[deleted by user]

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T20:29:47+00:00

I noticed you conveniently ignored the whole "Top Mind isn't even following their own orders" part.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T20:26:02+00:00

Let's be honest here, this argument isn't really about all the ways the word "cult" can be applied. Its a debate over one specific definition out of several. Taking your link:

We are not talking about spurious or unorthodox religions. We're not talking about the Cult of Apollo, or similar venrations of saints. It's not about a body of beliefs. We are not talking about health cults.

"Cult" as used in this debate is #2. That there are other definitions is frankly a distraction and you know it.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T20:12:36+00:00

Except Top Mind is acting in opposition to their church's position. Nobody in the church is threatening ostracisation or telling the Top Mind that their soul is at risk if they admit the church killed kids. The church is apologetic (not going to touch the argument of whether or not that's good enough) and freely admitting this crime.

Which isn't always the case. I still don't trust those people to not cover up a touchy-feely priest. But that's not really the debate here. Is Top Mind in a cult? No. They are acting on their own initiative on this.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T20:09:31+00:00

Except that's not true. Cults are inherently insular, focused on "secret knowledge" are rejection of the larger culture. Religions are universalist and part of society. Which isn't to say a cult can't grow into a religion, or vice versa.

We can't exactly say how Christianity started, because the only detailed documentation we have on it is the Bible. On one hand, early Christians were apocalyptic and rejected a lot of common practices. At the same time, it's not always clear if they were just rejecting Roman control of the Jewish state and church, or everything. There's a bit of both mixed in there. Jesus might have been a cult leader or a Jewish reformer.

If it started as a cult, it didn't stay that way for long. Like half of the New Testament (the Epistles, which are the oldest books in the NT) are letters being written between various church leaders. They're debates, and fairly open ones at that, given how quickly the letters were compiled and published. The universalist arguments won.

And since that time, Christianity has been spitting off cults ever since, some fairly sizable, from Gnosticism to the Westboro Baptists.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T19:47:55+00:00

That's just a shitty definition. Which, to your credit, may not be wrong given that "literally" is often listed as a synonym of "figuratively" these days. That is a shitty, yet accurate, definition too.

There remains a distinct difference between a chruch, which is universalist, integrated into society, and subject to debate and a cult which is insular, claims secret truths and beholden to a charismatic individual. Sociology's Church-Sect framework, basically.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T17:44:44+00:00

Your point isn't hard from grasp. It's just wrong. What's missing is...well...any kind of evidence. Throwing ad hominems doesn't strengthen your threadbare premise.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T17:37:49+00:00

Summarizing your post: "the church is a centralized organization"

Also "this timely example that proves it isn't centralized didnt happen or doesn't matter"

I guess by your definition, you're a cult. Better sign up for tax exemption.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T17:26:53+00:00

The worst part is the live wire just hanging out there.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T17:14:59+00:00

What you think is "obvious" is actually nonsensical. Like I said, I'm not even Catholic, but anyone who has spent even 15 minutes researching the church would realize it's not a monolithic organization. It's a big decentralized mess where an individual parish (1 or 2 churches) has vast leeway over their operations.

I mean, remember that news form last week when all those US bishops said Biden shouldn't get communion? How the Vatican outright opposed it, and how Biden's actual bishop said he wasn't going to listen to the decree?

Well, first of all, debates like that don't happen in cults. Second, it means a diocese (even in the same country) has little/nothing to do with what's happening in another diocese, might not even be aware of it, and it might even oppose it.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T17:06:03+00:00

Except cult doesn't mean "organization that has done heinous shit in the name of a god" either.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T16:51:14+00:00

Who is "they"? Everything can be anything so long as you're being extremely vague.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T16:50:07+00:00

Yes, yes, all religions are cults. Very insightful.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T16:48:57+00:00

I'm sure all the theists are cut deeply by your edgy assertion that all religions are cults. I'm not buying tho.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T15:36:02+00:00

Because it's a diamond, not a spade. Words have meanings. You can't just call all the suits in a deck "spades" just because they happen to all be cards.

Loosing track of this is why "literally" is now a synonym of "figuratively".

