Posts by Oubliette

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

Oubliette

noticed that too, Oubliette, and thought it ridiculous. So, I gave that post and your latest post a like.

Thanks, I appreciate the sentiment and the support, but more importantly: I appreciate that you took a minute to comment!

I find it very revealing that some posters can "Dislike" a request for clarification, but they are unwilling to explain their reasons. Similarly, that two posters would "Dislike" my comment that someone (probably at least one of them the same "Disliker" as the first) "Disliked" my criticism of mindless "Dislikes" without engaging in any discussion on the content of my post is equally absurd.

I suspect that this person(s) simply dislikes me and by extension anything I say without even considering the merit of my words, thereby again proving the validity of the general intent of the OP.

15

10 reasons why you should never have a religion

by tornapart in

i found this great article.

it's rather long but a good read for anyone interested.

the 10 bullet points are:-.

Oubliette

Agreed. You might say articles like that are a form of positively reinforcing confirmation bias for ex-cult members like us!

40

Heroes

by done4good in

jw
friends

in jw land having such was verboten.

who are some of yours and why?.

1. nikola tesla - greatest inventor ever, and the only one i know of who was a true scientist as well.. 2. elon musk - there is a reason he chose the great inventor's name for his masterpiece work...also has a serious pair.... 3. jim morrison - brilliant and mad poet.. 4. mike krzyzewski - the epitome of success.. 5. maya angelou - brilliant humanistic poet and writer.. 6. albert einstein - do i actually have to qualify this?.

Oubliette

Great thread. Heroes, or role-models of any kind, are very threatening to authoritarian leaders because it challenges their narcissistic need for adoration.

A lot of very worthy people have been mentioned so far. Rather than merely adding names I'd like to riff on Mille's comment by qualifying as heroic anyone that takes a stand against unrighteousness whether they do so in a loud and vocal manner or if they do so with quiet dignity.

In fact, my preference is definitely for the latter variety. Too often individuals do something noteworthy but then start banging their own drum in attention getting behavior that to my mind detracts from the great good they do. In a very counter-productive way, they often, and (to paraphrase Ray Franz) with "depressing regularity," end up just like the leaders they condemn."

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

Oubliette

And now I see that someone has "Disliked" my criticism of mindless "Dislikes" without engaging in any discussion on the content of my post, thereby proving my point.

I wonder how many "Dislikes" this post will get? Silly.

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

Oubliette

I like all your analogies about real life because although this is a forum where people often debate religion it's also where people come to in recovery from a cult.

This is a great point for all to keep in mind.

15

10 reasons why you should never have a religion

by tornapart in

i found this great article.

it's rather long but a good read for anyone interested.

the 10 bullet points are:-.

Oubliette

Interesting points.

His writing style is not likely to convince anyone that is still a believer, but it does add some clarity for those of us that already thing religion is all bullshit.

It's a bit of preaching to the atheist choirs (if you'll pardon the ironic metaphor), but I still found it an enjoyable read.

Thanks for sharing!

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

Oubliette

As long as you keep the accusation of me of being a liar and an hypocrite, save your words - apology not accepted.

Digging in your heels is also not helpful.

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

Oubliette

The OP is about respecting others and their views.

And I think it's been well discussed that those two things should not be conflated or confused. It it possible to completely disagree with and even attack false and/or wrong beliefs without disrespecting the person. (Of course, not all people are worthy of respect, but that is a separate question).

It is also important that if and when another person points out that we have a viewpoint or belief that contains or is possibly completely wrong, that we learn to recognize that and respond without attacking that other person.

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

Oubliette

How funny. I just noticed that (back on page 8) four people "Disliked" my request for clarification from EdenOne when I asked, "What exactly is 'that' type of behavior?"

It is unlikely that it was EdenOne, as he/she immediately and graciously explained what EO meant.

I don't take those "Dislikes" personally, but I do find it both annoying and amusing as it typifies the problem that the OP address and the very worst of this forum: people responding emotionally rather than rationally.

Seriously, how could anyone "dislike" a request for clarification? That is NOT helpful.

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

Oubliette

name-calling and condescending, derogatory remarks aimed directly at the person that is defending an idea or opinion or belief that you don't agree with. That is the behavior at question.

Thanks for clarifying. That is of course inappropriate.

I believe it is not only acceptable, but indeed appropriate to point out inconsistencies and errors in beliefs as well as to correct false ones. But that does not mean that the one doing the correcting should try to make the other person feel bad nor should they attack them personally.

On the other hand, I've both seen and been the object of personal attacks as a result of merely disagreeing with other posters on this forum. I have tried to get them to see that I disagreed with their content, ideas or actions, but they took it personally and responded with personal attacks. This betrays an immaturity on their part which is totally not conducive to rigorous intellectual discourse.