I really have nothing substantive to say on this matter, since it seems more of a personal dispute than anything else. I do have just 2 small inputs:
To criticize David because someone else has answered a question posed to him makes no sense. We all address questions on this board for whatever reason spurs us at the time. I have addressed questions to David. Melin has addressed questions to Sue. Neither Sue nor David has any control over that.
Majormd, we may disagree on some things, but you do know your booze. Yo bring the laphroig and I’ll bring a Glen Morangie port cask. Last one standing obviously wasn’t drinking fast enough.
The best lack all conviction
The worst are full of passionate intensity.
*
I get the impression that Slythe thinks that Majormd (Sue) has a difficult time dealing with ATHEIST*S. This could very well be, but she has had a lot of practice at it. You see we have been married for over 20 years and I was an atheist when we met, and am even more secure in my atheism today. Sue has had a lot of practice in learning how to compromise so that often neither of us are happy with what is going on, but neither of us are mad about it. That is a part of life, one that we all have to learn at some time. There will NEVER be a time when everyone is happy about how religion is handled in schools, the stronger our opinion the more likely we are to be upset.
So nail Sue on her logic or lack thereof. Nail her for her temper (luckily she hasn’t really been mad on this board yet.) But don’t tell her she doesn’t know what kind of playing field atheists have, or that she doesn’t understand the atheist viewpoint.
“You can be smart or pleasant. For years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant.”
Elwood P. Dowd
PUNdit, I am glad that you are happy to be married to her, but she does NOT understand what it means to be an atheist in today’s society. A man or woman can hold up a bible, quote a few popular verses, and start up a good base of voters for many elections. Do you really think that someone could publically declare themself to be a proud atheist, stand for the removal of overt Christian influences in the schools and/or the government, and receive anything but threats from the community? Legality and Reality are still separate pathways in this country.
Certainly that happens FROM TIME TO TIME, but when someone starts a thread and then decides to only answer some people, while excluding others, that indicates selective avoidance. We all jump into discussions at one end or another, spirited by the heat of debate. But I’m referring to a pattern of shunning posters that don’t agree with you as a dishonest device.
Simply put, if you can’t tolerate divergent opinions then maybe a public message board is not for you.
You know, I’m so fucking interested in what you would do, I’m nearly peeing my pants. And so, you know that I didn’t do any research, how?
Lemme ‘splain you sumpin’, my dear Mr. ASSume: I actually did do my homework on what chiropractic can and cannot do. Enough to satisfy me, anyway. Enough to base my decisions on. That you ASSume otherwise merely underscores yet again your your determination to click the send button before engaging your brain. So bite me, Bunkie.
In addition, there is no “clouded by time, etc., etc., bullshit, bullshit, big pile o’ steaming bullshit,” because you ASSumedyet again that I’ve had ONE experience with chiropractic which happened in some distant time and galaxy. Not so, my dear King of The Twits! I’ve sought chiropractic services at different times for various reasons for a number of years now, and every time I was completely satisfied. My most recent need for chiropractic services happens to be ongoing as of this moment, so I think my memory’s just fine on this one, ok? So go ahead and bite me again, oh brown-smudged weenie.
And to your right, ladies and gentlemen, we have a lovely example of how our ASSumptive young friend Slythe attempts to put words in others’ mouths. Notice that I don’t give a crap who you agree or disagree with (and I never implied otherwise). You can kiss any ass you like, but when you do it so publicly, it’s rather hard not to notice. And I’m not the only one who’s seen this or commented on it, as you know. So bite me a third time. (She shoots! She SCOOOOOORES!!! HAT TRICK!!!)
I am going to be nice here, Slythe. You, sir, are a moron. No I take that back, you are not that smart. She has lived with an atheist for 20+ years. I doubt seriously you have been an athiest for 20 years. She has heard me tell her exactly what is wrong with our Christian dominated culture for all those years. Until you can show me that you have endured being an atheist in a Christian society, raised children in a Christian society, and dealt with an evolving society from the 60’s and 70’s until now, as I have, then you do NOT tell me about how hard it is to be an atheist in TODAYS society. You, sir, have never had to battle against prayers at graduation (in 75 you stood and bowed your head)or having a compulsory baccalaureate service for graduates from public schools.
I get the feeling that you think that as an atheist you are correct in everything. I will tell you that unless you learn to compromise, fudge and loosen up you will be a very unhappy individual for the rest of your life. A very wise person told me once when I objected to a religious type display, “What the fuck does it matter to you? You know what is right for you, why do you want to tell all those others what is right for them?” So stop and think, what is it going to hurt you? Are you so weak in your atheism that seeing a damn creche is going to convert you? Will coloring a wreath make you a sudden Christian? If so, then you have NOT found what is right for you yet. My last comment: GROW UP! It ain’t going your way all the time, learn to go with the punches, otherwise you will end up punchdrunk.
“You can be smart or pleasant. For years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant.”
Elwood P. Dowd
An atheist/agnostic can be elected to high office. Or can you tell me which church (for the weak-minded, IIRC) Jesse Ventura attends?
If (s)he chooses to run on issues such as eradicating all traces of Christmas from the schools, then majority-rule IS working, whether (s)he wins or not.
There IS a difference between one’s religion being a factor in an election, and how one would make policy decisions based on those views. Remember JFK & how the US would become a Papist state?
Sue from El Paso
Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
John, I said nothing about criticizing David for not answering questions directed to him.
Pundit, nice to meet you. I, too, am an athiest married to a woman of faith. You did say one thing I felt I had to comment on, though:
This does not strike me as a wisdom. It strikes me as a fairly self-centered and short-sighted approach to a question of communal values. I think better questions would have been, “Why does it matter to you? Is there a subtext or quality of this particular display that makes it an issue of more than just individual comfort?”
If the answer to the second question was no, then the final analysis would likely have been the same, but I do not think that “how does it directly affect me?” is a very often wise guiding principal, Voltaire not withstanding.
The best lack all conviction
The worst are full of passionate intensity.
*
