OCRT Forum - Perhaps a religion without works ...

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Baruch
Perhaps a religion without works ...
Tue Mar 6, 2012 13:29
67.66.94.58

does deserve the title of being a mere cult. There have been a few of those. But I think without works, they don't last much past the founder. Shakers for example, are mostly noted for good furniture. If they had been a major movement catching the wave into the future, or a major source of counter-culture to ameliorate all the negatives from modernity ... they would still be big, because people would have good reason for joining up.

Shalom

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THE WAY TO HEAVEN — mark 42, Mon Mar 5 09:57

Do you have the peace of sins forgiven, and a hope beyond the grave? We need to be prepared to meet God before it is too late. Are you ready? If you died today, do you know if you would make it to... more
mark 42 — blilith, Tue Apr 10 06:00

Dearest, Do you just push out your cant or quotes from your book, or actually post something that is meaningful and helpful to this group. You should not be here you seem to be intolerant of any... more
ONLY JESUS SAVES! — THEWAY2HEAVEN, Wed Apr 11 01:54

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. My calling from the Lord is to spread the truth that there is only one path to heaven! ... more
The way to heaven — blilith, Sun Apr 8 11:41

Dearest, Why do you have to post the same thing, everywhere, do you not have thought in your head other than quotes from your Bible. Think for yourself. Write a constructive message why people should ... more
Y'know... — MN_Morgan, Thu Mar 8 10:58

I used to hand out tracts too (when I was still a little baby in Christ and didn't know how to talk to people still), so I stopped doing that because it didn't do a bit of good for anyone. My faith... more
Re: Y'know... — Mirage, Thu Mar 8 22:51

Evolution for me. Learning about it just blew me away. I know that must seem very strange to some people who feel evolution and religion don't mix. I sometimes tell them well, maybe God works in... more
Biochemistry is awesome evidence ... for those who can see (nm) — Baruch, Thu Mar 8 16:51

VIKE: An excerpt from the Elain Plagels book — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 17:23

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203753704577253611876502848.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read By ELAINE PAGELS The Book of Revelation is the strangest book in the Bible, and the most... more
Revelations is about hoped for destruction of Rome ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 23:28

by Jews with the aid of Persia. It elicited notions of Christian super-cessionism to reconcile Gentile Christianity with its message of the the rewarded martyrs of the Twelve Tribes. When it talks... more
Re: Revelations — MN_Morgan, Thu Mar 8 10:32

I know full and well what the document was written for, but if you dig anywhere, you can find a buried treasure all your own. I can find the outermost, the outer, the inner, and the secret if I look... more
Agreed. One can overdue the reductionism — Frashavan, Thu Mar 8 17:26

One thing that give scriputres significance is their applicability to a wide variety of situations. That can be, often is, strained, but it is real.
You are a person who knows ... — Baruch, Thu Mar 8 16:58

Jewish Bible interpretation is four-fold. Peshat, Remez, Drash and Sod .... Literal, Allegorical, Comparative and Esoteric. And acronym spelling ... Pardes ... the original Persian word from which we ... more
I'm still learning... — MN_Morgan, Fri Mar 9 11:16

how to not catch my own reflection and stare at it till I grow into the bank. I've already had to uproot myself a few times.
Like the wandering yucca trees in the animation, Rango? (nm) — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 12:44

Never saw it, but I assume so ;D (nm) — MN_Morgan, Fri Mar 9 13:11

Just part of the great deception! (nm) — Kasey, Tue Mar 6 06:24

Shouldn't you capitalize The Great Deception? (nm) — Mirage, Tue Mar 6 07:34

Kasey being a contratian, perhaps it should be ... — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 07:41

