Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
Seriously, how much of a “spiritual need” can someone who knocks God off his throne and sits in his place have?
Oh, and it isn’t about having someone around to “reinforce your values”. It is about having the comfort of the connection between you and your Creator at times of moral peril. Its kind of difficult to pray aloud when you have a sucking chest wound. There is no equivalency for athiests and humanists. (Playing a recording of “My Way” isn’t the same thing.)
Some days the ignorance of history is only outweighed by the self-centeredness of trivial people.
ROTFLMAO! This is incredibly funny. But let’s be honest, atheism (which I do NOT formally associate with) is as much a religion as any other at least if measured by dogma.
As stated, I don’t agree with you here but maybe I don’t understand your point. Don’t some of the most devout Christians have a private relationship with God and never attend church? Church attendance is about the SHARING of faith. If not, then why?
As stated, I don’t agree with you here but maybe I don’t understand your point. Don’t some of the most devout Christians have a private relationship with God and never attend church?
I know many who think so, but as I read scripture, church (or more accurately fellowship) is important to the practice of Christianity because:
1. The Communion ceremony was important to Christ, and to the unity of his church.
2. Not attending church isolates one from the spiritual gifts granted to other members of the body, and makes the experience and the knowledge incomplete. (See 1 Corinthians Chapter 12)
3. Not attending church means cutting yourself off from those with different spiritual callings (teachers, prophets, apostles, evangelists, and pastors) (1 Corinthians Chapter 12, Ephesians Chapter 4).
4. Fellowship with other believers keeps the church vibriant and individuals can keep each other spiritually accountable.
Church attendance is about the SHARING of faith. If not, then why?
As I point out above, it is more than simply “sharing faith”. It is a mechanism for instruction, edification, growth, reminder, preservation, and renewal. That goes a fair amount father than merely sharing faith.
But then, it begs the question, what could a chaplincy possibly provide to an athiest?
ROTFLMAO! This is incredibly funny. But let’s be honest, atheism (which I do NOT formally associate with) is as much a religion as any other at least if measured by dogma.
Well, there are a few schools of thought on this.
One says that since most traditional definitions of religion require some sort of supernatural agency to be at work in our world, atheism as a static concept cannot be a religion.
As practiced, it gets a little murkier, as many atheists find themselves identifying with secular humanists, who were recognized (rightly, btw) by the Unitied states Supreme Court [Torasco v. Watkins] as being an organized religion. Certainly, it gets harder to escape this conclusion when one reads the first Humanist Manifesto.
http://www.americanhumanist.org/who_we_are/about_humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_I
The thirteenth point is especially illuminating on this subject.
Besides, their hymnal is so small…
“Me, I’m the One”, “Alone Again, Naturally”, and “Life Sucks, Then You Die”.
I think you left out “Dust in the Wind”.
BiW after reading through much of the Humanist Manifesto, it also appears to advocate socialism. Interesting.
Thanks for elaborating on your point. I didn’t know the Biblical underpinnings of church attendance.
The naivety of this statement alone makes Humanism more bad humor than serious anecdote to anything.
This one statement is completely contrary to the basic nature of man. It is innate in every baby born when observed, that man’s innate nature is selfish and self-serving.
A shared life in a shared world.
Now we’re back to the pretentious “Imagine” drivel of the false utopia.
Frankly, I find humanism even more pathetic than atheism. And I agree with Rutherford – atheism is a religion. That’s why I don’t really believe in atheists – without God or no God. All of them spend a considerable amount of time attempting to convince themselves of that fact, and generally dwell on the subject far more than those who call themselves believers in the divine.
I’ve got three points I’d like to add to this discussion.
#1 Having been in the military (ARMY) I have a very dim view of the Chaplains.In a number of ways they serve a purpose but not one I could ever reconcile with my own religious beliefs. I have an even darker view of the outside of the military church types who prey on people. I even attacked a group of “evangelists” on a basketball court @ Ft Carson who were totally dogging this kid in their attempts to drag him into their cult.The kid was either too shy or too polite to stand tall and the vultures saw his weakness and loneliness.
FWIW at the time I viewed myself as Christian having been raised in a Baptist home but my dog tags read No Rel Pref.
#2. The non secular counseling available to folks in the military is there for sure,it also comes with stigma and often times paper trail that will negatively impact ones career.
#3. The military observes Humanists,Wicca,Eckanars and United Church of Science and others when they put you in the ground,why is it unthinkable that there should be something available whence you’re alive?
see here