Dwight Drane

Nice to see you in here Taro. I agree with just about everything you said. When you are lucky, (or unlucky) enough to see your fair share of things happen throughout a lifetime...I find it hard for someone not to turn to god. One of the biggest factors in leading me to believe we are near the end, is science. I was once at a meeting where the main speaker was a futurist who preached the singularity. Brilliant guy with all sorts of data and charts and graphs. As he kept going, it hit me that the things he was showing me couldn't go on forever...and probably wouldn't go on for long. People were scared to ask questions, and many weren't paying attention or mocked him because they had no clue what he was saying. I asked the only question. "Given all of the data and graphs you have shown us, and assuming that human nature is self serving and self interests will be looked out for before the common good, couldn't you say that you just proved we are in the last days and that the Singularity would be the end of time, and the world?" The guy answers with a smile..."Yes, but it's exciting to try and find a solution to that problem." It's easy to say we have more science than ever before, but we've always had more science as we go along. This is the kind of science where one bad apple or one screwed up experiment can be the end, and we have hundreds of those possibilities today where only a century ago you may have been able to count the threat on your fingers. I was not brought up in a religious household and I do not consider myself to be any specific denomination of Christian. I've sort of backed my way into the Bible over time through Science, Islam, Personal Events, and Global ones. The key is the message of the Gospels. Prophecy is a little out there. It is relevant though. Jesus didn't come to me and say it's the end of the world. I've just seen enough and fallen into enough in my lifetime to feel we all best get our raincoats on, because a storm is a comin'.

I agree with some of his message, but I don't trust him as he seems to have fallen into the same trap most do when they control money and power. I'd like to consider myself a realist. I'm no saint, but I try to be honest in all that I do. If you are going to drink, do it to relax and share with friends...not to give you an excuse to do somethng else. If you are going to gamble, do it within your means. If you are going to give someone a beatdown, make sure it is because they are harming someone in a helpless position...not to protect your ego. It really is about the Golden Rule. In direct response to whether or not Jesus is the only way to salvation....I know plenty of good hearted people that aren't "with" Jesus. I can only hope that he leads them to him in some sort of way at one point or another. I would be quite sad to think truly good people will suffer. I guess I can hope that we are chosen to live at a certain time because god knows what path we will choose in the end. I can't claim to know what is in store after this, but I can only trust that he gives people every opportunity to know him and be with him in the end. For all I know, those 5 minutes or so that some can go without oxygen, there is a game of "Let's Make a Deal" going on behind the scenes. I can't claim to know the exact mechanisms he uses, but I can trust that he is honorable and loving.

Good news is...the husband will be sanctified by the wife, and the wife by the husband. You're off the hook! It is not an easy thing to give up control.....that is what makes it easy to say the whole idea is goofy. I am a control freak on certain things. I know the frustration of being forced to leave control of something you care about in the hands of someone else. It's 10x as hard to trust god, because you have to voluntarily give up "control" of your life and accept that you are not the be all and end all. Add in the fact that there is no concrete scientific proof that you are handing the control to anything real, and you have the prescription for threads like this. While it is easy for someone to label me arrogant for stating that my beliefs are certainly true for all, I can just as easily call that person arrogant for believing that THEY are the ultimate controling force on their own life. I would call believing in Jesus....arrogant modesty. I felt bad that I took a swipe at you a few weeks ago. Over these boards it is tough to know a person well enough to see the thought process behind what is in reality being typed as well as someone can convey their thoughts through writing. The bottom line is that I wouldn't have taken a shot like that at you if I didn't respect you. I zapped you with a line that was meant to get you thinking, but without knowing where I am coming from it was out of line. I knew you could handle something like that though, and I am happy to see you still hold out hope.

