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Post by Arlon10 on Mar 8, 2023 4:49:21 GMT
How do you identify? Perhaps I should have added, Be Kind to All Sentient Beings, which includes animals and the environment. I would have checked that, too.
In the sense that there is something "supreme" in everyone's life, and only in that sense so please don't get all persnickity about "gods" here, I think that the "truth" is the most important thing to me. I search it out. I weigh it. I note where it matters most. I note when it matters most. I note when and where it should sit down. It saddens me how comfortable many people have become with less truth and more invalid copies.
That is not to say I see no value in fiction. I think there is such a thing as "useful" fiction. I might start a thread here about useful fiction. Fiction can convey more truth than a newspaper in some circumstances. It is that truth I search out the most because it takes more digging. I think we all already know the boiling point of water. When people complain that the Bible could not be true, I wonder what difference that makes? I mean they are obviously not diggers or deep thinkers.
Let me guess what most people hold supreme. They think, and I cannot sharply disagree, that a family that is "functional" (not dys-) is about the most a person can hope to obtain in this world. If "atheists" are lucky enough to have that, then I think we should study them to see what they know. Then too, I think we should study dysfunctional families to see what they do not know. I am an equal opportunity truth seeker.
The "supreme" thing in the lives of some people , though they might not admit it, might be money, military prowess, physical attraction, or "science." That is a rather famous list of "false gods." Be careful though Neither having a fondness for science nor blind faith in science are any guarantee the object of worship will be science. I know I have to be very careful.
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Post by paulslaugh on Mar 8, 2023 4:54:58 GMT
Humanist would be the best choice, yet humans are also their own worst enemy. What is human and how is it defined? A human is you in another bag of skin.
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Post by paulslaugh on Mar 8, 2023 5:00:34 GMT
Back in my church days, our parish participated in a Catholic-Jewish relations dialogue with a nearby temple and one of the Jewish participants commented that the biggest problem she had with Christianity and Christians was their lack of compassion. I remember her using saying, "there is no kindness in the religion."
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Post by paulslaugh on Mar 8, 2023 5:05:23 GMT
How do you identify? Perhaps I should have added, Be Kind to All Sentient Beings, which includes animals and the environment. I would have checked that, too.
In the sense that there is something "supreme" in everyone's life, and only in that sense so please don't get all persnickity about "gods" here, I think that the "truth" is the most important thing to me. I search it out. I weigh it. I note where it matters most. I note when it matters most. I note when and where it should sit down. It saddens me how comfortable many people have become with less truth and more invalid copies.
That is not to say I see no value in fiction. I think there is such a thing as "useful" fiction. I might start a thread here about useful fiction. Fiction can convey more truth than a newspaper in some circumstances. It is that truth I search out the most because it takes more digging. I think we all already know the boiling point of water. When people complain that the Bible could not be true, I wonder what difference that makes? I mean they are obviously not diggers or deep thinkers.
Let me guess what most people hold supreme. They think, and I cannot sharply disagree, that a family that is "functional" (not dys-) is about the most a person can hope to obtain in this world. If "atheists" are lucky enough to have that, then I think we should study them to see what they know. Then too, I think we should study dysfunctional families to see what they do not know. I am an equal opportunity truth seeker.
The "supreme" thing in the lives of some people , though they might not admit it, might be money, military prowess, physical attraction, or "science." That is a rather famous list of "false gods." Be careful though Neither having a fondness for science nor blind faith in science are any guarantee the object of worship will be science. I know I have to be very careful.
It made the difference between the untold death and suffering for millions of people. I understand what you are saying and anyone who can read the Bible as allegorical and not as a history book, the Bible certainly is a grand work of cultural literature and has much to say about the human predicament and our relationship with the vast universe. It is the literal reading that is lethal.
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Post by Arlon10 on Mar 8, 2023 5:25:48 GMT
In the sense that there is something "supreme" in everyone's life, and only in that sense so please don't get all persnickity about "gods" here, I think that the "truth" is the most important thing to me. I search it out. I weigh it. I note where it matters most. I note when it matters most. I note when and where it should sit down. It saddens me how comfortable many people have become with less truth and more invalid copies.
That is not to say I see no value in fiction. I think there is such a thing as "useful" fiction. I might start a thread here about useful fiction. Fiction can convey more truth than a newspaper in some circumstances. It is that truth I search out the most because it takes more digging. I think we all already know the boiling point of water. When people complain that the Bible could not be true, I wonder what difference that makes? I mean they are obviously not diggers or deep thinkers.
Let me guess what most people hold supreme. They think, and I cannot sharply disagree, that a family that is "functional" (not dys-) is about the most a person can hope to obtain in this world. If "atheists" are lucky enough to have that, then I think we should study them to see what they know. Then too, I think we should study dysfunctional families to see what they do not know. I am an equal opportunity truth seeker.
The "supreme" thing in the lives of some people , though they might not admit it, might be money, military prowess, physical attraction, or "science." That is a rather famous list of "false gods." Be careful though Neither having a fondness for science nor blind faith in science are any guarantee the object of worship will be science. I know I have to be very careful.
It made the difference between the untold death and suffering for millions of people. I understand what you are saying and anyone who can read the Bible as allegorical and not as a history book, the Bible certainly is a grand work of cultural literature and has much to say about the human predicament and our relationship with the vast universe. It is the literal reading that is lethal.
