Sounder mailing list etiquette and future direction

[Amedee Van Gasse (ub)]

On Sat, December 5, 2009 01:16, Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
> On Sat, 5 Dec 2009 01:08:20 +0100 (CET)
> "Amedee Van Gasse (ub)" <amedee-ubuntu at amedee.be> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, December 4, 2009 18:00, Liam Proven wrote:
>>
>> > Not only am I not willing to play along with these rules, but
>> > frankly, I find such insipid and characterless discussions -
>> > something I find a particularly American sort of tone in some
>> > online fora - to be hatefully and intolerably dull.
>>
>> Ubuntu is South African, and its corporate HQ is in the UK (Europe).
>>
>> > OTOH, the chap here that kept issuing some kind of muslim
>> > dedication - that is violently offensive to me, as a hardcore
>> > atheist. I am not posting any message dedicated to anyone's  god,
>> > nor am I even replying to one. I myself would move for a total ban
>> > on all mention of any religion, including those to me rather
>> > hateful sigs proclaiming that people espouse any particular variety
>> > of primitive superstition.
>>
>> Being an ignost myself, I consider your atheism as some kind of
>> anti-religion and therefor some kind of religion on itself. Why?
>
> doG knows why considering this:
>
> cybe at WizardsTower:~$ dict religion
>
> From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
> [gcide]:
>
>   Religion \Re*li"gion\ (r[-e]*l[i^]j"[u^]n), n. [F., from L.
>      religio; cf. religens pious, revering the gods, Gr. 'ale`gein
>      to heed, have a care. Cf. {Neglect}.]
>      1. The outward act or form by which men indicate their
>         recognition of the existence of a god or of gods having
>         power over their destiny, to whom obedience, service, and
>         honor are due; the feeling or expression of human love,
>         fear, or awe of some superhuman and overruling power,
>         whether by profession of belief, by observance of rites
>         and ceremonies, or by the conduct of life; a system of
>         faith and worship; a manifestation of piety; as, ethical
>         religions; monotheistic religions; natural religion;
>         revealed religion; the religion of the Jews; the religion
>         of idol worshipers.
>         [1913 Webster]
>
> It seems that, no matter your personal feelings about it, religion
> does /not/ include atheists.

If you are an atheist, does that mean that you can give an exact
description of what you don't believe in? Can you make a mental image of
whatever you deny the existence of? "imagining" is a cognitive process
that is fundamental to the concept of "believing".
I find it illogical to be able to imagine something and at the same time
deny the existence of your own mental processes. Personally I can't even
understand that dictionary entry, on philosophical and linguistic grounds.

And I don't feel comfortable discussing such topics in a language that
isn't my own. You have an unfair advantage over me.

-- 
Amedee