Challenge to Athiests - is Religion a Pox on Mankind? (page 17)

jgnat

If the dogma wasn't written down, I would not count it as a thing.

interesting conversation that you and Terry are having jgnat and your comment above has got me thinking about the subject of when things are not just things. And in this vein I want to reply to you Terry that my atheism is not a thing, and in pushing myself to come up with a reason why, the thought occurs to me that atheism for me is a nexus of relationships - all being challenging.

and along this line of thinking I'd speculate, jgnat, that when the dogma is written it is also more dissectable and therefore more reducible to its component parts as things rather than to how it relates to the world around it. I guess we go through a similar process when we confronted our former jw faith through a secular lens - we became aware of the things aspect of what was once a very important nexus of relationships. my 2cents

Terry

You see, I think (my opinion, naturally) what we do is more important than what we think.

What we DON'T believe or what we DO believe becomse practical when it motivates practices (behaviors) affecting the rest of the real world.

For example:

I watched two men play pool. One of them was a Dallas Cowboy, 2-time SuperBowl champion and the other

was a redneck truck driver. Both were drunk as skunks.

I knew both men well enough to describe the redneck as a real "hater."

The Dallas Cowboy was a humanitarian. Oh--I forgot, he was a black man.

This was the most interesting contest I ever witnessed in my life.

Each man could not really stand the other. Yet, neither of them was rude, out of line or provocative.

They were, as I said, extremely drunk!

I doubt the SuperBowl champ ever tried harder on the gridiron to defeat a foe as he did to defeat the redneck in the game of eight ball.

Both were extremely good players--except. . .their co-ordination, balance and clarity of vision had been severely impaired by so many shots of

high-dollar whiskey I stopped counting.

Now--why, you may ask, have I inserted this little story into this discussion?

Okay, I'll tell you.

The thing I and my friend Bob found most compelling about the pool game (besides the frequent miscues and stumbles and wobbly efforts to lean over the table without falling down) was the SUBTEXT of every word spoken. You had to read between the lines, as it were.

These men were killing each other subtextually--almost subconsciously--without shedding a drop of blood or a hint of unsportsmanlike behavior.

It was truly a sight to behold!

THEREFORE. . .what each believed about the other man was UNimportant to the world at large. It was very private, profound and motivating--but, it wasn't mean-spirited in any tangible way.

The Dallas Cowboy won, finally and the redneck got even redder than usual. In fact, the arteries were standing out on his forehead like they were about to pop. However--he stuck out his hand and offered a shake and simply stated, "Good game."

That was that, as they say.

jgnat

A very manly way to settle a dispute.

Women could learn a thing or two from the example.

I still say doctrine is not a thing until written.

I agree actions speak louder. A Barna survey found the behaviour of Christians to be no better than their neighbours regardless of their professed morality. Same number of divorces, teen pregnancies etc.

Ruby456

great illustraton Terry - thank you - its what I mean about a nexus of relationships - guys playing pool, the observers, the game itself, the cue, the pool table, the barely concealed emotion and effort, the handshake afterwards. whilst the game was being played which part was a thing? see what I mean

Ruby456

but mind you from the perspective i'm trying to convey, and it only one perspective, there is no gap between thinking and doing for thinking is doing and your experience with the pool players seems to demonstrate this. But as we are not having a zero sum discussion I won't press the point. however, if you want to see where talking along these lines takes us i would be very willing

Challenge to Athiests - is Religion a Pox on Mankind?

jgnat

Ruby456

Terry

jgnat

Ruby456

Ruby456

jgnat

humbled

jgnat

jgnat

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