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Baruch

Americans certainly aren't rational ...

Tue May 15, 2012 18:15

68.91.130.168

it is doubtful that we are as empirical as the British either. At best our empiricism is called American pragmatism, but we haven't had much of that lately. Too many European influenced leaders ;-(

Shalom

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• Baptism by proxy supposedly guarantees a path to ....... — Kasey, Thu May 10 20:08
  the afterlife. This is the reason behind the Mormons in Holland doing this for three deceased members of the Dutch royal family recently, after checking out their birth certificates. It seems it is... more
• • Hubris — clarym29, Fri May 11 10:45
    Typical of the very religious.
  • • More like "cluelessness" (see my post below) (nm) — Frashavan, Fri May 11 13:41
  • This is a sticky subject — MN_Morgan, Fri May 11 10:26
    It does not respect the wishes of the deceased, and it may offend other parts of their family that are still living. My personal opinion is that funerals are more for the living, but that you should... more
  • • Exactly correct on funerals ... — Baruch, Sun May 13 16:48
      but in olden times, membership in a faith was by birth or group membership, not by individual profession of faith. Individual profession as currently understood didn't happen until the Protestant... more
  • I always found that obnoxious too ... — Baruch, Fri May 11 04:34
    but do you know that is Mormonism, a woman believer can't get into Heaven on her own, but has to be pulled by her hair into Heaven, by her husband? Now that is weird. Shalom
  • • the poor Mormon woman who — sai ram, Fri May 11 08:48
      I feel sorry for the poor Mormon woman who died just after getting her chemo treatments....sai ram..
    • It's a pious act — Frashavan, Fri May 11 06:39
      Primarily intended for Mormons to do for their deceased relatives -- some people obviously get carried away -- so it actually fits very nicely with the original meaning of pious. According to Mormon... more
    • • Pious — clarym29, Fri May 11 10:49
        pi·ous/ˈpīəs/ Adjective: Devoutly religious. Making a hypocritical display of virtue. ----I vote for the bottom definition. :))
      • • I also agree with the second definition ... — Baruch, Sun May 13 16:51
          it is synonymous with the perjorative designation "Pharisee" ... in that definition, the pious are the greatest threat to true religion. Shalom
        • Not its original meaning. — Frashavan, Fri May 11 11:41
          Originally, the Latin meaning was "having or showing appropriate respect or regard for parents or elders." From there it came to mean: "having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an... more
        • • And how did that definition change? — Baruch, Sun May 13 16:54
            the Emperor, starting with Constantine, being the ultra-paer-familias ... is the ultimate object of that respect, and like the Pope of today (but not the Bishop of Rome then) ... was the Vicar of... more
          • • Indeed. — Frashavan, Sun May 13 17:39
              Caligula is supposed by some to have refrained from assassinating Tiberius for so long because he feared it would be seen as impious. Of course, it was under Tiberius that prosecutions for sacrilege... more
            • • Yes, almost all of us are Romans now ;-( — Baruch, Sun May 13 18:10
                Supposedly, like the death of Stalin, the death of TIberius, was a convenient opportunity. Tiberius had been sick to death, but kept on reviving, but a pillow solved all that ... it was so... more
              • • Monotheism is fraught with contradictions — Frashavan, Mon May 14 07:59
                  Christianity moreso than other forms of monethism. One thing I am sure of -- and this is not the Latin teacher speaking -- Rome will outlive us all. It is the prototype to which all later Western... more
                • • I quite think the Chin-alikes ... — Baruch, Mon May 14 09:52
                    will give the Rome-alikes a run for their money, literally ;-) The triple headed religion of China was only manageable, because like Rome in both its pagan and Christian forms, religion was... more
                  • • Private religion is a curious thing — Frashavan, Mon May 14 20:36
                      Since religion is, by its nature, a social activity, can any religions actually be private? Or are the totalitarians correct and all attempts at being private are, necessarily, subversive?
                    • • Totalitarians are correct ... — Baruch, Mon May 14 21:20
                        Rome objected to all private clubs, because that was how you got private Mafia going, in competition with the public Mafia. Christians fell into that legal violation ... because the consequence was... more
          • I know — clarym29, Fri May 11 12:05
            I couldn't help myself, I just had to make that statement. :))
          • • I think most Mormons are quite sincere about it — Frashavan, Fri May 11 13:40