...tHE gREAT dECEPTION. My, doesn't that look odd??
Was your mind, like amny others, religiously formatted — Kasey, Wed Mar 7 04:47

early on to be receptive to the mythology and superstitious doctrines, dogmas and beliefs promoted by religion? [esp. the bits where some god or other said this or that]. How anyone can say that one... more
One of the few lasting insights that Karl Marx ... — Baruch, Thu Mar 8 17:01

came up with, are "alienation" and "false consciousness". What I don't get, if you are fully skeptical, is why you aren't worried that your consciousness isn't as free as you think it is. And yes,... more
If teachung children about ethics and morality... — Kasey, Sat Mar 10 07:11

is also referred to as indoctrination....then so be it....and tolerance and understanding of others is certainly part of it. But being aware of the prejudices that the different religions inculcate... more
You are not the only one who observes ... — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 09:16

or matures. Again ... if you are alienated ... and you are ... how can you say you are not in a state of false consciousness? I know about this ... being subject to alienation frequently. Shalom
If Atheism gives rise to alienation [as you assume].. — Kasey, Sun Mar 11 09:30

it is because theists have difficulty handling the concept that their beliefs about the claimed existence of a diety may be without a firm foundation! Regards, Kasey
Beliefs? — Baruch, Sun Mar 11 14:59

Sounds like a faith, not reason to me. Next time you ... have difficulty reasoning, without assumptions, please share. By being different, and by choice no less ... from the average people of your... more
I don't. It's called faith for a reason. (nm) — Mirage, Sun Mar 11 09:40

Just don't advocate that poetic devil ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 13:47

e e cummings. No caps allowed! Shalom
Re: Kasey being a contratian, perhaps it should be ... — Mirage, Tue Mar 6 07:46

Actually a book with that title might be a best seller. It's really attention getting, and rather clever symbolism.
Vike: Interesting article on Neo-Atheism — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 06:00

http://www.newstatesman.com/religion/2012/02/neo-atheism-atheists-dawkins although, "Two atheists and two agnostics were eating in a restaurant" sounds like the beginning of a joke, I think Appelyard ... more
Reading all of it, and many comments as well ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 14:18

I found it an interesting summary of the last 20 years of atheism (post-Soviet). One must remember how many "fellow travelers" there still are in Europe, even England. And yes, assuming the secular... more
Re: Vike: Interesting article on Neo-Atheism — Mirage, Tue Mar 6 07:21

I sort of saw this coming years ago. We are in a period of radicalization in general. It's particularly inevitable this would happen to atheism and factions would arise because atheism has never been ... more
Which would you consider preferable...... — Kasey, Wed Mar 7 04:59

the massive mosque which was proposed but thwarted, opposite the new Olympic stadium in London for this year's games, or this Atheist temple being proposed instead? Regards, Kasey
Both Muslims and Atheists have a right to build buildings. — Mirage, Wed Mar 7 13:50

Some people might feel both were a threat. I don't. I'm afraid I am not familiar with why the mosque was denied. If it was because it's a mosque and not for other reasons such as parking issues, I am ... more
That's fine to think that way..however — Kasey, Thu Mar 8 06:17

in the case suggested, one is a statement of supremacy in your face, showing that Islam is here to dominate and eventually conquer whether you like it or not....the other is for a meeting place for... more
Re: That's fine to think that way..however — Mirage, Thu Mar 8 22:54

I disagree that the purpose of a place of worship is necessarily to proclaim dominance. Maybe they just want somewhere to pray. I am sure there are people who will object to the atheist temple using... more
Who are you trying to kid other than... — Kasey, Sat Mar 10 07:19

yourself....it wasn't others different religious fanatics that blew up vehicles in London recently as part of a world-wide campaign of terror., the very location of what was proposed. Are you aware... more
Kasey, are things ok where you are? — Mirage, Sat Mar 10 18:58

You seem very distressed lately, and it's starting to worry me. Are there hate crimes going on where you live? Do you feel you are in danger there? I am asking because if you need to get away for... more
Thanks for the advice and I sincerely hope... — Kasey, Sun Mar 11 09:46

that you medical condition improves esp. with faith in yourself and a positive attitude to your own health no matter how difficult things become. I'm a realist to world events and call them as I see... more
Oh no, that's so sad — Mirage, Sun Mar 11 10:21

