BS: Religion

Subject: RE: BS: Religion
From: mg
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 03:44 PM

I came out 100% orthodox quacker, with a couple of high protestant scores..something else..then orthodox catholic and roman catholic at 77%. I am Roman Catholic but not a very good one. I totally disagree with some of the rules, like divorce and birth control. I think the RC churched has harmed many millions of people and the earth itself with these policies and I find it hard to believe religion should hurt people. If I am supposed to believe that I am doomed. I do think religion does good in keeping people in line...we would be way more at the mercy of thugs than we are now without it. I have never found religion to be any sort of consolation at all -- it scares me basically. I think perhaps I am not highly spiritually developed (well I know that) but it sure seems incompatible with being even a marginal Catholic. But I am Baptist on my mother's side and scratch us and you will find druids there somewhere on my father's. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Religion
From: Amos
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 04:39 PM

"Each religion...necessarily contradicts every other religion, and probably contradicts itself...Religions, like languages, are necessary rivals. What religion a man shall have is a historical accident, quite as much as what language he shall speak.
"Supernaturalism," Little Essays, No. 23

"Civilization is perhaps approaching one of those long winters that overtake it from time to time. Romantic Christendom - picturesque, passionate, unhappy episode - may be coming to an end. Such a catastrophe would be no reason for despair."
Character and Opinion in the United States. 1920

George Santayana

Subject: RE: BS: Religion
From: Kent Davis
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 10:43 PM

Dear guest and others who may be interested,
I wasn't offended that you thought I was Protestant; I was just pointing out that I'm not. As you might suspect from my 100% Eastern Orthodox, 100% Roman Catholic, 93% Protestant "score", we differ from the Protestants in some respects. What we are trying to do (I didn't way that we always succeeded...) is to return to the basics that the Roman Catholics, the Protestants, the Copts, the Eastern Orthodox, etc. all agree on. They agree that the New Testament is the basis for faith, so we try to base our faith on the New Testament alone. If the New Testament doesn't address a particular topic, we try to apply New Testament principles, but try to avoid making new rules that Christ or His apostles never made.
We keep our worship simple. In general, our singing in worship is "a capella" as it was in the very early church, as it is among the Primitive Baptists, the Amish, and, I believe, among at least some of the Eastern Orthodox churches. Contrary to rumor, we do not think instruments are bad; we just don't use them when we worship together. (In explaining this, I find it helpful to use analogies: We don't think peanut butter is bad, but we don't spread it on the wafer. We don't think bath oil is bad, but we don't put it in the baptismal water. If these analogies don't help, please ignore them.) We are not a denomination because we don't find any authority in New Testament for setting up a denominational structure. Therefore, we don't have a creed (unless you consider the Bible itself a creed) or an earthly headquarters, and each congregation is independent. Thanks for asking. Hope this helps.

Subject: RE: BS: Religion
From: Little Hawk
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 10:49 PM

It's so much handier to not officially belong to any religion....but to practice spirituality anyway. :-)

Where is my church? Everywhere. Where are my spiritual brothers and sisters? In all faiths and even in none of them. That is the pathway to peace on Earth. Religion does so often tend to divide people. Spirituality unites them.

Subject: RE: BS: Religion
From: Two_bears
Date: 16 Aug 04 - 07:23 AM

Religion -

The awe in which we hold our Ignorance.

Robo: it is safe to say that you have bever found a religion that worked for you.

It's so much handier to not officially belong to any religion....but to practice spirituality anyway. :-)

Where is my church? Everywhere. Where are my spiritual brothers and sisters? In all faiths and even in none of them. That is the pathway to peace on Earth. Religion does so often tend to divide people. Spirituality unites them.

I agree completely LH.

I once heard the following quip which I will share.

"Religion id for people afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for people who have been there."

ANL - 2B

Subject: RE: BS: Religion
From: GUEST,robomatic
Date: 16 Aug 04 - 10:35 AM

"Millions of people long for eternal life who don't know what to do with a rainy weekend"


unattributed due to ignorance.

Subject: RE: Quotes on Immortality
From: robomatic
Date: 16 Aug 04 - 10:42 AM

Deathless, and appropriately logged in, I amend the previous quote with the actual quote and proper attribution:

Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Susan Ertz, Anger in the Sky

and some other quotes:

The average man, who does not know what to do with his life, wants another one which will last forever.
Anatole France (1844 - 1924)


The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever.
Herb Caen


If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )


Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968)


Seek not, my soul, the life of the immortals; but enjoy to the full the resources that are within thy reach.
Pindar (522 BC - 443 BC), 518-438 B.C.



Immortality. I notice that as soon as writers broach this question they begin to quote. I hate quotation. Tell me what you know.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882), Journal (May 1849)


The first condition of immortality is death.
Stanislaw J. Lec (1909 - 1966), "Unkempt Thoughts"



I don't want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it through not dying.
Woody Allen (1935 - )

Subject: RE: BS: Religion
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 04 - 12:14 PM

I don't think that all religion is propaganda, Joe! Most people are drawn to religion (in the usual sense of the word) because of their inner spiritual needs. I am saying, however, that religious wars are usually fought for material objectives (using religion as a rallying cry), and I am saying that most people are more loyal to the buck than they are to anything else...when put severely to the test.

Guest - Yes! It's a lust for power all right. But the way our society is set up, money IS power. Think about it. If you have enough money, then you command power and can have people do whatever it is you want them to do.

Subject: RE: BS: Religion
From: Two_bears
Date: 16 Aug 04 - 04:53 PM

Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Susan Ertz, Anger in the Sky

and some other quotes:

The average man, who does not know what to do with his life, wants another one which will last forever.
Anatole France (1844 - 1924)


The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever.
Herb Caen


If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )


Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968)


Seek not, my soul, the life of the immortals; but enjoy to the full the resources that are within thy reach.
Pindar (522 BC - 443 BC), 518-438 B.C.

Robomatic:

That is NOT a problem with me. I have enough to keep me busy for an etenertity.

ANL - 2B