tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post3254921429699922323..comments2024-03-27T12:58:00.592-07:00Comments on Snowbrush: About PrayerSnowbrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-75146474452078208102015-03-08T21:17:19.711-07:002015-03-08T21:17:19.711-07:00My account is relayed accurately. My mother is the...My account is relayed accurately. My mother is the one who was the believer. I was stunned! She only told me after three incidents. She was the one who kept pointing out my power. Today is her birthday. She would have been 94 today. But, she died in 1993. far too soon for me.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-50030906474777387542015-03-08T11:43:48.174-07:002015-03-08T11:43:48.174-07:00“I was not suggesting you read Mark Twain's &q...“I was not suggesting you read Mark Twain's "The War Prayer" to improve your erudition. The prayer is to God to blast the other side of the battle,”<br /><br />I rather assumed you recommended it because you thought it would resonate with me. I’ve read it twice over the years, not recently, but I know very well what he meant to convey, and he’s entirely right. Except for an occasional atheist, everyone on every side in every war thinks that God is on his side. Take our own Civil War for example. Those guys were as much alike as could be, yet, as Twain wrote, they each thought that God liked them better and would help them fill the other half of the country with widows.<br /><br />“My mother suggested I had power, maybe she did not mean I was a psychic. She just said that "Linda has power." …So, what do you think?”<br /><br />As far as serving as proof to anyone but yourself, your mother, and maybe other people you know, it falls under the heading of anecdotal evidence, and that’s a very weak kind of evidence because there’s so much room for error. I don’t mean that I have any thought that you are being dishonest because I’m perfectly content to take you at your word. Can I then say that I don’t believe that your account is accurate exactly as given? No. I’m just reminded of something David Hume wrote about extraordinary claims requiring extraordinary evidence. I know that a lot of people report very strange abilities in dogs to sense things that they simply couldn’t know short of ESP. I even saw a PBS program on it once, and the program was very impressive, but it wasn’t science, so all I can say is that I don’t know. I think it possible, but I can’t say I believe in it because I’ve never seen it, and it hasn’t been scientifically verified. Some things I deny—for example ghosts, crystal healing, astrology, and forth, while other things I’m open to but can’t say that I know them to be true. For example, I think it extremely likely that there is other life in the universe. I think it SO likely that I would bet heavily on it, and I’m not a betting man, yet I can’t say that I KNOW it. As for ESP kinds of powers, many people who believed they had them have been tested, and they’ve never been able to display their powers in a laboratory setting, yet I think it possible that such things might exist, if not in humans, then maybe in other animals.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-82982497420666268352015-03-07T23:58:41.463-08:002015-03-07T23:58:41.463-08:00My mother suggested I had power, maybe she did not...My mother suggested I had power, maybe she did not mean I was a psychic. She just said that "Linda has power." Several times from 500 miles distance, my mother had the urgent need, a feeling, that she should call me. She turned of her dinner she was cooking and called me fast as she could. <br /><br />My ex answered the phone because that was his job as head of the house. Besides, I was crying because of his bullying me, being cruel. He would not allow me to call my mother and was calling me names, so I was bawling. She called when I needed her and was not allowed to call her. She did not call me later in the day. She called within three minutes of my urgent need. <br /><br />I tried to do this on purpose after a few years. I was not testing it on my mother, but on others who were close. I could do it. I don't know what to think. I have not tried this in years. <br /><br />So, what do you think? I don't think I am psychic. I don't put a name on it. It just happens through emotion and stress. Maybe I should try it again.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-60937717607695212282015-03-07T23:51:53.034-08:002015-03-07T23:51:53.034-08:00I was not suggesting you read Mark Twain's &qu...I was not suggesting you read Mark Twain's "The War Prayer" to improve your erudition. The prayer is to God to blast the other side of the battle, praying to God for other people to be killed so the person praying can live and be victorious.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-70188703923156619462015-02-25T07:31:37.706-08:002015-02-25T07:31:37.706-08:00This was a very interesting post, Snow, with some ...This was a very interesting post, Snow, with some very interesting comments. I still read you but don't comment as often any more.<br /><br />You mentioned "those 12 Coptic Christians" -- there were more than 12. There were 21.