How does she not know SHE is the one living the lie? She ASSUMES anyone and everyone else is, and would never accept for one moment that what she belives could possibly be anything other than 'THE TRUTH'.
Here is a classic example, Yumie, from The Rig Veda (creation hymn 'Nasadiya')
‘Who really knows? Who here will proclaim it? Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation? The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe. Who then knows whence it has arisen? Whence this creation has arisen - perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not - the one who looks down on it, in the highest heaven, only he knows - or perhaps he does not know'
Now that, to me, is a far better approach to creation than: in the beginning there was this and that and then God said this and there was the next thing and on the seventh day he rested etc . . .
‘Nasadiya’ is not an authoritative assertion on creation; it's an open invitation for all to ponder the nature and mystery and riddle of existence - yet the Vedic Texts contain all the teachings of compassion, morality, right from wrong etc as does Christianity and Islam and other religions but there are no ideas of judgment and sin and punishment and condemnation and the burning fires of hell for those who do otherwise, rather there just isn’t as good and peaceful an existence – that is why my basis of morality is compassion (not fear of ‘God’/punishment, or expectation of reward and exultation).
Just compassion: seeing yourself in other living things.
I just have much more respect for the depth of eastern religious views as they free your mind of the restraints of Christianity – itself a Dogma of the highest kind!
Here is perfect example (later in the creation Hymn ‘Nasadiya’):
‘What was the base, what sort of raw matter was there, and precisely how was it done, when The All-maker (Visvarkarman), casting his eye on all, created the earth and revealed the sky in all its glory . . . You deep thinkers, ask yourselves in your own hearts, what base did he stand on when he set up the world?’
It encourages thought and introspection (science/philosophy), whereas western religion DIScourages thought and ENcourages faith, and indeed to question anything in the Bible is tantamount to trying to change it or add to it and that is punishable by the seven PLAGUES!!!!
AHHHHRRRGGGHHH!!!!!
Ha ha.
One can be a scientist, and believe in Eastern religious philosophy and study its teachings and even fully believe in its systems of metaphysical explanations . . . and still be a scientist. Whereas The Holy Bible and Christianity is the final word and say on everything, and it kills the mind from wondering at the mystery and riddle of existence, whereas Eastern religious views do the opposite: they encourage one to seek Truth. Not claim to contain it and be the only source of it.
The truth is, my man: The devil is the oldest friend of knowledge and the personification of the duel nature of ‘God.’
They're not going to like that one!
How could they fathom that the nature of 'God' could be dual?
Look, we have a new member on the thread, is Gnome going to come along now and try to convert her to Christianity and tell her that there is no way to heaven but through Jesus Christ and that she must drink his blood and eat his flesh to wash away her sins?
Taoism! I have read Lao Tzu’s ‘Tao Te Ching’. And I have read ‘The Rig Veda’ and the ‘Upanishads’ and a lot of other Sanskrit literature .
I have a great interest in Eastern mythology and philosophy. I have also read Confucius. My fascination comes from the profound and far deeper insights into compassion and life and the universe and existence compared with the narrow-minded western views of a vengeful, hateful, punishing ‘God’ [Jehovah/The Holy One of Israel] and his burning hell, compared with the Eastern view of what the west calls ‘god’ as the awe-inspiring and ‘essential, unnamable process of the universe.’
But the West tries to personify – nay! – anthropomophisise ‘God’ while the east speaks of this ‘essential, unnamable process of the universe’ AS what the west calls 'God'.
I also like the Eastern views on suffering as something positive and teaching, and pleasure negative and misleading etc . . .
Generally most of my Eastern views are backed by my admiration for the German Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer who was the first western philosopher to bring eastern views into the western philosophical cannon as a greater, wider and more insightful system of metaphysics than ‘Christianity’s’ or ‘Islam’s’ with their narrow world-view and human, all too human vision of ‘God’
Welcome to the God-Thread, by the way! And I apologize in advance if I appear here and there a bit ruthless and inhuman, but I don’t tolerate separatist religious fanaticism – especially if it preaches tolerance and at the same time tolerates nothing other than its own world-view. I.e. if someone like you isn't going to 'Heaven' unless you accpet Jesus Christ and discard your beautiful eastern-views - then the hell with heaven! I can welcome you to this thread precisely because no matter what my view is, it tolerates yours unless yours does not tolerate anyone else's but your own: in other words is separatist religious fanaticism.
I was so fed up and tired of Christianity that when I discovered Eastern philosophical thought it became like ‘the true solace of my life’. Peace of mind after turmoil of soul caused by Christianity and a Chrisitian-upbringing and the mad men its entire history is built on. After studying it, Christianity is so narrow-minded that it is unbelievable.
I, like you, also believe in Jesus, but Jesus as a wise man and philosopher with teachings ahead of his times and one among many other moral teachers of mankind.
Yeah, you're right. Gnome is right, Choirboy: 'None shall come unto Heaven but through accepting Jesus'!
And what about all the other religious denominations and societies and peoples in the world, may I ask? And that’s not a rhetorical question!
Oh, and he's right here, too: 'God will only come to stop the last war' [sword of the prophet style]
Quiet Choirboy. Some of us think we are intelligent because we read and do crossword puzzles, but some of us actually have Degrees and PHDs in philosophy, science and psychology (to name a few on this thread) . . .
So in a multifarious world, separatist religious-fanatic nonsense doesn't do it for us, you know? We look at the bigger picture.
Go figure, how can you respect other religious denominations while claiming yours has exclusivity to God? ‘None shall come unto heaven but through Jesus!’ The Mohammedans have Jesus in their Koran [you ever read that one?], accept him as a great prophet (and a Muslim will be happy to talk to you about Jesus), but a rift opens between the two because Christianity claims Jesus is the son of God and the only way to Heaven, and to a Muslim the idea ‘son of god’ is ridiculous. How can there be a man who is a ‘son of God’?
