rvw i know nothing about american football and i don't know how come americans love it so much either.
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about the sins i don't know enough i bet some one knows

Given the recent string of news report regarding former football players killing themselves after having to deal with the consequences of the brain damage sustained while playing, saying they football is TOO safe seems stupid.

Yes, helmets don't protect players from the brain damage caused by repeated concussions: they just allow them to avoid skull fractures long enough to sustain them...

Dunga, I enjoyed some parts of your posts. I have to, however, press you on this hidden knowledge that major religions have hidden from the vast majority of us. Could you please tell us a bit more about this?

Jsut to let you know what standpoint I come from, I see organised religion as an instrument created or at the very least manipulated into a way of controlling vast numbers of people all around the world and also an accumulator of vast wealth. It has caused a lot of good but far far more bad in this world from my research into it. On the subject of spirituality in general, I am somewhat skeptical(I'd call myself an atheist).

Just for completeness' sake:
FlyingCat, that wasn't exactly the most important part of my post... However, should you wish to discuss it further, feel free to start a new thread and I'll discuss it with you there; I don't want to derail this thread, so I won't be continuing the matter here.

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Back on-topic:
Ace, just wondering, are you only talking about the current situation (and maybe the recent past), or are you speaking in general, for all of recorded history?

RvW, I think for much of history religion has been a major cultural power and has had a huge impact on the way people think. This power has been used and abused by unscrupulous people to sway the minds of many millions and to ensure that the people at the top continue to hold vast wealth and influence. I think that organised religion in general has been for some time, and still is, used to these ends.

Why can't people break up posts that take up half the page so that everyone else feels like reading them?

Because, bud, no one cares to cater to your short attention span - turns out that's not what the conversation is about..

ace, i can't answer your question with a damn long post, you up to it?

I'll read it if you write it Dunga.