer that will satisfy… as my views are not derivative.
The big religions may have been inspired by God at one time but they have been transformed by men into instruments of power and control.
Small “religions”, offshoots, sects, etc., seem to mostly be created to generate cash and/or feed the egos of their leaders.
Various cults and assemble-your-own religions fill the voids in lost and lonely people.
Happy and well-ordered people are more productive people… so maybe these all serve God’s purposes in a way.
God’s primary goal, from our point of view, is the advancement and success of mankind.
It is likely that most religions are derived from that knowledge rather than that knowledge being derived from any religion.
4:31 am on July 8th, 2011 13
“That’s a fair question… but there isn’t really an answer that will satisfy… as my views are not derivative.”
Thats what I figured, but I wanted to confirm.
“The big religions may have been inspired by God at one time but they have been transformed by men into instruments of power and control.”
No doubt, I agree completely…….. however, in my opinion nuggets of truth remain.
Western religion has certainly been infiltrated, co-opted, and perverted by occult influences over the centuries.
“God’s primary goal, from our point of view, is the advancement and success of mankind.”
How many Chickenheads are there……??
10:20 am on July 8th, 2011 14
BuryTheSystem,
“Thats what I figured, but I wanted to confirm.”
Hmmm… that sounded like you interpreted my words to support a predetermined conclusion.
I was intentionally vague so that nothing could be accurately figured or confirmed. It is likely that whatever you inferred is incorrect. Perhaps I’ll discuss that aspect in more detail in the future.
“No doubt, I agree completely…….. however, in my opinion nuggets of truth remain.”
Nuggets of truth certainly remain in existing religions. But much of their ability to help mankind has been eclipsed by diverging priorities, obscured by contrived ritual, and cancelled by other aspects of the religion which harm more than help mankind.
“Western religion has certainly been infiltrated, co-opted, and perverted by occult influences over the centuries.”
Occult practices, in theory, are counter to God’s current methods of advancing mankind. This might not have always been so. It certainly is now.
The occult, the esoteric, the arcane, and most other boogeyman-infested mumbo-jumbo doesn’t accomplish much of anything… and probably never has.
“How many Chickenheads are there……??”
There is only one.
For the most part, I avoid this whole topic… in both conversation and thinking… but a few things happened recently that forced my acknowledgement and actually increased my confidence that maybe I should speak about it a bit.
With low expectations, I’ll test the waters.
6:17 pm on July 8th, 2011 15
“Hmmm… that sounded like you interpreted my words to support a predetermined conclusion.
I was intentionally vague so that nothing could be accurately figured or confirmed. It is likely that whatever you inferred is incorrect. Perhaps I’ll discuss that aspect in more detail in the future.”
My statement came off not exactly as intended. No…. I had no conclusions or inferences, but based on the few comments you made previously, while vague, it didn’t seem as though you were aligning with any particular established viewpoint. I am simply curious where you are coming from.
“Occult practices, in theory, are counter to God’s current methods of advancing mankind. This might not have always been so. It certainly is now.”
This is a very interesting statement…… I would like to hear more from you about this.
“The occult, the esoteric, the arcane, and most other boogeyman-infested mumbo-jumbo doesn’t accomplish much of anything… and probably never has.”
I would have to disagree completely.
Following WWI, a young, out of work German veteran would begin work for military intelligence. He was given the assignment of infiltrating the Thule Gesellshaft, an occult study group filled with affluent members with political aspirations. It was in this milieu that the phenomenon of Hitler was birthed. He would eventually become the leader of the group, and the rest is well……. history.
The Nazi movement in its entirety was an occult movement, not a political one in the traditional sense. This aspect of Nazi history has been widely suppressed and downplayed in the mainstream, but has been documented to my satisfaction.
I believe in part, a couple of the reason for this suppression are:
1. The wholesale importation of Nazis into the US following WWII via Operation Paperclip.
2. Certain powerful political Allied leaders were themselves involved the occult. For example, Winston Churchill was an initiate into the order of the Druids.
http://www.english-heretic.org.uk/images/Druid.jpg
“There is only one.”
Then why speak in plural?
“For the most part, I avoid this whole topic… in both conversation and thinking… but a few things happened recently that forced my acknowledgement and actually increased my confidence that maybe I should speak about it a bit.”
