[MD] The Level of Intellectual Quality

[Dan Glover]

Hello everyone

On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 12:28 PM, Louise Pryor <bypryordesign at gmail.com> wrote:
> The only person I can change is myself... BUT, *I* cannot change me all by
> myself.
>
> The only way I can change, grow, become better, is by listening to the input
> of others, people I like and respect, sure, but also those I don't care for
> might also have something useful to add. I can hear it all, and hold on to
> that which is good, useful, profitable, and discard that which is not.

Dan:
The thing about becoming better is there is no way to do it other than
doing it. I don't need to hear anything from anyone. I just know. And
so do you whether you care to admit it or not.


>Lu:
> It seems that on a metaphysical discussion group, you would find the
> majority with this view - openness to discourse. It is threatening to most
> folks out in the world, to have their ideology and worldview challenged.
> Here, though, it should be a safe place to bring it ALL up. A LOT of people
> believe in a god of some sort. To just chuck out any conversation including
> allusions to deity or theism is to exclude a lot of interesting discussion.

Dan:

What a load of crap. A lot of people watch television too. What does
that tell you about a lot of people? And I'm supposed to listen to
them? Why? And I'm sorry to say it but I find most people dull and
decidedly uninteresting, that's one reason I hang out here.

>Lu:
> Just the words "god, deity, theism" seems to cause instant panicked
> reactions, a whole lifetime of prejudice is married to those words. But I
> assure you that the attachments I have to them differs from yours as much as
> I differ from you, but what I also know, that most "atheists" or
> "anti-theists" don't seem to (or it isn't apparent from what I have observed
> here, anyway), is that if we actually took the time and effort to ask the
> pertinent questions, and to really listen to each other, we would find
> ourselves closer than we might think, and we would all go away from the
> conversation richer.

Dan:

My oldest daughter got married about four years ago. Her and her new
husband lived in Utah at the time. They invited me to the wedding. I
dislike flying so I drove for two days to get there. Now... imagine if
you will being told you can't attend your daughter's wedding because
you're not a Mormon. Non-believers are not allowed inside their
temple.

So. Lucky me got to attend the civil ceremony the next day at the
local community center. And my in-laws treated me like I was some kind
of low-life. They kept calling each other "brother" and "sister" while
all the time ignoring me. Christ. They wouldn't even look me in the
eye. I did a prayer for all of them in that afternoon's meditation.

Theism leaves a bad taste in my mouth. People start believing they
know best and whoever disagrees, they first try to convert them. That
failing, they shun the non-believers. Name me one theistic religion
that doesn't, please. They're all the same in that regard. Atheists
are nearly as bad. Don't even get me started with that.



>
> Lu - the wife of a discouraged man. *sigh*

Dan:

Well, from the look of things your man has gotten over his
discouragement, what with dmb playing nice and all. I'm glad. And
don't worry. I won't be able to post here again any time soon.
Priorities, don't you know.

Be Good,

Dan