Lease this WebApp and get rid of the ads.
Baruch
I agree on all of that ...
Wed May 30, 2012 21:40
67.65.251.72

there is something quite pre-Jewish about Christianity, even without the Buddhist imports. I have to think of snake cults in Babylon perhaps, or even earlier to Gilgamesh. I think you are right, when Christianity came to America, then freed further by the American Revolution, it was free to manifest its deepest secrets, all covered up in European Christianity, by the institutional Church.

Shalom

  • God is almost omnipotent. He has many limits. Omnipotent is defined in part as having power or authority without limits IOW, almighty. Seems to me that God has a few limits. He cannot reproduce true. ... more
    • vike: Geesai ram, Wed May 30 12:20
      Gee I wonder how this tragedy could have been prevented?.....I wonder?........ more
      • Re: vike: GeeMirage, Sat Jun 2 02:02
        Not sitting down next to it. That was probably interpreted as a predatory gesture by the snake. Big predators often sit next to the prey and play with it. If a giant sat down next to me, I'd probably ... more
      • Re: vike: Geeipirate2, Thu May 31 08:56
        Education is the only tool against stupidity. Regards DL
      • Momentary lapse of faith?Baruch, Wed May 30 19:13
        or example of the adage, that if you can't be a positive example, you can at least be a negative example ;-( Shalom
        • ...but, honestly, I find it one of the most interesting manifestations of American religiosity. To the extent that I think that Joseph Smith rediscovered the patriarchail strain in the YHWHistic... more
          • snakes and strychnineMirage, Fri Jun 1 11:09
            Hmm, kids growing up in California usually are made to handle or care for non-poisonous snakes at some point as part of nature/bio studies. My experience with snakes is, they really like warmth, and... more
          • I will saysai ram, Wed May 30 22:42
            I will say that the handling of dangerous snakes in Church would be much more entertaining than the same old boring Masses I grew up with in the Catholic Church....but being entertained in Church is... more
            • Only Goths ...Baruch, Fri Jun 1 03:19
              should go to a Gothic cathedral ;-) Shalom
          • I agree on all of that ... — Baruch, Wed May 30 21:40
            • I still keep wondering...Mirage, Sat Jun 2 04:42
              why when people discuss this stuff, the potential influence of African slaves' possible contributions to American Christianity is never ever mentioned. I mean, people discuss Mexican Catholicism very ... more
              • Racism!!!! (nm)Kasey, Tue Jun 5 17:55
              • I have a good book on thisFrashavan, Sat Jun 2 17:21
                "Trabelin' ON: The Slave Journey to an Afro-Baptist Faith" http://books.google.ca/books/about/Trabelin_on.html?id=M_nPDsNDSTQC&redir_esc=y It's a fascinating read. I suspect that there are many... more
                  • ...the absurd reverence that Americans have for the KJV, and for the written word of YHWH in general? A transference from the Koran, perhaps?
                    • Really don't think so.Mirage, Sun Jun 3 07:32
                      The reverence for the KJV specifically I think has more to do with beauty of language. Not everyone likes the language. I know Susan isn't a fan and Jefferson hated the KJV enough to write his own... more
                      • simply because it sounds anachronistic ;-) thus the love for the Vulgate even among those who don't know Latin. Shalom
                        • Latin has a nice soundMirage, Sun Jun 3 08:57
                          There are so many bits of Latin in English I do suspect most people who like it get the gist of a lot of it anyway. Old sometimes symbolizes the eternal for people, too.
                    • the Outre-Mere people, the Crusaders who weren't military tourists, came to know the Muslims and Jews quite well. Some of that insight got back to W Europe. Religion was quite competitive in the... more
                      • Can Partially ConfirmMirage, Sun Jun 3 07:54
                        I have an ancestor who was in Jamestown, and he did apparently belong to a secret society referred to as The Enlightened but that may not have been the actual name of it. I am not sure how long it... more
                        • my wife and yousai ram, Mon Jun 4 08:49
                          my wife is a descendant of Myles Standish....since he was a co-founder of Jamestown...you two could be related.....:)......sai ram
                          • NiceMirage, Mon Jun 4 20:23
                            I'm not directly descended from him but I too think it's very likely we're related. Small world, eh? :)
                          • I think you mean Plymouth (nm)Baruch, Mon Jun 4 20:06
                            • i'm badsai ram, Mon Jun 4 23:16
                              and history was my minor in College...well the founder of Jamestown had the first letter in his last name the same anyway with Mr. Standish.........sai ram
              • US is still ante-bellum ;-(Baruch, Sat Jun 2 06:40
                The reason why Southerner's drawl, is because of being raised by African-American slave nannies, who are more or less Gullah. I think that African-Americans have made a very positive contribution,... more
                • YeahMirage, Sat Jun 2 08:25
                  It's a shame their positive contributions cost them so much and others so little.
