Comments on: Who is godly enough for Asheville’s city council?

By: thudfactor

thudfactor — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:39:31 +0000

Cecil, thanks for stopping by. I’m still kind of at sea about what “post-theist” means. Probably because “theist” is such a vague and unsatisfying term, one that tends to be used by atheists to mean “the community of people who disagree with us.”

And while there are some communities of the religious who choose only to meditate rather than be active, for many of those people it’s not because they feel God will save them but that reality itself is inconsequential. Plenty of religious groups are very active in both liberal and conservative causes, and they don’t have to declare themselves to be “beyond” belief to do so.

Although if the article is correct and you are a UU, I bet I don’t have to lecture you on that.

By: cecil bothwell

cecil bothwell — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:49:36 +0000

I use the term “post-theist” because I feel I grew up in a post-theist era. I’m not averse to the term “atheist’ but it seems to have acquired a lot of baggage.

Many atheists seem eager to prove that god or gods don’t exist. That’s okay with me, but I really don’t care. I have seen no day-to-day evidence of supernatural intervention, so god arguments seem irrelevant. As I write in my just-released book, Whale Falls: An examination of belief and its consequences, “If the world is not a zero-sum game, then faith alone might set us free. If it is, faith will not suffice. In a physically limited system we need to curb our appetites and impose pollution controls. Protecting whole watersheds and building bicycles instead of cars become imperative. In short, we need to work, not meditate, if reality is circular—that is, if the loops of hydrology, nutrients, and energy are closed.”

By: Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:57:11 +0000

http://www.topix.net/forum/religion/unitarian-universalist/TVO7RRJN3RR8668ED#lastPost

I commented over there too…

And some clueless poster got confused on the ratings icons—learn 2 read b4 you log on already.

By: Gordon Wayne Watts

Gordon Wayne Watts — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:23:49 +0000

This is crazy.

I AM one of those right-wing conservative Christian Bible thumpers, and I think it would be disrespectful for anyone to deny God’s existence.

(I mean, really, how would *you* like it if someone denied *your* existence?!)

However, to require this as a test for serving on counsels is wrong:

Even tho it may be a sin, does anyone remember the parable of the wheat and the tares, hello? THEY GROW UP TOGETHER!

Besides, while proclaiming the gospel is a mandate according to Mark chapter 16 and elsewhere, there IS NO mandate that we must make the choice for them -that would be rude -and deny free will. (As well, it would make all of Christ’s hard work as a perfect example and role model per John 13:15 meaningless -and let me tell you, as a human, I *do* need a role model.)

Let’s not make Christ look bad -let’s proclaim our message in a polite way.

I’m Gordon Watts, and I approve this message.