              I think they think they are doing a good deed. One of the things that happens when you adopt a certain mind-set is that you fail to understand how deeply offensive it can be to others. It reminds me... more
            • • Jewish people, unlike Catholic Poles ... — Baruch, Sun May 13 17:02
                didn't collaborate with the ultimate enemy (as did many other Catholic populations), nor did they rejoice after the war that their hated interior out-group had been ethnically cleansed as the Poles... more
              • • The "getting rid or bit >>>>Israel then and today! (nm) — Kasey, Mon May 14 03:10
                • • Salafists believe (not all Muslims) ... — Baruch, Mon May 14 07:23
                    that the continued presence of Westerners, not just Western military, is an existential threat. Back in the day, the Catholic Church, from Pope Leo on down, promulgated that republics and democracies ... more
                  • • It's rather obvious that the Vatican.... — Kasey, Thu May 17 20:48
                      anted to be the keeper of peoples' morals but contined to not bother with its own. Regards, Kasey
                    • • What was true of pagan Rome before Constantine ... — Baruch, Thu May 17 21:23
                        continued in Christian form after Constantine. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We are all, in the West, in Rome. Capice? Shalom
                      • • And as for thr Mithras legions? (nm) — Kasey, Sat May 19 05:44
                        • • Indirect relationship ... — Baruch, Sat May 19 16:02
                            Mithras was an exclusive cultus, not unlike Masonry. It didn't ever try to be universal, except among Roman military officers and NCOs. Masonry of course was rife all thru the British Army in the... more
                • The Poles also turned on the Germans after the war — Frashavan, Sun May 13 17:34
                  Nor do I doubt that, had the situation been reversed and the Nazi hatred of Poles had been a higher priority than their hatred of Jews, that many Jews would not have handed over their Polish... more
                • • Buddhists would say ... — Baruch, Sun May 13 18:06
                    greed, hate and delusion ... to be overcome by generosity, patience and wisdom. The later three are harder to do, not just less profitable. The world is a disorganized crime syndicate because of... more
                  • • More exampls of religion at its worse? (nm) — Kasey, Thu May 17 20:39
                    • • Actually I have learned a lot of practical psychology ... — Baruch, Fri May 18 06:44
                        from Buddhism. It lends itself to that. As far as Catholic Poles go, I don't have hard feelings, I just don't share their myths. Unless you count ethnicity as a religion, even if Polish Jews and... more
                    • Not much different in the New World — Frashavan, Sun May 13 18:57
                      The tribal boundaries are hardening, here. Just look at North Carolina. :(
                    • • You can identify the Republicans ... — Baruch, Sun May 13 19:36
                        by the boar tusk thru their septum ;-) Shalom
                      • • The guys in Congress get the clip-on ones from The Gap. (nm) — Frashavan, Sun May 13 21:17
              • And that is the entire problem! — clarym29, Fri May 11 14:35
                Religious people especially feel it is good to substitute sincerity for good sense or reason. Hitler was sincere in his hatred for Jews-----so what? being sincere goes not go for much with me. Maybe... more
              • • Correct, serial killers as far as I know, are quite sincere! (nm — Baruch, Sun May 13 17:04
                • You would prefer hypocrisy? — Frashavan, Fri May 11 17:41
                  I do see your point: sincerity is no guarantee that what you are doing is inoffensive. In fact, it might be a flag that the reverse is the case. Still, in a plural society there will always be people ... more
                • • Hitler had other willing parties to do his dirty work ... — Baruch, Sun May 13 17:06
                    and even Himmler threw up, when Jewish brains got splattered on his precious uniform when we went to witness Babi Yar. Shalom
                  • No, but... — clarym29, Fri May 11 18:54
                    Too often, when somebody says, "I'm sincere in my belief that......", basically means that I should not waste my breath trying to put for reasons to disagree. I will matter not. And others will... more
                  • • English is a miserable language ... — Baruch, Sun May 13 17:08
                      what you mean is integrity not sincerity, and what you mean is common sense not reason. Reason is mostly that castle in the sky philosophy the French and Germans often do, like the Euro currency.... more
                    • • And Americans don't?...Of course! (nm) — Kasey, Tue May 15 17:55
                      • • Americans certainly aren't rational ... — Baruch, Tue May 15 18:15

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