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LaserMonks Offer Prayer, Printer Cartridges
Minnesotan writes "According to a Twincities.com article: If you need discounted inkjet- or laser-printer cartridges, Wisconsin's LaserMonks say they'll give you a doozy of a deal while you 'support prayer for the world'. The Cistercian priests - yes, they're actual Catholic monks - oversee a novel e-commerce enterprise out of their rural abbey. Proceeds go to maintain the monastery and finance charitable works around the world."
GNAA / Google confirms: Linux is dying.
By GNAA Staff
Here you have it: it's official; Google confirms: Desktop Linux is dying.
Now, you might be thinking this is just another cut & paste troll based on the typical *BSD is dying bullshit.
It isn't.
As you might have know, your favorite search engine, Google, has been running a little statistics service, called "Zeitgeist".
Since about a year ago, they started providing statistics of the operating systems used to access their search engine worldwide.
I will let the numbers speak for themselves:
Operating Systems Accessing Google in January 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in March 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in April 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in May 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in June 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in July 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in August 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in September 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in November 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in December 2002
Operating Systems Accessing Google in January 2003
Operating Systems Accessing Google in February 2003
Operating Systems Accessing Google in April 2003
Operating Systems Accessing Google in May 2003
Operating Systems Accessing Google in June 2003
Operating Systems Accessing Google in July 2003
Operating Systems Accessing Google in August 2003
Operating Systems Accessing Google in September 2003
Operating Systems Accessing Google in November 2003
If you've looked at even a few of these links, you don't need to be a Kreskin to predict Desktop Linux's future. The hand writing is on the wall: Desktop Linux faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for Linux on Desktop because Linux is dying. Things are looking very bad for Linux on Desktop. As many of us are already aware, Linux on Desktop continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.
According to Google Zeitgeist, there are about 80% of Internet Explorer 6 users. The only platform supporting Internet Explorer 6 is, of course, Microsoft Windows. These statistics are consistent with the earlier presented graphs of the operating systems used to access Google, with the Windows family consistently taking the top 3 ranks. Out of remaining 20%, the split is even between MSIE 5.5, MSIE 5.0, both Windows-only browsers. Netscape 5.x
-INSANE-PRIEST--INSANE-PRIEST--INSAN
I___________,.-------.,____________I Slashdot
N______,;~'_____________'~;,_______N fucking
S____,;____LINUX FUCKING____;,_____S sucks
A___;___SUCKS, YOU FUCKING____;____A
N__,'____SLASHDOT RETARDS.____',___N Rob Malda
E_,;___GET IT INTO YOUR HEAD___;,__E is a
-_;_;______._____l_____.______;_;__- cocksucker
P_l_;____________l____________;_l__P
R_l__`/~"_____~"_._"~_____"~\'__l__R Slashdot
I_l__~__,-~~~^~,_l_,~^~~~-,__~__l__I fucking
E__l___l________}:{__ (O) _l___l___E sucks
S__l___l_ (o) _/_l_\_______!___l___S
T__.~__(__,.--"_.^._"--.,__)__~.___T Rob Malda
-__l_____---;'_/_l_\_`;---_____l___- is a
-___\__._______V.^.V___((oo))./____- cocksucker
I__O_VI_\________________ll_IV___O_I
N_____I_lT~\___!___!___/~ll_I______N Fucking
S_____I_l`IIII_I_I_I_IIIIll_I__o___S lameness
A_O___I__\,III_I_I_I_III,ll_I______A filters,
N______\___`----------'__ll/____o__N will
E____O___\___._______.___ll________E this
-_________\..___^____../(_l___O____- ever
P_________/_^___^___^_/__ll\_______P fucking
R_O______/`'-l l_l l-';__ll_l___O__R WORK?!
I_______;_`'=l l_l l='__/ll_l______I
E_____O_l___\l l~l l__l/_ll_l______E Your mother
S_______l\___\ l_l l__;__ll_l__O___S was good
T__o____l_\___ll=l l==\__ll_l______T in bed, she
-____o__l_/\_/\l_l l__l`-ll_/______- grunts like
-_______'-l_`;'l_l l__l__ll_____O__- an ape.
