What do you think about this statement?

[glitterkittyy]

Thanks Glitterkittyy -

As she (you are a she aren't you GK? ) correctly pointed out I was being a tad pedantic and using the word 'God' in a sentence where I would normally use the word 'myth' or the words 'fairy tale'.

Yep, I'm female. I don't know of many men who are comfortable enough in their manhood to be able to wear "glitterkittyy" as their username. lol

Just in case you are in any doubt - I don't beleive in Gods, God, Allah, Buddha, Zues, Thor, the Theatans or the flying spagetti monster...those are all MYTHS to me!

Same for me. I might as well also lay out there that I don't believe in an afterlife, angels or ghosts either. I do know people who don't believe in god but do believe in ghosts.

 

[Tiggernut_jadie]

Yep, I'm female. I don't know of many men who are comfortable enough in their manhood to be able to wear "glitterkittyy" as their username. lol

Well I don't like to make assumptions!

Same for me. I might as well also lay out there that I don't believe in an afterlife, angels or ghosts either. I do know people who don't believe in god but do believe in ghosts.

Yep - I'm with you. No Gods, ghosts, angels, heaven, hell........all (dare I say it?) Fairy Tales to me!

 

[bicker]

I guess in my mind, I don't think of it as censorship?

With respect, you're wrong.

I think of it as showing respect for another person.

No; respect for another person would preclude comments about that person's ready willingness to stake so much of their life's energy on myths. I would find such comments offensive, and would condemn them.

If I'm in a conversation with you, and I know that a specific term would offend you in some way (I can't even think of a good example right now), then I would refrain from using that term. If I used that term without realizing that it might be offensive, then that's another story.

This isn't about a term. It is about a statement. You do not have the right to categorize every statement that contradicts what you believe as an insult. You must allow for someone to disagree with what you contend, with words that forcefully communicates that person's disagreement, and have just as much impact as what you contend.

Again, please provide an alternative that effectively communicates their intended point, i.e., an objection to the assertion that your personal belief in God is reality.

That's my third request. Logic dictates that if you don't come up with something then it is clear that there is no such alternative, and that your request in this regard is therefore without merit.

 

[bicker]

I am a she.

I am a he. Oh, and I'm religious. You may have missed that point earlier.

Good grief! We are talking about 4 or 5 insulting words being used that are insulting and it is that hard to understand that?

I make you the same offer: You do not have the right to categorize every statement that contradicts what you believe as an insult. You must allow for someone to disagree with what you contend, with words that forcefully communicates that person's disagreement, and have just as much impact as what you contend. Please provide an alternative that effectively communicates their intended point, i.e., an objection to the assertion that your personal belief in God is reality.

 

[bicker]

Not every christian is offended by the myth/fairy tale thing though.

There are actually a lot of Christians that would be considered non-Christians by many other Christians.

 

[glitterkittyy]

There are actually a lot of Christians that would be considered non-Christians by many other Christians.

True enough. I've found many a discriminating christian.

 

[ireland_nicole]

As far as the offensive thing, I think there are 2 points.

1. When someone says that something is offensive to them, it is rude and disrespectful to assert that you (general) will continue to say it, regardless.

Many words are disrespectful. I find the word "retard" extremely offensive, probably more so because I happen to have a child who has an intellectual disability. To me (and many others) the R and the N word are pretty closely linked. If you chose to continue using it around me and my children especially, it would be extremely inappropriate.

2. I don't think the problem is in you (general) asserting your belief, i.e. :i believe god is a myth. rather, the offense is that you (general) attempt to assert that belief as fact. You (general) cannot prove God exists any more than I can currently prove He does. I am not offended by your belief, but rather a mistaken attempt to represent a belief as fact.

 

[ols386]

With respect, you're wrong.

No; respect for another person would preclude comments about that person's ready willingness to stake so much of their life's energy on myths. I would find such comments offensive, and would condemn them.

This isn't about a term. It is about a statement. You do not have the right to categorize every statement that contradicts what you believe as an insult. You must allow for someone to disagree with what you contend, with words that forcefully communicates that person's disagreement, and have just as much impact as what you contend.

Again, please provide an alternative that effectively communicates their intended point, i.e., an objection to the assertion that your personal belief in God is reality.

