tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post116404713157134857..comments2024-03-28T03:10:51.807-05:00Comments on Julia Sweeney: Julia Sweeneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02459682985438227986noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-19957928965618870212022-04-21T05:40:02.041-05:002022-04-21T05:40:02.041-05:00Procurement Resources is a website providing detai...Procurement Resources is a website providing detailed price trends where you will find detailed information about more than 500 products, here you will find detailed price trends for many products like <a href="https://www.procurementresource.com/resource-center/sulfuric-acid-price-trends" rel="nofollow">sulfuric acid price</a>, <a href="https://www.procurementresource.com/resource-center/sodium-bicarbonate-price-trends" rel="nofollow">sodium bicarbonate price</a>. Then definitely visit the website of Procurement Resources once.<br /><br />Also Visit my Blog - <a href="https://procurementresource.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">procurementresourceblogspot</a>Procurement Resourcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01179808252585597319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-88842594697826271012006-12-05T14:21:00.000-06:002006-12-05T14:21:00.000-06:00To Julia Sweeney,
I just saw your appearance on Th...To Julia Sweeney,<br />I just saw your appearance on The View this morning and liked what you had to say. After much soul-searching and research, I left Catholicism many years ago and consider myself an Agnostic. My understanding of the difference between an Atheist and an Agnostic is that an Atheist believes with 100% surety that there is no god, whereas an Agnostic sees little, or no, evidence to enable them to believe. One thing is for sure - you don't have to be religious to be moral! Appreciate any comments.<br />Lee S.Lee S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17531871730807997000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-37306380481778490012006-12-05T13:27:00.000-06:002006-12-05T13:27:00.000-06:00Hello,
I caught you on the View. My God journey ha...Hello,<br />I caught you on the View. My God journey has been similar, the order of events that have provoke questions has been a bit different. I will say that I know God is not confined like some jennie within the pages of the bible or any other thing. I believe the bible should be read and then put away leaving the reader with a sense of goodness, like a song or poetry. Instead it's dissected to the letter and used like a weapon. Man this subject gets me going, scattering my many thoughts. I have three siblings that are in christian ministry. Over the holiday during a discussion about gay rights I said the bible was a joke. I suggested asking God directly. I don't need the bible to tell me it's wrong to hate... My thinking is a person should allow a direct connect with God whatever God is or isn't. Really let your heart/mind/spirit direct you. I believe intention informs outcome. There was I time when I would simply say I didn't believe in God. I no longer let the word GOD be a road block in my conversations with my family and friends who are christians. I now refer to God on my terms. I have a sister who died, she would ask me how did I know this or that, she wanted me to back up my thinking with doctrine, bible versus, ect. I didn't and don't feel the need to. I believe I was born knowing the truth the <br />mission is getting reacquainted after life happens, religious training and so on. When I'm lucky enough to be near the ocean I am sure God is the sea. When I see the yellow leaves of the maiden hair on the sidewalk I'm sure God is a tree. And when I feel the enchantment that these things give me I am sure God is me. Back to the bible, God is love, be love. Once I thought God is love be God, then I realized that that is one of the biggest dilemmas of humanity. Wanting to be the creator instead of being part of creation. Ok, I've gone on longer that I intended.<br /><br />So I enjoyed your interview! <br />Thanks for being brave.<br />CandiceReal Talkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17035505216046032141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164602185001089462006-11-26T22:36:00.000-06:002006-11-26T22:36:00.000-06:00I'm so let down, because after some figuring I rea...I'm so let down, because after some figuring I realize I can't afford to go to TAM5. (TAM6 is a possibility.) <BR/><BR/>And I was so excited because you, Julia, are hella cool and I mean that in a decidedly healthy-boundaries, non-stalker way. Really. I love your blog and your work. (Okay, it's bedtime.)Fargofan1https://www.blogger.com/profile/14969896918488396447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164506328344899312006-11-25T19:58:00.000-06:002006-11-25T19:58:00.000-06:00Brainstorming for the movie version of LGOG:Cast J...Brainstorming for the movie version of LGOG:<BR/><BR/>Cast Jesus --- go whole hog hunky! Who would your dream Jesus casting be?