I_O_______l__l l_l l__l__ll________I
N____O____l__l+l_l+l__l__ll___O____N Rob Malda
S_________l__"""_"""__l__ll________S is a
A__O______l____o_o____l__ll____O___A cocksucker
N_________l,;,;,;,;,;,l__ll________N
E_____O___`lIlIlIlIlIl`__ll________E
-__________llIlIlIlIll___ll_____O__- By Dessimat0r
P__________`"""""""""`___""________P (c)2003 Trollkore
-INSANE-PRIEST--INSANE-PRIEST--INSAN
The bishop, while living, was a follower of God.
Now dead, his rotting fingers are able to raise
an army of skeletons from the grave.
Trollkore
"I hate you, I hate your country, and I hate your face!"
# Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. # Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. # Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. # Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. # Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page) # Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. # Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. # Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. # Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. # Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated # Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. # Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. # Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. # Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. # Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or O
Alan Partridge
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Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE PEE IN YOUR POO POO HOLE
I WANT TO PUT MY PEE P
Noticed they were using ASP, from the Evil empire....heathens!!! Oh wait they're monks, and they offer me prayers so does that cancel out and make them ok again?
...in bed
LaserMonks? With a name like that, they've got to be electric!
"They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
I guess Xerox wasn't too much off the bat...
I wish there was a way for me, as a Christian, as a human being, to sit down with some of you and have a pleasant, civil discussion without bitterness or sarcasm. I don't force people to believe what I believe. I don't mock others with different beliefs. I hope I can find the words to explain myself, as my life goes on. I hope I can help people to see.
Michael Bolton: Load Letter? What the f*ck does that mean?!?!?? You wanna step to this? I didn;t think so!
ThisIsAnExampleAccountGL@yahoo.com
If you run rm -Rf /opt/gnome and apt-get kde, we will give you a Knoppix disk! KDE forever
MooKore, the KDE using Kow!
Now if I could only just get a prayer for my dying OS.......
Refilling your Lexmark cartridge isn't just a DMCA violation -- it's a sin!
Somebody had to say it.
This is a manual virus. Copy it to your sig and help me spread!
This is an updated verson of a very old (middle ages) tradition of monastaries doing some specialized task (and doing it well) and using thier product to sell or barter for needed supplies, food, etc...
This practice kept a lot of trades and information alive that might have otherwise died out. It would take a reel jerk to sue them for DMCA violations too =:-)
---
Play Six Pack Man. I
Whether Lexmark will attempt to DMCA them?
That'll make for a wonderful headeline:
"Lexmark to sue monks"
Still, can't help but think of Brother Theo from Babylon 5, great character.
I wonder if they sell to non-catholics? Or do they first circumsize and baptize everyone who buys a modem from them? :D
The Custom Mary
I wonder if slashdoting the website of monks is actually a sin...
Slashdot Sig. version 0.1alpha. Use at your own risk.
When I rut out of ink for my printer, I go see MOHAMMAD THE TERRORIST INK AND ACCESSORIES!
They have every brand of printer cartridges and ink ALWAYS in stock and are open 24 / 7 ! PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!
Also, 100% of proceeds go to fund terrorist activities! It's a win-win situation!
I'm an athiest!
After Sharks with frickin laser beams didn't work out.... Dr Evil hatches his next plot - LASERMONKS
mwhhhahhahahaha mwhhhaaaa
Looking over the page's source, it looks like they borrowed a lot of their JavaScript. Talk about copying scripture...
/rimshot
I heard some of these monasteries actually make money off brewing beer!
(Next, they'll be back at handwriting Bibles again for the lack of printing ink...)
"We can confirm that Debian does *not* ship the version with the trojan horse. Our version predates it." [CA-2002-28]
Before we start the anti-christian trolling, here's a few facts:
1. The bible is not a fairy tale. It is put together as a collection of independant first hand accounts, not mythology.
2. This is just another recycle-for-charity program.
3. At least half of all Americans are Christian.
4. Many (most) important scientific discoveries throughout history have been made by Christians (Wright brothers...)
5. Science has not explained many fundamental characteristics of the universe... and evolution doesn't fully explain how complex life developed. Science doesn't (yet) provide all the answers.
Bottom line: Christians aren't necessarily a colt believing a fairy tale.
The site is already unavailable too :-\
So they're the ones that have been spamming me!
- Sherman
I'm pretty sure slashdotting a bunch of monks is asking for plague, famine, or at least a couple of lightning bolts.
Ah, religion and politics. The atheist/libertarian geek is quite common. Some /. polls may have brought this up. I'd be very surprised to see more than a quarter theist in any way.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
Can prayer help a web server? Apparently not!
