Consensus on Pianistimo

[pianistimo]

thank you, sharon!

we have a wannamaker organ at the kimmel center in which i was going to hear the saint-saens 'organ concerto' - but missed it for some reason or other.  i think the schedule was changed?  in any case - i've been waiting to hear the organ with a real piece.  if someone came and played sorabji -i'm sure i would be able to stand at least an hour.  seven might be a bit overwhelming.  also, there is a really old organ at ursinus college -and apparently a very good organist, too, who occasionally frequents the location and plays amazingly good repertoire.   

[sharon_f]

The organ at the Kimmel center is the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ. I have a friend who heard the first performance featuring the orga. He said it was absolutely astonishing

[pianistimo]

wow.  yes. you are right - it's a dobson.  i'm sorry.  the wannamaker is at lord and taylors - and the dobson is at the  kimmel.  i keep getting them mixed up.  anyways - here's a little bit about this great organ.  must be really astounding to hear - being a new pipe organ and all.

https://www.kimmelcenter.org/facilities/organ.php

[soliloquy]

Soliloquy, please stop this senseless fight.

I'm not the one that keeps it going.  People directly speak to me, and I respond as anyone would.  I have mostly backed away from it.  I have very few posts on the four threads on this that I didn't make on the first night.  The same can not be said about Susan.

It seems to me, that you propably have other problems in real life, and you project these problems on pianistimo. That's the only sense, I can make out of your escalating rage.

Do I know you?  These are bold claims for someone to make when they don't even know me.  I find it funny that a couple people continue to regard my replies as "offensive", "anger-filled", "emotionally fueled" and now apparently "rage filled" when I am infinitely more concise and coherent and am addressing things only with logic, not with the prejudice Pianistimo does.  Just because I use foul language doesn't mean I'm not making a point when I'm doing it.  Severe situations call for severe diction  

[pianistimo]

.

[ahinton]

yawn.

I'm getting to start to do quite a lot of that...

As I suggested elsewhere, never mind the audition room or anywhere else, why not go to the bedroom and...

Well, you know what I'm saying. You'll feel much better for it. Or at least I certainly hope that you will...

Best,

Alistair

[pianistimo]

yes.  i'm married.  i am waiting for my beloved to arrive.  until then - i shall pound my piano. 

[opus10no2]

By the light of Lucifer, I still cannot comprehend the words that lie within this dark chasm.

Though it is forbidden, evil lurks here.

[cmg]

I really don't have any axes to grind on this issue.  Please.  Afterall, I'm the booby who was offended by the suggestion that Joyce Hatto's recordings were a hoax!  I apologized for my indignation and admitted, publicly, that I was roundly schnookered.  Taken in.  Defrauded.  Okay.  We all screw up.  On to THIS issue:

Pianistimo has a literalist view of the Bible that, in her reading, nails homosexuals to the cross of sin.  We all know her Biblical mindset.  The lady can be generous and withholding at the same time.  To analyze why is beyond the scope of this posting.

My post is really addressed to Soliloquy. 

Soliloquy, I admire your passion and intelligence in defense of an orientation that you certainly did not choose.  You're a young man of today's world and you are appropriately and rightly unashamed.  You have refused to be relegated to the trash heap known as The Despised.  As you have eloquently pointed out, humans have always had their pecking order.  As an American -- which I assume you are -- you know enough of history to have noticed that all new groups have been subjected to discrimination and devaluation on their arrival to America.  Germans, Irish, Italians, Asians, Latinos, Russians, all new entries to the so-called American Dream sweepstakes were dehumanized before true integration occured generations later, if ever.  Afro-Americans are still waiting for true inclusion.

But, homosexuals, interestingly, remain the classic, and ultimate, despised group.  Even in the most devalued nationalities coming to America, the lowest citizens of the lowest group are always homosexuals, even within their own groups.  It's outrageous, unjust and an example of the purest bigotry.  Proof that humans, ultimately, must despise some group to feel better about themselves.  That which is different is devalued.  It's a cultural and sociological fact.  To attribute it to religion only proves the bankruptcy of all religion.

Thanks, Soliloquy, for braving the attacks of the righteous and those ostensibly hyper-sensitive to cultural norms who insist on "civility" and would prevent you from challenging the allegation that you and others like you are, at the very least, "evil" and deserving of the torments of AIDS.

