RootsBooster Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I can't recall a time when I took to heart the "truths" of creation coming from a religious source ... ........ ...so, you never actually believed in a god? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNorm Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Believed? No. Of course like many I've mulled over the possibility, but you know, if God walked into the room, performed an act of creation and let me see things I was previously blind to, well of course the first thing I'd need to know is ... blooming 'eck where did you come from? Who created you? Who made god? Somebody made god. Who made somebody? Somebody made somebody ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Believed? No. ...then it sounds like at the age of 15 you realised you were an atheist rather than became one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNorm Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 OK, yes, a conscious realisation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Post #28 reminded me of a Stephen King short story. Maybe we need a calmquake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNorm Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Thanks. That's a fair chunk to read - I may be some time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryedo40 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 For many, the truth is the end of all they seek. Yes, there are those who invest a great deal of time attempting to discover the truth about reality. They've made that their purpose in life. Their discoveries have been used to transform lives and shape the future of the world. I also doubt people are as black & white as "the truth is the end of all they seek." People are shades of grey - even if they do invest a lot of time in whatever they've made their main purpose in life. Others develop purpose, transforming the lives of individuals and shape the future of the world without basing their mission on "the truth". Partly agree, but are you sure they aren't basing their mission on "the truth" - or truth as they see it? Just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNorm Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Yes, there are those who invest a great deal of time attempting to discover the truth about reality. They've made that their purpose in life. Their discoveries have been used to transform lives and shape the future of the world. Which is great, I'm not knocking scientists. I guess I just wish more of the truth informed political decisions for example. I also doubt people are as black & white as "the truth is the end of all they seek." People are shades of grey - even if they do invest a lot of time in whatever they've made their main purpose in life. I'd agree, but with the same wish as above. Do you not imagine a better world where we made greater efforts to base the decisions we make in society on facts (while still allowing a place for gut feel - articulate "experts" sometimes mess things up the most). Partly agree, but are you sure they aren't basing their mission on "the truth" - or truth as they see it? Just a thought "truth" as they see it - hence the quotes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfish1936 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Good point Ryedo, (as well as others) however ... what I've been trying to put some focus on is going beyond the "worship" of science and facts. That's (our) solid foundation. Others have built their social structures on much more shaky foundations. For many, the truth is the end of all they seek. Others develop purpose, transforming the lives of individuals and shape the future of the world without basing their mission on "the truth". So, on a basis of Teutonic folk legends and a belief in the "Aryan Race", Hitler was able to transform the effete Germany of the Weimar republic into the powerful and effective Third Reich. Mother Theresa was able to base on her Catholic faith the work that helped many poor people. Based on the revelations of the Koran, ISIS is restructuring the Arab world. Yes, these missions which disregard "the truth" can be very successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNorm Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 (edited) Maybe we need a calmquake... A calmquake without the side-effects! ---------- Post added 26-07-2015 at 09:27 ---------- Yes, these missions which disregard "the truth" can be very successful. Indeed. If we get too liberal about allowing everyone to discover the "truth", they end up discovering their own truth, or somebody else's truth which comes with free fairy stories and rules about how to live. And people like a little structure in their lives and find it so hard to think for themselves, so they become happy blinkered believers. [Wilful Blindness - there's at least a loose connection there] I'm not advocating force feeding children the "truth" (we must always question accepted truths). Neither am I proposing a set of rules and doctrines to replace those from the religions we look at and wonder how they became so prevalent. But I do think it's irresponsible to have been gifted and discovered so much hard scientific knowledge and not to put a soft wrapper on it for easy consumption, accompanied with free stories which make the actual truth a little less frightening and with a guide based on collective wisdom that hopefully will lead to a world with more hope than there currently is. ---------- Post added 26-07-2015 at 09:44 ---------- Wouldn't it be great if our political leaders were informed by science, mathematics and technology? As in Lincoln? (the film) See (YouTube, 50 secs) and : (YouTube, 2m 48s) Edited July 26, 2015 by DrNorm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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