telegraph.co.uk— More than half of Britons think Christianity is likely to have disappeared from the country within a century, according to a survey.
Jun 20, 2008View in Crawl 4
. Hackworth," Finkle-McGraw said after the pleasantries had petered out, speaking in a new tone of voice, a the-meeting-will– come-to-order sort of voice, "please favour me with your opinion of hypocrisy. "Excuse me. Hypocrisy, Your Grace?" "Yes. You know." "It's a vice, I suppose." "A little one or a big one? Think carefully-much hinges upon the answer." "I suppose that depends upon the particular circumstances." "That will never fail to be a safe answer, Mr. Hackworth," the Equity Lord said reproachfully. Major Napier laughed, somewhat artificially, not knowing what to make of this line of inquiry. "Recent events in my life have renewed my appreciation for the virtues of doing things safely," Hackworth said. Both of the others chuckled knowingly. "You know, when I was a young man, hypocrisy was deemed the worst of vices," Finkle-McGraw said. "It was all because of moral relativism. You see, in that sort of a climate, you are not allowed to criticise others-after all, if there is no absolute right and wrong, then what grounds is there for criticism?" Finkle-McGraw paused, knowing that he had the full attention of his audience, and began to withdraw a calabash pipe and various related supplies and implements from his pockets. As he continued, he charged the calabash with a blend of leather-brown tobacco so redolent that it made Hackworth's mouth water. He was tempted to spoon some of it into his mouth. "Now, this led to a good deal of general frustration, for people are naturally censorious and love nothing better than to criticise others' shortcomings. And so it was that they seized on hypocrisy and elevated it from a ubiquitous peccadillo into the monarch of all vices. For, you see, even if there is no right and wrong, you can find grounds to criticise another person by contrasting what he has espoused with what he has actually done. In this case, you are not making any judgment whatsoever as to the correctness of his views or the morality of his behaviour-you are merely pointing out that he has said one thing and done another. Virtually all political discourse in the days of my youth was devoted to the ferreting out of hypocrisy. "You wouldn't believe the things they said about the original Victorians. Calling someone a Victorian in those days was almost like calling them a fascist or a Nazi." Both Hackworth and Major Napier were dumbfounded. "Your Grace!" Napier exdaimed. "I was naturally aware that their moral stance was radically different from ours– but I am astonished to be informed that they actually condemned the first Victorians." "Of course they did," Finkle-McGraw said. "Because the first Victorians were hypocrites," Hackworth said, getting it. Finkle-McGraw beamed upon Hackworth like a master upon his favored pupil. "As you can see, Major Napier, my estimate of Mr. Hackworth's mental acuity was not ill-founded." "While I would never have supposed otherwise, Your Grace," Major Napier said, "it is nonetheless gratifying to have seen a demonstration." Napier raised his glass in Hackworth's direction. "Because they were hypocrites," Finkle-McGraw said, after igniting his calabash and shooting a few tremendous fountains of smoke into the air, "the Victorians were despised in the late twentieth century. Many of the persons who held such opinions were, of course, guilty of the most nefandous conduct themselves, and yet saw no paradox in holding such views because they were not hypocrites themselves-they took no moral stances and lived by none." "So they were morally superior to the Victorians-" Major Napier said, still a bit snowed under. "-even though-in fact, because-they had no morals at all." There was a moment of silent, bewildered head-shaking around the copper table. "We take a somewhat different view of hypocrisy," Finkle-McGraw continued. "In the late-twentieth-century Weltanschauung, a hypocrite was someone who espoused high moral views as part of a planned campaign of deception-he never held these beliefs sincerely and routinely violated them in privacy. Of course, most hypocrites are not like that. Most of the time it's a spirit-is-willing, flesh-is-weak sort of thing." "That we occasionally violate our own stated moral code," Major Napier said, working it through, "does not imply that we are insincere in espousing that code." "Of course not," Finkle-McGraw said. "It's perfectly obvious, really. No one ever said that it was easy to hew to a strict code of conduct. Really, the difficulties involved-the missteps we make along the way-are what make it interesting. The internal, and eternal, struggle, between our base impulses and the rigorous demands of our own moral system is quintessentially human. It is how we conduct ourselves in that struggle that determines how we may in time be judged by a higher power." --Neal Stephenson: Diamond Age (or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer)
being atheist is not the cool thing to do. i have never experienced any sort of special treatment for being atheist. in fact, i have had people disregard me altogether because i am atheist. bigoted people like yourself. and if you knew anything about what atheism truly is....*sigh*nevermind. i wish internet arguing wasn't so pointless. Just remember that it is likely that the majority of atheists you try to undermine grew up with a religious belief system, and then lost it. you have not seen both sides of the fence as we have.
