From: | user 6. |
Sent on: | Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 11:03 AM |
"Well, no need to attend because its too obvious that the RC object is not alterable."
No need to attend? I'm not really sure what you mean by that. What object are you referring to?
Could we change the whole of the RC organization with one conversation? No, but maybe we'd be able to talk to some people who haven't *really* given it much thought and give them something to think about. I love seeing that light bulb suddenly go off as the person on the other end of the conversation suddenly gets all quiet and suddenly understands.
If you're speaking of US being "not alterable" I'm quite certain of that in my particular instance but when it comes to "hope" they have lots of that which we can use to our benifit.
I feel that it's good for people from a religious organization to meet "the loyal opposition". When they notice that we don't have horns, they start to look at us as not so bad. After that, they start looking at us as someone they don't actually mind being associated with and then from there they could quite easily see themselves as people they actually agree with.
Alll one can do is plant a seed and see if it grows. And of course it works both ways. (and our seeds seemed to have taken root much better than others in the past 20 years)
Alan d'Eon
Subject: Re: [hamilton-atheists] Invitation to religious-secular day
From: [address removed]
To: [address removed]
Date: Tue, 17 Sep[masked]:11:49 -0400
Well, no need to attend because its too obvious that the RC object is not alterable. Atheisms is only a word describing that people do not belief in a personal god and not what they are believing. Spinoza offered a solution by introducing that god is actually nature. He initiated democracy and put the religions and monarchies subservient to a democratically elected governing body with the TPT and the glorious revolution of 1688.In a democracy you need prisons, police, lawyers and judges....... And provide freedom of religion and a monarchy as a, so far obvious, need.Reinier hill
Sent from my iPad
On[masked], at 12:24 PM, "Alan d'Eon" <[address removed]> wrote:Well it looks like I will be going after all.
If it starts at 10 am ill try and be out front of the back building by 9:45. I'll be the one holding the Tim hortons cup ;-)
I suspect this will actually be an easy day. Roman Catholics can't really be compared to the evangelical Christians from other sects. On average they even believe in evolution and accept some of the bible as allegory so I'm not really expecting any heated debates or anything. I think it's more like apples and oranges this time around but we'll see. If they really want to know what goes on in an atheist brain, I'll be more than happy to tell them. I'll even explain why I am no longer a "Catholic" if they so desire.
Anyone wanting to meet up can call, text or email me and I'll try and find you
Alan d'Eon
Cel[masked]
Post replies to [address removed]
From: [address removed]
To: [address removed]
Subject: Re: [hamilton-atheists] Invitation to religious-secular day
Date: Tue, 17 Sep[masked]:04:02 -0400
Hi Dianne,
I was not suggesting that we go in with that attitude.
Like you, I think we gain credibility by example rather than by constant nagging.
I was however most definitely suggesting that the Us / Them feeling comes across very much from the religious side of the debate.
The ones I took part in in Halton were almost portrayed by smug preachers as “There’s 1 Jew, 1 Muslim and 1 Christian, that outnumbers the atheist 3 to 1 so we must be correct and you poor unfortunates don’t understand faith.”
It was this condescension, mixed with blind dogma I found almost impossible to counter while remaining reasonable and trying to avoid stereotyping religious folks.
The fact is most informed atheists I meet understand faith way better than most religious folks do.
That’s why most of us abandoned religion.
I volunteered for about a year with The Compassion Society of Halton but was kept from the board because the religious members, who were the majority to be fair, did not want a secular body to get any credit for the charity work. It looked better on them if local churches got all the credit.
Their president in fact was quite adamant that the whole direction of the organisation should be towards becoming a Christian Charity.
This never sat well with me or with the Muslim woman who founded the charity.
Reaching out is something I think about all the time.
JY
----- Original Message -----
From: Diana GlennieTo: [address removed]Sent: Tuesday, September 17,[masked]:14 AMSubject: Re: [hamilton-atheists] Invitation to religious-secular dayHey Jim,While I agree that I have also had these types of experiences when dealing with religious people, this is exactly the sort of mentality I was warning against in my initial email. We can't go into situations such as these with the "us" vs "them" state of mind. If we do, we're no better than those you describe. I have family and friends who are religious who, in no way, feel that they are superior to me. It is quite possible that there are religious people out there who just want to be inclusive, who might believe that, if we all work together, we can accomplish some amazing things.Some people in our group have expressed interest in performing community service. Maybe this is a great place to start on that front -- by making connections with others who already do perform community service.It's just something to think about.Cheers,Diana
On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 9:08 AM, Jim Young <[address removed]> wrote:
Most Saturday mornings I have to work so that puts me out for that one.
It might have been interesting but my experience with these kind of "Faith Inclusivity" things is that most from the religious groups go to proselytize and mostly boast, albeit kind quietly, about how their God is bigger than everybody else’s.
The only common ground they find is in their unity against "Our Side".
They are still a good forum for our airing opinions and give the opportunity to reach people we might never have reached before and show that we are not quite the scary Anti-Christ figures some religious people imagine.
----- Original Message -----From: Alan d'EonTo: [address removed]Sent: Monday, September 16,[masked]:29 PMSubject: RE: [hamilton-atheists] Invitation to religious-secular dayI'm actually interested in going but I have a previous commitmentat the moment. I will try and change it and if I can I'll go. Having been raised Roman Catholic, I'll feel right at home ;-)
I have to see if I can change that previous commitment around and If I can then I'll definitely be there. I wont know until tomorrow though.
If anyone wishes to join me, (if I end up being available) let me know and we can sit together and chat with the various people there.
I'll update you all tomorrow when I confirm my availability or not.
Alan d'Eon
Cell[masked]
From: [address removed]
To: [address removed]
Subject: [hamilton-atheists] Invitation to religious-secular day
Date: Mon, 16 Sep[masked]:41:38 -0400
Greetings all,
I have just received an email from a Catholic priest, inviting us to the below event meant to "foster mutual understanding and friendship among believers and non-believers". I am not able to attend but have promised to pass the invite along. Should you choose to go, please keep in mind that they appear to genuinely want to get to know us and aren't out to be "dicks" about it. Be friendly and report back on how it was.
Cheers,
Diana
---------------------
Christianity and Secularism
Saturday, September 21st
Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King
714 King Street West, Hamilton, Ontario
Fostering mutual understanding and friendship among believers and
non-believers through conversation, music and a social gathering.
10:00am Panel Discussion in the Nicholas Mancini Centre
David Cayley, CBC Writer/Broadcaster
Peter-Anthony Togni, Composer/Musician
Fr. Scott Lewis, SJ, Regis College, Toronto School of Theology
Sr. Bernadette Caron, SOLI, Catholic Catechist
12:00pm Music Concert and Open House in the Cathedral Church
Peter-Anthony Togni, Sharon Fazari, Diocesan Choir
Social Gathering to Follow in the Cathedral Auditorium
For more details visit:
www.communiohamiltondiocese.org
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Diana Glennie
Want to organize a meeting with me and check availability?
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