If common sense and logic are in the realms of reality and religious doctrine deals with the supernatural, then by strong definition your two comments above contradict you in what you say. Of course it makes sense. You're convinced that truth and fact are one and the same thing. They're not. A witness testimony (as an example) under oath is not absolute fact because it can be contradicted with someone else's point of view of the same event. As an example using Jesus: one person's "truth" is defined by having seen Jesus walking on water and thus witnessed a miracle. Another person's truth is that, even though he saw the same event, form a different POV he can see something much different and not see a miracle. They saw the same thing, but in a different context. What they saw is their truth, but the facts gathered from this event can contradict whether what they saw was in fact what either witness really saw. I think then that you and I are actually agreeing but getting muddled up somewhere.
No, they do not. If something is real, it's real. If something supernatural exists then it exists. Someone's perspective on something doesn't change reality. Something doesn't have to be proven to be true. There is a difference between truth and telling the truth. Perhaps this is where our potential misunderstanding lies. A witness testimony may be true in their perspective, from their understanding, but in reality it may also be false. But see, either one of them is right or one of them is wrong. Tis possible. Perhaps it's in the definition of the terms we're using.
I am a born again. It is not important that you have a religion but rather be at peace.this is one of the #1 reasons people start to look at faith. God does not resecpt church or religion. he is a resecptor of faith and looks at the heart of mankind. YOU NEED NOT RELIGION OR CHURCH TO TURN TO GOD OR PEACE AND LOVE. This is absolutely not nesercery. but knowledge is key to attaining life upon the earth. All you need to do is have a firm belief to fall back on. because it is more important to have a solid word to stand on as a place to go for many others things other than what you seek. i know hindus, jews, and muslims. we are all friends. but you must submit youself onto your own affirmations. you must first be a slave to the will of the power then a servant. you can pm me if you have any questions and feel free to do so. i am writing a book on this subject. you do not pick it is given to you in grace. God Bless All who read this.
This seems obvious, but it is not necessarily true. Light is both a particle and a wave, but not simultaneously. If you measure it as a particle, it is a particle. If you neasure it as a wave, it is a wave. The observer does effect what is truth, even in hard science like physics. Therefore different observers in metaphysical matters may find different truths, and still both be right.
This has always been a touchy subject for me. But the way I see Religion and how people should choose which they wish to accept. I see that choice should come from the heart. My In-laws are very strong catholic. And very passionate about their belief. So the only way to decide which religion you choose to accept is down to your own faith. How strongly you believe in the powers that be God etc. I believe we will find out when we die. And I will not spend my time worshipping believing in anything because that’s not my path. I’m not sure what I say has made sense but its one of those subjects I tend to avoid because it’s a prime cause for nasty arguments. ~Raven.
funny, adamant!... but i wasn't really plugging anything, just offering my reply to the question more fully than i have time for in a post... you and i seem to think alike on the issue, however... hugs [sans plugs], m
What do you mean "your path"? What if belief was a required part? What if there is only one way? It clarified things a little, though I'm still a bit shady.
Oh believe me, it's not obvious. I've had many debates and discussions in which the person in question will insist that if you believe it strong enough an apple will become an orange. This fascinates me. However, 1) it's purely theoretical. We don't know enough about it to make such a judgment with good confidence. 2) I think there's a difference between this and truth in general aren't quick on a comparable level.
The point is, religion is, almost by definition, boundless. If even physical systems demostrably have this kind of duality, then it is certainly possible for religious truth to be every bit as slippery and observer-dependent.
Bad phrasing erm. I think the only way we will find out if threes more then it will be when we die. we will either carry on as another type of existence corporeal or meet god or we will simply cease to exist altogether. In honesty that thought does frighten me. The thought of all my memories everything I have seen lived through will cease that scares me knowing my knowledge will cease. I certainly hope there’s more. Then I would need to see proof. Sorry about that but like I said i tend to avoid these subjects usually.
Our very existence is not erased. You live on by your impact on this Earth and to the people around you. We, as writers, have an obvious way to reach our own little version of immortality. While our consciousness may no longer exist, the existential accumulation of our lives can continue through the ages. I began to think a lot about that after playing Metal Gear Solid 2. It focused on the 'reincarnation' of information, memes, which also connected to genes and scene (surroundings influencing our views). Also, in a related matter, reincarnation technically does occur through the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles. That makes me wonder why people use coffins when just burying a body would 'replenish' these nutrients.
