You sound like a brainwashed cultist, I don't think I'd like to meet you.
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You sound like a brainwashed cultist, I don't think I'd like to meet you.
I truly wonder, from where did you obtain those numbers?Quote:
Originally Posted by NikolaiI
I was brought up without religion. I didn't know who this Jesus fella was until I found him in a story book in Kindergarten. I felt sorry for him but didn't actually have a concept of him and what he supposedly did for me. And I guess he didn't seem that interesting to me because I didn't plague my parents with questions about him.
Today in my early twentys I believe in God. I can honestly say I really do. Of course believing doesn't mean knowing. But I'm willing to wait and see. And after that's why the whole thing is called "faith" of "belief" and not "knowledge". And in a way this feeling I have, when I pray to God or yell at him depending on what's currently happening in this mad world of ours, is one I know I couldn't live without. It's like never being alone.
And as a memebr of the RCC no matter what my church is up to and how much I disagree with their actions I still feel that I can take all that anger to Him and just tell Him to deal with it. And it doesn't feel wrong to hate what is happening around me. After all how could I not. After all I don't know why it is happening. And I have to live with the hope that in someway it makes sense to him as my only consolation.
I guess all this rambling means that I have a concept of hope. Hope for a better place and better times. Being a Christian for me it's not about righteousness or pride or moral highground. It's about hope.
And I see how people find meaning through other ways. Science or otherwhise. Don't matter to me.
As long as we can all find some meaning in life and our purpose in life.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Vedic-Cosm...erse&id=759892Quote:
Originally Posted by Taliesin
if i ever get there, i'm gonna kick his *** for giving us such a hard time.Quote:
Originally Posted by NikolaiI
There is there, and if you believe that there is only 0.1 percent of having a there, then please hope to meet Him. He is God, who created you.Quote:
Originally Posted by chasestalling
Let me tell you something. The great theories of human development and coping with change that everyone learns in order to change their lives. The principle in these theories that in order to change your life, is that you must see something you cannot.
If you are aware with who moved my cheese for example. Hem and Haw were two examples of someone that could not see there and someone that searched for there, and found it. The cheese store they knew ran out of cheese. It was only then that they had to choose whether to suffer and complain that there is no more cheese, or to search for something else in a different place. During his Quest he found clues; different types of cheese. Finally he found the cheese. It is this idea of coping with change that I mean.
First, if the world is not a good place, search for what is good within yourself and others who were created in this world only to love you and care for you.
Look at the sky which serves us a preserved ceiling. Imagine if we do not happened. Don't you ever think what is beyond these skies, there has to be something. Suffering, how bad it is , is very short, do not give it longer than it should take by choosing not to look at anything but suffering.
The positive energy you will possess through meditation and contemplation will lead you. God deserves to be worshipped. Any so called suffering in this very short world, diminishes when you Love Him, Mention His Names and visualize his blessings. Isn't there anything at all sweet in your life. If there is it is from Him and if there is not then it because you are blindfolding yourself.
Don't be like Hem, be like Haw
Search like Him until you see what he saw.
I am addressing myself before you. We are all undergoing sufferings, but when you are in love, you endure for your beloved until you meet him, and receive eternal ecstasy.
Please think before you reply. Believe I am not trying by any means to preach, because who am I to preach you. I am sure you and everyone else is better than me but it was only thinking and discussing with you, and trying to earn faith.
Great Nikolai, You know one of the greatest punishments in the next life is to be veiled from God. In a beautiful verse in the Quran this is mentioned clearly.Quote:
Originally Posted by NikolaiI
I want to add something as well. Not only morning follows night but even night has the stars and the moons, which are sufficient light to those who wish to be guided. Even dark has light, and will lead to light. The Quran says " wa alamaat wa binnajmi hom yahtatdoon" meaning " And signs and by stars the become guided".
I'm baffled that anyone could believe such nonsense.
and earlier you said:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Hill
I thought you said you didn't insult people.Quote:
You sound like a brainwashed cultist, I don't think I'd like to meet you.
It's not insulting. I'm telling the truth. I think it's absolute nonsense and dangerous to believe in these sorts of fantasies and to credit your life to becoming closer to an imaginary friend of yours. It's genuine concern!
I don't know if you are interested in philosophy or religion -- you may have some conditioned aversion to religion; you called me brainwashed when I said "God-consciousness." Hopefully you'll keep searching... I am not brainwashed, that's actually a really mean thing to say...Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Hill
You're more than welcome to put forth ideas, but actually calling someone brainwashed doesn't comply with the forum rules here. In response to your post, I would urge you to study philosophy. Read Plato. It's very illuminating. Read Nietzsche, Rene Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Ken Wilber, Alan Watts, Abraham Maslow, study Buddhism, Hinduism, Christainty, Sufiism... read atheists and theists. Read whatever seems like it's really great writing. Then come back to me and tell me your opinions.