As they begin to happen...it will be moreso. Call me crazy......normal just doesn't do it for me these days. There is one thing though that I don't understand.....if God is just some Spaghetti Monster and you have to be crazy to believe, why do people get so upset in trying to disprove him? If some guy on Doat St. is holding a crackpipe and comes up to my car to tell me there is a Dolphin swimming in my backseat...I'm just going to smile, say thanks, and move on. Now if I feel threatened by that same guy, I would try to get as far away from him as possible. What I wouldn't do is START multiple conversations with him to try and convince him there is no Dolphin swimming in my car. I certainly wouldn't drive back down to Doat with a crackpipe and a rock, look for the guy, tell him to smoke it, then proceed to argue with him again. I have responded to multiple threads where someone feels the need to brag about how they believe there is no God. That just doesn't add up at face value. Instead of reading a philosophy book, maybe a psychology book is in order so we can identify just what conditions are really at play in this debate?

I didn't suggest fairy dust last summer, in January or in March. The debate about God is relevant in the end when everything else human fails. I have only recently trumpeted a spiritual tone on all of this as it has unfolded. The good thing is....something big has to give, and soon. If the economy, the US, and the geopolitical scene is in any better shape in March of '09 than right now...I will STFU. In all honesty, I will probably STFU anyway as you don't need to yell "FIRE" at the point everyone is on fire. What will be, will be.

You can take me to the woodshed for being cocky....I'll accept that. Giving my opinion on football or hockey is just me using my knowledge and skills. Giving information on what is going on behind the scenes in the economic world is first-hand information that I see and have seen and know that the equation can't be balanced. If I was an engineer and the Buffalo Bills brought me in to check out the physical structure of the stadium.....and I found that the entire upper deck had a pretty good chance of falling down with the weight of 25,000 people in it....would you expect me to come and warn you? You may say "Oh...the Bills would never take that risk....the County or State regulators would close the stadium down...just one little crack doesn't mean it will come tumbling down!" Well, what if the Bills didn't plan on sticking around much longer and just needed to get through the season in that stadium? What if they didn't have the money on hand to fix the problem? What if the regulators were too stupid or paid off not to notice the problem or do something about it for the safety of the public? What if the Bills were hoping they could make it through the season, only to notice the structure starting to buckle during the 2nd quarter of a game...do they panic the fans, have them stampede out and cause it to crash down anyway? Or do they play dumb, wait for the disaster to happen and show concern after the disaster is well under way? I know it isn't an exact analogy...but you get the drift. If I saw that stadium in that condition, couldn't be bought off by the Bills, yet didn't have enough power to confront the regulators who are in on the deal....should I just not go to the games and run and hide? Or should I say.."Bills Fans....WATCH OUT!" Why do I think it is the end times? Because you can see the activity taking place in the economic, geopolitical, and cultural worlds that have and will have set it up. Of course I can be wrong....but that won't stop me from telling people that know me or ones I care about, how I feel. I just have my posting history on this board, but friends, family, co-workers....they respect me enough, I hope, to catch my drift. I don't claim to be a prophet.....I am not an expert on the Bible...however there are many passages of prophecy in the Bible that are straight forward. The more things start to heat up in the world, the more sides are starting to take shape to EXACT expectations given. There is no exact time given in the Bible for the end times, but a set of events were given to follow God's "gameplan". He's letting his fans know when he is about to go play-action, deep down the field. When you see a certain personel package and formation hit the field, it is about to happen. Congress has a 9% approval rating. They are supposed to be the experts. I'm just trying to do my public duty to make up for the other 91% that seems to have vanished into thin air.

He has Davis' skill set, plus he has a nice head on his shoulders. We need to pull up the old debates from last preseason to see how many had this guy on Anthony Gray watch! Also, I have felt since day 1 that Lynch will not be able to withstand a long punishing career because of his ankles/knees/back. He runs bow-legged and will wear down faster than a smooth-silky type of back. Plus he goes all out. Having a #2 that can step in as a #1 for 3-6 games a year, or take 30-40% of the snaps is key. A lot to like. Nice to talk football again!

