TestForEric

Josh (AKD96)

GREAT to see ya here!!!

Nice to know that you're good for more the drummin'.

AKD96

I can lift heavy things too, Eric.

On the subject, I cannot control what people think my intentions are or what "divine" influences they believe are acting upon me, but you get more flies with honey than vinegar. Not meaning I'm trying to trap religious people for some kind of ritual sacrifice, rather to lead by example. If religious people can see that Atheists have no problem with treating them like human-beings, then perhaps one day the favour will be returned and they too will "do unto others."

dk

Lets look at the other side of the coin. It seems an "Act of God" gets the blame for natural disasters. Do athiests feel we should call disasters, "An Act of Athiesm". Just joking.

hinduwoman

Diana, are you sure that the majority of people right now would behave decently without the incentive of reward and punishment? That is one of the reasons we have govts. and justice systems.

Amos

She probably figured you were on your way with only one fish. The Church has two fishes as an icon of faith.

99Percent

dk: Just joking.

Why did you feel so compelled to joke about this?

Seeker630

I hate to bring this up, but knowing some elderly people, she may not have had a clue as to what your Darwin fish was, or may not even have noticed it. I have a Catholic 76 year old mother who would not have a clue. She'd probably think it was the logo from the dealership where you got the car.

diana

Dark Jedi, help yourself. The wording is mine but the thought is not.

hinduwoman, that's a good question. I like to think most people would, but I don't count on it. I meant the comment, of course, to be aimed at religion in particular, with its threats of eternal punishment, but I still think it's a pity that anybody has to be threatened with anything to behave decently toward his fellow human beings--once he's passed the stage where he honestly believes the world revolved around him.

But I've noticed some people never pass this stage, which is even sadder. We're supposed to grow out of it by five.

d

Edited to add: I usually save this line for those who fancy themselves Christians and are thus proud of how they behave "even when no one's looking." (Of course, a True Christian (TM) believes he's always being watched, doesn't he?) But I don't, and I still treat others well and do the right thing. I don't need to think God's gonna roast me on a spit forever in order to behave--why do they?

[ December 29, 2001: Message edited by: diana ]</p>

hinduwoman

Yes, but the other side of the coin is that if you behave well, you are going to go to a wonderful place where you get wings and harps and look down upon people like us frying in hell. Diana, you cannot offer anything half so satisfying!

dk

I find irony compelling in many respects. In FindLaws legal dictionary its says:
act of God
: an extraordinary natural event (as a flood or earthquake) that cannot be reasonably foreseen or prevented
(compare force majeure inevitable accident unavoidable accident)
Note: It is a defense against liability for injury if the injury is directly and exclusively caused by an act of God.
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The earliest Supreme Court case using the legal term "Act of God" (I could find) was U.S. Supreme Court LIVINGSTON'S LESSEE v. MOORE, 32 U.S. 469 (1833), and says,
"Again, it may by answered, if there was in fact such a contract imputable to the state, the performance had become impossible by the act of God, and of the party himself, by his death; and by that confusion of his affairs, which prevented every one from assuming the character of his personal representative. "
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Indeed this case was about a title for a piece of land in Pennsylvania subject to a criminal indictment in a Circuit Court, the land had been given away (or granted) by Pennsylvania State Controller to himself. The SC was in a box, how can you serve due process on a dead guy, except with an Act of God. hehehehe