I first heard of dugong when I was reading a book about the animals mythical creatures may have been based on. It was a book for kids, and I read that the dugongs may have been the basis for... more
That was very compassionate ;-) (nm) — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 20:05

Several us are very stressed lately. — Mirage, Sat Mar 10 22:47

Frashavan with the family health problems, you and me with our own health problems, and maybe I'm just more sensitive to these things now because I am so stressed myself, but Kasey seems even more... more
Perhaps only a N American Mormon theocracy ... — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 09:25

would cure you of your obsession with Muslims? The followers of Caliph Umar want the same thing as the British Empire (now known as the American Empire). Can you blame them? Shalom
Faith in any falacy will only lead to insecurity! (nm) — Kasey, Tue Mar 13 06:39

There is very little human belief ... that isn't false — Baruch, Fri Mar 16 18:11

in the most advanced form of Mahayana Buddhism, even Buddhism is recognized as not true ... but also as not false. A hammer is a tool, it isn't true or false. But ideology and theology are also... more
Re: Who are you trying to kid other than... — Mirage, Sat Mar 10 08:13

People who do that are criminals, but when homegrown terrorists here blew up buildings in Oklahoma city, we didn't decide not to allow any Christian churches to be built nearby because some of those... more
Your one in the USA was a one off and — Kasey, Tue Mar 13 06:45

anything to do with Ireland was as much RC v's Protestant as it was Irish nationalism and neither was on a world wide jihad campaign to enforce their will. That does need to be remembered.... more
You fashion the question ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 16 18:15

to get the answer you want ;-) It is true that neither the Catholic Irish, nor the Protestant Irish aim for world conquest. But the Catholics (and my implication the Catholic Irish) are determined... more
Re: Your one in the USA was a one off and — Mirage, Wed Mar 14 02:39

It wasn't actually a one off. Other similar plots were stopped before they could be enacted and there have been efforts to make the materials used to create these types of explosions more difficult... more
It is well known for example ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 16 18:24

that the Bush family has deep ties with the Saudi royals. This is why, while still President, George W was referred to as "our boy in the WH" by the Saudi royals, and George W in fact danced for his... more
Believers in vast conspiracies ... — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 09:29

see the evidence they want to see, based on their loves and hates ... including who was really behind 9/11 perhaps? Lots of conspiracy theories there ... and Kasey isn't even considering those... more
Would any political or religo/ideological group.... — Kasey, Tue Mar 13 06:51

that behaved and claimed supremacy over all others in a similar way to militant Islam and its derivatives, provoke a similar response in you if you became fully aware of it and understood its long... more
Of course I would oppose any supremacist ideology ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 16 18:03

whether secular or religious. Any proper Jew would, and any improper Jew who would support even Jewish supremacy ... is an enemy of people in general and Jewish people in particular. We have had 5000 ... more
If I have any — Mirage, Sat Mar 10 19:38

they would be about Big Pharma, and I do try to select neutral sources and also read what their own companies say, not just testimony of patients alone. But yes, I do think there is a lot of... more
Temples aren't just social ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 06:53

they have a way of bringing out our sense of the numious, which is hard to do when you are cleaning the cat box ;-) Shalom
Numinous ... (nm) — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 06:54

Unitarian Universalists ... — Baruch, Thu Mar 8 17:05

have their own congregations, and I think you would enjoy some of them ... because some are quite humanist, while others are more Indian influenced. But notice under conditions of free association... more
In France? — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 03:16

I don't think so. Lots of Muslims there and I think they are more powerful than in her country. She might like Alaska if the weather wasn't a problem for her. English speaking, and I don't think... more
Perhaps atheists don't tend to congregate ... — Baruch, Wed Mar 7 16:58

because each is a rugged individualist, that came to atheism, each by their own route ... and therefore have nothing in common other than either being anti-religious or indifferent to religion.... more
Actually — Mirage, Wed Mar 7 18:14

