... and my memory ain't what it once was neither, I was engaged in a rather heated exchange with "oh well" and you stepped-in with yet another classic masterpiece.

Don't know if it was your rather eloquent butt-kicking, admin or both. What I do know is the little worm hasn't been heard from since.

In any event, Canadians are very cool and you're the coolest of them all!

Timothy



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2011 02:29PM by Timothy.

Canada has produced some of the most talented musicians of my generation...and you're right about Nightingale...Kickass Kanadian!

Wow. I'm liking this thread!

Thanks you guys. I needed you today. :)

The word I have heard most often about me since my RfM advent is "nice" and at some point I wanted to change that up. It's a funny thing but as soon as you start posting more opinionated pieces the nice quotient zooms downward! :)

I'm liking Kickass Kanadian though. Really. I might change my board nick!

As for Christians who post here (the brave souls!) I agree with them on some things, obviously, and not on others. It's the disagreeing parts that some Christians (in general) don't think should happen. But I'm done with covering my head (JWs, Plymouth Brethren) and zipping my lip ("women should not speak in church" groups + Mormonism and various groups on the fundamentalist (not intended as a slur) side of the ledger.

The hardest thing for some Christians to comprehend, it seems from some of the posters here, at least in the past, is the "no proselytizing" board rule. As Sus I/S explains, it's simply a case of making 'I' statements, as in "I believe..." or "I do..." etc rather than "you should" statements or worse, "this is the truth" type comments.

It's worth noting that the worst of the so-called Christian behaviour has been perpetrated, in large part, by fly-throughs who come only to preach and judge and condemn. Only a minute percentage of regular Christian posters fall into rule-breaking in that regard and some of the time it's a case of not understanding where they're going wrong, imho.

Mostly it's all a case of perspective. I think that the more you experience life the broader your view gets, hopefully. And with a broad view you tend to be more flexible.

Of course, it also pays to read and research and interact with different folks and entertain different ideas. It takes a willingness to learn and some humility in that no matter how strongly we feel we are right we should leave room for additional information that can change our opinions and conclusions.

A willingness to change in the face of new information is a big part of being rational, I find, and the knowledge that we can actually be wrong sometimes.

I have been absolutely certain at times of a belief or a so-called fact. Turns out I've been wrong - several times! For instance, I used to absolutely believe that Armageddon was imminent. (And I consider myself an educated, rational person). Indeed, even after I let go of at least the imminence of that expectation, it has seemed at times as though the prophecies about it were coming true (threat of catastrophic global war, complete nuclear meltdown, numerous, massive and widespread natural disasters, various religions and peoples taking sides against each other, etc).

Fortunately for me, I wasn't brought up in any kind of fundamentalism, secular or religious, so I have always had more than one framework in life's little tool kit. Also fortunately, my chosen profession is science-based so that reinforces every day the importance of fact-checking and being reasonable and rational. I apply that to most of life and it works out well for me.

Religion is different. :)

But that's another story for a different day.

For now, I'm not sure if I'm on the right thread for what I'm typing. But as it has my name on it, I'll go ahead and push the envelope.

Thanks again, you guys. I appreciate your compliments. I too think Canada rocks. And Canadians are nice people. :)

The most important thing you said and I agree is how some use the words "you should" and others use "I believe". It changes how a reader will respond to you. Nobody tells me how I should do anything. That is what gets me about Mormonism. They love being told what they "should" do. Wish all who post here would really understand that lecturing anyone to your point of view never works. Have a conversation!!!!

... its easy to respect Nighty's views, religious or otherwise.

She makes them respectable.

Timothy

THE BEST.....like Nighty!! one of the best here at writing i think! and i missed "oh well"..... gonna check..... sacred spirit is an awesome group!! just listening!! :)

<<sigh>> ohwell!! :)