Excellent essay

Bags from a post earlier today I understood you to say feeling hurt/insulted was largely in the mind of the hurt/insulted one!

Perhaps there should be a Philosophy forum topic then.

Stansgran - we don't need a separate thread - atheism is the philosophy espoused by quite a lot of us and this thread is perfectly appropriate.

Thank you for the link, Bags. Not all our believers are rude - it is quite unnecessary and suggests the person cannot come up with a reasoned argument, so falls back on childishness.

Why isn't there a forum topic called Atheism? Then Bags could post to her hearts content and Lilygran needn't look at the posts. We'd all be happy. It could be called Atheism and Non spirituality or perhaps Soulessness and that would be a balanced list. How about it Cari and co? I've forgotten what this thread was about.

It's the rude remarks that get me down, jings. However, they make me even more determined not to be silenced about atheism.

I missed out the word "let" soz

Lilygran - Don't the buggers get to you.

#youtoocouldgetasnottyemailfromGNHQ

I would n' t pick up all the local lingo Bags.

Just saying.

lily, I'd really appreciate it if you weren't so rude to me. None of my posts attack your personal faith or anyone else's. I am always only interested in what might be called the 'mechanics' of religion as opposed to non-religion. That is all. Some people enjoy the stuff I post and I enjoy reading the responses of anyone who wants to join in the discussion of whatever it is. You've made it abundantly clear that you don't want me to be outspoken about atheism, but I'm not asking you to read anything I post, nor am I being rude or personally antagonistic to you or other religous people by posting atheist stuff.

If you open the threads I start just to tell me to shut up you are being rude. Please stop it.

Your link to the article by Sacks would have been fine without the rude introduction. In fact, I'm glad you did post that link. Cheers, pal (Glasgow friendly-speak).

The current 'Jesus and Mo' cartoon credits Sacks as script-writer...

www.jesusandmo.net/2013/06/19/trust/

Awesome art isn't the exclusive domain of the religious, and the sooner the state is completely secular, the better. There's nothing ethical about bishops being able to vote on political issues by virtue (virtue??) of them being able to sit in the House of Lords, rather then democratic process.

I read both essays/articles. Intellectualising the unjust/untrue does not make it any more believable.

Sacks does talk an awful lot of tripe... didn't he try to accuse Richard Dawkins of anti-semitism recently?

And how much of the art he refers to might have been commissioned by the religious, but created by the atheist?

Oh, put a sock in it, Bags! And just in case anyone wants to read what J Sacks wrote rather than someone else's version here you are: www.spectator.co.uk/features/8932301/atheism-has-failed-only-religion-can-fight-the-barbarians/