I have certainly seen instances in which atheists wanted things removed from schools, and my own parents had me excused from a Nativity play once by asking that I be allowed to play one of the... more
I think you miss the fundamental point that..... — Kasey, Thu Mar 8 06:32

once a child's mind has been formatted to be receptive to a particular set of religious ideas and doctrines, it is pre-conditioned to not think otherwise. That's what makes Christianity, Judaism,... more
alright then,... — Mirage, Thu Mar 8 23:00

I believe you were probably exposed to this stuff as a child and perhaps you even were religious at some point. How did you escape then? Every single atheist I have known personally was raised in... more
For once, in this different setting and... — Kasey, Sat Mar 10 07:33

application, the saying "The Truth will set you free" can be applied to all who have moved to Atheism. Since most societies at present in the trend of historical reckoning, most peoiple still live... more
Progression is as much a myth as regression ;-) (nm) — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 09:20

Re: For once, in this different setting and... — Mirage, Sat Mar 10 08:45

Well, I won't disagree with you that secularism is on the rise in Western nations. Religious and spiritual practitioners sometimes are not safe in secular societies. For example you can be arrested... more
China today is like Rome back then ... — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 09:23

all private association, outside of the family, is politically suspicious. And in Rome, with justification. The cross-road and pub associations, along with the chariot racing guilds, were quite... more
Catholic to Wiccan makes sense ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 06:52

I won't be as catty as I could be here ;-) Catholics perhaps still have wonder and magic in their views ... not as realist and dry as the Protestant view. Shalom
What...as to how Mary intercedes with her god? (nm) — Kasey, Sat Mar 10 07:34

Well ... intercedes with her husband ;-) — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 09:18

Mary is Shekhinah, after all, and also named Hokhmah. The daughter is Ruach HaKodesh. There are four in the divine family, not just the two, father and son. But then to see that, one would have to... more
Re: Well ... intercedes with her husband ;-) — Mirage, Sat Mar 10 17:36

I think it upsets a lot of people that religions evolve over time. Also some people feel any syncretism discredits the entire faith. Mary to me is more of a reflection of the Shekhinah and the Hebrew ... more
Yes, people have strange ideas ... — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 20:12

mostly Platonic, that it isn't real, if it varies (heterogeneous) or it changes over time. This is a kind of clinging that the Buddha warns about. Or Heraclitus warns about, who also talked about the ... more
Re: Catholic to Wiccan makes sense ... — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 10:46

It's interesting you should say that because of all the places I have worshipped the least dry and most wonder inspiring sermons I have heard were at a little Presbyterian church here. If that... more
The right clergy ... is everything ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 12:43

I only go to the synagogue I go to, because of the rabbi. I could meet the other folks outside of worship if I needed to. I suppose that by design, Catholic clergy are more cookie cutter ... but in... more
Well that is factual ... — Baruch, Thu Mar 8 17:08

imprinting was pretty well proven by Konrad Lorenz, though he did cause the neighbors to stare while waddling around and quacking, while leading ducklings around. I don't think it is reasonable, to... more
Long but good article ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 06:50

will have to read it more later. Initial impressions ... the idea of an atheist temple is curious, but the same guy who proposed that says ... "religion is too important to be left to believers" ...... more
Mark 4:2 — wolf, Mon Mar 5 23:47

"And he taught them many things by parables, and said vnto them in his doctrine," mark 42 you are what I call a hit and run artist....you'll post something and then not stick around to explain or... more
if Jesus — sai ram, Mon Mar 5 17:48

if jesus died for our sins...what do we have to worry about?....and just what does this mean Jesus died for our sins...if we still can go straight to Hell?......sai ram.
Easy to understand in Hinduism/Buddhism ... — Baruch, Mon Mar 5 20:10

each deity has a "vehicle", usually some kind of natural or fantastic animal. It is the deity's transportation, but also symbolizes its character. Just like in the book/movie Golden Compass. I do... more
Is your message for everyone, or just Christians? — Mirage, Mon Mar 5 17:25