That's my third request. Logic dictates that if you don't come up with something then it is clear that there is no such alternative, and that your request in this regard is therefore without merit.

With respect, don't tell me that my opinions are wrong or right. They're opinions, that's all....nothing more, nothing less.

 

[glitterkittyy]

As far as the offensive thing, I think there are 2 points.

1. When someone says that something is offensive to them, it is rude and disrespectful to assert that you (general) will continue to say it, regardless.

Many words are disrespectful. I find the word "retard" extremely offensive, probably more so because I happen to have a child who has an intellectual disability. To me (and many others) the R and the N word are pretty closely linked. If you chose to continue using it around me and my children especially, it would be extremely inappropriate.

I would agree that "retard" is rude because, again, it is physical...not a belief. I have a cousin that has the capacity of a 6 year old, and she is in her 40s. I do not like that word either. It is rude to call someone that because it is a physical disability. I see that as completely different. Secondly, it's name calling. We're not talking about calling someone names. We're talking about describing a belief. That's not a fair comparison in more ways than one.

2. I don't think the problem is in you (general) asserting your belief, i.e. :i believe god is a myth. rather, the offense is that you (general) attempt to assert that belief as fact. You (general) cannot prove God exists any more than I can currently prove He does. I am not offended by your belief, but rather a mistaken attempt to represent a belief as fact.

No one has presented it as fact. We have presented it as our belief. It is an accurate statement for us. It's what we believe. It should be no more offensive than someone saying they do believe in god because they have a personal relationship, or talk to him, etc. It's how they describe their belief. Saying that god is a myth is how we describe our belief, or more to the point, lack of belief. It's not intended to offend. It is intended to accurately portray our views and opinion. I, for one, will continue to believe as I do until true evidence to the contrary is presented.

 

[ols386]

I would agree that "retard" is rude because, again, it is physical...not a belief. I have a cousin that has the capacity of a 6 year old, and she is in her 40s. I do not like that word either. It is rude to call someone that because it is a physical disability. I see that as completely different. Secondly, it's name calling. We're not talking about calling someone names. We're talking about describing a belief. That's not a fair comparison in more ways than one.




No one has presented it as fact. We have presented it as our belief. It is an accurate statement for us. It's what we believe. It should be no more offensive than someone saying they do believe in god because they have a personal relationship, or talk to him, etc. It's how they describe their belief. Saying that god is a myth is how we describe our belief, or more to the point, lack of belief. It's not intended to offend. It is intended to accurately portray our views and opinion. I, for one, will continue to believe as I do until true evidence to the contrary is presented.

To be perfectly honest, the term myth doesn't really bother me, it's the term fairy tale that bothers me. I guess maybe because I associate the term fairy tale as being childish and immature. When I think of a fairy tale I think of a made-up or untrue story that you tell to a child. When I look up the word fairy tale in the dictionary it says; a tale of magical creatures; and unbelievable story; a lie. Myth; any invented story; something or someone having no existence. I dunno, it's that whole fairy tale description that bugs me.

 

[bicker]

With respect, don't tell me that my opinions are wrong or right. They're opinions, that's all....nothing more, nothing less.

Fair enough... you're absolutely correct. What I should have said was that I believe you're incorrect, not that you are.

 

[ols386]

Fair enough... you're absolutely correct. What I should have said was that I believe you're incorrect, not that you are.

Thank you.

 

[bicker]

No one has presented it as fact. We have presented it as our belief. It is an accurate statement for us. It's what we believe.

To be fair, (speaking for myself) we aren't all as consistent in saying what we actually mean in this regard, as you have been (see above).

It should be no more offensive than someone saying they do believe in god because they have a personal relationship, or talk to him, etc. It's how they describe their belief. Saying that god is a myth is how we describe our belief, or more to the point, lack of belief. It's not intended to offend. It is intended to accurately portray our views and opinion. I, for one, will continue to believe as I do until true evidence to the contrary is presented.

 

[Master Gracy]

Eh, its not something I spend my time bothering with.
I don't believe in the devil or hell personally. If it turns out Im wrong, and am going there, so be it.
Im not wasting my time worrying about something which is mostly myth.

Isn't most of the stuff about hell from Dante's Inferno and not the bible anyway?

