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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
In the dictionary, maybe, but IRL there are many nuances in these words.  Just take "Catholic"  which can be very different based on ethnicity or whether or not you went to Catholic schools.  I know Catholics who were tortured by the threat of mortal sin when they were kids and others who didn't take it very seriously.  Irish Catholics who went to Catholic school had a very different sense of their religion than Italian Catholics who did not -- yet both types could probably recite all the prayers and tell you what all the sins were.  There are "stereotypes" of religion that simply don't hold for every individual who practices a particular religion.[/quote]

Sigh, I think it's well established there are vast differences among what is practiced as a religion; there is no disagreement here. You and others can stop giving examples of how different people practice religion differently.

Let me ask you this question: is a spark plug the same as a religion? Both are nouns. Is your answer yes, no or maybe? If you answer yes or maybe, we can end our conversation here as there is no sense continuing.

If you answer no, they are not the same, then you have implied that the words "spark plug" and "religion" have some inherent meaning that make them different and not the same. This meaning that you are ascribing to the words are what makes these words useful as part of the English language. The meaning of words are not determined by individuals like you or I, but by group consensus through contemporary use. Therefore, just because you or all your friends feel that "Catholic" in real life may refer to baked goods, doesn't make it so. A majority of our collective population have to agree. The meaning of words as accepted by the collective are contained in the dictionary, which is a living and evolving record of the meaning we collectively give to words. New meanings of words as broadly accepted and used are added all the time. However, you do not as one person or even a small group of individuals get to make up new meanings of words and expect others to agree. In other words, your discount of a word's meaning as described in the dictionary is irrational and not conducive to a meaningful conversation.

The definition of "religion" and "catholic" as it appears in a dictionary are just that, a definition. It is not a stereotype.

McLeanAtheist[/quote]

Did not need this lecture on the difference between a definition and a stereotype.  The point is, a dictionary definition does not automatically dictate meaning in everyday life.  Just because a person doesn't live up to the narrow dictionary definition of "Catholic" doesn't mean you can tell them they are not a catholic.

I'm beginning to think that the reason you have more respect for the religious fundamentalist position is that you are a kind of "fundamentalist" yourself, as in preferring clearcut answers and dismissing that which does not fit in that narrow purview. [/quote]

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