There is nothing wrong with that at all. I just said that I think you started this thread with good intent. Love is truth. I would say love is god. God wants truth. I have plenty of scientist friends who I trust 100%. Some are athiest and some are just about every religion going. I don't care any less for anyone because of it. I do fear for our relationship in general with Islam, but that doesn't make me fear a person with pure intentions. I've said on this board before....the most spiritual experience I have had with others was the comeback against Houston. Everyone in that stadium was on the same wavelength as it was happening. We were hugging, kissing, holding hands....total strangers all around. Because we were all bonded by one thing we believed in and were in the midst of learning a lifelong lesson. It wasn't about being a football fan. It was about being a human....a Buffalonian. It was about no matter how bad things look or get, we stick together and battle to the end. I would be a fool to expect that to happen everytime the Bills are down 35-3 in the 3rd quarter. I guess if I predicted that would happen during every game the Bills were down by 30+, I would eventually have been right. But anyone who was at the stadium.....tell me there wasn't a palpable feeling that the Bills were going to win that game. At 35-10 the pain subsided, but at 35-17 the place knew what was about to happen. For the 40K or so that were there the whole game....I just feel the world is at that emotional point right now. I can't PROVE we are near the end, heck I can't PROVE there is a God to someone else. I do know enough about the teams, the game, and the situation though to have had that palpable switch turned on in me. It's 35-17 right now and I won't belittle anyone for leaving the stadium or not coming in the first place. I just want you to get back in that stadium or get in front of that TV or radio so you can experience what feels is about to happen. If you were there, you know what I am talking about.

JP...I think you are missing some background info on me and this discussion. I don't expect you to jump in and know everything that has been said here over the years. If someone thinks I am looking down at anyone else, I am not. I think this entire thread was started in a much better spirit than most threads which deal with the matter. My only quest at this point is truth. There is giant stuff going on right now. If it isn't the end of the world setting up, well then, some furniture is going to be moved. This isn't my usual cup of tea. If I didn't feel it to be an urgent message of preparation and sobriety, I would just shut up. I drink, gamble, overeat, can be cocky, lose my temper, and sometimes throw out a joke or two without thinking first how someone might take it. I am FAR from perfect, and I do not fit anyone's ideal of a religious person. However I consider my word golden, as do those that know me well. That is my point. I am not a prophet. I learn from everyone. I just have been lucky enough to be in certain places and with certain people and at certain times throughout my life to have a pretty good idea of what is probably happening right now. That is all. All doors eventually led me back to Jesus. And with that a duty to watch and inform.

He gave you the info as well. You need to see the difference between good old fashioned leg work, and prophecy. I was/am in the middle of the economic "situation". I don't care if I lose anything by telling the truth. Instead of listening to politicians or the media when it comes to war, I do my own research. Things are so far gone right now, especially for the US, that things are going to change in a hurry. Do you think Putin went into Georgia because he was bored? Do you think we have the majority of our armed forces in a ring of fire right now because we promised the Navy boys that they would see the world? This is one giant cash grab going on. Have you ever been in a junior high class when a substitute teacher takes over the class? That is what is about to happen. I never mentioned prophecy until recently. I KNOW certain things are about to happen because there aren't any other options left. If you look around, the signs are all over. When you are in the middle of something that isn't right, it is your duty to try and get as many innocent people away from that something. If they aren't willing to get away, well at least they have been warned so they might react a tad faster when things begin to really breakdown. I am humble for many things. Now is not a time to be humble. Pay attention to what is going on. Nobody knows the day or hour, but we will know the season. Is this going to stop me from going to Bills games, tailgating at 10 AM with a case of Molson or force me into some cave.... No. I will however live without fear as Rome burns. Like I said, most Christians don't even want to talk about this because it gives the "brand" a bad name to some. I've never gone for street cred on this website. I enjoy adding levity much more than telling everyone this is probably the big one setting up. I have no alterior motive other than to set this up so when things start falling apart in a hurry, maybe some people will pick up a bible and do a little Google work. What's the worst that happens? We all live happily ever after and I am a confirmed looney moron instead of a presumed one? I'll take that any day.

