Tony W said:Quoted message said:Quoted message said:It is required to accept one world view, a set of beliefs, creation
myths,
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:post death myths etc. typically handed down by old men in funny clothes. That equals ignorance
and conformity by my understanding of things.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:This is simple bigotry.
Quoted message said:Are you suggesting that it is not necessary to believe certain things to be a believer in a given
religion?
No, I am saying that unilaterally declaring them myths is bigotry.
Quoted message said:Why is it bigotry to declare an atheist viewpoint but perfectly acceptable to preach the gospel?
Hey -- equal rights for atheists.
That's not bigotry. I wasn't preaching the Gospel, I was actually being quite careful to be
reasonably neutral - you were the one who waded in with fists flying, as it were. You can preach
what you like in the right place; send me emails arguing your point, I don't mind. I have no problem
with the Dawkinsites - it would be a pretty poor faith if I couldn't bring myself to talk to people
who don't espouse
it.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:You evidently know very little of the people you denigrate, and you have no idea what is going
through their minds.
Quoted message said:I number several deeply religious people (of various faiths) amongst my friends [..] I simply
cannot see what is going through their minds to cause them such strange delusions.
Deriding a deeply held belief as a delusion is not /terribly/ friendly, is it? :-)
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:A very good friend of mine is Professor of Bio- and Electroanalysis at Cranfield (he was
previously on the faculty at UMIST), he is not yet 40 and has a string of patents and an
international reputation as a scientist, speaking at conferences around the world. He is a
committed Christian and lives a modest lifestyle despite his status.
Quoted message said:And the point is?
He is intelligent, a scientist, he lives by the Gospels and it is in every way a privilege to know
him. The tone of your post is that only the gullible or unscientific would believe. This is
manifestly untrue. The Prof. is a particularly accomplished life scientist, and doesn't find that in
any way incmpatible with his belief.
Quoted message said:Why is it OK for someone to come to my door and try to tell me that their system of myth and legend
is the only right answer while if I suggest that all religions are a con trick played on the
populous by the priesthood I am accused of bigotry and of denigrating the people who do believe?
Simple: I didn't come to your door or state any such thing. I did not advocate my belief system to
you, but you advocated yours forcefully and in the most pejorative terms in reply.
Quoted message said:if you recall, this started when you questioned the Pope's dislike of condom use in Africa. Are you
now going to try to defend the old dear's teaching which is helping African to die in their
millions?
The Pope is not God, whatever he may believe. He is human and fallible, as we all are.
Quoted message said:Guy, you are obviously a man of strong convictions (though hopefully not for speeding :o
Never :-)
Quoted message said:However, it would be a sad day if we tried to make belief in any given religion (or lack there of)
compulsory
No such thing was ever mentioned or proposed. I corrected you for the same reason I correct Smith[1]
- you assert forcefully as fact that which is a belief. I have a diferent belief, I accept that it
admits of no proof, I understand and respect the fact that others have different beliefs, and I
don't bash the Bible around here, I think. I don't even have a pair of SPD Jesus boots. Yet.
No statistics were harmed in the preparation of this posting.
[1] though with a much lower incidence, thankfully, and the impact of your assertions is surely far
less tedious or dangerous in context; I am not in any way comparing you as a person with the Mr
Safety - that would indeed be defamatory.
