Brainstorm

[Silver]

Some people are adults and do not wish to be raised by you at all. I think wearing a lot of make up and fancy clothes gives people a false sense of beauty when in reality they should find a why to be happy with the way they truly look. But I don't want to get rid of make up altogether or go out into the world urging people not to use make up. I point it out when I see this fake version of beauty becoming harmful, but otherwise I let people live their own lives.

You're mixing concepts that do not connect.

[Edwardo Piet]

And you ignored my serious respone too EP

It's not happening

How should we get rid of religion? Pointless to try it isn't going to happen. If religion dies out it will happen naturally over hundreds or thousands of years or whatever.

So yes, as Losty says EP, perhaps instead of bitching about the non serious posts you could give the serious posts some attention?

[Silver]

Still, I'm lost.

[Excited Penguin]

EP. I have posted a serious response to your thread and you have ignored it. If you make a thread, why are all your responses just bitching about the non serious posts. I would like it if you addressed my question please. I'd be glad to quote it if you can't find it.

I will gladly do so if you apologize for repeatedly going off-topic and attacking me.

You do not have to apologize for the attacks to the extent that they were ad-hominems, I believe that mistake takes care of itself. But I sense some personal problem you have with me which is hijacking the course of the thread. I expect nothing but the same type of honest, kind and reasonable behaviour from you that I showed towards everyone up until now in this thread, if you want me to partake with you in this conversation. 

The whole point of the thread is to brainstorm ideas. I believe we cannot do so if we use dishonest tactics to disagree with someone or if we post totally unrelated content in order to attack people we have a problem with.

[Losty]

Some people are adults and do not wish to be raised by you at all. I think wearing a lot of make up and fancy clothes gives people a false sense of beauty when in reality they should find a why to be happy with the way they truly look. But I don't want to get rid of make up altogether or go out into the world urging people not to use make up. I point it out when I see this fake version of beauty becoming harmful, but otherwise I let people live their own lives.

You're mixing concepts that do not connect.

Not really, speaking strictly of religion that does no harm, my analogy fits well. I never consider it my place to try to tell other people what to think or how to feel or what to believe. That's my main issue I had with religion. So for me to turn around and tell religious people to stop believing would be hypocritical. If it's something you want to get passionate about getting rid of religion, more power to you I guess. I won't be joining and I don't really think it will ever be successful.

[Edwardo Piet]

I will gladly do so if you apologize for repeatedly going off-topic and attacking me.

Neither of those things happened. Making a joke by comparing you to the Brain from Pinky and the Brain is not Off-Topic because it's a fucking joke and it's not attacking you because.... because it's a fucking joke!

Have you ever considered developing a sense of humor?

[Losty]

EP. I have posted a serious response to your thread and you have ignored it. If you make a thread, why are all your responses just bitching about the non serious posts. I would like it if you addressed my question please. I'd be glad to quote it if you can't find it.

I will gladly do so if you apologize for repeatedly going off-topic and attacking me.

You do not have to apologize for the attacks to the extent that they were ad-hominems, I believe that mistake takes care of itself. But I sense some personal problem you have with me which is hijacking the course of the thread. I expect nothing but the same type of honest, kind and reasonable behaviour from you that I showed towards everyone up until now in this thread, if you want me to partake with you in this conversation. 

The whole point of the thread is to brainstorm ideas. I believe we cannot do so if we use dishonest tactics to disagree with someone or if we post totally unrelated content in order to attack people we have a problem with.

1) I haven't attacked you in this thread. Not even once. Not even a little bit.

2) I haven't taken this thread off topic a single time and the only posts I've made that were even remotely off topic were in response to something you and Kit had been talking about.

And no, no I will not apologize to you, firstly because I haven't done anything wrong, and secondly because of this....

@EP I want to apologize to you specifically because I let my emotions get the best of me and I was unnecessarily mean to you, I'm sorry for that.

I don't accept your apology...

my boldyness

An apology to Thena would seem most appropriate.

I don't believe in apologies.

So, how's that working out for you?

What, being rational about a meaningless concept? Pretty well actually.

... as if apologies are irrational ....


... pegged.

They are but I don't want to argue about it.

They may be effective, that I agree with. But I won't accept something as true based on its utility function alone.

You guys are missing the point. Apologies don't make any sense at all in and of themselves. They convey nothing. If you need to tell a person you won't wrong them in a similar manner in the future, that's fine, but call it that and leave it at that. There's nothing else you should or could tell them if you wrong them. I think the term apology, as it is right now, means some other things as well, demeaning and unrequired things that we accept because of tradition, not reason.

[Losty]

I will gladly do so if you apologize for repeatedly going off-topic and attacking me.

Neither of those things happened. Making a joke by comparing you to the Brain from Pinky and the Brain is not Off-Topic because it's a fucking joke and it's not attacking you because.... because it's a fucking joke!

Have you ever considered developing a sense of humor?

Also, it wasn't off-topic because it was in direct reference to the OP. I was making a comparison about EP wanting to get rid of religion VS Brain wanting to take over the world. Both ideas, to me, are silly and both are (IMO) impossible.

[Silver]

Not really, speaking strictly of religion that does no harm, my analogy fits well. I never consider it my place to try to tell other people what to think or how to feel or what to believe. That's main issue I had with religion. So for me to turn around and tell religious people to stop believing would be hypocritical. If it's something you want to get passionate about getting rid of religion, more power to you I guess. I won't be joining and I don't really think it will ever be successful.

You inspired me:
http://atheistforums.org/thread-41265.html

[Excited Penguin]

Not related to the topic currently under discussion.

---

To anyone else wondering, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm not responding to certain posters, even though I specifically pointed out in the OP that this is not something we should feel pressured to do. But regardless of that, I pledge to converse with anyone who is going to take this thread seriously and respect the conversation beyond the petty disagreements that may exist outside of it between certain people. Also, it's not out of the question that I might, down the road, respond to some who have already repeatedly attacked and offended me under the guise of humour. As it is, though, I see no reason to do so.

My personal activity however is not to discourage anyone from posting. The OP serves at most as a series of suggestions, or even as a guideline to those willing to take it as such. I do not decide what we talk about, as mentioned initially, or how we talk about it, which I'm willing to add now.

Those of you that want to move on from the current topic should propose a new one and wait for others to pick it up.

---