Rsak wrote:I would definitely keep my job right away because the stability would be a good thing as you adjust to the higher income. I don't doubt that after a few years I might decide it is not worth it or change careers, but I would have to do something to fill the time.
Rsak at work. Climbing that career ladder.
Correction Mr. President, I DID build this, and please give Lurker a hug, we wouldn't want to damage his self-esteem.
I would become the leader of the church of scientology and disband the organization.
Or, since that would be a charity case, I’d buy an island, call myself an independent nation and open a scientific laboratory free from ethical restraints.
Or start a freedom from religion movement focused on enlightening the world to the truth about religion.
Ariannda Kusanagi wrote:Religion is one of man's greatest downfalls
I disagree. Religion was our first set of laws. Our first form of government. Look at the bible, etc. It's full of rules about how to handle property disputes, crimes, etc. It even had smart dietary guidelines so people would not eat stuff that made them sick etc. It was the ancient man's guide to life.
Religion was an integral part of our conversion to organized societies. Without it we might still be banging rocks together. And yes this is coming from an atheist. Lots of primitive beliefs contained elements of truth in them. Primitive medicine with it's beliefs about Sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic humors still saved more lives than doing nothing at all. Not to say that that ancient medicine medicine is any more useful today than ancient legal codes, but in it's time it was an amazing leap forward. We have made more leaps forward in terms of laws and diet. We know how preserve many types of food so that we don't have to ban it entirely. We have banned slavery, developed antibiotics, created a court system and contract law, invented maxi pads and myriad other things that make the ancient man's guide to life obsolete.
"A few months ago, I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not." - Ronald Reagan 1987
Oh hey, Xtizu is using a picture of my face. That reminds me of the time I was 15 and we had been talking on EQ and I built some trust and he called me and the first thing he did was jerk off over the phone to my voice. That was horrific.
Well, considering you're bringing up something about another stranger, who you dislike (or maybe you liked him for spanking off while talking to you.. can you clarify that for me), seems you're talking out of both sides of you very large and very obnoxious mouth.
Correction Mr. President, I DID build this, and please give Lurker a hug, we wouldn't want to damage his self-esteem.
Ariannda Kusanagi wrote:Religion is one of man's greatest downfalls
I disagree. Religion was our first set of laws. Our first form of government. Look at the bible, etc. It's full of rules about how to handle property disputes, crimes, etc. It even had smart dietary guidelines so people would not eat stuff that made them sick etc. It was the ancient man's guide to life.
Religion was an integral part of our conversion to organized societies. Without it we might still be banging rocks together. And yes this is coming from an atheist. Lots of primitive beliefs contained elements of truth in them. Primitive medicine with it's beliefs about Sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic humors still saved more lives than doing nothing at all. Not to say that that ancient medicine medicine is any more useful today than ancient legal codes, but in it's time it was an amazing leap forward. We have made more leaps forward in terms of laws and diet. We know how preserve many types of food so that we don't have to ban it entirely. We have banned slavery, developed antibiotics, created a court system and contract law, invented maxi pads and myriad other things that make the ancient man's guide to life obsolete.
I respectfully disagree Klast. The Bible isn't truth and it isn't fact, it was set up by the ruling leaders to make themselves infallible, and there are many stories that didn't end up in the bible because they made Christ look human. how can a human be infallible ? Also the dietary guidelines aren't exactly that. It was about offerings more so then diet, and I fail to see how not eating meat on Friday really has anything to do with the price of tea in china.
I do believe religon has served it's purpose, however I think purpose has outlived Religion, and I think any modern adult who sits down and questions the beliefs that were instilled in them by their god fearing parents is ok, much the same as I believe it's ok to blindly believe in something and better religion then other outlets. I think it's wise for a person to question their beliefs and make sure it IS what they believe, and when they decide that they agree with certain or no aspects of their chosen religion then thats what makes a person at peace. However I despise the forcing of religion down anyone's throat, especially one adult to another and even more so in children. It's good to give children a set of guidelines to follow, however at my girls summer camp (run by a Baptist Temple) they were told "if you're not saved you're going to hell". Promptly my 11 year old wanted to be saved. thats fine in and of itself, but it was summer camp and not a revival. All things considered it was a great summer camp and they had a terrific time, but they won't be returning next summer.
Ariannda Kusanagi wrote:Religion is one of man's greatest downfalls
I disagree. Religion was our first set of laws. Our first form of government. Look at the bible, etc. It's full of rules about how to handle property disputes, crimes, etc. It even had smart dietary guidelines so people would not eat stuff that made them sick etc. It was the ancient man's guide to life.
