SQUEEZED BETWEEN TALIBAN AND NIHILISTS

[roger_kuin]

Psychologically, this need for a religion of intellectual simplicity and moral constraint may also proceed from a need and desire to see others punished; but that edges into speculation. It does, though, have another and deeply negative consequence: the sustaining and encouraging of an aggressive (and equally simplistic) atheism and spiritual (as

Comments

in praise of wiseacres

[ext_942389]

Reading your posts make me think I'm still in a place of learning.

I still don't see much difference between the secular and religious people. The fascists and fundamentalists can be found in both. The wise and engaged skeptic likewise. The noob, the joiner and the member of the social community. The 'just good and caring' and the evil.

Two of my fav colleagues and friends are you and Fil Salustri (http://www.weareatheism.com/filippo-fil-a-salustri/)... and I don't know what you call this class of person, but it is a good class. Thoughtful, reflective and caring.

What I learn from both of you is that religion is a socially constructed fiction that is little different from the socially constructed fictions that are non-religious.

Not saying there's no god(s)(esses)(etc.). Nor am I saying that these beliefs have no relation to them. I never found the question of their existing or not existing much of an issue to me. I also didn't freak out over the higgs boson. Interesting and useful, but life didn't change much the day before or after.

For me, this is all a neurotypical thing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodiversity) that in and of itself is pretty harmless. The dangers come from the other strata that are ubiquitously present.

I want to know what people do with their (non)beliefs. Making cupcakes is real. So is making land mines. And regardless of faith or lack thereof, that's what concerns me.

And reading interesting blog posts.

Re: in praise of wiseacres

[roger_kuin]

Heaven knows why LJ marked your comment as spam. Warn't me. You have (as always) a point, and you are (as always) a wise man. It looks to me as if you're closer to Fil than to me on these things, but we are where we are. As you probably know, knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
The point that gets made far too little is that faith is not belief in the sense of believing or not that X or Y exists. It's a personal relationship.
Now back to poetry.

Re: in praise of wiseacres

[ext_942389]

I'm on to personal relationships. But I don't think I'm closer to either of you, except as friends. These are neurotypical issues to me. I'm curious because they baffle me profoundly. Religion and spirituality are pretty bad at building bridges and rockets, but seem to be great on dealing with faith. Enginerring sucks at faith related issues, and moral ones, and the like. I see a need others have for things like bridges and faith related issues, so I think it is great. And I'm curious about what 'you people' do (meaning people on the religion/non-religion continuum). I just find it to be basically the same continuum. And I'm standing over there on a small hill watching, enjoying, feeling a bit left out of the thing, but content to observe and watch and learn.