<BR/><BR/>Maybe throw in a cameo for comic effect. -----------------------<BR/><BR/> For instance Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw typing on her console "What if what matters to you most is your own loving behavior? Should you give up your ethics for God?"Lori Doyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17106140519336778658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164488809476553162006-11-25T15:06:00.000-06:002006-11-25T15:06:00.000-06:00Julia,As I read your own simple way of "giving tha...Julia,<BR/>As I read your own simple way of "giving thanks" and struggling to redefine this in my own way each year on this holiday, it reminded me of a recent writing I came across by Daniel C. Dennert titled "Thank Goodness" written from the hospital as he recuperates from major heart surgery. Responding to the question as to whether he may have had an epiphany along the way to change his long held atheism, he wrote the following: "Yes, I did have an epiphany. I saw with greater clarity than ever before in my life that when I say "Thank goodness!" this is not merely a euphemism for "Thank God!" (We atheists don't believe that there is any God to thank.) I really do mean thank goodness! There is a lot of goodness in this world, and more goodness every day, and this fantastic human-made fabric of excellence is genuinely responsible for the fact that I am alive today. It is a worthy recipient of the gratitude I feel today, and I want to celebrate that fact here and now.<BR/><BR/>To whom, then, do I owe a debt of gratitude? To the cardiologist who has kept me alive and ticking for years, and who swiftly and confidently rejected the original diagnosis of nothing worse than pneumonia. To the surgeons, neurologists, anesthesiologists, and the perfusionist, who kept my systems going for many hours under daunting circumstances. To the dozen or so physician assistants, and to nurses and physical therapists and x-ray technicians and a small army of phlebotomists so deft that you hardly know they are drawing your blood, and the people who brought the meals, kept my room clean, did the mountains of laundry generated by such a messy case, wheel-chaired me to x-ray, and so forth. These people came from Uganda, Kenya, Liberia, Haiti, the Philippines, Croatia, Russia, China, Korea, India—and the United States, of course—and I have never seen more impressive mutual respect, as they helped each other out and checked each other's work. But for all their teamwork, this local gang could not have done their jobs without the huge background of contributions from others. I remember with gratitude my late friend and Tufts colleague, physicist Allan Cormack, who shared the Nobel Prize for his invention of the c-t scanner. Allan—you have posthumously saved yet another life, but who's counting? The world is better for the work you did. Thank goodness. Then there is the whole system of medicine, both the science and the technology, without which the best-intentioned efforts of individuals would be roughly useless. So I am grateful to the editorial boards and referees, past and present, of Science, Nature, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, and all the other institutions of science and medicine that keep churning out improvements, detecting and correcting flaws." Yes, I did have an epiphany. I saw with greater clarity than ever before in my life that when I say "Thank goodness!" this is not merely a euphemism for "Thank God!" (We atheists don't believe that there is any God to thank.) I really do mean thank goodness! There is a lot of goodness in this world, and more goodness every day, and this fantastic human-made fabric of excellence is genuinely responsible for the fact that I am alive today. It is a worthy recipient of the gratitude I feel today, and I want to celebrate that fact here and now.<BR/><BR/>To whom, then, do I owe a debt of gratitude? To the cardiologist who has kept me alive and ticking for years, and who swiftly and confidently rejected the original diagnosis of nothing worse than pneumonia. To the surgeons, neurologists, anesthesiologists, and the perfusionist, who kept my systems going for many hours under daunting circumstances. To the dozen or so physician assistants, and to nurses and physical therapists and x-ray technicians and a small army of phlebotomists so deft that you hardly know they are drawing your blood, and the people who brought the meals, kept my room clean, did the mountains of laundry generated by such a messy case, wheel-chaired me to x-ray, and so forth. These people came from Uganda, Kenya, Liberia, Haiti, the Philippines, Croatia, Russia, China, Korea, India—and the United States, of course—and I have never seen more impressive mutual respect, as they helped each other out and checked each other's work. But for all their teamwork, this local gang could not have done their jobs