            • Deepest secrets??? please explain! (nm)Kasey, Thu May 31 00:49
              • Any institutional religion ...Baruch, Thu May 31 06:26
                has a foundation myth, assumptions that are unrealistic and unquestioned, sometimes not even articulated (at least by laity). One of these is ... our religion is unique. Another is .... our founder... more
                • Unquestioned assumptions???>>>? (nm)Kasey, Fri Jun 1 02:27
                • atheism clarym29, Thu May 31 10:20
                  Seems to me that there are sects within atheism as well. I'd venture to guess that each atheist has their own unique view of the universe, much like every theist having their own unique god. This is... more
                  • Re. Not knowing for sure.....Kasey, Tue Jun 5 18:08
                    It's existence is as likely as taking all the individual parts of a model train locomotive,putting them in a sealed box so none get lost, and shaking them about and hoping that they will all fit... more
                    • Hmmmmm.....a little confusedclarym29, Wed Jun 6 11:00
                      Is this analogy for or against the existence of god? Some people seem to be confused by seemingly huge odds. Some suggest that god has to exist since humankind could not result from random events;... more
                      • People are notoriously poor ...Baruch, Wed Jun 6 18:39
                        in estimating risk ... and probably any other probability. An actual quantum computing expert has taken all the visible atoms (each as a quantum computer) of the visible universe and the 13 billion... more
                  • It was rough for me.Mirage, Sat Jun 2 01:55
                    I still think agnosticism is the most rational position, but I am not patient or accepting person. I had difficulty with giving up the search. I wasn't able to commit to it on a longterm basis. So I... more
                    • Something was never rightsai ram, Sat Jun 2 17:36
                      Something inside me was never really right when I gave up believing in a Higher Source years ago.....some kind of yearning to know..to seek was always there...in my younger days the seeking to find... more
                      • It was against my nature.Mirage, Sun Jun 3 03:32
                        Really in my case it was cynicism, grief, depression, bad reasons. I think some people just do not have that urge to look for God. I sort of like people like that because they tend to ask me really... more
                      • In Hinduism there are four stages ...Baruch, Sat Jun 2 20:43
                        the student, the householder, the renunciate, the forest dwelling hermit. I am in the process of going from #2 to #3, which was accelerated by my divorce and the growing up of my daughter. If the... more
                        • Well forget aboutsai ram, Mon Jun 4 08:43
                          Well forget about being a forest dwelling hermit.....where ever you went to be a hermit....you would find beer cans and plastic bags........sai ram
                    • the culture we are in. Humans in general, and Americans in particular infuriate me. If I get into the group rituals (Memorial Day ... actual observance) I do feel better about it all. I am not... more
                  • by taking the Middle Way, you are at least implicitly Buddhist (not indulgence nor ascetism) or Delphic (Nothing in Excess). Shalom
                    • Well, I must admitclarym29, Thu May 31 13:37
                      I had not thought of it quite that way. I guess I am not conversant enough in Buddhist thought and know little to nothing of Delphic thought. I guess it is time for a little research.
                      • Alan Watts on Mahayana Buddhism ....Baruch, Thu May 31 22:37
                        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4phzx2XOL0M Two parts, from 1960. Shalom
                      • Secret of Delphi ...Baruch, Thu May 31 17:23
                        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_US9tSBJFE&feature=related Been to Delphi twice. The Pythia (priestess) made responses in a drugged trance to questions put to her by Greek government officials.... more
                  • Agnostic is healthyFrashavan, Thu May 31 11:28
                    I think it describes someone who is being thoroughly rational (Hitchens and Hawking and their ilk are, simply, wrong in castigating people who use the agnostic label). We simple cannot know; there is ... more
                    • I think there is a misperceptionMirage, Sat Jun 2 01:34
                      I have been at various points in my life, atheist, agnostic, and religious. My father and I agreed that agnosticism was the most rational position. We were both frustrated with being unable to commit ... more
                      • was the epitome of rationality for over 2000 years. And is one of the finest products of the human mind. Maybe not the same kind as a good novel. You have an interesting view of agnosticism. I think... more
                        • It's difficult to be entirely honestMirage, Sat Jun 2 08:06
                          It was transitional for me I suppose, but I was agnostic (and atheist) for unhealthy reasons. Some people seem to have healthy rational reasons and I think those are the ones I have known that stay... more
                          • Unable to handle death?Baruch, Sun Jun 3 08:53
                            Whether theist or atheist ... that sounds like bluster. Can anyone who isn't pathological or an undertaker, really handle death? Shalom
                            • yessai ram, Sun Jun 3 11:58
                              some of the enlighten ones can....the ones who can peer thru the veil of life and death and see its all one....some children can.....the greatest chance of doing this ...is to be at peace....but most ... more
                            • I'm dancing on the border lately.Mirage, Sun Jun 3 09:08
                              A lot of times I am fearing living much longer more than I am fearing death. I do still fear suffering, though.
