tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post2485510777523376605..comments2023-09-24T07:53:50.826-05:00Comments on The Atheist Experience™: Sprouting SeedsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-76661944109255031272008-08-11T11:03:00.000-05:002008-08-11T11:03:00.000-05:00Now I know what novelists must feel like when they...Now I know what novelists must feel like when they tell a story and everyone else analyzes it. Thankfully, in this case, nobody had any deep insights into my childhood relationship with my mother!<BR/><BR/>I might have heard the Luke parable years ago, but I really doubt that played into my choice of words. I'm not that well versed in the Bible.<BR/><BR/>This little nostalgia piece was about growth, both mine and others. Thinking back to the origins of that growth, a seed metaphor seemed especially apt. That's all. Sorry if that's a disappointment to anyone.<BR/><BR/>Remember that the Christians don't own all the good metaphors.<BR/><BR/>--DonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-81605631630668760072008-08-11T01:34:00.000-05:002008-08-11T01:34:00.000-05:00Arensb: It wasn't the title itself, but the two al...Arensb: It wasn't the title itself, but the two allusions in the post, especially, "I remember three high school teachers who helped to plant some seeds."<BR/><BR/>It's blatantly obvious, however unintended. If I were grading his post in a college lit class, I'd say that it a direct allusion to the parable, but I tend to see media associations everywhere.rogerdrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872517878457201488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-60265891880073079792008-08-10T10:42:00.000-05:002008-08-10T10:42:00.000-05:00rogerdr:I think it's a bit of a leap to go from th...rogerdr:<BR/>I think it's a bit of a leap to go from the phrase "sprouting seeds" to the parable of the sower. I'll defer to Don if he comments, but IMHO he could equally likely have been thinking of the legend of Johnny Appleseed, or maybe even just some time when he planted a tree in his yard or something.<BR/><BR/>Though just in passing, has anyone else noticed that the parable of the sower is a fine example of natural selection?arensbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15251547886605570242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-13673742141946200252008-08-10T05:37:00.000-05:002008-08-10T05:37:00.000-05:00Arensb: Luke 8:4-21I got that hammered into me bac...Arensb: Luke 8:4-21<BR/><BR/>I got that hammered into me back in the day when I'd sit bored in vacation Bible school, watching the butterflies flutter by.rogerdrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872517878457201488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-11775471312180736262008-08-09T09:45:00.000-05:002008-08-09T09:45:00.000-05:00rogerdr:"Sprouting seeds"? Perhaps you were immers...rogerdr:<BR/><I>"Sprouting seeds"? Perhaps you were immersed in religion more than you think.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't get it. Is "sprouting seeds" a biblical reference? I can't find it in either the KJV or NIV.<BR/><BR/>And even if it were, so what? The Bible is probably the most influential work of fiction in western literature. I would expect any well-read American to make references to it occasionally.arensbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15251547886605570242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-82112163962717896912008-08-08T09:10:00.000-05:002008-08-08T09:10:00.000-05:00I wasn't totally clear with regard to how the youn...I wasn't totally clear with regard to how the young people who must hide are inspiring. Generally they write to let us know how helpful it has been to find our programming, and to finally feel as though they're not the "only one" who sees the world in a rational light. They are in environments where they are shown, in no uncertain terms, that unbelief will not be treated well. And I feel good knowing that what I do lets them know that there are other "worlds" outside of whatever microcosm of rejection they are now forced to endure. It's the opportunity to see that I am offering people help with the knowledge that there are better environments they can find later in life, that inspires me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-49657886905612539732008-08-08T09:05:00.000-05:002008-08-08T09:05:00.000-05:00"Go Lucia!" indeed!I also share high hopes for you..."Go Lucia!" indeed!<BR/><BR/>I also share high hopes for young freethinkers. And, like you, I only wish I would have freed my mind earlier. I didn't come to the realization that god is metaphorical until well out of college. And I also wonder what I might have achieved if all the energy, time and resources I put into a false belief system would have been more positively directed toward an endeavor involving something real and tangible in this world.<BR/><BR/>I think there are two forms of viewer feedback that inspire me equally. One is the letters from the high schoolers letting me know how far beyond where I was at their age. And the other is the people who write to let us know that they live in secret as atheists, because there would be no understanding or acceptance of them where they live. I am especially emotionally touched by the contrast of the young atheists who are outspoken--they're confidence and brainpower, and those who must, for the present, hide to escape social repercussions from their thoughts and decisions.<BR/><BR/>I hate to see young people, young minds, repressed by fearful people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-12868055506117273292008-08-07T20:52:00.000-05:002008-08-07T20:52:00.000-05:00"Sprouting seeds"? Perhaps you were immersed in re..."Sprouting seeds"? Perhaps you were immersed in religion more than you think.rogerdrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872517878457201488noreply@blogger.com