without the huge background of contributions from others. I remember with gratitude my late friend and Tufts colleague, physicist Allan Cormack, who shared the Nobel Prize for his invention of the c-t scanner. Allan—you have posthumously saved yet another life, but who's counting? The world is better for the work you did. Thank goodness. Then there is the whole system of medicine, both the science and the technology, without which the best-intentioned efforts of individuals would be roughly useless. So I am grateful to the editorial boards and referees, past and present, of Science, Nature, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, and all the other institutions of science and medicine that keep churning out improvements, detecting and correcting flaws."<BR/>http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/dennett06/dennett06_index.html<BR/><BR/>Discovering your CD and Blog has been a treat. Having been raised in a Mormon family but a long time athiest, your story of the Mormon missionaries made me really laugh.<BR/><BR/>Thanks, for your humor and thought!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164487815894425122006-11-25T14:50:00.000-06:002006-11-25T14:50:00.000-06:00SweetThursday said... Speaking of Not faith, not s...SweetThursday said... <BR/>Speaking of Not faith, not speaking of faith, speaking of faith and speaking of Speaking of Faith. What a wonderful world of diversity. That is what keeps us walking not alone on this planet. <BR/><BR/>But as to the latter bit of the first sentence. I woke up to NPR this morning and the show Speaking of Faith was on, I was quite sleepy and only a few bits registered, but they stirred me for better and some for worse. <BR/><BR/>This weeks show: November 23, 2006 <BR/>"We want our children to be gracious and grateful, we want them to have courage in difficult times, we want them to have a sense of joy and purpose. That's what it means to nurture their spiritual life." For Thanksgiving, we bring back our conversation with Rabbi Sandy Sasso, who helps children and adults of many backgrounds discuss religion and ethics together. <BR/><BR/>http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/Lori Doyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17106140519336778658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164429322027520352006-11-24T22:35:00.000-06:002006-11-24T22:35:00.000-06:00I am thrilled to hear your decision to film the sc...I am thrilled to hear your decision to film the script read live. You absolutely change energy when having a real audience. Now it's my turn to thinkulate...I gotta get holiday gifts and even though I KNOW VERY WELL that my mother and my brother are atheists I stilll feel a bit nervous about sending them directly your CDs. May Vishnu see over use all...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164418207212166652006-11-24T19:30:00.000-06:002006-11-24T19:30:00.000-06:00Rebecca, you are about the only person I've ever h...Rebecca, you are about the only person I've ever heard mention Alan Watts' wondrous book The Wisdom of Insecurity. I read it a long time ago and it was something of a transforming experience. He also wrote a marvelous essay (which was my introduction to Watts) called "The World's Most Dangerous Book", a nice little primer on the history of the bible. Here's a link in case anyone wants to read it: <BR/><BR/>http://www.geocities.com/whatzitallmean/TWMDB.html<BR/><BR/>Ok, well, just paste it into your browser...<BR/><BR/>And Julia, thank you for the nice comments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164411201445075612006-11-24T17:33:00.000-06:002006-11-24T17:33:00.000-06:00Bookboy: Wow! Are we really reading the same book?...Bookboy: Wow! Are we really reading the same book? (In any case, we’re not on the same page!) Am setting up a blog for anyone who wants to discuss this book and related issues. Will announce it here (Julia‘s blog). Hope to see you there, bookboy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164385519508245852006-11-24T10:25:00.000-06:002006-11-24T10:25:00.000-06:00I have Rebecca. I have read the book from cover to...I have Rebecca. I have read the book from cover to cover, twice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164383802089364652006-11-24T09:56:00.000-06:002006-11-24T09:56:00.000-06:00I have a lot of feelings and thoughts on the God t...I have a lot of feelings and thoughts on the God thing. Not because I'm a Believer (I'm not) but because the issue seems to be incredibly complex and intertwined with multiple aspects of the human psyche. That makes argument particularly difficult because deists (in particular) can't stay on topic.<BR/><BR/>One topic I find interesting is how religion and religious *experience* intersect. For myself, I've had some some experiences that would definitely be called "religious" or "spiritual", yet I've never been tempted to confuse those experiences with a Supernatural Being controlling the universe. I'm sure not growing up with religious indoctrination helped.