>Let’s just grant the possibility that there is a Creator God, who’s omniscient, who occasionally authors books. And he’s gonna give us a book – the most useful book. He’s a loving God, he’s a compassionate God, and he’s gonna give us a guide to life. He’s got a scribe, the scribe’s gonna write it down. What’s gonna be in that book? I mean just think of how good a book would be if it were authored by an omniscient deity. I mean, there is not a single line in the Bible or the Koran that could not have been authored by a first century person. There is not one reference to anything – there are pages and pages about how to sacrifice animals, and keep slaves, and who to kill and why. There’s nothing about electricity, there’s nothing about DNA, there’s nothing about infectious disease, the principles of infectious disease. There’s nothing particularly useful, and there’s a lot of iron age barbarism in there, and superstition. This is not a candidate book.
>This is a common criticism: The idea that the atheist is guilty of a literalist reading of scripture; and that it’s a very naive way of approaching religion; and there’s a far more sophisticated and nuanced view of religion on offer and the atheist is disregarding that. A few problems with this: Anyone making that argument is failing to acknowledge just how many people really do approach these texts literally or functionally - whether they’re selective-literalists, or literal all the way down the line. There are certain passages in scripture that just cannot be read figuratively. And people really do live by the lights of what is literally laid out in these books
He's right.
/thread
>a Creator God, who’s omniscient, who occasionally authors books.
Neither the Old nor the New Testament are authored by God. Only the Koran claims to be.
>there are pages and pages about how to sacrifice animals, and keep slaves, and who to kill and why
>there’s a lot of iron age barbarism in there, and superstition
In the Old Testament and in the Koran. There is absolutely none of that in the New Testament, which is what Christianity is founded on.
>There are certain passages in scripture that just cannot be read figuratively.
There is nothing in the New Testament that requires that.
This is an effective argument against Islam, a partially adequate argument against Judaism, and entirely irrelevant to Christianity.
>Sam "dude what if I just copy utilitarianism but with SCIENCE lmao" Harris
>Sam "Kill people for thoughtcrimes" Harris
>Sam "Publically spanked by Noam Chomsky" Harris
Teach me about this man, /his/. Was he an evil greedy capitalist, or innovative generous inventor?
>>270352
>cheaper goods
Ok all the other things I can say are good things, but cheaper goods aren't necessarily a good thing. It gives incentives to produce cheap ass stuff with no regard for waste disposal, enviroment or work safety.
>>270352
He was a nutsy son of a bitch.
Also, cars wouldn't have sold if the government didn't make so many streets for cars. A clear case of subsidized industry.
ITT: We post and depict paintings.
>The Fountain of Love, by François Boucher.
Boucher was a master painter, and his most revered scenes are those of the quaint countryside, depicting idyllic pastoral scenes and classical themes. His depictions in the pastoral genre excluded the harsh realities of live, and brought the beauty of the countryside into the homes of aristocratic society. The Fountain of Love is such an image. It was first designed as an image for a tapestry in 1748, and was one in a set of six images depicting Noble Pastorales. Originally, tapestries were woven directly over the paintings, and later, they were cut up into sections to be sold separately. Fortunately this one was spared such a fate, and it is now in the collection of The Getty Center of Los Angeles.
The Original Turducken
Look closely at this roasting ox and you’ll notice small animal heads protruding from its sides. Explanation is in order.
The year is 1530. Coronation ceremonies are being held for the Holy Roman Emperor in Bologna, Italy. A daylong procession in the streets culminates in a feast sponsored by the city senate. Red and white wine flows from the mouths of gilt lions mounted on columns adorned with the Roman imperial double-headed eagle and the emperor’s motto, “plus ultra” (further beyond), referring to his power and the extent of his realm.
While the imperial party dines indoors, baskets of bread are thrown to the common people eating and drinking in the streets.
Fine, but what about that creepy roast? An enormous roasted ox was stuffed with fowl, suckling pigs, lambs, and hares, shown here. Call it the original oxducken…but it’s the same weird idea.
>>270331
>mfw about to go sit in front of a few Boucher works at a museum nearby and read
Prettiest colors I've ever seen painted.
>nietzsche's philosophy is completely unrelated to nazism ideology
>>270067
Must be bait. If not, read some of his work and realise following a dwarf sized hotheaded leader is not really what it's all about.
>>270067
His sister's was.
>>270067
>Correlation equals causation
Tell me more about Yamato Nadeshikos, /his/. I'm fascinated by this particular figure of Japanese history.
