Religion out of place on Trains.com...

[daveklepper]

Hey, if I mention that I use a prayerbook for one particular hymn, just because the page number is 484, and so it is easy for me to find it, do I offend you?

"Big steam hog, big four eight four."

That was the end of a poem by a Southern Pacific engineer who wrote it just after completing a successful run with one of the black SP "War Babies" that were not painted into Daylight colors lile the other 4-8-4's. I think I was about 16 or 17 (1948 or 1949) when I read it TRAINS. I would sure like to see that poem again, with the excellent photograph. I don't have the issue. Maybe somebody else does and can post the poem.

The interesting thing is two weeks ago, another student (I'm 73, he is about 21) asked me why I used that praybook. And I told him. And then I went into a long a detailed discussion about what a 4-8-4 is, what railroads used them, when, what the diesels' arrivals meant, and he listened fascinated. So maybe I have "evangelized" a new railfan. I hope to follow up. Do any of you remember the story "Caboose Chaplain" about the Army railroading in Iraq during WWII in Railroad Magazine? Or the story in TRAINS about chapel coaches? (One of the first was on the Boston Board of Trade's pioneering transcontinental trip to California shortly after completion of the first transcontinental.) And chapel streetcars and interurbans also!

Can we avoid being pigheaded about this issue?

It is not only Christian Zeolots or Muslim Fanatics or Haradi Jewish extremists who are FUNDAMENTALISTS! Anyone who says all my opinions are right and I won't listen to yours is the same, regardless of the philosophy espoused!

[CShaveRR]

I presume that asking the administrator to delete this annoying thread might be a violation of someone's rights and offend some people, but I think it should go, in spite of the many good things that have been said.

A person's signature is his signature, and whether you respect it, are offended by it, or ignore it is up to you.

Trainluvr, I'm saying a prayer for you.

[Anonymous]

There are a few members who indicate that they place God as their Master in all things during life. Perhaps a small signature or a quiet "Have a blessed day" or similar in various posts..

No where have I seen pulpit hammering salivia spitting zealots [soapbox] on the subject of Religion on the forums.

This thread is the first I have seen that specifically dealth with Religion, not trains.

I personally feel that with the Laws of the United States that speech is free to all and opinions are subject to review by anyone. There are people who live in Nations that will threaten to put them to death for speaking out on half of the things we Americans do.

God has given us this freedom, let us enjoy it and maybe learn from each other. Usually of late, the flaming and disrespect in some of the older topics which really went very badly due to a few belly-shoving boors who just cannot keep mouths shut. This to me was the worse issue than religion.

[jchnhtfd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Where in heck did this whole thread come from? I have participated in this forum for years and do not recall one time where religion was ever mentioned. Let's drop it now.

PS: I believe the big bang was caused by GE tubrocharger "lag".

[#ditto] -- only I thought it was Alco turbocharger lag![:D]

[bnsfkline]

Jim is confused about this thread

What does tick me off that sometimes, a person comes in here, and trys to start stuff, like Missouri did.

[espeefoamer]

I never thought religion was even on this forum until I read this thread.Sure,some signatures reveal a persons faith,but we usually read this forum for the posts,not the signatures.No one here is cramming religion down anyones throat.If you don't like religion, don't read the signatures.
Have a nice day[:)].

[wabash1]

this is the strangest post there ever was. who died and left him in charge . It is a open forum and if he dont like what he reads then he needs to go some where else. In fact i am a somewhat spiritual man and believe that eveyone should have something to believe in........Right now i believe i need a beer..

[Anonymous]

Maybe what's also bothering tranluver is the fact that so many country & western songs freely mix religion and railroading, aka "Long Black Train", "If You Leave This Way You Can Never Come Back", etc. Then of course these songs end up as topics on this forum, and it reminds him of something he's trying to put out of his mind.

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by artmark

I thought the Big Bang is when the NYC and PRR became Penn Central.

Mitch

I thought the Big Bang was when Penn Central declared bankrupcy[}:)]!

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wabash1

this is the strangest post there ever was. who died and left him in charge . It is a open forum and if he dont like what he reads then he needs to go some where else. In fact i am a somewhat spiritual man and believe that eveyone should have something to believe in........Right now i believe i need a beer..

Aw Wabash - I have missed your view from the other side. Keeps life from getting too heavy!

Mook

[gabe]

I am with Mookie, you have to admire a man who can put spiritual perspective and practical perspective in one consciece thought and reflect upon it by having a beer at 1:30 in the afternoon.

I would join you Wabash, were I not at work. Way to sum things up.

