There have been a lot of threads on religion lately...

[rasputin1952]

I find it somewhat disparaging that many of these threads move toward a 'bashing' of those that express their beliefs. In some instances, I have seen baiting in some threads, and this practice I find particularly offensive.

There is a phenominal amount of talent at this site. It is one of the few places where I have, (arguably), not found any real idiots. People come here for diverse reasons, but I do not think any of those reasons are masochistic in nature.

My point is this, like a fine Lady stated in a previous thread, we should all be able to DISCUSS religion just as we discuss other items of interest.

One other item of interest in religion threads, humor is important. Just because a thread is religious in nature, does not mean it should be devoid of humor. One of the great horrors of zealot driven aspects of religion, is an obvious lack of humor. I used to call this the "Protestant Ethic", 'If someone is smiling, then BY GOD, they are guilty of something'!

There are many out there that think God might not have a sense of humor; if this were so, why is the planet left to the likes of us?
Face it, as a species, we pretty much suck.

O8) :evilgrin:

[greenwow]

1. Yes there have been a lot.

The religious zealots never seem to get tired of trolling. I guess the only good thing is that when those people are here, they aren't going door to door and disturbing us in person.

[Lurking Dem]

4. Speaking fo trolling....

nt

[FoxNewsIsTheDevil]

5. no kidding

nm

[rasputin1952]

24. I too, despise door to door 'evangelizing'..;

regardless of the faith.

One day, I will follow one of these individuals home, and knock on their door to expound upon the greatness of flatulence.

Many people feel the need to 'get souls to God, so they can be in a better position in heaven'. Doesn't work that way, never did.

The simple explanation in any religion, is to have the courage to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Those that enjoin others in convolusive conversations waste not only their own time, but the time of the 'target' as well. Let others seek their own truths, the world will be a better place for it.

[opihimoimoi]

2. As a Species, the challenge is to mature so as to be ready for Prime Time

As we gaze over the Planet and see what is wrong, we immediately realize there is no Peace.

Big sign

we not ready for Prime Time.

We so involved with ourselves we cannot see the big picture.

Sad, Pity, Tragic, Poho(Hawaiian for "waste")

[rasputin1952]

13. Hi Opi!...

Long time no see!

:hi:

[quinnox]

3. There have been

a few, the atheists seem to have been on a mission lately for converts.

[Clete]

6. Not me.

All I want is for the Christians and others to keep their beliefs out of my government, my schools and my property.

I do believe that separation of church and state protects religion by preventing any one religion from taking over, or atheists from taking over like they did in Soviet Russia.

Other than that I respect what other people believe and their right to practice their religion in peace.

[quinnox]

10. That's a good way to think about it

I think it is kind of pointless to talk about it on an internet forum, myself. It goes into a circular argument no god/yes god that is never resolved.

[rasputin1952]

15. Hey, I agree!...

seperation of church and state is a given with me, And I am a Christian.

The 'others' bother me just as much; about the last thing I want to see is ANY religion being foistered upon the public by the gov't.

[Sophree]

16. As a liberal

I've always thought that belief in separation of church and state goes without being said, but maybe liberal Christians need to speak up about it.

:shrug:

[Clete]

22. Yes, the lines of separation are being blurred.

I don't think our Attorney General is honoring this part of the Constitution.

[rasputin1952]

33. The Atty General...

and the rest of the current administration, hasn't honored ANY part of the Constitution, and I don't think they ever will. These are people without honor or integrity.

[alaine]

7. I shouldn't respond to this, but I'm gonna.

I never go on those religion threads; I think it's an age thing, I know what I believe, so I see no point wasting time debating it on the internet.

However, when I see a thread on here like the anti-gay-day thread posted earlier, I feel like a victim of religious persecution by fundamentalist Christians. This makes me angry.

I'm also not an atheist.

I am practicing tolerance when it comes to religion. I am very interested in anthropology, and once someone reads the same version of a creation myth or flood story in culture after culture, the truth starts to creep in. I just want to put my point of view in here as someone who thinks most organized religions are political systems designed for the purpose of denying God and holiness to gays and women and animals and anyone else God is not said to have created "in his own image". However, if anyone wants to believe this, that's there business. I don't really care, so long as they don't try to cram their holy hierarchy of bigotry down my throat.

[trof]

14. I usually don't either.

But I would submit that similar versions of myths don't necessarily mean there is truth in any. I think there could be a certain amount of copy-catting.

Just my humble opinion.

If I were to be a theist, I think I would be most content with Greek or Roman pan-theism (do I have the term right?). I'd kind of like a little, personal household god I could literally get my hand around.

I agree with everything else you said.
peace

[alaine]

20. I submit that your submitting what you submitted was

exactly what I was trying to say with out actually saying it. That was the truth I was referring to. I really don't want to elaborate any further because it's nothing less than a paradigm shift for some to find remnants of their creation myth in a culture that existed previous to the date their religion has unscientifically designated as the beginning of time. I don't want anyone to explode or anything, as some people are really tightly wound where this is concerned.

[rasputin1952]

26. WOW...

I am impressed. I would love to just sit down and talk top you about anything!

What a command of the language. I am humbled. Thank you.

[trof]

29. My submission

was subornated by subliminal subjigation, I would submit.
whew

[rasputin1952]

17. I honestly believe that...

people should search out their own truths. Religion is a personal thing; and as long as the belief system that a person accepts doesn't involve the intentional hurting or maiming of living, (or dead things for that matter), things....I have no problem with others beliefs.

