modcat5

I think the relationship between critical thinking and intelligence is symbiotic. Each feeds into the other. So yes and no, but more yes than no. In my opinion

We received a report about this thread asking that it be moved to "atheism and questioning belief." I disagreed. I came here expecting to defend the thread as a question about why people shouldn't put off conversion until the last possible moment, living lives of sin for as long as possible and finally converting in the end and marching through the pearly gates (or waking up at the gathering or whatever it is you believe). Then I read this, and it became clearer that the report was correct. Feel free to explore the doctrinal issue that was raised, but I'm moving the thread to where it belongs: Questioning Faith.

Honestly, I think a good 60 percent of the GSC rules were to stop the kind of behavior I engaged in regularly back when I was feuding with... who was I feuding with? I forget his name. In any event, James was around back then and hasn't been around since, so he probably thought that was still considered acceptable conduct.

Ok, so it appears some dialogue got out of hand and you guys resolved it among yourselves. To reiterate the rules: No namecalling (this includes altering the person's handle to mock him). No politics (and absolutely zero tolerance for COVID misinformation, no warnings). Please restrict your criticism to the arguments being made, not to the people making them. Calling people fools for their beliefs is unacceptable. Demanding proof for assertions is perfectly acceptable.

Responding to multiple reports. The thread will be locked pending review.

The majority of his posts were April Fool's Day 11 years ago. Don't lose sleep over it.

First line was enough for me.

Of course.

Hi T-Bone. Steve passed away in 2017. https://www.loosefuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Stephen-Lortz/

I am behind on EVERYTHING Raf

Hi Stephen. Welcome back.

So wait, the "crossover" was all Flash episodes? -- Raf

I just realized that the thread I started was no different in theme or content than this existing thread. My apologies. The two threads are now merged, and I am pretty sure neither has been damaged in the process.

Everyone knew this one from the first line. Camman!!!!! Fine. X-Men

We made a good faith effort to allow this discussion to proceed, and for the most part, you guys were able to do that without getting into the political weeds. That said, as the opening post noted, it is difficult to tell these days where the medical topic stops and the political content begins. Of this much we are sure: Everyone has spoken their piece. The thread has become redundant and the temptation to fall into a political debate grows with every post. Thank you, everyone, for respecting the space we are trying to maintain at GSC. On to the next topic...

Meanwhile the article is literally about which of all the vaccines that work, work best, under which circumstances.

The Telegraph is behind a paywall (the nerve! Expecting people to pay for a product! As if reporters have families to feed). Can you sum it up? (Please do not copy and paste).

Allan, your inability to keep politics out of this conversation has tested the limits of our patience. And has failed. We keep politics off this page to prevent conversations from descending into endless debates about political worldviews, not to mention the endless namecalling and false accusations of political allegiance based on real or imagined associations, which on this page have tended to undermine GSC's mission. You are either unable or unwilling to keep politics out of this discussion. You will now be unable to inject politics into the discussion until further notice. Ordinarily we would not make this kind of action public, but the constant in-your-face defiance of the no-politics rule needs to be addressed in just as public a manner. Thank you.

No politics. No warnings. No exceptions. Don't keep it up. Enough. You know better.

No politics. No exceptions. No warnings. No apologies.

Eddie Murphy Oops. Signed Raf

Meanwhile... https://www.science.org/content/article/why-many-scientists-say-unlikely-sars-cov-2-originated-lab-leak Stop using GSC to spread COVID misinformation.

Especially when my ID is the least guarded secret on GSC. Then again, using snippets of information to prop up an unfounded conspiracy theory when the facts that disprove that theory are readily available but ignored... isn't that the definition of his contribution to this thread?

Ok, one more time: Comorbidities are conditions that are exacerbated when an opportunistic disease is introduced. Simply put: COVID doesn't typically kill on its own. It kills by weakening our defenses on other conditions that would not necessarily be deadly without it. Recognizing the role of comorbidities in the severity of COVID is information. Implying that therefore the threat of COVID is somehow being exaggerated is misinformation, not to mention unintelligent as an argument. STOP. USING. GSC. TO. SPREAD. MISINFORMATION. Every faulty argument you have made has been refuted, Allan. Please stop.

The article Allan cited to prove NIH was funding "risky virus research" at Wuhan SPECIFICALLY SAYS COVID 19 was not a result of that research. When I repeated that, he said my assertion, TAKEN STRAIGHT FROM THE ARTICLE HE POSTED, "beggars belief." Of course we know my comment is valid and not BS because if it were BS, Allan would have embraced it and spread it halfway around the world by now. COVID misinformation and distortion is prolonging the pandemic. We will not permit the spread of misinformation on this site. Stop misrepresenting the research. Stop promoting agenda-driven political findings disguised as medical research. Thank you.