                              • If you loose your sight, prepare ...Baruch, Sun Jun 3 09:17
                                memorize a favorite poem or paragraph. I nearly lost my sight 8 years ago. Shalom
                                • I am losing it.Mirage, Sun Jun 3 09:19
                                  Memorization is hit and miss for me now. I used to have a near eidetic memory. Then I had one too many concussions. Text to speech is nifty, though, when it works. :)
                    • persistentclarym29, Thu May 31 11:45
                      Frashavan, I agree with your assessment, basically. When push-comes-to-shove, and I am pressed, I claim the agnostic label. Can't prove one way or another. But I am not surprised that the soft... more
                      • hmmMirage, Sat Jun 2 04:50
                        As a panendeist or panentheist, I don't see God as an easy answer at all. Whatever Divinity is, if He/She/They/It exist(s), I can't comprehend. For me God is not an easy answer, but a lifelong quest... more
                        • The easy partclarym29, Sat Jun 2 09:47
                          When I refereed to the 'the easy part' that is when a person of whatever religion or philosophy gives over their thinking to a hierarchy who then feeds them the answers. It is simply easy to agree... more
                          • Most of our ancestors were illiterate ...Baruch, Sat Jun 2 10:40
                            we don't have that excuse. Shalom
                            • Like most literate people you...Frashavan, Sat Jun 2 17:34
                              ...overestimate the prevalence of literacy. People routinely estimate that less 1% - less than 5% of the population is illiterate. But anyone who's looked into the problem knows that it is about 20%... more
                              • Yes, and we discount them immensely. (nm)Mirage, Sun Jun 3 01:06
                              • One of the greatest good deeds ...Baruch, Sat Jun 2 20:46
                                is to volunteer to teach people to read. So much more important than TV. My teaching Hebrew is a special form of that. Shalom
                                • I've been involved in reading programs a couple of times, despite my dyslexia. Actually, my dyslexia was what qualified me. The kids I was asked to help were dyslexic, and the idea was to have older... more
                                  • Require internet auto-pay?Baruch, Sun Jun 3 09:14
                                    Yes, I wouldn't like that. I avoided auto-deposit of my paycheck until last year. The paper check kept getting deposited late! I don't allow any auto-withdrawls from my accounts (with the exception... more
                                    • Am thinking of some othersMirage, Sun Jun 3 09:23
                                      Irish, Native Americans, Aboriginal Australians, for example. Many lost languages and many lost cultural history.
                      • Simple answers to complex questions ...Baruch, Thu May 31 12:38
                        persist, because most of us are simple minded. The sophisticated merely insist on a more complex answer, but that doesn't mean it is a better answer. Shalom
                        • Rube Goldberg increasingly seems to beFrashavan, Thu May 31 16:20
                          ..the prophet of modern times. It's a poor choice. To the average person, on the average day, it matters not one iota if the Earth revolves around the Sun, or vice versa...to say nothing about how... more
                        • I am basically an advocate of.......clarym29, Thu May 31 14:30
                          the KISS system--keep it simple stupid. and I try to do that.