Also I sure hope a slashdotting is not a sin. We are using up God's bandwidth after all.
Ok I'll stop....
Faith. The act of believing something with no proof.
Until then. it's a fairy tale.
A witchdoctor toner refiller who could put a curse on SCO with each cartridge purchase.
"Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
that was getting a bit old after scrolling forever... I was hoping there were some actual comments at the bottom half of this!
Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day.
I have no affiliation with Trappestine Quality Candy except that Mom orders it every year around the holidays and it's really good. Just sayin'.
:sigh: Yum!
Ok, so I have an affinity. Check my nick.
Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
Wisconsin's LaserMonks say they'll give you a doozy of a deal
Are these LaserMonks related to the Electric Monk by any chance?
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Way way overrated.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
...We're all going to hell
OOPS I'm goin to hell. Hold me a spot pls.
This supports charities albeit without the tax deduction.
Uploading?
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
Welcome our new monk overlords, well actually they kinda are if they talk to god and all.
In my prayers tonight: "God, give me strength to put up with my job to take care of my Fiance..."
God: "I can do that for you, but buy some new toner for your HP Laserjet 1100 for only $50 at http://www.lasermonks.com and you'll get a raise and your Fiance will love you forever..."
...in bed
In the year 5057 A.D., a consortum of middle aged monks form a weapons production business, selling their wares exclusively to Christian battle outposts and missionaries in distant galaxies, fighting a holy war against the masses of Romulan infidels...
and so these intergalatic boomstick hawkers called themselves...PhaserMonks.
So, what if they change their pricing plans...
"For a donation to the church of $19.95 we will refill your printer cartriges for free."
Then, you can write off the donation!
It's good to know these things. Without being warned I might have actually done business with them and become part of the problem of them forcing their religious views on the "ignorant pegans" around the world. And, yes, I do know what I'm talking about - I was brought up in that cult as a child.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
I for one would like to welcome our toner cartridge weilding lasermonk overlords ?
And their cheese is pretty good, too.
Are there going to be any comments to this story which aren't modded "funny"? I mean really, what can you say?
Yeah they're cheap as hell but the refurbished (is that the word to use?) cartridge for my HP 970 cxi flat out didn't work. In fact, I think my printer's been really confused since.
Look it's a joke about my sig IN MY SIG! LOL!
You mean they can give me a reason not to buy from them two times ??
.. and this isn't just about christianity ,. it's any religion, just happens that the majority religion in my area is christian.
1. inferior refilled inkjet cartriges AND
2. supporting a church
I for one do not EVER willingly do business with any organization or entity that has a religious component.
No boy scouts, no Christian Childrens Fund, no Salvation Army, nothing fishy.
Now they are selling us the ink to copy and illuminate whatever manuscripts we want.
Since I'm pretty sure those ancient monks never had permission to copy any of the works they did, does that make them the original data pirates?
1 0WnZ0r y3 0ld 4$5
what if it goes wrong? Do you think God would give a refund?
Rus
CPanel + Root from $35/mo - 10% off with discount code SLASHDOT
check it out here now if only there were a technoGeek monastery somewhere...
That not even God can stand a slashdotting.
Wow! No wonder I keep coming back here.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
Get a Frinking clue you retard!
Asses are for crapping, not screwing.
>insert pedophile priest comment here
We used to have a Glory to God
Towing company in Fort Collins.
