Maybe they ain't no answer...

Originally posted by bbarr
I'm sorry, just what claim are you attributing to me?

He's clearly read your paper "Why Whodey's life is grounded in narcissism: a synopsis" (Ethics, Vol 115, pp121-134)

Originally posted by dottewell
He's clearly read your paper "Why Whodey's life is grounded in narcissism: a synopsis" (Ethics, Vol 115, pp121-134)

Ah, a fine read.

Originally posted by TheSkipper
Ah, a fine read.

If you like that you should also read his book "Narcissism: Ethics without God to give your life meaning outside your own reality". I believe it's still in print. AC Grayling called it "a bold yet intricate work of great power".

Originally posted by vistesd
This reminds me of something that bbarr wrote to a Christian theist on here a couple years ago—

Indeed.

"I want this little ego of mine, this precious sphere of consciousness, to last forever. I want to be rewarded for the sacrifices I make, so that they are not really sacrifices. I want those who harm me to be punished. [b]I want to have a pur ...[text shortened]... be special, I want to be loved, I want to be a child for eternity."

Welcome to your faith.

bbarr, This is the quote I was referring to that vistesd provided me. Sorry if I am putting words in your mouth, however, my interpretation of what you are saying here is that religion is nothing more than a need to fill the void of our narcissistic self that is finite and perishable.

Originally posted by whodey
bbarr, This is the quote I was referring to that vistesd provided me. Sorry if I am putting words in your mouth, however, my interpretation of what you are saying here is that religion is nothing more than a need to fill the void of our narcissistic self that is finite and perishable.

Yes, this quote has been taken out of context. I was there expressing my disdain for a very particular sort of theism. I certainly do not think that religious belief is essentially narcissistic. I do not think the mysticism of Thomas Merton, St. John of the Cross, Teresa de Avila or Meister Eckhart is narcissistic (quite the contrary, actually). I have a problem with the view that some personal God determines by fiat the content of morality, and the view that the ultimate source of meaning or purpose in a life is determined by our relationship to God. I also have a problem with the view that there is some sort of "self" that can exist for eternity. I think the motivations for this constellation of views are essentially narcissistic and childish.

Originally posted by dottewell
If you like that you should also read his book "Narcissism: Ethics without God to give your life meaning outside your own reality". I believe it's still in print. AC Grayling called it "a bold yet intricate work of great power".

He's one of my lecturers 🙂

Originally posted by bbarr
Yes, this quote has been taken out of context. I was there expressing my disdain for a very particular sort of theism. I certainly do not think that religious belief is essentially narcissistic. I do not think the mysticism of Thomas Merton, St. John of the Cross, Teresa de Avila or Meister Eckhart is narcissistic (quite the contrary, actually). I have a pro ...[text shortened]... ink the motivations for this constellation of views are essentially narcissistic and childish.

Alrighty then. So my relationship with my Creator is childish and the love I share with him is childish and my desire to live beyond this life is childish.

Edit: I just hope I NEVER grow up. 😛

Originally posted by whodey
Alrighty then. So my relationship with my Creator is childish and the love I share with him is childish and my desire to live beyond this life is childish.

Edit: I just hope I NEVER grow up. 😛

You forgot "narcissistic". Certainly this response is childish, akin to "holding your breath till you turn blue".

Don't worry, you won't. You'll waste your life believing in an irrational Super Duper Monster God. Have fun.

Originally posted by no1marauder
You forgot "narcissistic". Certainly this response is childish, akin to "holding your breath till you turn blue".

Don't worry, you won't. You'll waste your life believing in an irrational Super Duper Monster God. Have fun.

If this is wasting my life then I will continue enjoying doing so. 😀

Originally posted by vistesd
I recall (roughly) a line from the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, where the old voodoo lady says to the John Cusack character: “You lookin’ for all the answers. Well, they ain’t no answers!”

We argue and discuss on here a lot about what might be called the “ultimate” questions and answers—metaphysics, God, gods, Brahman, the Tao, ...[text shortened]... Maybe they ain’t no (one, true) answer; except for that one. Maybe that doesn’t matter.

Obviously I agree with this, but the problem is when religious people start interfering with my life and the way I want to live it.
Pro-lifers especially.

I'm sure they feel the same about me. So we debate, because somebody's gonna be in charge of the law.

Originally posted by whodey
If this is wasting my life then I will continue enjoying doing so. 😀

I doubt it. You live in fear no matter how much you try to spin it. Your posts about death are filled with dread.

Originally posted by vistesd
I recall (roughly) a line from the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, where the old voodoo lady says to the John Cusack character: “You lookin’ for all the answers. Well, they ain’t no answers!”

We argue and discuss on here a lot about what might be called the “ultimate” questions and answers—metaphysics, God, gods, Brahman, the Tao, ...[text shortened]... Maybe they ain’t no (one, true) answer; except for that one. Maybe that doesn’t matter.

“You lookin’ for all the answers. Well, they ain’t no answers!”
If I recall correctly, Cusack played a reporter based loosely on the author of the book, John Berendt, who (in reality) used his experiences in Savannah to reconstruct the feel of a southern town as well as take real events from a murder in order to produce a 'true crime' novel.

To compile a read-worthy book, Berendt necessarily had to know more than just the facts; he needed motives, desires, personal histories and etc. I believe that the old voodoo woman was referring to at least the first two of Berendt's objectives, in that human subjectivity coupled with an inability to reign-in our subconsciousness makes such a quest for 'emotionally-driven facts' a near-impossibility.

In applying such a stance to truth, I believe that you have erred. If anything can be known of the truth, then naturally, truth can be known. Following such a determination, it becomes a matter of certainty, of degrees. In the quagmire of human subjective viewpoint, history has certified that chaos is the only constant. According to divine objective viewpoint, truth shines emphatically and dogmatically... in addition to availing itself to being known.

Curiously harmonious with the old voodoo woman's admonishment, Cusack played the movie character as a hetrosexual: Berendt is a homosexual.

Originally posted by no1marauder
I doubt it. You live in fear no matter how much you try to spin it. Your posts about death are filled with dread.

Well, I am glad you do not dread death. Give the grim reaper a hug and kiss for me when you see him would you? As for living in fear, I do not. Judge me if you like.

I suppose your response to me is what I get for trying to be honest about how I feel about such things. Let's just say I enjoy living as opposed to dying. As for you, either you have some dread of death or you are indifferent to it, or you embrace it, or you are lying your butt off, I don't know. You tell me.