<br /><br />You could probably use Google Translate or some other vehicle to turn Oswaldo's Portuguese into English.<br /> rhymeswithplaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10870439618129001633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-31136941442909080542015-02-24T11:28:25.029-08:002015-02-24T11:28:25.029-08:00“you could self publish. there is a joy in holding...“you could self publish. there is a joy in holding a published book in your hands.”<br /><br />Big publishing houses also take care of advertising, arrange radio appearance, book signings, and so forth, and without these things, it’s hard for me to see the point. I remember Thoreau’s first book not selling, and him writing that he had a library of some 500 books, 450 of them by himself.<br /><br />“When a Christian throws out an "I will pray for you”<br /><br />I don’t believe that about Oswaldo in particular, and I try to give others the benefit of the doubt too. The problem is that if I do this—as I did it with Joseph regarding his comments following my last post—and then the person turns out to be hateful after all, I feel worse than if I had been cynical from the outset. Still, I want to see the good in others, and just as Christians make mistakes with me, I make mistakes with them.<br /><br />“First of all, I also want to encourage you to publish your writings.”<br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br />“Many of the greatest scientists of all times believed, and their work is no less valuable because of that.”<br /><br />In this country, geneticist Francis Collins (head of the Human Genome Project) is the most prominent Christian/scientist, and, of former eras, Isaac Newton stands out above anyone else. However, the sciences today contain a much higher percentage of atheists than does the general population. However, this lack of theistic representation doesn’t disprove theism just as it wouldn’t prove that it was true if the sciences contained large numbers of believers. The truth or falsity of a proposition rests upon the evidence for or against the proposition rather than upon the learning and intelligence of those whom believe or disbelieve it. You also wrote that science can’t disprove God, and this led me to wonder what, if anything, would disprove God to you. You might recall Tertullian’s statent: “Credo quia absurdum” (I believe because it is absurd) as representing the ultimate in fideism, and Kierkegaard’s “leap of faith” position. Since you acknowledge that science can’t establish the truth of religion, perhaps such statements apply to you too.<br /><br />“I recognize that it would be better not to have mentioned the word prayer. Forgive me.”<br /><br />It’s a small matter where you’re concerned. It’s like when a friend recently told me that my use of the word “oriental” would be offensive to many Asian people, yet I meant no offense. I<br /><br />I visited your blog and was disappointed that I can’t read your language because I would very much like to encourage a friendship with you.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-682409136994721642015-02-23T21:33:44.616-08:002015-02-23T21:33:44.616-08:00Hi snow,
First of all, I also want to encourage yo...Hi snow,<br />First of all, I also want to encourage you to publish your writings.<br /><br />"Then why believe in it?"<br /><br />Or why not? Many of the greatest scientists of all times believed, and their work is no less valuable because of that.<br /><br />"The problem is that everyone thinks that their religious faith has made them better"<br /><br />You touched a raw nerve here... It reminds me of the saying: "Saints agree they are sinners; only sinners think they are saints" (Peter Kreeft).<br /><br />"I am confident that you meant well..."<br /><br />Yes, I wanted to say that I liked you. But I recognize that it would be better not to have mentioned the word prayer. Forgive me.<br /><br />Cheers!Oswaldo Viana Jrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04212541432955249375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-91681020159838827202015-02-22T19:57:08.790-08:002015-02-22T19:57:08.790-08:00When a Christian throws out an "I will pray f...When a Christian throws out an "I will pray for you" I don't think they mean well for you at all. It implies that you need prayer after a religious discussion. Yes, it is passive aggressive. No one is wishing you well. No one is intending to do you a favor. However, if a non-Christian objects to the put down, the Christian can then hurl a few soft words to condemn the atheist. The atheists disdain and even a slightly raised voice brings on more passive-aggressive behavior from the Christian, implying you need help if your voice is not syrup-sweet like their own falsely sweet words and tone. It becomes a standoff they enjoy. Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-26588877818301851212015-02-22T11:56:51.927-08:002015-02-22T11:56:51.927-08:00snow, i read (present tense) that you are sad your...snow, i read (present tense) that you are sad your writings do not reach a wider audience. why not publish? <br /><br />there may well be agents and publishers interested in seeing samples of your essays and/or your essays with comments and they're there to be found. or you could self publish. there is a joy in holding a published book in your hands.