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ROFL ROFL mysteria ............... and so many interesting responses in
here too. In the waybacks I did an Anthrop' degree - and my major was the 'Anthropology of Religion". It was an interesting time in my life. As a financially struggling student my mother (a famous psychic) pushed me (gently) into doing readings - at which I displayed instant skill and ability. I was very analytical about my parallel occupation. Also at the time a professor from a newly opened, progressive university was strongly encouraging me to join his degree course in parapsychology. I didn't join his course but did however take part in some interesting experiments he was conducting.
I can upset my religious friends by applying my cultural-analytical tools - but I always see religion and spirituality was being part of a person's cultural framework/background. In other words - religion is a cultural animal. And like I said to you once before Gome - 'people can only talk a familiar language".
I come from an airforce/military background and lived all over the world as a child. I also was always interested in the culture and religion of the 'locals'. In my Anthrop class I became close to a woman who had recently ceased being a nun in a non-speaking catholic order cos she had fallen in love with her priest - after 18 years in the nunnery. She and I were like opposite ends of a spectrum - and our oppositness attracted each other.
Perhaps I might examine many of the comments posted here in a future blog. Otherwise I could write reams.
Good to see you can generate such debate Gome.
Jaahda (INFJ) :-)
posted by
Jaahda
on June 9, 2007 at 9:46 AM
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I am a christian gnostic - I was an agnostic
I experienced something 5 years ago that totally shattered my agnosticism.
I never in my life expected to be affected so powerfully by it. There is something terribly wrong with the world and it is causing problems in people at the deepest, most powerful level.
I completely understand how you feel about christian fundamentalists. I was forced to seek help from my local church, but they just couldn't and wouldn't help me. They were so busy trying to bring people into their church and win souls...but they had no way of dealing with what I was going through. Finally I got myself together and read as much as I could, even reading stuff that was tough to stomach. Now I am seeing things all around me that reflect the sad state of people and the powerlessness of the chirch. They all wage war on each other over pathetic stuff.
They are bigoted, racist, intolerant, cowardly and refuse to accept the higher truths of the scripture they so boldly defend. When you ask an intelligent question they give you words but not logical reasoning to defend them. Our God needs us to think and reason with the logical minds he gave us.
I do not feel compelled to write, but I do want to share some information which is designed to give answers to the intelligent questions that the church can't and won't answer.
There are some glaring anomalies in the scripture which point to the fact that Christ went through a period of suffering long before he died on the cross. It must be told, but christians only look at the scripture they are prepared to accept.
They reject what they don't understand and so miss the point entirely.
Although I am a dedicated christian I avoid the herds, they are so busy removing logs from the eyes of others that they fail to see their own need for salvation.
I am hoping that one person will test what I have to say and see for themselves what I mean.
M
posted by
Soterios
on June 8, 2007 at 12:07 PM
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mysteria that poster rocks!
gomedome, I think everyone has a right to believe what they want even. I've become much more tolerant since I joined al-anon, live and let live you know?
Any "discussion" over who has the real 'God' is just a pissing contest over who has the better invisible friend.
posted by
Whysper
on June 8, 2007 at 9:00 AM
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Gomedome
No matter the dogma described "objectively", the irrational isn't explained by the rational. Faith is not rational. Who would believe your imaginative story of Christ today with no Bible to back him up?.. good question.
posted by
Blue_feathers
on June 7, 2007 at 10:28 AM
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Soterios - first off, I am not an atheist in the true sense
The proper description of my personal philosophies is: agnostic secular humanist.
You see my writing this blog as a preoccupation with all things religious, that may have a ring of truth but I know myself what compells me to post in this category day after day. The part of the world that I live in is experiencing a fundamentalist revival with all of the political and societal influence that goes with this type of grassroots social movement. There are precious few mediums where a divergent religious opinion can be voiced without having one's house burned down by the more fervent of those involved in this movement. Ask yourself what you would do or say if the Taliban for example were infiltrating and attempting to control your society?
Where the extremes of the fundamentalists in my part of the world do not compare in degree to the Taliban there is certainly a parallel to be drawn. Primarily in the fundamentalist's efforts to turn back the clock, have us all dumb it down to their level and impede both social and scientific progress in the name of an antiquated set of beliefs. It will be a cold day in hell that I sit by without voicing an opinion while religious knuckleheads try to convince our school administrators to teach that the Grand Canyon was the landing place of Noah's Ark or that Dinosaurs co-existed with man, (to utilize two of the more ludicrous examples).