this may or may not get modded to hell based on you're personal religous and spiritual orientation. Monk e-business BY JULIO OJEDA-ZAPATA Pioneer Press More photos JIM GEHRZ PHOTO The Rev. Bernard McCoy heads up LaserMonks -- when he isn't praying, of course. SPARTA, Wis. -- Phone calls to LaserMonks' rural headquarters are sometimes tinged with caution or outright suspicion. Those are awfully good prices for generic inkjet or laser-printer cartridges, a caller might remark after checking the offerings at www.lasermonks.com. What's the catch? And, c'mon, you aren't really monks, are you? A recent caller lost seven years of savings to an online scam artist after trying to book a cruise for herself and her daughters. She vowed never to buy anything else on the Internet. But with three printers churning out student papers in her Pennsylvania home, she couldn't ignore discounts of up to 90 percent over name-brand cartridges. Look, she told LaserMonks, she had trust issues. She needed the firm to set her mind at ease. LaserMonks' response helps explain why the two-year-old e-commerce venture based at the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank -- yes, with actual Catholic monks -- appears to be on a stratospheric business trajectory. At a time when online printer-cartridge vendors can trigger mistrust because of some questionable offers clogging inboxes, LaserMonks has seen its gross revenue soar from about $2,000 in 2002 to about $500,000 in 2003. Projected 2004 sales are three to four times higher still. To pull off this e-tailing feat, LaserMonks has had to win over disbelievers with high-quality products and top-flight customer service along with rock-bottom prices, not to mention small but meaningful gestures its clients don't expect. The skeptical Pennsylvania mother, for instance, got four cartridges on speculation. Try 'em out, LaserMonks said. If you like them, consider sending us a few bucks. No hurry, take a few months to think it over. The company soon got paid in full for the shipment, along with a second order for four cartridges. ORA ET LABORA The 75-year-old abbey, which has been at its current location about 130 miles southeast of St. Paul for 19 years, isn't the sort of place that screams "e-commerce hotbed." Perched on a wooded hill, just up an unpaved road and through a decorative gateway, the low-slung composite-stone structure seems bereft of life -- until Gregorian chanting tips off a visitor that white-and-black-robed inhabitants are somewhere about. Inside a small chapel, a few Cistercian priests melodiously remind themselves of the Latin dictum ora et labora -- prayer and work, always in that order. Only then does the 36-year-old Rev. Bernard McCoy trod through a carpeted hallway to his modest office -- the LaserMonks nerve center. From there, he oversees a nationwide network of people and facilities in his practical role as the abbey's "steward of temporal affairs." McCoy's key role: generating cash to support the abbey along with its complex array of charitable causes around the world. That also means overseeing a modest portfolio of real-estate holdings. One recent day, he haggled good-naturedly with the local tax assessor over one property's perceived value. Before LaserMonks came about, McCoy obsessed over other ideas for turning his perennially cash-strapped monastery into a money machine. Until last year, he sold spiritual books and other religious items on the Web. For a while, he oversaw a program to move and renovate homes due for demolition. He has considered cultivating shiitake mushrooms, building a golf resort and breeding Christmas trees. This is a common issue for monasteries, convents and other such communities, which typically must support themselves. Trappistine nuns in Dubuque, Iowa, make candy. Nearby Trappist monks build caskets. Oregon Trappists warehouse wine. Massachusetts Trappists make jams and jellies. Belgian Trappists brew beer. Filipino monks and nuns make fruit concoctions dubbed Food for the Soul. Greek Orthodox monks in Resaca, Ga., sell han
This sig blantantly stolen by a pack of robo-monkeys.
Having fewer signups into priesthood, the Catholic Church officially announced that they will be issuing standard lasers to people who complete the training program. The Pope noted that "this is a momentous occasion. Since the film Star Wars came out, the Church had contemplated issuing Light Sabers but did not want the public to know that we had such technology. Until now, we only dress like jedi knights."
On a more serious note, it's a difficult job raising money in a monastery. Unless you happen to attract genetically altered rich folks that answer to the name "47" (Hitman 2), you'll need to find creative ways to earn a living. I've heard quite a few that have products for sale ranging from seasonal fruitcake, chocolates, and now toner cartridges.
Wake me when the amish start selling toner cartridges.
And where would geeks be without caffeine? Try Monastery Blend Coffee from the Christ the All-merciful Saviour Russian Orthodox Monstery on Vashon Island near Seattle. Excellent stuff.
And the brethren went away edified.
The article mentions in passing that the monks achieve their great 90% discount prices through "canny negotiations" with manufacturers, but distinctly does not say which manufacturers. Could they be the original mfrs? Are HP and Lexmark welcoming these guys as competitors and cutting them a huge break? Or (more likely) are we talking about the same overseas child-employing sweatshops that supply all the other incredibly cheap goods we're used to? I'd kind of like to know.
Actually, what we really need is a couple more abbeys making good beer. Those Belgian monks aren't cranking it out fast enough. 8-)
I need 300 of those InkJet cartridges for my orphanage in Nigeria. Pleaze pleaze help me get ink catridges. The Orphans ore so very hungry.
Larry Catina Davis
Would you like friars with that?
