The Religion Thread

[grokit]

Trump I assume has hotels in those countries.

Here ya go...

 

[Silat]

Drumpf is only out to make money. He is not all that rich but thinks he can finally become a real billionaire now.

 

[grokit]

Drumpf is only out to make money. He is not all that rich but thinks he can finally become a real billionaire now.

First they will consolidate his power. He seems to be simultaneously testing constitutional authority, judicial oversight, public and institutional opposition etc. Don't look now, it could all just be a distraction

This is another attempt at a corporate takeover. "Religion" is just another device.

It will probably work this time

The money will follow.

 

[Diggy Smalls]

I think one of the weirdest things I can remember back when I went to church as a child with my mom, was during adult church services sometimes (not very often) the members would start to "speak in tongues". This wasn't a Pentecostal church. It was crazy sounding gibberish that made no sense. It was like they were in a trance. It was scarey too for a 9 or 10 year old child watching this. Later as I got older, I figured these people were making this stuff up. One of the many things I couldn't wrap my head around.

Also once a month or so folks would come to the alter at church and ask forgiveness for their sins and usually would be crying kneeling down as a large group. The minister would be praying for them. Putting his hand on their heads. This was Baptist/Protestant religion called the Four Square Church. I always thought what a spectacle at least the Catholics did this in private and they can drink alcohol and swear.

Edit
Thank you @RUDE BOY . I guess the 4 Square church is part Pentecostal. I'm glad I know that, no wonder all the weird stuff.

I experienced similar stuff at this little church when I was a kid. I recall a person saying what sounded like "she bought a Honda" really fast over and over again lol

 

[Silat]

First he will consolidate his power. He seems to be simultaneously testing constitutional authority, judicial oversight, public and institutional opposition etc. Don't look now, it could all just be a distraction

This is another attempt at a corporate takeover. "Religion" is just another device.

It will probably work this time

The money will follow.

Do not kid yourself. Drumpf is not the brains here.

 

[grokit]

Do not kid yourself. Drumpf is not the brains here.

Agreed, semantics. Post edited to add a "t" and a "y" around "he"

 

[Silat]

Agreed, semantics. Post edited to add a "t" and a "y" around "he"

Haha..

 

[grokit]

 

[Vitolo]

I forgot to let you guys know a couple of years back, that I was ordained a Minister.
Anybody want me to perform a wedding?
https://www.themonastery.org/creden...lY2NoaW9eMDgvMDQvMjAxN15sYXJnZV5mcmVlXg,,.jpg

 

[Tranquility]

I forgot to let you guys know a couple of years back, that I was ordained a Minister.
Anybody want me to perform a wedding?
https://www.themonastery.org/creden...lY2NoaW9eMDgvMDQvMjAxN15sYXJnZV5mcmVlXg,,.jpg

The requirements to be an officiant at a wedding in California are amazingly casual. I married my sister...I mean, I was the minister at my sister's wedding and got ordained to fulfill the minimal requirements under law to do so.

I believe the core belief of my ordained religion is that I don't discriminate against marriage choice. Or, as I joked at the wedding, "If you want to marry a tree, come see me."

 

[GetLeft]

I forgot to let you guys know a couple of years back, that I was ordained a Minister.

Belated congrats, Vitolo!

 

[RastaBuddhaTao]

From Abraham came the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims (so says the bible) ... all seemingly sharing the same supreme being and yet their absolutism that there brand of faith is "right" (politics) justifies and rationalizes harming each other. Rastabuddhatao is the non-religious belief that Bob Marley is the Christ reincarnated. Thus to say, the only thing we all should agree on is Love. Convert to RastaBuddhaTao Today! #bobisgod

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/rbtjoyousjahmas/

 

[John Coaltrain]

From Abraham came the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims (so says the bible) ... all seemingly sharing the same supreme being and yet their absolutism that there brand of faith is "right" (politics) justifies and rationalizes harming each other. Rastabuddhatao is the non-religious belief that Bob Marley is the Christ reincarnated. Thus to say, the only thing we all should agree on is Love. Convert to RastaBuddhaTao Today!

So, with all due respect, their self-proclamation of being "right" is wrong, while yours is right?

For me, I prefer tolerance, respect, and letting others express their personal convictions, and I try (not always successfully) to not undermine or belittle them even when – particularly when – I disagree with them.

Why issue blanket statements about these three Abrahamic faiths? Are you going to lump Sephardic Jewish visionaries together with ultra-Orthodox patriarchals? Are you going to lump homophobic Christian fundamentalists together with the early Egyptian desert ascetics or Eastern Orthodox mystics? Are you going to lump the great Islamic Sufi mystics together with violent adherents of Sharia? What good can come from making such facile and reductionist generalizations?

I prefer to see the world as neither simply black and white, nor merely wrong or right. Once I began to free myself from the tendency to color different identities and convictions with the same brush, I began to see that the world is much more interesting and colorful than that. I began to prefer to tear down the fences of my preconceptions and judgments, rather than erect yet more of them. I've had enough of division.

Build a wall? Just say "No."

 

[TiSteamo]

For me, I prefer tolerance, respect, and letting others express their personal convictions, and I try (not always successfully) to not undermine or belittle them even when – particularly when – I disagree with them.

I appreciate the kindness of your speech, but I disagree on last part.
If someone tells me that according to his religion it is right something that for me is not, well, let's talk about it. My religion is the search of the truth, without dogmas, without chains.

I want to give myself the opportunity to change my mind. I think it's almost a luxury nowadays.