            • Monotheism for pagansFrashavan, Wed May 30 21:50
              Almost One good, but we'll cut it a bit, because that vintage is too strong for most to swallow neat. People today think that they have "discovered" something in saying, "Oh, Jesus is just Adonis. "... more
    • Wellsai ram, Tue May 29 20:57
      God is omnipotent compared to his creation......but since God is beyond our undertanding...we can't understand His true omnipotence including limits......I would think God is limited in that He... more
      • Re: Wellipirate2, Wed May 30 09:50
        If beyond our understanding, then how can you say "God is omnipotent compared to his creation". You would have to understand him and his power enough to compare to us. Regards DL
        • Correct!Baruch, Wed May 30 19:14
          This is the danger of a glib answer ... spoken hastily, but retracted at leisure. Shalom
        • God is simply......clarym29, Wed May 30 11:24
          the answer to everybody's "why????". That's why god for every single person is different from any other. God is set up to answer those questions that come up for us, from "Why is the sky blue", to... more
          • Very wise ...Baruch, Wed May 30 19:16
            there are only better questions and worser questions, there are no good answers. Better gods represent better questions. For example, why should I accept Federal Reserve Notes as money? Few are able... more
          • Re: God is simply......ipirate2, Wed May 30 16:33
            I agree that to many, all they have is a God of the gaps. Being a Gnostic Christian, I do not believe in a hierarchy between myself and the Godhead so yes, to some extent, we all create our own God... more
            • Heavenly hierarchy ...Baruch, Wed May 30 19:25
              is the product of institutional religion in a hierarchical society. That is the great lie, G-d is directly available to all, without intermediary. Shalom
            • Re: God is simply......clarym29, Wed May 30 18:29
              As I understand it, Gnostics come in different flavors and stripes. And I also understand that they have a much looser organization that most Christian sects. My point is that any religion that has a ... more
              • Re: God is simply......ipirate2, Thu May 31 11:38
                "....we all create our own God in our own image. As it should be." Could you expand upon that for me? God cannot be followed. He is not here to lead. What is here are the various rules and... more
                • Okayclarym29, Thu May 31 14:57
                  Yeah, that sounds like what happens inside for me as well. If something is wrong, it is simply wrong because deep inside something that I've instilled there tells me that it is wrong. And it matters... more
                  • Re: Okayipirate2, Thu May 31 15:03
                    This Gnostic Christian is pleased to serve. I took this theology/phylosophy all to way to apotheosis if you have an interest in a pure anecdotal rendering, please read on. The Godhead I know in a... more
                    • Thanks.clarym29, Thu May 31 15:15
                      I will think more on what you shared. I like it on first reading and identify with quite a bit of it. Maybe I need to blend Buddhist thought with a bit of Gnostic thought........
                      • Re: Thanks.ipirate2, Thu May 31 15:29
                        Thanks. Seek and ye shall find. When you do, learn from it, file it, raise the bar and seek anew. If not, you idol worship yourself, so to speak, or whatever you found. Regards DL
                        • Couldn't agree moreclarym29, Fri Jun 1 18:41
                          I believe that--absolutely, without a doubt. Once you chisel something in stone, that is about the time the stone shatters into tiny pieces. Just about the only saying that can be treated as... more
                          • Re: Couldn't agree moreipirate2, Sat Jun 2 14:58
                            Yes and life would be quite boring according to the writers of Shangri-La stories and suicide would become a good way to pass the time. Regards DL
                            • Holy men are a special breed ...Baruch, Sat Jun 2 20:47
                              for Orthodox Jewish men, Heaven is spending eternity in yeshiva with the greatest rabbis (or even Moses), studying Torah. Geeks ;-) Shalom
                        • I agree, three kinds of people ...Baruch, Thu May 31 21:48
                          those who don't seek, those who seek, and those who find. I find the first and the last to be mistaken. Shalom
                          • Re: I agree, three kinds of people ...ipirate2, Sat Jun 2 15:01
                            Do not be surprised if I write an O P on this. I love to plagiarize my friends. Imitation is said to be a compliment. Regards DL
                          • Seekingclarym29, Fri Jun 1 18:43
                            It is a most difficult lesson to learn that no permanent answer lasts.
                          • might be another oneMirage, Fri Jun 1 11:35
                            I think I may have met someone once who got found somehow. He was one of those people who would probably have been considered "touched" in the Middle Ages. Will not forget him.
                            • hey...sai ram, Fri Jun 1 22:04
                              good to see you back!.....we all probably have been considered a little touched by someone at sometime.....being touched is in the eye of the beholder...sai ram..
                              • Re: hey...Mirage, Sat Jun 2 01:59
                                Good to see you, too. Yeah, it's hard to interpret.
                            • Well,clarym29, Fri Jun 1 18:47
                              Welcome back. "Touched"--we are still dealing with these. And not always successfully. They are surrounded by much fear mainly because we do not understand them or what is happening to them. As we... more
                              • Re: Well,Mirage, Sun Jun 3 08:54
                                Sorry it took so long to answer this. I am still having reading difficulties and trying to keep up. Yes, people do fear the touched. In the Middle Ages there were a variety of responses. In some... more
                            • Good point ;-) (nm)Baruch, Fri Jun 1 17:07
                          • Re: I agree, three kinds of people ...ipirate2, Fri Jun 1 10:33
                            + 1 Regards DL
                • That is a rather Jewish position ;-) (nm)Baruch, Thu May 31 12:33
                  • Re: That is a rather Jewish position ;-) ipirate2, Thu May 31 14:05
                    Buggers stole my position. LOL. Those darn Jews seem to always have been brighter than Christians. Just not quite as bright as Gnostics like me. LOL. Constantine's church tried to kill us all and... more
              • Adding ...Baruch, Wed May 30 19:27
                your comment about Orthodox/Roman Christianity, may unfortunately be correct. I pray for their renewal into a living flexible organization, courtesy of the power available from their avatar. Shalom
                • Yes...clarym29, Wed May 30 19:33
                  it is unfortunate--but i feel in this I am right.