Hello there. I am a Christian but I wasn't always a Christian and when I read this post I thought back to how I would have seen it before I was a Christian. If you are interested in non Christians at ... more
Good, and a few more — Frashavan, Mon Mar 5 20:09

If God knows everything, then surely He already knows if I am saved or not. Why is he going through this elaborate charade of having me choose? How can I make a choice, if God already knows what my... more
Just as contradictory as many Koranic verses! (nm) — Kasey, Tue Mar 6 06:26

Of course ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 13:42

but if you had studied logic, then you would know that mere non-contradiction is not enough to find truth or profundity. Bad axioms undermine the whole structure, and most tautologies are trivial.... more
Now that is why St Augustine of Hippo said .... — Baruch, Mon Mar 5 20:27

Hell was made for people who ask questions like that! Probably because those are questions the clergy have a hard time answering. I was married to clergy, and I can tell you from first hand... more
The theologians and philosophers ruin... — Frashavan, Mon Mar 5 21:07

...faith and religion, both. They want to be clever, and impute to god all sorts of things that are no where attested. One of the things I find most hilarious about "Bible-believing" protestantism is ... more
Well that is the fault of the Renaissance ... — Baruch, Mon Mar 5 22:03

is it not. Brought all those non-Christian Greek and Roman writers back into vogue ;-) Without the Renaissance (starting with Petrarch) and printing, there would be no Reformation. And without the... more
In part, but that would let Catholic Orthodoxy off the hook — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 08:12

They, also, share the pagan/philosophical conception of YHWH... but, of course, they have lots of extraneous influences. Identifying them was the main concern of the Protestants; a case of straining... more
The requirements of nascent nationalism .... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 13:25

required some kind of repudiation of Catholic internationalism. So excuses would have been made ... even if as insubstantial as the E Orthodox crossing themselves opposite to the Catholics. Since... more
One sees that most clearly in... — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 15:46

...Lutheranism and Anglicanism, both of which managed rapprochement with Eastern Orthodoxy, by conveniently overlooking all the things that RC and Orthodoxy have in common. A case of "the enemy of my ... more
At one time during the Christian-Muslim conflicts .... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 23:42

of the 16th century, the French and Venetians were allied with the Ottomans. But the Germans caught up to that, in the 20th century. Shalom
The French were delusional and the Venetians opportunistic — Frashavan, Wed Mar 7 07:57

At that point in time, allying with the Ottomans was a foolish thing to do, since Europe was in real peril. By the time the Germans did it it was foolish for a different reason, since the Ottomans... more
Germans were most negatively impacted ... — Baruch, Wed Mar 7 12:20

by Papal interference in German affairs, and in particular under Charles V (who was in power when Luther broke free). If the German Emperor hadn't been a Spaniard trying to out-Catholic the Italians, ... more
The Devil is in the details ... in any religion ... — Baruch, Mon Mar 5 20:06

Also in the past, I also benefited, by reducing my scope, to just red letter words in the NT I was reading back then ... and then having done that, expanded from there. Jesus centered understanding... more
Deception unlimited! (nm) — Kasey, Tue Mar 6 06:27

Not necessarily ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 13:41

one can be both honest and mistaken ... or honest and variant (when truth is hard to nail down). Not everyone is dishonest, or even latitudinarian when hardness is required. Shalom
Re: The Devil is in the details ... in any religion ... — Mirage, Tue Mar 6 03:56

I think it was good for me to learn on my own. It meant that if I didn't understand something I had to research it. It meant that I didn't have anyone summarizing it for me in a way I might not have... more
I love you for that! — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 06:03

You wrote: " I met the one that wants me to feed His sheep. That there is "works." I also read that part about faith without works being dead." Thanks for saying that...but, more importantly, thanks... more
Re: I love you for that! — Mirage, Tue Mar 6 07:44

