Loving Wives.

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

The gladiator is in my blood. I cannot leave a fight alone.

I have my God but only one god, no Jesus no pope no church.

Well, James, and if there is no fight, it seems to me, you like to get one started. I can appreciate that; I rather enjoy the combat myself. I also notice, though, that you do pick and choose your fights, even to the point of trying to redirect some to territory more comfortable to yourself.

So let's try one...

Why do you feel a need to have a deity, even a personal one? I find the world works quite well without one, and that the presence of one invariably leads to conflict and oppression.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by Tio_Narratore

Well, James, and if there is no fight, it seems to me, you like to get one started. I can appreciate that; I rather enjoy the combat myself. I also notice, though, that you do pick and choose your fights, even to the point of trying to redirect some to territory more comfortable to yourself.

So let's try one...

Why do you feel a need to have a deity, even a personal one? I find the world works quite well without one, and that the presence of one invariably leads to conflict and oppression.

Richard Feynman, an atheist, cautioned atheists that their philosophy fails to account for a universe of something and universal natural laws. My belief in God is based on my observations that you cant violate natural laws.

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

Richard Feynman, an atheist, cautioned atheists that their philosophy fails to account for a universe of something and universal natural laws. My belief in God is based on my observations that you cant violate natural laws.

And Feynman's caution is unwarranted. A creator deity is an empty postulate, only offered to explain what one can't understand. There is no need to posit a divine Hammurabi giving law and order to the universe; the so-called laws of nature are only derived from our observations of the regularities in nature. They are what is; they do not have to be enacted or declared as fiat by anyone.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by Tio_Narratore

And Feynman's caution is unwarranted. A creator deity is an empty postulate, only offered to explain what one can't understand. There is no need to posit a divine Hammurabi giving law and order to the universe; the so-called laws of nature are only derived from our observations of the regularities in nature. They are what is; they do not have to be enacted or declared as fiat by anyone.

A divinity can make your burdens and cares tolerable when youre clueless and otherwise hopeless. Its a useful lie. Like Friday nite my daughter asks, DO I LOOK THINNER AT ALL? And I say, YOURE ASS ISNT AS BIG AS IT WAS.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by Tio_Narratore

Well, James, and if there is no fight, it seems to me, you like to get one started. I can appreciate that; I rather enjoy the combat myself. I also notice, though, that you do pick and choose your fights, even to the point of trying to redirect some to territory more comfortable to yourself.

So let's try one...

Why do you feel a need to have a deity, even a personal one? I find the world works quite well without one, and that the presence of one invariably leads to conflict and oppression.

If you wanna find out what people think start a fight or put words in their mouths. Folks dont mince their words or hold back with a jerk.

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

A divinity can make your burdens and cares tolerable when youre clueless and otherwise hopeless. Its a useful lie. Like Friday nite my daughter asks, DO I LOOK THINNER AT ALL? And I say, YOURE ASS ISNT AS BIG AS IT WAS.

Precisely, James, but need we lies to deal with cluelessness and hopelessness? I'm quite pleased to realize that, in the end, I'm clueless, bound by the limits of my powers and abilities -it drives me to try to understand more. And hopeless? No problemo; we're all gonna die. So what if we get only the one chance at living; the ride is one hell of an experience.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by Tio_Narratore

Precisely, James, but need we lies to deal with cluelessness and hopelessness? I'm quite pleased to realize that, in the end, I'm clueless, bound by the limits of my powers and abilities -it drives me to try to understand more. And hopeless? No problemo; we're all gonna die. So what if we get only the one chance at living; the ride is one hell of an experience.

Santa Claus and the Easta Nigga make life enjoyable.

[geronimo_appleby]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

If you wanna find out what people think start a fight or put words in their mouths. Folks dont mince their words or hold back with a jerk.

Hahahahaha

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

Santa Claus and the Easta Nigga make life enjoyable.

Interesting deities, James; do they really offer you succor?

Oh well, so much for the gladiator...I'll head offer to the gardener's thread; I've never fried my greens with bacon fat, and it sounds tasty.

[NaokoSmith]

Originally Posted by Tio_Narratore

Interesting deities, James; do they really offer you succor?

