RE: A discussion with tack
July 5, 2011 at 10:27 pm
(This post was last modified: July 5, 2011 at 10:36 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
I probably could have clarified myself in fewer words. Specific gods can be proven to be non-existent, I like to reference cargo cults here because they were relatively recent, and extremely well documented.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult
The mention of the Tanna cult is one such example. There we have gods which plainly do not exist (unless one wishes to claim that army personnel are gods).
If a claim is made regarding what a god is, or where he is, or what he has done..and it turns out that these things are in fact not true, that god does not exist. A god is the sum of all the stories told, all the attributes given. Believers once pointed to the sky and imagined that the sun was a god riding a fiery chariot....turns out its a star instead.
If you remove all of these claims, if you remove all of these attributes. If god no longer talks to us, intervenes on our behalf, or impedes our actions, if a god no longer commands the rain to fall or the sun to shine, we may still call this concept god, but it has ceased to mean the thing which was originally proposed. That's what I mean when I say "a god who is not a god".
BTW, you have a better command of english than I have of whatever your first language is, so congratulations there.
Bait and Switch, now that you know, you should work it into your english, it adds some flare..lol.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait-and-switch
By the way, is there a similar phrase regarding this type of thing in your language? If so, what is it and what does it mean translated directly into english?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult
The mention of the Tanna cult is one such example. There we have gods which plainly do not exist (unless one wishes to claim that army personnel are gods).
If a claim is made regarding what a god is, or where he is, or what he has done..and it turns out that these things are in fact not true, that god does not exist. A god is the sum of all the stories told, all the attributes given. Believers once pointed to the sky and imagined that the sun was a god riding a fiery chariot....turns out its a star instead.
If you remove all of these claims, if you remove all of these attributes. If god no longer talks to us, intervenes on our behalf, or impedes our actions, if a god no longer commands the rain to fall or the sun to shine, we may still call this concept god, but it has ceased to mean the thing which was originally proposed. That's what I mean when I say "a god who is not a god".
BTW, you have a better command of english than I have of whatever your first language is, so congratulations there.
Bait and Switch, now that you know, you should work it into your english, it adds some flare..lol.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait-and-switch
By the way, is there a similar phrase regarding this type of thing in your language? If so, what is it and what does it mean translated directly into english?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