<br /><br />love<br />kjkjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15122196887043345981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-55488261902139474812015-02-22T10:04:29.290-08:002015-02-22T10:04:29.290-08:00“God's existence or nonexistence can't be ...“God's existence or nonexistence can't be scientifically proven,”<br /><br />Then why believe in it? That aside, you are right, of course, although fundamentalists haven’t realized it, and this puts them in the position of offering arguments that were disproven hundreds of years ago.<br /><br />“it is possible for us only to measure psychological/neurological effects of faith and prayer in people's brain.”<br /><br />So, is this why you believe? I have no doubt but what faith and prayer have pyschological benefits, although prayer, at least the prayers of other people, hasn’t been shown to heal anyone. Still, they must be a source of encouragement, and it makes sense that this encouragement would affect one’s general well-being. Most importantly, religion offers a sense of community.<br /><br />“Each of us have his own beliefs, but what really matters is if these beliefs made us better or worse human beings.”<br /><br />The problem is that everyone thinks that their religious faith has made them better, so it’s of some use to look at yourself through the eyes of others. If Christians were to do this, they would find that non-Christians have a very poor opinion of their behavior. For example, the consensus among atheists is that religious belief is an impediment to ethics and compassion. This is partly due to the fact that believers treat atheists so badly. This no doubt stems from the fact that they hold us in the same esteem that they hold rapists (please feel free to look this up). While Christians might not hold all non-Christians who hold beliefs similar to those of their own sect in as low an opinion as they hold atheists, they still look down upon them, and this leads to ill treatment, or at the very least being held at arm’s length.<br /><br />“Best regards, and my sincere prayers for you.”<br /><br />I can but take you at your word, but I will tell you this. When an atheist and a believer have an interaction—a discussion about prayer and God, for example—and the believer closes by saying that he (or she) will pray for the atheist, the atheist doesn’t know what the believer is trying to convey. For one thing, the believer knows that the atheist doesn’t believe in God and will take no comfort in receiving prayer, and this causes the atheist to wonder why the believer would say such a thing. Alongside this is the fact that believers so often say “I will pray for you” in an angry or condescending tone that atheists become used to interpreting it as passive-aggression. This goes along with what I wrote about Christians doing well to pay attention to how they look in the eyes of others. In this instance, I am confident that you meant well, but you’re not conveying that feeling in a way that works as well as you might have hoped.<br /><br />Thank you for you comments.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-66725230958803683732015-02-21T23:09:16.849-08:002015-02-21T23:09:16.849-08:00It's really interesting how I arrived here: I ...It's really interesting how I arrived here: I was looking for an online version of a very clever article by Fr. Patrick Henry Heardon, entitled "The Skeptical Priest" (which I have in printed form). He talks about the conversation the angel Gabriel had with Zacharias and with the virgin Mary, and what Rene Descartes(!) has to do with them.<br /><br />I didn't find the article. But found your blog truly interesting. On the subject of this post, all I can say is: prayer is as mysterious as God himself. Since God's existence or nonexistence can't be scientifically proven, it is possible for us only to measure psychological/neurological effects of faith and prayer in people's brain. Each of us have his own beliefs, but what really matters is if these beliefs made us better or worse human beings.<br /><br />Best regards, and my sincere prayers for you.Oswaldo Viana Jrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04212541432955249375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-42691492739225116812015-02-21T12:01:26.109-08:002015-02-21T12:01:26.109-08:00“I get the sense that you don't much care for ...“I get the sense that you don't much care for pats on the back”<br /><br />What I most appreciate isn’t praise but responses that make me think, but I sometimes really need to feel appreciated. Today is one of those times, and you’ve given me as touching a compliment as I’ve ever received. I’ve written from time to time about how much pain I live in, and how, without a good marriage, I don’t know if I would continue to live, but even with a good marriage, the pain sometimes gets me down, and I wonder what in the hell I’m staying alive for. Last night was a bad night, and you’ve helped me more than you can know.