MaxD:Assuming everything can eventually be explained, and therefore there is no mystic or magical definition of free will, I disagree as well that what we have is truly, "Free will." Our mind works on (sometimes superfluous and certainly at times contradicting) levels when facing decisions. For example, behaviorism. Taking this into account, everything can be drawn out and proven if provided with the correct variables and so on on the situation in question and the particular person at the particular time.If there were a god, he would obviously know all of this and would know how it all turned out. The most advanced mathematics problem ever is what I'm thinking. If he is omnipotent, he should have no problems with this.The only way I could see him not looking into the future is if he made himself willfully ignorant.
The Church of Scientology infiltrated the CIA and the IRS for its own personal gain.Similarly, the Christians have Infiltrated the White House and are using the military to help bring about the Apocalypse so Jesus can come back. I don't hate crazy people unless they have power.
I really seemed to have riled you up. I won't go into a long tangent about why I've come to this conclusion, you should be able to see the signs yourself, but you're just not ready to acknowledge them. And also you seem to be a big fan of age discrimination and belittling others. I read a s**t load compared to the rest of my age group, which has obviously impacted this conclusion.I don't want to get into a big flame war about this, and on Digg for that matter. So if you really want to discuss this like a civilized person, I welcome you to it. Reply back and I'll give you my email address so we can exchange ideas. Sound fair?
alexandercurtisJun 22, 2008
I sense a pattern -- all of them are dead right now.So much for intelligence and the pride that some bring with it.
thecatspantsJun 22, 2008
Education and inclusion rather than expulsion might be a good place to start.
trnsltlifeJun 23, 2008
. Hackworth," Finkle-McGraw said after the pleasantries had petered out, speaking in a new tone of voice, a the-meeting-will– come-to-order sort of voice, "please favour me with your opinion of hypocrisy. "Excuse me. Hypocrisy, Your Grace?" "Yes. You know." "It's a vice, I suppose." "A little one or a big one? Think carefully-much hinges upon the answer." "I suppose that depends upon the particular circumstances." "That will never fail to be a safe answer, Mr. Hackworth," the Equity Lord said reproachfully. Major Napier laughed, somewhat artificially, not knowing what to make of this line of inquiry. "Recent events in my life have renewed my appreciation for the virtues of doing things safely," Hackworth said. Both of the others chuckled knowingly. "You know, when I was a young man, hypocrisy was deemed the worst of vices," Finkle-McGraw said. "It was all because of moral relativism. You see, in that sort of a climate, you are not allowed to criticise others-after all, if there is no absolute right and wrong, then what grounds is there for criticism?" Finkle-McGraw paused, knowing that he had the full attention of his audience, and began to withdraw a calabash pipe and various related supplies and implements from his pockets. As he continued, he charged the calabash with a blend of leather-brown tobacco so redolent that it made Hackworth's mouth water. He was tempted to spoon some of it into his mouth. "Now, this led to a good deal of general frustration, for people are naturally censorious and love nothing better than to criticise others' shortcomings. And so it was that they seized on hypocrisy and elevated it from a ubiquitous peccadillo into the monarch of all vices. For, you see, even if there is no right and wrong, you can find grounds to criticise another person by contrasting what he has espoused with what he has actually done. In this case, you are not making any judgment whatsoever as to the correctness of his views or the morality of his behaviour-you are merely pointing out that he has said one thing and done another. Virtually all political discourse in the days of my youth was devoted to the ferreting out of hypocrisy. "You wouldn't believe the things they said about the original Victorians. Calling someone a Victorian in those days was almost like calling them a fascist or a Nazi." Both Hackworth and Major Napier were dumbfounded. "Your Grace!" Napier exdaimed. "I was naturally aware that their moral stance was radically different from ours– but I am astonished to be informed that they actually condemned the first Victorians." "Of course they did," Finkle-McGraw said. "Because the first Victorians were hypocrites," Hackworth said, getting it. Finkle-McGraw beamed upon Hackworth like a master upon his favored pupil. "As you can see, Major Napier, my estimate of Mr. Hackworth's mental acuity was not ill-founded." "While I would never have supposed otherwise, Your Grace," Major Napier