Gabe

[Modelcar]

...Ah, the mention of Railroad magazine....It was great. Real down to earth tails and stories of real railroaders. I do have some old copies {1944}.

[daveklepper]

Beer, ah beer. This is the appropriate thread for this story:

About 20 years ago I was traveling in Germany on business. I went to the dining car for breakfast and the waiter without my asking pointed out in the menu what was Kosher. I asked him where he got his fine American accented English, and he told me it was in a USA prisoner of war camp during WWII. He said he was well treated and that was one reason he tries to treat everyone he meets well.

A German sat across from me. He was an electrical engineering with the Deutches Bundesbahn. So we discussed trains. He ordered breakfast and beer. He offered to give me some beer, but I declined, saying I had to keep a sharp head for some meetings that day, and would prefer to postpone beer until the evening. He said "Ach! Beer in the morning! Put's a golden glow on the whole day!" I thought that my morning prayers did that for me but I said nothing about that.

When I got back to America a friend asked me where I had been, and I told him. He said "I hope you didn't spend any money there." I replied: "I spent the money I needed to live comfortably. The Germans I met were not the ***. They weren't the ones that did the Holocaust. I was treated with respect wherever I was and so I returned that respect. If you want to answer the Holocaust, don't answer it by hating anyone today. Try to be a better Jew yourself and follow all the Commandments."

When I see a "Christian signature" I am not offended in the least. I know that is an individual that is trying to be a good person in the path to the Eternal that he has chosen, and I know he won't object to my path and I won't object to his. Together, we can be partners for common goals.

[MP57313]

Some folks have included a reference to religion here and there in a thread or two, but it was always "in context" and not rammed down someone's throat. One person includes links to faith-based websites in his signature block...that's ok I guess...if you want to discuss that stuff further you are free to visit those other sites.

[Anonymous]

Trainluver. or whatever, if you got nothing better to do, do it some place else!!!
What a bulls**t post!!!!

[MP173]

I am probably guilty of the charge.

I recall when the folks were killed in Southern California and South Carolina that I mentioned something about having those families in "thoughts and prayers."

OOOPS big mistake, my bad!

ed

[Anonymous]

I thought the big band was what you heard after you eat 4 Double Bean Burittos at Taco Bell?

boy, that was immature.

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

[mustanggt]

Just lock this now, before it starts a flame war. Trainluvr was insulted by many of you in my opinion.

Dave

[vsmith]

Gonna get my licks in before Bergie sends this topic off with a volley of Photon Torpedos

Someone asked "What was the Big Bang? when one of my cars rolled off my layout and hit the ground with a LOUD crack!!!![:D]

Anyway when it comes to religion, I belong to the 24hr Drive Thru Church of Elvis...[;)]

Thank'ya Ma'am.[8D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98

.last time i checked the server was in the US... meaning freedom of speach to descuse what ever we want...and if relegion is sometimes brough into a trains forum..its fine with me...
.
csx engineer

Seems like sentiment related to what MUST be included under the premise of free speech is played like a bad football game...all over the field.

I remember creating a humerous thread about our beloved Prez, and some whacko's got all bent out of shape about it... Demanding that this should be a "trains only" forum, so DUE TO THAT I'd say God should be kept out of this forum, and religious energies should be directed to RELIGION FORUMS, not here.

[Anonymous]

With this being a trains forum, I can understand why people say we shouldn't talk about religion. But I guess since we're on the subject I may as well say what I have to say and **** people off. Bottom line is this. If I want to put a religous quote in my signature then I will. Doing something like that is not ramming anything down anyone's throat. I have faith in God. Yea I said it. Call me a Bible thumper or whatever you will, but that's the way I feel and nothing will ever change it. The nice thing about this country is that we can all worship as we please. worship a rock for all I care. I guess that's about all I have to say. Smile Jesus loves you.

[Anonymous]

Railroading is a religion. Have you not read Locomotive Catechism by Grimshaw? A religion is anything that is seriously or zealously pursued.

[Anonymous]

It was never my intension to offend anyone, which was the point of my bringing the subject up in the first place, but rather to send a message to those that leave little religious comments at the bottom of their replies. I would not in any way try to interfer with anyone's freedom of speech as so many of you have brought up, but then with a lot of you, it's okay as long as I'm a Christian that supports the war in Iraq and all that, but if I step out of line and do the other thing or say something you don't like, then I'm a bad guy and here you come after me.
I really like this forum, and would support it to the bitter end. All I was trying to do was make a statement about something that I felt was out of place.
To those of you that I offended, please accept my sincerest apology. As for the rest of you, I'll be seeing you in other strings...

Now how's about we go talk trains!.

