'Religion' in our lives.- Page 8

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 2:48pm

jasonf--I think the scientific theorists should have just called it "The United Universes of America."

Dang tootin'! Waaaahooooo!

[Sister George]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 2:50pm

Apologies jasonf I misunderstood; they are staring to use the term multiverse to encompass all the universes but I think that's a cop-out and they should have

Universe

and then

Universe 2: Their First Assignment
Universe 3: Back in Training
Universe 4: Citizens on Patrol
Universe 5: Assignment Miami Beach
Universe 6: City Under Siege
Universe 7: Mission to Moscow

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 2:50pm

Fromage-you are the cat's meow!

[jasonf]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 2:50pm

This is God's country after all, is it not?

[KrissySim]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 3:02pm

My question about Christianity:

After we die, we all go purgatory where things are sorted out and then we go to either heaven or hell, right? In this heaven, or hell, we sit around and chat with everyone else who's sent there too, right? Does this mean we'll meet the pre-sapien-sapien hominids?

What language or languages are spoken in heaven and in hell? Are there translators available?

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 3:40pm

Actually, Sister George, my understanding is that Buddhism is referred to as a "religion" in the West because we don't really have a word for what Buddhism really is.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 3:48pm

I thought Purgatory didn't exist anymore, along with limbo.

Once, when I was a kid, my father asked our priest where all the limbo babies now that there was no limbo. The priest opened up the door to the really dank and nasty church basement and deadpanned, "Down there."

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 3:57pm

Sister George---LOL

So does it work like districts in some of the European cities? The lower your universe number is, the higher your rent or mortgage?

Which is the "trendy" universe? I wanna live there.

[Sister George]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 4:15pm

I think I was wrong in my semantic assertion earlier.

As most other religions have a belief in a deity that is my most common association but I think Buddhism would fit in to the 2 and 3rd description of the Oxford English Dictionary of Religion


• noun 1 the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. 2 a particular system of faith and worship. 3 a pursuit or interest followed with devotion.

[Sister George]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 4:35pm

Actually b12b earth did try to get into Universe 54 but I'm afraid Marc Benecke was on the wormhole that millenium and turned us away.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 5:46pm

In Buddhism, one does not exactly "worship."

Please excuse me if I'm wrong here (I don't have time to do any "research" right now. I'm still at work. *sigh*), but I do recall reading the Japanese translation of The Teachings of Buddha in which the editor explained that the word that describes Buddhism in Japenese was less like "religion" and more like "a way of living."

I know that sounds vague, but, again, the emphasis is on how one chooses to behave rather than what a "supreme being" dictates is appropriate behavior. (Am I making sense?)

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 6:28pm

"Actually b12b earth did try to get into Universe 54 but I'm afraid Marc Benecke was on the wormhole that millenium and turned us away."

I'm sure that's where Warhol is, then. Marc ALWAYS let him in.

Updated On: 10/15/08 at 06:28 PM

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 6:37pm

Updated On: 1/12/09 at 06:37 PM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 6:46pm

Gravity is just a theory too. But it's just as demonstrable as genetics.

Gravity is a law. It was just a theory until it was proven as a constant. If you're going to use science as the standard, then all theories- relativity, evolution, and Pythagorean- aren't acceptably proven facts either and should be questioned.

Updated On: 10/15/08 at 06:46 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 6:54pm

You know what a multiverse is?
That damned song form Pacific Overtures "Someone In A Tree".

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 7:33pm

...which leads us back to Sondheim, who is of course the one true God.

And thanks, orangeskittles, for pointing out the difference in scientific terms between theory and law!

[KathyGriffinLovesYou]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 9:26pm

Religion is eating our money. Obama wants to send more tax money to churches. Ridiculousness!
And also there was a church a couple years ago that was allowed to use a illegal and dangerous drug because they "needed it to reach their Lord".
...
A. Wow. You need to be high to be religious.
B. Why do they get the ok?