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
____ _ ___ _ _ ___ ____ __ .::::. _ . .-....-. . l Slashdot trolls .oo. . .\l Trolling heaven .'.' (__. ./ll\. .__) since 1911 .'.'.' l-UUUUUUUU-l ACCEPT NO IMITATIONZ... .'.'. __ _l o. o. o. l____ WE ARE THE BEST!! ,.---m-.`.________.`.- a '-. .".'ol. . o .l. .x. . . \ FUCKING LINUX USERS .". . . . l.. . ..l . .".z. . l FUCKING SCUM, I .s. .b. . l o . o . .'. . . .l SAY, UNABLE TO .'.x.l. . .l. . . r". ..l MOVE FROM YOUR PC .c. .". . l. . .l .". . . . l \, DUE TO YOUR STOMACH .o. . .". l o l .x.'. . .'.l. .\, SIZE, WHEN YOU .c.a. . .l.".l. . .".b. .l. . . \, MOVE BILE SPEWS ..l .f. . .l FROM YOUR MOUTH .s. . .l. .l. . .z. . l . .u. . l .a. l=-=l . .". .r.l. . .c. .l NOT FIT TO EVEN .l'o'l. . . . . lc. . .k. l LIVE ON THIS PLANET, /"-.,__,.-"\'o'/"-.,__,.-"\"-.,_,.-"\ ALL YOU BRING IS
_ ______ _ ___ _ _.__
_ ___ __ ___ ____ O\\/W\/\/W\//O
_ ___ __ ___ _____ \\/A\/\/A\//
_ ___ __ ___ _____ _\_o_OO_o_/_
_ ___ __ ___ ____ / ' ' ' ' ' '\
_ ___ __ ___ ___ l '=.= '' =.=' l Trollkore - the premier
_ ___ __ ___ ___ l .
_ ___ __ ___ ___ l )(o_/ll\_o)( l
_ ___ __ ___ ___ l/. .
_ ____ (o._
_ _ _____) \_______\_\UUUUUUU/_/_________________,
_(_)o8o8{}(___\\_________o\___________\ \_________)
_ ___ __ )_/
_ ____ (o
_ ___ ____
_ ___ __ / . .
_ ___ __ l
_ ___ __ l.
_ ___ __ l.. . .
_ ___ ___ l
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_ ___ ____ l.
_ ___ ____ l..".k. . . l . l . . . .
_ ___ _____ l .
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_ ___ _____
_ ___ ____ l' ' ' ' " ' \U/' ' ' ' ' ' l' ' ' ' 'l FLIES AND FAMINE
_ ___ ____ l __ __ __ __ l' ' ' ' " ' 'l ' ' ' ' l
_ ___ _____ \_Pl_Il_Ml_P/ \__l__l__l__/ \_l__l__/ STUPIDER THAN APES!
Like a pack of wolves, you surround the carcass
of Linux, hoping to digest any living flesh from
it in a desperate attempt to appetise your
swolen parasite infested stomachs. You make me sick...
# Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. # Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. # Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. # Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. # Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page) # Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. # Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. # Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. # Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. # Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page)
but nobody really had to say it. Except for you.
thats hilarious!
Scribe, laser printers, same thing really.
Trolls dont like to be Flamebait, because they burn so well. Protect our Troll heritage!
Hasn't this already been determined to fail DMCA? (specifically Lexmark)
do they only sell Brother ink cartridges?
Citations, please?
I'm pretty sure they did. Because many of the copied manuscripts have little line-counts in the margins, called stichoi, noting how many lines the scribe copied that day, so that the person hiring the monks to do the work knew how much to pay him. Perfectly legitimate job.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Everybody in the geek world know the 'fashion' of recycling ink cartridges is only a scam to make others rich through the ink refilling industry operating beneath. Shame on those who hide behind a false good cause to make money. Plain and square: decency and honesty have no room these days.
And God sayeth unto the people:
"You know, I have one simple request - and that is, to have monks with frikkin' laser beams attached to their heads!"
Amen.
There's no reason for circumcision.
The REAL plug 'n pray ;-)
I am not a number! I am a man! And don't you
The gentle folk at Gethesmani do an excellent bourbon fudge. Mmmm...
That's proof these people BELIEVED in the fairy tale, not proof that the fairy tale is real.
The monk in the article has has a plane for business trips.
Somehow, this seems to undermine my faith in this enterprise.
