Aceticism

so there's no money to be made, either in grant money or in scare tactics.

Yes I agree 100%. It all comes down to money. There are a lot of people in science and religion that are in it primarily for the cash. These people are administrators/politicians .. also managers of modern businesses, they are cut from the same cloth. In fact, most of us do what we do for money/survial/fear reasons rather than "search for truth reasons", as you and I have oft noticed.

These types of scientists, religious leaders and politicians will obfuscate the truth in an attempt to keep things "running as they should be" .. to keep the grant money coming in, the collection plate money coming in and the taxes coming in to run the "businesses" that they manage and administer.

I think that is why chess is so attractive to some of us. The board is open, the truth of the position is there for everyone to see, one just has to look (deeply sometimes), but your opponent is not allowed to hide the piece on the a7 square for instance.

The rules of modern life are not like that.

Having said that, it does appear that the industrial revolution has made a large contribution to the parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere. Note that I am not attributing global warming to this increase in CO2, just noting it.

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But it does not prohibit marriage; it merely positions not being married as a more attractive alternative,

Yes, and my point is that this better alternative is completely glossed over by Religions and The Church, and my guess is they do so in part because there is no money in it (just like your example about why you don't trust science).

But ... would you agree that buried in that verse is the unspoken assumption that if unmarried, one is not going about fornicating as one desires?

Yes I totally agree. I think this is another reason why Religions gloss over the fact that The Bible says that not to get married is the best thing to do. Religions know if people followed that advice then they would be fornicating alll over the place and this would get them into trouble with other areas of The Bible.

He spends tens of thousands of dollars on electronics -- video and audio editing equipment and the like.

His own money I trust and not The Churches? (Ie. yours).

And while we're on the subject, there is no more harmful Christian slogan than, "I'm not perfect, just forgiven." The arrogance underlying that claim is staggering.

What that's all about then? Is it an airing of dirty laundry in public? Is this connected to the forgiveness and grace that The Lord might show us? I trust the gay preacher committing homosexual acts and preaching against homosexual acts wears that badge to work. What about this slogan .... "Once saved always saved, so screw you non-believer you are going to hell!"

I just made that up. Heck maybe I should become a monk.

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"hornier than a three-balled tomcat."

LOL. That is good, and has 93 hits in Google. I'll offer up two items from the working class area of London in which I dragged myself up in. They are both to do with either a) people being mean with their money (tight) or b) being in a precariously tight situation, usually when trying to make a difficult/borderline shot in a snooker or pool game as we misspent our youth down the pub

"As tight as a crab's ass at 30,000 fathoms" (zero Google hits)

and

"As tight as a gnat's chuff". (88 Google hits)

Quite coarse, but both objects should be extremely tight.

I'll leave you to muse over what exactly a "chuff" might be :)