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RAME - I concur with most of what you have said and I agree that what
we are proponents of is an ever evolving process that is influenced by maturity and the disapation of our youthful naievete'.
posted by
gomedome
on June 10, 2005 at 4:51 PM
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Actually yes, Gomedome.
I have sat back and examined exactly what I am a proponent of. I am a proponent of love, love for God and my fellow man, all man. Naturally, being human, there are times when I don't have particular feelings of love for some men or women, but I do no hate them and when I calm down I realize that I need to forgive them, love them, and then move on. I am a proponent of not judging other people for anything. Yes, there are people who make it obvious what is on their minds and it is evil, such as someone in the process of committing a robbery or a rape, but as much as that person is behaving in a despicable manner, none of us know what is truly going on in his mind. We don't know what set him off, what his childhood was like, whether he truly realizes the difference between right and wrong, and we don't know that immediately after completing the act that he didn't immediately feel remorse and say so to God. Only God knows all of those things and He is the only one who has the right to judge any of us. I could go on and on but this is supposed to be merely a comment and not a post. My poing is, now that I have sat back and examined what I am a proponent of, I find that often I see that I am a proponent of other things too or sometimes I find that I am no longer a proponent of something. I guess that is change and progress. Thanks for your post.
posted by
RAME
on June 10, 2005 at 9:30 AM
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avant-garde -- I should have possibly eleborated on what I meant by
"positive influence of prevailing societal attitudes" ..we must first agree that we do not have conscious control as to how we evolve physically as a species but do have control as to how we influence the collective consciousness of our species. From here the logical extension becomes controlling our ability to influence prevailing societal attitudes in a positive manner. It follows that our subconscious, or the portion of our make up that does influence our physical evolution as a species will adjust to suit the collective needs we have consciously developed.
A crude example would be: if we determined that the greatest thing we could do to enhance our well being both physically and spiritually was to chop down 20 trees per person per day, within a few generations mankind would be developing specimens with stronger arms to fullfill that need. Because we have no conscious control over how we physically evolve as a species but do have control of how we evolve intellectually, our only responsibility would lie in nurturing the intellectual or spiritual side of our beings in a positive manner. To suggest that anyone who is not having children for whatever reason is not doing their part for the evolution of our species is an extreme over simplification or the summation of a simpleton. In the case I cited it was being done to advance a prejudice based on the individual's religious beliefs. Their religion is making them a simpleton.
posted by
gomedome
on June 10, 2005 at 8:33 AM
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gomer
good post. we think often of evolution of the body and mind, but little of the soul, which is eternal. it is difficult to say that we know what is best, given the effects we have wrought on this planet.
posted by
avant-garde
on June 10, 2005 at 7:34 AM
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tigerprincess -- my beliefs have made my life simpler as well
Knowing that Satan is a figment of mankind's imagination has deflected all responsibility for any action I undertake directly back at me. It's very simple in that regard, no one to blame but myself, no praying to some unseen entity for intervention.
posted by
gomedome
on June 9, 2005 at 10:53 PM
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My religious beliefs have made my life simpler, however my mind grasps a truth that is sometimes very complicated to understand. How the simple things are truly what makes your life easier. Case in point: I'm LDS, or Mormon, and because Momons don't drink, I've never woken up scared of what I did the night before. Becasue we are counsled to be upstanding, and good citizens, I've never had to work my schedules around court dates...etc....
posted by
tigerprincess
on June 9, 2005 at 9:27 PM
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jmhtribulas -- the old saying "deluded bliss is bliss nonetheless"
has, if not a ring of truth to it, definately a sort of appeal.......sometimes my brain hurts.
posted by
gomedome
on June 9, 2005 at 6:56 PM
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Sometimes knowledge isn't all it's cracked up to be.
I could certainly go for a big dose of ignorant bliss right about now.
posted by
jmhtribulas
on June 9, 2005 at 6:53 PM
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cantey_1975 -- for once we are in full agreement ha ha ha
posted by
gomedome
on June 9, 2005 at 6:30 PM
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Yes. As a Christan I am out of my mind.
posted by
calmcantey75
on June 9, 2005 at 5:51 PM
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