As for the rest of your comment, I really don't know what the hell you are talking about; "The people who will find the kingdom . . . ." I say good for them if they are capable of leaving me and my children out of their delusion.
posted by
gomedome
on June 7, 2007 at 10:06 AM
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For such an atheist you seem to have a strong facination for this stuff
Atheism is a good thing. Why do I say this?
Healthy scepticism keeps beleivers occupied and on the defense all the time.
It keeps them far away from the truth, which is the way it's supposed to be.
When you tell them the real truth they think you are Fruit Loops. It is way too much
for them. You need a strong stomach and good jaw muscles to chew on this.
For the rest of you, keep a sippin' that milk...
Let's just say that anyone who achieved salvation was throught to have a Demon living in them. Nothing has changed my friends. If Jesus came down from the clouds today he would be tracked on radar and shot to pieces. Can you just imagine the mayhem?
We are told that God softens who he wants to soften and hardens those he want's to harden.
Fighting for atheism is like fighting for Christianity...both a complete waste of energy.
Better not to cast your pearls before pigs, or they will turn on you and trample them underfoot.
Although I blog for boredom and the burning desire to get to pole position, I don't really
give a flying fig what people think. I saw the truth for myself and it terrified the living shit out of me. It is more real than real. I never want to go down there.
The people who will find the kingdom are right now busy working their way there like dedicated little bees. They know where they are going and what they are going to achieve when they get there.
The great thing is, those people can look forward to a lifetime of scorn, scrutiny, envy, criticism, torture, ostracism and cycnicism amongst other things. Possibly even incarceration and painful death.
You know who you are...
posted by
Soterios
on June 7, 2007 at 7:05 AM
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Gome :)
posted by
mysteria
on June 6, 2007 at 7:02 PM
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Kabu - for some people possibly, but not for everyone
posted by
gomedome
on June 6, 2007 at 8:27 AM
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Pat_B - I hate when that happens
I think just about everyone has lost a post at one time or another, we feel your pain.
posted by
gomedome
on June 6, 2007 at 8:25 AM
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Earlier I wrote a well-thought-out and reasoned comment for this
objective topic, and when I clicked on "Add Comment" everything went blank. I had been bumped from the entire website, and indeed from the web itself. Hmmm...
posted by
Pat_B
on June 6, 2007 at 8:20 AM
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Ah well Faith is still a leap into the unknown knowing you'll be caught
as a child leaping from a chair into Daddy's arms.
posted by
Kabu
on June 5, 2007 at 11:11 PM
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Tonyzonit - but again, the vast majority of religious beliefs that exist
on this planet today are premised upon the observations of primitive man.
And are accompanied by all of the things that primitive man was capable of believing.
posted by
gomedome
on June 5, 2007 at 1:44 PM
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sannhet - I agree with that but if the religious beliefs of today are
looked at objectively there is much holdover from those primitive observations.
It would not be a fair statement to say that modern man adheres to religious beliefs that are in keeping with our collective knowledge base. Certainly there are those who view the world through a more advanced set of lenses but there are exponentially more people that want this world to reconcile with their ancient beliefs.
posted by
gomedome
on June 5, 2007 at 1:41 PM
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Hi Gome - I think Sannhet has a point; there would simply be a more
evolved religion. In fact there are, ones that have been invented since many major scientific discoveries changed the former basic understanding of the earth, life and so on. But the tablets of stone not being replicated? What about the golden tablets given to one Joe Smith by the angel Moroni? Altho Joe refused to show them to anyone else and dictated the words from behind a screen (because he couldn't write), and although he was a conman by nature, we cannot surely doubt the truth of this religion, can we?
posted by
Antonionioni
on June 5, 2007 at 12:33 PM
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Gome -
I see it a bit differently, and I do think it would be accepted today. This is based on my belief that like everything else, one's spirituality evolves too. I'm simplifying this for brevity's sake, but I believe that primitive Man believed what he believed because he could not believe any differently based on his brain's primitive state. His level of understanding of the world around him precluded a belief system that was any more developed then the belief in Gods for the various aspects of the physical world. However, as Man's understanding of the world improved based on the evolution of his brain, so too did his understanding of the Divine.
posted by
sannhet
on June 5, 2007 at 10:59 AM
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