Hoping for luck is not the same as believing in a higher power, though."There are no athiests in foxholes" is best used as a aphorism, not a statement of fact. Like any aphorism it can become a cliche. In many cases people in times of extreme stress or fear hope and believe in a higher power so there is some truth to it.
I didn't cite Descartes as a role model. I think he was an asshole and in many ways, a fraud but even a broken clock is right twice a day. I just said that his "cogito ergo sum" was spot on, though little else I am afraid.
If you want to "get me" then throw dirt on Baruch Spinoza. Him I like!
Ah, getting to look back at someone of 400 plus years ago and pass judgement on them. A favorite past time of many today.
At the time I'm sure he was cutting edge and innovative, probably considered a genius.
Not trying to "get you," just pointing out that there's a pretty big chunk of sociopathy in Descartes. "I think therefore I am," not so bad. But then jumping to, "Since I can't prove anyone else thinks, they probably aren't," is right out of the sociopath playbook. Spinoza goes down a lot easier, IMO.
People judge people. It's what we do. Being in the past or being considered a genius of one's time doesn't and shouldn't make one immune to criticism later down the line. A lot of people point to Descartes as the epitome of the Age of Reason while conveniently ignoring his sadism.
You know who else was a sadist? Thomas Edison, he electrocuted countless animals to "prove" that AC was less safe than DC. The fact that he was demonstrably wrong never stopped him. Another one who also was a fraud in many ways and scruplelessly stole most of "his" inventions but Americans usually think of him as some kind of a hero so...
Absolutely, and in that sense I don't disagree. I just got the impression that Akita was treating it like an absolute truth."There are no athiests in foxholes" is best used as a aphorism, not a statement of fact. Like any aphorism it can become a cliche. In many cases people in times of extreme stress or fear hope and believe in a higher power so there is some truth to it.
This brings to mind the application of Proverbs 19:2.
"It is no use to act before you think: to be hasty is to miss the mark."
So how do we "know" that we are actually thinking ,,, right? I mean how do we tell what thought is what? or when we think,, it is us thinking and not someone else's idea being ,, remembered.. btw what Mark are we going for exactly and if we miss it (the mark) is there a "second chance?" why? or how? And WHO says what the mark really is that we need to keep in line with at all? you know , I am just saying right?
Don't get me wrong the Bible is a Great book and Proverbs on of the better sections ..
I'm not sure it's always vanity. (Although there are many highly public religious and political figures for whom it demonstrably is, plus a blatant power grab.) I think for the average joe believer it's a combination of believing what they were always taught and being content enough within that not to feel the need to question plus a very human desire to feel loved and taken care of. And hey, if god is big, huge, and powerful, he/she/it can surely hold every human within some plan, right? I can't find much to fault in that for those who find it comforting or enriching. It's when they wade into trying to force it on others, legislate it, use it to justify othering others and all that nonsense that we'll come to fisticuffs. (Figuratively, at least.)
Yes, but some people only see in black and white when the mood stikes them."There are no athiests in foxholes" is best used as a aphorism, not a statement of fact. Like any aphorism it can become a cliche. In many cases people in times of extreme stress or fear hope and believe in a higher power so there is some truth to it.
I was in the Army and the marines and I really never felt pressure to be religious.Sure, just like there are no gay people in Russia, according to Putin. "They" don't know what they are talking about:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...re-atheists-in-foxholes-idUSBRE83009P20120401
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Association_of_Atheists_&_Freethinkers
Not that the military hasn't made frequent efforts to try and force religiosity on its members or punish them or deny them rights based on their non-belief:
https://theweek.com/articles/461428/military-problem-atheists
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/03/26/no-atheistchaplains-lawmakers-tell-navy/
Seriously?! The links are in the part you quoted. Why would you need anecdotal evidence, when there's empirical evidence.I was in the Army and the marines and I really never felt pressure to be religious.
In what military did you serve?
I was in the Army and the marines and I really never felt pressure to be religious.
In what military did you serve?
Both the Army and Marines? Wow, that's impressive.I was in the Army and the marines and I really never felt pressure to be religious.
The 1976th Destroyer Division of the KISS Army under Gen. "Demon" Simmons in the War Against the Juggalos of the ICP. Their Fucking Magnetrons killed a lot of good soldiers, even though they didn't seem to know how they worked.In what military did you serve?
So how do we "know" that we are actually thinking ,,, right? I mean how do we tell what thought is what? or when we think,, it is us thinking and not someone else's idea being ,, remembered.. btw what Mark are we going for exactly and if we miss it (the mark) is there a "second chance?" why? or how? And WHO says what the mark really is that we need to keep in line with at all? you know , I am just saying right?
Don't get me wrong the Bible is a Great book and Proverbs on of the better sections ..
I am just saying, the Universe (as we can see it) has existed for 13.8 billion years and all that time without us (homo sapiens).
We (homo sapiens) have been around for at most 200,000 years and it looks like we've already overstayed our welcome, plus we live on a little spec of a planet that is to the Universe actually less than what a grain of sand is to all the beaches of the world! Isn't it a little presumptuous to think that the Universe was created for us? (That's actually a rhetorical question but if you wish to answer it regardless then be my guest).
The point is simply don't be hasty, think before you do something impulsive and embarass yourself. It's a failing I've committed time and again.
Check yourself before you wreck yourself!
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