Religion and the greatest story ever told..

[mattskramer]

Some people are born with a deeper spiritual understanding. This feeds into the claim by Buddhists and Hindus that we are bound to the wheel of Samsara (birth, death, rebirth) until our soul reaches spiritual enlightenment (nirvana) and breaks free of Samsara. At that point one can become one with God or stay behind and become a Bodhisattva.

I was born with a more profound understanding of God than my brother. There are people who are deeper spiritually than I. We are all on different levels. The people who are more enlightened do not need to be taught about God in order to understand that God exists.

Poppycock. I’m sorry but I completely disagree. What you are describing seems more like egotism, imagination, and emotional feelings. No one is born with a deeper spiritual understanding. People are born with different intelligence, personality, and temperaments. Reincarnation is just a myth fed by ego and fear of death.

You were not born with a more profound understanding. You might have been born with better brain cells. We have different levels of academic knowledge. People are not more enlightened – just more educated and more interested.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with you on this.

 

[Taomon]

Poppycock. I’m sorry but I completely disagree. What you are describing seems more like egotism, imagination, and emotional feelings. No one is born with a deeper spiritual understanding. People are born with different intelligence, personality, and temperaments. Reincarnation is just a myth fed by ego and fear of death.

You were not born with a more profound understanding. You might have been born with better brain cells. We have different levels of academic knowledge. People are not more enlightened – just more educated and more interested.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with you on this.

How sad for you. I only wish I could share my history and feelings with you so that you too could see.

 

[Taomon]

Poppycock. I’m sorry but I completely disagree. What you are describing seems more like egotism, imagination, and emotional feelings. No one is born with a deeper spiritual understanding. People are born with different intelligence, personality, and temperaments. Reincarnation is just a myth fed by ego and fear of death.

You were not born with a more profound understanding. You might have been born with better brain cells. We have different levels of academic knowledge. People are not more enlightened – just more educated and more interested.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with you on this.

And by the way, the oldest and longest running religion on earth is Hinduism and this is the basis of their belief system. Are you implying that they are all wrong and you are right?

 

[mattskramer]

And by the way, the oldest and longest running religion on earth is Hinduism and this is the basis of their belief system. Are you implying that they are all wrong and you are right?

Slavery had been the norm for a long time. Women were allowed vote only recently. Just because something is old, has a tradition, or is even popular does not make it right or wrong.

The fallacy of tradition is often exercised.


http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-tradition.html

 

[Taomon]

Slavery had been the norm for a long time. Women were allowed vote only recently. Just because something is old, has a tradition, or is even popular does not make it right or wrong.

The fallacy of tradition is often exercised.


http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-tradition.html

What does your heart tell you?

 

[mattskramer]

What does your heart tell you?

My heart is “telling” me that it is pumping blood at about 60 beats per minute.

 

[Taomon]

My heart is “telling” me that it is pumping blood at about 60 beats per minute.

Make all the jokes you want. There is a very basic human need for spirituality, and that manifests itself in many ways, even as reason and ethics. Hence why our forefathers were Masons.

 

[Helios]

Make all the jokes you want. There is a very basic human need for spirituality, and that manifests itself in many ways, even as reason and ethics. Hence why our forefathers were Masons.

Only 9 signers of the Constitution were Masons.

I totally disagree with you about spirituality. I believe "spirituality" is influenced by the things matt mentioned, personality, ego and education. Some people are smarter, some people have a deeper understanding of the world, some people have deeper emotions.. these people are not "enlightened." There is no magical ascension into a higher form of consciousness. Stop watching so much Star Trek. We are born naked and dumb as fuck. Everything we are, we become. We are given certain genes, and thats it. You gotta make yourself, and god ain't got shit to do with it. The afterlife is for those who fear death, wont accept death and don't want to think about it. It sure makes things a lot easier taking the blue pill, but YOURE LIVING A FANTASY.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Only 9 signers of the Constitution were Masons.

I totally disagree with you about spirituality. I believe "spirituality" is influenced by the things matt mentioned, personality, ego and education. Some people are smarter, some people have a deeper understanding of the world, some people have deeper emotions.. these people are not "enlightened." There is no magical ascension into a higher form of consciousness. Stop watching so much Star Trek. We are born naked and dumb as fuck. Everything we are, we become. We are given certain genes, and thats it. You gotta make yourself, and god ain't got shit to do with it. The afterlife is for those who fear death, wont accept death and don't want to think about it. It sure makes things a lot easier taking the blue pill, but YOURE LIVING A FANTASY.

Funny, I do not fear death, I fully accept everyone dies, and I think about death a lot. I won't go into detail but lets just say that death and I have been a companion for most of my life.

Further I do NOT want everlasting life. Yet I believe in God and Jesus and all that religious hocus pocus your SOO afraid of.

The one afraid and ignorant is people like you.

 

[Helios]

Funny, I do not fear death, I fully accept everyone dies, and I think about death a lot.

You're right, that is funny.

I won't go into detail but lets just say that death and I have been a companion for most of my life.

No one wants to hear about your necrophilia. Please, spare us the pain.

Further I do NOT want everlasting life. Yet I believe in God and Jesus and all that religious hocus pocus your SOO afraid of.