They also haven't actually done anything charitable with the $500,000 revenue so far. There's great tax advantages in being a charity; and everyone goes out of their way to help you.
I hope I'm just being too cynical?
periodically heads aloft in a 1954 Piper Tri-Pacer recently donated to the abbey and maintained by private donations
he will use it for travel to business meetings as LaserMonks continues to grow.
McCoy, like his brethren, is allowed no possessions other than a few mementos with deep meaning.
I think this is why some religious organizations have such a bad name. Although they preach humility, piety and charity, as you dig deeper you find pure bred dogs, private aircraft, and a desire not to mix with unwashed masses by flying commercial. Sure they don't own anything, but that is almost like a rich man transferring assets to a proxy to avoid taxes and insure entrance to heaven. These things have to be more than technical requirements.
Combine this with their heavy sales pitch that a purchase will help those less fortunate, and one gets close to the likes of girl scout extortion, the selling of papal indulgences, and claiming to be the protector of the environment while sucking electricity like there is no next generation.
There are a lot of fine religious leaders out there. I have worked with many of them, and the come from all faiths. Most of them would not consider excessive luxuries for themselves before the needs of others. Most of them would take responsibility for they blessings they use, and not hide behind technicalities.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Somehow, the Christians have managed to brainwash themselves into thinking that faith somehow justifies their belief in a deity. Faith is central to the Christian religion, and all "true" Christians are required to have a significant amount of it. After asking a person what their reason for believing in an invisible sky pixie is, the answer is often "faith". I'm not entirely sure how faith became the most common answer to such questions, but one thing is for certain: the Christians who think in this manner have no idea what faith really is, and more importantly, what it implies when one must resort to it.
Faith is defined as belief without evidence that supports the belief. Having faith in the existence of God quite simply means that there is no evidence supporting his existence. That is, after all, exactly what faith is. I find it amusing when a Christian claims that he or she has found irrefutable proof of God, for such a thing would make faith of this sort impossible. Belief isn't faith if the belief has been proven. Seeing as faith is so important to Christianity, proof of the existence of God would actually be rather detrimental to their principles.
Consider the statement "I believe because I have faith." I personally have encountered this statement many times when arguing with Christians. Let's examine this reasoning more closely. If faith is defined as belief without evidence, then the statement can be rewritten as, "I believe because I believe without evidence," which essentially means, "I believe because I believe." This is purely circular reasoning. The same kind of logic is used by five-year-olds when asked a "why" question. Ask a child of that age why he did a certain thing, and he may very well answer "Because," and nothing more. Ask him, "because why?", and he will again reply with, "Because." The same circular logic is used by Christians when answering why questions with faith. Faith, therefore, is not an answer of any kind to questions concerning the reasons for religious belief.
Suppose for a minute that faith did somehow justify a belief in God. If it can be used as reasoning for the belief in one god, then why not another? If having faith in the Christian god somehow makes the belief in him valid, then wouldn't it also validate a belief in Zeus, Odin, or Thor? If Christians are supported in their beliefs, then so are members of every other religion with a belief in a deity.
The only reason that faith is a major part of Christianity is that there simply is no evidence for the existence of God. Christians must resort to faith because there is, and never will be, proof of God. If there were, then they would be using it in their arguments, not just depending on blind, baseless, and irrational dogmatic beliefs.
Taken from this page
it was a medieval practice for a monastery to be self supportive.
Dom perignon anyone?
Wanted : A Signature.
I agree, read this:
Somehow, the Christians have managed to brainwash themselves into thinking that faith somehow justifies their belief in a deity. Faith is central to the Christian religion, and all "true" Christians are required to have a significant amount of it. After asking a person what their reason for believing in an invisible sky pixie is, the answer is often "faith". I'm not entirely sure how faith became the most common answer to such questions, but one thing is for certain: the Christians who think in this manner have no idea what faith really is, and more importantly, what it implies when one must resort to it.
Faith is defined as belief without evidence that supports the belief. Having faith in the existence of God quite simply means that there is no evidence supporting his existence. That is, after all, exactly what faith is. I find it amusing when a Christian claims that he or she has found irrefutable proof of God, for such a thing would make faith of this sort impossible. Belief isn't faith if the belief has been proven. Seeing as faith is so important to Christianity, proof of the existence of God would actually be rather detrimental to their principles.