<br /><br />I don’t see myself going back to school, partly because I’ll be 66 on March 1, and partly because I don’t think I have the strength to do it due to the pain. As it is, if I have a bad night, I can do what I need to do to survive the next day, but if I had places I had to go and assignments that I had to turn-in, I don’t think I could manage. In fact, I’m almost certain of it. At the very least, I would have to take such a small course load that I would be 20 years getting a doctorate. So, no, teaching is out, and I’m not sure I would do as well at it as you think anyway. What I can do is to write, and it is a constant sadness to me that it looks like I’m going to grow old and die without making a surviving contribution to atheist literature. As I said somewhere in this comment section, I bring feeling to what I write whereas many atheist writers stay pretty much in their heads. (William Lobdell being a notable exception). Back in the mid-eighties, I spent two years writing for magazines, but I found the work of seeking publication so odious that I haven’t been able to force myself to go in that direction again. I have, perhaps, 2-3,000 pages that are more or less ready for publication if only I could see my way to doing it. As things are, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-47791285699848987762015-02-21T11:19:25.317-08:002015-02-21T11:19:25.317-08:00Oh hell.... I don't remember telling you not t...Oh hell.... I don't remember telling you not to correct my misspellings..... Tells you what a few beers will do. Nonetheless, I stand by my previous post. OneOldGoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15129187115646534250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-80980418627370081072015-02-21T10:43:58.130-08:002015-02-21T10:43:58.130-08:00Snowbrush, this may or may not be relevent to your...Snowbrush, this may or may not be relevent to your most recent post. But I've finally found the words to respond to your posts. This is not meant to be a blind compliments to you - i've been thinking about this quite a bit. I am a very simple person - I'm not articulate like you, I live in a world in which I am quite happy with my dogs, my goats and my quilts. I am not a deep thinker. That is, until I started reading your blog. Which, as you know, has been a number of years. I am convinced that you should teach. I have learned more from reading your writings that I have in any of my graduate courses. Which may be due to lack of interest on my part or lack of presentation on the part of the professor. Who knows? Never, since starting to read your posts, have I ever questioned my beliefs to the extent that I have recently. You haven't convinced me to be an athiest - not at all! but you have taught me to question all angles, all sides. You present a side that is well-thought out, articulate. While I both love and question both sides of traditional religion, I find my thinking during a sermon: WWSBT? (What would Snowbrush think?) I took a philosophy course. Once. As an undergrad. And hated it. Not for what I learned but how I was assessed. I think you would be an awesome teacher. I've learned a lot from you. I thought you should know that. I get the sense that you don't much care for pats on the back or a other forms of accolations but I just want you to know that you have impacted my life. Please don't correct my misspellings. If I don't quick the publish button, you will never know.<br />OneOldGoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15129187115646534250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-62828002016648967302015-02-19T11:42:59.883-08:002015-02-19T11:42:59.883-08:00it is a very interesting conversation...at church ...it is a very interesting conversation...at church right now we are working through the gifts and talking about things like why we dont see them in use now even when the scripture repeatedly says they will be...i think some of it comes froma measure of faith...but i think too that we misalign our hopes for the outcome or product with god's will as well...<br /><br />thanks for popping in today...smile.sBrian Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722940075884718007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-2738176368100837952015-02-18T19:07:58.084-08:002015-02-18T19:07:58.084-08:00Actually, I am enjoying our discussion. And I was...Actually, I am enjoying our discussion. And I was thinking later about what I had written, and realizing that I had projected onto you the feelings that I have when I talk to my stubborn friend. Sorry about that. That's why I came across as being upset. Well, I was upset, but it wasn't because of you. I can see that now. And in fact, I am pleased that you said that we can be friends, because I truly value a friend who is willing to call me out on any b.s. I might produce. Especially one who can do that without attacking. Confrontation is a skill, and it is not easy to go at it in such a way that creates increased understanding, so kudos to you. I learned something about myself today (that I have some pretty serious unresolved feelings about my friend) thanks to your patience and willingness to keep the discussion going. <br /><br />I honestly don't know exactly what I believe. Sometimes I lean to one side of the fence, and sometimes the other. It depends on what mood I'm in on a given day, or whether I've been reading the science section of the NYT or something "softer". I don't feel that I need anything validated per se. I reserve the right to keep an open mind (i.e. to waffle and be inconsistent, I guess, from another perspective).