<BR/><BR/>A case in point: I find that Giving Thanks is a very powerful meditation, and is made more so if I use the words "Thank You, God". Now, a Deist might say "Ha! That means you DO believe in God." But I absolutely don't believe in any God or gods. Rather, I think saying the words address some part of myself or some alternate viewpoint within.<BR/><BR/>My difficulty writing this underscores the confusion of the topic. "God" is a very useful concept for me, but is not to be confused in any way whatsoever with "God". Make sense?<BR/><BR/>I believe that Religious Experience is a purely human thing, possibly even just the firing of certain brain cells (my theory is that it's an artifact of the brain's ability to make cognitive leaps - sort of a meta-leap), and there's no evidence to jump to the conclusion that a deity is handing one that experience.<BR/><BR/>Thoughts?Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06269198241364398107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164356906205761842006-11-24T02:28:00.000-06:002006-11-24T02:28:00.000-06:00Bookboy (aka "philosopher of the human condition")...Bookboy (aka "philosopher of the human condition"), I suggest you re-read page 39 and about five pages before/after.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164326870330991232006-11-23T18:07:00.000-06:002006-11-23T18:07:00.000-06:00Hi Julia,I was wondering if you could express your...Hi Julia,<BR/><BR/>I was wondering if you could express your thoughts on the holiday season. How do you pass the time now as an atheist as opposed to when you were a theist.<BR/><BR/>Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164303540379156152006-11-23T11:39:00.000-06:002006-11-23T11:39:00.000-06:00Julia, I read The Denial of Death but was put off ...Julia, I read The Denial of Death but was put off by what seemed like misogyny, all that stuff about women and blood and earth...but that was decades ago.... Rebecca, it’s obvious you didn’t read “Denial of Death” or you are mistaking it for some other book, by making such an uninformed statement above. Sorry Rebecca I just could not let that statement pass. “…for the time being I gave up writing—there is already too much truth in the world—an overproduction which apparently cannot be consumed!” Otto Rank.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164288117577473992006-11-23T07:21:00.000-06:002006-11-23T07:21:00.000-06:00Truth is an axiom; it needs no proof.Whatsoever mu...Truth is an axiom; it needs no proof.<BR/><BR/>Whatsoever must be propped with argument and proof is soon or late knocked down with argument and proof.<BR/><BR/>To prove a thing is to disprove its opposite. To prove its opposite is to disprove it.<BR/><BR/>God has no opposites. How shall you prove or disprove Him?<BR/><BR/>-- MirdadAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164263693822342072006-11-23T00:34:00.000-06:002006-11-23T00:34:00.000-06:00Thanks Anonymous, I'll check it out. And Sheldo...Thanks Anonymous, I'll check it out. And Sheldon, you DID NOT just mention my name in the same sentence as Ned Flanders?! That's awesome...and embarrassing. Though I'm more of a King of the Hill fan these days. "Bobby, if you weren't my son I'd hug you."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164261351768269492006-11-22T23:55:00.000-06:002006-11-22T23:55:00.000-06:00Coby's comment remind me of a line that the very r...Coby's comment remind me of a line that the very religious character, Ned Flanders, makes on an episode of "The Simpsons."<BR/><BR/>After Ned's wife is killed in a tragic accident, he starts a sort of "why-hast-thou-forsaken-me" rant at God, saying at one point:<BR/><BR/><I>"I'm not a bad man. I don't drink or dance or swear. I've done everything the Bible says, EVEN THE STUFF THAT CONTRADICTS THE OTHER STUFF!"</I>Sheldonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11861876430546129295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164247674921573432006-11-22T20:07:00.000-06:002006-11-22T20:07:00.000-06:00I'm grasping what I can of this conversation. It i...I'm grasping what I can of this conversation. It is hard to understand but I just want ot say that carl r. sams is my favorite poster, just on likability! thank you carl.