gulliver, isn't this a privately funded museum where you have to pay to get inside? how is that infringing on your rights? if you don't like it, open your own museum across the street and refute their claims. Being a true capitalist, I encourage all forms of commerce.
tomdarch, you have hit on my point...who is to say if one religion is better than another? none of these systems, whether based in actions or beliefs can be scientifically verified. but neither can "karma, good vibes, thoughts and prayers" or any of the myriad of notions that people throw out in their own little belief system...but it is so vogue to talk about positive energy flowing, good vibes, etc...doesn't that make virtually everyone a looney bin candidate?
cognitive dissonance...now where have I heard that before?
Adam and Eve hunted dinosaurs!
tom...your post on the middle ages is wrong. a common mistake of mistaking alegorical middle age art and literature for scientific treatise. read Lewis's "discarded image" or if you perfer someone else Daniel Boorstien's (sp??) "The Discoverers"
hey, if you yell to your belayer saying "why charles III, you are quite possibly the worst belayer ever" will he throw his tea on you?
-scott
-scott
I don't know, I would expect that if "good vibes" exist there would be some way to measure them physically. And it is not too far fetched, I mean, we all know that we think, yet we can not measure a thought. Oh no, here it comes.pigsteak wrote:...can be scientifically verified. but neither can "karma, good vibes, thoughts and prayers" or any of the myriad of notions that people throw out in their own little belief system...but it is so vogue to talk about positive energy flowing, good vibes, etc...doesn't that make virtually everyone a looney bin candidate?
How you compare may not be as important as to whom you are compared
rockman....my disclaimer: I don't speak for mainline Chrisitianity, so my views are skewed to how I personally see the world.
To me, the word "god" is merely used to define whatever runs a person's life. if you are an alcoholic, booze is probably your god. at times, I feel like rock climbing is my god. to others who attend church on a regular basis, their god is the one in the sky that dictates their every move. to some muslim's, their god says kill the infidels.
is there more than one god? in my opinion, yes. but again, that is my opinion, and not something that i can prove either way.
can my belief system be wrong? absolutely.
I have morphed, twisted and turned for forty years on what I beleive, and most of it has been shaped on the events life throws at us. When my brother died of cancer at 37 years old, I gave up on the "Christian God" that is claimed in mainstream pulpits across America. I grew tired of all the justifications used for the experiences I was going thru. No matter the outcome of my brother's illness, some well meaning religious person had a trite answer. More often than not, this answer was to make god conform to their idea of how he should intervene in my circumstances. Short story long, it just didn't work for me.
Then after the fact, people wanted me to come back to the "fold" and "accept" the outcome that I had been handed. No thanks, I'll pass.
Anyway, the only reason I get in these discussions, other than to antagonize people, is to show the blatant hypocrisy of people who slam on Christianity. Most Americans have some sort of "spiritual side" to them, but they don't want it to be classsified with the group of people who call for the death of homos, bombing abortion clinics, selling of crap on a website in jesus' name, etc....my goal is to show people that their little idea of how to operate in the "unknown" side of life, those experiences that we all have that can't be measured by a hypotheses, is no more "rational" than those in mainstream christianity. It all is merely an attempt to make sense out of chaos.
To beat up christianity but to hold any cosmic beliefs yourself is the height of hypocrisy.
To me, the word "god" is merely used to define whatever runs a person's life. if you are an alcoholic, booze is probably your god. at times, I feel like rock climbing is my god. to others who attend church on a regular basis, their god is the one in the sky that dictates their every move. to some muslim's, their god says kill the infidels.
is there more than one god? in my opinion, yes. but again, that is my opinion, and not something that i can prove either way.
can my belief system be wrong? absolutely.
I have morphed, twisted and turned for forty years on what I beleive, and most of it has been shaped on the events life throws at us. When my brother died of cancer at 37 years old, I gave up on the "Christian God" that is claimed in mainstream pulpits across America. I grew tired of all the justifications used for the experiences I was going thru. No matter the outcome of my brother's illness, some well meaning religious person had a trite answer. More often than not, this answer was to make god conform to their idea of how he should intervene in my circumstances. Short story long, it just didn't work for me.
Then after the fact, people wanted me to come back to the "fold" and "accept" the outcome that I had been handed. No thanks, I'll pass.
Anyway, the only reason I get in these discussions, other than to antagonize people, is to show the blatant hypocrisy of people who slam on Christianity. Most Americans have some sort of "spiritual side" to them, but they don't want it to be classsified with the group of people who call for the death of homos, bombing abortion clinics, selling of crap on a website in jesus' name, etc....my goal is to show people that their little idea of how to operate in the "unknown" side of life, those experiences that we all have that can't be measured by a hypotheses, is no more "rational" than those in mainstream christianity. It all is merely an attempt to make sense out of chaos.
To beat up christianity but to hold any cosmic beliefs yourself is the height of hypocrisy.
Positive vibes brah...positive vibes.
Now Sax - WWJD? That means What would Jesus do? And, JWTH jesus wouldnt think that and, JWKYFA jesus would kick your fuckin ass. And, IYBDTYGTGTHWTROTDMF -if you believe differently then you're going to go to hell with the rest of the disbelieving motherfuckers. The last one doesnt fit too good on bumperstickers though.Saxman wrote:Because it is not a fucking view!! It is called a lack of science classes and brainwashing by parents and religious elders. It is as dumb as parents wanting their children to be taught the world is flat, the center of solar system, and universe. Maybe if they pray harder all of the science books will disappear so their children will bot be swayed by elitist scientists.ElectricDisciple wrote:why are you people so intolerant of others' views?