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Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

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Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Agnostic is just a modifier, ie an agnostic atheist simply doesn’t believ god exists based on a lack of evidence. Whereas a strong atheist believes that god doesn’t exist. I think people consider themselves “agnostic” but in reality they’re agnostic atheists.

And then you have agnostic agnostics, like the UUs.
 
I don’t think that’s true at all.

Well one can be an agnostic theist or an agnostic atheist. Being agnostic by itself doesn’t really mean anything but I think people have more commonly adopted using it to describe being an agnostic atheist partly because atheist is a term that generates a bunch of shocked looks from people more often than not.
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

atheist is a term that generates a bunch of shocked looks from people more often than not.

Not any more. 40 years ago, or today in Dumbf-ckistan, maybe. But not today in civilization.

At this point "atheist" just means "intellectually honest agnostic." Either you're up for Russell's teapot or you're not. The idea that you're not certain there's a man in the sky but you're withholding judgment is cautious political correctness when surrounded by apes. It's a good idea when the low brows are about, but it's only for self-defense.
 
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Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Agnostic is just a modifier, ie an agnostic atheist simply doesn’t believ god exists based on a lack of evidence. Whereas a strong atheist believes that god doesn’t exist. I think people consider themselves “agnostic” but in reality they’re agnostic atheists.

Not any more. 40 years ago, or today in Dumbf-ckistan, maybe. But not today in civilization.

At this point "atheist" just means "intellectually honest agnostic." Either you're up for Russell's teapot or you're not. The idea that you're not certain there's a man in the sky but you're withholding judgment is cautious political correctness when surrounded by apes. It's a good idea when the low brows are about, but it's only for self-defense.

I don't believe there is a personifiable 'god' or 'gods' who sit in judgement of the rights and wrongs of humanity. I do think the universe and its laws of physics are definitely powers greater than humans, perhaps powers greater than humanity will ever fully understand.

So where does that fit me into your little boxes? ;)
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

I don't believe there is a personifiable 'god' or 'gods' who sit in judgement of the rights and wrongs of humanity. I do think the universe and its laws of physics are definitely powers greater than humans, perhaps powers greater than humanity will ever fully understand.

So where does that fit me into your little boxes? ;)
The great pursuit of science is that humanity is never likely to ever have a complete understand of how everything works. There will always be something to discover, something to drive our great minds to greater and greater knowledge.
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

I don't believe there is a personifiable 'god' or 'gods' who sit in judgement of the rights and wrongs of humanity. I do think the universe and its laws of physics are definitely powers greater than humans, perhaps powers greater than humanity will ever fully understand.

So where does that fit me into your little boxes? ;)

Grew up Unitarian. Even tho I am a Lutheran I still cling to some of the tenets of the heretics. Unitarians don't believe in boxes
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

I don't believe there is a personifiable 'god' or 'gods' who sit in judgement of the rights and wrongs of humanity. I do think the universe and its laws of physics are definitely powers greater than humans, perhaps powers greater than humanity will ever fully understand.

So where does that fit me into your little boxes? ;)

OK, I'll take a 5:30 a.m. off-the-cuff, partly tongue-in-cheek shot:

The ones with the higher rpm primal needs motors have survived in greater numbers, but their motors tend to keep spinning even after the basic hierarchy needs are met. So your drive to love and be loved (f ck and propagate), function within a social group with clearly identified leaders (herd instinct/leader of pack), and intellectual and philosophical curiosity (need to classify every new or different thing in your environment for risk assessment/survival purposes), to mention only a few evolutionary tools, has continued to apply itself to things other than warmth, hunger, f cking, and shelter, etc. And since we continue to work with the same basic set of tools, we will form groups of religions, philosophies, etc., just as we formed tribes and clans. It's all Darwinian, and it's fun if we let it be. Dangerous if we are unaware.

Some of this plays itself out on hockey boards and includes the babble you just read.
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Not any more. 40 years ago, or today in Dumbf-ckistan, maybe.
Depends where you are, 12 years ago when I first started going to school at UMN people seemed kinda shocked and I was surprised given that we were definitely in civilization (perhaps you disagree :D ).
Now it's a little different.
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

I don't believe there is a personifiable 'god' or 'gods' who sit in judgement of the rights and wrongs of humanity. I do think the universe and its laws of physics are definitely powers greater than humans, perhaps powers greater than humanity will ever fully understand.

