After the sermon comes, as we all know, the benediction. I just wanted to say that I welcome religious believers here. I want you to read me, and the other Science Bloggers, whether they are aggressively atheist or assertively theist, bored, or just good mannered, because discussion is what it's all about. So come forth... err, go into the blog... whatever, look forward to hearing from you.
Chris at Highly Allochthonous (I just love typing that name) calls this a "robust exchange of views". Where I grew up, the phrase "robust exchange of views", or "full and frank exchange" basically meant a serious dustup that left at least one of the debaters missing a tooth or two. That principle appears to be holding true...
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Your links don't appear to be working as intended. (Although it is a little fun to puzzle out who you regard as aggressively atheist, assertively theist, bored, or good mannered. Well, maybe that first one is a give-away.)
C...h...r...i...s.
Well, it doesn't do it for me, but then I'm in Canada, where we're nearly rightside up.
But I agree with what I think is a piece of your basic premise - it's worthwhile to have a variety of blogs to post to on this sort of topic, as opposed to dropping a pebble into the aggressively-atheistic pond and being shot at before you can duck down again ...
Try typing it upside down - you'll see what I mean.
Thanks Kurt for picking the mistakes in the links. Dang plugin to Firefox...
Re: "full and frank exchange of views", etc. This is grossly OT, but wouldn't it be fun for a thread of similar Anglo-style (ie British/Aussie/Canadian) euphemisms? E.g.,
"tired and emotional": drunk and disorderly
"helping the police with their inquiries": being seriously interrogated
etc
Americanisms:
Everything is under control: A major disaster.
We're from the Home Office, we're here to help: You are soooo in trouble.
Teach The Controversy: Intellignet Design Creationism
So let's see, we've got the sermon, the benediction, and the inquisition covered...when's the burning begin? And please, can we skip the molestation of the choir boys?
I think what comes next is someone needs to compose a Mass in B-minor (but yes, we'll skip the choir boys), paint some dome ceilings with highly colorful depictions based on some fragments from the Bible, maybe carve out some statues, build huge cathedrals, establish a code of Canon Law, oh yeah, and then use that code to institutionalize an educational system, and maybe call it a "universitas".
For starters.
;)
And please, can we skip the molestation of the choir boys?
Of course, silly. For the choir boys, you have to go over to Shelley's thread.
Teach The Contradiction : Intelligent Design Theory
So let's see, we've got the sermon, the benediction, and the inquisition covered...
Damn, you already expect the inquisition? That's our chief weapon neutered...
I think the settings for 'exchange of views' grade from 'friendly' (knives generally kept behind back) to 'heated' (thermonuclear weapons deployed) via 'lively' and 'robust'.