The search for truth is not something static but is in constant motion, except to crystallize every time you reach "awareness" from which you cannot then turn back. You can only go on.
I believe that not questioning ourself is a serious problem not only about religions.
Why would you want to believe something that is not the truth, especially when what you believe causes suffering? I don't have the truth in my pocket, let's look for it together!

 

[John Coaltrain]

I appreciate the kindness of your speech, but I disagree on last part . . . If someone tells me that according to his religion it is right something that for me is not, well, let's talk about it

So you think it's acceptable to undermine or belittle anothers' beliefs? Oxford defines belittle as:

"To dismiss someone or something as unimportant."​

How can there be any true, objective, fair, empathetic "talking about it" where one belittles – dismisses as unimportant – the beliefs of another?

 

[Maninthemachine]

LOVe that above post! We seem to like to put god a somehwere far away. Without realizing we are god. Each one of us. No religion necessary just a constant desire to look inside rather than outside for answers .greates power in this world ? LOVE.
LettingOthersVoluntaryEvolve

 

[John Coaltrain]

. . . We seem to like to put god a somehwere far away. Without realizing we are god. Each one of us. . .

One of the most violent Roman dictators, Nero, believed himself to be god. Hitler believed himself to be god. So did Stalin and Pol Pot.

And it looks more and more that Kim Jung Un and Donald Trump regard themselves as god.

Often when one has thought themselves to be god, the bodies begin to pile up. What kind of god is that? The body count stands now – between Nero and Pol Pot – somewhere around one hundred million.

I wonder if perhaps it might be better to regard ourselves as limited and imperfect beings, to acknowledge our shortcomings and insecurities, and to try to approach others in a spirit of kindness and humility rather than omniscient and infallible divinity.

 

[Maninthemachine]

L

One of the most violent Roman dictators, Nero, believed himself to be god. Hitler believed himself to be god. So did Stalin and Pol Pot.

And it looks more and more that Kim Jung Un and Donald Trump regard themselves as god.

Often when one has thought themselves to be god, the bodies begin to pile up. What kind of god is that?

I suspect it might be better to regard ourselves as limited and imperfect beings, to acknowledge our shortcomings and insecurities, and to try to approach others in a spirit of kindness and humility rather than omniscient divinity.

let me rephrase ...we are all apart of god. God is everything around us. The wind in the trees,the tranquil babbling stream,a hawk crying out in the rising as it begins its first flight of the day. Not saying we should build ourselves up as a god and have people worship us and or kill . You read the first part of my post maybe you missed the last ? It’s all about love
And...you think god is perfect and doesn’t make mistakes ?? A seed starts out in the darkness and bursts into the light. We must know the darkness to respect/injoy the light

 

[Tranquility]

LOVe that above post! We seem to like to put god a somehwere far away. Without realizing we are god. Each one of us. No religion necessary just a constant desire to look inside rather than outside for answers .greates power in this world ? LOVE.
LettingOthersVoluntaryEvolve

Without a standard that is outside of us, how can one measure? Few set out to do wrong. I suspect Hitler felt he was doing what was right--at least in his own mind. Doing what is in one's heart is destined for selfishness on the same theory there is no such thing as true altruism. Even the most altruistic have their own motivations for doing so. Is it a selfless act if one feels good doing it?

Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.

 

[John Coaltrain]

. . . And...you think god is perfect and doesn’t make mistakes ??

Yes, most definitely. While I'm not religious, I think perfection is not unjustifiably included among the attributes of god. In my estimate, this attribute is what makes god to be god.

Much of the discussion here centres around one's definition of 'god.' It's not likely to be the case that common ground can be found in the absence of any agreement of the words used in the discussion.
I seem lately to find the notion of panentheism to be fairly sound. This is the idea that:

all things (pan) are in (en) god (theism) = panentheism​

What this means is that all things 'participate' in god. In short, all of creation with its inherent limitations, has access to unlimited perfections of divinity. What exactly that means, and how exactly that is accomplished is the question.

This is different from pantheism which leaves out the 'en' and simply posits that all things are god.

 

[Maninthemachine]

LO

Without a standard that is outside of us, how can one measure? Few set out to do wrong. I suspect Hitler felt he was doing what was right--at least in his own mind. Doing what is in one's heart is destined for selfishness on the same theory there is no such thing as true altruism. Even the most altruistic have their own motivations for doing so. Is it a selfless act if one feels good doing it?

Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.

That’s ego my friend. Something we must innerstand before going further..

 

[Tranquility]

LO

That’s ego my friend. Something we must innerstand before going further..

By what measure is it "ego" and not "innerstand"ing?

 

[TiSteamo]

So you think it's acceptable to undermine or belittle anothers' beliefs? Oxford defines belittle as:

"To dismiss someone or something as unimportant."​

How can there be any true, objective, fair, empathetic "talking about it" where one belittles – dismisses as unimportant – the beliefs of another?

I don't want to belittle, I want to confront myself with others.
It is clear that I do not find stimulating a conversation with a dogmatic person.

greatest power in this world ? LOVE.
LettingOthersVoluntaryEvolve

That's nice! ​

 

[John Coaltrain]

I don't want to belittle . . .

But you said:

I appreciate the kindness of your speech, but I disagree on last part.

And the "last part" of what I said (or at least what you quote in post #139) is:

. . . I prefer tolerance, respect, and letting others express their personal convictions, and I try (not always successfully) to not undermine or belittle them . . .

Please pardon me if I've misunderstood you.

 

[Maninthemachine]

By what measure is it "ego" and not "innerstand"ing?

theres not answer for it th at. Everyone’s journey is different and we all grow physical and most impprtantly spiritually at different rates. Raise you’re vibration by tuning into love.