True

You can't prove that God exists to somebody that doesn't want God to exist. Why do you read a novel? I can tell you what a 300 page book is all about in a scientific manner in about 90 seconds. Unless you live life and are able to emote, a novel is worthless. The same goes for God. If he sits on a beach chair in the middle of Times Square, wearing sunglasses and smoking a stogie as he watches everyone, does that do him any good? Would you care as much about watching football if you already knew the outcome of every game ahead of time? Suspense, choices, experiences.....that's what it's all about. The arguement against God is so weak in this day and age that it is laughable. To envoke God in anything automatically brings the offended out of the woodwork. To try and point out bible prophecy being fulfilled right in front of our eyes brings laughter and mocking. Even from most Christians. The church is weak and wickedness is off the charts. It's go time. I'm not a lifelong "biblethumper".....anyone that reads a history of my posts knows I'm no Ned Flanders. But It's Go Time. Not only is there a God, but his patience is about up, and his cigarette break about over, so now it's time for him to do his thing. Watch Syria and Damascus. If that city gets pummled into the stone age soon, I wouldn't worry about where the Bills are playing in 2015. Until then, there are plenty of good hearted people that aren't convinced of God that will have a chance to find him. Pick up a bible if only for goofs. That's what I did. Then I started to have questions answered for me and feelings explained for me and couldn't believe the message was meant for me. Just the fact that we are all living now is pretty cool. No matter your current beliefs, it's like we are all at the scene of Woodstock. Some will camp out for the whole show, some will leave after a few sets, and some will drive right by yelling "F-U Hippies!" We're all given the opportunity to be here for this though....and I have a funny feeling Jesus plays a mean Star Spangled Banner as well.

Many scientists have no balls. They have to be told what to think. If it isn't proven, then it isn't true. However if I am bright enough to eliminate the mundane 20 steps in between an idea and proof in the name of efficiency while the scientist waits for absolute proof, then I am rewarded. I would rather "reach" for far out thought processes with sound hypothesis then have to march through the scientist's life of proof. If it takes you 20 steps to get from A to Z, and you will know without a doubt if you are correct by the end of it, then that is cool. I prefer to make many "mini-proofs" in my head on small points and assign those statistical strength through educated estimation. I can in a very timely fashion come up with thoughts on "final answers" using my analysis while the scientist is just getting started, or laughs at an idea and sits on his hands. I can come up with 20 cliff-noted "final answers" in the amount of time it takes that scientist to come up with one, and his may only lead him to start another series of 20 steps to find the one he is looking for. Now...I have the benefit of 20 ideas in my head much quicker than that scientist. While he is focused on his one process, I can live life free of a set definition of boundaries and let my experiences and continued acquisition of knowledge sort out and give me "final proof" on my original 20 "final answers" I had come up with. Some may get strengthened, some may get blown apart, and some may be dead on. It is only that I am confident enough to accept the personal risk of these ideas and my use of them that gives me an advantage. A timely advantage. When it comes to God, most scientists are doomed. You will never have your proof until it is too late. A person with faith however is accepting to the fact that there is a good chance God exists, and looks at the world assuming God plays a part. It is only then that one will start to see and feel things in the eyes of God. You have to be willing to give up your borders though. I understand that religion is used to "keep the herd" in line many times, and many people just follow what they know or grew up with. You then have a valid point in breaking things down. However, when a person is able to separate themselves from a process or idea enough to make an unbiased observation, then comes BACK to God or comes to God in the first place, then you have the magic that is God at work. God, Jesus, and the validity of the Bible are relevant to me because of my thought process. They are "final answers" that have been strengthened in my mind and heart over time. While not as important, I also use the same process to make statements much earlier than most are willing to commit, such as: 1) Trent Edwards will be a top level starting quarterback in the NFL for a decade 2) The US Economy has reached a breaking point that will forever change our way of life and role in the world 3) The Sabres woudn't sniff a Stanley Cup and would fall off the face of the earth because of lack of balls from top to bottom 4) James Hardy is at the very least a "dull" human, and may have a personality disorder that will cause him professional setbacks on the field and personal ones off the field 5) Marshawn Lynch will wear down fast and have a short career due to his physical conformation and his style of play. (Draft Freddy Jackson late!) 6) We are about to see WWIII and the second coming of Christ Now, it is laughable that I lump these all together, but I convey these statements over time not because I am a Sports Talk Blowhard that shouts things for the sake of shouting, but because I am able to quickly assign quantitative outlooks on subjective material and come to a best-odds conclusion. Of course I am not always right 100%, but I have enough confidence in my ability, morality, experience and faith to make these calls. I don't mind getting laughed at by some, and I certainly don't mind people getting angry at me, because those are the same people that need to be exposed many times for their true selves. I certainly don't expect many to even understand where I am coming from. In a more modest setting than an opinion board I would tend to be more modest, but this is at the end of the day an opinion board on subjects for which I have great passion. It is because of that passion which we all share that I put things out there the way I do. Every now and then there are a few on these boards that catch my jive, even if they don't agree with me or think I'm half Fruit Loops. That's what makes it worth it. Science is necessary and beneficial. It isn't God though. Stop thinking like a scientist!

