Simple question?

Quote: Nareed

Because we know what "separate but equal" means.

So you know that is when two things that were exactly equal like black people and white people were treated differently. How does it apply to two things that actually are different like heterosexual and homosexual relationships? What you don't seem to be getting is that men and women are different but equal, that is why we have separate bathrooms when if you had a white only bathroom you would be discriminating. There is nothing wrong with treating things that are different separately to respect their differences, avoid confusion, and make them equal under the civil law. This naturally begins with different words to express the two things.

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Look suppose you live in a country where there's freedom of religion, but only for polytheistic religions. But, never fear, after a long, arduous struggle and much persecution, your faith is recognized as a cult. Not as a religion, but it's given the same legal status as real religion, only it will be known legally as a cult.

Cult carries with it pejorative connotations. Would you be willing to let me come up with my own word to describe my religion, like monotheism or Christianity? If so than I would be fine with that.

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I don't care how the Catholic church defines marriage. It has no bearing at all on civil marriage. According to your church, marriage cannot end in divorce, and previously divorced people cannot marry again. Civil law takes no notice of these harmful eccentricities.

These teachings are not harmful, but speak to the permanency, exclusivity, and fruitfulness of marriage. The Church has many ways to help people who have gone through the pain of divorce to heal them and help them move on. But I agree with your main point in that civil and cannon law do not have to agree on the definition of marriage.

Quote: rxwine

I find the following a good rule, and one the human race hasn't consistently followed.

Until proven otherwise all unknowns have explainable mechanisms not requiring supernatural explanations.

That my friend is a great example of what I mean by faith.

Quote: Dalex64

Well, yes, since I don't believe in god and saints and angels and demons and therefore the fact that they can influence people and events on earth, I believe that beliefs in these things are superstitious. Might not be exactly the right word.

Might also be circular reasoning.

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I did not say that christianity was and is the only thing 100% responsible for bad things. That is a strawman argument - wrongly interpreting something that I said and showing that your interpretation is illogical.

surely the fact that hitler and stalin did bad things doesn't disprove that christians did bad things?

that is a major backsliding in logical arguing.

There were witch hunts because people believed in witches and that witches are bad so they should kill them. Why did people believe in witches and that they were bad?

Okay, I just wanted to make sure you weren't saying that Christianity was necessary for people to unreasonably blame other people for things.

Quote: FrGamble

which just turn out to be silly if we think about how much of our life is lived in faith or trust, still not really clear on the distinction.

I don't understand why you don't believe in the Tooth Fairy? There's more evidence from my childhood that the Tooth Fairy did things in the world than Jesus ever did rising from the dead. That's a fact.

I never saw Jesus do anything, but the tooth fairy left me money more than once. Real money.

Quote: rxwine

I don't understand why you don't believe in the Tooth Fairy? There's more evidence from my childhood that the Tooth Fairy did things in the world than Jesus ever did rising from the dead. That's a fact.

I never saw Jesus do anything, but the tooth fairy left me money more than once. Real money.

I hate to burst your bubble but the tooth fairy was really your parents. Ask them and they will tell you.

Quote: FrGamble

I hate to burst your bubble but the tooth fairy was really your parents. Ask them and they will tell you.

So, parents lie to their children yet you trust strangers from 2000 years ago? Who is more gullible?

Quote: FrGamble

That my friend is a great example of what I mean by faith.

Why don't you settle for it, then. You have
done everything possible to show there
is no need for faith because we are totally
surrounded by evidence and proof that god
exists. If you have actual evidence, you
don't need faith. Just trust the evidence.

Quote: FrGamble

I hate to burst your bubble but the tooth fairy was really your parents. .

And Jesus never died to 'save' anybody, he just
died like everybody else. You could ask him
yourself, but he's, well, dead..

Quote: FrGamble

How does it apply to two things that actually are different like heterosexual and homosexual relationships?

Well, let's see: straight couples have no need to manage property or provide for their children. They don't engage in intimate activities to strengthen their romantic bond. They are not concerned with inheritance, medical emergencies involving their spouse, or the sudden death of a spouse. You're absolutely right. There is no reason to apply marriage to straight couples.

Oh, wait. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe straight couples do all the same things same-sex couples do, and should be allowed to marry.

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Cult carries with it pejorative connotations.

Well, I'm sorry about that, but it's how things are. It's so unnatural to believe in one abstract god, is it not? You don't do sacrifices, your offerings barely qualify as such, you look for answers in a book. It's all so ludicrous and do far removed from real religion, that it cannot possibly be anything other than a cult.

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Would you be willing to let me come up with my own word to describe my religion, like monotheism or Christianity? If so than I would be fine with that.

Sure, you can call your cult whatever the hell you want. What do I care?

Quote: FrGamble

Is it really reasonable to demand to interview every pilot about where they got their instruction and then call that school to make sure he is telling the truth.

It is so reasonable and necessary, that every airline does it.

Next you'll be asking whether it's reasonable to suppose an airline would be concerned about protecting their HUGE capital investments on planes by actually hiring and training qualified pilots.

Only by starting with the assumption that people are insignificant, ignorant savages capable of nothing but sloth and violence on their own, does faith ever become a psychological necessity.