1 - I make not special pleadings
2- Where is the insult?
This is exactly what I am talking about.
To the best of my knowledge, for as long as I have been on a2k there have been many christians also posting on a2k. It has been, for the most part, a community of varriation from politics to pet care to what are you wearing as well as spirituality/religion. That is, until the past few weeks when a few members (mostly new members) seemed to take it on themselves to convert a2k into their personal forum for testifying. A2k began as a community for debate/discussion/information, I think the majority of us would like to see that purpose continue with all points of view incorporated.
I didn't say that you had insulted me in that post, and this is either stupidity or willfully ignoring the burden of what i wrote. If you now deny that you have ever attempted to insult me, you are lying.
I make it a point to insult SETI as often as possible.
I expect no less from a cowboy idjit of your stripe, Dys . . . you look goofy in that hat . . .
it might make a good thread, but you might want to put it in Philosophy & Debate, perhaps. if you did, i would observe right away, if someone doesn't beat me to it, that there have been any number of apparently rational people who were apparently religious; Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mohandas K. Gandhi are two ready examples.
yitwail- I am thinking about posting this. I don't think that pointing to people to determine any correlation between religiosity and rationality would serve any purpose. Most people are rather mixed in their rationality.
What would be most valuable is if we stuck to concepts.
Setanta wrote:I didn't say that you had insulted me in that post, and this is either stupidity or willfully ignoring the burden of what i wrote. If you now deny that you have ever attempted to insult me, you are lying.
It is true. In the past I have responded in kind. I am guilty of that. However, I have NEVER called you names on this forum. You cannot say the same. It is not necessary for ANY of us to respond in a disrespectful manner. You say that you do not call people stupid, but what they post. Is that the case in this post?
It certainly is--i said that what you had written was either stupidity or willful ignorance. That is not a contention that your are either stupid or ignorant--nor does it mean that i think you are not.
It is not my fault, and no concern of mine, that people cannot separate their beliefs and their statements from their person. If having their beliefs or statements criticized or ridiculed upsets them, i say: Boo hoo hoo.
And I think thats exactly what Richard Dawkins was doing in his recent Channel 4 (uk tv) programme.
which may not be shown in the US
i'm slogging my way through the Ancestor's Tale, by the way
I hope you all understand that I ask this with complete sincerity:
Does everything really deserve fire?
Want to teach my kid the creation story instead of biology?
That's fire.
Want to outlaw abortion because God gave the fetus life?
That's fire.
Want to post the 10 Commandments in the court house?
That's fire.
Want to pray for the troops?
So what!
I don't pray in any religious sense of the word but I "pray" that our soldiers return home safe and sane and whole. I "pray" that this war is over soon. I "pray" that we learn a good lesson from the mistakes that have been made.
Not everything is a fire.
But that's just my opinion.
Am I missing something here?
Indifference
Phoenix - I agree that religion is irrational, but I don't think that means religion is false. There are many obvious irrationalities in all the great religions, and believers in those religions simply accept them, if they can't come to some rational interpretation. These are the mysteries that form part of all religions.
And I agree that civility of discourse is of the greatest importance when discussing religion (and politics, too, BTW).
I am happy to debate beliefs and issues, but only on the basis of mutual respect. Debating issues isn't useless as Reyn feels it to be; one often learns a great deal by doing that.
I haven't been to any of the Spirituality and religion threads, and now I think maybe I won't bother. Nastiness shouldn't be part of any religion. There's enough nastiness in the world as it is, without looking for more.
Setanta wrote:It certainly is--i said that what you had written was either stupidity or willful ignorance. That is not a contention that your are either stupid or ignorant--nor does it mean that i think you are not.
It is not my fault, and no concern of mine, that people cannot separate their beliefs and their statements from their person. If having their beliefs or statements criticized or ridiculed upsets them, i say: Boo hoo hoo.
Indifference/ The Most Effective Response to Irrationality
It seems that the title and reason for this thread are the only reasonable course of action for me to take. You will, obviously, continue with your immature responses..... I will, therefore, have to be the mature one and end it.
no dont do it intrepid, life has so much more to offer.
Steve (as 41oo) wrote:no dont do it intrepid, life has so much more to offer.
That gave me quite a laugh, Steve
Thanks for your concern.
Ah, but you won't end it Intrepid, that's the problem. You'll eventually respond.
somewhere, sometime, you'll be back and forthing again...
and so it goes...
someones got to be big enough to stop first.
