Harvard's New Chief Chaplain Is An Atheist

[firedragon]

I'm always excited.
(Lingering effects of dark chocolate covered espresso beans.)

Oh yes. I agree.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

J

I don't know, but I wouldn't think there are many atheist Catholics.

Of course there are, they just have to keep their head gown more.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

It's unusual for anyone where I live or in and around where I live to convert to Judaism. It's strange to be religious full stop in this country, per my experience. Atheism is the default and Judaism is still niche in the UK, relatively speaking.

Converts to Judasim is rare anywhere it is not encouraged. But it does happen especiall after marriage.

 

[Martin]

J

Of course there are, they just have to keep their head gown more.

I can tell you haven't been to Mass recently.

 

[PruePhillip]

Look at Islamic countries vs non-believing countries.
Which are the ****holes?
I rest my case.
But I will allow that belief has some advantages. If a country
wants to turn a person into a military tool...a weapon as it were,
then nothing beats a fundamentalist religion that offers a simplistic
deadly morality, & promises the tool eternal paradise in heaven.
(You'd never find this atheist in a foxhole.)

Disclaimer:
The above is all just my opinion.
I'm attacking no particular religion in my criticism
of the possible dysfunction to be found in some.

In Western society religious people, be they Catholics or Protestants,
seem to have more kids, and more represented in the army, scouts,
civil volunteers, emergency services etc.. I don't know, it's as if such
people are the last redoubt on what society was like 100 years ago.
With their passing in a 'post-religious' world we are entering a world
where everything is done by the government and everyone has only
politics to define themselves. Not good.

 

[Revoltingest]

In Western society religious people, be they Catholics or Protestants,
seem to have more kids, and more represented in the army, scouts,
civil volunteers, emergency services etc.. I don't know, it's as if such
people are the last redoubt on what society was like 100 years ago.
With their passing in a 'post-religious' world we are entering a world
where everything is done by the government and everyone has only
politics to define themselves. Not good.

I correlate increasing atheism & secularism with
the progress I like, eg, gay marriage, no forced
prayer in public school.

 

[PruePhillip]

I correlate increasing atheism & secularism with
the progress I like, eg, gay marriage, no forced
prayer in public school.

Progress, but in what direction? The Gallop scores in my profile are a good
indication of what sort of progress to expect. Coming soon - polygamy, followed
by pederasty. And instead of school prayers (where?) we will have Required
Speach- with whatever the latest words be. And we are seeing the complete
erasure of the world our grandparents and great grandparents lived in - for
better or for worse.

nb I always understood that school prayers didn't only acknowledge God but
acknowledge our human moral frailty. Perhaps tomorrow you won't need to
feel bad about stealing something and seeking penance, instead we will be
looking at 'unjust social structures' and 'endemic racism' and 'class injustice'
to 'explain' why we need to steal. It's terrifying to think where this will lead.

The Old Testament was about rules and regulations. The New Testament had
only two rules, inspired by the example of Jesus - love God and love your
neighbor. As Christianity evaporates before our eyes we are going back to the
rules and regulations of the Old Testament.

 

[Revoltingest]

Progress, but in what direction?

The positive secular humanist progressive direction I cited with examples.

The Gallop scores in my profile are a good
indication of what sort of progress to expect. Coming soon - polygamy, followed
by pederasty. And instead of school prayers (where?) we will have Required
Speach- with whatever the latest words be. And we are seeing the complete
erasure of the world our grandparents and great grandparents lived in - for
better or for worse.

nb I always understood that school prayers didn't only acknowledge God but
acknowledge our human moral frailty. Perhaps tomorrow you won't need to
feel bad about stealing something and seeking penance, instead we will be
looking at 'unjust social structures' and 'endemic racism' and 'class injustice'
to 'explain' why we need to steal. It's terrifying to think where this will lead.

The Old Testament was about rules and regulations. The New Testament had
only two rules, inspired by the example of Jesus - love God and love your
neighbor. As Christianity evaporates before our eyes we are going back to the
rules and regulations of the Old Testament.

I see neither your claimed slippery slope, nor the
usefulness of teaching Christianity to us heathens.

 

[PruePhillip]

The positive secular humanist progressive direction I cited with examples.

I see neither your claimed slippery slope, nor the
usefulness of teaching Christianity to us heathens.

In 1900 there was great optimism - the last king would be strangled with
the entrails of the last priest, so to speak. A quarter of a billion people died
in acts of inhumanity. Hitler's and Mussolini's mothers were Catholic, Mao
and Pol Pot came from Buddhist backgrounds. Stalin studied for the Orthodox
ministry.
You are a pagan. The movements in Western society are tribal. Wonder where
all this will lead us. Only way to tell is to look at how pagan and tribal societies
operated in the past.

 

[Revoltingest]

In 1900 there was great optimism - the last king would be strangled with
the entrails of the last priest, so to speak. A quarter of a billion people died
in acts of inhumanity. Hitler's and Mussolini's mothers were Catholic, Mao
and Pol Pot came from Buddhist backgrounds. Stalin studied for the Orthodox
ministry.
You are a pagan. The movements in Western society are tribal. Wonder where
all this will lead us. Only way to tell is to look at how pagan and tribal societies
operated in the past.

I'm not a pagan in any of the primary dictionary senses of the word.
Definition of pagan | Dictionary.com
"Atheist" is the better description, ie, I don't believe in gods.

But the best is "libertarian", which characterizes me more
completely than any other single term.
"Jerk" would be next best.