Consider the statement "I believe because I have faith." I personally have encountered this statement many times when arguing with Christians. Let's examine this reasoning more closely. If faith is defined as belief without evidence, then the statement can be rewritten as, "I believe because I believe without evidence," which essentially means, "I believe because I believe." This is purely circular reasoning. The same kind of logic is used by five-year-olds when asked a "why" question. Ask a child of that age why he did a certain thing, and he may very well answer "Because," and nothing more. Ask him, "because why?", and he will again reply with, "Because." The same circular logic is used by Christians when answering why questions with faith. Faith, therefore, is not an answer of any kind to questions concerning the reasons for religious belief.
Suppose for a minute that faith did somehow justify a belief in God. If it can be used as reasoning for the belief in one god, then why not another? If having faith in the Christian god somehow makes the belief in him valid, then wouldn't it also validate a belief in Zeus, Odin, or Thor? If Christians are supported in their beliefs, then so are members of every other religion with a belief in a deity.
The only reason that faith is a major part of Christianity is that there simply is no evidence for the existence of God. Christians must resort to faith because there is, and never will be, proof of God. If there were, then they would be using it in their arguments, not just depending on blind, baseless, and irrational dogmatic beliefs.
Taken from this page
Read a bit about it here, it's quite good!
Yes, Christianity exists. How? Easy, some of my relatives adhere to this belief system. I've seen it in person. So yes, Christianity, the collection of people who beieve in a greater being named God who sent forth a man named Jesus, it exists.
But the thing in which Christians (and Muslims and Jews) believe in? Belief in God with no proof that this entity even exists. That's the fairy tale.
Hey, I guess I'm the only one who remembered these guys when this story rolled around, but there's an order of monks who will illuminate web pages!
I want a new world. I think this one is broken.
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
Must have been one of the monks themselves :-)
That's odd, most of the large software companies have led me to believe those are the same thing...
True story.
I like the Trappistine Creamy Caramels from Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey
If you don't at least see little people its not really worth it. I'll just have another Guinness.
Quack, quack.
I tried to go to the monk's website, and this is what I got:
Access to this server is forbidden from your client
I'm using mozilla on knoppix. What's the deal?
scifiber_phil,
If you like to get all your calories from sugar. Its like eating a Snickers bar in a glass. Give me an IPA or a single malt.
Quack, quack.
Hmmm, I work at HP, and when I go to their website, all I get is:
"Access to this server is forbidden from your client"
Not very friendly monks, now are they?
There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
...apparently even god can't protect a server from a good slashdotting :)
"Give someone a program, frustrate them for a day... Teach someone to program, frustrate them for a lifetime."
...from your client"
I wonder if this means that I should to go home and rethink my life...
Never test for an error condition you don't know how to handle. -- Steinbach (Might apply) I'm just an old nerd from before it had anything to do with computers. When I try to connect via:http://www.lasermonks.com/ I get this message: Access to this server is forbidden from your client What's with that?
"...while history is usually explicable it is often irrational" --Roger Spiller
Boy...that was fast. I guess ppl think they're being all religous buying their toner from monks.
Sure it's a good deal, but they are lying. It's mandated that they do "prayer before labor" yet if you read through it they pray but never labor.
In fact, all the work is done through subcontractors.
I smell a rat, this guy is not supposed to "own" anything, but he has some pretty kickass deals going down, and a big new monastery on the horizon.
Kiddie porn, sex toys and altar boys.
Why don't we pray that certain litigious bastards go away or get severely beaten by the courts sometime soon?
Interestingly, what they're specialising in is the monk brand. They don't do any of the manufacture, and they outsource the fulfillment and the customer management too.
Now, all they need to do is learn from the other very old Christian tradition of excellent franchise management...
Shocking. Thank you.
DFL
Never send a human to do a machine's job.
No, the Catholics tried to teach me Hypocrisy. They even told me how good it was when the Pope sent all those missionaries over to the new world to kill the central American Indians and loot their treasures... er, I mean save them from their heathen beliefs. But somehow the cult indoctrination didn't take, I now understand that any and all religions are the worst forms of evil.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Slashdot a Monk's web server!!!
So if I promise only to have sex with altar boys, can trade all the mp3's I want over kazaa?
5. Holy Orders (when your calling in life is to molest a little boy, apparently)
Speaking as one who is applying to seminary to study for the Catholic priesthood, and on behalf of the 99.9% of Catholic priests who are all good, holy men, I must take exception to your hateful, prejudiced remark. I would tell you to crawl back under whatever rock you spawned from and die in your own filth, but that wouldn't be Christian of me.