Enjoy life...seek your own path, and be as tolerant as is humanly possible. No problem.

[Terwilliger]

8. yes, we make up false deities when we can't explain something

There are many out there that think God might not have a sense of humor; if this were so, why is the planet left to the likes of us?

You answer your own question.

[FoxNewsIsTheDevil]

9. Quit assuming you are right

[Sophree]

11. God definitely has a sense of humor

"There are many out there that think God might not have a sense of humor; if this were so, why is the planet left to the likes of us?"

Why else would conservatives be called "the right" when they are so obviously "the wrong."

This is one of my favorite lines, especially when speaking to conservative Christians. What can I say, the devil makes me do it. :evilgrin:

Rasputin, I really appreciated and wholeheartedly agree with your statements in the other thread.

I don't know if you've been around DU a lot recently, but there was a moratorium on religion threads for a while. They were starting to get really hateful, divisive, and ugly.

I hope it did the trick, it seems like it's a little better.

[rasputin1952]

19. I tried to stay away from the religious threads...

precisely because they were getting so ugly, hateful and spiteful.

Seems to me, and I might be wrong about this; religion should salve wounds, rather than open them and force salt into them.

Tolerance is such a wonderful state of mind. I lose it occasionally, as I've said before, I haver no tolerance for rapists, murderers, child molesters and hypocrites. But for all the others, we need to discuss our differences, not beat the tar out of each other.

Seek truth...it dispells ignorance.

[ulysses]

12. "Face it, as a species, we pretty much suck."

I don't think that's exactly true, and I say that from a humanistic point of view.

The irony is that there is little that is more human than the need for answers - some to questions that science hasn't yet answered, some to questions science can't answer. As an agnostic I've made a kind of peace with the latter, but I still ask.

To my mind, calling myself a humanist very much involves the acceptance of what goes into being human, including, in many cases, faith. I was very sick for a while when I was a kid and my mother's faith helped her to get through that, so while I don't think that God made me well, and while I don't know what would have happened to her faith had I died, it's not really my place to try to deny her that comfort.

Anyway...

[Sophree]

18. Absolutely

"To my mind, calling myself a humanist very much involves the acceptance of what goes into being human, including, in many cases, faith."

Sometimes I feel and have even said here that we all could use a little more faith in humanity, faith that the good in humanity can overpower the bad.

[rasputin1952]

21. Thanks Uly...

You made me think there for a moment.

Perhaps, because we have the capacities to rationalize, communicate,
experiment and come to conclusions, yet too often we fail to use those traits for the betterment of our species; is why I stated "we suck'.

But I failed to realize that the capacity we have for compassion, love, sacrifice and faith, are some of the things that make us such a fantastic species. If only we could bypass the dark lineage we have, we just might actually begin to work for the betterment of others, as well as the planet we live on. Many are trying, but their efforts, far too often, fall short.

In any case, whether it was divine intervention, your mothers faith, medical expertise or pure force of will; I am glad you pulled through, the world is a better place for it.

[ulysses]

25. we simultaneously suck and are pretty cool

:)

Human, all too human...

[buddhamama]

30. some are more suckier than others

but that's a good thing because it helps the recognition of the pretty cool ones easier.

btw, agree with you on the previous post.

i,too, consider myself a humanist and have faith in my fellow humans.

[ulysses]

31. I keep thinking

of how I turned up as Alexander Hamilton in the the lounge thread about "Which Founding Father Are You" a while back. The explanation included words to the effect that "I'll never lose my faith in the people, no matter how confoundingly stupid they can be". :D

[buddhamama]

32. once again we're one the same page

i was Alexander Hamilton too.

:loveya: you're definitely one of the cool ones.

[Sophree]

23. Actually your name reminded me of the Indigo Girls

song "Closer to Fine." I'll post them here, because I think the chorus is appropriate. "There's more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked line..."

A friend told me recently that the verse with the line about Rasputin actually refers to a college Philosophy Professor who had a "poster of Rasputin" hanging in his office. I assume he was a thorn in her side of some kind.

CLOSER TO FINE


I'm trying to tell you something about my life
maybe give me insight between black and white
and the best thing you've ever done for me
is to help me take my life less seriously
it's only life after all
yeah

well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
and lightness has a call that's hard to hear
I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it
I'm crawling on your shores

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
there's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line
and the less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
the closer I am to fine
the closer I am to fine

and I went to see the doctor of philosophy
with a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
he never did marry or see a b-grade movie
he graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
got my paper and I was free

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
there's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line
the less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
the closer I am to fine
the closer I am to fine

I stopped by the bar at 3 a.m.
to seek solace in a bottle or possibly a friend
and I woke up with a headache like my head against a board
twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before
and I went in seeking clarity.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
yeah we go to the doctor, we go to the mountains
we look to the children, we drink from the fountains
yeah we go to the bible, we go through the workout
we read up on revival and we stand up for the lookout
there's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line
the less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
the closer I am to fine
the closer I am to fine
the closer I am to fine

~Indigo Girls, words and music Emily Saliers

[rasputin1952]

27. Thanks...

I had never heard that before. And now I am inclined to find the piece, the words are great...noiw I need to hear the music!

Thanks again!

[Sophree]

28. It's a great song!

A classic- I think you'd really like it.