Sounds like the problem is that Major, who doesn't understand the not having a bellief is just as protected as having a belief. and I wonder if the Major spends more time trying to convert Iraqis as opposed to his stated goal.
softly, to prove that I would have to interview everyone in the world. Honestly, that is what it would take to prove that everyone believes something. Otherwise, it is of course a theory. I apologise if I ever presented my belief that everyone is equally religious as otherwise. I will say I have never talked to a person who when asked the question, "what are your religious beliefs?" Didn't have some type of answer. Even if it was "I don't believe there is a god." That is still a religious answer. yes, I do realise that you could claim I am playing semantics. I will even agree that it isn't much above semantics in the eyes of many. I do still stand by my theory that if you don't believe something, you don't just NOT believe. You believe something else.
Do you have any evidence to back up your "theory." Solid theories need solid evidence. Where is yours? Is it only anecdotal?
just observing, I have made many posts on the philosophical and theological reasons why I do believe that all people are religious and equally so. If you want to pm me I can recount them that way, but I don't feel the need to restate those arguments here.
That is the most biased article I've ever read. So one isolated incident and you say the entire army is against religion? We don't know the fact behind this. If the major did indeed say it what they claimed he said. Then he is completely out of line. Stuff like religion usually gets squashed pretty quick. It's one of those things no one wants to get involved with because it's a ******* powder keg ready to explode. but my point being is you can't judge an entire organization from one article. there are over a million people in the army. what if you read an article that said "Army Officer goes apeshit over toaster being replaced" Now does the entire army go apeshit over their toaster being replaced?
atheism? or religion? a-theism -the belief there is no god right? So atheism is a belief about god, right? Or wrong?
I'll bold to help: "You're using that last word incorrectly." Now, someone can have religious devotion to their atheism, or in other ways, a person can (but usually does not) act with a certain religiosity in pushing atheism, but it is NOT a religion. Words have specific meanings. If they didn't, all communication would be utterly pointless. And you're view takes no account at all for the way of life of an agnostic.
softly, I thought that you had said that religion revolved around a belief about a diety/god/God/gods? Am I mistaken? Also, I thought that agnostics did hold a belief about deity/god/God/gods.... namely that they don't know if one/ones exist or don't. Am I again wrong? Also, softly, words do have meaning, but words also evolve in meaning. For example, in Victorian England were you to call someone 'nice' your listener would know that you were calling that person a 'simpleton or a fool.' Today if you refer to someone as 'nice' most often the person who hears you say that would think that you were refering to someone who is polite and pleasant to deal with. The word is the same but the definition does change.
The word 'religion' hasn't evolved as you want it to have. So that's out. Simply absurd, actually. An evolution of language involves a consensus by a society. You and a few others aren't qualified to change the meaning of a word for the rest of us. We tried this before. I posted the definition of the word. Belief isn't the central issue as to whether something is a religion. Repeat - belief isn't the central issue. It's all about acts. A religion cannot exist without some kind of apparatus (even if you only set up for yourself) in which worshipful or spiritual acts take place. Without that, no religion. Period. One CAN be an atheist and be a part of a religion. It is possible. But, simply believing that no supreme being exists is not a religion. It is merely a belief. If belief were all it took, my opinion that the Utah Jazz are the thugiest thugs who ever played basketball and their fans are racists who've shown that propensity in their lampooning of Hakeem Olajuwon simply for his ethnicity would rise to the level of religion. That's a strong belief I have. But unless my cursing the refs for non-calls when Rocket players get punched in the mouth can be called a worshipful act, calling my belief a religion is just nuts. Atheism is a belief. A point of view. What you do with it can lead to descriptions about you with other words. Like religious even. Without more, nope, it's just a belief.
softly, So people don't live out or act out what they believe? I actually thought that is what I have stated before on here.