<br /><br />I'm not offended. I'm happy to have discovered another person who has Deep Thoughts and who is willing to discuss them. :-)Sparkling Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12799366562472325812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-42296085279540727352015-02-18T11:18:27.602-08:002015-02-18T11:18:27.602-08:00“If you want to make the world a better place, why...“If you want to make the world a better place, why spend energy tearing down peoples' personal philosophies when you could be doing something constructive?”<br /><br />As you might have guessed, I tend to reply as I read rather than to read a complete comment and then reply. As to your point, does it simply bother you that I’m an atheist because my mere existence suggests a refutation of your belief? After all, we agree that much of religion is destructive, and it is primarily destructive religion about which I write, although all it takes for me to be criticized is to write about ANY religious views because there are always people who will either become offended when their views are criticized, or who will complain that I spend too much time on one religious mindset and too little on others. This was my sister’s complaint. She said that the only religion I criticized was fundamentalist Christianity and that I imagined it to represent the whole of religion, although she didn’t like it any better when I criticized her views, but that’s just what I do. I criticize religion. I think most religion NEEDS to be criticized and that criticizing it is of positive value, but I’m far from thinking that it all needs to be criticized because it’s all demonstrably harmful. As I see it, your belief isn’t, of itself, demonstrably harmful. It’s meaningless to me, but I still enjoy such discussing it—and at least trying to understand it. <br /><br />While I don’t disagree that some atheists are obnoxious, most of the atheists I know don’t even like talking about religion or atheism. I do, but what I often find from even the most liberal, non-affiliated theists is that they view their belief as sensitive and enlightened and my non-belief as indicative of willful blindness and utter arrogance. As near as I can tell, the basis for this conclusion is that I disagree with them, and that they’re frustrated that they can’t win me over. In my mind, this makes them look a good bit less than humble. They demand respect for their belief but have no respect for my non-belief. To put it as honestly as I can, while I really don’t respect your belief, I don’t disrespect it either; I simply regard it as too vague to be meaningful, yet I don’t object to it being meaningful to you. For my part, we can argue until the cows come home and still be friends, but I’m realizing that you’re really angry here, although I don’t understand why.<br /><br />“I know plenty of people whose religious beliefs cause no harm, and who don't use them as an excuse for homophobia or starting wars, for example. So what if they're not "right" about how they perceive the world?”<br /><br />I agree completely. Some atheists would hold that all religious beliefs are delusional and therefore harmful, but I wouldn’t go that far because I don’t think a good case could be made for it, i.e. I don’t think you’re delusional, and I don’t think you’re harming anyone. For all I know, you might be twice as sane and three times as intelligent as I, so if believing in “something more” comforts you, I’m perfectly happy that you have such a belief.<br /><br />“If they're being good people, isn't that enough?”<br /><br />Yes, but this means that I’m still a bit lost about what the problem is. I set about to discuss your belief because you told me about your belief, and I was interested and had questions. I never had the least intention of portraying you as being in any way less than I because we think differently. It simply seems to me that you view me as a threat to what you want to believe, and this means that you can’t enjoy talking about your belief with me. You’re less firm in your belief than you want to be, and this puts you in a position of needing validation rather than criticism. I really have no intention of causing offense. I actually imagined that we were both enjoying the discussion.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-58040472433760362122015-02-18T11:18:14.720-08:002015-02-18T11:18:14.720-08:00“Yes, it is undefined, because my point is that we...“Yes, it is undefined, because my point is that we don't know the answers.”