We are just fed up of all religious fanaticism, especially separatism religious fanaticism. THAT IS THE END OF MANKIND. I don’t care if it’s in the form of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, even Scientology.
SEPARATIST RELIGIOUS FANATICISM IS THE END OF MANKIND!!!
Tell me something people, has anyone on this thread doubted that faith exists?
or has this fool decided to worm his way around certain questions he was asked - or certain things asserted - and is now defending something no one has refuted.
'Still think faith exists'
WHO SAID IT DIDN'T, YOU MORON?
Bah! Blockhead!!!
Of course faith exists, I see young women driving cars into school buses in the name of God.
Enough proof for me - of the power of faith and that faith exists.
Religion IS a device used to control the masses and always has been, fool; at the same time man has a metaphysical need and it meets that need.
So it suits all.
Or used to . . . but the times they are a changin' . . . man is starting to say: the hell with my metaphysical needs, so I’m going to die and return to dust, so my loved ones are going to the worms, too . . . so be it . . . but I will not LIVE A LIE FED TO ME BY THE CHURCH!
I will not live a suppressed life and be taught to forsake my body and worldly things and sensations and pleasures for love of the filthy earthen grave and the worms in it.
Trish, Wandering Gnome is – bar none - one of the biggest fools I have ever come across on a forum in my life.
And no, he can't do any better and doesn't know any better than this. To call what is inside gnome’s head a limited intellect is to presuppose there WAS an intellect that at some point could have beCOME limited.
Classic, typical, stereotypical case of a church-bred man who applied faith to what he couldn’t explain and understand his entire life and remains with a child-brain.
He’s just limited, you know. He’s the last clinging remnant of the inquisition, who relies on empty-headed round-about notions and people-support because his inquisition isn’t allowed to burn us at the stake anymore with our books for fuel.
Their revolution is OVER, Trish! The new age is here, it is dawning.
The new age in which their children will lead them!!!
Did you know that I both believe in God AND have faith in him?
But I have studied almost all of the world religions, read the books upon which their teachings are based, and do not consider that the TRUE truth lies in any one of them.
The only allegorical truth in most if not all of them is that: Compassion is the basis of morality. Seeing yourself in other living things and other human beings.
Thus you have sociopaths who have no compassion because they don't or can't see themselves in other living things and other human beings (Ted Bundy was raised in a good Christian household by a good Christian family).
So they start off young killing animals and later even human beings with no compunction whatsoever and even with thrill and delight. The only ‘guilt’ they have is the fear of being caught and punished by the law.
My faith is something a little bit different than faith in any one given system of metaphysics.
But if compassion is the basis of that system of metaphysics, then I would consider that system to contain one of the highest truths, and see that system fully-justified if it is to teach it to the masses of the people in such a way as to instil it within them for life should they lack a firm intellectual conviction or ability to understand that compassion is the basis of morality.
But that I take all the mythology and allegories surrounding those systems of metaphysics as literally true . . .
I would have no problem at all and rather take the opportunity to learn all about their religion and its foundations and its morality and history and the book it is based on etc . . .
Every religion, whether you believe in it or not, is a system of childish metaphysics that explains the existence of the world and restrains people with virtue, morality and gives them an idea of right from wrong etc . . .
Have you ever seen how woman behave in a male strip club? I once worked in one. You know, with the black waiters trousers and a bow tie on. ha ha.
They grab and they're not gentle.
Men behave better at female strip clubs than woman at male ones!
The true nature of woman is just NASTY.
She is NASTY man.
She represses her true inner nature to appear civil in society. But when she is unleashed it’s no joke, you have to tell her to be gentle.
In our primitive state the joke is man clubs woman over the head and drags her back to his cave.
Meanwhile it was the other way around. And she probably went to war with other woman, all clubbing each over some caveguy who was flattered until the last one left clubbed him over the head, too.
Well, in that case, Trish, you are doing what all the greatest minds have done in the history of mankind. Even Jesus.
Don't ever change. Not for some blockhead fool or fools who can’t think with their own brain about life. Their substitute for not thinking is 'faith', the defence of their non-thinking is called: defending their faith. Defending this blank notion in something unknown.
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity, opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions. Albert Einstein
There was one true Christian, and he died on the cross.
All the rest are just aspirants.
He was a living, breathing bible written in blood and bound in flesh. And he was as human as the next man. He never walked on water. He never turned water into wine. And he never cured people with his hands.
That it just, really, that's really . . . I can't put it into words . . . truth is a rock, churches are built of rock . . . therefore they are built on truth!
America is not true to Christian morality, therefore I do not accept it as a Christian nation, founded before or after or between the ‘void’ as a Christian country.
Christ says turn the other cheek:
America gets hit by two planes and retaliated practically the next day with bombings and then declares war on Saddam.
When Islamics see Christ's teaching - they are in the Koran and so is he - the country claiming to be in Gods name and in the name of Christianity is a lie to them.
And it causes religious conflict and the feeling of their own justification and righteousness when really no religion is involved:
It was about oil before and it is afterwards still about oil.
Christianity and it's morality is decedent.
Christ himself is another story: and this was known by great minds more than a hundred years ago:
'There was one true Christian, and he died on the cross'.
EastbayRay Forum Posts (781)
RE: Why do people find it easier to believe a lie rather than believe a truth ?
This has been my own problem with sweetmaria.
How does she not know SHE is the one living the lie? She ASSUMES anyone and everyone else is, and would never accept for one moment that what she belives could possibly be anything other than 'THE TRUTH'.
It's a simplton.