Is it true they were supposed to sacrice themselves protecting the houses during war, if needed?
Yes women were expected to defend the castle along with the men. They were called the Onna-bugeisha.
Samurai women were actually quite powerful in Japan up until the edo period. They could inherit, govern, manage, and fight just like the men. They were generally expected to be supportive of their husbands but they still held power on their own.
That generally changed during the edo period when samurai faded from warriors to bureaucrats.
>>270112
Were those samurai women Yamato Nadeshikos though?
Also holy shit Japanese history is badass as fuck.
>>270125
Yes it was considered the proper thing to do. Women of noble status were expected to fight and die for their husbands and clans if necessary.
It was seen as the highest form of dedication.
It became rarer as times changed but it was still seen as late as the Boshin War in the mid 1800's.
>In 1868, during the Battle of Aizu, a part of the Boshin War,Nakano Takeko, a member of the Aizuclan, was recruited to become leader of a female corps who fought against the onslaught of 20,000 Imperial Japanese Army of the Ogaki domain. Highly skilled at the naginata, Takeko and her corps of about 20 joined 3,000 other Aizu samurai in battle. The Hokai Temple in Aizu Bangemachi, Fukishima province contains a monument erected in her honor.
Which WW2 theater was more horrible?
Eastern Front or Pacific Theater?
Stalingrad or Okinawa?
Both were pretty bad. I'd say the Eastern front.
Eastern Front no doubt. The Pacific Theater was awful, but the Eastern Front was hell on earth.
Imagine having malaria while fighting suicidally aggressive nips in dense shrubbery. Now, imagine fighting in a landscape so cold you'd have to choose between shitting yourself or dying of cold, where every street corner is a potential meatgrinder and people are dying en masse.
I'll take the pacific any day
Eastern Front - just by the sheer scale of it. If you throw Chinese theater into Pacific you might have a contender though.
This is the bomb desu.
>>269950
epic shitposting desu
>>269950
>Germans
So what happens in 30 years, when EU, Russia and China are burdened with swarms of old folks and very few taxpayers? I guess all mentioned economies fail, public services go to level of today's Etrirea, military capabilities are eroded beyond funny and we have three decedes of world economic depression due to three major world markets collapsing.
>>269909
Its 2015, we're importing millions of Muslims to fuck our women for us, the problem will be solved
>>269909
China is going full damage control about this now, but it is pretty much a lost cause.
It will probably open up the possibility of a few emerging markets to rise in importance even more, Brazil, India and the asian tigers come to mind.
But a demographic crisis is certain.
>>269909
Thank God for Mexicans.
Why has this been allowed?
I'm looking at you, Fritz.
Eat shit Ivan.
Powerful people dividing up lands
Ruse devised by the German General Staff. They weren't even trying to hide it ffs.
Hitler hated slavs more than he hated jews
>>269781
He said so several times so yes, I think it's safe to assume that he did.
Well, let me backtrack. He wanted to kill a large number of them and enslave the rest.
>>269781
Which is why he lost the war.
Let's talk about Eastern Africa. We know about the Axum Empire, but what other civilizations arose here?
>>269760
>eastern Africa
The legite place where blacks actually built a worthwhile empire(or empires) and of which no black SJW moron knows about because they don't know shit about shit.
Niggers.
Home of literally the first civilizations, so big props to them.
Thanks for picking the right females to fuck, East African hominids! You did a heck of a job.
>>269831
Oh fuck off it's not like anyone cares about Africa Pillsberry Fuckboy.
Also Aksum was not the only empire of note in Africa.
Who was the best president?
And why was it George Washington?
>implying pic related is not the best president ever
>>269725
Because he was a Mason. But Jackson and Jefferson were better.
>>269774
>Jackson
Meme president. Teddy too.
ITT: The best bromances in History.
I'll start: Agrippa and Augustus.
Obligatory
Brutus and Julius
Caesar and King Nicomedes of Bithynia
Inb4 Caekeks deny
ITT: Post a picture of your local Cathedral. Yes, denomination matters.
Luckily, living near Jerusalem, I have the Holy Sepulcher as mine. It's got 6 different denominations - Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Syriacs. They've brought all their unique art, chanting and architecture to their various parts of the Church.
How far into Europe could the Mongols have gone if Ögedei hadn't died?
>>268963
I honestly would have to take a look at the European maps of the time and see where the grasslands ended and the forests began to give you a good answer.
>>268969
Of course.
>>268963
Britain