<br /><br />I don’t understand your point. You’re saying that are there are things that we don’t know, and that our current understanding of some things is certain to be overturned. Okay, fine. We’re in agreement on these points, yet you seem to be saying that there’s “something more” that I’m not seeing, but you can’t tell me about it because “we don’t know the answers.” What I don’t understand is why put “something more” in quotes? Why not just say that there are many things that we’re ignorant of and let it go at that? If you were to do that, we would be in agreement. As it is, it seems to be that you’re talking about God but without using the word God.<br /><br />“…Inevitably, in the future, some opinions currently held by reasonable and logical people will seem absurd. Once it was common sense that the earth was flat because that was the limit of scientific understanding.”<br /><br />The scientific method only goes back to the Middle Ages, yet the world was known to be round for hundreds of years before Christ. Rather than “reasonable and logical people” thinking it was flat, it was precisely those people who realized that it was round because it was they who looked beyond what less curious and intelligent people considered obvious, there being a big gap between the obvious and the reasonable and logical. For example, it’s obvious that sticks bend in water.<br /><br />“I don't think it's right for those with different beliefs to get on their high horse and feel so superior.”<br /><br />I agree completely, but I don’t precisely what you have reference to?<br /><br />“I have a friend for whom I feel abundant affection, but he has a nasty habit of insulting anyone who has beliefs different than his own (staunch atheist).”<br /><br />Oh, I think I see. You’re talking about atheists and you’re putting them all into the same boat. Is that it?<br /><br />“It's an ugly side of his personality, that he's so willing to point the finger at others while remaining blind to some of the irrationalities in his own life.”<br /><br />I would agree that this is terrible thing to do in that it retards ones own growth while unnecessarily alienating other people, but are you telling me this because it’s relevant to our discussion or because it’s a new direction in our discussion?<br /><br />Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-67509914093067450042015-02-18T09:05:01.402-08:002015-02-18T09:05:01.402-08:00To say that X-rays once seemed woo-woo doesn’t pro...To say that X-rays once seemed woo-woo doesn’t provide reason to believe in “something more” ... it is meaningless due to the fact that it’s undefined.<br /><br />Yes, it is undefined, because my point is that we don't know the answers. Inevitably, in the future, some opinions currently held by reasonable and logical people will seem absurd. Once it was common sense that the earth was flat because that was the limit of scientific understanding. <br /><br />I agree that many religious beliefs and new age spiritual beliefs range from silly to harmful, but I don't think it's right for those with different beliefs to get on their high horse and feel so superior. I have a friend for whom I feel abundant affection, but he has a nasty habit of insulting anyone who has beliefs different than his own (staunch atheist). It's an ugly side of his personality, that he's so willing to point the finger at others while remaining blind to some of the irrationalities in his own life. <br /><br />If you want to make the world a better place, why spend energy tearing down peoples' personal philosophies when you could be doing something constructive? Suggest something better to believe in (like love, cooperation, and compassion) and then embody that instead. (Because I don't know you that's a hypothetical/rhetorical "you".) I know plenty of people whose religious beliefs cause no harm, and who don't use them as an excuse for homophobia or starting wars, for example. So what if they're not "right" about how they perceive the world? Probably none of us is 100% right. If they're being good people, isn't that enough?Sparkling Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12799366562472325812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-77529146657016098772015-02-17T11:30:03.162-08:002015-02-17T11:30:03.162-08:00"You do have heart."
Yes, I know, but t..."You do have heart."<br /><br />Yes, I know, but thank you for mentioning it. Because of our discussion, I Googled “most popular atheist blogs,” and I found some that redirect you to Jaguar commercials, others that play commercials at you while you’re reading their posts, and many that get hundreds of comments per post. Frankly, they leave me cold because they are so left-brain and, mostly, currents events oriented. Sure, it’s interesting that a Houston newspaper doctored a photo to make it look a faith-healer was preaching to a million people, and it’s also interesting that Shirley MacLaine blames the Holocaust on the bad karma of the people who suffered, but it’s also trivial because it’s about stupid, trivial people doing and saying stupid, trivial things that will be forgotten tomorrow. It’s “Inside Edition” type stuff, where you take the most outrageous events, call it journalism, and make it your focus. Do I want a blog like that, or even a blog so popular that I have to wade through hundreds of comments per post and block several abusive readers everyday. Do I really want to pretend that I don’t have a right-brain. You will notice that of these statements were followed by question marks. Sometimes, I don’t feel like a proper atheist because, except for anger, so many them really do seem to be all in their heads. On a purely personal level, I feel more at home in a liberal church.