I agree with that fact. I think too many people end up bashing the idea of God because they see the faults and deception in organized religion. People suck, point blank. People that claim they are close to god yet still find a way to screw someone else over, suck even more. I don't go to church, but I won't fault someone for going. I do have so little trust and respect for our own species that there has to be a god shaking his head going, "What the F did I do that for?" Jesus says in the bible to go into your closet in peace away from the multitudes to pray. He is not a fan of organized religion and even proclaims how all the churches will fail him. I look at his message as pretty simple. I like to think of life as a toy that needs to be put together and we are all children. If we are so focused on putting the toy together that we lose focus on the reason we have that toy, and tell our "dad" to "Get out of my face! I can figure it out on my own!" Then dad is probably going to back off, leave the room, and let you get frustrated on your own. Now if we look at the toy and quickly understand that we cannot handle figuring out the toy on our own and tug on dad's shirt and hand him the toy so he can help us....dad is probably going to smile and do whatever he can to get that toy working right for us. He probably will even have time to play with us once we put it together. There isn't much to figure out once you hand the toy over to dad. Just watch out for the crabby kids that think they can figure it out on their own. They eventually try to break your toy to make things fair.

Right....the character and accomplishments of an influential person could never be given an accurate account 60-90 years down the line. Hell, I just read that Hitler loved ice cream and used to give little Jewish children horsie rides on his knee until he was tuckered out. Then they would have some warm milk and read stories of how we are all brothers that should love each other. Hey....I can't prove Jesus is God just like you can't prove your sister didn't give me a BJ in 8th grade. Sometimes you just need to have a little faith. How'd the orthodontia turn out by the way?

