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Quotations – Momentous, Memorable, Meaningful

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A place to share the words of others (or your own!) which have been impactful in your life, whether they're serious, poignant, humorous, or just something worth noting.

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I have been a quote collector and quote monger for at least as long as I've been an atheist and probably a good deal longer. My admiration for those who enjoy reputations as wordsmiths extends even further back, whether we're talking about John F. Kennedy's assertion: "We choose to go to the moon," George Santayana's warning: "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it," or James T. Kirk's deft observation when faced with the dauntingly huge First Federation ship: "Not chess, Mr. Spock ... poker!"

The realm of atheist activism has had its own share of verbal craftsmen and women, from Madalyn Murray O'Hair's: "An atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church." to Aron Ra's succinct: "If you can't show it, you don't know it."

Regardless of the topic, these are words which are capable of fomenting inspiration, reflection, and sometimes even action. They can educate and illuminate the human condition and allow us to better know ourselves. That said, here is an open invitation to share those words which have been particularly meaningful or impactful or timely or just special to you for one reason or another.

Let's share those words and have fun!

One bit of clerical business: please hold your quotes in the comment area below to 20 lines or 200 words. One comment should not so dominate the Home page of this group that no other comment is visible. That way, the briefer comments and quotes of all participants are more likely to be seen, read, and appreciated. If you have a long quote or commentary, create a post, please.

Discussion Forum

Ideas

Started by Joan Denoo. Last reply by Joan Denoo Sep 14. 2 Replies 2 Likes

The word “Permaculture” is the combination of the two words “permanent” and “agriculture.” It is a method of agricultural philosophy that allows gardeners to create and sustain growing food in a way…Continue

Tags: production, shelter, food, permaculture, Mollison

On Emotion, Vulnerability, and a Flawed God

Started by Loren Miller. Last reply by Grinning Cat Sep 10. 5 Replies 5 Likes

On 31 May, 2018, Joan Denoo posted a most excellent quote from David Hume: That quote was well deserving of a response, which is the following:The most preposterous notion that H. sapiens has ever…Continue

Tags: flawed, vulnerable, emotion, god

Will McAvoy's Rant: "America Is NOT the World's Greatest Country"

Started by Loren Miller. Last reply by Joan Denoo Aug 25. 3 Replies 4 Likes

Aaron Sorkin has a habit of swinging for the fences when he writes political commentary as entertainment for television. This was first evinced in the network television series, The West Wing, and…Continue

Tags: The Newsroom, Will McAvoy, Aaron Sorkin

Ingersoll Day August 11th

Started by Joan Denoo. Last reply by Plinius Aug 12. 2 Replies 3 Likes

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)"When I became convinced that the universe is natural, that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood…Continue

Tags: fearless, joyous, freedom, Day, agnostic

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Comment by Joan Denoo on September 25, 2018 at 4:46pm: "When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."

~ Sinclair Lewis

FALSE

See Snopes

Comment by Joan Denoo on September 25, 2018 at 4:40pm: "Hearst and Coughlin are the two chief exponents (advocate) of fascism in America. If fascism comes, it will not be identified with any “shirt” movement, nor with an “insignia,” but it will probably be “wrapped up in the American flag and heralded as a plea for liberty and preservation of the constitution.”

~ James Waterman Wise, Jr., in an address before the liberal John Reed club.

Comment by Joan Denoo on September 25, 2018 at 4:36pm: "But when fascism comes it will not be in the form of an anti-American movement or pro-Hitler bund, practicing disloyalty. Nor will it come in the form of a crusade against war. It will appear rather in the luminous robes of flaming patriotism; it will take some genuinely indigenous shape and color, and it will spread only because its leaders, who are not yet visible, will know how to locate the great springs of public opinion and desire and the streams of thought that flow from them and will know how to attract to their banners leaders who can command the support of the controlling minorities in American public life. The danger lies not so much in the would-be Fuhrers who may arise, but in the presence in our midst of certainly deeply running currents of hope and appetite and opinion. The war upon fascism must be begun there."

~ John Thomas Flynn’s As We Go Marching, 1944.

Comment by Joan Denoo on September 25, 2018 at 6:26am: "W]hite supremacists, sovereign citizens, militia extremists, and violent anti-abortion adherents use religious concepts and scripture to justify threats, criminal activity, and violence.

~ Southern Poverty Law Center

Comment by Loren Miller on September 25, 2018 at 5:52am: You do not need the Bible to justify love, but no better tool has been invented to justify hate.
-- Richard A. Weatherwax

Very succinct and sadly true.

Comment by Loren Miller on September 24, 2018 at 5:34am: We've also evolved the ability to simply 'pay it forward': I help you, somebody else will help me. I remember hearing a parable when I was younger, about a father who lifts his young son onto his back to carry him across a flooding river. 'When I am older,' said the boy to his father, 'I will carry you across this river as you now do for me.' 'No, you won't,' said the father stoically. 'When you are older you will have your own concerns. All I expect is that one day you will carry your own son across this river as I no do for you.' Cultivating this attitude is an important part of Humanism--to realize that life without God can be much more than a series of strict tit-for-tat transactions where you pay me and I pay you back. Learning to pay it forward can add a tremendous sense of meaning and dignity to our lives. Simply put, it feels good to give to others, whether we get back or not.
― Greg Epstein

Believers can't see this, and I'm stonkered that they can't. Apparently, they have become so dependent on something that has no trace of existence that they don't think they do something positive without their non-existent goad.

Comment by Plinius on September 24, 2018 at 3:02am: And that is precisely what many people don't do; they say they're rid of beliefs, but they keep on thinking in the religious patterns.

Comment by Joan Denoo on September 23, 2018 at 2:50pm: Religion, politics, and fossil fuel industry keep old patterns existing in culture and to no good end. They all have the capacity to brutalize individuals and society while they enable helplessness.

To free oneself from the claws of dependency:

1. Examine one's belief systems to identify the clutches of all three.

2. Identify the desired goal; what would being free look like, sound like, feel like, and what values will change?

3. Develop action plans to move from the present systems to the desired state.

3. Identify resources, form coalitions, identify what it will cost to make systemic changes.

4. Take action.

5. Evaluate: am I moving from where I am to where I want to be?

Comment by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on September 23, 2018 at 2:27pm: As a former swinger, I appreciate the video clip, Joan.

Excellent quote, "Christianity alters your identity to insure the survival of ITSELF." Loren, that applies to right wing politics too. The fossil fuel industry managed to trick the GOP into climate denier identity politics, to survive and to profit from our decline.