Are you religious?

[clarion]

We have agreed on some other things in the past.

It's just I can't recall what any of them are.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Whatever's happening around the margins, surely the overwhelming majority of people who profess themselves to be Christians believe in God and all the Jesus being his son stuff in the traditional way, even if they're a bit wooly about some of the details.

 

[tyred]

Surely he must feel a total prat being driven about in a greenhouse on wheels.

I note he's gone for a German motor so not much faith in Italian electrics either....

 

[pplpilot]

There's a chap in our office, very religious, absolutely convinced that the world will end in the next 2 or 3 years, and preaches this daily to us, he still pays into the company pension...

 

[numbnuts]

Haven't we got this sorted yet

 

[Davidc]

Haven't we got this sorted yet

I have - since about 8 years old.

 

[clarion]

7.

 

[Dave Davenport]

[QUOTE 2372104, member: 45"]I don't think this is the case. I've had years of experience of completing assessment forms with people which include the religion question. Comments like "I'm C of E aren't I?", "I'm Christian. What was it Jesus did?" weren't at all uncommon. How often do we hear "this is a Christian country", often as an excuse for the racist comment to follow?[/quote]
I was thinking more of the active, regular worshiper types.

 

[Davidc]

[QUOTE 2372181, member: 45"]Interesting. That indicates that you've spent your life seeking justification for the thoughts of an 8 year old.[/quote]

No justification needed. Development since then, but the understanding that religion is utter nonsense and entirely false was there.

 

[Davidc]

I think I'd finally sorted Santa about a year earlier.

Beyond that Mr Paul that response is poor, you can do better. I think you probably do know the difference between knowledge and understanding.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thinking about all this during my swim, I was reminded of my old friend Mary, who described herself as 'a vegetarian...though I do eat salami and the occasional bacon sarnie'. I always said no, sorry. A vegetarian is someone who eats no meat, full stop.If you eat salami and the occasional bacon sarnie, you aren't a vegetarian. Close but no cigar. That's what the word actually means.

'Christian' is similar. Sure, language changes over time; but only up to a point. And if someone referred me to Rev Willy Wonka's www.meateatingvegetarian.com, I wouldn't take it as proof that you can eat meat and still be a vegetarian, just that you don't need any great command of the language to start up a website. Similarly, 'Atheist Christian' is not a linguistic innovation; it's a contradiction in terms.

 

[Davidc]

[QUOTE 2372272, member: 45"]Whether or not my response, highlighting your own-goal, meets your standards is irrelevant.[/quote]
Not an own goal I'm afraid, simply a statement of when understanding of the subject started.

We all start to develop ideas and gain understanding in many aspects of life well before age 8, the important thing is that the ideas gained then form the basis of greater understanding later in life.

The Jesuits understood (understand?) this very well. It's the basis of their indoctrination. They understood that the development of ideas and concepts is from a very early age, hence; "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man" .

 

[Crankarm]

Maybe he's mixing up God and Santa?

Actually God and Santa aren't as different as you might believe, Santa really being Satan, same letters different order and he dresses in red a colour traditionally associated with danger and Santa is frequently pi$$ed, with a child or two on his knees. Weren't there quite a few God officials that liked dressing up as Satan Santa and doing things with children they really shouldn't have?

 

[Davidc]

[QUOTE 2372361, member: 45"]Ah, but you said you'd got it sorted at 8. That's not possible at that level of development.[/quote]
At 8 it's sorted at the level an 8 year old understands. The same child needs to continue development of ideas for the same subject to be sorted at 9. That applies as much to grammar or arithmetical concepts as it does to understanding the falsehood of religion.

I'm sure the concept of a child developing isn't really beyond you, and neither is the notion that ideas and concepts don't come ready polished and mature to a child, first they have to start.

Having heard today about a five year old girl who's causing problems by rejecting her religious indoctrination at school I'm wondering if working it out at 8 means I was a late developer, or perhaps girls are just brighter than boys.

 

[Nihal]

At 8 it's sorted at the level an 8 year old understands. The same child needs to continue development of ideas for the same subject to be sorted at 9. That applies as much to grammar or arithmetical concepts as it does to understanding the falsehood of religion.

I'm sure the concept of a child developing isn't really beyond you, and neither is the notion that ideas and concepts don't come ready polished and mature to a child, first they have to start.