I'm not afraid of religious hocus pocus. I'm afraid of death. But I'm willing to face my fear, instead of denying it. Truth is, about .1% of humans aren't afraid of their own death, unless they are dying. Saying you're not afraid of death is the first step to denying the reality of death. Think about what the stakes are here. Example: Person A doesn't believe in an afterlife. Chances are, person A will try to make the best of the short amount of time he/she has. Person B believes in an afterlife. Believes all their actions will be judged by some mystical higher power. Believes there's this big intergalactic set of rules that God made, and you better follow them or your going to burn in hell you sinner! Throughout person B's life, they will wallow in fear of judgment, instead of realizing that the only person that can truly judge you, is you.

The one afraid and ignorant is people like you.

Afraid? Yes. Most people in America probably agree with you. That's some scary shit. Ignorant? Maybe I am. But you are getting fucked by a system that you don't even see, much less understand.

 

[mattskramer]

Make all the jokes you want. There is a very basic human need for spirituality, and that manifests itself in many ways, even as reason and ethics. Hence why our forefathers were Masons.

I grant you that people have a desire to feel connected to things outside of themselves. They want to have an influence in the world and hope that the world cares about them to some degree and in some fashion. Thy also want to believe that there is something more to life than death. Such a strong desire can cause people to go to great extremes mentally and physically. This does not mean that a spiritual realm exists outside of one’s imagination and desires. Wanting and believing something, no matter how strongly, does not make it real.

 

[Diuretic]

I have to side with RGS on this one. One does not need to be brainwashed from birth, or brainwashed at all, to believe in the divine.
...............

True, all it takes is a human brain.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

True, all it takes is a human brain.

Animals have no sense of self or so we are taught by SCIENCE. And of course the Bible tells us animals are here for our use but that we are to care for them.

Until you provide me some evidence an animal is self aware and capable of complex thought AND capable of communication other than grunts whines squeals and whale song then have no reason to think any would be ABLE to believe in much of anything.

Now I admit Whales and Dolphins intrigue me. They are pretty smart it would seem, but then so are a lot of chimps and apes.

 

[Helios]

Animals have no sense of self or so we are taught by SCIENCE. And of course the Bible tells us animals are here for our use but that we are to care for them.

Until you provide me some evidence an animal is self aware and capable of complex thought AND capable of communication other than grunts whines squeals and whale song then have no reason to think any would be ABLE to believe in much of anything.

Now I admit Whales and Dolphins intrigue me. They are pretty smart it would seem, but then so are a lot of chimps and apes.

Do you understand Evolution?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Do you understand Evolution?

Go ahead find me that intelligent self aware animal that can contemplate and function intellectually like a human. I will wait a little while, BUT I won't hold my breath.

 

[Helios]

Go ahead find me that intelligent self aware animal that can contemplate and function intellectually like a human. I will wait a little while, BUT I won't hold my breath.

So, do you believe in evolution or not RGS. It's really not a hard question to answer.

 

[jillian]

Animals have no sense of self or so we are taught by SCIENCE. And of course the Bible tells us animals are here for our use but that we are to care for them.

Until you provide me some evidence an animal is self aware and capable of complex thought AND capable of communication other than grunts whines squeals and whale song then have no reason to think any would be ABLE to believe in much of anything.

Now I admit Whales and Dolphins intrigue me. They are pretty smart it would seem, but then so are a lot of chimps and apes.

Ummmmmmm...no, it's not quite what science teaches:

By ANDREW BRIDGES
Associated Press Writer

updated 6:00 p.m. ET, Mon., Oct. 30, 2006
WASHINGTON - If you're Happy and you know it, pat your head.

That, in a peanut shell, is how a 34-year-old female Asian elephant in the Bronx Zoo showed researchers that pachyderms can recognize themselves in a mirror — complex behavior observed in only a few other species.

The test results suggest elephants — or at least Happy — are self-aware. The ability to distinguish oneself from others had been shown only in humans, chimpanzees and, to a limited extent, dolphins.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15487308/

And yet another article:

http://www.livescience.com/animals/061030_elephant_mirror.html

BTW, Happy, the elephant in the article, was one of the elephants my husband took care of. He always said they were sentient. They make tools of a sort and he always said that if you give them the keys to their exhibits, he'd wager they'd figure out how to use them.

Does that help you?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

So, do you believe in evolution or not RGS. It's really not a hard question to answer.

I do not believe evolution that creates new several new species from one. I do believe, since there is solid proven evidence of it, that a Species can evolve. However that has nothing to do with this conversation. I am waiting for you to provide me with this animal species.... or are you claim that since maybe someday, possibly, could be, one of them MIGHT evolve a brain and system like ours we should all starve ourselves to death and die off to allow them to get there?

Ohh and in case your not aware I DO NOT believe man evolved from an "ape like" creature.

 

[shepherdboy]

Yeah right. Must be painful living your life in fear of somebody who says they love you unconditionally but will send you to the depths of hell for even a minor discretion. What a just and likable god you have interpreted for yourself...NOT!

Your distorting the Word. Those of God's elect have His unconditional love and forgiveness. Its called Grace. Those that do not are subject to judgment and eternal damnation. And its not my interpretation, its Truth.

 

[jillian]

Your distorting the Word. Those of God's elect have His unconditional love and forgiveness. Its called Grace. Those that do not are subject to judgment and eternal damnation. And its not my interpretation, its Truth.

G-d's elect?!?!?!?! that isn't any G-d I know. I like mine better.

that's MY truth.

Oh gee... guess you aren't the only one who thinks your beliefs are right.