tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post116257362995278333..comments2023-10-28T09:25:39.790-04:00Comments on The Atavist: Is the Answer Really 42?The Atavisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12529157597486952484noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162972582239581122006-11-08T02:56:00.000-05:002006-11-08T02:56:00.000-05:00Wow!Yup.. just: Wow!That was great - all around!~a...Wow!<BR/><BR/>Yup.. just: Wow!<BR/><BR/><BR/>That was great - all around!<BR/><BR/>~a believer/knower/you-know-what-I-mean.SuperP.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06830641369098524799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162929345891331522006-11-07T14:55:00.000-05:002006-11-07T14:55:00.000-05:00You're right. If one doubts the authority of Scrip...You're right. If one doubts the authority of Scripture, no quoting of it will do any good. It's rather a vicious circle, isn't it?Bellezza https://www.blogger.com/profile/18073864187188953633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162820878250407482006-11-06T08:47:00.000-05:002006-11-06T08:47:00.000-05:00I don't know who to agree with, Galt or Bellezza. ...I don't know who to agree with, Galt or Bellezza. I know that I was exposed to the idea of God through my parents and the churches we attended. Would I have had an innate knowledge of God even were I never exposed to teachings in that direction? I don't know. I supsect not.<BR/><BR/>The problem with quoting scripture in support of the existence of God is that it is 'an argument from authority,' and if you suspect the veracity of that authority, there is a very real conundrum. <BR/><BR/>I enjoy these exchanges of ideas and beliefs because I do not have a closed mind and am truly curious about who we are, why we are here, etc.The Atavisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529157597486952484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162774796767743012006-11-05T19:59:00.000-05:002006-11-05T19:59:00.000-05:00Galt, I disagree on this point: that "We are all b...Galt, I disagree on this point: that "We are all born with no knowledge of God, and must learn of Him before making any decision to believe or not."<BR/><BR/>I beg to point out Romans 1:20 which says, in the New Living Translation: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." <BR/><BR/>I think we ARE born with knowledge of God, but some choose to deny it.<BR/><BR/>Not that I'm trying to be argumentative; just stating my belief.Bellezza https://www.blogger.com/profile/18073864187188953633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162759858340324452006-11-05T15:50:00.000-05:002006-11-05T15:50:00.000-05:00As much trouble as most people have - myself inclu...As much trouble as most people have - myself included - with the door-knocker "true believer" types, I have a lot more with the ACLUnatics who want to erase any reference to God from every corner of Western Civilization because it makes the dope-smoking sodomites <I>feeeeeeeeeel</I> bad.<BR/>This copped-out attitude rises from the hedonistic camp where the morality of an issue is decided on emotions stirred by it, not whether it is truly decent or not.<BR/>There are two kinds of atheism: One is perfectly natural. We are all born with no knowledge of God, and must learn of Him before making any decision to believe or not. The other is a cowering place of the "enLIEtened" and pseudo-educated, an apron of fig leaves the dregs of the people wear beneath their three-piece lawyer costumes but shove down everyone's throats with an ignorant, inconsiderate zeal that would rival the "funny-mental"ist Christians and make Jerry Falwell look shy and abashed!<BR/>Because everyone has a right to their opinion does not mean everyone's opinion is right, a reality lost in our times.TheWayfarerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15074292938877766871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162653322425392992006-11-04T10:15:00.000-05:002006-11-04T10:15:00.000-05:00Bellezza: The reference of yours from the bible i...Bellezza: The reference of yours from the bible is not one that I recall reading: "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town." (Matthew 10:14 NIV)<BR/><BR/>I suspect that some hardcore Christian proselytizers of the past had also not noticed (or had chosen to ignore) that passage. In fairness, I have to say that the 'in-your-face' evangelizing by fundamentalist Christians has all but disappeared, at least in my personal experience. I figure that if you visit a church you should expect to experience words and actions designed to persuade you to become part of the fold. On the street outside, however, you should be free from being accosted.<BR/><BR/>Having said that, I don't believe that seeing a creche or a cross in a public square is an affront to me just because I might not be a 'true believer.' Those things reflect our heritage, and we can't simply pretend that the emergence of the freest and most prosperous nations in history had nothing whatever to do with our mostly Christian roots.The Atavisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529157597486952484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162652225496847842006-11-04T09:57:00.000-05:002006-11-04T09:57:00.000-05:00Galt: I love the notion expressed in this line of...Galt: I love the notion expressed in this line of yours: "and find it a good way of pushing a mental "reset" button."