Religion was an integral part of our conversion to organized societies. Without it we might still be banging rocks together. And yes this is coming from an atheist. Lots of primitive beliefs contained elements of truth in them. Primitive medicine with it's beliefs about Sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic humors still saved more lives than doing nothing at all. Not to say that that ancient medicine medicine is any more useful today than ancient legal codes, but in it's time it was an amazing leap forward. We have made more leaps forward in terms of laws and diet. We know how preserve many types of food so that we don't have to ban it entirely. We have banned slavery, developed antibiotics, created a court system and contract law, invented maxi pads and myriad other things that make the ancient man's guide to life obsolete.
W
T
F
are you talking about???
I don't know where to start with you on this. You're confusing sooo many things and making sooo many unsubstantiated assumptions, you sound like Partha on acid.
Correction Mr. President, I DID build this, and please give Lurker a hug, we wouldn't want to damage his self-esteem.
Lets say my parents were good Christian people, and as an adult I've subscribed to the thought that they aren't incorrect in their beliefs, but that I do not share them
Ok i've decided to continue along this post, as I was considering posting something in a new topic, and I still might, but just to clarify.
I can subscribe to a higher power, however personally I can't believe in a God, one singularly powerful all non being who controls the fates of people and what they do on this Earth and condemns them for the one thing we were never supposed to have... Free Will (Apple anyone ?). I think anything in a highly regimented enough form, with enough fanatics who make it worth killing or dying for is a dangerous thing (this includes other organizations under the umbrella but I'll focus on Religion). I'm partly basing this post on various shows on The Discovery Channel and other such snippets that stick out in my mind that claim there are other portions of the Bible that were never officially recorded, hence why we don't see them today. It makes sense doesn't it ? Likewise the Bible in and of itself was structured by SOMEONE (and The Catholic church comes to mind but i'm not sure thats accurate) and has since been altered and edited some along the way, hence the various versions of the Bible (King James, Life Testament and so on and so forth). The Bible offers stories and accounts written by one particular person on one particular area at a time. Some things, such as the Psalms as more like stories in general, where as other areas are specific to a person or a place or a thing. Mary Magdeline is in the Bible many times, but we never hear from her directly, it's all second hand observations.
Personally I'm more inclined to go along with the belief that there are spiritual powers that abound in life, miracles that occur, but various people see them differently. Some people think a new born baby is a miracle while others think it's cute, but it's just life. Some people believe that if they pray hard enough God will cure them, while others think God decided they should go to Johns Hopkins and get top of the line treatments... those kinds of things. If speaking of myself I'd be more likely to subscribe to the Taoist or Hindi lines of beliefs.
Basically life comes down to one thing however, Treat others as you wish to be treated. I mean simple things that DO happen to be outlined in the bible should be a given... Don't lie, cheat, steal, kill people .. but even then we start to hit the grey areas that I can't align myself to thinking the Bible took into consideration... but partly thats modern times.
I don't condemn ANYONE for ANY specific personal belief, especially when it comes to Religion, but that doesn't mean I appreciate the Jehovah's Witness knocking on my door (or most recently, sending me a letter in the mail) or the people shouting at abortion clinics about how abortion is murder or morally wrong. I don't shove my personal beliefs down anyone's throat and I don't think anyone else should. That isn't going to convince anyone you're right and they're wrong, because people have such strong personal convictions that nothing will ever be settled anyway. I can see that my parents adhere to their moral code based upon their religious beliefs, but I can't necessarily see WHY and they can't tell me. They can simply say "God is the right thing to believe in, and you should trust in HIM for all things". They can't explain to me why they're right, and I can't explain to them why I'm right in not believing the same things as they do.
The genesis of any given religion-- from divine encounter, be it unaccompanied or an epiphany before masses -- up to the establishment of rites of worship, has never been fulfilled by an individual of low social class. Societal controls were unecessary prior to the establishment of walled city civilizations in which a small, oppressive caste of aristocratic priests found themselves lacking the means to control a population hundreds of times larger than themselves, or the army of poorly trained holy warriors recruited to protect them. Ancient religion was an amalgamation of the consolidation of animistic tribal beliefs into a well devised code of laws used to govern the poor (usually slaves), and a tool of oppression which served the aristocracy as a complex means of achieving absolute hedonism. Religion was as unecessary for survival 50,000 years ago to the first men and women, as it is today for the person of any age who chooses to approach a preexistent belief system with intelligent skepticism.
Religion surely is not needed to instill within a man a basic moral code. Everyone is born with that, yes? Somebody above posited that our oldest laws are based on religious edicts/values ... so you must assume that before religion, man killed, raped, etc. since without religion he was unable to practice basic human decency?
I believe in an individual's right to practice their religion without limitation so long as violence is not a means or result of the rite. I do not support the right to advertise or evangelize; if I wish to check out the local Jehovah Witness place of worship, I will google it, then drive over.
Ariannda forwards an intelligent argument, of the kind which automatically offends the faithful among us. Perhaps freedom of thought and free expression of opinion were elided from those ancient laws given to us by religion; my guess: such freedoms were not beneficial tools of control for the aristocracy of the age.
