I went back and reread our morning's exchange. I assume that what exercised you was my grouping some practices that are dear to you and yours with others, like voodoo, that you consider objects of ridicule.
Your assumption is incorrect.
None of the religious practices you ridiculed is "near and dear" to me. However, I can understand how millions of people take comfort in them.
I never said I considered voodoo an object of ridicule.
I was merely trying to define and illustrate a particular religious thread--one that is demeaning to humanity.
I disagree. You listed all sorts of religious practices, as well as a number of black magic practices, under the aegis of "things that give me the heebie-jeebies". It is you who demeans humanity by demeaning a number of the practices that perform in private while worshipping God. That was my point, over and over again.
Humanity, of course, is the focus of my "belief" system.
You have a funny way of showing it.
I was not making fun of the items on the list or those who care about them, only trying to illustrate that one particular message of religion, which is that humans are dirt absent the grace of God.
I never heard this before. Never have I heard or read of a priest or minister saying human beings are dirt. Ever. Flawed, yes. Doomed, yes. (Though plenty of Christians don't believe this.) But dirt? Never.
We settled on "serious treatment" of people's beliefs as an adequate standard. I thought I was treating my list with seriousness. Either I missed the mark on that or "serious treatment" is not a viable standard, as Neo and I thought.
Your post last night was far from 'serious treatment', IMO. It was contemptuous and it violated the one principle of behavior I do remember you said you espoused: the Golden Rule. |
