You can believe anything you want, from gods, to pixies, to the certainty that Jennifer Lopez is going to show up and gift upon you oral sex. You can also expect those beliefs to be challenged; by atheists, fairy deniers and Jennifer Lopez respecitvely.
For some strange reason religious belief seems to be granted a free pass on the usual discourse around beliefs. Which should not be the case; you can argue socialism, communism, authoritarianism, capitalism and if youve had a few hits from mighty joint, existentialism; but not religion? If your belief tells you that the world is 6,000 years old and was created in seven days, that is your belief. It does not make it true. You may take comfort in it. The fact that you find it comforting does not make it true. However you should expect that belief is to be challenged and you should be capable on evaluating the world around you to alter your beliefs in the face of evidence. If you are a liberal you can find yourself reevaluating your position based on a conservative argument and vice versa. We are a thinking species, and it is a very good idea to indulge in it.
As to the Pope and his faith; well I am sure that his refreshing stance, a blast of air from the bronze age, is welcome in these politically correct times. I am sure that stoning, animal sacrifice, slavery, women as property, no birth control, institutionalized hatred of gays and lesbians are all wonderful biblical values and he should be standing up for each and every one of them. The spread of STDs in developing nations could be significantly curbed if the RC church, a strong power for education in the area, got off the Onan express and gave the okay for rubber johnnies and stopped spreading the lie that they do not prevent transmission of STDs. Wouldnt that be refreshing?
And does that refreshing burst of air include the talking heads of other faiths? Islam has plenty of pronouncements that are true to the faith that might also be refreshing in these political correct time if you are a violent, misogynist, goit. The various sects of the LDS church have them too. Wouldnt you like the refreshing burst of air of the scripture driven morality of handing your thirteen year old daughter off to be the sixth wife of a fifty year old man? Id take issue with those refreshing stances and do.
There are well funded movements in the United States, Britain, and distressingly, Canada that are aggressively pushing an anti-evolution agenda at the school board level. Why at the school board? Strangely enough, it is because at the science level they have no game. Intelligent design isnt even a hypothesis, let alone a theory; so ass-hats like the Discovery Institute attack science in schools, rather in peer reviewed journals.
Bottom line. Religious beliefs are no more subject to respect than any other belief. You can believe that gravity turns off every days between 3:00pm and 4:00pm, that does not make it true. You can believe in god the father, god the son and god the wispy spirit thing. That does not make it true.
Knowing, but believing something different anyway doesnt make sense. It is a grotesque self deception, and upon this rock are great faiths built.
Shayne
ps. The unicorn is just jealous because I have been touched by the flying spaghetti monster's noodly appendage and it has not.
For some strange reason religious belief seems to be granted a free pass on the usual discourse around beliefs. Which should not be the case; you can argue socialism, communism, authoritarianism, capitalism and if youve had a few hits from mighty joint, existentialism; but not religion? If your belief tells you that the world is 6,000 years old and was created in seven days, that is your belief. It does not make it true. You may take comfort in it. The fact that you find it comforting does not make it true. However you should expect that belief is to be challenged and you should be capable on evaluating the world around you to alter your beliefs in the face of evidence. If you are a liberal you can find yourself reevaluating your position based on a conservative argument and vice versa. We are a thinking species, and it is a very good idea to indulge in it.
As to the Pope and his faith; well I am sure that his refreshing stance, a blast of air from the bronze age, is welcome in these politically correct times. I am sure that stoning, animal sacrifice, slavery, women as property, no birth control, institutionalized hatred of gays and lesbians are all wonderful biblical values and he should be standing up for each and every one of them. The spread of STDs in developing nations could be significantly curbed if the RC church, a strong power for education in the area, got off the Onan express and gave the okay for rubber johnnies and stopped spreading the lie that they do not prevent transmission of STDs. Wouldnt that be refreshing?
And does that refreshing burst of air include the talking heads of other faiths? Islam has plenty of pronouncements that are true to the faith that might also be refreshing in these political correct time if you are a violent, misogynist, goit. The various sects of the LDS church have them too. Wouldnt you like the refreshing burst of air of the scripture driven morality of handing your thirteen year old daughter off to be the sixth wife of a fifty year old man? Id take issue with those refreshing stances and do.
Quote:I guess you havent been paying attention to ID/Evolution controversy in the United States. Schools try and teach science, and school boards, under the control of fundamentalist nutbars (a highly technical term sorry) try and push it out in favor of their re-imaged creationism. One board went so far as to try and redefine science so that it could include a scope outside natural phenomena. Kitzmeller V. Dover Area School District. talkorigins.org/faqs/dove...dover.html
It shouldn't affect schools at all IMO. Schools teach science. church teaches religion. Knowing and believing are two different things.
There are well funded movements in the United States, Britain, and distressingly, Canada that are aggressively pushing an anti-evolution agenda at the school board level. Why at the school board? Strangely enough, it is because at the science level they have no game. Intelligent design isnt even a hypothesis, let alone a theory; so ass-hats like the Discovery Institute attack science in schools, rather in peer reviewed journals.
Bottom line. Religious beliefs are no more subject to respect than any other belief. You can believe that gravity turns off every days between 3:00pm and 4:00pm, that does not make it true. You can believe in god the father, god the son and god the wispy spirit thing. That does not make it true.
Knowing, but believing something different anyway doesnt make sense. It is a grotesque self deception, and upon this rock are great faiths built.
Shayne
ps. The unicorn is just jealous because I have been touched by the flying spaghetti monster's noodly appendage and it has not.