(September 20, 2013 at 5:19 pm)Zazzy Wrote:(September 20, 2013 at 4:32 pm)ManMachine Wrote: Don't get me wrong, the use of any social mechanism to justify the oppression or subjugation of women is abhorrent.Three cheers for this statement!
Quote:It seems to me to be a better strategy to leave the deities out of this kind of approach because as far as I'm concerned Allah et.al. do not exist, but the vile-minded, assholes who misappropriate religion to justify their own misogynistic bullshit do, and they should be exposed from behind their twisted interpretations.Isn't this thread about certainty in a god or in the lack of it? How can I leave gods-specific OR general-out of that discussion? My exact point was if I became certain that such a god existed, I would thumb my nose at it. If a sweet, loving god who wished us to treat each other gently and teach our children math and poetry and impulse control showed up, my life would be little different, except that I'd be certain such a god existed. I'm saying that practically, the certainty or lack of it in any god is totally irrelevant.
You're right. I kind of wandered off the point there.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
