General Discussion > The Speakeasy: OOG/Off-topic Discussion
Abolish blasphemy laws
Silas Vitalia:
Will respond more when not @ work but basically:
Scientific / evidence-based world view says "this is the best explanation we have currently based on what we know through repeatable experimentation that anyone is free to do on their own. It will likely change when we know more. We DON'T have all the answers. This is our best guess."
Religion:
"We" are the chosen people/race/gender and are very special. This old book says so, or God told me. See? Right there on the page. Or God told me that I should be your King. I have all the answers right here, and all the rules you must follow, too. No, god didn't tell you? That's too bad. I'll take 1/10 of your $ for the church please.
Bad things happen because God wills it. All Knowing. All Loving. Omnipotent. Yes beautiful Sunrise. That's me. Love you feel, that's me. But.... That child got gang raped and hung from a tree? I knew it was going to happen, I didn't stop it. Part of the plan! Nazis killed 6 million Jews? Women? Children? Part of the plan. Infinite Love. Your dead parents in that car crash? Yup, your welcome! Ebola virus! Yay! Don't question the plan. Beyond your feeble understanding.
I acknowledge there could very well be a God. I don't want to meet him.
Lunarisse Aspenstar:
--- Quote from: Silas Vitalia on 23 Jun 2014, 15:40 ---Will respond more when not @ work but basically:
Scientific / evidence-based world view says "this is the best explanation we have currently based on what we know through repeatable experimentation that anyone is free to do on their own. It will likely change when we know more. We DON'T have all the answers. This is our best guess."
Religion:
"We" are the chosen people/race/gender and are very special. This old book says so, or God told me. See? Right there on the page. Or God told me that I should be your King. I have all the answers right here, and all the rules you must follow, too. No, god didn't tell you? That's too bad. I'll take 1/10 of your $ for the church please.
Bad things happen because God wills it. All Knowing. All Loving. Omnipotent. Yes beautiful Sunrise. That's me. Love you feel, that's me. But.... That child got gang raped and hung from a tree? I knew it was going to happen, I didn't stop it. Part of the plan! Nazis killed 6 million Jews? Women? Children? Part of the plan. Infinite Love. Your dead parents in that car crash? Yup, your welcome! Ebola virus! Yay! Don't question the plan. Beyond your feeble understanding.
I acknowledge there could very well be a God. I don't want to meet him.
--- End quote ---
Ugh. Enough straw-men for one paragraph? At this point a sound bite discussion isn't productive. I offered to exchange emails off line, I reiterate that, and I'll leave it at that and leave the discussion.
Silas Vitalia:
--- Quote from: Lunarisse Aspenstar on 23 Jun 2014, 16:49 ---
--- Quote from: Silas Vitalia on 23 Jun 2014, 15:40 ---Will respond more when not @ work but basically:
Scientific / evidence-based world view says "this is the best explanation we have currently based on what we know through repeatable experimentation that anyone is free to do on their own. It will likely change when we know more. We DON'T have all the answers. This is our best guess."
Religion:
"We" are the chosen people/race/gender and are very special. This old book says so, or God told me. See? Right there on the page. Or God told me that I should be your King. I have all the answers right here, and all the rules you must follow, too. No, god didn't tell you? That's too bad. I'll take 1/10 of your $ for the church please.
Bad things happen because God wills it. All Knowing. All Loving. Omnipotent. Yes beautiful Sunrise. That's me. Love you feel, that's me. But.... That child got gang raped and hung from a tree? I knew it was going to happen, I didn't stop it. Part of the plan! Nazis killed 6 million Jews? Women? Children? Part of the plan. Infinite Love. Your dead parents in that car crash? Yup, your welcome! Ebola virus! Yay! Don't question the plan. Beyond your feeble understanding.
I acknowledge there could very well be a God. I don't want to meet him.
--- End quote ---
Ugh. Enough straw-men for one paragraph? At this point a sound bite discussion isn't productive. I offered to exchange emails off line, I reiterate that, and I'll leave it at that and leave the discussion.
