Do you ever feel kind of bad for monks?

[Pedro de San Patricio]

I listen to a lot of plainchant and read religious literature fairly often as a personal interest. Currently I'm reading The Pilgrim's Progress. It struck me recently while reading it how sad the institution of monasticism really is. It's generally only attracted the most intelligent minds - the same minds that could be advancing the human cause and leading their possessors to amazing success. Minds like those of Augustine, Bede, Bacon, and Mendel. It takes these minds and it locks them up in tiny cells and tells them to spend their entire lives praying to the air. It tells some of the intellectual crust of our species not to waste their time enjoying life in secular reality but to give themselves up to a fantasy and swear perfect and eternal obedience to a corrupt, decadent organization. Sometimes I kind of wonder where we could be had this church not actively prevented the most intelligent people from reproducing for the past two millennia...

 

[Avatar4321]

Why would I feel bad that people who became famous for their intellectual activities devoted their life to God?

 

[TheOldSchool]

I listen to a lot of plainchant and read religious literature fairly often as a personal interest. Currently I'm reading The Pilgrim's Progress. It struck me recently while reading it how sad the institution of monasticism really is. It's generally only attracted the most intelligent minds - the same minds that could be advancing the human cause and leading their possessors to amazing success. Minds like those of Augustine, Bede, Bacon, and Mendel. It takes these minds and it locks them up in tiny cells and tells them to spend their entire lives praying to the air. It tells some of the intellectual crust of our species not to waste their time enjoying life in secular reality but to give themselves up to a fantasy and swear perfect and eternal obedience to a corrupt, decadent organization. Sometimes I kind of wonder where we could be had this church not actively prevented the most intelligent people from reproducing for the past two millennia...

To each his own. They chose it and it seems most of them are happy with their choice. I say good for them.

 

[HaShev]

OP,
Same sympathy I have for Nuns, Amish, & Menonites.
All sacraficing normal lives to be dupes following the opposite direction of their created purpose.
Proving my other post's point about the purpose and force of life being in the name in the holy city as a focus and beacon for a reason, because with that Essence of creation being in the name (Shalem meaning completeness/wholeness) we can without subjective opinion understand what is truly in line or out of line with our purpose in life...hence feeling sorry for those not comprehending in doing what they think is good is sometimes actually not whats best.

 

[TheOldSchool]

OP,
Same sympathy I have for Nuns, Amish, & Menonites.
All sacraficing normal lives to be dupes following the opposite direction of their created purpose.
Proving my other post's point about the purpose and force of life being in the name in the holy city as a focus and beacon for a reason, because with that Essence of creation being in the name (Shalem meaning completeness/wholeness) we can without subjective opinion understand what is truly in line or out of line with our purpose in life...hence feeling sorry for those not comprehending in doing what they think is good is actually not whats best.

Sober up and then try again.

 

[HaShev]

I don't drink and ad hominon attacks don't back your position.

 

[TheOldSchool]

I don't drink and ad hominon attacks don't back your position.

Okay please let me rephrase that. Could you retype what you wrote in a way that makes sense to normal people?

 

[zaangalewa]

I listen to a lot of plainchant and read religious literature fairly often as a personal interest. Currently I'm reading The Pilgrim's Progress. It struck me recently while reading it how sad the institution of monasticism really is. It's generally only attracted the most intelligent minds - the same minds that could be advancing the human cause and leading their possessors to amazing success. Minds like those of Augustine, Bede, Bacon, and Mendel. It takes these minds and it locks them up in tiny cells and tells them to spend their entire lives praying to the air. It tells some of the intellectual crust of our species not to waste their time enjoying life in secular reality but to give themselves up to a fantasy and swear perfect and eternal obedience to a corrupt, decadent organization. Sometimes I kind of wonder where we could be had this church not actively prevented the most intelligent people from reproducing for the past two millennia...

The church gave everyone always a chance - not only idiots. Why do you propagate Nazi-nonsense? Do you like to breed Sheldons?

 

[Avatar4321]

Who is normal?