 

[PruePhillip]

I'm not a pagan in any of the primary dictionary senses of the word.
Definition of pagan | Dictionary.com
"Atheist" is the better description, ie, I don't believe in gods.

But the best is "libertarian", which characterizes me more
completely than any other single term.
"Jerk" would be next best.

Libertarian as in anti-vacc, pro-gun etc?

 

[Revoltingest]

Libertarian as in anti-vacc, pro-gun etc?

View attachment 54319

I'm sure that some libertarians are anti-vax,
but the ones I know got the shots.
(We're not completely crazy.)
Yes, I'm pro gun rights.

 

[PruePhillip]

I'm sure that some libertarians are anti-vax,
but the ones I know got the shots.
(We're not completely crazy.)
Yes, I'm pro gun rights.

It's funny how people will have a carefully marshalled set of facts about a given
belief - then totally dispense with ANY facts in another belief. Funny how people
will die for a cause, then dismiss others facing even worse effects from the same
cause.
Truth be told - we just just believe in this, that and something else JUST BECAUSE.
Often the facts come after the beliefs.
Examples would include gun control, apartheid in Sth Africa, socialism and my
absolute favorite - the 'peace' movement.

I see four groups - those not interested; those who politicize everything, those who
feel the issues will yield to rationalism and those who empericists who only think in
terms of numbers. I want to be more like the last - and in America 115,000 people
are shot every year. Emperically America is a war zone.

 

[Revoltingest]

It's funny how people will have a carefully marshalled set of facts about a given
belief - then totally dispense with ANY facts in another belief. Funny how people
will die for a cause, then dismiss others facing even worse effects from the same
cause.
Truth be told - we just just believe in this, that and something else JUST BECAUSE.
Often the facts come after the beliefs.
Examples would include gun control, apartheid in Sth Africa, socialism and my
absolute favorite - the 'peace' movement.

I see four groups - those not interested; those who politicize everything, those who
feel the issues will yield to rationalism and those who empericists who only think in
terms of numbers. I want to be more like the last - and in America 115,000 people
are shot every year. Emperically America is a war zone.

I try to be consistent...organized in my thinking.
Yet the result might appear otherwise.
I'm a capitalist, felonious draft dodging, gun tote'n, weapon
design engineer who favors a peaceful foreign policy & a
universal basic income.

It all makes sense to me.

 

[Wu Wei]

Nothing Harvard does surprises me these days.....

 

[PruePhillip]

I try to be consistent...organized in my thinking.
Yet the result might appear otherwise.
I'm a capitalist, felonious draft dodging, gun tote'n, weapon
design engineer who favors a peaceful foreign policy & a
universal basic income.

It all makes sense to me.

Example - people were 'against apartheid' but paid no attention to the brutal regimes
in the rest of Africa, even when people were fleeing to South Africa.
People opposed the 'Vietnam War' and spoke of the 'treatment' of Indo Chinese by the
American forces. But then raised no protest over 1975 where more people died than
during the American years - they were just 'gooks' fighting liberation of the Communists.
Fracking and GM might be dangerous if something goes wrong, but recyclling sewage
is a great idea.
We are opposed to 'chemicals' in the environment, but contraceptives and medications
in our waterways is not going to be an issue.

 

[Revoltingest]

Example - people were 'against apartheid' but paid no attention to the brutal regimes
in the rest of Africa, even when people were fleeing to South Africa.
People opposed the 'Vietnam War' and spoke of the 'treatment' of Indo Chinese by the
American forces. But then raised no protest over 1975 where more people died than
during the American years - they were just 'gooks' fighting liberation of the Communists.
Fracking and GM might be dangerous if something goes wrong, but recyclling sewage
is a great idea.
We are opposed to 'chemicals' in the environment, but contraceptives and medications
in our waterways is not going to be an issue.

View attachment 54367

I can understand outrage being more
related to our own involvement.

 

[PruePhillip]

I can understand outrage being more
related to our own involvement.

You can 'understand' this but the LANGUAGE is utterly hypocritical,
couched in self-serving, holier than thou, pretence of concern for some
hapless person/persons langauge. I see it as a form of moral contempt.
President Nixon expressed confusion as to why there were no
demonstrations when Hanoi blatantly invaded Cambodia and South
Vietnam, killing more peope than who died during the American time.
Where was the 'peace' and 'justice' and 'liberation' ??? Truth be told,
there was none to start with.

 

[Revoltingest]

You can 'understand' this but the LANGUAGE is utterly hypocritical,
couched in self-serving, holier than thou, pretence of concern for some
hapless person/persons langauge. I see it as a form of moral contempt.
President Nixon expressed confusion as to why there were no
demonstrations when Hanoi blatantly invaded Cambodia and South
Vietnam, killing more peope than who died during the American time.
Where was the 'peace' and 'justice' and 'liberation' ??? Truth be told,
there was none to start with.

Nixon's criticism can be seen as whataboutism to deflect
from his policy. Ameristanians have some control over
what our government does, including by demonstration.
But we cannot even remotely influence Hanoi.

 

[PruePhillip]

Nixon's criticism can be seen as whataboutism to deflect
from his policy. Ameristanians have some control over
what our government does, including by demonstration.
But we cannot even remotely influence Hanoi.

The American liberal did have some influence over Hanoi. From 67 onwards
the press sympathized with the Communists. Singers like Lenon called for
'peace' as if America started the war. Actresses like Fonda did their bit to make
Soviet and Maoist backed killers look like freedom fighters. Academics swallowed
Hanoi's propoganda hook like and sinker - simply because they wanted to. And of
course the demonstrators showed their self hate and virtue signalling.