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journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 69 |
"FAITH, n. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel."
Good ol' Ambrose Bierce. He was a clever man. And right more often than not.
Cheers,
Bryan
Cheers,
Bryan
You are only wretched and unworthy if you choose to be.
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 69
journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 69 |
Consuelo wrote: Something that gets my gall is people that are paid large sums of money for speaking that don't take the time to learn the pronunciation of difficult or unknown words. GRRRR!
Right on! Even worse, is people paid lots of money to speak who can't pronounce normal words. Ever wonder why Tom Brokaw sounds like he does? An "L" is a sound made with the front of the tongue and the teeth. However, as done by Brokaw and Ira Glass (and some other people I've met) they use the back of their tongue and the glottis. As a result, it makes their "L" sound like a German "R" (and I'm being generous, here - personally, I think it sounds like they have a speech impediment). I refuse to listen to either Brokaw or Glass for that very reason.
Cheers,
Bryan
P.S. We're not merkins, Americans, or a-merry-kins. We're US citizens. :-)
Cheers,
Bryan
You are only wretched and unworthy if you choose to be.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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"P.S. We're not merkins, Americans, or a-merry-kins. We're US citizens. :-)"
Well said.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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pubic wigs can't pronounce anything
Dictionary? We don' need no steenkeen dictionary!
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2001
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The US empire's Pacific colonies
Nice, Max. First other person I've heard of thinking of it like that.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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And where do the French fit in all of this? Thanks, doc_comfort, from saving me from having to post that very rude pun!  And, welcome, Bryan...thanks for the interesting thread! 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
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If you have faith, you believe, and that settles it
I think one of the tenets of faith we too often overlook is captured with an eloquent brevity in the teachings of Christ from the Bible: "Faith without works is dead."
i.e.: If you don't work to make the money, you have no money to invest your faith (or confidence) in. I think this notion of a lazy faith ("Let go and let God") is one of the most damaging misinterpretations of Christianity (and other religions that use the same interpretation) unless it is honed with the careful qualifiers that Jesus so wisely pointed out.
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journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 69 |
That is, as may be. But a lot of people calling themselves Christians have told me that working on faith is the most important thing. Until you have the faith, the works are meaningless. These same people spend a lot of time reaffirming their faith, talking about being with other people to reinforce faith, etc. It is hard to say "Christians don't ..." or "Christians do..." when you have so many that do what "Christian's don't," and don't do what "Christians do." I don't think it is something you can generalize.
Personally, I can't imagine having to work on faith. My faith is solid: that there are objective facts, that the laws of the universe aren't going to change tomorrow, that people can improve themselves as individuals and as a species, that love and friendship is important, that I deserve respect, that others deserve respect until they prove otherwise - all seem self-evident and solid. I don't need to discuss these things endlessly to continue to believe them. I don't have long-term "crises of faith" in what I believe (sure, everyone has a day here and there when everything seems to be falling apart). I can't prove any of those things I believe, but I certainly don't have to work on them. <shrug> It seems a strange thing to me to claim to have faith in something, and then need to reinforce it all the time with others who believe the same. Faith is like breathing - you only notice it under unusual circumstances. It isn't like a vitamin that you have to supplement every day.
Cheers,
Bryan
Cheers,
Bryan
You are only wretched and unworthy if you choose to be.
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