Never said that. I said in March the next 18 months are going to be the craziest sh-- this generation has ever seen. I do believe from a scientific point of view that we have no more than 30-50 years left here in current form before at the very least a wipeout of 80%+ of the population. I believe 100% in God and trust in Jesus, but my eyes and mind tell me more than anything we don't have long left. Human nature is self-serving. The "easier" we have it, the less we need to cooperate, the less sympathy there is etc. The compounding of technology that has taken place along with human nature lead me to believe a simple mistake can cause the end just as easily as some religious event. However, I do believe God wins in the end or else this is just a pure waste. If it is a waste, then failing to exist after death isn't scary...it just is. You won't know if you were right or wrong. I am amazed at the lack of urgency from most people considering the times we live in. I can't time the end, but if by opening day 2009 there haven't been multiple events that drop your jaw and make you consider what life and/or God is all about, then I'll show up at the TBD tailgate with 5 cases of beer and you can all throw batteries at me. There will be a series of events so serious that will feed off of each other....not a day or an entire war where we lose 3,000 Americans....but stuff is going to go down. The US economy, the war against Islam, the war for oil (different than Islam), microbiology, homeland security, political corruption. I think the US has eaten some bad sushi and we are about to have it come from all ends but soon. The world isn't playing a Milton Bradley game right now. I think when this stuff happens, everyone will have a last chance to turn to God. Who does?...I don't know. I just know what has happened in my life and the statistical odds of certain things happening at certain times being so crazy that there is no other explanation but God. If you follow the Bible, the thing to look out for that should happen soon to trigger the return of Jesus and the chain of events leading up to that is the destruction of Damascus. If you see that happen, it's go time. I don't claim to be a prophet. I just digest data and try to come to logical conclusions. The bible is like a treasure map of prophecy. I don't mind so much if people laugh now, but at least remember the a-hole on the Bills board when stuff goes down. Now calling the Sabres a bunch of flamers that wouldn't get the job done, fall apart, and that the front office is a bunch of con-men and pansies that look down at the Rubes of Buffalo and are only in it for the money or job security...I'll take credit for that one.

Don't laugh. Looks like Marshawn's good to take out a 200 lb'r about once a month these days. Even though Trent is well spoken, I don't believe he's Canadian though.

I want to give you an apology. I crossed the line a few weeks ago. I was aiming to be a wiseass, but came across as a jerkhoff. It's fun roping you guys in, but I wasn't cool about it.

Obviously you didn't go to Delta State. Fighting Okra

Not my job to argue....just your job to watch.

"And Briere beat him like a rented mule!" "Gee dad....why did the announcer say that Patrick Lalime is a mule? He is a human daddy. See, he has 2 legs, and he knows how to talk. He isn't a mule daddy. That guy is so stupid!"

All religion or prophecy aside, the reasoning I use to think we have 20 years or less is the same reasoning I use to come up with point spreads for the next week of the NFL before the actual lines are released. When I know something inside and out, I can put quantitative values to subjective matter. It doesn't mean I know who will cover the game, but I have a good idea of what the skill sets are like, what public perception of the teams is, and I am decisive with little hesitation. I am an odds maker, not a prophet. What do I know about the world that leads me to believe we are near the end? 1) Social Breakdown in Morals and Standards 2) Global Interdepenence 3) Exponential Explosion of Technology Basically, we constantly have more crap with more potency, a bunch more people vying for said crap, and those people have been overbred and over-supported in overthrowing Darwin's theory thanks to technology aiding them, and for the most part none of them can be trusted. There's a scientific view for you. For all those thousands/millions/billions of years earth has been around, we have only had the capability to blow it out of orbit since 1940 or so. And in the past 70 years, the magnitude of that capability has continued to increase at alarming rates. Weapons have 1000x the potency, 30x the countries with access to them, and can be delivered 10x faster and in countless numbers of ways. The law of statistics says that if we go another 70 years, pure fluke has a great chance on it's own to end the world. Not to mention, the more you F with Mother Nature, the better chance she has to F with you. So....do you think we'll be here in 2080? By then weaponry would be 1 million times as powerful as during WWII, every human being would have access to them, and one slip or depressed moment by any human on earth would cause the end. Why is it the end? Simple Math. God just happened to be very good with numbers and gave us a little puzzle to keep track of as we go along.

I'm not leaving the basement until it's time to vote. Anyone know when that's supposed to be?

He needed big yards on that run so he was armpumping. If he did the old Jim Kelly, run at 60% and look like you have a turd in your pants...he may not have gotten up the momentum.

When they rename the Hail Mary, the Hail Hawking, then I'll believe.