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-23038503032387983292015-02-17T10:39:50.746-08:002015-02-17T10:39:50.746-08:00The blog just as written with the comments would b...The blog just as written with the comments would be good for publication. You do have heart. Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-55367147334787069732015-02-17T09:58:24.967-08:002015-02-17T09:58:24.967-08:00“Read The War Prayer by Mark Twain.”
I have. I’ve...“Read The War Prayer by Mark Twain.”<br /><br />I have. I’ve also, within the last two months, read “Huckleberry Finn” and “Tom Sawyer.” Last night, I started “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” and it’s damn good and, unlike the previous two books, for grown-ups. If you haven’t read “The Mysterious Stranger,” I think you’ll be happy if you do. It was published after he died, and puts his contempt for religion in stark terms. The library copy I read was actually a first edition. I told them this, but they didn’t care. I understand that first isn’t best in this case as Twain’s literary executor wrote part of that edition himself. Twain is an awesome writer, and his kids’ books are at least as enjoyable now as they were 50-plus years ago. As for reading, if I read anything that’s less than 80-years-old, it’s probably non-fiction. This is because I only want to read the best, the books that are good enough to survive time.<br /><br />“There is always some unfeeling soul who credits god with survival. "My Mama was saved because she is a good Christian and prayed to god to save her.”<br /><br />I know. It’s so much worse in the South. “Soul.” That’s a term that’s heard a lot more in the South too. When Brian Williams started using it, I complained to NBC. When they put him on leave, I complained again about that, and his constant reporting of trivia, and his plugging of his daughter’s acting career. I do that kind of thing for whatever little good it might do, all the while knowing that only volume counts when it comes to such complaints.<br /><br />“I don't think you should let anything go. These are important concepts that should be voiced and often.”<br /><br />Thank you. I feel like I should seek a broader audience, but it’s writing I love, not publishing and not increasing my blog readership by linking my blog to various other sites. At the same time, I’m sad to put so much time into writing things that I really do believe have merit, knowing that they will be read by few people and then forgotten forever within a couple of weeks, and then to have some of my readers tell me that I shouldn’t be writing these things at all! So often, when I read atheists’ blogs, they seem to me to be so left-brain that there’s no heart in them, and I try to write intelligently, but also to write personally. To me, that’s a strength, but I have no idea that there’s an audience for it. About the only emotion, I see on the blogs of other atheists are anger, outrage, contempt, and so forth, things that obscure the heart rather than expose it.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-21883863791914726072015-02-16T11:32:20.455-08:002015-02-16T11:32:20.455-08:00I don't think you should let anything go. Thes...I don't think you should let anything go. These are important concepts that should be voiced and often. Maybe you can be the voice of reason that breaks through blind faith.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-77159353475270930222015-02-16T11:29:46.619-08:002015-02-16T11:29:46.619-08:00I know it is coming and cringe. When a tornado or ...I know it is coming and cringe. When a tornado or other weather event happens, in the aftermath a reporter will talk to survivors. There is always some unfeeling soul who credits god with survival. "My Mama was saved because she is a good Christian and prayed to god to save her. <br /><br />Then, the same reporter moves to the story of the mother whose baby was ripped from her arms as she prayed, screaming to god to save them. <br /><br />Does the guy whose mama prayed and lived not realize that he is condemning the young mother and her dead baby, implying the mother or baby was not worthy or did not pray correctly. Thus, the baby was ignored by god. The young mother then can think she was not a good Christian or did not pray fervently. Or, was the baby not good enough. I am sickened to the point of physical nausea when these events unfold on tv. It happens every time.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-68574190298511605232015-02-16T11:23:27.792-08:002015-02-16T11:23:27.792-08:00Read The War Prayer by Mark Twain.
http://warpray...Read The War Prayer by Mark Twain. <br />http://warprayer.org/<br /><br />I won't insult anyone by explaining it. Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.com