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May I add something, here?
Folks ... I am very hopeful that you don't consider all people of all faiths to be supersticious cave-dwellers. Because that is clearly not the case.
If you are familiar with any of my blogs, you know I take issue with people who are "absoluteists." I get irked at Christians who'd damn all non-Christians -- people of real faith such as Jews, Bhuddists, Muslims and others -- to the fires of hell --- whether or not they go through their entire lives without even HEARING the words "Jesus Christ." When they respond to my comments saying, "Well the Bible says..." I suggest they put the book down for a moment and try to hear what GOD is saying. I love the Bible. But I don't worship it. God cannot be contained in a book, therefore his entire relevation to each individual can't be confined in a book.
But I also get irked with people who classify all believers as mindless sheep and cave dwellers, when it's just not true!
Guys? When I had my stroke in 2000, I was VERY angry at God. DAMNED angry at him. I didn't wheel into a cave and say, "Well, I guess this is your will ... let me see what Paul has to say about this." Instead, I took the issue up, directly, with God. And I came away from the experience with more faith in him than I had when I could walk!
I know you guys don't like it when agnostics and/or athiests are all lumped together and stereotyped. Neither do people of faith. People who launch mean-spirited attacks against you for your beliefs are not following what Jesus told us to do. Instead, we are supposed to let out lights "glow" -- not "glare, blind, frighten and drive away all who don't subscribe to what we say you have to believe."
A light that glows is SO much more inviting than a blinding, glaring light. Don't you think? And many Christians and members of other faiths believe you guys are entitled to your opinions! Truly! But just like you don't appreciate being attacked, I don't appreciate being called a cave dweller.
Shawn -- especially Shawn -- you know how I've reached out to you in the past. Do you really think I'm a mindless, cave-dwelling sheep?
posted by
daBobber
on February 1, 2004 at 12:28 PM
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Thank you
Shawn, your support as well as others is very encouraging. Those who have heard the Voice of Change resonating through the air and vibrating in the Earth are few, now, and it is up to us to speak the language to those not in tune to this cry for change-- It is lonely, at times, and many through out the ages have fallen to meloncholy and depression because of this. But with the internet we are able to find more like minded souls and our voices are added to others and it seems possible to bring change about.
I posted a question to the blog administrators over suspensions, noting that certain groups who do not want to hear our views or let others hear them band together to press the Admin. to remove good writers and philosophers from the bloggingnetwork. I asked if there was any review of the accusations or a chance for defense of those being targeted. I haven't heard from them regarding this. In the old days of Prodigy and AOL chat, this happened to us quite often when debating or just chatting of our own views with others--Christians would attack with thier language of sin, shame, damnation, cursing us to hell or worse--but if we said they were perverts for their beliefs, well, out we went. I hope this isn't happening on this open forum. By what I've read--it does. I'll keep posting as long as I can, I hope you and spyinthesky does too.
FR
posted by
freerain
on February 1, 2004 at 11:57 AM
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Thank you for this, as always.
It is sad that voices like yours--like mine--are so harshly marginalized in our society. People have chosen to shut their eyes, close their ears, and run to hide in the caves of belief. They huddle there, frozen with fear. They consider the bravest amongst them those who, in their panic, lash out the most violently. These they elect to leadership positions. These they call priests and ministers and popes and presidents. It is very, very sad.
Sanity, skepticism, critical thinking--all are damned as heretical and unholy.
I have taken to task several of the nastiest on this Network this week, and I regret doing so. I violated my own principle, that of remembering that one cannot argue with a huddling, frightened, panicked cave-dweller. One cannot argue with a book. And that's what I engaged in this week.
Your words are important, because the cave-dwellers want us to believe that their reality IS reality; to that end they silence and marginalize the awake and the aware. It feels lonely sometimes, believing one all alone in this morass of insanity. But it is illusion. Your blog makes me aware of that. Thank you.
Shawn
posted by
ShawnMichel
on January 31, 2004 at 9:27 PM
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