I have yet to return to that other forum. At some point there's a "Why waste my time?" factor. I get a declining number of Watched Thread notifications but no direct pings.
I turned of all email notifications from any forum I'm on. I can't deal with emails clogging up my inbox.
I don't understand. Then how did you know to respond to this comment? Do you solely peruse the "New Comments" page?
I should have said "email notifications." I don't want emails when someone replies to my thread. I do get alerts on the forum itself.
To stay on topic and find Dwight at the same time, I was trying to find a faith based poem by e.e. cummings but unfortunately I do not think he wrote one. Alas, if Dwight were here, he’d know if there is one. Edit: Ah ha! e.e. cummings was raised in a Unitarian family so that explains a lot about Dwight and e.e. cummings.
I disagree. If someone makes a statement that God doesn't exist to me, I merely respond with, "you are entitled to your opinion." I never feel threatened by such statements and know no one else who does.
I don't feel threatened with these statements...but many do. I heard them countless times......specially from the ones who attend Atheists meeting to find info. on the subject.
Well, whilst I hesitated to do so, I opted to produce a link involving the “practice” of Humanism which states exactly what I have been writing. http://www.humanistpractice.org/ I can also produce the tenets of Humanism which emphasize that all humans must have a system of belief.
Please go to 'Philosophy and Psychology,' and see my recent comment. It might be just as relevant here.
I go about every day doing the things necessary to maintain my body and mind and make no concious effort to follow any doctrine or practice any ritual. I respect and have no problem with those that call themselves Christians and perform certain rituals of prayer, Hail Marys, Making signs of the cross, genuflecting, diet etc. I am just not one of them.
Same here, Lon. Though I do occasionally say things like, "oh my God" or "Lord, help me." So maybe I think someone is listening.
If I’m understanding you and your post correctly, if one says that they believe a certain way then they should follow all the tenets of that belief. Of course, your article circles around the Christian belief system of which there are nearly 2000 sects with each having it’s own statement of faith, but yes, logic does play a large part of faith. Such as in my life time of experiences, to negate the belief in a universal reality or God as it were, would be ludicrous to say the least. Logically, there has to be someone, something greater than science itself or those experiences were all imaginary. I spent many years of study to disprove the evidence of Jesus the Christ but at one important point I had to admit that my prior reasoning was faulty because all the evidences were logical, historically solid and personally convicting. Do note though that the underlying ingredient in the synopsis provided is a recognition, without directly saying it, that many people who have invested time and trouble to be whatever are failing due to their inability to totally commit to that which they believe. A belief system isn’t supposed to be a membership whereby whatever is popular at the time is what one joins in on and moreover, switch back and forth according to that popularity., Logically that would be a weak minded human who isn’t convicted of anything sans his or her own personal profit or popularity as it were. To me, if a person cannot fully commit to the tenets of a particular belief system then it is Not that belief system a person should be identifying with. Now, to write that a person who believes in God and the hereafter should better dern well believe it is a moot point but I understand it. For a person to live their life the way they wanted to and then, on the death bed declare to be a believer with no other provocation to believe other than death is a pretty asinine way of thinking. The logic being that one should attempt to cover all the bases is not even logic, it’s panic.
For most believers is impossible to accept a person could go about life without doing the things they (the believers) do.