Your protest and position on this issue makes me proud.  Nothing is more indicative of a man's stature than his ability to battle injustice.  If your language gets raw, well, it's raw in a virtuosic way that any fine writer would recognize.  If you upset cultural norms for the sake of shedding light on stupid, shadowy "beliefs," then I'd call you a reformer and activist. 

Yes, this whole controversy went over the top.  Internet forums are strange creatures.  I'm not so sure I like them.  They invite intimacy, yet punish those who show passion -- the greatest intimacy.

Soliloquy has done that.  He doesn't deserve the revisionist censure I'm reading here. 

Pianistimo -- Christianity and literalist tendencies aside -- is a woman with a heart.  That this heart fails to embrace the variation among us known as homosexuality, is, ultimately, her loss.  In an effort to save her own soul, she has forgotten about the souls of others.  The great irony of Christianity, yes?  Yet, I feel the lady has great potential.  I think she has the strength and courage to change.   

Let go of your anger, Soliloquy.  You're young, bright and there are greater battles to face in the years to come.

Living well, sir, is the best revenge.

[ada]

spoken like a true head shrinker  
salut!

Now why don't you do us all a favour and put pianistimo on your couch for a course of serious therapy 

[pita bread]

I'll put pianistimo on my couch and spread her wide open for some real therapy.

[timothy42b]

From a religious perspective, I think pianistimmo is simply wrong in her interpretation of the scriptures.  My interpretation is equally defensible and more compassionate. 

However, recognize something very important here:  "from a religious perspective."

In fact, it is only the religious perspective that makes some of us willing to give her a free pass on this issue.

If you take religion out of it, we have hate speech pure and simple.

When we do it for Christian reasons, we find it not only acceptable but rude to criticize.

 I had not thought of it this way, but now am becoming concerned. 

Should we accept behavior for religious reasons that we would not otherwise?  And how can we choose one religion to let slide and not treat them all equally?  Sharia law can be more severe than Christian, for example. 

[living_stradivarius]

but, you do not realize that this choice affects you - not me.  it is your future.  why should i care?  maybe because God tells us to care about others and their future in the kingdom of God?  do you want to believe there is no God. that is your choice.  but, when i am asked what the bible says - it is different than what people often SAY it says.  for instance - in several places in the New Testament (hebrews 4:12) that make it plain that we are judged by God's words and the words which we speak.  'for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword (why?  because it causes controversy), and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow (it is detailed.  the law is specific), and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.'

i am not judging - but God will in the future.  very shortly.  may as well get the accounts in order.  otherwise (myself included) we will miss out on the wonderful things that God planned from the beginning for us to share with Him.  I Peter 4:18 'and if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved,what will become of the godless man and the sinner?  therefore, let those also who suffer (give up something) according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.'

something else i find interesting is that I Peter mentions the idea that the righteous will be reviled for the name of Christ.  I peter 4:14 'for if you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.'  now, i'm not saying i'm full of the Spirit - but when i tell people what the bible says - i find it interesting that these words ring true.

Reveling in your own "salvation" and implying damnation of others even though you don't "claim" to "judge" really sounds like a cowardly way of expressing one's own self-superiority over others. Ask yourself WHY you want to be in this exclusionary "kingdom." Sounds just like why some folks want 72 virgins all for themselves.


1/ Why oh why select some parts of Leviticus to follow while dismissing others? It's all old Hebrew law even some Jews don't give a damn about anymore. Yet more obsession from "Gentiles" who want to be the "chosen ones." Since we are talking about the Hebraic part of the text:

2/ The Hebrew Bible was written by your average Joe who had nothing else to do under Babylonian incarceration. The origin myths resemble those of other cultures during the same time period. The Christian Bible was written by folks who felt they were oppressed by the Roman Empire yet also wanted a piece of the Jewish pie. Why not chastise both groups?!

3/ There are direct contradictions between the two origin stories in Genesis. Why then,  even take the text literally? Go study the text in a purely academic context, away from the clasp of the church.

4/ How did Cain propagate his seed if his parents were the only humans around? Gay sex maybe? Or maybe incest!

5/ Gays have to suffer all this crap religious nutcases have to dish at them. I suppose they're the ones who will be saved, since they follow Christ's unwritten commandment as articulated by Peter: "Love thy neighbor."

6/ How do you know God is going to judge? If there's a judge, then Christians must be lawyers. And all lawyers go to hell... hmmm


These are some key questions that haven't really been answered. Feel free to ask yours without proselytizing. Thanks.

