Religion
Related: About this forumSatanist says he wont put on show at council meeting
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel:The satanist who plans on giving the invocation at Wednesdays Grand Junction City Council meeting said hes not looking to make a mockery of the invocation and wont be putting on a show.
Im not a theatrical person, he said via phone. I own no hooded robes and no small animals will be accompanying me.
The self-identifying satanist, who declined to give his name and said he fears retribution from the community, said he considers himself a private person who wouldnt normally get up in front of a crowd and give a presentation. But he said hes willing to do so at the council meeting to make a point that the policy the city has is all-inclusive, and that means satanists, too, in accordance with the law.
The City Council adopted a policy in 2008 which allows any individual or group in the community to submit its name to the city clerk, and then those applicants are randomly drawn. Those selected are allowed to give an invocation that doesnt have any prior restraint no time or content limits and if the person selected for invocation doesnt show up, a moment of silence is observed.
procon
(15,805 posts)Why even bother with an invocation? People are still going to lie, cheat and steal because there is nothing mystical or spiritual about power and greed.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)There are those who treat it as an actual religion.
And there are those who are basically atheists but treat the biblical figure of Satan/Lucifer as a role-model.
(Which is less shocking than it sounds: Satan's and Lucifer's whole deal is criticizing God and asking questions. You will be hard-pressed to find actual examples of them doing evil stuff in the Bible.)
procon
(15,805 posts)supernational religious characters. This is an oxymoron, if you believe in Satan/Lucifer then you also accept the whole intertwined christian panoply of an omniscient god and all those attendant mystical beings. Apply any labels you prefer to biblical characters, but either you are an atheist, or you are not.
As an atheist, I have neither criticisms or questions for something that doesn't exist. Its rather as nonsensical as wanting to ask the fabled Zeus if he prefers being the bull or a swan. Although I wouldn't argue if a leprechaun invited me out for a beer.
TlalocW
(15,420 posts)Someone whose role-model growing up was Atticus Finch from, "To Kill a Mockingbird?"
I'm an atheist too, and I see what they're getting at.
TlalocW
procon
(15,805 posts)That was the basis of your original opinion, as I read it, that you made the claim that atheists would use occult icons drawn from religious text as a model of deportment. If a role model must be factored in, certainly there are plenty of real life examples to choose.
brooklynite
(95,719 posts)...they claim the rights and privileges of religious entities to broadly challenge established religion.
procon
(15,805 posts)who opined that atheists would choose to emulate characters from christian religious works.
Lordquinton
(7,886 posts)The nature of the fictional texts doesn't really matter.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)The former don't believe in gods so they're still atheists.
The Church of Satan explains it better than I can.
http://www.churchofsatan.com
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)Paul Ryan is big fan:
I give out Atlas Shrugged as Christmas presents, and I make all my interns read it, he said. Well... I try to make my interns read it.
***
Ryan spoke to the Atlas Society, a Rand-devoted group, in 2005, telling the group that Rand was the reason I got involved in public service, by and large. He cited two excerpts from Atlas Shrugged that he goes back to frequently: Francisco dAnconias speech ... on money and the 64-page John Galt speech.
The Galt speech is a summary of Objectivism (heres an Atlas Society outline).Slates Dave Weigel has a deep dive into the other speech, in which a copper mine owner rails against the end of the gold standard and the use of paper money to help legal looters.
And in a 2009 video series, Ryan added: I think Ayn Rand did the best job of anybody to build a moral case of capitalism, and that morality of capitalism is under assault.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/what-ayn-rand-says-about-paul-ryan/2012/08/13/fd40d574-e56d-11e1-8741-940e3f6dbf48_blog.html?utm_term=.83da60517db0
Seems like some theists are really into her.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Interesting to me how Ryan apparently can reconcile Jesus and Ayn Rand.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Whether this is classified as evil or not depends on the reader.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)- "Make bread from stone!"
- "Eh, No. Man also needs spiritual nourishment."
- "Make God save you!"
- "Forcing God's hand is against the rules."
- "Join me and I'll make you rich and famous!"
- "Fuck off."
In every single challenge Jesus refuses to confront Lucifer.
1. He refused to conjure bread with a philosophical catch-all argument that can be applied to any refusal anywhere anytime.
2. He refused to abuse his powers to win an argument. (Okay, that's not that bad. But maybe it's okay to go all in when confronting LUCIFER!)
3. How could Lucifer even credibly offer to Jesus to make him ruler of Earth? Isn't it God who reigns? Why didn't he call Lucifer a liar?
Jesus didn't win those arguments. He refused to engage in the arguments.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)A man does not live by bread alone. Jesus refused to engage with Lucifer on Lucifer's terms.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)Why would Jesus multiply loafs and fishes to feed the masses... and then NOT preach to them to give them spiritual nourishment? Same with the wedding in Canaa.
And Jesus dared stuff that forced God to intervene. He walked on water, fully knowing he wouldn't sink. He allowed himself to be crucified, fully knowing that he would come back.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)And with a full knowledge of His fate. His life was an example.