said, "it is nonetheless gratifying to have seen a demonstration." Napier raised his glass in Hackworth's direction. "Because they were hypocrites," Finkle-McGraw said, after igniting his calabash and shooting a few tremendous fountains of smoke into the air, "the Victorians were despised in the late twentieth century. Many of the persons who held such opinions were, of course, guilty of the most nefandous conduct themselves, and yet saw no paradox in holding such views because they were not hypocrites themselves-they took no moral stances and lived by none." "So they were morally superior to the Victorians-" Major Napier said, still a bit snowed under. "-even though-in fact, because-they had no morals at all." There was a moment of silent, bewildered head-shaking around the copper table. "We take a somewhat different view of hypocrisy," Finkle-McGraw continued. "In the late-twentieth-century Weltanschauung, a hypocrite was someone who espoused high moral views as part of a planned campaign of deception-he never held these beliefs sincerely and routinely violated them in privacy. Of course, most hypocrites are not like that. Most of the time it's a spirit-is-willing, flesh-is-weak sort of thing." "That we occasionally violate our own stated moral code," Major Napier said, working it through, "does not imply that we are insincere in espousing that code." "Of course not," Finkle-McGraw said. "It's perfectly obvious, really. No one ever said that it was easy to hew to a strict code of conduct. Really, the difficulties involved-the missteps we make along the way-are what make it interesting. The internal, and eternal, struggle, between our base impulses and the rigorous demands of our own moral system is quintessentially human. It is how we conduct ourselves in that struggle that determines how we may in time be judged by a higher power." --Neal Stephenson: Diamond Age (or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer)
nateking1Jun 24, 2008
You must be high.
radoslav87Jun 25, 2008
being atheist is not the cool thing to do. i have never experienced any sort of special treatment for being atheist. in fact, i have had people disregard me altogether because i am atheist. bigoted people like yourself. and if you knew anything about what atheism truly is....*sigh*nevermind. i wish internet arguing wasn't so pointless. Just remember that it is likely that the majority of atheists you try to undermine grew up with a religious belief system, and then lost it. you have not seen both sides of the fence as we have.
chuckrobJun 27, 2008
I can't wait... Let's increase the quality of science education and get this rolling in America too.
daggityJun 29, 2008
MaxD:Assuming everything can eventually be explained, and therefore there is no mystic or magical definition of free will, I disagree as well that what we have is truly, "Free will." Our mind works on (sometimes superfluous and certainly at times contradicting) levels when facing decisions. For example, behaviorism. Taking this into account, everything can be drawn out and proven if provided with the correct variables and so on on the situation in question and the particular person at the particular time.If there were a god, he would obviously know all of this and would know how it all turned out. The most advanced mathematics problem ever is what I'm thinking. If he is omnipotent, he should have no problems with this.The only way I could see him not looking into the future is if he made himself willfully ignorant.
Closed AccountJul 2, 2008
The Church of Scientology infiltrated the CIA and the IRS for its own personal gain.Similarly, the Christians have Infiltrated the White House and are using the military to help bring about the Apocalypse so Jesus can come back. I don't hate crazy people unless they have power.
davidbeileJul 22, 2008
I really seemed to have riled you up. I won't go into a long tangent about why I've come to this conclusion, you should be able to see the signs yourself, but you're just not ready to acknowledge them. And also you seem to be a big fan of age discrimination and belittling others. I read a s**t load compared to the rest of my age group, which has obviously impacted this conclusion.I don't want to get into a big flame war about this, and on Digg for that matter. So if you really want to discuss this like a civilized person, I welcome you to it. Reply back and I'll give you my email address so we can exchange ideas. Sound fair?
exodus77Oct 13, 2008
well im glad u gave it an honest effort.
kogelsOct 13, 2008
f**k yeah
revsd5Jan 21, 2009
I'm quite sure it was already conceived before shown. I don't smoke. Neither should you.
valdanaMar 12, 2009
Maybe it would be better to find out What Christianity is all bout. Try this site: <a class="user" href="http://www.squidoo.com/What-is-Christianity-All-About" rel="nofollow">http://www.squidoo.com/What-is-Christianity-All-Ab ...</a> Then, you can decide.