[ahinton]

I'll put pianistimo on my couch and spread her wide open for some real therapy.

Maybe that was what "ada" meant!...

Best,

Alistair

[ada]

Maybe that was what "ada" meant!...

Best,

Alistair

Excuse me but it was not at all what I meant and you should know that Alistair.

 

[thalbergmad]

Strewth Morag

[opus10no2]

[thalbergmad]

Well, there's 2 of us that watches it.

Surely the greatest of Australian Actors.

Strike me flamin rotten.

Thal

[ahinton]

Excuse me but it was not at all what I meant and you should know that Alistair.

 

I'm sorry, "ada"; please try to understand, if you can, that I am so fed up to here and beyond with all this stuff that I felt it essential to try to inject just abit of humour into the proceedings - so, OK, it misfired and I should have known better - ah, well. It is not up to me to assume or otherwise what "pita bread" may or may not have meant - and I would not have done any such thing to Susan or anyone else personally in any case...

OK, so you won the test match in this instance (not much change there, then!...)

Best,

Alistair

[ada]

Well, there's 2 of us that watches it.

I don't

[ada]

I'm sorry, "ada"; please try to understand, if you can, that I am so fed up to here and beyond with all this stuff that I felt it essential to try to inject just abit of humour into the proceedings - so, OK, it misfired and I should have known better - ah, well. It is not up to me to assume or otherwise what "pita bread" may or may not have meant - and I would not have done any such thing to Susan or anyone else personally in any case...

OK, so you won the test match in this instance (not much change there, then!...)

Best,

Alistair

Oh it's not so dramatic Al, twaz a joke really.

However as hard as it is to offend me I do think pita bread's comment is a little bit OFF.

In fact I would be inclined to exercise the censor's pen on it  because it is a personal threat of a particularly nasty nature.

[ahinton]

Oh it's not so dramatic Al, twaz a joke really.

OK, fine - and, well, that seems to make two jokers, then - one from each hemisphere...

However as hard as it is to offend me I do think pita bread's comment is a little bit OFF.

Or you could have said "couched" in the wrong terms, yes?...

In fact I would be inclined to exercise the censor's pen on it  because it is a personal threat of a particularly nasty nature.

Only if carried out; if Susan complains that it has been, we can all go and defend her - er - well, we can all go and defend her, that's what (unless God gets there first, of course)...

Best,

Alistair

[buckwee]

[removed by admin]

[ahinton]

[removed by admin]

And the point of your post is...?...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Perhaps this new member will not be with us for long.

Thal

[living_stradivarius]

What if Mary Magdalene were really Manny Magdaleen?!

[cmg]

Perhaps this new member will not be with us for long.

Thal

Okay, "buckwee," show some class now and get this pix deleted.  It isn't Jesus, anyway.  It's Willliam Barrington-Coupe, and everyone knows it.  Furthermore, it's worse than tasteless -- it's taste-free.

[ahinton]

Okay, "buckwee," show some class now and get this pix deleted.  It isn't Jesus, anyway.  It's Willliam Barrington-Coupe, and everyone knows it.

That's right - the very man who could turn water into 119 fake CDs; some "resurrection", that! Someone said that he must have been on some serious dosage of a recreational substance to think that he could get away with what he did; I reckon that it must have been Coca-Köhler, meself...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Where is my little Collegeville Crackpot tonight.

I am just booking my room at the Courtyard.

Thal

[ahinton]

Where is my little Collegeville Crackpot tonight.

I am just booking my room at the Courtyard.

Thal

Sounds to me as though you're trying to have your day in court(yard).

If you think you've a Collegeville Crackpot,
You're a kettle that's calling a black pot;
So you're flying to Philly -
How utterly silly,
For only thy God hits the jackpot.

Stop taking the Thal(l)ium; it's bad for you (see https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/20/npoison320.xml)

Best,

Alistair

[steinwaymodeld]

Nowadays, it seems like it's necessary for one to hate something or someone, in order to love god.


At least that's how the religiously-biased societies present themselves.


If God is infallible, then there must be something wrong with religion.

[thalbergmad]

Sounds to me as though you're trying to have your day in court(yard).

If you think you've a Collegeville Crackpot,
You're a kettle that's calling a black pot;
So you're flying to Philly -
How utterly silly,
For only thy God hits the jackpot.

