The Mayflower & The Pilgrim Fathers: An Astonishing Statistic.
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Yankee has several meanings. Some Brits call all of us 'Mericans "Yanks" or "Yankees". Many Southerners refer to those N of the Mason-Dixon line the same. And other uses limit it to New Englanders. And then there's that bloody baseball team....
The final "A" could be interpreted in different ways! Careful!!Aha! Thanks chaps. So I must be a WASA then ::
Regards,
Jay.
Definitely no Catholics. Atheists and agnostics are OK if they have manners and pretend to be vaguely religious.
"Ethnics" also includes Europeans. You are not "Anglo-Saxon" if you're from the other side of the Hajnal line.
Atheists and agnostics are only OK if they are from a moneyed and established family of WASPs; they are simply accepted as eccentrics or arty types. If they're atheists or agnostics with no connections, they're just bomb-throwing anarchist lunatics. It's a complex code.
Being an agnostic, I resent being mentioned in the same sentence as an atheist. Agnostics believe, in God or some other being, we just don't do a whole lot about it. :nana: And, that is a distinction with a difference.
An agnostic is, by definition, one who believes nothing is truly known or can be known about the existence or nature of God; a person who claims no definite belief or disbelief in God. It is derived from the word meaning "does not know". It dovetails neatly with my belief in the Almighty: I may not be arrogant enough to claim I know what is on God's mind, but I'm sure as shit not taking your word for it.
In my view,
An agnostic is a person who says, "I don't know or can't know, so I'm not going to take a binary position."
This is an intelligent way to approach the question, at least for the initial 40 years or so.
An agnostic is a person who says, "I don't know or can't know, so I'm not going to take a binary position."
This is an intelligent way to approach the question, at least for the initial 40 years or so.
As opposed to denying the existence. We know?, sense?, acknowledge? there is/is not a higher power. We don't know and are therefore free to demand proof. We simply do not have enough information to freely embrace the idea. That said, most of the agnostics I know try to cover all the necessary bases and leave our options open. Nothing could be worse than to find out I was wrong all these years about heaven so I do not reject, while trying to live a good life.
I wrote a lot and said nothing! That's the key!
I wrote a lot and said nothing! That's the key!
Actually, Warren, you are implicating a number of powerful arguments here. The first is that one cannot know metaphysics from physics, but can discern it through pattern recognition (Aquinas). The next is that, in the absence of 100% clear information, we should keep our options open (Pascal). Finally, I detect a hint of Nietzsche in there, which is the idea that God is not fully a creation of man, nor fully not a creation of man... anyway, an interesting thought.
The last few years can indeed lead to a change in perspective and beliefs. Then it becomes, trying to line up your beliefs with your desires.
I'm at that point in life where I have to hope for a benevolent, very benevolent and forgiving (I'll need my fair share of forgiveness), deity to be in charge.
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