Instead I'll forgive you and pray for your salvation . . . I somehow think that may be more beneficial to you in the long run.
Most of you have complained taht TV ebvangelists have begged for money. here are a bunch of Godly men who are working so they can help someone else! I say its great. They are making their own way and trying to offer everyone a good deal on stuff people actually need.
Help these guys out and I bet they even bless the toner. you will notice they dont hit you up for an offering to pray for you. They pray for you because they love God and they care.
I just looked up the cartridge for my printer, at least, (A Samsung ML-1710 - the cheapest laser printer money can buy) and found them for $40 more than I can get them with a simple Froogle search. Similarly scaled differences on a few other random cartridges I searched for.
Nice domain name, though.
Philip Sandifer's academic website
A geek needs his printer cartridge refilled. He weighs:
Pro: Monks do good works
Con: Monks propagate the virus-meme of religion
Argh, what to do???
Talk about beeing on the short end of the karmic stick...
Monks aren't priests.
That is all.
This recalls an interesting 1996 article from Wired Magazine, called "The Electronic Scriptorium". It discussed the efforts of Religious as transcriptionists, and web page designers.
It's Protestants who claim evolution is a lie, and the Earth is 6,000 years old. Catholics believe that evolution and the Big Bang are the most likely explanations for why we are here, they accept that Genesis is a metaphor.
A. Rightmann
When I first read Lasermonks, I imagined monks shooting laser beams from their index fingers to kill sinners.
Sort of an Inquisition from a post-apocalyptic 25th century.
I've seen too much japanese movies... Hehe...
Ah, but do they support Diablo printers?
They spammed me last year about their products.
If you can handle satire, see my suffer the Usenetter prayer.
There are many varieties of Bhuddhism. Some of them are religions (Tibetan Bhuddism comes to mind).
Bhuddhist philosophy (which is not a religion) does not require you believe anything without proof - in fact it encourages you to take a personal journey in order to prove to yourself, on your own terms, that the Eightfold Path does in fact lead to enlightenment.
You might be familiar with the Rinzai teaching, "If you meet the Bhuddha in the road, kill him!" or the more commonly used "the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon". Both of these are exhortations to the listener to directly experience Bhuddhism (in this case Zen flavor) rather than placing faith in teachers or teachings.
Although your comment can be applied to most forms of christianity, there are plenty of religions that don't require any specific belief system.
Read "The White Goddess" by Robert Graves. Read the Unitarian Universalist Principles. Read "Introduction to Bhuddism". Read the Tao Te Ching and the Lieh Tzu. If you make it through all that and you aren't either convinced or sound asleep, read George Fraser's "Golden Bough" (which is a sure-fire soporific).
Saint Augustine's argument from faith is not the only Christian "proof" either. It's just the most popular these days. Some people prefer the famous ontological proof from Rene Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy" (which is a hell of a lot more readable than Fraser, Graves, or Augustine).
*** read the sources *** instead of asking some slashbot you don't even know to tell you what Descartes wrote!
Before water was pasteurized, people all over the world have known for a long time that a small amount of alcohol would kill most of the bacteria in the water.
Of course they didn't know about bacteria. They just knew that water+wine would keep you less sick than just water.
Even so, certainly no Prohibition in the New Testament. Cheers!
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
"We specialize in ink for Brother printers."
Everybody needs something to believe in,
So I believe I'll have another beer...
There's a very well-known beer in Germany, Kloster Andechs beer, that's made by Benedictine monks at a monastery in Bavaria.
i n.asp
The monks use their brewery and beer-making skills to support themselves and their monastery. It's become such huge business for them, that they now employ many non-monks from the surrounding area.
Here's their website:
http://www.andechs.de/englisch/index_ma
Don't mind the slashdotters, pretty sure most of them are crazy.
Mind you, so am I, so who knows...
In July O7, I got a mac pro. There's no punchline. Just endless joy and wonder.
If I happen to be a naturalist/atheist/freethinker/Bright (take your pick) or maybe even just a Mormon or Scientologist, would it be a conflict of belief - would I be a hypocrite - for buying product from these guys, knowing that after a fashion some of the money might be used to indoctrinate others with a message of conviction contrary to my own?