Thanks, I wish I did more about it than I have. I think maybe life without works is dead. I don't think a person has to be religious to understand. Religion though...I know Buddhism, Judaism, Hare... more
Perhaps a religion without works ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 13:29
To be fair, the Shakers had their good works taken away — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 15:51

They used to provide a lot of social support -- orphans, abandoned families, the indigent elderly and sick, etc. Between the State taking over some of these jobs, and preventing others (such as... more
I Agree — Mirage, Tue Mar 6 21:09

Works to the Shakers took many forms, and indeed I feel that they felt/feel that hard work itself is a form of works. I am not going to dismiss the beautiful crafts they made as meaningless because I ... more
The recent electoral emphasis on sexuality ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 23:40

isn't bizarre at all. It is all about oppressing non-straight people, and women and children. Something that conservative men of all colors and class, can agree on. No one can be superior, unless... more
Re: The recent electoral emphasis on sexuality ... — Mirage, Wed Mar 7 00:31

I actually can't agree with you that the Republican party elite has been particularly sexist in my lifetime. Condoleezza Rice remains the highest ranking female politician we've ever had. The... more
I used to be a feminist ... — Baruch, Wed Mar 7 06:35

but the female political leader, including Ms Rice, are like men trapped in the bodies of women. Margaret Thatcher in particular. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Now if you want to argue... more
Re: I used to be a feminist ... — Mirage, Wed Mar 7 08:57

Well in 1975 the Republican party was where you'd find most of the open atheists, all that past godless commie rhetoric aside. Engineering and science was where it was more possible to be atheist... more
Well can we judge feminism ... — Baruch, Wed Mar 7 12:42

by femi-nazi extremes? Also Black women consider White women to not be true feminists either, because they are not true minority ... they are treated as country club feminists, by their Black... more
Feminism — MN_Morgan, Thu Mar 8 11:30

There are those that want to castrate every man for being male, but feminism is not even remotely a dualistic issue, but a vast gradient of grays. The feminist blogs I follow on Tumblr just want the... more
Re: Feminism — Mirage, Thu Mar 8 23:16

I don't consider myself a feminist. I do think women should be paid equally for equal work. I do think women do just fine in the Israeli army. I do think women have a right to say no, and so do men.... more
You do make a point. — MN_Morgan, Fri Mar 9 11:06

Perhaps I am the one sexist here. :D
Nah — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 12:40

I don't think you're sexist. Men are often afraid to complain about mistreatment they suffer. It's considered unmanly, and because of that it's often invisible. It never occurs to most people. You... more
Both sexes won't admit to abuse ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 12:57

though of course the most common kind is verbal or emotional. Men are just better at being stoic ... though women hide nearly as well ... I think the woman to woman communication is more open than... more
Re: Both sexes won't admit to abuse ... — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 13:33

Abusers tend to corner the victim, same as any bully. I was bullied a lot in school because I was very small and sickly and I got good at avoiding places I could be cornered but not everyone has had... more
That is fair, and neither feminist nor sexist ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 07:04

while it isn't OK for men to whine about their condition, we are routinely discriminated against, by other men, for many reasons other than gender issues. Men are competitive and militant, and don't... more
Well respect is to be expected ... — Baruch, Thu Mar 8 17:37

but not given as often as it should. But that should be because of shared humanity, not because of a particular gender. I also believe, that women objectify men as well, though of course in a gender... more
Re: Well respect is to be expected ... — Mirage, Thu Mar 8 23:37

I got kind of sick of being a piggybank too once. :( When you said women objectify men I thought until I read further that you were referring to sexual objectification, and that does exist. That... more
"father's looks and the mother's intelligence" — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 06:59

Now who is being sexist ... hmm? Your personal anecdotes show good self awareness, and hence are precious. Yes, even handsome men, are not as beautiful as plane looking women ... in the eyes of both... more
Re: "father's looks and the mother's intelligence" — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 10:54