Stop taking the Thal(l)ium; it's bad for you (see https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/20/npoison320.xml)

Best,

Alistair

With my composing skills and your lyric writing ability, we could make a mint.

Thal

[ahinton]

With my composing skills and your lyric writing ability, we could make a mint.

Thal

With a minus sign in front of it - abit like my mortgage; I sometimes think that the amount of that loan could keep certain parts of Sudan going for several days. Anyway, with the tying together of those two skills, I reckon that we'd not have to serve more than fifteen years at Her Majesty's displeasure and - you never know - if you were able to play a few Liszt operatic fantasies on the banjo while inside, you might even get off with some remission...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Must post a picture of my new Grafton UB3.

Nothing prettier than a well made banjolele.

Thal

[danny elfboy]

God exists !
And he is wondering why different cultures are making things up and taking advantage of him to promote their own "creepy" agenda

A lot of time I've been shocked to find out that according to someone I said something while I never did.
I think there's no reason to believe this is what happening here

A priest is someone who says to be in close contact with God, to know the will of God and to be a special holy figure. That fact that they're saying this themselves is enough to believe this is true? I can say that the president of U.S.A gave me special rights to judge ... is that enough to believe it. What is God is actually there just wondering why in the world people are saying he said things that he never said or that he wants things that he never wanted?

I've also never understood why anyone didn't suggest this perspective too?
For everyone either there's a God and he's behind the Bible, behind religion, behind the priest and the Pope or either there is no God

What about: yes ... there's a God and he is either unaware or surprised that common flawed mean people are putting words into his mouth? I can write a book too and tell everyone it came from God and God would be like "what the hell are you talking about?!"

What is really absurd and maybe pathetic too is that people are actually showing off their faith in God by having faith in people who could well be lying about their "relationship and knowledge" of God and just taking advantage of his for promoting their own prudish and inhumane (because there's nothing humane about the alway changing bigoted beliefs of an organized cult ... it's the bottom of the bottom ... even animals are more holy)

The bottomline is that imo the people who helped to promote the agenda of those that made up everything about God to gain power will be send to HELL for taking advantage of him ... and all the others including those that humans consider sinners (but that I'm sure God doesn't consider sinners) will go to heaven for having lived as non-judging individuals

It's just called a change of perspective ... and it may be way truer than the common limited perspective. Think about it hard ... maybe those who are tying to gain salvation are just paving their road to hell with their mean, abusive and plain inhumane "good intentions"

[soliloquy]

Susan, your lunacy may have just been challenged.


Anyway, even *I* think this thread should just be over with.

[opus10no2]

God exists !

Predicktably.

[pianistimo]

.

[clavicembalisticum]

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."

Luke 6:37

[thalbergmad]

Susan, your lunacy may have just been challenged.

It will take some time to surpass her, but that was a good start.

Thali

[thalbergmad]

none of us knows exactly where we sit with God until we stand before him

Make your mind up.

Thal

[pianistimo]

.

[danny elfboy]

It will take some time to surpass her, but that was a good start.

Thali

What's the lunacy about suggesting a mind flexibility exercise through a change in perspective suggesting that God is going to send to HELL people who judge others and expect it's their holy duty to say who is right, who is wrong, who is a sinner, who is a normal, who is not ... rather than sending to HELL those who don't "obey" to rules that humans (claiming to have obtained those rules from God) have just made up in order to advance their own agenda?

For those who believe in God vs Satan, it's pretty easy to realize that religion is what Satan uses to turn them away from God. After all the Bible and anything people claim to know about God is just "the statements of other people" ... people who have made it up to gain power and promote agendas. God knows that the real sinners are these all-knowing following concepts that have been made up (even if they are still attributed to him) for they are actually disobeying that only true rules of individuality, respect, love, freedom .. and that the real non-sinners are the victims of these creepy all-knowing individuals.

One must be very naive to believe that a powerful creator would really create such stupid and limited rules that seem to make sense only within a certain human culture. Just looking at how different are morals and lifestyle among cultures would suggest without doubt that such rules, promoted in that way and for those reasons have been created by humans. Just because they say they didn't made them up but got from them God DOESN'T MEAN IT'S TRUE
 

[thalbergmad]

also, the amazing thing about the gospel is it's relevance to today.

Yes, i would be amazed if it had any relevance at all.

Thal

[pianistimo]

.

[thalbergmad]

do you know that it IS possible on this forum to change what someone said in a quotation and put their name to it? 

Hardly needed for you.

Thal