Trainluver1

[AntonioFP45]

So cool the way you guys expressed yourselves in your down-to-earth replies.

You've kept it real and this thread took a turn for the better!

FutureModal, Wabash1, Mookie............you all are a riot! [(-D][(-D]
Thanks for helping turn this thread around!

HiIron2003ar, a special salute to you for your above post. [4:-)]

Peace and Cheers! [:D]

[vsmith]

Trainluver1 , ya didnt mean to stir up a hornets nest but ya know the old saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions...

Gonna weigh in here with my personal experience, one of the primary reasons I do not belong to a model RR club or participate in alot of group activities has to do with the fact that i got burned real bad earlier in my youth. I was interested in HOn30 tried to get into a narrow guage modelers club, they found out that not only was I not a member of their political party, but I wasnt a practicing member of so-and-so brand of religion and i was then Persona Non Grata at that group. It left such a bad taste I have remained a Lone Wolf modeler ever since. I still get edgy when considering any group gathering from model RRing or such. I know in a group situation its only a matter of time before the personalties in any group or club will tend to gravitate towards like minded folk, excluding the "other" from the herd, thats human nature.

Believe me when I say NOTHING good comes from discussing political or religious views on a public forum. I have decided that I would try to keep my personal religious and political viewpoints to myself (I did say, TRY) Anyway I see nothing but disagreement coming from either subject and agree with those who try to keep this stuff off the forums.

Anyway thats all, just one persons experience, Later Vic

[Anonymous]

Thanks vsmith. I appreciate your wise words, and I do hereby promise not to ever bring up such a subject on this forum ever again-so help me... I just had to get it off my chest.

My respects to one and all. You're a great bunch of people.

"Trainluver1"

[garr]

In the US everyone has a virtually limitless right to free speech but, thankfully so, a correlating right to not be offended is not offered. If this right had been given, we would have a very quite society since almost anything anyone says will offend someboby is some way.

That being said, a privately owned forum such as this one does have the ability to control content. To me, the moderators are doing a great job balancing overreaction--simply allowing this thread to continue is evidience of that.

I do not believe that I am the only one who is amazed with the paths most of the threads on this or any other forum take. One opens the thread, usually gets what is expected but also comes away with a whole lot more. And the extemporaneous info is usually the more interesting part of the topic.

Jay

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainluver1

It was never my intension to offend anyone, which was the point of my bringing the subject up in the first place, but rather to send a message to those that leave little religious comments at the bottom of their replies. I would not in any way try to interfer with anyone's freedom of speech as so many of you have brought up, but then with a lot of you, it's okay as long as I'm a Christian that supports the war in Iraq and all that, but if I step out of line and do the other thing or say something you don't like, then I'm a bad guy and here you come after me.
I really like this forum, and would support it to the bitter end. All I was trying to do was make a statement about something that I felt was out of place.
To those of you that I offended, please accept my sincerest apology. As for the rest of you, I'll be seeing you in other strings...

Now how's about we go talk trains!.

Trainluver1

Want to hear about Trains? okay, will do, I'm like a steam train. Slow to start, but by the end of my post i'll be swinging the bat like you wouldn't believe.

Trainluver1, That's a really cool name, did your mommy give that to you at birth? what.. It doesn't say that on your birth certificate? that's ashame.. So, you'll have to excuse the fact that I don't like calling people by screen names, nor by there first name, so you are now considered Mr. Thing.

So, Mr. Thing, you don't appreciate people talking about religion, As a character in the Great Gatsby said "'tis a shame" I'd cry for you- but thats the way life is, Freedom of speech is exactly that, Freedom, spelt F-R-E-E-D-O-M, is not only found in the dictionary (under F) it is found in various constiututions across this fair world of ours, and upheld by most countries that are part of the UN.

Just because you don't like it- thats to bad, and won't change it worth a damn. Here's more "trains" for you. You don't like the time my train arrives to pick you up- you can either A) adjust your self so you can be present and aboard the train when it leaves, or continuously be late, and miss the train- Buck the system as much as you want, you can't change it.

I'm not sure if that was a tear- or my allergies.

Welcome to the Trains.com forum, a mix of various perople, Train enthusiasts, Beautiful women, and bits and peices of a train crew, enough to complete about 8 trains I figure. Most of them, myself including would be more then willing to answer your questions, however, it would be my best suggestion yo you, not to come in here and *bant* (thats a new internet term for Rant uselessly) about something that isn't going to change.

I'll talk about whatever I feel like, The Wheels on my train breaking, the Axel falling off, or the fact that i believe that Jesus boarded my train yesturday, straight to the amount of georgeous women that were aboard the train yesturday.