I do not believe it is fair to blame the Bible for all the wars ever. From what I have seen of people they would start wars quite much with or without a Bible. Do you believe the wars between Catholics and Protestants were about religion? Or the desire the aristocracy had for territory?
Pardon my curiosity, but what sort of "advisor" are you? Do you go to other countries to train their military?
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Post by paulslaugh on Mar 8, 2023 5:28:10 GMT
It made the difference between the untold death and suffering for millions of people. I understand what you are saying and anyone who can read the Bible as allegorical and not as a history book, the Bible certainly is a grand work of cultural literature and has much to say about the human predicament and our relationship with the vast universe. It is the literal reading that is lethal.
I do not believe it is fair to blame the Bible for all the wars ever. From what I have seen of people they would start wars quite much with or without a Bible. Do you believe the wars between Catholics and Protestants were about religion? Or the desire the aristocracy had for territory?
Pardon my curiosity, but what sort of "advisor" are you? Do you go to other countries to train their military?
I don't blame Bible or give it credit either. All of it came from the inside of someone's head before it hit the paper. And yes, those wars were about religion or at least it was for the poor schmucks who did the fighting for the bishops and kings. As usual, they were in it the power, glory, land, money, and all these things human greed can acquire. If the Bible were as affective for bettering Mankind, then why has it always failed in bringing about that wonderful tomorrow it says were are suppose to have if we are good little boys and girls? You want a better tomorrow, turn to science.
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Post by Arlon10 on Mar 8, 2023 5:45:26 GMT
I do not believe it is fair to blame the Bible for all the wars ever. From what I have seen of people they would start wars quite much with or without a Bible. Do you believe the wars between Catholics and Protestants were about religion? Or the desire the aristocracy had for territory?
Pardon my curiosity, but what sort of "advisor" are you? Do you go to other countries to train their military?
I don't blame Bible or give it credit either. All of it came from the inside of someone's head before it hit the paper. And yes, those wars were about religion or at least it was for the poor schmucks who did the fighting for the bishops and kings. As usual, they were in it the power, glory, land, money, and all these things human greed can acquire. If the Bible were as affective for bettering Mankind, then why has it always failed in bringing about that wonderful tomorrow it says were are suppose to have if we are good little boys and girls? You want a better tomorrow, turn to science.
I just replied elsewhere with the bird feeder problem. I think it might help here as well.
THE BIRD FEEDER PROBLEM
Given a choice between a bird feeder, a lawn sprinkler, and a badminton court, if people agree which they want, science can help them. It might even suggest one to attract a particular kind of bird if they want a feeder. It can solve.
If they cannot agree which they want science can be no help. There are too many differing opinions and conflicting goals. Most issues in politics become issues because people cannot agree what the problem even is. If they cannot agree what the problem is, science cannot solve it.
Political solutions require art, not science.
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Post by paulslaugh on Mar 8, 2023 6:48:58 GMT
I don't blame Bible or give it credit either. All of it came from the inside of someone's head before it hit the paper. And yes, those wars were about religion or at least it was for the poor schmucks who did the fighting for the bishops and kings. As usual, they were in it the power, glory, land, money, and all these things human greed can acquire. If the Bible were as affective for bettering Mankind, then why has it always failed in bringing about that wonderful tomorrow it says were are suppose to have if we are good little boys and girls? You want a better tomorrow, turn to science.
I just replied elsewhere with the bird feeder problem. I think it might help here as well.
THE BIRD FEEDER PROBLEM
Given a choice between a bird feeder, a lawn sprinkler, and a badminton court, if people agree which they want, science can help them. It might even suggest one to attract a particular kind of bird if they want a feeder. It can solve.
If they cannot agree which they want science can be no help. There are too many differing opinions and conflicting goals. Most issues in politics become issues because people cannot agree what the problem even is. If they cannot agree what the problem is, science cannot solve it.
Political solutions require art, not science.
Science works. We wouldn’t be talking to each other if it didn’t. If politics requires arts then it always requires skill, rational thought, planning, and patience. At this point in history, what we need is, to at least get along long enough to get out the bowels of the USS Poseidon.
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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Mar 8, 2023 14:51:47 GMT
Back in my church days, our parish participated in a Catholic-Jewish relations dialogue with a nearby temple and one of the Jewish participants commented that the biggest problem she had with Christianity and Christians was their lack of compassion. I remember her using saying, "there is no kindness in the religion." I remember a similar experience back in my youthful church days, when our Southern Baptist church group was invited to a bar mitzvah. After the experience, I wanted to convert to Judaism. Needless to say, my parents didn't approve and we no longer went to any other 'exchange' invitations. I was young and didn't understand yet the division between religions. It got hammered in soon after that. But I still remember how open and welcoming the members of the Temple were.
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Post by clusium on Mar 8, 2023 16:15:22 GMT
Back in my church days, our parish participated in a Catholic-Jewish relations dialogue with a nearby temple and one of the Jewish participants commented that the biggest problem she had with Christianity and Christians was their lack of compassion. I remember her using saying, "there is no kindness in the religion." She must have experienced a lot of bigotry from Christians in her neighbourhood, growing up, that it turned her against Christianity. There used to be a synagogue across the street from the Parish that I grew up in, & while admittedly, the congregations from our places of worship didn't do any activities together (unfortunately), the minimal interaction that did exist, was pretty amicable. Our Church even allowed the congregants of the Synagogue to use their parking lot, during high holy days, etc.
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