Bill Tammeus, a very old friend of mine, is an American living in Kansas City, Missouri, USA,and is about 80 years old, an year older than me
Bill had come to India with his parents in 1957 or so. His father was an agriculture expert, and had come to teach in the Allahabad Agriculture Institute. Bill was admitted as a student in Boys High School, Allahabad, and was my classmate for a year or two. He then went back to America with his parents, and became a journalist in the Kansas City Star ( where the famous American novelist Ernest Hemingway once worked ). He later retired, and is now inter alia a preacher in his Presbyterian Church in Kansas. We have kept in touch for over 65 years–quite a record !
Bill publishes a blog called ”Bill’s Faith Matter’s Blog”. In this he publishes articles mostly pertaining to religion. He has published some of my articles in his blog too, but often rejects many, saying they have nothing to do with spiritualism. And of course he refused to publish this article of mine in which I, an atheist, called all religions superstitions and humbug
http://justicekatju.blogspot.com/2016/07/religion-and-science-are-diametrically.html
My disagreement, imbroglio, and spat with Bill is about the meaning of the word ‘spiritual’. Bill equates it with faith in God and/or other metaphysical entities. He himself has great faith in Jesus Christ.
I, however, have an altogether different interpretation of the word. To my mind spiritualism means the passion and ardour to fight for the abolition of poverty, unemployment, hunger, lack of healthcare, etc which afflicts the vast majority of the world population, without wanting anything in return for oneself. Spiritualism means the willingness to make great sacrifices, including one’s life, for attaining that goal. One can therefore be an atheist, and yet intensely spiritual, e.g. like Lenin.
I requested Bill to allot a small corner of his blog to views he disagrees with, and call it ”Satan’s corner”, but as yet nothing has come of that
