if you use a broad enough definition of religion then i suppose you
could call it a religion.    but you are casting the net far too wide
imho.  there is no worship in hai.  hai is about relationships between
people.

On 1/27/07, Vitaliy <spam@maksimov.org> wrote:
> David VanHorn wrote:
>
> [snip]
> >> HOWEVER, that's not what I was arguing at all. Call it whatever you want,
> >> I
> >> was just asking Dave to explain how HAI is different from a religion, as
> >> far
> >> as this list is concerned.
> >
> >
> > I feel like I'm trying to explain color to a blind man.  :)
> > HAI does NOT profess belief in any supreme being, nor does it ask you to
> > reject any such belief. It's simply got nothing to do with it.
>
> And I feel like I'm talking to the deaf. :)
>
> Buddhists do not believe in any of the things you listed. Show me how your
> belief system is different from Buddhism.
>
> > HAI has dogma?  Hmm.. Not that I've seen.  There's no "bible", no books or
> > tapes or anything like that. The closest thing is a newsletter.  There is
> > no
> > deity in HAI, no heaven, no hell.  Argh..
>
> Are you telling me HAI does not have any core principles? Don't call them
> dogmas, if you don't like the word. Call them "values", "philosophy",
> "worldview."
>
> >> Can you prove your love for your wife? Or subject it to confirmable tests
> >> and studies?
> >
> >
> > Heinlein's definition of love, when the happiness of another is essential
> > to
> > your own.
> > I can't prove my compersion either, but it's there.  (essentially the
> > opposite of jealousy)
>
>  The point is, you can't study love directly, you can only study its
> effects. The same way Christians say they can learn about God by studying
> the world around them. See Russell's response for a more long-winded
> explanation. :)
>
> [snip]
> > Vitaly, I seem to really SUCK at explaining HAI to people, so I'm going to
> > suggest that you contact someone from HAI through their web site, and ask
> > them to explain it.  I'm not pushing you away, I just don't seem to have
> > the
> > skills to explain it properly. Mea Culpa.
>
> It's funny -- I got essentially the same response from some Christians that
> believe in the concept of "blind faith" (that I don't subscribe to), when I
> pressed them to justify their beliefs in things that I feel have no basis in
> anything. "I can't explain it, but you can talk to my pastor [read this
> book/go to this website/listen to this tape]".
>
> If you are basing your life on a set of principles that you hold to be true,
> and essential to your sense of self-identity, you should at least be able to
> explain them rationally.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Vitaliy
>
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