Time for a new forum?

[JeffG]

Cave instructor at 26 years of age??? Which agency please, I'd like to know. No dissrespect to OBG, but he could only have gotten his full cave cert at 18, therefore I believe it would be very difficult to be a cave instructor (NACD / NSS-CDS) with that level of experience. Although I could be very wrong. I suppose that he could be NAUI or GUE, but I cannot verify this.

Cheers

I would guess that he is an OW instructor with some cave training.

 

[John_B]

Cave instructor at 26 years of age??? Which agency please, I'd like to know.

I may have him confused with someone else.

Edit: Yup, I had OBG confused with GDI! Mea culpa, apologies to all involved.

John

 

[ArcticDiver]

DIR is not a religion, its not a church, there are no acolytes, there is no congregation. Its just a method for team diving.

John

A congregation does not have to be a church. Your comment avoids addressing the key issues raised. Besides, from the passions displayed, DIR is anything but "just a method" to its's adherents.

As a person who spent a lot of time in the interdenominational world I can't help but see some very real similarities between the discussions here and the discussions there. Most of them are passionately presented to persuade or impress, not to express.

For a forum of any nature to be truly useful the goal of its' participants has to be to express ideas.

 

[John_B]

A congregation does not have to be a church. Your comment avoids addressing the key issues raised. Besides, from the passions displayed, DIR is anything but "just a method" to its's adherents.

As a person who spent a lot of time in the interdenominational world I can't help but see some very real similarities between the discussions here and the discussions there. Most of them are passionately presented to persuade or impress, not to express.

For a forum of any nature to be truly useful the goal of its' participants has to be to express ideas.

We do not recite the Nicene Creed (or the Apostles Creed). There is not a higher power being venerated. You can do the academic compare/contrast type exercises to a religion, but it is in fact not a religion.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=religion

1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Uh, no.

1.
a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

Uh, no.

Yes, there are some similarities between how people within a religion conduct themselves and how groups with common belief systems conduct themselves. An organization of taxpayers like the Concord Coalition may believe vehemently (you might even say fervently) in reducing or eliminating government deficits but that doesn't make them a religion. And, yes, DIR is definitely a holistic system you either subscribe to or not (the "not" part in various levels), but there is no actual deity to be worshiped in DIR -- the occasional trolls in this forum notwithstanding.

So, no, DIR is not a religion, and the people who subscribe to it aren't members of a congregation or sect or denomination or any other analogy to religious group affiliations.

John

 

[ArcticDiver]

John:

I appreciate your thoughts. I understood them the first time. Your saying them again louder and with more words doesn't change that understanding.

Your picking one word to pick at misses, I think, the thrust of my post. If that triggered some emotion that is getting in the way of your understanding maybe you can just substitute the word "group" instead.

To be useful any forum must be civil and both posters and readers approach with the perspective of trying to express ideas; not argue or throw words like hand grenades.

 

[John_B]

John:

I appreciate your thoughts. I understood them the first time. Your saying them again louder and with more words doesn't change that understanding.

Your picking one word to pick at misses, I think, the thrust of my post. If that triggered some emotion that is getting in the way of your understanding maybe you can just substitute the word "group" instead.

To be useful any forum must be civil and both posters and readers approach with the perspective of trying to express ideas; not argue or throw words like hand grenades.

If I was being uncivil I apologize.

DIR isn't a religion, as such it shouldn't -- in any exclusionary way -- interfere with a person's religious beliefs or lack thereof.

FWIW, I'm not a theologian, but you could say (in a figurative sense) that I know my way around the theological block.

John

 

[Zieg]

DIR isn't a religion, as such it shouldn't -- in any exclusionary way -- interfere with a person's religious beliefs or lack thereof.
John

John, using your own source,

6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

I'm not trying to start anything, just couln't resist.

 

[JeffG]

John, using your own source,

6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

I'm not trying to start anything, just couln't resist.

See...There is no reason why DIR divers should get insulted.


LOL

and then people whine "I don't like DIR because someone is being mean to me" BooHoo

 

[nadwidny]

John:

To be useful any forum must be civil and both posters and readers approach with the perspective of trying to express ideas; not argue or throw words like hand grenades.

The old Techdiver list was anything but civil and it was very useful so I guess your theory just went in the dumpster.

 

[Meng_Tze]

DIR, religion in one thread.... the audacity!