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I propose a big bonfire (only not in my yard, okay? :eek: - see "bad neighbor" thread in etiquette for details! ) whereby we sacrifice all our collective prejudices, ignorances, hatreds and terrors in the flames.

Then we can all join the cult called the "human race" and live peacefully therefter. :)

The joining of hands and the singing of Kumbaya is optional, of course

:p

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Sounds like a plan.

I will bring the marshmallow and Gram crackers

You know, I don't think I've ever had s'mores... I never heard of them until I was in my teens. My kids and I watched "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" last night and the family was eating s'mores in one scene. I think they are largely an American delicacy. :p But they do sound awesome!

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Originally Posted by orange

You know, I don't think I've ever had s'mores... I never heard of them until I was in my teens. My kids and I watched "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" last night and the family was eating s'mores in one scene. I think they are largely an American delicacy. :p But they do sound awesome!!

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S'mores, now there is something I can bestow some "care and adoration" on LOL

Oh my my Chavala... you have not lived until you have!
Run, don't walk to the store, er, well in your condition, send hubby!
Just don't be putting any hot sauce on them despite what Demon or J_9 says, okay? :p

And now back to our regularly scheduled thread on Cults.. . :rolleyes:

Haha... well I don't eat sugar, but I suppose I could cheat just this once! :p

So now you are going to start another food thread I suppose? VAL, does everything make you think of food?

Smoressss um yummmy yummy, they of course taste the best if they are cooked out in the forest by moonlight and the scent of burning wood in the air and a tent close by to drop into after eating them.

A Cult- A bunch of people united by food!

Yea, the Church of the slightly obese, bar-b-qued chicken bone suckers! Where you get baptised in butterscotch pudding. Pudding wrestling, anyone?

Tell me when and where I will be there

You are already, so shut-up and eat, we have a world to convert

We'll do it at Val's house in Florida and invite all them fire setting, gun crazy red necks! I just love me a big ole red neck mama covered in butterscotch puddin! Say when VAL!

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Originally Posted by magprob

If we really are a cult, can we have our first sacrafice now? I mean...I aint volunteering or nuthin...we could draw straws or sumpthin...ya know.

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Sure. You stretch out on the altar and I'll get the warm knife.


:)


M

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DrJizzle

Well, THATS an interesting quote...

" ... deriving what we say are the true meanings, our understandings, or anything else for this word is absurd. "

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Hardly absurd. Very necessary, or else what do we do with language? I pointed to the Standard English menaiong of the word. Others have pointed to nmore specific definitions.

It is true that words change currency with time and usage, but that is not a reason to abandon attempts to use it properly.

We either gain understanding of what words mean or else we revert to the kind of grunting employed by beats and live in continuous ocnfusion as to what the grunts mean.

Ugh! Grrr, ahrgh, brurph!

M

I am new to this post but butterscotch pudding, Florida and a warm knife sounds pretty interesting. After the sacrifice, we can have smores, right?

That was butterscotch pudding, not blood pudding

Don't they eat BLOOD PUDDING in England & Europe?

They're not in a cult. It's just their BLOODY diet!

Well, maybe not ALL of them like it - maybe only the IRON deficient!! Lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Morganite

Hardly absurd. Very necessary, or else what do we do with language? I pointed to the Standard English menaiong of the wrod. Others have pointed to nmore specific definitions.

It is true that words change currency with time and usage, but that is not a reason to abandon attempts to use it properly.

We either gain understanding of what words mean or else we revert to the kind of grunting employed by beats and live in continuous ocnfusion as to what the grunts mean.

Ugh! Grrr, ahrgh, brurph!

M

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Actually, I wasn't referring to your post on the 2nd half of mine... I just wanted to quote your quote.

I agree with you... we can put all our own little spins on what the word means and apply it to anything... or we can take it at its root... what it really means in our language and go from there. Everyone seems to have their own definition like "a cult is any religion other than the one that I believe in" well, this gets us nowhere. In order to get from point A to point B, we need to know where/what A is.


As for the small cult forming in this very forum... no, never mind lol

Semantic games are a poor substitute for genuine debate but that doesn't stop people from engaging in them. I like to look up the meaning of words frist... it may seem old fashioned but it saves a lot of hassle later.

Main Entry: cult
Pronunciation: 'k&lt
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate -- more at WHEEL
1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

(courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

I believe that the problem with this type of thread that focuses on a definition of a word is that existence of a word's denotation versus its connotation.

"A denotation is a word's literal meaning; a connotation is the full range of suggestions and associations that go with it. Dictionaries usually give a word's denotations, but are often less useful in revealing connotations; a good writer, though, will be conscious of the hidden meanings carried by every word." From here.

Good reading here: http://atheism.about.com/od/critical.../a/meaning.htm

The denotation can be lost be general common usage of a denotation (ex. Gay used to mean "happily excited"). In this case the connotation of the word "cult" can be used to inflame others who do not know the literal meaning of the word.

Wow, very cool links NK!
I considered connotation too... but decided to leave it out. The original question was so simply stated that it seemed to lack context (which also is a place to go when seeking word meaning) or so I thought? Shrugs :p

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Originally Posted by NeedKarma

I believe that the problem with this type of thread that focuses on a definition of a word is that existence of a word's denotation versus its connotation.

"A denotation is a word's literal meaning; a connotation is the full range of suggestions and associations that go with it. Dictionaries usually give a word's denotations, but are often less useful in revealing connotations; a good writer, though, will be conscious of the hidden meanings carried by every word."

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Yes, some postmoderns say that everything is connotation. That is, apparent denotation always has a connoted meaning too.

Anyhow, here's my view of religions and cults. It's long so I'll post the url:

http://web.ncf.ca/dy656/earthpages3/...igion_cult.htm

(the intro needs a rewrite but the chart is good... )