 

[Agit8r]

I listen to a lot of plainchant and read religious literature fairly often as a personal interest. Currently I'm reading The Pilgrim's Progress. It struck me recently while reading it how sad the institution of monasticism really is. It's generally only attracted the most intelligent minds - the same minds that could be advancing the human cause and leading their possessors to amazing success. Minds like those of Augustine, Bede, Bacon, and Mendel. It takes these minds and it locks them up in tiny cells and tells them to spend their entire lives praying to the air. It tells some of the intellectual crust of our species not to waste their time enjoying life in secular reality but to give themselves up to a fantasy and swear perfect and eternal obedience to a corrupt, decadent organization. Sometimes I kind of wonder where we could be had this church not actively prevented the most intelligent people from reproducing for the past two millennia...

The church gave everyone always a chance - not only idiots. Why do you propagate Nazi-nonsense? Do you like to breed Sheldons?

Lol, the church didn't give people a chance. It foist ignorance and poverty upon the European continent for over 1000 years, imprisoned and tortured people who didn't subscribe to their hateful dogmas, and created one of the most degraded societies of that age.

 

[zaangalewa]

... Lol, the church didn't give people a chance.

In the church lots of people made a career - not only nobles or elites.

It foist ignorance and poverty upon the European continent for over 1000 years, imprisoned and tortured people who didn't subscribe to their hateful dogmas, and created one of the most degraded societies of that age.

Our torture chamber here is from the 19th century. We produced it for tourists including a lot of nice stories. The iron maiden for example and the girdle of chasity are also some ideas - never were used such instruments. Sometimes something really happened what was not good. But ideas of the Nazis or american concentration camps like Guantanamo are still reality.

 

[HaShev]

I don't drink and ad hominon attacks don't back your position.

Okay please let me rephrase that. Could you retype what you wrote in a way that makes sense to normal people?

There are no normal people.
1/3 think a fictitious image of a man is their god and prince of peace and they caused thousand of wars & over 50 million murders to force you to see it their way.
Another large portion is setting quarter of the globe in flames with wars and terrorism under the declaration that they are the religion of peace, both groups think death is paradise while life is for suffering but will send their enemies to this vacation of death but stay here to suffer themselves. The secular thus claims these factions nuts while figuratively shooting those who dare deprogram or change these ignorances in social behavior while akso forgeting the importance of learning and refkecting on the past, including recognizing emulations of events, personas and social behaviors.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Actually, I find myself envying monks more than feeling bad for them.

I'm not big on religion, but the idea of spending all my time doing simple work with my hands and thinking while not concerning myself with the outside world at all appeals to me, sometimes.

 

[September]

 

[Delta4Embassy]

I listen to a lot of plainchant and read religious literature fairly often as a personal interest. Currently I'm reading The Pilgrim's Progress. It struck me recently while reading it how sad the institution of monasticism really is. It's generally only attracted the most intelligent minds - the same minds that could be advancing the human cause and leading their possessors to amazing success. Minds like those of Augustine, Bede, Bacon, and Mendel. It takes these minds and it locks them up in tiny cells and tells them to spend their entire lives praying to the air. It tells some of the intellectual crust of our species not to waste their time enjoying life in secular reality but to give themselves up to a fantasy and swear perfect and eternal obedience to a corrupt, decadent organization. Sometimes I kind of wonder where we could be had this church not actively prevented the most intelligent people from reproducing for the past two millennia...

If only because they often look like Jedi, but have no Jedi powers or lightsabres, ya, a little.

 

[Pedro de San Patricio]

I listen to a lot of plainchant and read religious literature fairly often as a personal interest. Currently I'm reading The Pilgrim's Progress. It struck me recently while reading it how sad the institution of monasticism really is. It's generally only attracted the most intelligent minds - the same minds that could be advancing the human cause and leading their possessors to amazing success. Minds like those of Augustine, Bede, Bacon, and Mendel. It takes these minds and it locks them up in tiny cells and tells them to spend their entire lives praying to the air. It tells some of the intellectual crust of our species not to waste their time enjoying life in secular reality but to give themselves up to a fantasy and swear perfect and eternal obedience to a corrupt, decadent organization. Sometimes I kind of wonder where we could be had this church not actively prevented the most intelligent people from reproducing for the past two millennia...

The church gave everyone always a chance - not only idiots. Why do you propagate Nazi-nonsense? Do you like to breed Sheldons?

I didn't say people were idiots for joining. I said that it's sad to see how many of our species' brightest minds have been and continue to be duped into trading their chance at children and family and personal success in exchange for hard labor, poverty, and total obedience to a system built around exploiting people's hopes and fears.

