Originally Posted by sjh

As intelligent, learned and ponderous as you are I am certain there is nothing I have said that you have not 'processed' in your life and come to some 'peace' with.

Regarding intellectual truth I am highly pragmatic.

Regarding belief systems, wow, I do not have sufficient wisdom, particularly having just awoke and only being drug-free and finally done being 'cut up' for 2 weeks to provide an all-inclusive answer.

I'll both ponder your comment and listen to your remarks.

At this point my goal was two-fold: to establish the limitations of 'rational' truth (while simultaneously embracing the potency of rational models) and to state my perspective that everyone, every culture, etc has components of non-rational (as distinct from irrational which I am sure are present as well) beliefs in their identity.

I find it disappointing and exhausting to constantly be barraged with claims that I am somehow a 'simpleton' because I acknowledge that I have a belief system with non-rational components. Everyone does.

Jan Goodall writes with greater consideration of the primates she observes than some of the posters on OD regarding Christians. It's both vile and imbecilic.

I do not have 'all-of-the-answers', not even close. But ending the reduction of those who differ to morons (I am not accusing you of this) sure seems to me to be a place to start.