Oh well, so much for the gladiator...I'll head offer to the gardener's thread; I've never fried my greens with bacon fat, and it sounds tasty.

I think it's a common misconception that deities are meant to console humanity in the face of the abyss. Deities are often there as much to challenge us to consider human life and figure out how we are going to achieve our own ethos, such that we might at the least of it cause less damage to others. People with religious faith find it uncomfortable on many occasions, it obliges them to do things for others when they'd rather sit in front of the tv consuming adverts persuading them to consume calorific foodstuffs instead of growing their own collard greens.

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by NaokoSmith

I think it's a common misconception that deities are meant to console humanity in the face of the abyss. Deities are often there as much to challenge us to consider human life and figure out how we are going to achieve our own ethos, such that we might at the least of it cause less damage to others. People with religious faith find it uncomfortable on many occasions, it obliges them to do things for others when they'd rather sit in front of the tv consuming adverts persuading them to consume calorific foodstuffs instead of growing their own collard greens.

It's unfortunate that they need external motivation to do things. Even more unfortunately, those deities are always created by men (mostly men; women don't get much of a role in the genesis of deities) in their own imaginary self-images and often call on their devotees to do things that aren't all that constructive. You know, like kill unbelievers. Or witches. Or adulteresses.

When I chaired the Education Committee of a school board, and was working on the new educational program statement, one of the other trustees, a seemingly-nice older woman and former teacher, took offense at our omission of a reference to "god."

"Without God," she queried, "what's to stop you from killing me?"

I assured her that, even though I was godless, I had never entertained a thought of killing her. I did ask her whether she only held back from killing me because her deity had told her not to, and should I be worried that he might change his mind.

Most of the "great" religions look quite good on paper and in theory. In fact, the First Nations people here in Canada were told that they shouldn't condemn the religion for the physical and sexual abuse suffered in Christian-run residential schools, that they should look instead at the scriptures of the church. They wondered, quite out loud, why they shouldn't judge the religion by those who believe and practice it. I would say the same for any religion.

The best I can come up with is James III's edict for religious freedom in New York (1694): Everyone is free to practice their religion as long as in so doing they do not trouble any one else in the practice of theirs. I would hope it would also give us freedom from religion as well.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by NaokoSmith

I think it's a common misconception that deities are meant to console humanity in the face of the abyss. Deities are often there as much to challenge us to consider human life and figure out how we are going to achieve our own ethos, such that we might at the least of it cause less damage to others. People with religious faith find it uncomfortable on many occasions, it obliges them to do things for others when they'd rather sit in front of the tv consuming adverts persuading them to consume calorific foodstuffs instead of growing their own collard greens.

I started the MILF story. The setting is Florida at the end of 1898, at a place along the Gulf Coast called Baileys Bluff. Daphne and Reginald Gibson emigrate from Britain to make a fortune growing oranges on the bluff above the Gulf of Mexico. Baileys Bluff is tween Tampa and Saint Petersburg, and served by the Orange Belt Railroad.

[NaokoSmith]

Originally Posted by Tio_Narratore

It's unfortunate that they need external motivation to do things. Even more unfortunately, those deities are always created by men (mostly men; women don't get much of a role in the genesis of deities) in their own imaginary self-images and often call on their devotees to do things that aren't all that constructive. You know, like kill unbelievers. Or witches. Or adulteresses.

When I chaired the Education Committee of a school board, and was working on the new educational program statement, one of the other trustees, a seemingly-nice older woman and former teacher, took offense at our omission of a reference to "god."

"Without God," she queried, "what's to stop you from killing me?"

I assured her that, even though I was godless, I had never entertained a thought of killing her. I did ask her whether she only held back from killing me because her deity had told her not to, and should I be worried that he might change his mind.

Most of the "great" religions look quite good on paper and in theory. In fact, the First Nations people here in Canada were told that they shouldn't condemn the religion for the physical and sexual abuse suffered in Christian-run residential schools, that they should look instead at the scriptures of the church. They wondered, quite out loud, why they shouldn't judge the religion by those who believe and practice it. I would say the same for any religion.

The best I can come up with is James III's edict for religious freedom in New York (1694): Everyone is free to practice their religion as long as in so doing they do not trouble any one else in the practice of theirs. I would hope it would also give us freedom from religion as well.

