T.A.S., as E politely answered not for me but for she, I will do me...
E is an atheist, with well documented description of her journey to that end.
Sam, in a post a couple down from yours, and up from this, is an agnostic, despising, I must mildly say, organized Christianity.
Steve is sort of a buddha, saying there ain't none, and, even if there were, it ain't worth the walk to get the waffles.
Del has very recently drawn up his living code, based on his ideas of morality, justice, and purpose.
Craig, even, is a rather dogmatic Buddhist.
I am a person who denies the validity of discussion of God without a predetermined definition of What It Is We Are Discussing. If the definition turns out to be an unknown orderly chaos, I just might be a Godder.
All of the above, I should have included Alex and probably others, I believe I can safely say, make no claim to total, universal, unmitigated knowledge of about all prime matters. We live our lives with the benefits of our own intelligences, and the conclusions that these have led us to. And, I must believe, we are rather proud, content, fulfilled, satisfied with these conclusions - at whatever stage of continued exploration they might be in.
We are fingers casually or fervently groping through existence. We seek to hold hands, to explore, to probe. We can join and we can separate. We can strengthen each other, fortify each other. We are dynamic in that way.
These people, atheists, agnostics, pagans, buddhists, have, with great sensitivity and detail tried for dialogs with Rick. Some of these approaches have been inspirational in their generosity, cordiality, and forthcomingness. They have been invitations to exploration. They have been quite, except mine, good-natured and genuine.
These offers, to Rick, have met, not another grasping, seeking hand, but a lifeless wall. A goddamned wall of deaf, blind, dogmatic shit.
The greatest evidence of "christianity" on these threads for weeks has been the perseverance and nobility of the overtures offered to Rick - not to convert him to anything in particular, but to allow him to participate in a discussion.
It has all wasted - as none of it, content or intent, has 'got through' to Rick.
If you are familiar with Emile, please believe that Rick is an Emile of another stripe - a more sinister, devious, insincere stripe. His mild superficial manner belies his single-minded intent to belittle what he has not the power to understand, and to cover the world with his unalterable brand of thoughtless fanaticism.
The sole reason he disgusts me (I believe essentially in 'live and let live') is because of the heartfelt efforts made by people, who have given him invitations to explore, and the stupid, taunting, wall that they, these invitations, have been dashed against.
I could have made this shorter. I could have said, "Rick is a n'yahh-n'yahhny-n'yahhnyahh. And I don't much cotton to n'yahh-n'yahhny-n'yahhnyahh's."
The beauty of the minds of E and Steve and Sam and Del and Alex and who-did-I-leave-out - and the rancid vacuum of Rick's rickety rostrum!
If I were 'with it,' I would now whip out a great Latin phrase. Not so.
Sincerely, gsm
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