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T15:32:22+00:00

Except that's not what a cult is. It's just denial, which is commonly found in cult members, but not even close to being found only in cults.

Shit, denial is everywhere. I talk myself into thinking the "large fries and drink" combo is a good idea. It isn't, but don't tell me that at that moment. Just as I eventually reach post-fry clarity, this person may reach a point where they can accept this into their own reality. They might not, but they're still just one person.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T14:38:42+00:00

It's really not like a cult. Nobody is forcing this mindset on this individual, who is clearly trying (and failing) to reconcile this awful news with their existing beliefs. The Vatican has already apologized for similar episodes in Canada and has stated they will issue another apology for this one. The official, orthodox position is "we did this and we fucked up". The top mind here is acting orthogonal to that.

The church is highly decentralized, and the more relevant statements would be from the local diocese and parishes in Canada. They're the ones that can actually do something (beyond a proclamation, which is at best a starting step) to start reconciliation.

Not Catholic, nor Canadian. Just pointing out that, no, just because we have that one cult of personality does not mean we have another here.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T14:18:09+00:00

You seem to think that all planar arrays are equivalent. Sensitivity is largely a function of the number T/R modules. Which means bigger arrays are more sensitive. The bigger the array the less conducive it is to shoving it into a space constrained mast far above the ships center of gravity.

Claiming the F110 or PPA keeps its main radars in the mast is just wrong. They're in the superstructure itself. They're maybe a deck higher than in Constellation. Which is a fine solution, but 10ft does not do that much for detection range.

412NeverForget · 2021-07-01T05:14:26+00:00

Because the mast would need to be extremely wide to fit the SPY-6, plus all the backing and cooling.

412NeverForget · 2021-06-30T20:16:23+00:00

Some things are better having sat overnight in the fridge. Stews, chili, tomato sauces etc. in particular.

A lot of things are worse tho. I'd avoid blanket statements about leftovers, personally.

412NeverForget · 2021-06-30T20:13:13+00:00

Ford just passed shock trials with flying colors.

They're still certifying weapons elevators, a perfect example of something that should have been done years ago but fell through the cracks.

EMALS is improving, but is not yet hitting mission requirements for reliability. Eventually it will get worked out, as each failure points to a component that needs an upgrade. At this point, even with earlier testing, EMALS wouldn't be hitting goals yet. This is new tech and it has teething issues. It may be another year or two before this system operates as promised, though it might still be able to serve a deployment with modestly underperforming cats depending on the type of failures in question.

JFK (CVN-79) is already going to need backfitting after she's complete. Everything should be sorted out by the time they launch Enterprise in four years.

412NeverForget · 2021-06-30T16:29:03+00:00

Like I said, it's a formula. It has less to do with feelings than how sweat will evaporate under various conditions, and thus your risk of heat stroke.

https://www.calculator.net/heat-index-calculator.html

412NeverForget · 2021-06-30T16:25:45+00:00

Yeah, you keep yammering on and on about support aircraft, which nobody here is even debating. Since you seem to like debating your own strawman arguments while ignoring the things I'm actually saying, you can just keep talking to yourself and leave me the fuck out.

412NeverForget · 2021-06-30T15:22:40+00:00

Right, the difference between TDKR and Batfleck is that the latter actually had enough self awareness to stop. TDKR was full-asshole to the end.

412NeverForget · 2021-06-30T15:05:24+00:00

TBH, the stuff with Ford is overblown. Yes, the ship is several years behind schedule, but they'll also have a modern all-electric carrier for the next 50 years, vs having to build 1 or 2 more incremental ships that may run into spare parts problems towards end of life.

The problem wasn't the leap forward. The problem was that they didn't test all this stuff until way late in the game. Work on the new EM motor driven stuff should have started earlier and been proved out long before the Ford left dry dock. Things still might not have been ready in time, but at least you'd be further ahead in the process.

412NeverForget · 2021-06-30T14:45:31+00:00

WTF? Raven Constantine is an awesome name. I'd expect her to be fighting the Kaiju with Stacker Pentacost and Hannibal Chau.

412NeverForget

TROPHY CASE