B leads me to how if you want something or have a ridiculous view and then say "It's my religion" people are fine with it and you get away with it.
Religion allows people to descriminate. You can be racist, homophobic, and sexist and get away with it because of your beliefs.

My black teacher a few days ago says slavery is GOOD!!!!! people asked him why and he said "The bible".

Yahuh.

There was a Christian group at a random university that sued the school because of a rule banning the descrimination of homosexuals saying " It got in the way of their BELIEFS!!!" JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR!!! WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT HAPPENED MY JAW DROPPED OPEN AND I TOLD EVERY SINGLE PERSON I RAN INTO IN THAT HALF HOUR BECAUSE IT STUNNED ME!!!

So YES I am a proud atheist.

And also if a superior being was to exist the name wouldn't be "god". His name would be Bob Fosse.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 9:42pm

k

[soapguy17]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 10:20pm

It really bothers we when non-religious people take the same over zealous, im right and you’re wrong, there’s no way but my way approach that drove me away from religion in the first place. Especially considering there’s really no way for either side to be sure. At the end of the day the basic thing is to each his own. Just don’t force your own on my own.

Sure, Atheists and Agnostics pay taxes for Churches and what now. But, don’t Evangelical Christians pay taxes for studies on stem cell research and the like? Don’t their tax dollars go to things in school like sex education that give children information about action that certain religious people don’t think they should be doing in the first place. If I send my kid to private school don’t I still pay property tax? (Where I live property tax is the one that pays for education) If I don’t have kids and never went to school myself don’t I still have to pay property tax? People pay taxes for all kinds of things they don’t, but can use.

Also, some people are just idiots. A few jerks shouldn't discard any religon. If that were the case we wouldn't be allowed to think about where we came from at all.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:13pm

This has been a fascinating thread!

As a kid I was raised by parents who had "faith" but not subscribing to any organized religion. They did not want me to be influenced by organized religion as a child, and wanted me to "find myself". As a teenager I found myself asking many questions so I started doing research. I went to all sorts of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples. I studied Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, and a few Native American religions. What I found incredible is that each one of these religions taught the same thing, be a good person (A very large majority of these organized religions also mentions a huge flood happening around the same time- just something to think about). The central part to any religion is to be a good person and to LOVE.

Humans have corrupted religion. There are now extremists in all organized religions. Those who are truly religious do not flaunt it, because it doesn't matter.

I believe in some sort of higher power, I do not think it is a man or a woman but it is what I refer to as God. I believe in the TEACHINGS of Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Abraham, Buddha and others because the teach the importance of LOVE.

I believe in an afterlife. I have had way too many experiences with close death for someone my age but I have had many powerful experiences because of them. I can not explain why I believe it but I KNOW it is true, however I do not curse you to hell if you haven't experienced it. I don't know if this is a literal kingdom where we live in a similar fashion to our earthly lives, or if it is our energy floating around.

I DO NOT believe that you have to be a believer to go to the afterlife (or experience "God's" love). If you are a good person that is all that matters. In fact, it is the extremists who will have to answer for what they have done.

I know this probably adds nothing to the conversation, but it is what I feel. If anyone has any questions I will be happy to try to answer them, but I will not force you to believe something and I would appreciate it if you do the same for me.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:24pm

Jacobtsf, what you have is called "faith."

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:31pm

No. It is religion. Religion requires faith, but it is more than that. I pray, I go to church, I follow teachings. But I do not subscribe to the ALL OR NOTHING aspect that most major organized religions have, in fact, my religion incorporates beliefs from many organized religions.

I see the difference of faith and religion like this. Faith is the belief that something is out there/will happen. Religion is a practice. Religion requires faith but you can have faith without religion.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:38pm

Okay then, never mind.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:43pm

No, my fault for not explaining my beliefs more.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:50pm

Nice posts, jacobtsf. I'm glad you've found your faith and religion. Sounds like a very healthy approach to it, as well.