Has Ank gone off the deep end?

[Camerus]

I think it simplistic in the extreme to claim to know what billions of monotheistic religious people alive today and throughout history "really" believe, and likewise narcissistic to make definitive truth claims about the universe (eg either that there is no god or, yes, that there is a god and you know exactly what everyone should do based on this) whilst damning those who think differently with negative labels.   

As a  seperate issue, I also find it disingenuous to not impute any significance to how the White House chooses to celebrate and emphasize various holidays.

[grumbler]

The tree in question is not your private Tree of Interfaith Dialogue, it is partly my tree, and therefore I have a say in what it is called.

You have a say in what you call it.  You have no say whatsoever in what I call it.

[Valmy]

I am not a huge fan of dumping ancient cultural traditions and making our world blander

I know. I was really mad when they dumped celebrating the birth of Mithra for this new fangled "Christ-mass" shit.

WTF? Sol Invictus motherfucker. And they gave Jesus his sun burst anyway so it all worked out.

[Valmy]

I think that is the least of it - the narcissim implicit in religion goes beyond that. The idea that there is an omnipotent being who created a universe the size of which renders humans a tiny spec, and it was all created JUST FOR YOU, and said omnipotent being cares about nothing really much more than your own adulation of it.

I mean, that is almost breathtaking in its arrogance. The creator of the universe made the entire thing just so YOU could worship HIM.

I believe none of this. Weird since it is 'implicit' and all.

[Razgovory]

It is - the only thing more amusing than overly sensitive guys like Ben is actual, real examples of people who actually get offended that other people don't call some decoration the name THEY want it to be called. The narcissism of the idea that only YOUR name is the acceptable name is amusing, to say the least.

That comes with the territory of being religious. I mean, is there really anything more narcissistic than insisting that there is this infinite, eternal, unknowable, omnipotent entity out there - and at the same time claiming that you know exactly what It wants not just you, but the rest of the humanity to do?

I think that is the least of it - the narcissim implicit in religion goes beyond that. The idea that there is an omnipotent being who created a universe the size of which renders humans a tiny spec, and it was all created JUST FOR YOU, and said omnipotent being cares about nothing really much more than your own adulation of it.

I mean, that is almost breathtaking in its arrogance. The creator of the universe made the entire thing just so YOU could worship HIM.

I like that.

You would, it's quite tiresome.

[11B4V]

It is - the only thing more amusing than overly sensitive guys like Ben is actual, real examples of people who actually get offended that other people don't call some decoration the name THEY want it to be called. The narcissism of the idea that only YOUR name is the acceptable name is amusing, to say the least.

That comes with the territory of being religious. I mean, is there really anything more narcissistic than insisting that there is this infinite, eternal, unknowable, omnipotent entity out there - and at the same time claiming that you know exactly what It wants not just you, but the rest of the humanity to do?

I think that is the least of it - the narcissim implicit in religion goes beyond that. The idea that there is an omnipotent being who created a universe the size of which renders humans a tiny spec, and it was all created JUST FOR YOU, and said omnipotent being cares about nothing really much more than your own adulation of it.

I mean, that is almost breathtaking in its arrogance. The creator of the universe made the entire thing just so YOU could worship HIM.

I like that.

You would, it's quite tiresome.

I would agree with you that religion is quite tiresome.

[Valmy]

I would agree with you that religion is quite tiresome.

Only because tiresome people like Ben Stein write stupid articles about it which leads to tiresome internet discussions of it.

[11B4V]

I would agree with you that religion is quite tiresome.

Only because tiresome people like Ben Stein write stupid articles about it which leads to tiresome internet discussions of it.

They can't help themselves. It's what they believe.

[Razgovory]

I would agree with you that religion is quite tiresome.

Not as tiresome as Berkut ranting.

[11B4V]

I would agree with you that religion is quite tiresome.

Not as tiresome as Berkut ranting.

When a shot hurts, it hurts.

[Valmy]

I would agree with you that religion is quite tiresome.

Only because tiresome people like Ben Stein write stupid articles about it which leads to tiresome internet discussions of it.

They can't help themselves. It's what they believe.

Making whiny ass articles? My God I cannot believe I once thought Ben Stein was a smart guy. Thinking murders are happening because we have turned from God? As opposed to that time in America when there were no murders?

[Razgovory]

I would agree with you that religion is quite tiresome.

Not as tiresome as Berkut ranting.

When a shot hurts, it hurts.

Seriously? Viking did this shit better.  I took the time to Read Dawkin's, Harris, Hitchens and Denett (of the the four horsemen of the Atheism only Denett had anything worth a damn to say.  He was also the only one who wasn't dictatorial or totalitarian by nature), to that I could understand what Viking was on about.  Berkut is just being his normal childish self.  Putting words in CAPITAL LETTERS is not an ARGUMENT!

[11B4V]

I would agree with you that religion is quite tiresome.

Not as tiresome as Berkut ranting.

When a shot hurts, it hurts.

Seriously? Viking did this shit better.  I took the time to Read Dawkin's, Harris, Hitchens and Denett (of the the four horsemen of the Atheism only Denett had anything worth a damn to say.  He was also the only one who wasn't dictatorial or totalitarian by nature), to that I could understand what Viking was on about.  Berkut is just being his normal childish self.  Putting words in CAPITAL LETTERS is not an ARGUMENT!

I took the time to read Raz, Viking, Marty and Hans and found them passe, arbitrary and unimaginative.

[Berkut]

It is - the only thing more amusing than overly sensitive guys like Ben is actual, real examples of people who actually get offended that other people don't call some decoration the name THEY want it to be called. The narcissism of the idea that only YOUR name is the acceptable name is amusing, to say the least.

I just said that people are totally free, this being a free country, to go chop down a Norwegian fir, stand it up in their living room, put a Star of Inoffensiveness at the top, hang a couple of winged statues of Lowest Common Denominator from the branches, and call it a Tree of Interfaith Dialogue if they want.  But as is your wont when that vein in your forehead starts a-twitchin', you ignored that.

The tree in question is not your private Tree of Interfaith Dialogue, it is partly my tree, and therefore I have a say in what it is called.

But the point is that your whine is that other people don't call it what you want it called.

You, of course, are free to call it anything you like. But apparently others are only free to call it what YOU like.

[Berkut]

I think it simplistic in the extreme to claim to know what billions of monotheistic religious people alive today and throughout history "really" believe,

Boy, that would be narcisiitic, good thing I am not doing that, and simply taking them at their word on what they believe.

and likewise narcissistic to make definitive truth claims about the universe (eg either that there is no god or, yes, that there is a god and you know exactly what everyone should do based on this) whilst damning those who think differently with negative labels.   

Again, that would be bad, and I am glad I am not making any "definitive truth claims" one way or the other.

As a  seperate issue, I also find it disingenuous to not impute any significance to how the White House chooses to celebrate and emphasize various holidays.

Any signifigance? Is that the only choice here? Call it what we say, or nothing at all?