Posts by Ross Mason
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I like the idea of walking forward with a reversing mirror in your field of view. Just like driving. The size of your personal reversing mirror is the thing.
A small one suggests you don’t look back at much or too often. A biggie means you may look too much on the past and little to the future.
Somewhere in between you have your balance.
Too big and you won't see the power pole. Too small and you won’t know what a power pole was/is.
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They're at it again.
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The faith-based rehabilitation services aren't working either it seems??
Oh wait a minute. It didn't have a rehabilitation component? Then what was it doing in there?
It certainly is time for some evidence based rehabilitation services.
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Religion and culture have been entwined throughout human history. Works of art created in the name of God continue to delight us.
And that could be a crux of the matter. Yes, I fully concur with your comment. But I would have to say, that the vast number of these works of god art have dwindled significantly since the enlightenment. Probably catastrophically since the Origin of Species was published. Society (at least any associated with NZ immigrants) was ruled, controlled and governed by religion prior but has been slowly divided by secularism.
Religious beliefs shape cultural approaches to death – they’re the main reason we don’t bulldoze dead people into landfill.
But I am impressed by the number of funerals which now occur with absolutely no mention of a higher (or lower) plane in any part of the service. Some would call that bulldozing dead people into landfill. Certainly up in smoke or buried under the pear tree could fit that metaphor. But that in no way denies the deceased a solemn and fitting farewell that is any less satisfying for the family than if religion was involved.
I don't think I am looking for a dividing line. There may not be one. But certainly, in parts of the world there is an intention to ensure religion is the government. And the USA is not immune to a christian one. In god they trust. Well.... since the 1950s anyway. (Everyone else is cash please)
One only has to look at the Indian Sub Continent's independence to see the effect of a religious divide. Your Pakistani was probably a victim as well. And Bosnia has been the victim of this divide for the last 1500 years at least.
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You looked up Wikipedia to find what out what culture is? Awesome
Thank you Russell. ;-) Heh. Rarely do I solely "use" wiki as an unadulterated source. But in this case I DID also have quick look at a few other "sources". Memo to self: Need to remind self not to use word "wiki" as meaning the internet.
You don't change the curriculum for them, but you do make it possible for them to pray, as the belief with which they have been raised requires.
I asked what was in the karakiha. The reply was a welcome to the day, a thank you to those who have gone before and a look forward to the future. Her interpretation of the maori version. She was quite certain no 'god' was mentioned and thus she claimed it was not a prayer. A slippery slope?
As far as the opportunity for them to pray at school. I do find this uncomfortable and feel it is a step away from a fully secular education. I cannot help thinking it is a step that will be a precedent for any or all other religions into schools. There have always been concerns about even allowing religious studies in schools over the yeras and the state has been meticulous in how it is allowed.
Culture is quickly and quietly becoming an abused word. It keeps cropping up these days in business or corporate culture, team culture, school culture, franchise culture. The deeper one looks into the use of its meaning it seems quite easy to dump any activity into "a culture".
Thus my query about how religion becomes part of culture. No one has commented really, other than a quick dig at me and Andin.
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Heh. Lets cruise the other interesting sites on a sunday night.
Sciblogs with a link to GodZone Movie Maker - Michael Wilson
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Media 7. The Hauraki story was interesting. I gather the need to pay for a boat and get a station on air overode the morals of where the money came from ;-). Was usury charged? Did the broadcasting of CBA sourced material just last until it sunk???
I am having difficulty in figuring out why there should be an acceptance of religion "because it is part of 'their' culture". It arose in a conversation last night as I was talking to a primary principal. She mentioned that the JWs insist their children do not partake in the daily karakiha. We moved onto how the school deals with the increasing religions of refugees and immigrants. Does the school provide a prayer room? " No, but we would find room?. Why? "Because it is part of their culture". After a bit of toing and froing it was difficult to figure out why religion "should" be concidered part of culture.
Of course, I then reached into Wiki to find out what 'culture' was/is. Apparently it seems to have changed its meaning over the last 150 years. Now it is more attached to anthropological issues, and thus, to 'culture'.
I can't help thinking this attachment of religion to culture is a bit like the ID crowd trying to move in to main stream science.
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You can lead a whore to culture but you can't make her think.
Speaking of speaking. This must count as speaking:
This is the original
And he even made a record version
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Touche Stewart. I got involved with a girl at high school and she was a member of the school bible class so I bowled along with her to a camp. Ngaruawhahia I think. There were a few sessions with the ear bashing hell fire and damnation recruiters. One was a guy on crutches from Auckland. Quite famous back then apparently. We had wonderful stare-me-out sessions between him and me. The girls (especially) were quite emotional around me but whether it was my influence or not they did not "go up". I had great fun reciting back all the usual verses of the bible back at the team leading "assistant recruiters" had even greater fun watching their response to this no god loon
It was a defining moment where I just could not bring myself to be a lemming.
PS. Interestingly, apparently I am hard to hypnotise.
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