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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
 Posted - 08/26/2005 : 23:02:21
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At the Secular Student Alliance con this summer I participated in a 40 minute mini-demonstration of a structured Garrison-Martineau Project discussion. (2 believers + 2 nonbelievers + 1 trained facilitator)
Further explanation here: http://www.garrison-martineau.com/index.html
Thoughts?
Unfortunately, 40 minutes wasn't really enough for me to get a great idea of whether or not this sort of thing actually helps civilize relations between believers and nonbelievers, or hurts. I couldn't help but think that if I went off and talked more with the two Christian guys (without the facilitator), it would have simply turned into debate, with them trying to convert me to born-again Christianity, and me trying to convert them to political liberalism. I mean, they didn't say anything I hadn't heard before, and I doubt I or the other atheist said anything they hadn't heard before.
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"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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Edited by - marfknox on 08/26/2005 23:02:59
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BigPapaSmurf
SFN Die Hard
3192 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2005 : 10:36:25 [Permalink]
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I would like to point out that atheists can be believers as well , was the other atheist really a non-believer? Are you?
Various 'spiritual pagans' consider themselves atheists and believe/behave just like the theists. |
"...things I have neither seen nor experienced nor heard tell of from anybody else; things, what is more, that do not in fact exist and could not ever exist at all. So my readers must not believe a word I say." -Lucian on his book True History
"...They accept such things on faith alone, without any evidence. So if a fraudulent and cunning person who knows how to take advantage of a situation comes among them, he can make himself rich in a short time." -Lucian critical of early Christians c.166 AD From his book, De Morte Peregrini |
| Edited by - BigPapaSmurf on 08/29/2005 10:37:11 |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2005 : 08:43:35 [Permalink]
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In this context I think it should be clear that "non-believer" refers to people who don't believe in supernatural elements.
See, this is exactly the problem with atheists who don't want to admit that they are "atheists". We end up having all sorts of ridiculous euphonisms that are just fine when they work out to be direct synonymns with atheist (example: non-theist), but become problematic when they can so easily be interpreted in other ways (example: non-believer) |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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| Edited by - marfknox on 08/30/2005 08:45:57 |
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