          • Whilesai ram, Wed May 30 12:14
            While some scientists believe most if not all the "why's" will be all answered in time...I think the more we answer the more we find out we don't know......the "why's" probably go on to infinety... more
            • view comes from observation of all the evidence in its variatious in practical form. Regards, Kasey
            • Ambition is dangerous ...Baruch, Wed May 30 19:19
              particularly if we think we have accomplished our ambition. The scholarly ambition is to know and understand. But the wise know and understand, that this is a fool's errand, though being a fool isn't ... more
              • Aks CeasarFrashavan, Wed May 30 21:33
                The noble Brutus hath told us that Caesar was an ambitious man, And Brutus is noble. So are they all!
                • Nobility is a tricky word ...Baruch, Wed May 30 21:44
                  in Latin it meant "new money" aka the Equites, not the Patricians. I think a better word would be honor. The Roman Republican public office process was the "cursus honorum" or ladder of honor. The... more
              • For most of ussai ram, Wed May 30 19:38
                for most of us if not all.....not being a fool or foolish isn't an option....from what we eat...to where we go and what we do....and all things in between....some of us have the part down... more
            • Yepclarym29, Wed May 30 12:23
              The "why's" cannot be answered, which is why god will never die. And I agree, the "world" is viewed through the eyes of each person in a different manner---much like god is also viewed differently.
              • perhapssai ram, Wed May 30 15:35
                while you might not believe God is the answer to some of the "why's"....I do accept this as an answer to a lot of the questions...I like answered "why's" alot more than unanswered ones....even if I... more
                • Short version of the Book of Job ...Baruch, Wed May 30 19:21
                  Job: Why? G-d: Because! Shalom
                  • And that is the crib-sheet for sure,Frashavan, Wed May 30 21:36
                    Though, I think people miss the point that Job's comforters' explanations are useless at best, and disingenuous clap-trap at worst. Even were YHWH to speak to you from out of the whirlwind, would you ... more
                    • Depends on if you are Chosen ;-)Baruch, Wed May 30 21:47
                      For Elijah, G-d was the small quiet voice, but for Job the Gentile it is tough love ;-) Shalom
                      • Elijah is a scary dudeFrashavan, Wed May 30 21:54
                        He certainly inquired to closely after god's privity. I wonder if the story of him ascending to heaven in YHWH's chariot is a thinly veiled refernce to the other prohpets having murdered him, because ... more
                        • True, not my favorite prophet ...Baruch, Wed May 30 23:29
                          Elisha was much tamer. John the Baptist modeled on Elijah, Jesus modeled on Elisha IMHO. As far as Romulus goes, it is dangerous precedent to found the Mafia. Shalom
                • Well, maybeclarym29, Wed May 30 18:23
                  One of the hurdles I had to make in becoming an adult is accepting the fact that sometimes there is no way to know "why" and simply accept what is. "But my favorite aunt got cancer, why?" "Who... more
                  • There is a Russian/Jewish parable ...Baruch, Wed May 30 19:23
                    One bad thing leads to another ... but in the end it is revealed that all these bad things, are good. It is my hope that G-d is a Russian Jew ;-) Shalom
                    • once againclarym29, Wed May 30 19:38
                      In reality, there is not really any bad or good things. Bad and good are labels. And we cannot know the extent of whatever happens or what the ripples of that thing really is or isn't. I find it best ... more
                      • Accepting what is but moving on ...Baruch, Wed May 30 21:31
                        is what I mean by realism. To me idealism is the inability to do that, because reality is either too negative or not positive enough to suite us. On the negative side, we tend to become an armadillo... more
                        • Oh, I seeclarym29, Wed May 30 21:38
                          semantics, then. I agree. If I don't accept what is and become prepared to move on, then I will simply be stuck, emotionally, in whatever emotion (usually negative when we talk about things like... more
    • Christians redefine what "is" is ;-) (nm)Baruch, Tue May 29 17:03
Click here to receive daily updates