My philosophy is rather simple. I believe in the soul, which is what we are. It's not very penetrating to call this nonsense, or call it... dangerous???-- and then leave without a thought. Because I said I believe in the spirit soul, the living spark which is in the heart??? You have lost me completely at this point. I won't ask you to retract this but if you wish to insult people on here, they're not likely to respond to you.
Anyway I'd more than willing to discuss the soul, God, atheism, or anything else, but again not if you say things like that. And please don't think that because I wrote this post, I would like to meet you. Trust me, I would not.
The concept of god was necessary for primitive human beings. It was helpful in making them human and helped the progress of human civilisations all over the world. Right now in the world I dont think many people believe in god as much as they used to, I am not talking about the atheists but the hypocrites are the ones that worry me. How can a person who truly believes in god do bad things. Mankind needs to learn live and let live. We should learn to respect and help each other as humans not because we wont go to heaven after death.
You do know that non-believers are a minority. Most people on this planet are spiritual and believe in a God or Gods. And I'm not talking about the Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists alone. Only in the Western World has atheism had such an uprising in the last decades.Quote:
Originally Posted by adwara1
A few clarifications:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Hill
1. You believe you're telling the truth; in reality you're simply giving opinions about the things other people here have said - opinions based upon your vision of the world (which may be no more correct than the view of those whom you criticize).
2. Calling an insult "truth" makes the assumption that what you say is objective in nature - it's not. Your assessment of people as "brainwashed cultists" and that certain spiritual beliefs are "nonsense" are far from objective "truths" - they are (once again) merely your opinion - and you substantiated your opinion with great amounts of nothing as far as I can see.
3. If by "imaginary friend" you mean God, He may only seem "imaginary" to YOU because you don't know Him; if you did, you might not feel as you do. Don't make the mistake that children do of "if I can't see it it's not real." Much of what we believe in this world cannot be seen.
4. The only real concern I see are people like yourself who wish to see threats where none exist, to raise a semi-hysterical alarm-call in response to someone believeing in a higher spiritual power, to imply that there is some sort of mental deficiency involved in spiritual belief. Trust me when I say the most violent and anti-life movements on earth have always been athiestic in nature (Stalin, Pol Pot, et al).
Your case will be made stronger (and less shrill) if established by evidence, rather than vitriol. Good luck.
Although I believe Dr. Hill is capable of defending himself, I'm bringing my own counter to your attacks out of respect for his right to call something rotten rotten.
I don't know if I should laugh or cringe at the believer's numerous attepts to put faith and knowledge on the same pedestal by branding them both as opinions. You're basically forcing us in a statistic worldview, where even the most absurd notion has an infinitessimal chance of being true, with the purpose of making your beliefs stand firm.Quote:
1. You believe you're telling the truth; in reality you're simply giving opinions about the things other people here have said - opinions based upon your vision of the world (which may be no more correct than the view of those whom you criticize).
You do understand, of course, that statistics isn't a true science, as it does not measure actual chances, but the observer's lack of knowledge in a certain field. Your lack of knowledge in secular sciences may be what makes you think the existence of God is actually probable.
Any opinion, acknowledge as such, is an objective statement. You must deal with the fact that rational people regard certain world-views and stupefied spiritual nonsense in a certain manner, and wonder why they consistently think that.Quote:
2. Calling an insult "truth" makes the assumption that what you say is objective in nature - it's not. Your assessment of people as "brainwashed cultists" and that certain spiritual beliefs are "nonsense" are far from objective "truths" - they are (once again) merely your opinion - and you substantiated your opinion with great amounts of nothing as far as I can see.
There's a diference between visible and actually interacting with the world. God, as seen in the Bible (where he vividly interacts with his subjects) does not manifest in the world, and has not been manifesting for long enough to assimilate the original stories with other mythological beliefs and place it where it belongs, in fiction. This may or may not affect certain parts of Christian philosophy and individual practitioners.Quote:
3. If by "imaginary friend" you mean God, He may only seem "imaginary" to YOU because you don't know Him; if you did, you might not feel as you do. Don't make the mistake that children do of "if I can't see it it's not real." Much of what we believe in this world cannot be seen.
I, for one, am not concerned about your belief just as I'm not concerned about the choices of a die-hard Star Wars fan. However, permit me to worry if widespread religiousness leads to deeming acceptable some social habits that threaten my values and my right to live by them.Quote:
4. The only real concern I see are people like yourself who wish to see threats where none exist, to raise a semi-hysterical alarm-call in response to someone believeing in a higher spiritual power, to imply that there is some sort of mental deficiency involved in spiritual belief. Trust me when I say the most violent and anti-life movements on earth have always been athiestic in nature (Stalin, Pol Pot, et al).
And no, I don't "trust" that claim. You casually forget the Inquisition, the Jihads, the Crusades, aztec blood sacrifices (also religious in nature) and other evils born of narrow-minded mass psichologies. Stalin was no more a true atheist than he was a true comunist.
Besides, you don't see any atheists around here being fanatical extremist, and since atheism isn't an organised cult but rather a title meaning "without religion", I don't see how un-religiousness particularly develops anti-life inclinations.