Another intriguing statement, and would like to hear more. I am always interested in the circumstances that cause someone to change their thinking about religion belief.
“With low expectations, I’ll test the waters.”
Aim low, and you’ll hit it every time. Its a wonderful mechanism for avoiding disappointment. However, I am optimistic we can exchange ideas without the usual hyper emotional poo-flinging that is typical of such discussions.
7:29 pm on July 8th, 2011 16
It’s easier to blame God than accept responsibility and/or hold others accountable.
7:39 pm on July 8th, 2011 17
“It’s easier to blame God than accept responsibility and/or hold others accountable.”
I agree….. I have found most “atheists” are in fact people who are very angry at God, and therefore claim no belief. This is an interesting dichotomy…… how can one be angry at a being who does not exist?
Many have experienced some type of trauma, or have been burned by the church or religion in general, so I understand the issues most people have with these institutions. However, atheism’s portrayal in pop-culture as the only rational and intellectual position is a farce.
8:20 pm on July 8th, 2011 18
See? I told y’all atheist discussion is better than tobacco.
8:26 pm on July 8th, 2011 19
Smoking? Smoke free units might be a good idea.
8:47 pm on July 8th, 2011 20
We act like people are born believing in god. They are not. The default state on humanity is atheism. It is not until we are taught about religion and god (via Sunday school, Jesus camp, madrassa’s etc), universally at a very young age, do we become “believers”. Which religion will we be? It is a random accident of birth determined by our parents beliefs and often associated with geography.
I notice hoe believers dismiss atheists as if we are somehow defective. Their smugness and security in how sure they are “right” is amusing. All believers believe in one god but dismiss out of hand all the other (millions?) of deities. It’s funny. All “believers” are atheist in some fashion. I simply believe in one less fairy tale boogie man than they do.
People speak of angry atheists. Damn right we are angry. Religion has made a mess of this world, and finally for maybe the first time in history, we can speak out without fear of being burned at the stake. We in the west have lived under theocracies and suffered in societies whose laws and social mores were derived from a “good book”; some document written by unknown bronze age people who had their own agenda and put together by a pagan Roman emperor for political expedience. I have seen people suicide because as good and intelligent as they were, they could not reconcile their feelings, beliefs they were shackled with, family religious pressures… They just could not deal with it.
Believers say atheists have no morals. I shan’t go into great detail but to say look at all the Muslim terrorists and all the cheating, lying, thieving “Christians” and their preachers and political leaders. You can keep those morals! I would say an atheist believes above all that human life and freedom are precious. Many atheists have fought and died for both with no expectation of a reward in the hereafter. That is true courage.
I can respect CH’s beliefs more than most others. He not running a cult nor proselytizing. I find that refreshing and admirable. If it comforts him to believe there is a higher power and he does no harm to others in the process; good on him.
I think I’ll stop before I write a manifesto here. Suffice to say, you all have friends who are atheists. They may go to church with you, work with you, hell you might be married to one. Many still fear the stigma, it’s worse than being gay. Believes can only be secure if they suppress others. We often check the “Christian” block on forms or choose “No religious preference” on our dogtags… and we remain silent. But the day is coming. Science, reason and compassion without superstition will one day rule, or so I pray.
8:57 pm on July 8th, 2011 21
Leon LaPorte 20, some believers have great respect for others’ beliefs. And Constantine the Great may have been sincere. You and I don’t know if he was or wasn’t.
9:15 pm on July 8th, 2011 22
21 My only real problem with believers is they vote.
You are right. We cannot know the true motivations on Constantine, however, life experience has taught that those in power often do what is in their best interests. He was trying to hold an empire together and religion is a great way for those in power to keep the hoi polloi in line.
In the same respect. I believe there was a man named Jesus running around the holy land. We cannot truly know his motivations either. There were a lot of messiahs running around in those times. His thing just seemed to stick. There were many socioeconomic and political factors involved and others latched onto his medicine and built a legend around it for their purposes. They brilliantly cherry picked all the best stories from other older religions and made them their own.
