> On 12 Jun 2019, at 05:09, spudboy100 via Everything List > <[email protected]> wrote: > > iI like the Pastafatians. However I am not against religion, just the > mentality of the fanatic. > Fanaticism usually means If you don't obey us, we will kill you > This mentality is not just hugely, seen, among the Islamists. > But also, their political chums, the Progressives (socialists & communists > who are funded by billionaires) > There is also, surprisingly to myself, great self-righteousness expressed by > this lot, in excess, of the Christian fundamentalist. > Beyond this, if Atheism works for you? Spectacular. If doing religious craps > allow one to enjoy some psycho-social activity? Splendid. > I do love Outre' observations by some physicists, because it permits our > species to break free. I mean it's physics, it's either going to work or not, > right? On the other hand, a gigantic budget would be required to test some > conjectures.
Yes, the problem is not any domain per se, but the fanaticism of those who claim to know the truth, again, that works for any domain. But sometimes, a political authoritative regime choose some domain to make truth claim, like Lyssenko in USSR genetics, or like with the frequent use of religion by unscrupulous manipulators. People who claim not having a religion are usually people not aware of their hypotheses. They take something fro granted, unconsciously. It is normal, as we have plausibly been “programmed” in that way, for survival purposes. Bruno > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Philip Thrift <[email protected]> > To: Everything List <[email protected]> > Sent: Tue, Jun 11, 2019 4:07 pm > Subject: Re: Allah: the One and Only Deity > > > > On Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 2:31:52 PM UTC-5, [email protected] wrote: > "One man's theology is another man's belly laugh." -Lazarus Long aka Robert > Heinlein > > > There is a religion called Comedism: > > > via Steve Gimbel > https://www.gettysburg.edu/academic-programs/philosophy/faculty/employee_detail.dot?empId=02000322920013381&pageTitle=Steve+Gimbel > > > Comedism: The New Religion > Steve Gimbel > Professor of Philosophy, Gettysburg College > > > Origins > > It all started with a couple of experiences in the classroom. The first was > when I was teaching a night class in ethics at a local community college. I > was drawing the distinction between social mores and ethical precepts when a > students raised his hand and asked, "Steve, what are mores?" I looked at him > and responded, "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a > more." At that moment, I realized that set ups that perfect don't just happen > randomly, it had to be humorous divine intervention. I had been touched. > > Then a few years later, I was teaching philosophy of religion at the United > States Naval Academy when I had my second insight. If you want to go anywhere > in the religion industry these days, you have to be either Mother Teresa or > Pat Robertson -- and neither seemed attractive career paths. But when you > look at a number of those who are most exalted, they fit neither model. > Abraham pimps out his wife to the Egyptian army, the disciples quarrel and > quibble about everything. How'd these guys end up on the fast track to > sanctification? They figured out the trick...get in early. So I realized that > my only option was to start own religion. > > Pondering this, I was teaching the tradition Christian arguments for the > existence of God and realized that if the All-Being was to be all perfect, > the traditional criteria of all powerful, all loving, and all knowing were > insufficient...there was a perfect left out...all funny. Would you prefer to > be with someone who had a good sense of humor or no sense of humor? Surely a > perfect being would be omnihumorous! Yet nowhere in the traditional > scriptures of the major religions could you find any real zingers. Not even a > "Knocketh, Knocketh" joke. And so Comedism was born, I realized it was my job > to hear the calling and spread wide the funny news. > > Metaphysical Beliefs > > The basic beliefs of Comedism are not that different from other religions. > Life is fleeting and a test for the hereafter. Like the Buddhists, we believe > that on Earth you strive for a state of bodilessness. You can foresee this > nirvana in the sort of full out belly laugh that you get from a really good > joke. When you laugh so hard that your spirit is ultimately joyful, but your > sides ache, you can't breathe, you roll around on the floor unable to stand, > you realize that it is the humorous soul and not the things of the body that > are important. > > When you die, like Christians, we believe your soul goes up and there before > the pearly gates stands Saint Shecky with his big book. Each of us is given a > number of set ups during our life times and for all those, like "that's a > more," that you convert into jokes, you get one mark in the good column. But > then there are those you miss. Years ago, I was walking and a couple looked > at me strangely. Before they passed the man said to me, "Didn't we just see > you with a dog?" I simply reply, "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with > someone else." But as they were walking away, I realized the correct response > was to retort indignantly, "Excuse me, that was my wife." I had blown a set > up. It was one in the bad column. When you are judged, if there are more in > the good column than in the bad column, you go to Comedy heaven and sit at > Groucho's right hand. If there are more in the missed than made column, you > go to comedy hell where it is always hot, water is only in dribble glasses, > all the chairs have whoopee cushions, and you have to watch reruns of Three's > Company over and over again for all of eternity. > > Ethics > > We believe that the key to acting well is understanding the nature of the > joke. Jokes have two parts, a set up in which a normal situation you think > you understand is sketched (a chicken crosses a street or the pope, a rabbi, > and a Viagra salesman walk into a bar) and then the punchline that forces you > radically rethink how you understood the world of the set up (to get to the > other side or at least the beer isn't flat anymore). The humor exists in that > moment when your brain is split, trying unsuccessfully to resolve the tension > between the two incompatible interpretations. The very possibility of a joke > presupposes that reality may always be looked at in more than one way. We > must see life as a great joke -- there are always perspectives other than our > own and we must strive to get the joke by adopting other people's > perspectives. As such, it is impossible for there to be Comedist > fundamentalists -- a fundamentalist is someone who takes a literal > interpretation of scripture, someone who denies that there can be multiple > legitimate interpretations, but this is impossible for a Comedist who > believes from the start that there are ALWAYS multiple interpretations of > everything or else it wouldn't be funny. > > We believe in spreading joy. We believe in overcoming pride through > self-deprecation. We believe through the symbol of the banana peal that > nature provides and must be protected. We believe in gay marriage because > "take my civilly united domestic partner" really screws up the timing. We > believe that April 1st is the holiest day of the year. And we believe that > Cosmic Comedist has revealed the universal joke in our Holy Skripture, the > Comedist Manifesto (well, at least that he will since I haven't gotten around > to writing most of it anyway). > > All you have to do to join is to sing the chorus the next time it comes > around...with feelin'. Comedism is a simple religion to convert to, just say > you are in and you are. And remember, if you get in early, fast-track to > sainthood... > > Live, love, and laugh, > > Irreverend Steve > > > @philipthrift > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/c2d6c124-1c8e-481a-9dbb-c1e02f89fbf8%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/c2d6c124-1c8e-481a-9dbb-c1e02f89fbf8%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/1274680506.1857748.1560308970676%40mail.yahoo.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/1274680506.1857748.1560308970676%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. 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