Hi y'all - I look back to my youth through tinted glasses. If I examine my thoughts carefully, I find that I tend to yearn for days of yore that were not really as great as I percieve with shaded hindsight. I noted this same tendency in my parents and their parents too. I like your ideas of inclusion, but from my own militant point of view, I find them unworkable. The basic tenets of religion are to spread the word, convert the masses and bring in more tithes. Refusal promotes conflict. I offer education as a solution. There are many ways to educate - I like to ridicule the ignorant and shame them to learn, but others are kinder in their approach (Jason.) I care not which method succeeds as long as dogma dies.
On Nov 22, 9:52 am, ornamentalmind <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It surely would be nice if attitudes returned to the tolerant and > respectful state of my youth about this subject. Yes, I know that the > attitude of entitlement and the ‘normalcy’ of Christian rituals > permeating our culture has always been close to the surface and in > some instances, directly ‘in your face’. However, as a kid, in the > 1940s and into the 1950s, I remember being taught to not impose any > particular religious rite upon anyone else. We could feel safe and do > as we wished in church but that was where such things took place and > not in the public commons. Even though I did grow up in the ‘North’, > few would call Indiana a bastion of progressive thinking. Somehow, > even in this conservative culture, there was a wide acceptance and > respect for others when it came to things like religion, politics and > life in general. Of course, I remember, in grade school, perhaps 2nd > grade or so, when ‘under god’ was added to the pledge. I found it > curious and still have to force myself to remember that aspect of the > pledge. > > Somehow, my idealistic attitude hopes for and projects an attitude of > the ‘normalcy’ of a respective secular society. When I am able to hold > this view, life is better. The conscious polarization of people over > the last few decades in many areas has produced an ongoing dialectic > that would make Karl and Frederick proud! > > Since the successful move to pit person against person, similar to the > civil war era, by politicians and now the corporate media and others > through all sorts of propaganda, the notion of ‘in order to form a > more perfect union’ is seldom heard nor addressed. Since there remains > a strong sense of nationalism, albeit a confused one, I suggest that > going forth using such attitudes of inclusion, similar to Barack’s > words and apparent persona, might hasten the return to more > egalitarian times. I find the notion of removing theological rituals > and beliefs from any society to be foolhardy, at lest for the near > future. What I suggest is helping to reinstitute more of an > inclusionary approach, forging forth with at least the feigned persona > of not imposing our will upon others as being the normal state of > affairs. And, by extension, is expected of all. > > This is for daily interaction. When necessary, then the ‘war’ must be > forged. Similar to the days of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the will of the > people, ALL of the people must be heard and this includes those of us > who do not appreciate being ‘evangelized’. The truth is that many of > those who may not have thought about this before would agree when and > IF they had been hustled to join some group and/or religion not to > their liking. Such hypotheticals presented at the appropriate moment > can do wonders. > > No, I am not so naïve as to think there will be no opposition. It is > clear that there have always been and will always be fanatics. People > who have attached to their beliefs about what is right and wrong to > such a degree as to feel the need to impose this upon others exhibit > an illness of the psyche and must be treated and talked about as such. > A simple polarization like calling ‘them’ terrorists does a grave > injustice to the reality of the situation let alone rational thinking. > Although, I do understand how attractive such further polarization can > be. > > In the end, am I proposing anything radical? Not really, just a > further examination of my own and other people’s perceived attitudes. > > So, thank you for having the forum where I could openly express and > explore my own thinking on this subject! > > ornamentalmind --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
