"A strong secular group"

[_Runtu]

Here's what is going on in your mind:

Wade likes to call enemies of his religion bigots. This guy just called someone prejudiced. Why, he must be Wade!

Awesome detective work there Sherlock, but I called GIMR prejudiced because she accused me of being a black and white thinker who can only see 'secular enemies" of my religion and supporters of it. This stems from her bizarre judgment that I'm a fundamentalist. It, apparently, didn't occur to her that I just see the board as having a strong influence of secular posters who would be apt to reply to a thread title connecting atheism in a certain way.

I'd like to know why you see us that way. Have you been lurking here a while, or did someone tell you that?

[_Blixa]

My god you're right, Runtu! Never mind, I have donut solidarity with GIMR, too...

[_Yoda]

Hmm....This is Dictionary.com's definition of secularism:

1. of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests.
2. not pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to sacred): secular music.
3. (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.
4. (of members of the clergy) not belonging to a religious order; not bound by monastic vows (opposed to regular).

The first definiton doesn't really seem to apply to the board because we discuss things which are of BOTH the religious and the non-religious.

Again, number 2 would be a little displaced for the same reason. We do have discussions which do not pertain to religion, but the majority of our conversations tend to have some type of religious theme.

Number 3 would be closely related to number 2 for simlar reasoning.

Number 4 doesn't really fit, either. Although not all of us belong to one particular religious order, we do all have a familiarity with Mormonism. Most of us are either current members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or have close family members and/or friends/associates who are.

[_A Light in the Darkness]

Oh goodness gracious.

"Secular types" refers to individuals who do not base their lives or their understanding of the world on religious teachings. It's a way of shoring up people who call themselves atheists, agnostics, and other assorted non-religious types into one happy category for discussion. That includes people like Dr. Shades, Beastie, Polygamy Porter, and a subtantial chunk of the board.

[_Sam Harris]

From his pinpoint of view, one can only see black or white.

Actually, I recognize there are a variety of perspectives on this board. However, it has a strong secular group who actively participates on the board and influences its culture. That's why I can look and see numerous discussions that are dominated by secular posters. You truly are a deeply prejudiced person.

Is it me or does this smell like or old buddy, the disgruntled old single Mormon male WADE?

But why would Wade put on new clothes? We love Wade's predictability. If this is Wade, this is one grand failure of an attempt at re-invention of self, I tell ya.

[_Sam Harris]

My god you're right, Runtu! Never mind, I have donut solidarity with GIMR, too...

Oh my dear, eat, drink, and be merry. I've been called far worse! Please do not stop your donuty enjoyment over me. :P

[_Yoda]

Oh goodness gracious.

"Secular types" refers to individuals who do not base their lives or their understanding of the world on religious teachings. It's a way of shoring up people who call themselves atheists, agnostics, and other assorted non-religious types into one happy category for discussion. That includes people like Dr. Shades, Beastie, Polygamy Porter, and a subtantial chunk of the board.

You're wrong. Although you listed some of our more outspoken members, a "substantial chunk of this board" DO base their lives and understanding of the world on religious teachings, or belief in some form of a higher power. They may disagree with the LDS perspective, but that doesn't mean that they are non-religious. We also have quite a few members of the LDS Church who post here, myself included.

It might be wise to take GIMR's advice and at least read through the following link:

http://www.mormondiscussions.com/discus ... .php?t=326

This is an introduction thread on the Celestial Forum entitled "What's the Composition of the Board?"

It will allow you to get to know some of the posters here.

by the way, Welcome to the board!

:)

[_Sam Harris]

Oh goodness gracious.

"Secular types" refers to individuals who do not base their lives or their understanding of the world on religious teachings. It's a way of shoring up people who call themselves atheists, agnostics, and other assorted non-religious types into one happy category for discussion. That includes people like Dr. Shades, Beastie, Polygamy Porter, and a subtantial chunk of the board.

In other words, you create your own definitions. That's a characteristic of the TBMs on MAD. Juliann does that famously.

[_Yoda]

My god you're right, Runtu! Never mind, I have donut solidarity with GIMR, too...

Oh my dear, eat, drink, and be merry. I've been called far worse! Please do not stop your donuty enjoyment over me. :P

Drat! Now I'm craving Krispy Kreme!

;)

[_moksha]

I think I would need to fast and pray about this secularity. So A Light in the Darkness (LD), are you asking for a more scriptural or perhaps even spiritual approach to these proceedings?