I’m glad I’m not the only one.

Debbie, I have been misunderstood, probably due to my poor self-expression. If you can write that to me, you have entirely mistaken me!

The sword is mightier than the pen when you’re dealing with religious fundies.

I think I do pretty much agree with you. Reading what you wrote has been a wake up call to me!

The bite I swiped upon, you were talking “tone” – and I missed that!

Thanks to just having clashed with Heather and Annie, I was rather sensitive!

We do have to take every care to be right in what we say in science, as well as pay attention to exactly what is said or written!

And of course #14 was to RA, not you!
RA has witnessed to being a man, but, then, again, perhaps she is crazier, crazier, crazier than I’ve even begun to suspect!

She has closed her comments on ~Basic Assumptions~ so I have raised my reply to that here, as it also related to dogma.

Raving Atheista >> I note you ain’t so forward with your basic assumptions now! Perhaps a return to the basics is in order! Possibly you have learnt new things in your blog-eprise and want to share your new basic perspectives! How about opening up a competition on who can come up with the best new ~Basic Assumptions~

Yes, Yes, Yes – I agree with you muchly in #13! And I’ve let my guard down very recently in just this way!

However, methinks you meant “reasonable” and “fair” (both in weak-minded silly “liberal” and derivative ways), rather that really reasonable and fair. And yet I reacted as though these words represented what they actually stand for! And yes, I do think it is crackers to dispense with real reason-ability and real fairness! Especially when contending with people who are spasming with nonsense! Aren’t these principles by which we work?

[fair : bright : clear : clean : free from blemish ...]

Fairness? Who are we going to be fair too? To all of us? Aint that what it means? Fair to everybody – fair to everything – fair in judgement every proposal that is presented to us! Not so? How else can it be?

I tried not to “give an inch” to Heather’s and Annie’s silly insanity. And so I responded with Heather and Annie on the deduction that they were being outrageously reckless and insane: – about being Christian. A deduction that strikes me as fair, and reasonable, and open-minded! A great many people would have given them a mile by treating them really as believers, when they are, I reckon, really reckless.

Their insanity would have began when they first left-reason-to-follow that-which-is-beyond-their-ken (with this action’s built-in dis-respect of their own consciences).

Their reason will have had to have reared its ugly head over and over again, repeatedly interupting this process, and they will have been recklessly discarding it, again and again and again.

They submit to the other (that which is beyond their ken) and their reason-ability is just cast aside.

Everyone needs to be reasonable!

Dogmaticism has a dangerous sense to it. Words are about communication. Using them for bravado is risky!

Debbie, pardon me, it has taken me ages to get my reply together! I feared as much! Hence the one initial word retort!! As I said then:-

“Crackers!”

Guy … man …??

Dogma does seem to be used inconsistently although ‘doctrine’ and ‘belief without proof’ seem to central to its meaning.

We’re probably agreeing here without realising it – but from my perspective trying to have a civilized and rational argument with religious fundies makes as much sense as letting a convicted child molester watch my kids. Of course we should defend our position through rational arguments and proof, but only with people who are prepared to play by the same rules.

presume to take as true without examination or proof

militant fighting : engaged in warfare : actively contending : combatative : using violence : militaristic

We desperately need to be rid of the decisive practice of anti-sanity. That means we can’t be practising it, if we want to suceed!

So I guess you’re being crazy and funny, and I’ve been having a major sense of humour failure!

Crazy, crazy, crazy guy!

You’re daft man! Totally and utterly daft!