Surely the religious symbols and edicts are more like a framework which people take to make their own ethos, or they take fragments of thought from other sources. There is some framework of thinking which leads you to decide not to top off an annoying old bag in the middle of the committee meeting. Unless it's just that entertaining though the initial thought might be, the prospect of spending a long time in prison when you've just got freedom from most of your teaching ( for that!), puts you off from the momentary gratification.

Although there are external motivations, we treat these more as material with which to build our personal ethics, sometimes in ways which are thought-provoking, creative and beneficial. Your ethos is atheistic, your colleague's religious but you both manage to draw on these to preserve social order in order to achieve whatever the committee was set up to consider.

[Stella_Omega]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

If you wanna find out what people think start a fight or put words in their mouths. Folks dont mince their words or hold back with a jerk.

Anger is not what they think, it's what they feel. It's actually very difficult to muster actual thought or argument in the face of dick behavior. Mostly, people decide you aren't worth bothering about.

You only find out that they think you're a jerk.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I Found This Old Photo From 1899 When Florida Experienced The Worst Winter Of Its History, The Temp Was Negative 2 Degrees F At Tallahassee.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by Stella_Omega

Anger is not what they think, it's what they feel. It's actually very difficult to muster actual thought or argument in the face of dick behavior. Mostly, people decide you aren't worth bothering about.

You only find out that they think you're a jerk.

You presuppose that I'm collecting FACEBOOK pals at AH.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The basic problem for people who argue against God is that they come across like Gays down at the tittie bar proselytizing the patrons to boycott females.

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

The basic problem for people who argue against God is that they come across like Gays down at the tittie bar proselytizing the patrons to boycott females.

Limping analogies never win horse races, James.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by Tio_Narratore

Limping analogies never win horse races, James.

I only fear limping wrists, limping analogies I can cope with.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by Stella_Omega

Anger is not what they think, it's what they feel. It's actually very difficult to muster actual thought or argument in the face of dick behavior. Mostly, people decide you aren't worth bothering about.

You only find out that they think you're a jerk.

You and I can be friends anytime you want.

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by NaokoSmith

Surely the religious symbols and edicts are more like a framework which people take to make their own ethos, or they take fragments of thought from other sources. There is some framework of thinking which leads you to decide not to top off an annoying old bag in the middle of the committee meeting. Unless it's just that entertaining though the initial thought might be, the prospect of spending a long time in prison when you've just got freedom from most of your teaching ( for that!), puts you off from the momentary gratification.

Although there are external motivations, we treat these more as material with which to build our personal ethics, sometimes in ways which are thought-provoking, creative and beneficial. Your ethos is atheistic, your colleague's religious but you both manage to draw on these to preserve social order in order to achieve whatever the committee was set up to consider.

Spoken like a true colleague, but I've never even had a reverie of doing in my colleagues. And it has nothing to do with the deterence that punishment may suggest. In fact, we have pretty conclusive research that gives the lie to such accepted truths.

But then, most true believers scoff at our Anthropological explanations of the roles and natures of their religions, and, while the pick-and-choose approach to ethos reflects a certain reality, religions, at least organized religions, tend to demand orthodoxy, and have been known to kill, each in defense of its own strait-jacket, and with the blessing of each its own deity. And even the poor Cathars have had their final bastion white-washed into the dream of some latter-day idealist.

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

I only fear limping wrists, limping analogies I can cope with.

Don't be afraid, Jim; embrace your inner limp.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Originally Posted by Tio_Narratore

Don't be afraid, Jim; embrace your inner limp.

Its not fear, Tio, its boredom. I'm bored. Say goodnite!

[Tio_Narratore]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

I only fear limping wrists, limping analogies I can cope with.

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

Its not fear, Tio, its boredom. I'm bored. Say goodnite!

Q.E.D.

Bonne nuit!

[Stella_Omega]

Originally Posted by JAMESBJOHNSON

You and I can be friends anytime you want.

If there's a real person available, I might be friends with him, even if he's a butthole. I can't be friends with a cornball persona, though. There isn't any there, there.

Method acting works for actors, because they are their own product. Not so much for writers. We are not the product of our characters.