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Hello from the Hudson Valley
#1
Hello from the Hudson Valley
Hello,
I've been reading this forum for a couple of months now and I've got to say that it is always an interesting and informative read. Personally I'm very much a Hitchensian anti-theist, I totally agree with the late journalist that religion does indeed poison everything.

Growing up I was subjected to 12 years of Catholic school, and spent a whole lot of years searching for something that would work for me as the church of my upbringing certainly did not give me whatever it was I needed. I often felt like the person in Pete Townshend's "The Seeker" if you remember that old Who song. I tried all manner of things - different types of Christianity, Zen, and eventually had to come to the conclusion that only thing that made any sense to me was that there was nobody here but us, so to speak. Because if there was a God then he was doing a terrible job and therefore not worthy of our attention anyway. The argument from evil is what did it for me. I remember it being called "atheism's killer argument" somewhere, and it certainly is.

Anyway, I'm glad to have found this site as it will give me a place to hang out and discuss stuff with like minded folks. Cool Shades
“To terrify children with the image of hell, to consider women an inferior creation—is that good for the world?”
― Christopher Hitchens

"That fear first created the gods is perhaps as true as anything so brief could be on so great a subject". - George Santayana

"If this is the best God can do, I'm not impressed". - George Carlin


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#2
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
Welcome to the forums!
"Well, evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts don't go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's in this century, but apples didn't suspend themselves in midair, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from ape- like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin's proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered."

-Stephen Jay Gould
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#3
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
Welcome
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere. - Carl Sagan
Professional Watcher of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report!
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#4
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
Welcome.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
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#5
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
Welcome! Where are you exactly? I went to SUNY New Paltz Smile
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#6
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
Quote:Growing up I was subjected to 12 years of Catholic school

Oh, that's cruel.

Welcome aboard.
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#7
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
(April 25, 2013 at 9:37 pm)rexbeccarox Wrote: Welcome! Where are you exactly? I went to SUNY New Paltz Smile

I live in Albany, originally from Brooklyn. Had a lot of friends who went to New Paltz. Attended Brooklyn College myself. Cool Shades
“To terrify children with the image of hell, to consider women an inferior creation—is that good for the world?”
― Christopher Hitchens

"That fear first created the gods is perhaps as true as anything so brief could be on so great a subject". - George Santayana

"If this is the best God can do, I'm not impressed". - George Carlin


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#8
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
I've lived in Southern California for years now, and my sister moved out here from Albany a couple of years ago. Welcome again!
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#9
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
(April 25, 2013 at 10:43 pm)rexbeccarox Wrote: I've lived in Southern California for years now, and my sister moved out here from Albany a couple of years ago. Welcome again!

Thanks. Small world, isn't it? My oldest daughter lived in Long Beach for several years, then she and her husband moved to New Mexico, where his family is from. SoCal is really nice, I can see why you'd like it. Cool Shades
“To terrify children with the image of hell, to consider women an inferior creation—is that good for the world?”
― Christopher Hitchens

"That fear first created the gods is perhaps as true as anything so brief could be on so great a subject". - George Santayana

"If this is the best God can do, I'm not impressed". - George Carlin


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#10
RE: Hello from the Hudson Valley
Welcome!

Wave at the folks up at RPI for me next time you're up that way.
Save a life. Adopt a greyhound.
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