Okay, my wife just came back from this conference on "Virtues". I like virtues, I think they are swell. But all the reference material (which cost a fortune, by the way) is loaded with christian concepts. Like the words "faith", "morality", "created", etc, etc. I told my wife what I thought, and she said, "just take out the words you don't like and use the rest", but , dangit, isn't that like taking the flour out of a cake?
2007-10-31 18:10:57 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
no CJ, i don't think we will be arguing any time soon. thanks for the offer though. I have blocked so many Christians to avoid violations that I rarely get an answer from one, which is a shame, because i really like to know what they think about. so, of course I left off the part about me being an atheist, since most people who ever answer my questions know me. no offense intended my christian friend.
2007-10-31 18:53:26 · update #1
One of the things I firmly believe is this: we use labels or names so that we can identify things or concepts. But once we've named them, that label becomes a limiting factor that doesn't always capture the truth underneath.
Rather than stigmatizing concepts as untrue, sometimes we just have to brush aside the "notions" which don't resonate with us - for whatever reason - and instead of thinking of them as false per se, think of them as not useful or enlightening for you in your particular circumstance at the particular moment. For example, the idea of "faith" may not be useful as a concept for you. But it may be just because you are defining faith (or accepting others' definition of faith) in such a way as to keep it from being useful. Or it may be that what you really need at this point in your life is not a transcendent perspective (which is what faith implies) but simply a solid ground on which to stand (like rationality, for example).
I think I probably explained myself better in a blog entry, but it's way too long to repost. So I'll link it if you're interested.
Peace to you.
2007-10-31 20:21:46 · answer #1 · answered by Orpheus Rising 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's possible the material will lose its meaning if you take that stuff out. Depends on whether the basis of "virtue" comes from religion in this program. Can you change the words rather than remove them? As in, "born" instead of "created" and "values" instead of "faith"?? "Morality" is really a relative term, and I'd view it that way.
2007-11-01 01:16:03 · answer #2 · answered by SuperN 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Just eat the meat and spit out the bones, spiritually speaking. Jack B. made a very good suggestion. Substitite "faith" for "hope in man's ability," "morality," could be "my personal desire to do no harm," and I know you can wing it on "created!" Many are wheat intolerant and you could get some recipes from them, but I think you will not be satisfied until you build your own cake!
2007-11-01 12:58:43 · answer #3 · answered by One Wing Eagle Woman 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have been in similar situations before. the way I look at it, if it's loaded with words like 'faith', 'morality' and 'created' it probably doesn't have much substance beneath them. It's like the flour of a cake that has no sugar or eggs. it's better to go with something else, like brownies. if you take the flour away, you still have fudge.
2007-11-01 12:46:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They used to make cakes with mashed potato in WW2 due to a shortage of flour. They also have flourless cakes for the coeliacs. Ummmm I heard you can also use pumpkin.
But seriously, I think everyone can have their own morals and virtues
2007-11-01 01:16:05 · answer #5 · answered by Evieve 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
there is a flourless chocolate cake...yum.
i suppose that it is possible to just use the basic truths in the material that your wife brought home without accepting the christian views.
i don't believe most of what is in the bible, but i still think that jesus was a great teacher. a lot of what he taught wasn't even religious. it was all about how to treat people, and how to live a good life.
bright blessings to you
2007-11-01 06:43:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Haha... I like your analogy. Yes, that's certainly a very logical (and dare I say, male) way of looking at it. But there's another side to it.
Some people enjoy spirituality not because of the content, but rather the form. Or to put it another way, they enjoy the journey rather than the destination. Your wife may be getting a kick out of being a part of that spiritual community, wihtout really caring what they talk about.
2007-11-01 01:15:50 · answer #7 · answered by Belzetot 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
You'd have really sweet disgusting scrambled egg fritatta.
But really, are christian concepts so bad? As long as the faith morality and junk aren't about God, then I don't see what the big deal is. I have faith in people. God has nothing to do with that.
2007-11-01 01:16:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
No, the mixed particles in each cell of the cake has already combined, making it impossible to remove the flour.
2007-11-01 01:20:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Pronouncing you celiac is probably not my first choice of reaction, but though faith, morality and created can be thought of as Christian, they are still used in any everyday aspect, and any other religion. having faith means you can trust, morality is common sense, and creating things like cake is quite common as well. Perhaps you are completely trying to put down the christian faith by ignoring any words which express values and spirituality? if you want to argue, email me.
2007-11-01 01:31:11 · answer #10 · answered by C J 3 · 2⤊ 3⤋