Oldskeptic...

There's no need to be patronizing, I'm trying to be helpful. When was the last time you spoke to a professional who actually knows what they're talking about? If you've ever done so or if you've even read up on the subject, you'd be in a position to comment.

!	MODNOTE The report for this post has been dealt with and closed. Durro

Oldskeptic wrote:

Paula1 Wrote:
Didn't you look after a grandson for a while? I seem to remember you talking about it on another thread

That was me on this very thread. post470898.html#p470898

Ah, I remembered the story well, just not who to attribute it to

Raleigh wrote:
Oldskeptic...

There's no need to be patronizing, I'm trying to be helpful.

I don’t recall Orpheus asking for your help. He was making a statement that you completely ignored the point of.

Raleigh wrote:
When was the last time you spoke to a professional who actually knows what they're talking about?

Irrelevant, I’m not offering advice.

Raleigh wrote:
If you've ever done so or if you've even read up on the subject, you'd be in a position to comment.

I am in a very good position to comment on how Orpheus said, “I am, emphatically, NOT better for the experience.” and you basically said that some day he will feel that he is better for the experience. Never mind patronizing that was down right condescending, and once more an assertion that you have made that you have no way to support.

Bollocks to 99% of that. You've missed the point. Yet again.

Raliegh Marsden wrote:Bollocks to 99% of that. You've missed the point. Yet again.

There's a theme here RM, people keep missing your point, I don't suppose you have considered that you're not making yourself clear?

Raliegh Marsden wrote:Bollocks to 99% of that. You've missed the point. Yet again.

Your point is invisible. As with the case for god, you can't assume that because it is invisible you can baldly assert that it exists.

Raleigh wrote:
Bollocks to 99% of that. You've missed the point. Yet again.

I did not miss your point, I disagreed with it. I miss very few points, my reading comprehension is quite good.

A point that you may not understand is that this is not an editorial venue. Here personal opinions matter very little if at all. This is a debate forum where people are expected to provide support for their statements of opinion if they are asserting that their opinion is correct. If all you want to do is tell people what your opinion is then fine, there is nothing to debate, it’s your opinion. But anyone that disagrees has the right to tell you that they think that your opinion is wrong and why.

Responding back that you are using common sense, or that the person missed your point is meaningless chatter, not dialogue or discussion.

Getting back to the original point of the thread, and why baseless assumptions can be dangerous, PZ Myers has posted this at Pharyngula:

The toll on stupidity paid again…as usual, by innocent children

This is terrible, wasteful, stupid news from Africa.

A measles outbreak has claimed the lives of 70 children in Zimbabwe over the past two weeks, mostly among families from apostolic sects that shun vaccinations, state media said Thursday.

I'm still waiting for news of evangelical atheists traveling to distant lands and killing people by encouraging ignorance. It doesn't seem to happen.

Link to item

From linked article

http://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/M ... m-20100923

"We have started receiving reports of deaths due to a suspected measles outbreak (last) Tuesday and the numbers are continuing to grow," health ministry disease control director Portia Manangazira was quoted as saying by the state-run daily, The Herald.

"The persistent refusal (of immunisations) by some segments of society means these closed communities have large numbers of unvaccinated children," Manangazira said.

Members of some apostolic sects in the country shun vaccinations and all other forms of Western medicine, saying it contradicts their belief in supernatural powers.

Not sure this counts as a baseless assumption, rather than a stubborn insistence on relying on faith over evidence based medicine. Whichever it is, I'm sure the same God who failed to demonstrate their super natural powers to save any of these people will now provide some comfort following their deaths.

At least we know now that their families are stronger now for the experience. It all makes perfect sense if you "Get it"

monkeyboy wrote:From linked article

http://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/M ... m-20100923

"We have started receiving reports of deaths due to a suspected measles outbreak (last) Tuesday and the numbers are continuing to grow," health ministry disease control director Portia Manangazira was quoted as saying by the state-run daily, The Herald.

"The persistent refusal (of immunisations) by some segments of society means these closed communities have large numbers of unvaccinated children," Manangazira said.

Members of some apostolic sects in the country shun vaccinations and all other forms of Western medicine, saying it contradicts their belief in supernatural powers.

Not sure this counts as a baseless assumption, rather than a stubborn insistence on relying on faith over evidence based medicine...

Maybe there's a definitional issue here, but I think that the belief that non-evidence based supernatural powers somehow invalidate evidence-based medicine is a baseless assumption.

Oldskeptic wrote:

Raleigh wrote:
Bollocks to 99% of that. You've missed the point. Yet again.

I did not miss your point, I disagreed with it. I miss very few points, my reading comprehension is quite good.

A point that you may not understand is that this is not an editorial venue. Here personal opinions matter very little if at all. This is a debate forum where people are expected to provide support for their statements of opinion if they are asserting that their opinion is correct. If all you want to do is tell people what your opinion is then fine, there is nothing to debate, it’s your opinion. But anyone that disagrees has the right to tell you that they think that your opinion is wrong and why.

Responding back that you are using common sense, or that the person missed your point is meaningless chatter, not dialogue or discussion.

You did. You missed it.

Raliegh Marsden wrote:You did. You missed it.

That is not sufficient. Please explain how you think he missed it. What did he miss?