In Reply to: Re: The Prophecies of Parrots posted by Observer on April 07, 2006 at 11:50:51:
Observer:
Yeah--I like birds. My 3 sisters and I grew up in Colombia and Venezuela, and had a double-yellowheaded green parrot named Tweety. Smart bird. They live almost as long as a human!
I went to work in Venezuela in the 80s in the Geophysics field, out in the Rio Orinoco delta area--out there, I had a Macaw (yellow and blue), and a "Toucanette" (like a toucan, but smaller). I left the Macaw with a Venezuelan friend when the job ended, since bringing it back to the States was too expensive. The toucanette was accidentally killed by a friend who dropped its cage on it!
That year, I went in and out of Caracas to the States and back regularly, ran into the Family, and convinced three people to leave! Long, but interesting story--I journaled it, but have never shared it.
I stand by what I said about atheism--without any personal attacks involved, or intended. I was not directing it necessarily at Moonshiner--there is a difference between presenting and defending an argument, and just arguing for its own sake; which I deplore.
If anyone wants to engage on that subject, the untenable nature of atheism, that is, especially in the light of actual science or analytical philosophy or purely linear logic, I'll be glad to engage them.
The non-answers I usually get have become rather tiresome, and are usually a resort to insults or others chiming in with childish games.
I would gladly make a response to a more dignified discussion of the matter; which would require an agreement as to terms and definitions, civil "rules of engagement", and so forth--stuff I would actually feel like dignifying with a response; which I'm sure you understand.
Despite the posting guidelines, people responding to the subject are usually too heavily emotionally invested in the support of that particular belief system to discuss it for long without rancor, and that's typical of cult exers--"any port in a storm" is always better than the cult beliefs they are seeking to replace--of course, I have been throught that myself.
I don't mind the discussion, but want to take the "high road" this time--I'm not interersted in squabbling.
I'm tired of discussions that shed more heat than light, by now, and don't have anything to prove to anybody here.
I am trying to share my "Journey", and to help others when I can.
Sincerely,
OT2 (OldtimerToo)
PS By the way, the phrase "see the difference?" is a little less than polite; it's somewhat condescending.
Don't you think so?
Of course I see the difference. I wasn't going to respond, at first, since your wording seemed a bit patronizing--but there you are!