Random Thoughts Thread

[jp1]

Not confrontational at all Hobie, I appreciate the effort to respond with no hostile intent. Your picking apart of the Tooth fairy analogy is fair, it is a simple analogy used to make a point, but it is flawed. Anything could be placed in it's spot and the point could be more or less valid in my opinion.

Yeah, I knew we get along fine, but I just couldn't help myself in responding as "the other side" as I figured I had a reasonable chance of not coming across as an asshole.

Switching out the Tooth Fairy wouldn't really change my argument either. If someone believes something I do not and it is harmless, then I'm far less concerned about its negative effect. To change for another more dire belief that's not religiously related, if someone believes they're impervious to fire and I hear them discussing testing the idea by putting themselves or another into a bonfire, you bet I'm going to try to convince them otherwise before someone comes to harm.

Fair enough, but you must admit that conversations on these boards isn't likely to wind up causing lynchings or witch trials. Almost anything can be linked in one way or another to a sinister past or present. It all depends on who is involved.

[BoneSnapDeez]

When I was a young child and we recited the pledge of allegiance every morning, I skipped over "one nation under God" from some point in second grade on once I had a better understanding as opposed to just miming as I was told.

I've told my son to feel free to opt out of the daily pledge recitation in school until he at least understands what it means and can decide if he agrees to it. What nonsense that they have kindergarteners reciting it daily! He doesn't know what half the words mean!

I expect a call from the school at some point.

I refused to do the pledge as a school employee. Never seemed to be an issue, thankfully.

[Blu]

In short, I hope this hits on some of the points you're going after, jp1.

I tend to view faith from a libertarian perspective. People are free to believe and practice to their hearts content, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.

For me, I grew up relatively Christian or at least understood some of the underpinnings of the Christian faith. I was baptized Catholic, didn't regularly attend mass or any church growing up, and only began to understand Catholicism after my family had some pretty rough spots that prompted my mom and dad to start going back to Church. I didn't necessarily want to be part of that but felt obligated to make sure my family worked through its issues. Eventually, when I left for college I decided to get confirmed, as my dad was also finishing up his confirmation. Shortly after being confirmed in the Catholic Church, I didn't really go back. I really liked the parish and the people who were part of it, but I just couldn't integrate or find connection to the faith that so many others in the parish were steadfast or resolute about.

For me, not being raised in the environment of a church helped me view and respect other faiths a little bit more. I think the unintended consequence was that seeing all of these other world faiths and the people who celebrated them made me grapple with my whole understanding of a higher power. With so many religions in the world and many of them describing a life after this one, I had to consider that there might not be solely one route to this next plane of existence. That helped me arrive at my own definition of my agnosticism, I think if I am a human being who treats others with fairness, dignity, and respect, and should I be met by a higher power -- my actions in this life prior will forgive my naivety and uncertainty in believing or following a single religion.

What turned me off from organized religion? I won't talk about systemic, world-wide things. Around me I saw people who put too much emphasis on being a devout Catholic, then leave church and be hypocritical, oppressive and uncaring of others. I've seen people of faith be critical of other faiths but be bullheaded to the point of absolutes. For me I really only draw the line when it becomes less about people using faith to guide their own lives, but when faith starts impacting the lives of others in a harmful way.

I am innately curious about people's faith, because for them it is an identity that is incredibly salient to them and I find that to be important to understand their experiences and how it shapes them as a human being. I don't see the harm in freely discussing faith, as long as it's respectful and sensible.

[MrPopo]

Fair enough, but you must admit that conversations on these boards isn't likely to wind up causing lynchings or witch trials. Almost anything can be linked in one way or another to a sinister past or present. It all depends on who is involved.

Just last week we lynched a guy who said Sonic 2006 was the best Sonic game, so I don't know what you're talking about.

[Sano]

Here's a llama,
There's a llama,
and another little llama,
Fuzzy llama,
Funny llama,
llama llama,
Duck.

llama llama,
Cheesecake,
Llama,
Tablet,
Brick,
Potato,
llama,
llama llama,
Mushroom,
llama,
llama llama,
Duck,

I was once a treehouse
I lived in a cake
But i never saw the way
The orange slayed the rake
I was only three years dead
But it told a tale
And now listen, little child
To the safety rail

Did you ever see a llama
Kiss a llama
On the llama
llama's llama
Tastes of llama
llama llama
Duck

Half a llama
Twice the llama
Not a llama
Farmer
llama
llama in a car
Alarm a llama
llama llama
Duck

Is this how it's told now?
Is it all so old?
Is it made of lemon juice?
Doorknob
Ankle
Cold
Now my song is getting thin
I've run out of luck
Time for me to retire now
And become a duck

[Ack]

Fair enough, but you must admit that conversations on these boards isn't likely to wind up causing lynchings or witch trials. Almost anything can be linked in one way or another to a sinister past or present. It all depends on who is involved.

Just last week we lynched a guy who said Sonic 2006 was the best Sonic game, so I don't know what you're talking about.

Yeah, but faith is one thing. That Sonic guy deserved that.

[jp1]

Fair enough, but you must admit that conversations on these boards isn't likely to wind up causing lynchings or witch trials. Almost anything can be linked in one way or another to a sinister past or present. It all depends on who is involved.

Just last week we lynched a guy who said Sonic 2006 was the best Sonic game, so I don't know what you're talking about.

Well, he obviously had it coming.
EDIT: Ah, Ack beat me to it.


@Blu, believe it or not our views are quite similar. Although I consider myself a Christian, I don't automatically ascribe my entire belief system to that one thing. I also eschew many common Christian beliefs in favor of my own interpretations and understanding, and many times what feels "right". In this way, I mostly avoid organized religion. I do not regularly go to church. I try to live my life in a way that is in line with my core beliefs (Christianity), but I also question things and value science. In general though, I agree with a great deal of what you said.

It is somewhat ironic that all those who do not exhibit the mentioned behaviors chose to respond, while those I perceive to do so stayed quiet. It kind of invalidates my initial point.

[marurun]

I do not understand religion and the faith it engenders. I mean, on paper I do, but not internally. So I do find it confounding. But that doesn't inspire me to engage in debate or anything.

The times I "go after" religious views are when I perceive them as deliberately anti-factual and pushing an agenda that could affect me and others. Any time a state or city tries to pass a law watering down science instruction to present evolution as "just a theory" (you mean, just like gravity?) and encourage presenting the "other side" (scientifically speaking, nothing significant), I get pissed. Science classes are about science. You present science. You want theology, you have a theology class.

I feel the same about legislation driven by folks who are clearly either not scientifically literate or blatantly anti-science but that affects science-related policy or practice. And some of those folks are liberals without much religion in their lives, so it's not like I only go after the religious on these issues. Anti-vaccers and anti-GMO folks, for example, typically are responding to those issues not with science but with their guts. And the cover-up is usually talk about scientific "agendas" and the spread of money.

So I guess I'm pro-science and anti-ignorance. That puts me against conservatives, liberals, libertarians, religious folks, and non-religious folks, depending on the date.

[TSTR]

^Viewpoint game stronk.

[J T]

*high fives marurun*