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164244847578528302006-11-22T19:20:00.000-06:002006-11-22T19:20:00.000-06:00Coby,There's a really good edition of This America...Coby,<BR/><BR/>There's a really good edition of This American Life "podcast" avialable free this week at <BR/><BR/>http://www.thislife.org/<BR/><BR/>It's about an evangelical preacher who had an intellectual confrontation with his faith, and the fallout that followed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164214443718685582006-11-22T10:54:00.000-06:002006-11-22T10:54:00.000-06:00Anonymous (not sure which one):You ask some great ...Anonymous (not sure which one):<BR/>You ask some great questions. I'm actually not Mormon, I was simply trying to be fair. I am a Christian pastor in training (working on a Masters degree in Divinity at George Fox Seminary) with several good friends who are agnostic or atheist. Some individuals would consider me conservative while others would consider me liberal. I haven't yet heard enough of Letting go of God to feel like I could justly comment on the Biblical interpretations. <BR/><BR/>Even if I had listened to it all, I would hesitate to comment because<BR/>a) I would want Julia's permission. Too many Christians speak out of line and criticize without really listening and grappling with the other person's perspective. I greatly respect Julia and wouldn't want to unintentionally "attack" her. Especially if my critique was not requested. <BR/>b) Even if I were to point out some areas where I think she may have misinterpreted the Bible, I do not doubt that she was taught these things. I fear this would simply just strengthen the argument that "Christians cannot make up their mind on the Bible thus how can they really claim they follow the truth?" I'm just not sure we'd get anywhere.<BR/><BR/>I will comment upon why the Mormon bit challenged me. At the end she says something like "I felt so lofty in my more established religious faith. But then I realized that my story was sounds just as odd (virgin birth, Jesus walks on water, etc)...I'm just used to my story." She's right on here. If I am going to claim to be a Christian, I better think through these inconsistencies and these oddities. That is why I'm grateful for her work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164207133539125762006-11-22T08:52:00.000-06:002006-11-22T08:52:00.000-06:00looking at the sites people suggested to Michael a...looking at the sites people suggested to Michael and reading mcglk's post, and then looking at the long history of science filling the gaps that religion tries to hide god in gives me so much confidence in the scientific method and in humanity.<BR/><BR/>Really, it's a great story. it's like Whack-a-mole, except with god.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164191987384338572006-11-22T04:39:00.000-06:002006-11-22T04:39:00.000-06:00Coby,I meant that I haven't seen any point by poin...Coby,<BR/><BR/>I meant that I haven't seen any point by point responses to the LGoG monolog by Christians. Julia quotes (or I should say, paraphrases) from the Bible a lot, and I'm wondering how accurately she is portraying the biblical stories. I guess I'm used to groups like Media Matters fact checking news articles, and I was just hoping somebody had posted a fact check on LGoG. Perhaps all of the other bloggers here have read the bible through and through, but I've only read bits an pieces, and most of that many years ago, so I'm not sure how accurate her portrayals are. She makes some very powerful arguments, so I hope that they hold up to scrutiny. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps Julia could tell us if she's had anybody fact check her work, or if any other groups have posted criticisms of it.<BR/><BR/>From your post, I take it you are a Mormon. How do you respond to the first part of Julia's work? It certainly makes Mormonism seem one of the less believeable traditions (ie, more emperical evidence against it's dogma... the migration of people to the new world from Isreal, etc.).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164187257401144362006-11-22T03:20:00.000-06:002006-11-22T03:20:00.000-06:00not that it really matters, but the "so I'm not an...not that it really matters, but the "so I'm not an expert" was supposed to be placed after the sentence "I've only seen a 15 minute excerpt". Just thought I'd clarify.<BR/>peace outAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16654170.post-1164187146207848872006-11-22T03:19:00.000-06:002006-11-22T03:19:00.000-06:00To the anonymous who wondered why theists haven't ...To the anonymous who wondered why theists haven't commented on "Letting go of God":<BR/><BR/>Do you mean argued against it or commented upon it? I commented upon it a few BLOGs ago so I am no expert. I've only seen a 15 minute excerpt. While I obviously wouldn't agree with the conclusion I think it is a beautiful piece of art. Julia makes points that all theist (specifically Christians) need to think through if they are going to claim to believe in an infinite God. The main thing I realized was that Christianity and church sure does look silly from the outside looking in. I actually have quoted from the bit about Julia's encounter with the Mormon's to help other Christians see that we aren't as normal as we think we are. <BR/><BR/>I'm glad to have stumbled upon the 15 minute excerpt because it challenged me to take an honest look at my faith. For that I am grateful. Not sure if that was what you were looking for in a comment...but there you go!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com