I talk about all that, and then some, But these *Medium to clears* (another train term, meerly for your excitement) you keep throwing, are quite frankly getting to the point of stupidity. (kevin talk: Can the crap)

On a different matter

Now if i recall correctly Antigates- the post you made was so stupid, I opted to repress the memory and can rememebr what Jessica simpson said on her show last night over what you posted.

Didn't you make fun of a child or somehting like that? Yeah, that was pathetic, your right, you did read my mind.

Everybody happy now?

And the moral of the sotry is, Bamabi's mother dies. No, We talk trains at trains.com, but we also talk about other things, and if you don't like it, oh wait, I havn't gotten around to afixing the exit sign to the door yet, but there is the door in the shape of "logout," take it and tell me where it leads.


Hopefully this gets in before ths is sent down the swooney.

[gabe]

Ohh, what a bee's nest we have gotten ourselves into as of late--I am actually missing shackles and death box cars.

But, all that aside, all I want to know is where are the beautiful women? I mean, I am married and all--so it is an accademic question--but a beautiful women who likes trains? Does she drink beer and watch football too? I need my wife to take notes.

I know of two women who post on here, but they never felt the need to inform me that they were beautiful. I feel so left out.

A poster formerly known as "Gabe."

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kevinstheRRman

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainluver1

It was never my intension to offend anyone, which was the point of my bringing the subject up in the first place, but rather to send a message to those that leave little religious comments at the bottom of their replies. I would not in any way try to interfer with anyone's freedom of speech as so many of you have brought up, but then with a lot of you, it's okay as long as I'm a Christian that supports the war in Iraq and all that, but if I step out of line and do the other thing or say something you don't like, then I'm a bad guy and here you come after me.
I really like this forum, and would support it to the bitter end. All I was trying to do was make a statement about something that I felt was out of place.
To those of you that I offended, please accept my sincerest apology. As for the rest of you, I'll be seeing you in other strings...

Now how's about we go talk trains!.

Trainluver1

Want to hear about Trains? okay, will do, I'm like a steam train. Slow to start, but by the end of my post i'll be swinging the bat like you wouldn't believe.

Trainluver1, That's a really cool name, did your mommy give that to you at birth? what.. It doesn't say that on your birth certificate? that's ashame.. So, you'll have to excuse the fact that I don't like calling people by screen names, nor by there first name, so you are now considered Mr. Thing.

So, Mr. Thing, you don't appreciate people talking about religion, As a character in the Great Gatsby said "'tis a shame" I'd cry for you- but thats the way life is, Freedom of speech is exactly that, Freedom, spelt F-R-E-E-D-O-M, is not only found in the dictionary (under F) it is found in various constiututions across this fair world of ours, and upheld by most countries that are part of the UN.

Just because you don't like it- thats to bad, and won't change it worth a damn. Here's more "trains" for you. You don't like the time my train arrives to pick you up- you can either A) adjust your self so you can be present and aboard the train when it leaves, or continuously be late, and miss the train- Buck the system as much as you want, you can't change it.

I'm not sure if that was a tear- or my allergies.

Welcome to the Trains.com forum, a mix of various perople, Train enthusiasts, Beautiful women, and bits and peices of a train crew, enough to complete about 8 trains I figure. Most of them, myself including would be more then willing to answer your questions, however, it would be my best suggestion yo you, not to come in here and *bant* (thats a new internet term for Rant uselessly) about something that isn't going to change.

I'll talk about whatever I feel like, The Wheels on my train breaking, the Axel falling off, or the fact that i believe that Jesus boarded my train yesturday, straight to the amount of georgeous women that were aboard the train yesturday.

I talk about all that, and then some, But these *Medium to clears* (another train term, meerly for your excitement) you keep throwing, are quite frankly getting to the point of stupidity. (kevin talk: Can the crap)

On a different matter

Now if i recall correctly Antigates- the post you made was so stupid, I opted to repress the memory and can rememebr what Jessica simpson said on her show last night over what you posted.

Didn't you make fun of a child or somehting like that? Yeah, that was pathetic, your right, you did read my mind.

Everybody happy now?

And the moral of the sotry is, Bamabi's mother dies. No, We talk trains at trains.com, but we also talk about other things, and if you don't like it, oh wait, I havn't gotten around to afixing the exit sign to the door yet, but there is the door in the shape of "logout," take it and tell me where it leads.


Hopefully this gets in before ths is sent down the swooney.

You've just got to learn how to quit mincing words, Kevin, and let the ridiculously thin-skinned, overly PC crowd know how you REALLY feel! [;)][:D][:D][:D]

Sincerely, Ross R. Moore, Jr.