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Remembering my backbone

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
Since I joined the forum, I bounced around various progressivist ideas about God and even the afterlife. Eventually I kind of had a self-revelation: My religion is progressivism, as bizarre as it might sound.

Definition as it would apply to me:
Progressivism - Wikipedia

Doesn't matter what else I might call myself. I believe in God, but you can label me various things such as "Christian Universalist", maybe even "Unitarian Universalist" as well, maybe even "pantheist" as I'm starting to ponder.

Some of my personal ideas which only necessarily apply to me:

1. Science is important.

2. The greatest truths tend to come from within.

3. It is technically possible to be both learned and foolish.

4. That being said, education is still important.

5. I believe in peaceful reform in the world. It tugs at my heartstrings with a sense of hope.

Now that's all fine and dandy, but here is how I feel we need to fix the political situation:

A. We need a system where we don't have to choose the "lesser of evils" so much. This means when it comes to choosing politicians. This can be done by voting in the polls which decide the candidate for each side. The ones before you vote Republican or Democrat for the President.

B. We need to be mindful that the worst people don't just float to the top where they can control our every move.

C. When a potential leader promises us that they will do things for our religious beliefs, we need to keep a healthy amount of skepticism, as we've all been duped by false promises in this regard before.

D. We need to be mindful that just because a leader unites people of his/her beliefs, doesn't mean that we aren't going backwards and into a style that doesn't help us in the long run.

e (extra). Sometimes I get closed-minded myself on here, and I need to be reminded what I stand for.

Refutations: "But AT-AT, things are going well in the world now!"

Me: No, not for all people. What is normal for the spider is sometimes chaos for the fly.
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
Since I joined the forum, I bounced around various progressivist ideas about God and even the afterlife. Eventually I kind of had a self-revelation: My religion is progressivism, as bizarre as it might sound.

Definition as it would apply to me:
Progressivism - Wikipedia

Doesn't matter what else I might call myself. I believe in God, but you can label me various things such as "Christian Universalist", maybe even "Unitarian Universalist" as well, maybe even "pantheist" as I'm starting to ponder.

Some of my personal ideas which only necessarily apply to me:

1. Science is important.

2. The greatest truths tend to come from within.

3. It is technically possible to be both learned and foolish.

4. That being said, education is still important.

5. I believe in peaceful reform in the world. It tugs at my heartstrings with a sense of hope.

Overall I agree with this list (although I'd need to flush out #2), but I don't really see them as constituting a "religion." Could be a philosophy or maybe even political philosophy, but it doesnt sound terribly religious.

Now that's all fine and dandy, but here is how I feel we need to fix the political situation:

A. We need a system where we don't have to choose the "lesser of evils" so much. This means when it comes to choosing politicians. This can be done by voting in the polls which decide the candidate for each side. The ones before you vote Republican or Democrat for the President.
I think you mean voting in primaries/caucuses. Yes I agree, all elections are important. Political inaction/apathy is one of our country's greatest obstacles right now. Problem is, I don't know if this will solve the lesser of two evils problem, because that's a matter of perspective. No matter how many people vote in primaries, there's going to be a minority of folks who voted for someone who didn't win. And those people are going to have to choose in the general election between two candidates who weren't their first choice.

B. We need to be mindful that the worst people don't just float to the top where they can control our every move.

C. When a potential leader promises us that they will do things for our religious beliefs, we need to keep a healthy amount of skepticism, as we've all been duped by false promises in this regard before.

D. We need to be mindful that just because a leader unites people of his/her beliefs, doesn't mean that we aren't going backwards and into a style that doesn't help us in the long run.

e (extra). Sometimes I get closed-minded myself on here, and I need to be reminded what I stand for.

Refutations: "But AT-AT, things are going well in the world now!"

Me: No, not for all people. What is normal for the spider is sometimes chaos for the fly.
Good points all around. That last line is catchy, I'm gonna use that!
 

Daemon Sophic

Avatar in flux
Since I joined the forum, I bounced around various progressivist ideas about God and even the afterlife. Eventually I kind of had a self-revelation: My religion is progressivism, as bizarre as it might sound.

Definition as it would apply to me:
Progressivism - Wikipedia

Doesn't matter what else I might call myself. I believe in God, but you can label me various things such as "Christian Universalist", maybe even "Unitarian Universalist" as well, maybe even "pantheist" as I'm starting to ponder.

Some of my personal ideas which only necessarily apply to me:

1. Science is important.

2. The greatest truths tend to come from within.

3. It is technically possible to be both learned and foolish.

4. That being said, education is still important.

5. I believe in peaceful reform in the world. It tugs at my heartstrings with a sense of hope.

Now that's all fine and dandy, but here is how I feel we need to fix the political situation:

A. We need a system where we don't have to choose the "lesser of evils" so much. This means when it comes to choosing politicians. This can be done by voting in the polls which decide the candidate for each side. The ones before you vote Republican or Democrat for the President.

B. We need to be mindful that the worst people don't just float to the top where they can control our every move.

C. When a potential leader promises us that they will do things for our religious beliefs, we need to keep a healthy amount of skepticism, as we've all been duped by false promises in this regard before.

D. We need to be mindful that just because a leader unites people of his/her beliefs, doesn't mean that we aren't going backwards and into a style that doesn't help us in the long run.

e (extra). Sometimes I get closed-minded myself on here, and I need to be reminded what I stand for.

Refutations: "But AT-AT, things are going well in the world now!"

Me: No, not for all people. What is normal for the spider is sometimes chaos for the fly.
I agree with all except C.
C. When a potential leader promises us that they will do things for our religious beliefs, we need to keep a healthy amount of skepticism, as we've all been duped by false promises in this regard before.

Political leaders should never be promising one set of religious beliefs and/or supporting one religion.
When a political leader promises us that they will do things for our religious beliefs, we need to drop them like a bag of flaming ****. All political leaders should be trying to help unify people of various religious beliefs, without kowtowing to one or another. Since that would show their ability to handle relationships between organizations both domestic and foreign.
 

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
I agree with all except C.
C. When a potential leader promises us that they will do things for our religious beliefs, we need to keep a healthy amount of skepticism, as we've all been duped by false promises in this regard before.

Political leaders should never be promising one set of religious beliefs and/or supporting one religion.
When a political leader promises us that they will do things for our religious beliefs, we need to drop them like a bag of flaming ****. All political leaders should be trying to help unify people of various religious beliefs, without kowtowing to one or another. Since that would show their ability to handle relationships between organizations both domestic and foreign.

Excellent post.
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
All good points. The mess we are in now didn't happen overnight, it took over forty years of strategic planning and follow through. People have become so status quo which led to the real enemy, voter apathy. As Ben Franklin noted '
upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it." The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people for their continued good health.'
And then there's the money, with the passage of 'Citizens United' the politicians are bought and paid for.
 
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