Sheesh. I posted something before I went to bed, turned around, and I see an entire page of posts when I come back. I'm impressed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dor  In some ways you've been both missing and making my point....When you hate religion, or pre-define what it is rather than explore you're missing out on quite a bit.
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atheists/religion haters tend to focus on the most extreme fundementalist interpretations of scripture - ignoring, not realizing or forgetting a religion like christianity has a wide range of practices and beliefs. |
My goal, over the past few years, has been a study of society in general in search of an acceptable ideal and a path to get to it. I haven't succeeded in finding either, but what I am sure of is that religion isn't necessary. This is based on
my definition of religion. You will note that I do not use the word "spirit" or any morpheme related to it. This is because I have yet to see a reasonable definition for any such term.
There has been no instance, to my knowledge, where a practice or belief of a religion is necessary or has not been tested out in secular law. This does not stop me from continuing to explore various belief systems, which I still do, including those which have no modern or reputable believers (such as the Greek) as well as those invented as escapist fantasies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dor i must ...."explicate"? Sorry you've brought up a pet peeve.... |
This explains why you didn't answer the the request, but rather merely dismissed it? Alright, let me try again in tiny words.
You must
make explicit exactly why religion is a "large part of ...a human being".
No, scratch that. Word too big.
You must make
clear exactly why religion is a "large part of ...a human being".
Wait, metaphors are difficult to understand.
You must make
obvious for my understanding exactly why religion is a "large part of ...a human being".
Shoot. I got another metaphor with some implicit references.
You must
restate your previous declaration, that religion is a "large part of ...a human being", obvious for my understanding.
Or can't you? I wasn't thinking when I said "explicate". I didn't need to. I didn't spend an hour poring through the thesaurus and wondering, "Does this sound snobbish enough?" It's a simple enough term; the meaning of "pet peeve" is far less clear. What is it, a pet that makes you peevish? Are you peevish? When's the last time you used the word "peevish"?
Explicate. To make explicit. It's clear, from your posts, that you'd rather use two words when you can use one, but don't impose that religion on me. I don't believe in it.
And yes, I am making an ad hominem. But you forgot to actually say anything in response.
Let me make my stance clear, before you respond:
I am
anti-religion, because I feel that religion is replaceable and thus unnecessary. I am
not an atheist, because such a term requires a definition of the term "deity" that I do not accept, and then presumes certainty where there is none. I am especially anti-Christianity, because the idea of a bearded man in a red suit showering gifts down to his children writing prayers and leaving them next to the chimney is just laughable. And as someone who does not believe that religion is necessary, I am also free to pick and choose what portions of various religions I am inclined to imitate, and which I wish to reject: this is because I believe
religion does not have to be taken as a whole, and that components are not functions of their sum: thus, ignoring religion, I may agree with the Golden Rule and disagree with the Book of Revelations. I may appreciate the beauty of the Psalms, the simplicity of the Proverbs, and the eros of the Song of Solomon without soliciting their references to God. I may give my regards to the courage of Abraham yet disdain the blindness of Isaac. I may walk the Middle Way without seeking nirvana and respect my ancestors without lighting incense to invoke them. I may believe that the royal son resurrects the imperial father through ritualized revolution without expecting that he rules the dead and makes the plants grow. I may anticipate futures and ponder histories without expecting human beings be taller in those times. And I may chart the moons and stars in the sky without predicting apocalypse during a dearth of sacrificial virgins. All this I may do, because I do not need religion.
Religion is simply another book.