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    #1

    Apologetics

    I have seen this word bandied around a lot of late ... I think there might be a few definitions or at least interpretations for it floating around ...

    To me when I hear that someone is practicing apologetics then they are sorta saying that they are embarrassed by their beliefs and are apologizing for them ... Or apologizing for the way their ancestors treated others ancestors ...

    " an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret " ...


    YMMV ...
    I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them ... John Bernard Books


    Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official; "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done."

    The Chief nodded in agreement.

    The official continued; "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"

    The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied.. "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine Man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex."

    Then the chief leaned back and smiled; "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."
    ​



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    #2
    Re: Apologetics

    To me, apologetics is more about defending a position logically rather than 'apologizing' for anything....in relation to religion, it is simply expressing, in a logical fashion, why you believe what you do. It has nothing to do with apologizing or feeling guilty about anything.

    An example, for me, is Lunacie's post in the "A Witch's 10 Commandments" thread where she says:

    The Rede does not tell us that we can never harm anything ~ of course that would be impossible. What it's actually saying is that if you've considered a certain action and have decided that it's not likely to hurt anybody, then no further moral hand-wringing is necessary. It says nothing about never doing anything that is likely to, or intended to, hurt someone. Sometimes taking action that will harm someone is necessary to prevent a greater harm. Otherwise we woudn't be seeing stories in the news about Pagans in the military, eh?
    That is a form of apologetics, IMHO.
    Allow me to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket. ~ Captain Jack Sparrow

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      #3
      Re: Apologetics

      I think in a way it separates people. There are certain beliefs, be they moral, ethical, practical or religious, that don't make people feel the need to explain or justify themselves about. Then there are beliefs that other people feel those who believe them need to explain or justify.

      Whenever religion comes up, and several people are like, "Oh, I'm a Christian!" no one else in the room seems to feel it necessary to ask 'why are you a Christian?' They may not even be asked, 'what denomination?' But the one person who happens to say, "I'm a Satanist!" - you can bet people will either move away from them physically, or they will be bombarded by questions. Very few people in the average populace will accept 'I'm a Satanist' at face value.

      Apologetics for various beliefs or ideas will differ from group to group - here, we might actually want to know why a person is a Christian, but we'd probably just ask the Satanist 'which denomination?'.
      The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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        #4
        Re: Apologetics

        Really big in Germany, but not because of religion. Still a lot of guilt about the holocaust, and a lot of ugly feelings from the rest of the world still doesn't help.

        I guess I could join in on that. My family was living in Germany during WWII after all. But I just don't see why I should feel bad about something that happened 40 years before I was even born, whether my ancestors played some sort of role in it or not.

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          #5
          Re: Apologetics

          [quote author=cesara link=topic=1095.msg20062#msg20062 date=1291577195]
          To me, apologetics is more about defending a position logically rather than 'apologizing' for anything....in relation to religion, it is simply expressing, in a logical fashion, why you believe what you do. It has nothing to do with apologizing or feeling guilty about anything.
          [/quote]

          And...not only is it not about apologizing--the word comes from the Greek term apologia, meaning "speaking in defense", which was used in the court setting. Apologetics is NOT about feeling bad and its NOT about apologizing for the way one thinks, or what their predecessors/ancestors have done. Apologetics is a specific type of (usually theological) defense in which basically, to put it in laymans terms, is used to demonstrate that one's belief is is reasonable and promotes values that are desirable as much as, or more so than other faiths or beliefs (depending on how much of a prostyltizing faith one happens to be in).

          So...if you explain to someone why you do what you do and what sort of value it brings you, you are practicing apologetics. On this forum, that *should* feasibly be each and every member at one time or another.

          Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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            #6
            Re: Apologetics

            A quick aside ... Thalassa ... I like that you are a NAVY fan ... Me too ... Even tho us Marines are the Men's Department of the Navy ...
            I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them ... John Bernard Books


            Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official; "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done."

            The Chief nodded in agreement.

            The official continued; "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"

            The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied.. "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine Man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex."

            Then the chief leaned back and smiled; "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."
            ​



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