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Author | Topic: Why does Richard Dawkins sing Christmas carols? | |||||||||||||||||||||||
nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
I don't find it hypocritical at all, no.
Christimas, no matter its pagan and Christian roots, is a Western cultural tradition and can easily be celebrated in an entirely secular manner. I have done so for many years. I even put little cherub and angel ornaments on my tree. Most adult Christians don't believe in Santa Claus, yet they still give gifts at this time of year. Most adult people in the west are not pagans celebrating Solstice, yet they bring an evergreen into the house in the middle of winter. Hmmm, I wonder if the very anti-Catholic fundies allow the concept of a Catholic saint to be spoken of? And yes, it can have deep meaning, even to the non-believer, atheist-types. "Peace on Earth, good will to men" is not a religious statement. Edited by nator, : No reason given.
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: It must be nice to think of the holidays like that. I think I remember when I used to enjoy the holidays like most people, but it has been a long time. I have grown to think of the holidays with a certain amount of resentment and dread, as this is the time of year that specialty food sales skyrocket, so it means long, hard hours and the stress of dealing with impatient, abusive customers. I find I have less and less holiday spirit as the years go by, since it all just means a lot of work and being away from my family. It certainly doesn't help that customers constantly wish me "happy holidays" and "have a great weekend". Where do they think I'll be? Having a nice, relaxing couple of days or week off, enjoying the holiday like everybody else? No, I'll be working. People in retail don't get to celebrate holidays at all, really.
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: How would you know what his POV is if you haven't read his books?
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: So, the period of European history called The Age of Enlightenment wasn't actually about breaking free from superstition and ignorance and enbracing reason and learning? It didn't see the birth of modern science and wasn't marked by the resuction in the authoritarian dictates of royalty and The Church and an increase in freedoms for individuals?
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
Lucy is suggesting to you that you can find enlightenment by looking beyond science, and I can assure you that I'm genuinely curious as to how this is supposed to be done. quote: How is this "looking beyond science"? Meditation and tai chi produce different brain states which therefore affect the rest of the body, one's perceptions, etc.
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: But without reading his avtual books, you don't really know what his point of view is, completely. It is like rejecting Evolution based upon reading a few quotes from scientists.
quote: I don't know, and neither do you, unless you read his book(s).
quote: Good books are supposed to do that sort of thing. Books that threaten our worldview or give us a new way to look at things are the ones that are the best to read. It wouldn't be like my reading books by people like Henry Morris, Deepak Chopra, or Rush Limbaugh; none of them are particularly good writers and their books are full of massive factual and logical errors. Dawkins is a brilliant man and a very good writer.
quote: No, you actually don't have any idea if you might find any inspiration unless you actually are brave enough to read the book. Surely, you aren't so afraid of mere ideas that you can't bear to expose yourself to them?
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: Does that mean that you are "mistaken" to debate Creationists about their "serious beliefs about life in the universe"? Creationism has been extremely "common in intelligent and mature people for millennia". Don't you believe Creationism to be based upon "made-up childish fallacies"? Edited by nator, : No reason given.
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: No, it isn't. Faith is driven by emotion and personal opinion.
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: They were correct, though. It was awesome Using reason as the basis for most everything was an enormous leap forward for humanity.
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: I have interest in reading the books of all sorts of people I consider jerks; Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, etc. The difference between Dawkins and those other people is that Dawkins is an abrasive, brilliant scientist, while all of those other people are abrasive, lightweight infotainers. I daresay you will get more out of your Dawkins book that I will out of any of the others'. Edited by nator, : No reason given.
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