So where does that fit me into your little boxes? ;)

I don't see anything in your description to separate you from me in the Atheist box. But if you believe the universe has some sort of karmic balance and/or some kind of innate justice -- even a justice transcendent of human values -- you're in the Deist box with Jefferson and Emerson and Dr. Mrs.

That's the most fun box with the smartest people of all. I'd kill to be in that box. But (IMHO) the universe isn't aware and doesn't care. Awareness is a function of life and caring, at least so far, is a function of humanity, though it's statistically likely that there are billions of other types of caring out there. But they are all parochial. There is no overdetermining "caring." There is no Absolute.
 
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Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

OK, I'll take a 5:30 a.m. off-the-cuff, partly tongue-in-cheek shot:

The ones with the higher rpm primal needs motors have survived in greater numbers, but their motors tend to keep spinning even after the basic hierarchy needs are met. So your drive to love and be loved (f ck and propagate), function within a social group with clearly identified leaders (herd instinct/leader of pack), and intellectual and philosophical curiosity (need to classify every new or different thing in your environment for risk assessment/survival purposes), to mention only a few evolutionary tools, has continued to apply itself to things other than warmth, hunger, f cking, and shelter, etc. And since we continue to work with the same basic set of tools, we will form groups of religions, philosophies, etc., just as we formed tribes and clans. It's all Darwinian, and it's fun if we let it be. Dangerous if we are unaware.

Some of this plays itself out on hockey boards and includes the babble you just read.
:eek: That made my brain hurt (not being caffeinated anymore and burnt from work)
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

The ones with the higher rpm primal needs motors have survived in greater numbers, but their motors tend to keep spinning even after the basic hierarchy needs are met. So your drive to love and be loved (f ck and propagate), function within a social group with clearly identified leaders (herd instinct/leader of pack), and intellectual and philosophical curiosity (need to classify every new or different thing in your environment for risk assessment/survival purposes), to mention only a few evolutionary tools, has continued to apply itself to things other than warmth, hunger, f cking, and shelter, etc. And since we continue to work with the same basic set of tools, we will form groups of religions, philosophies, etc., just as we formed tribes and clans. It's all Darwinian, and it's fun if we let it be. Dangerous if we are unaware.

Reader's Digest version:

Guys gonna be guys.
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

:eek: That made my brain hurt (not being caffeinated anymore and burnt from work)

I think your brain knows incoherent ramble when it sees it, to be honest.
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

So this makes me wonder- why do you need to do things labeled 'Christian'? Jesus was all about doing. I don't recall much of the Bible telling people to study, study, study. In fact I recall a whole lot of Jesus saying that the obsession with the 'Law' was misguided. That doing the right thing was way more important. If people are actively helping, doing things that fit with Christian Tenets why must they engage in 'Christian' activities? Serious question.

I use the label Christian because many here are insinuating that 'Christian' adds no value. I am advancing the position that for most it does. In theory, your correct. But this isn't about what God/Jesus wants, its about human nature.

On a personal level, aid from faith and its community can come in many forms 1) morality reinforcement 2) personal support 3) motivational drivers 4) conduits for positive action. These also occur in society anyways...but at a greatly reduced rate with faith to often have advantage. Food shelves, homeless shelters, international child support, food packaging for third world countries, disaster relief, international society development - religion way over-indexes across the board. It can do the same on a personal level...if given a chance.

Muslim Restaurant Offers Free Christmas Meals To Homeless People

http://social.diply.com/muslim-rest...urce=facebook&utm_medium=diply-hello&config=8
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

If believing there's a man in the sky makes you do nice things, then good -- do that.

If you believe you're playing well because you're getting laid, or because you're not getting laid, or because you wear women's underwear, then you are.
 
Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

If believing there's a man in the sky makes you do nice things, then good -- do that.

You still don't get it. This has nothing to do with 'believing there's a man in the sky'. It has to do with the content giving support to millions. But if disbelieving there's a man in the sky gives you reason to feel superior -- do that.
 
You still don't get it. This has nothing to do with 'believing there's a man in the sky'. It has to do with the content giving support to millions. But if disbelieving there's a man in the sky gives you reason to feel superior -- do that.

Tough to square that outlook with the first commandment, but I digress since we've beaten that horse to death.
 
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