 

[Roadrunner]

I listen to a lot of plainchant and read religious literature fairly often as a personal interest. Currently I'm reading The Pilgrim's Progress. It struck me recently while reading it how sad the institution of monasticism really is. It's generally only attracted the most intelligent minds - the same minds that could be advancing the human cause and leading their possessors to amazing success. Minds like those of Augustine, Bede, Bacon, and Mendel. It takes these minds and it locks them up in tiny cells and tells them to spend their entire lives praying to the air. It tells some of the intellectual crust of our species not to waste their time enjoying life in secular reality but to give themselves up to a fantasy and swear perfect and eternal obedience to a corrupt, decadent organization. Sometimes I kind of wonder where we could be had this church not actively prevented the most intelligent people from reproducing for the past two millennia...

No, the "plight" of monks never crosses my mind.

 

[Pedro de San Patricio]

Like this. This is genuinely sad to me. I mean, it's amazing that someone could attain that level of self mastery, but it's still a total rejection of our most basic needs and desires. It's a conscious choice to turn one's back on life and its gifts in the hope of attaining special advantages in an afterlife that most likely doesn't exist.

 

[September]

Like this. This is genuinely sad to me. I mean, it's amazing that someone could attain that level of self mastery, but it's still a total rejection of our most basic needs and desires. It's a conscious choice to turn one's back on life and its gifts in the hope of attaining special advantages in an afterlife that most likely doesn't exist.

If this image is legit and is not just from some crazy satirical Japanese reverse gangbang porno, it is very likely that this monk does not even believe in an afterlife at all. Unlike Chistians, Buddhist monks tend to focus on the moment/ present instead of dwelling on the idea of some outrageous afterlife scenario. Also, there is a profound difference between "needs" and "wants".

And the abilities of Buddhist monks have impressed me faaaar more than those of their Abrahamic counterparts.

​

 

[zaangalewa]

I listen to a lot of plainchant and read religious literature fairly often as a personal interest. Currently I'm reading The Pilgrim's Progress. It struck me recently while reading it how sad the institution of monasticism really is. It's generally only attracted the most intelligent minds - the same minds that could be advancing the human cause and leading their possessors to amazing success. Minds like those of Augustine, Bede, Bacon, and Mendel. It takes these minds and it locks them up in tiny cells and tells them to spend their entire lives praying to the air. It tells some of the intellectual crust of our species not to waste their time enjoying life in secular reality but to give themselves up to a fantasy and swear perfect and eternal obedience to a corrupt, decadent organization. Sometimes I kind of wonder where we could be had this church not actively prevented the most intelligent people from reproducing for the past two millennia...

The church gave everyone always a chance - not only idiots. Why do you propagate Nazi-nonsense? Do you like to breed Sheldons?

I didn't say people were idiots for joining. I said that it's sad to see how many of our species' brightest minds have been and continue to be duped into trading their chance at children and family and personal success in exchange for hard labor, poverty, and total obedience to a system built around exploiting people's hopes and fears.

Example: In the "total obedience [under the will of god]" where Copernicus lived in, he had a wonderful job, wonderful friends and absolutelly no problems. He was a wise man - enjoyed his life and decided not to say everything what he found out about the nature of the world. His friends were a little sad about, but they accepted his decisions. I guess he hated senseless discussions with the european authorities in science on the universities. After his death his friends published his work. In general it was a wonderful idea to find out that the earth moves around the sun - like the christian world moves around the son. Nearly nothing what followed in the discussions had really anything to do with theology or the catholic faith. But the discussions are still today a desaster. Unbelievable stupid people all over the world (even professors in universities for example) are saying completly idiotic things about Copernicus, his work and his church. What I love: I guess Copernicus is very amused about this all. Only in the christian monasteries and other institutions of the church was knowledge and education important for a long row of centuries. "Ora et labora et lege" is still today the fundament of the western world.

An idea like to breed people with a copernicanian spirit is one of such unbelieveable stupid ideas. Such ideas are not only nazistic - such ideas don't fit with anything what we know about the real biology of human beings, their spirit and the dignity of human life in general. It's not only impossible to do so - we even don't know what will be important for all mankind in a hundred years and what kind of man or woman we will need to solve this problems. And we also don't know what will be the best ways for their individual lifes.