Email is absolutely still used massively, especially in the business world. Even if someone is accessing their emails in a browser, they are still being sent with SMTP behind the scenes.
There’s also SSH, NTP, VOIP, FTP, BitTorrent, and probably more that I’m forgetting, that all have varying degrees of usage today.
Don’t get me wrong, HTTP is certainly by far the most used protocol, but it is in no way the only important one that would be difficult to replace.
I also prefer science and reason to faith and religion. With that said, I take full responsibility for driving this particular thread of the discussion in this direction.
I hope our discussion has been cordial, and hasn’t muddied the overall post. I didn’t mean to drag you or anyone else into this, and I’m sorry if this discussion caused any harm or triggered any negativity. I’ve experienced religious trauma in the past and I know how debilitating it can be.
This is an area where I disagree. I personally think that the “golden rule,” treat others how you want to be treated, is the only foundation of morality that is needed. That can mean different things to different people, so perhaps a more accurate statement would be: “treat others how they want to be treated, because you want the same.”
If someone’s foundation of morality depends on an all powerful authority that can exclusively define what should and should not be punished, I worry about what they might do if they interpret the message of that authority to be harmful to otherwise innocent people.
Regarding the teachings of Paul, that’s another area where we both agree. I’ve never understood why Christians put so much weight behind the words of a man, even when they contradicted the words of Jesus.
How do you feel about polytheists and atheists that follow the same moral compass, but do not share the same religious beliefs?
Very true! But the same could also be said of many, if not most religious people. I was born to parents who followed this religion, grew up following this religion, and therefore this is my religion.
What does it mean to believe in different Abrahamic religions if they all believe in the same God? What about polytheists or atheists who follow an identical moral compass without the belief in the same God?
Wow that definition is garbage, you weren’t kidding. I would define the concept of “nuance” as the idea that not everything is black and white, and that there are often shades of gray in between.
For example, the question “is paper valuable?” depends a lot on the paper. Paper money, absolutely. Blank printer paper, yes but very much less so. Scrap paper that is rotting, almost certainly not.
As a result, the answer to the question “is paper valuable?” is much more nuanced than a simple “yes” or “no” answer can provide.
My understanding is that these experiences with sports are very similar to the equivalent of religious experiences. Both have songs, chants, and rituals. Both provide a sense of belonging and community. Both have an in group and an out group. Both highly revere influential figures, both past and present. Both have clearly defined enemies. Both follow a regular yearly schedule, with important dates throughout the year.
Most of those attributes can also be applied to a wide variety of human interests. I would be very surprised if those who didn’t share any particular interest weren’t also confounded by the intensity of some of those engaged in that interest.
On an unrelated note, it’s good to see you again friend. It’s been a “long” time eh?
I know this obviously wasn’t your intention, but you managed to encapsulate the attitude of my ex and her family to the letter.
I grew up with food insecurity and poverty, she came from wealth. My family was always open and honest about our thoughts and feelings, her family had strict expectations and roles.
Both her and her mom would constantly engineer situations where I would be forced to prove my masculinity, regardless of how uncomfortable, scared, tired, or belittled I felt. This included things like going out to dinner during a snow storm, moving us from one apartment to another on my own, trying to convince me to physically assault someone else to “defend” her, and purchasing heavy items online that she couldn’t lift and while I was injured.
In hindsight I can see and understand how toxic that relationship was, but at the time I was excited to be receiving any positive attention from someone I was attracted to (whenever I was able to fit their mold), and didn’t know any better.
Apologies for the long rant, your comment hit the nail on the head and also apparently triggered those memories for me.
My first paragraph was a direct response to these sentences.
My second and third paragraphs were a direct response to this.
My generalized interpretation of your comment was that laypeople don’t use email anymore, their only interaction with the internet is through HTTP, and HTTP is the only internet protocol that could not be easily replaced.
My counter argument was that laypeople in the business world absolutely still use email daily, almost always through a client like Outlook, and there are a number of other protocols with varying degrees of usage (among laypeople and enthusiasts) that would also be very difficult to replace.
I apologize if I misunderstood your comment, but hopefully this clarifies my point and intentions.