I'm not particularly religeous. I tend to sway to wiccan beliefs. When I went through depression, I asked a lot of God and prayed to God but to be honest, I did not feel like there was any sort of response. But however, I have prayed to certain Goddesses and I have pleaded for love to find me which involved a chant night after night and I actually found love. So I knowit's unbelievable and and a knee jerk reaction to say 'yeah, right!' but it's true for me. There also have been times when I have turned my eyes upwards and asked: 'Whoever is out there, the powers that be, I am ready fora joba nd I have recieved a job. It's sounds like bull but I think there is something out there, bigger and better than us all, laughing it's butt off at us. We are little tiny dots in a giant puzzle that we are trying to understand. Maybe religeon was born out of man's fear of death. There has to be something out there right? And I have also attended a potters house church last year. I wanted to start getting out and meet people and there's a nice girl I know that attends the church. However, I did not feel that this was the right religeon for me even though it was right for so many other people. Granted though, there were absolutly lovely people there and I took a lot out of the sermon. On the flipside, I also felt that it was very 'cultish'. Not saying it is, it just seemed that way. I did not feel comfortable. I think people are simply drawn to the right religeon for them. Not because it is the correct religeon all up, but because it calls to them. And I absolutly hate it when people try and push you into a religeon. But anyways, I think that if you actually try to be a nice person, smile at strangers, do something nice! And just plain be a good person and concious of other's feelings and such, you'll be fine. Oh and I have noticed that everytime I do or say something mean, something bad happens to me! I'm not talking struck by lightning, but I stubb my toe or some such thing. So I believe in Karma personally! I mean, we all find out in the end and we'll hit ourselves in the forhead going 'ooooooh!'
Then the notion of gods are not real because they do not exist beyond the mind that has either conceived it or follows the ideal of it. That's why it's called the supernatural. On a separate but connected note, it is said in many mainstream religions that mankind was created in god's image (or a statement to that effect). If we ever come into contact with other world life forms who do in fact possess knowledge beyond our current comprehension, and if they are physically characterised as they have been from so-called witness testimony (small grey bodies, large head with almond-shaped eyes), this then will be another step in proving that the notion of god does not exist. Fairies and hobgoblins. That's a fair analogy of what religion is. And the better way of dealing with all this is to regress/progress it all into spirituality...nothing more. That way it can be handled and even respected in a more open-minded way instead of having to tolerate absurd coincidences* as "truth". *Absurd coincidence meaning that the notion of god is too brilliant in every way that we couldn't possibly comprehend in any known logical way so as not to be able to refute the existence of a god and instead expected to accept the existence of such a supernatural boogieman without question. I recommend people read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. A very insightful book. And getting back the the original post, I recommend that Alice stays away from religion. It causes more problems than it solves. It was useful in centuries past, but we all need something new...not old.
Not really, any more than assuming "his image" looks like Caucasian males and not Africans or Asians. "His image" may have nothing to do with physical appearance, but instead with other attributes like a desire for enlightenment, or compassion, or the need to create beauty.
Cannot rule it out, but the scenario you described cannot itself rule out the existence of God either. For that matter, "in his image" may only be an assumption made by early worshippers, or a misinterpretation of a revelation. It is hardly an essential component of godhood.
A-ha! Knowing that this analogy also pertains to many scripture of [Christianity], can it also be said that there are also going to be many, many more misrepresentations making godhood (of just about any religion) almost completely suspect so as having no point in actually following religion?
No. Invalidating individual aspects does not invalidate the whole central concept. I happen not to believe in any guiding intelligence. But I cannot prove that there is no such intelligence, nor do I believe it can be proven. What I am pointing out here is logical fallacies, or flawed patterns of deriving conclusions from a set of assumptions or observations.
Why not? If one can invalidate every individual aspect of a religion the whole cake comes crumbling down. Maybe not yet. Certainly not a conceivable thing for a million lifetimes to come. But there is always time. Taking away spirituality from the equation here, what you're just described is something religion - certainly what religious people have come to know as intelligent design/creationism - is built up on.
But why did putting someone in a box become so noble? You could just give them a nice ceremony. Or why not a pyramid? Just seems a bit odd that preserving a body -- which should never be seen again -- would be so imperative. Embalming and things like that allow to body to be show during the funeral, so that's understandable at least. Cogito, change your avatar to a mongoose and you will be granted the power to win! But if this god was so real, why was it so eager to show itself then, but seems quite absent with undeniable proof in the modern era? I believe it has just been one embellishment after another with these prophets and such. Also, what about Jesus dying for our father's sins, yet the whole aspect of DNA/genetics... hm.
Coincidence. I don't believe it's healthy to rely on some outside source that technically can't influence you other than you believing in it and you chalking up the good things in life to him/her as if you're some damsel in distress. Using it in that manner seems to just be trying to fill a void that should be repaired otherwise. But it's your life... do whatever the hell you want, you have my blessing.
