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ergo123
BANNED
USA
810 Posts |
 Posted - 11/20/2006 : 11:29:11
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I just finished Letter to a Christian Nation (Harris).
In it are some of the most powerful words I've seen written on the role of religion in our society and all the societies of the world.
In his conclusion, he comments:
"Clearly, it is time we learned to meet our emotional needs without embracing the preposterous. We must find ways to mark those transitions in every human life that demand profundity--birth, marriage, death--without lying to ourselves about the nature of reality. Only then will the practice of raising our children to believe that they are Christian, Muslin or Jewish be widely recognized as the ludicrous obscenity that it is. And only then will we stand a chance of healing the deepest and most dangerous fractures in our world." (p.88)
Personally, I have felt this for decades but have never been able to articulate it so clearly and concisely. I'm tempted to replace my current signature with the first line quoted above...
Your thoughts?
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No witty quotes. I think for myself. |
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BigPapaSmurf
SFN Die Hard
3192 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2006 : 11:46:48 [Permalink]
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Calling 90%+ of the populations deepest ideals a "ludicris obscenity" is a sure fire way to make them ignore everything you say...
The only way to force this type of "emotional needs" adjustment is by "aggressive reeducation", unless of course Im missing something.
Its nice that you've found an articulation of your feelings, I just wish I could forget the ones Ive found.
Apologies for quote abuse. |
"...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 |
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ergo123
BANNED
USA
810 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2006 : 13:05:41 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by BigPapaSmurf
Calling 90%+ of the populations deepest ideals a "ludicris obscenity" is a sure fire way to make them ignore everything you say...
Possibly. The interesting thing is that when referring to "others'" beliefs, none of the mentioned religions disagree with the statement--e.g., the Christian sees the Muslim's belief as a ludicris obscenity.
quote:
The only way to force this type of "emotional needs" adjustment is by "aggressive reeducation", unless of course Im missing something.
I don't think this is something that can be forced. In fact, I'm inclined to think that the best way to get someone to doggedly hold onto their current beliefs is to tell them they need to get new ones.
quote:
Its nice that you've found an articulation of your feelings, I just wish I could forget the ones Ive found.
Which ones are those? |
No witty quotes. I think for myself. |
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BigPapaSmurf
SFN Die Hard
3192 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2006 : 13:19:11 [Permalink]
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While I consider it to be fairly accurate, I have deemed my philosophy too dangerous to be disseminated, lest it be used against my ideals. Its a strange problem to have, especially when your trying to have an existentialist discussion.
Edit: To clarify or muddle this statement depending on your veiw. |
"...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 11/20/2006 13:22:50 |
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