Please Read
Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 5:52 pm
I am becoming increasingly embarrassed by what I say and the way I choose to explain my ideas. In an attempt to start a discussion on religious ideology I began by being antagonistic and insensitive, when what I wanted was to field opinions on an issue I have always been interested in and get to the root of why people choose what faith they believe in.
I looked for god when I was sixteen and found only emptiness and confusion, since then I have looked at other beliefs beyond Christianity and found striking similarities in fundamental teachings of faith, yet often wildly different ideas in what ways these ideas should be implemented. I have always prided myself on being a pragmatist; although I am not currently a follower of any religious teachings, I am open to discussion about them not only to better understand what other people believe but whether what they hold to be true might influence my own beliefs.
In relation to christingale, I began in a derogatory fashion, and then compounded this error by trying to explain myself and only making it seem I was even more close-minded. I have always respected other people?s religious faith and have wanted to better understand what it is they hold to be true, however, in this instance my tone was completely wrong and took the form of an insult without any room for discussion. For this I apologise, particularly to lizzie, and would again stress I was attempting to prompt a conversation into the role of god and the problems of the world.
Put simply my point was if we praise god for what is good, who do we blame for what is bad? Unfortunately, this premise was lost in the way I choose to approach the subject, and instead it merely appeared I was being hostile and offensive. I know religion is a difficult subject to talk about, particularly over the internet when messages are subject to misinterpretation, but looking back at my initial post I am at a loss to explain how I ever thought any of what I wrote could be taken in any other way other than a brazen insult.
I would ask for the christingale thread to be deleted completely from the site as an unwanted mistake, but at the same time hope that this does not mean any future discussion about ideology should be shunned or dissuade others from starting one. If nothing else this unfortunate business should serve as a lesson that delicate subjects needed to be handled in a delicate manner, and in this instance I went at the topic with a sledgehammer.
Regrettably, this is not the first time what I said and what I intended to say have been at such odds with each other, and I am increasingly becoming upset by the fact I can?t seem to explain myself without being either insulting, insensitive or purely idiotic. I need to think more about what I want to say before I commit myself to saying it, and hopefully in future I wont have to revise what it is I contribute to this site when I have caused distress that I did not mean.
I looked for god when I was sixteen and found only emptiness and confusion, since then I have looked at other beliefs beyond Christianity and found striking similarities in fundamental teachings of faith, yet often wildly different ideas in what ways these ideas should be implemented. I have always prided myself on being a pragmatist; although I am not currently a follower of any religious teachings, I am open to discussion about them not only to better understand what other people believe but whether what they hold to be true might influence my own beliefs.
In relation to christingale, I began in a derogatory fashion, and then compounded this error by trying to explain myself and only making it seem I was even more close-minded. I have always respected other people?s religious faith and have wanted to better understand what it is they hold to be true, however, in this instance my tone was completely wrong and took the form of an insult without any room for discussion. For this I apologise, particularly to lizzie, and would again stress I was attempting to prompt a conversation into the role of god and the problems of the world.
Put simply my point was if we praise god for what is good, who do we blame for what is bad? Unfortunately, this premise was lost in the way I choose to approach the subject, and instead it merely appeared I was being hostile and offensive. I know religion is a difficult subject to talk about, particularly over the internet when messages are subject to misinterpretation, but looking back at my initial post I am at a loss to explain how I ever thought any of what I wrote could be taken in any other way other than a brazen insult.
I would ask for the christingale thread to be deleted completely from the site as an unwanted mistake, but at the same time hope that this does not mean any future discussion about ideology should be shunned or dissuade others from starting one. If nothing else this unfortunate business should serve as a lesson that delicate subjects needed to be handled in a delicate manner, and in this instance I went at the topic with a sledgehammer.
Regrettably, this is not the first time what I said and what I intended to say have been at such odds with each other, and I am increasingly becoming upset by the fact I can?t seem to explain myself without being either insulting, insensitive or purely idiotic. I need to think more about what I want to say before I commit myself to saying it, and hopefully in future I wont have to revise what it is I contribute to this site when I have caused distress that I did not mean.