Protestantism

» pink101 - A House Down The Street

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There is a house down the street from where I live where an old bent over guy used to go out to get the mail, cut the grass and take out the throw-a-ways on trash pick up day.
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About four years ago, he ceased to be seen and the grass went to seed. Then one day about a year later, some people came and did some clean up. Then nothing.
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Today as I drove down the street, I saw there was a yard sale there. Of course, I stopped. It's a long story; but, I bought some cut glass bowls and a class vase and I talked to the people in charge.
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I found out the old man died about four years ago. His wife had already died some time earlier. He had been an editor for a Latvian magazine and did some art work as a hobby. I saw some of it--pretty good.
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But, mostly, I thought about what was out there on the grass and in the drive way. It was the remains of the man and his woman's life. They had no children or other relatives.
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How sad.
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I wondered if they had friends who miss them.
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-- posted by pink101

» redback - exquisite balance

In response to Dear Theologian posted by Brother_Jones:

My 'surface' brain needed to be reminded of this Sagan chap. I like this idea of his about one of the common fallacies of logic and rhetoric:

"Appeal to ignorance (absence of evidence is not evidence of absence).

"It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas.... If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you.... On the other hand, if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense in you, then you cannot distinguish the useful ideas from the worthless ones"
(Carl Sagan, 1987)

Ands there's something about the above that resonates. Maybe some those among his following "...who distanced themselves from any religious notions..." may have missed a point or two?

Apparently, Asimove reckoned Sagan was "one of only two people he ever met who was just plain smarter" and I'm from the crowd who doubts a truly dumber person can know who is smarter.

-- posted by redback

» Migisi - exquisite balance

In response to exquisite balance posted by redback:

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Good post, Red. Food for thought.

-- posted by Migisi

» Migisi - I know that House Down The Street

In response to A House Down The Street posted by pink101:

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It was the remains of the man and his woman's life. They had no children or other relatives.
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Physical signs of their presence on earth. Memorabilia that only ~they~ knew the real value of. When my siblings and I were emptying my parents house after they'd died, we came across things they'd kept that puzzled us. Why did Mom keep this pressed flower? Why did Dad save this odd coin? Because neither had shared the history behind the flower and coin, nobody knew why. The meaning and personal value of these things was lost forever.
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After that experience, I dug out my treasure and photo boxes. At my family gatherings, my kids and I would go through them a little at a time. I'd recall the reasons why I kept this and that, and tell them who the strangers in the photos were to me. And I sorted the photos and gave them to the people who were in those photos (or their living relatives). It was daunting task, and I'm still not finished - because my life isn't finished.
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Moral of my story: SHARE your treasures and memories with family and friends BEFORE you leave this world. Otherwise, they will have no value to anyone after you've gone. Just so much yardsale junk strewn on the lawn, or at the curb on trash day.
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And yes, ~that~ is sad.

-- posted by Migisi

» pink101 - I know that House Down The Street

In response to I know that House Down The Street posted by Migisi:
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Who knows what memories are locked into a small cut glass vase I bought for pennies on the dollar?
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Which brings up the biggest question of all questions.
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~~What is the meaning of life?~~
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Your post proves that the answer is personal to each one of us. If your life has meaning, you had best be involved in making that meaning. Otherwise, you'll let someone else tell you what your life means.
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And, that would really be sad.
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We are the ones that give meaning to our own life.
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You had better make it good.
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-- posted by pink101

» Migisi - I know that House Down The Street

In response to I know that House Down The Street posted by pink101:

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You had better make it good.
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It is what what ~we~ make it. Mine's been pretty darn good - so far.

-- posted by Migisi

» redback - I know that House Down The Street

In response to I know that House Down The Street posted by pink101:

My life has meaning to me and it's part of the warm fuzzy things if my life also had meaning or gained meaning to others. like Migisi, I am sorting through stuff. I'm also collating, collecting all the stuff needed to make my memoirs of sorts incl those gained through reflected "glories"...which I will then "inflict" on the rellies. The meaining in my life is as much about them as me.

-- posted by redback

» Brother_Jones - exquisite balance

In response to exquisite balance posted by redback:

Apparently, Asimove reckoned Sagan was "one of only two people he ever met who was just plain smarter" and I'm from the crowd who doubts a truly dumber person can know who is smarter.

lol. It could have been his Jewish heritage that caused Asimov to claim to be one down dumber than Sagan. Both being backers of humanism and atheism, they were a natural fit for each other although Asimov left behind more of his mathmatical leanings and resorted to his intuitive reasoning in his science fiction writings. Both contradicted humanism with the belief that somehow from Space there might be coming help (Saviors with big heads) to rescue mankind from ourselves. Sagan's book Contact is viewed by most who knew him as fairly biographical with the same common notion that small brilliant boys can't get a straight answer from their Sunday School teachers when they ask about Cain's wife. Thus, Science is the only option left.

i am just an oldtimer for the Lord.

-- posted by Brother_Jones

» pink101 - exquisite balance

In response to exquisite balance posted by Brother_Jones:
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Brother Jones opines, "Both being backers of humanism and atheism, they were a natural fit for each other although Asimov left behind more of his [mathematical] leanings and resorted to his intuitive reasoning in his science fiction writings."
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It almost goes without saying that the word, humanism, conjures up one of the most negative philosophies of life that has ever existed. It is almost always used as an ad hominem and an otherwise put-down in one way or another.
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What can be so bad about being a human and looking to humanity for answers to questions brought up regarding human problems?
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I--personally--am coming to a place where there is a struggle about how to bring certain questions to the surface. For example, it dawns on me that we are giving our "leaders" license to proceed based on such ideas that terrorism is a force that needs to be defeated without ever questioning the reasons why it even exists in the first place. We are reduced to a place where we cannot question our political candidates on their philosophy of life; but, at a time when one's life philosophy is of the utmost importance. When can we vote for a person who openly questions the biblical account of creation in America and who expresses the idea that humanism might provide some worthwhile answers to the problems we face in the world today?
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Humanism! What's wrong with it?
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-- posted by pink101

» Brother_Jones - exquisite balance

In response to exquisite balance posted by pink101:

Humanism! What's wrong with it?

This ought to be good. Since you and yours can't seem to come up with didly squat concerning the meaning of life.. maybe a stab at your philosophy would be in the right direction. Is morality necessary or even possible since history is meaningless? What hope do you have since you cannot seem to grasp reality?

There is no God. Right?

i am just an oldtimer for the Lord.

-- posted by Brother_Jones