The bible, for example, is a great example of plagiarism. It is not original in the slightest which is why it is very simple to dismiss. Sure, they are truths in it; just as there were truths in the religious stories it “borrowed” from. Hell, I love bible stories, but they are fiction just as much as anything written by Mark Twain or Stephen King who are arguably better authors. Their stories are more consistent than the hodge podge of tales in the holy tome.
10:22 pm on July 8th, 2011 23
BuryTheSystem,
“Occult practices, in theory, are counter to God’s current methods of advancing mankind. This might not have always been so. It certainly is now.”
God is actively encouraging science to replace bullshyt.
“The occult, the esoteric, the arcane, and most other boogeyman-infested mumbo-jumbo doesn’t accomplish much of anything… and probably never has.”
Ahhh… my communication was poor.
Socially and politically, the occult and various secret societies had, and seems to still have, great influence over the course of civilization.
But physically, all of the occult’s “hidden” or “ancient” wisdom appears to be a bunch of useless hocus-pocus… and may have always been… although it works well to reward capable people who work as a team to accomplish goals… so it may, too, have been inspired by God to further mankind.
If one needs to change the properties of a substance, one is better off to seek the services of a commonly-available chemist rather than a secretive mystical alchemist.
Understanding relationships and future trends can be accomplished by a statistician far more accurately than a numerologist or astrologer.
If one is sick, a doctor beats a faith healer almost every time… and, when they don’t, it is due to not-yet-recognized phenomena rather than mystical power.
Focused action is far, far, far more effective than prayer.
And, while the “forbidden knowledge” has been around a long, long time, its secret practitioners can only show a fraction of the physical results that their modern counterparts can… and, unlike occultists, they are getting measurably better in an exponential way.
“Then why speak in plural?”
Hmmm… I’m not sure where I spoke of two ChickenHeads. I thought your question was related to how it is possible for the same ChickenHead to write sincerely on religion while happily composing diick and faart jokes.
“I am always interested in the circumstances that cause someone to change their thinking about religion belief.”
I will, perhaps, write about it once I fully understand. I should say that my thinking wasn’t changed, though. It was reinforced.
Further, some things I “knew” but didn’t understand became quite clear… and I now have hope that other things I know but don’t understand will be clear in the future.
More importantly, some things I frustratingly discounted as impossible became probable… or inevitable.
“However, I am optimistic we can exchange ideas without the usual hyper emotional poo-flinging that is typical of such discussions.”
Absolutely. I have no emotional investment here… nor do I care what other believe… unless it affects me.
11:04 pm on July 8th, 2011 24
Here’s a novel idea-
“Always do good- it will gratify most people, and astonish the rest”- Mark Twain, who was an atheist.
Seems we have a lot of differing views on religion, but I think we can all agree on the above.
If one man wants to do good just because it is the right thing to do, then I think God must have a special place in his heart for that guy. Even if the guy doesn’t really believe in God.
The Gospel, in a word, is love.
Life’s a journey. You never know who you might meet along the way. Enjoy.
11:36 pm on July 8th, 2011 25
CH
In post 12, you said:
“God’s primary goal, from OUR point of view, is the advancement and success of mankind.”
It struck me as odd you said “our point of view”……… rather than “from MY point of view.”
Trivial, I simply thought it curious.
“Hmmm… I’m not sure where I spoke of two ChickenHeads. I thought your question was related to how it is possible for the same ChickenHead to write sincerely on religion while happily composing diick and faart jokes.”
Having a sense of humor and religious sensibilities aren’t as disparate as some think.
“Socially and politically, the occult and various secret societies had, and seems to still have, great influence over the course of civilization.”
On this point I agree completely, I also believe that even now they are working tirelessly to achieve certain goals.
As for the rest of your assessment of the mumbo-jumbo of the mystery schools, there are many interpretations, naturally. Some suggest that much of what was written is a type of coding that can only be understood by the initiated, thus concealing the information. Who really knows?
However, it wasn’t that long ago that the intelligence community via Operation Stargate, and other related projects, were attempting to weaponize mystical and occult powers, and some say they had more success than has been admitted.
2:44 am on July 9th, 2011 26
25. Yes,just like those guys who could kill a goat with their mind!
3:36 am on July 9th, 2011 27
BuryTheSystem,
Ahhh… I see.
“God’s primary goal, from OUR point of view, is the advancement and success of mankind.”