 

[glitterkittyy]

To be perfectly honest, the term myth doesn't really bother me, it's the term fairy tale that bothers me. I guess maybe because I associate the term fairy tale as being childish and immature. When I think of a fairy tale I think of a made-up or untrue story that you tell to a child. When I look up the word fairy tale in the dictionary it says; a tale of magical creatures; and unbelievable story; a lie. Myth; any invented story; something or someone having no existence. I dunno, it's that whole fairy tale description that bugs me.

I get that. It bothers you, and I would never say that to you in a personal conversation (and I'll even try not to say that to you on the boards). But that definiton of fairy tale is an accurate statement of my feelings on this topic. I find god, heaven, hell, etc to be an "unbelievable story".

 

[glitterkittyy]

To be fair, (speaking for myself) we aren't all as consistent in saying what we actually mean in this regard, as you have been (see above).

I could only hope to be as good with the written word as you. I tend to ramble way too much (as evidenced in each of my posts lol). So much so that oftentimes my message gets lost in the jumble. I wish I had your gift for writing.

 

[Uncle Remus]

To be perfectly honest, the term myth doesn't really bother me, it's the term fairy tale that bothers me. I guess maybe because I associate the term fairy tale as being childish and immature. When I think of a fairy tale I think of a made-up or untrue story that you tell to a child. When I look up the word fairy tale in the dictionary it says; a tale of magical creatures; and unbelievable story; a lie. Myth; any invented story; something or someone having no existence. I dunno, it's that whole fairy tale description that bugs me.

I get that. It bothers you, and I would never say that to you in a personal conversation (and I'll even try not to say that to you on the boards). But that definiton of fairy tale is an accurate statement of my feelings on this topic. I find god, heaven, hell, etc to be an "unbelievable story".

See, this is where I differ.

I would tell ols to her face that I believe her beliefs to be a fairy tale, not to be insulting,
but to honestly convey my beliefs and to not tell her my honest beliefs would be the insult.

And please, I ain't tryin' to insult anybody, I just value honesty.
Course, I value fairy tales too.

 

[glitterkittyy]

See, this is where I differ.

I would tell ols to her face that I believe her beliefs to be a fairy tale, not to be insulting,
but to honestly convey my beliefs and to not tell her my honest feelings would be the insult.

And please, I ain't tryin' to insult anybody, I just value honesty.
Course, I value fairy tales too.

I see that, too. But I come from a very christian family and town so I know what kind of animosity that would create if I knowingly said something that would be hurtful. I get your point too, and if I were replying on the DIS or having a conversation with people I didn't consider friends, I would do the same.

However, with friends (and I guess I like ols at this point lol), I will try to not hurt them and find another way to phrase it. She prefers myth so I'll use that with her. However, I don't plan to censor myself just to suit others. I just will switch the words. I'm okay with myth instead of fairy tale. It's still accurate for me.

Okay, so I'm a pushover. LOL

 

[Uncle Remus]

I see that, too. But I come from a very christian family and town so I know what kind of animosity that would create if I knowingly said something that would be hurtful. I get your point too, and if I were replying on the DIS or having a conversation with people I didn't consider friends, I would do the same.

However, with friends (and I guess I like ols at this point lol), I will try to not hurt them and find another way to phrase it. She prefers myth so I'll use that with her. However, I don't plan to censor myself just to suit others. I just will switch the words. I'm okay with myth instead of fairy tale. It's still accurate for me.

Okay, so I'm a pushover. LOL

Listen, some of these message board folks think I have 3 heads, doesn't
bother me, my real life friends have seen how I can spin my head like Linda Blair.

And it really is true, I do have lots of believin' friends, mostly Christian who aren't
offended at all by the things I say, I guess they like me regardless.

And I like them back coz I do see the good in them even tho they're Christians, bein' Christian ain't a bad thang to me.

 

[ols386]

I get that. It bothers you, and I would never say that to you in a personal conversation (and I'll even try not to say that to you on the boards). But that definiton of fairy tale is an accurate statement of my feelings on this topic. I find god, heaven, hell, etc to be an "unbelievable story".

And I think you're going to hell for saying that

No, just kidd'in. I understand what you are saying.