I think in a sense he feeds them first (Luke 24:30 and John 21:10&13). I’ve always thought it a pity that most Christians practice communion as a ritual rather than as a feast, since in the Bible it really does seem to be a meal, a feast, the whole “cup runneth over” kind of thing.

One of the reasons I thought of the autisitic parallel to athiesm is that a lot of religious belief seems more a form of socialization than a reaction to personal experience. I agree with someone upthread when they said that one characteristic of Shapelings with significance both for accepting SA and for their own personal religious beliefs seems to be a willingness to question and a reluctance to just accept the status quo.

In contrast, in the U.S. most people stick with the religious beliefs they were raised in, except for those who say their parents had no religious affiliation – two thirds of the religious stay with the faith they were raised in, while 60% of people raised without religion become religious as adults. Which intrigues me but I have no idea what it means.

My personal experience with the “Presence” is way closer to wicca than Christianity; my preference for Christianity is more of an intellectual than experiential thing. I find the Christian prophecies compelling (I realize most people don’t, but I think symbolically in the same way so they make a lot of sense to me), although I totally disagree with the whole “Left Behind” scenario (it ignores the parallels between Revelation and OT prophecy we’ve seen fulfilled and how they were fulfilled).

So while I do think spiritual experiences are common and help to explain why all cultures have a spiritual sense, they often don’t seem to have direct impact on the people who experience them. It’s kind of weird when you think about it.

Now, the treal trick is determining the behaviors that fall into each category. That’s where some of the unfortunate tendencies you mentioned in your post can creep in.

I guess I agree that I’ve never heard the discussion, but I always said I needed to marry a tall, thin guy so my kids wouldn’t have to wrestle with the whole being short and fat thing the way I do. Although I kind of suspect I wouldn’t have the weight issues I do if I hadn’t dieted. *sigh*

Still working my way through the thread, which has been, on the whole, refreshingly polite. Some clashes, of course, but the topic is volitile and there have been no explosions yet. Shapelings impress me once more.

I can’t explain it very well. I’m still trying to figure it out. But naming myself an atheist, rejecting the the ideas of ensoulment, an afterlife, the supernatural, and discovering more about science.. has prompted me not only to appreciate and care for myself, but also other people.

I haven’t read the whole thread yet.. looks fascinating.