By “our”, I meant mankind rather than me and the latest production of my cloning vat.
“Some suggest that much of what was written is a type of coding that can only be understood by the initiated, thus concealing the information.”
May I present Exhibit A…
There is not a single thing that can be pointed to which shows any group possesses secret information which gives them any sort of extraordinary or mystical power.
While powerful people may be members of occult societies, they base their power upon their membership… recruiting other powerful or potentially powerful people as new members.
All the “forbidden knowledge” stuff is likely just a recruiting hook to make the whole thing more mysterious and appealing than a book club.
It seems God very gently nudges mankind in one direction or another at times… but God does not openly influence things. This may or may not have always been the case.
It is unlikely, but perhaps not impossible, that God gave any special usable knowledge to any group.
I don’t really know… except what I see. And I see no evidence that anyone or any group has any sort of asymmetric power or mystical ability.
“were attempting to weaponize mystical and occult powers”
May I present Exhibit B…
Once again, no military or intelligence agency appears to have any special ability that can’t be accounted for by technology or manpower.
also…
“I have found most “atheists” are in fact people who are very angry at God”
I propose they are angry at an incorrect representation of a very all-caring, hands-on god which is an easy target for blame when things go wrong… or they are irritated at an organization that claims to represent God… or they are angry at nature… or angry at themselves. It is understandable.
“However, atheism’s portrayal in pop-culture as the only rational and intellectual position is a farce.”
Hmmm… Atheism IS a rational belief… perhaps the most rational based on available information… and, currently, it likely is more pleasing to God than many of the other beliefs currently in fashion.
Vince,
“It’s easier to blame God than accept responsibility and/or hold others accountable.”
Absolutely.
God does not interfere with the physical world. God cannot be blamed or credited for any actions or events.
“The Gospel, in a word, is love.”
That love has been greatly obscured by contrived ritual and all manner of social/financial/political intrigue. God is probably unamused.
Retired GI,
God probably doesn’t really care if you smoke.
Leon,
“Damn right we are angry. Religion has made a mess of this world, and finally for maybe the first time in history, we can speak out without fear of being burned at the stake.”
If it makes you feel better, some of these religions are probably going to be highly marginalized… in fact, this process started some time ago. God probably had some influence on this.
“If it comforts him to believe there is a higher power and he does no harm to others in the process; good on him.”
I’m not sure it is “comforting”. Life would be easier if one did not know God existed and did not feel burdened by any obligation to do some difficult-but-correct things.
As for hurting others, that is more complex than it seems… as every action has effects beyond the immediate reaction… but, yes, first-order effects should not harm others… higher-order effects, too, if one can think that far…
…however, sometimes a small amount of harm does a great amount of good… although this is frequently used as an excuse to do needless harm.
“I can respect CH’s beliefs more than most others. He not running a cult nor proselytizing.”
It is likely that God finds a cult full of blurry-eyed dipshyts to be highly irritating… especially mainstream “cults” misrepresenting or even countering God’s true wishes.
There is no need of proselytizing. God is not affected by belief or disbelief in God. God does not require any rituals… and the optional ones that God currently promotes are self-rewarding to some extent.
Many of God’s goals will happen… are happening… with or without a group of followers knowing God’s true nature.
Leon, belief in God is not important… but understanding God’s past work and God’s goals for mankind are… and, strangely enough, that is easier for an atheist than an incorrectly-indoctrinated theist.
While you (rightfully) may never believe in a god you have no proof of, if explained properly, you will certainly see the value of God’s Plan…
…and, as a bonus, you will clearly see that some of the things religions have promised (but not delivered) for thousands of years can actually be yours with far less devotion or sacrifice than they require.
4:03 am on July 9th, 2011 28
ChickenHead makes many assertions about God, but he doesn’t tell us how he knows they are true. He doesn’t explain how to gain reliable information about God. He doesn’t refute statements about God which he says are false.
5:04 am on July 9th, 2011 29
Any religious belief is taken on as faith. There is no way to have knowledge of something that is beyond understanding. Faith in short, is not a machine with a tech manual.
Do you really think 72 virgins are waiting for those of Muslim faith.
Do you really think the streets are paved with gold for Christians.
6:13 pm on January 6th, 2012 30
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