Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Debbie T · 03-20-2003, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by xian
well, it has that appearance. i know that no one actually believes they are communicating with the dead, and i believe everything you just said, but from a purely objective standpoint looking at it simply for what it appears, it looks indistinguishable from a myriad of other superstitious rites.

Let's see Martin Luther King day is his birthday right? We pay honor to him on his birthday, but nobody believes we are trying to communicate with the dead or doing something superstitious. X you are the only one in this argument that prays to sky daddy fairies, seems you are projecting yourself all over the place.

Yellum Notnef · 03-20-2003, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by xian
well, it has that appearance. i know that no one actually believes they are communicating with the dead, and i believe everything you just said, but from a purely objective standpoint looking at it simply for what it appears, it looks indistinguishable from a myriad of other superstitious rites.

I retract my initial response to your argument about it sounding like a superstitious rite. I personally don't wish dead people a happy birthday,but I need to think about this a bit more.

xian · 03-20-2003, 11:22 PM

i have never prayed to a skydaddy ferrie, or whatever it is you call it. so don't tell me what i do with my life, as if you are qualified to know.

Yellum Notnef · 03-20-2003, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by xian
i have never prayed to a skydaddy ferrie, or whatever it is you call it. so don't tell me what i do with my life, as if you are qualified to know.

So you're not a Christian?

Debbie T · 03-21-2003, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xian
i have never prayed to a skydaddy ferrie, or whatever it is you call it. so don't tell me what i do with my life, as if you are qualified to know.

Oops sorry that should have been singular not plural. Forgot your religion has only one god. Please forgive.

Starboy · 03-21-2003, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xian
lol. if pay homage to a dead corpse and a non-existant entity on a yearly basis, that is the the non-religious definition of sacred. ("set apart", "due respect or reverence") as the dictionary defines it as.

every year when you say "happy birthday robert ingersoll" i contend you are practicing almost a religious rite. you can vehmently deny it, but wishing a dead guy happy birthday has supernatural overtones to it, no different than a baseball player wearing his "lucky patch". Additionally, wishing the dead corpse a happy birthday is 'setting him apart for respect and/or reverence", which is the definition of sacred.

YOU PERSONALLY might not pay respect to R.I. on a yearly basis, but infidels.org does, and that has superstitious written all over it. you wont admit that, of course, but any objective person looking at it would rationally conclude the supernatural overtones in such a yearly ritual.

xian, if it makes you feel better about yourself and your religion to think that atheists are no different from you because some of us respect Ingersoll on his birthday, then have at it. I think you are trying to make a point that isn't there. Give it up.

Oh and just in case you don't know this, (it is hard to tell from the naivet� of your posts) we are no different from you. We die; we grieve for those we have loved who have died. We find inspiration in others and in the universe we see around us. We just don't think there is a god or that it created the universe or that there is a life after death.

Starboy

Demigawd · 03-21-2003, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xian
so don't tell me what i do with my life, as if you are qualified to know.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

xian · 03-21-2003, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Demigawd
Pot. Kettle. Black.

every pot I have ever used, including every pot my mother used, was silver in colour.

Rhea · 03-21-2003, 08:23 AM

You should try to use cast iron more. It helps get biologically necessary iron into your food and is very valuable in regulating oxygen, energy, memory and liver function. This is one of the reasons that 1st world populations have iron problems and 2nd & 3rd world people don't. Plus it heats more evenly and your pancakes come out better.

Eudaimonist · 03-21-2003, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xian
well, it has that appearance. i know that no one actually believes they are communicating with the dead, and i believe everything you just said, but from a purely objective standpoint looking at it simply for what it appears, it looks indistinguishable from a myriad of other superstitious rites.

There's a term, "rational ritual", that covers rites that are merely symbolic in nature, and don't involve supernatural belief. When someone graduates from college, they typically attend some kind of graduation ceremony where they dress up in funny clothes, listen to a speech, shake hands, etc. This may have the superficial appearance of a religion's superstitious rites, but is entirely consistent with a nontheistic mindset.

It seems like you have some idea in your mind of what atheists should be like, and you are finding that we don't necessarily reject everything associated with religion (such as rituals, respecting the dead, admiring certain others, etc); we simply lack belief in divine beings.

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03-20-2003, 11:22 PM	#43
xian Regular Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Earth Posts: 378	i have never prayed to a skydaddy ferrie, or whatever it is you call it. so don't tell me what i do with my life, as if you are qualified to know.

03-21-2003, 08:23 AM	#49
Rhea Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Recluse Posts: 9,040	You should try to use cast iron more. It helps get biologically necessary iron into your food and is very valuable in regulating oxygen, energy, memory and liver function. This is one of the reasons that 1st world populations have iron problems and 2nd & 3rd world people don't. Plus it heats more evenly and your pancakes come out better.

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