Do you believe in fate?

<Yawn>

Very instructive.

<Yawn>

You must have stayed up all night thinking of that one!

Actually, all it took was another one of your insipid posts.

I see you've got the dictionary open.

Initially, I was going to post another funny response, but I'm getting tired of it. If you have something meaningful to say to me (either good or bad), say it. Otherwise, I'd be done with this .

war is created through ignorance,
peace is found through understanding.
got to love that albert einstien.

not ignorance, but senseless truth.

Hey knives,

that is so true.

Unfortunately, too many of the world's political leaders have enough understanding to go to war.

Ok, I'm going to totally digress, partially because I'm too lazy to read what just happened, partially 'cause I was thinking about what you wrote earlier about respect for religious belief, and what isaqel wrote about how you talk to Christians. We're not so different. I believe in subtle irregularities, finding beauty in life in the least likely places, music, etc. I just believe there's something bigger behind the good things in the world. I don't know if you see my point, but I'd like for you to see where I'm coming from here, so maybe you won't compare my God to a nazi? Though I know what you mean. Religion isn't about genocide. It's about love, not hate, life not death, peace not war, good not evil. About believing there's something else out there. I wonder if this makes sense? In real life, I like to speak in half sentences, gestures and sounds. :) real primitive. mlargghh!! blarggh! meh bleh!

Actually, I was thinkin'. [dum dum dummmm!!] [shock, I know] my friend thinks that whenever you lose something, if you sing to it, you'll find it. It's a bit of a joke, but I tried it, and it actually works. I wouldn't respect it as a serious belief though. She's also a Hindu. That isn't my personal belief, but I do respect that. Why? And, strangely enough, I also know a rain dance. Someone taught it to me when I was about eight or nine. I've done it maybe three times in my life [as a kid, I assure you], but it's never failed, ever. It's still not something I believe in, or would respect if someone else did. It's a relationship between cause and effect that makes no sense. So... what am I trying to say? Maybe to respect something you need to see the reason behind it. Or it needs to be something where it can conform to your own attitudes and values to some extent. I'm trying to show the reason behind religion.

Oh, the cause and effect thing ties in with what someone else said. That religious people will hold God accountable for thing when there's no real relationship between what happens. Which got me thinking about the rain dance thang. So. ok, I'll sound like an idiot, and I don't care; I still think there's a relationship there. Between when you pray and when something happens. That one's never failed me either. But, you know, you really don't wanna hear me sing. Why do I get the sinking feeling I give Christians a bad name??

I don't think your giving Christians a bad name. I van see what your talking about. And your right, our faith is about love etc... Religious people can't always hold God accountable for bad things. We have free will so some bad things come as a result. Other things are inevitable ie death or maybe for our own good ie Job's suffering showed his true faith in god. I also agree that to repect something it helps to see a reason behind it. I can accept and kinda respect abelief I don't understand but it is really hard and not proper respect just confused acceptance of other people, unless I really disagree strongly.

Don't you normally hold God accountable for good things, and the world accountable for bad things?

There appear parallels between these sorts of behaviour, but I don't think there REALLY are. I wrote that because I draw the parallels without knowing quite how to disprove them. Which I should be able to do. damn!! There's something there. Something rather inexplicable... some reason why people will still believe. There's no connection between dancing and rain.. there's no driving force. There must be something between God and what happens... I think, anyway. [not helping my argument. I wish I were a better debater]

God does answer prayers and cause things to happen however sometimes the answer is no and bad things happen. maybe it's partly down to what we perceive as 'bad', Maybe what we see as bad God doesn't. And the world can be accountable for good things otherwise we'd all be going to hell in handbasket. If you say what parrallels you're thinking of maybe others can disprove them. By the way my sister once prayed for rain to stop while we went to this outdoor place and as we pulled up to the door the rain stopped and we had glorious sunshine, as we left two hours later and got back in the car it tipped it down again :) coincidence or God? Maybe dancing and child's trust can be like prayer.

That's my point. urgghhh. I was talking to somebody about this.. and she wouldn't stop drawing those parallels. Like, what makes one reasonable and the other ridiculous? And I don't have an answer, other than it's what I think and feel. Which is ...just plain tacky as an answer or an argument. What can I say? Dancing and prayer aren't supposed to be similar. They shouldn't be. I know, ati'll have a field day ripping this apart when he reads this. I sure am giving him a lotta material. ;) ah well. AND I have no rebuttles!! :(