Comment Policy

by: Marc Schooley - February 10th, 2009   Filed under: Discussion 4 Comments

Free speech is expensive. In honor of those whose will, sacrifice, and capital made and make free speech possible, I propose the following:

Anyone and everyone is encouraged to participate, even MS Quixote and Shemaromans.

Those who ruin it for everyone else will be restricted. Outside of spammers and their ilk, I can’t imagine this happening, but the rule is here in the event it’s necessary. Right. You’re not free to use profanity, either. Those who use profanity will be edited, or forced to wear a Member’s Only jacket. This includes those silly @ and $$ tricks. All decisions in this regard are the unilateral right of the blog owner. Anyone who thinks the Bay City Rollers are the world’s greatest rock band may be subjected to global warming, then forced to wear a Member’s Only jacket, then have their rights to free speech on this blog revoked (having your free speech revoked may mean that I scribble notes down on a napkin for you to use for your comment. In this manner, your speech may not be free, but at least you will have a better comment to post, since free things, generally speaking freely, aren’t worth very much-but you’re free to disagree if you like). Second greatest perhaps; first, immediate dismissal. Anyone who claims the Bayfront Prowlers, however, are the world’s third greatest rock band may be enshrined in the The Areopagus hall of fame. That about sums up the free speech rules (I’m Free-da da, da da, da da da, da da, da da, da da da-I’m Free) except for those who are Aggies, although The Areopagus management is not convinced by evident reason or empirical evidence that Aggies have mastered speech, so perhaps we should let them have a go at it. Aggie speech will be monitored continuously, but anyone who asserts the positive claim that Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, or any other Big Ten Conference University possesses what qualifies for a Bowl Subdivision football program will not have their free speech rights questioned because they will be performing a systematic demonstration of the via negativa. Any comments that pop in and out of existence uncaused onto this blog will be deleted once quantum mechanic science develops to the degree that we can predict where and when the comment will appear. We’re close, so watch it. We’re also nearing completion of the unified theory here at the Areopagus, so soon there will be nothing left to say. Worthwhile additions to this comment policy will be incorporated posthaste, therefore, so suggest away, but be mindful of the comment policy when doing so. In other words, this should be a living document, so my more enlightened friends will feel comfortable commenting.

Addendum: Anyone deemed not sufficiently serious about free speech will be subjected to global warming, forced to wear a Member’s Only jacket, have their free speech rights revoked, then slungshot around the sun resulting in a time warp back to the seventies where they will be subjected to global cooling, and forced to forfeit their Member’s Only jacket. If, perchance, this happens to you, will you PLEASE stand on the streetcorner with a sign warning everyone about the future state of popular music in the 2000’s.

The Areopagus–Acts 17:16-34 (NIV)

by: Marc Schooley - February 7th, 2009   Filed under: Updates and News Add Comment

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone–an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

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