<BR/><BR/>I agree. We all need to take inventory periodically and purge nonsense. I think that in some ways bloggers use their posts to do just that, as a form of catharsis.The Atavisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529157597486952484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162652149382156702006-11-04T09:55:00.000-05:002006-11-04T09:55:00.000-05:00I have been thinking about this post ever since I ...I have been thinking about this post ever since I read it last night. (The comment I deleted earlier was only to see if Blogger was accepting comments since my blog is having trouble right now.) Here are a few thoughts I want to share:<BR/><BR/>1. There is little more upsetting than a person of any religion who is trying to force his religion on someone else. I feel very strongly about my faith in God, but I do not want to be harrassed by a Muslim, or a Jehovah's Witness, or any other person who believes they're right and I'm wrong. Nor do I want to ever harrass someone else. Christ even told His disciples, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town." (Matthew 10:14 NIV) I believe that one's actions are far more important than one's words, and the best way to show Christ in you is through your behavior. Not through talking.<BR/><BR/>2. Even though I believe, I understand what you mean when you say it is unknowable. Certainly there is no tangible proof. Many times I would love a letter from God addressed to me. I would love to talk to Him in person, or touch His hand, or have Him remove all that is evil and wrong RIGHT NOW! But, of course, that is not possible. It's a simple matter of grabbing onto faith or not. He lets us choose.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure you've read C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. That book was very powerful to me in it's reasoning and logic to address such a nebulous topic. <BR/><BR/>Quite a thought provoking post, Atavist. As usual.Bellezza https://www.blogger.com/profile/18073864187188953633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162602268445845542006-11-03T20:04:00.000-05:002006-11-03T20:04:00.000-05:00Sieg, I think you've touched on something via reli...Sieg, I think you've touched on something via religion that cuts across borders and affects every strata of existence:<BR/>What a different world we might live in if people became self-aware to the point of asking themselves "Why do I believe what I believe?" Such a question would be useful in sorting out and divesting of much excess motivational baggage from their minds and existences that may impede and keep them back from living life to its fullest. A baloon rises higher the more ballast and deadweight its pilot is willing to cut loose. The mind, after all, IS a finite resource.<BR/>I "give myself a reality check" often in this way, and find it a good way of pushing a mental "reset" button.<BR/>*LMAO* Having been a Douglas Adams fan since "Hitchhiker's Guide", I love that title!TheWayfarerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15074292938877766871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162588960390515672006-11-03T16:22:00.000-05:002006-11-03T16:22:00.000-05:00Sylvain: I have now, or have had in the past, fri...Sylvain: I have now, or have had in the past, friends who were staunch evangelical Christians, lukewarm Sunday Christians, agnostics, atheists, Jews, one Muslim, and even a woman with some sort of pagan focus. They were all very interesting people and I got along well with all of them. We all got along because while we had the occasional lively discussion on religion, we all respected each other's beliefs, however silly any one of us might have thought some of them to be.<BR/><BR/>What I don't understand is why that sort of understanding and tolerant relationship doesn't always extend to the larger community. I believe that a more laissez-faire approach, by those who wish to tear down and ridicule anyone and everyone who happens to think differently than they do, would be helpful. <BR/><BR/>When you and Diane and I sat down over dinner, I don't recall coming to blows over anything we discussed, although I am sure we don't agree on everything we believe individually. We behaved as any intelligent and reasonable people should behave. We chatted, we laughed, we respected each other, not because we were the same, but despite the fact that we might be different from each other in some way. That, I think, is ultimately more useful than trying to homogenize the entire human race into one bland and featureless soup.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the challenging and thoughtful comments you make. I always enjoy your input.The Atavisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529157597486952484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931353.post-1162587684916820232006-11-03T16:01:00.000-05:002006-11-03T16:01:00.000-05:00You make some good points Sieg, however, I think t...You make some good points Sieg, however, I think the reason you see more atheists talking about Christianity is because you live in a Christian hemishpere.<BR/><BR/>I'm nontheist myself, but respect other's faith, and I wish other's would respect my "faith" too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com