tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post4078019128143463473..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: The Pledge Project RevisitedAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-75897998097680584062008-10-20T08:44:00.000-06:002008-10-20T08:44:00.000-06:00I tell my kids that all of their Christmas present...I tell my kids that all of their Christmas presents come from Carl Sagan.dbonfittohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08787420987976232701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-32699391201975114092008-10-15T08:23:00.000-06:002008-10-15T08:23:00.000-06:00Hi Gang,It is a natural attribute of mankind to ha...Hi Gang,<BR/><BR/>It is a natural attribute of mankind to have heroes. Those heroes can be "sports" heroes, "artistic" masters, "entertainment" celebrities, or "political masters". Regardless, they are perceived as achieving "greatness through their deeds".<BR/><BR/>In the same way, "Santa", "God", and "Jesus" receive <B>hero worship</B>, especially from children because they are "domesticated" that way. <BR/><BR/>What is being argued is the right to have "no heroes". It is impossible for us to create heroes for four-year-olds unless those heroes are of the <I>fictional</I> type that can get the <I>hype</I>. <BR/><BR/>Atheists have nothing that can appeal to the four-year-old. Until they do, they are stuck with trying to unravel the fifteen years of indoctrination, the memes and the heritage that have "controlled" their lives and given them "nurture" since they were four-years-old. <BR/><BR/>Until they have an "image" to which four-year-old's can "worship", Atheism will be burdened with the same battles it in which it has been engaged for more than 2,500 years.<BR/><BR/>When I was a child my grandfather attempted to create hero out of Karl Marx. He was the only <I>atheist</I> around at the time. It worked to some extent but I was still living in a society where Christmas, etc. still <I>controlled</I> my environment. Also, Marx was burdened with being identified with Lenin so Marx lost his true <B>identity</B>. <I>(We could start if only every one read and understood the Manifesto, but even Atheists are too lazy and like to <I>pretend</I> that they have read it and understood it. From there we could move on to contemporary writers who, unfortunately, are aiming their messages -- as did Marx -- at an older audience. Also, any "worship" of Karl Marx is seen as "un-American" even though most of its contents describe what US America is fighting for. US America is careful avoiding any comparison with Marx, especially in view of its current economic crisis!)</I><BR/><BR/>Until someone comes up with events, people and practices that appeal to four-year-olds, all the intellectual, realist, freethinking efforts of Atheists will achieve little, if anything.antonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02909850387414677663noreply@blogger.com