In Reply to: Re: Actually, I didn't get you yet!! posted by my take on February 06, 2007 at 11:01:06:
argh...is it so difficult to see the 2 different viewpoints? A theist derives the word, "object", spirit (spirare...to breathe, by the way... greetings from Genesis 2 then) from the father of the spirits..or the spiritual father Hebrews 12:9
Wind, breath may be something, is something materialistic to most if not all...matter...however the breath of God...n o t
Many words got during the course of history a different "ring"...it's similar with the word psychae...from what I read & conclude so far, it were mainly only the people/followers of the stoa
(Zeno), who viewed psychae as something materialistic.I don't know for sure, if most of the ancients saw/believed in some type of dualism body(soma) & nonmaterialistic breath of life.(The Jehovas witnesses I encountered formerly were strong/decided on the Genesis 2 account Adam (earth/ground) became a living soul...Hebrew for soul is again derived from breath)
But I do feel, that, as it seems now, the mojority of people is not/was not atheistic...rather theistic and/or agnostic....therefore it's not "fair" to just give the word - spiritual - a totally atheistic ring.
It just depends what school of thought one is from.The pure materialists don't have anything besides matter...therefore they figure, they give the word spiritual only now it's right & deserving interpretation...formerly illused by misguided theists.
Obviously with the theists it's the other way round...you choose...
Their program is quite ambitious, so I shall keep an eye and an ear on it, what really gets fulfilled...dreamers we had plenty in history, also utopists...
I don't see that Christians leave it all up to Jesus...but many rather move their...butt
My take is: if someone is realy sad & desillusioned, sick & weak...then atheism has little to offer to cheer up...also the havoc on earth against nature & man perpetrated by wayward man is also difficult...to very hard ...to impossible to turn around...atheists have no weapon against the wickedness of man...against the hindering/destroying egoism and nightmares & fears don't seem to cease either by some colourful website...