Wednesday, June 11, 2008

By the philosopher Bertrand Russell:

If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.

And further developed by Richard Dawkins.

The reason organized religion merits outright hostility is that, unlike belief in Russell's teapot, religion is powerful, influential, tax-exempt and systematically passed on to children too young to defend themselves. Children are not compelled to spend their formative years memorizing loony books about teapots. Government-subsidized schools don't exclude children whose parents prefer the wrong shape of teapot. Teapot-believers don't stone teapot-unbelievers, teapot-apostates, teapot-heretics and teapot-blasphemers to death. Mothers don't warn their sons off marrying teapot-shiksas whose parents believe in three teapots rather than one. People who put the milk in first don't kneecap those who put the tea in first.

--

Nobody says you can't believe in your version of teapots. Just don't whack people for not believing in it. And don't tell them they'll go to hell for it, it's just not polite.

This post isn't directed at anyone in particular; it's just a random rant at the people who insist on making non-teapotbelieving people like me believe in their idea of what The Teapot should be like.
Disclaimer

Be offended if you want by my writings; it's your blood pressure, not mine. (:





your mirror

sixteen. 12A01B; formerly a chopstick. ex-coralite, ex-riverlite, ex-rosythian and now a rafflesian.
member of rgsrcy&aikirinashi; love always
and rgavpa - girls in black.

hobo. part-time PUSSian. forever a sexysixfifteener <3


sticks and stones



and the lights dim

© Layout by Tracy.
Amanda
Alicia
Anabelle
Audrey
Bernice
Celine
Cheng Jing
Cheryl
Clare
Cloudy+Josh
Dawn
Dawn
Dawne
Denise
Germaine
Gloria
Grace
Gregory
Huiran
Janne
Jarrad
Jingjie
Jingyi
Joie
Joseph
Justin
Karen
Leevoon
Lingzhi
Munirah
Rachel
Rach
Rohan
Russell
Ruth
Sherry
Sindhu
Verna
Victoria
Wesley
Xinyuan
Yirong

CAPpers'08
SOS: CAP'08
Yearblog
AVbatch'10!
6-14/6-15 2006
113 '07
212 '08
311 '09
----
» February 2008
» March 2008
» April 2008
» May 2008
» June 2008
» July 2008
» August 2008
» September 2008
» October 2008
» November 2008
» December 2008
» January 2009
» February 2009
» March 2009
» April 2009
» May 2009
» June 2009
» July 2009
» August 2009
» September 2009
» October 2009
» November 2009
» December 2009
» January 2010
» February 2010
» March 2010
» April 2010
» May 2010
» June 2010
» July 2010
» August 2010
» September 2010
» October 2010
» November 2010
» December 2010
» January 2011
» February 2011
» April 2011
» May 2011