No, the father's looks and mothers intelligence is not my personal idea, it is what geneticists have been saying for a couple decades now. I keep up with that stuff in honor of my mother. My sister... more
I was speaking as a male ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 12:48

but since all women are part male, it has to partly apply to them as well ;-) Just ribbing you? I tend to think my daughter looks like her mother, and her mother says our daughter looks like me ...... more
lol — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 12:59

I went to yuppie/trad schools. The dads were all cleanshaven and GQish, even the Jewish dads.
And why those findings are interesting... — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 11:25

Rich men like Donald Trump often marry models or beauty queens. Famous models and actresses often go for rich guys even if they have a lot of money themselves. Think of Diana. If these findings by... more
Well I think evolutionary psychology is bunk ... — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 12:52

aka E O Wilson "we are all ants now". "our culture is urging us to match pretty women with rich older men" ... that is because all the research is payed for by rich old men. As far as cougars go ...... more
"Cougars" — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 13:59

Men have dated women that much younger than themselves forever without many eyebrows being raised. Some people do this for vanity reasons, but I think some of these matches are just that the two... more
My rule is plus/minus 5 years (nm) — Baruch, Fri Mar 9 19:01

That would rule out my marriage. — Mirage, Sat Mar 10 00:14

Why is it anyway that the term cougar only applies to women? My husband then is what animal? I am out of touch with the latest terms.
Women redefine words in their favor ... — Baruch, Sat Mar 10 06:20

or use nicer words than are used for men in similar situations. Sweat vs perspire. So being nice but parallel ... how about lion? Shalom
Not always a bad thing at all — Mirage, Fri Mar 9 13:19

My mother had fertility problems, and it took her many years in order to have a surviving child. She was 39 when she managed to have me, and 41 when she had my sister. My sister was the healthier one ... more
That's because... — Frashavan, Wed Mar 7 07:48

...all our politicians know that the military situations they keep creating are untenable and the political situation really doesn't justify military intervention, and they don't want to let the... more
I get a hint from Panetta ... — Baruch, Wed Mar 7 12:24

that given the potential doomsday budget cut on Jan 1, if it impacts the military, we might be suspending civilian rule here. Have we learned the lesson of waiting until it is too late, to... more
The fruits of secularism — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 08:15

And I don't mean the caricature that chat-show radio hosts go on about. If you live in time, in the world, then you inevitably spend more effort "where you live" so to speak. I think it's likely... more
Modernity is still the primary religion in the West ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 13:37

that is why fundamentalism has sprung up everywhere, to resist it, and particularly the secularism and materialism that go along with modernity. But with post-modernity, what is that? I can only see... more
Well, you may get to see that when Mitt gets elected (nm) — Frashavan, Tue Mar 6 15:47

It was Joseph Smith's prophecy ... — Baruch, Tue Mar 6 23:31

not long before he was lynched, that the Mormon Church would become the State Church, with himself as King rather than President. Monarchism and megalomania, have never been very popular in America,... more
There's some evidence he had himself a secret coronation — Frashavan, Wed Mar 7 07:51

Actually, as your constitution is founded on a French misunderstanding of the British constitution (unwritten), it would work quite well as an arrangement for monarchial government, with only a small ... more
Shh ... don't give the monarchists ideas! (nm) — Baruch, Wed Mar 7 12:45

Good quotes, but what do they mean? — Baruch, Mon Mar 5 16:14

Who am I? Who is G-d? Who is Jesus? What does salvation mean? What is life? What is death? Salvation is related to salve, a ointment or medicine. If salvation comes thru Jesus, then Jesus is a kind... more
Nice (nm) — Mirage, Mon Mar 5 17:26

But not as nice as you ;-) — Baruch, Mon Mar 5 20:02

I am mellowing in a good way. A month off from the negativity of daily Internet! Now more of a brandy than a whine ;-) Also reaching a high level of bodhisattva vow the last couple of years helped.... more
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