--- End quote ---
There's no need to get upset. Many, many people believe bad things happen to good people because it's part of a grand design that we just don't understand, and that's fine. Billions of people do. Billions and billions. I'm in a tiny minority that doesn't. According to my peon moral code worshiping and thanking a diety for ruining your life and causing you harm, or allowing harm to come to you is strange, but I'm in the minority.
I frequently have to question my own beliefs simply because I'm in such a minority position compared to much of the planet. Is there something I'm missing? Does everyone else have it figured out? I keep coming up with the same answers though.
Lunarisse Aspenstar:
--- Quote from: Silas Vitalia on 23 Jun 2014, 17:20 ---
--- Quote from: Lunarisse Aspenstar on 23 Jun 2014, 16:49 ---
--- Quote from: Silas Vitalia on 23 Jun 2014, 15:40 ---Will respond more when not @ work but basically:
Scientific / evidence-based world view says "this is the best explanation we have currently based on what we know through repeatable experimentation that anyone is free to do on their own. It will likely change when we know more. We DON'T have all the answers. This is our best guess."
Religion:
"We" are the chosen people/race/gender and are very special. This old book says so, or God told me. See? Right there on the page. Or God told me that I should be your King. I have all the answers right here, and all the rules you must follow, too. No, god didn't tell you? That's too bad. I'll take 1/10 of your $ for the church please.
Bad things happen because God wills it. All Knowing. All Loving. Omnipotent. Yes beautiful Sunrise. That's me. Love you feel, that's me. But.... That child got gang raped and hung from a tree? I knew it was going to happen, I didn't stop it. Part of the plan! Nazis killed 6 million Jews? Women? Children? Part of the plan. Infinite Love. Your dead parents in that car crash? Yup, your welcome! Ebola virus! Yay! Don't question the plan. Beyond your feeble understanding.
I acknowledge there could very well be a God. I don't want to meet him.
--- End quote ---
Ugh. Enough straw-men for one paragraph? At this point a sound bite discussion isn't productive. I offered to exchange emails off line, I reiterate that, and I'll leave it at that and leave the discussion.
--- End quote ---
There's no need to get upset. Many, many people believe bad things happen to good people because it's part of a grand design that we just don't understand, and that's fine. Billions of people do. Billions and billions. I'm in a tiny minority that doesn't. According to my peon moral code worshiping and thanking a diety for ruining your life and causing you harm, or allowing harm to come to you is strange, but I'm in the minority.
I frequently have to question my own beliefs simply because I'm in such a minority position compared to much of the planet. Is there something I'm missing? Does everyone else have it figured out? I keep coming up with the same answers though.
--- End quote ---
*gently* I couldn't either Silas. Certainly one isn't a peon for feeling your way. But nor is one an idiot for feeling the a different way either.
Silas Vitalia:
I apologize if my tone is coming across as overly rawr, I can assure you I am trying to keep it light-hearted, text be damned.
I've got a lot of religious friends and this is a frequent topic.
I grew up in a very conservative, rural area in the US, and was probably one of the only kids (that I knew of) in grammar school who wasn't involved with church and other religious activities in the community. While my experiences are of course not a representation of the entirety of christendom, growing up in a hick town with a high percentage of conservatives, not highly educated folks who don't treat non-believers the nicest tends to color one's views.
As an American I also can't help but see that the particular groups that are always, always fighting against equality, women's rights, and progressive issues tend to be conservative, christian, and white.
Every political and social tent has its extreme elements, but America is a particularly religious country among industrialized nations, and it colors -all- of our politics in a way I'm not sure some of you Europeans might be familiar with.
We have a lot of politicians who make policy issues in accordance with scripture, and who try extremely hard to insert it into public life. I'm part of a minority of non-believers who are certifiably un-electable to public office. Athiests are viewed with more disdain than almost any other group in the country according to many polls.
If I come across as a bit antagonistic I apologize. Even though I have many amazing freedoms in the States, being athiest in public life here is worse than being homosexual to many.
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