His vulgar rants side closer to Satan than God's message.

First off, vulgar means merely 'common'. Common-speech, not necessarily scatological, impertinent or sexually colorful. As far as I'm concerned CRC understands quite well what that part of speech called an ejaculation was invented for. Those who are more offended by fuck than by atom bomb: well I'm with him on that crusade; we have become a nation of fucking euphemists where nobody fucking DIES anymore - they er.. sorta umm pass.. away...

Second off, you're doing it again: For *you* this fantasy digital yes/no good/evil Righteous/Wrong personification of 'Evil' you like to call Satan is about *your* way of dividing up the mysteries of the world. Ditto: it's *your* God which you again postulate as if..

Everyone in the fucking world has / ought to have / is lesser *for not having* this particular allegory! [among countless ones available to vivid imaginations everywhere]. Again: shades of that insufferable smugness about being uniquely Right, about all those Mysteries of there being life and consciousness and Everything. That blend of patronizing smugness the world calls sanctimony.

Can you finally wrap your mentation around this difficult concept?
There are [many] Other models of the universe than.. YOURS.

Then as to,

He is obviously disturbed and unlikely to change due to anything we may say. I hope he hasn't offended either of you to deeply. I for one, appreciate your wisdom and insights.

Either I've said it too nicely (so no need to pay attention) or too poorly (uh I don't get it) - but I don't see you *noticing* the patronizing Certainty in your words. Yet!

Now you have donned the pop-shrink mask, deemed CRC 'disturbed' (in Murica just a few years ago - that phrase uttered by a nincompoop about another: was the equivalent of another religion's I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you. = no appeal, either). WTF are you to diagnose anyone's 'mental condition' as diseased = merely because the expressed POV happens to contradict the POV you have adopted, adapted: and deem Revealed Truth ?

Maybe by 'disturbed' you meant 'upset'? which in Murica often means: merely making full use of the Emotional Center in concert with Intellect to make a Point [*]. But I infer from context: this was a 'diagnosis'. Please correct if it was the other.

Lastly (I hope) re If you see me trying to force others to turn to religion, please let me know. I am for tolerance, both for religious people and Atheists.

Y'know.. we've had interminable threads re what 'atheism' might connote - let alone Atheism. That VS agnostic VS ____ nuances about which these EZ lazy generalizations are too fucking crude to mean Anything. Spirituality is another concept, supposed by many to be somehow 'within the selection of a er Popular religious corporate Name'.

It isn't. Spirituality, that is. Most folk read the parts they like from a massive tome of contradictory, retranslated , interpreted phrases uttered by other men (no women) - and call the regurgitation of selected passages.. their faith? beliefs? Beliefs! Reading lots of stuff with no common [referents] in language, is fucking rote memorization.

One may eschew All of that morass, develop from experience and careful contemplation - insights and occasionally wisdom. Whether modified by the 'spiritual' vague connotation or no: it ain't about which God Name you happen to fancy ergo it's the Right One QED. (Anyone who can 'force' a religion on someone - is either Torquemada (look him up) or.. the victim is possessed of the empty mind of a jellyfish. (Maybe not so uncommon, that?)

Sorry Brett. I'm not noticing you to possess much comprehension of what genuine tolerance for other Views would be like, and mouthing the platitude is as revealing as (as CRC observed) hate the sin "love" the sinner.

Communication has failed on this issue of sanctimony, so deeply ingrained as to be invisible to the bearer. CRC's take then remains the gold-er standard: for blessed brevity.

Maybe 'wise' is an endangered-word too - disappearing into the TLA, the catchphrase. Maybe it oughtn't to be used except when it is recognized actually. But wait: that would require a certain discrimination, subtlety and the life experience of others' POV, needed to apply those. Never mind.

(But not to worry: you have Lots of company, many in robes. We'll be hearing from more and more of them, in months to come - many having no slightest intention of learning something called ~tolerance.) You are at least paying the idea lip service, even though you can't actually feel it. That is always a start - it signifies what one hopes to.. someday achieve. Keep at it.. obviates the need for a shrink, at very least. In my limited experience: 'The Wise' are an infinitesimal mminority among homo sapiens Sapiens. Miniscule, that is. For the record: I don't generally qualify (either).





{sigh}

Ashton