Bean! Glad to see you here...Religion? jeepers - one of the three forbidden subjects in civil conversation...my views? >click< -- Eddie Pedantic Gasbag Discussion Group

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 00:12:12 07/20/01 Fri
Author: gumtree
Subject: Bean! Glad to see you here...Religion? jeepers - one of the three forbidden subjects in civil conversation...my views? >click<
In reply to: Magenta 's message, "The Guy Upstairs with a beard" on 16:38:19 07/19/01 Thu

I was also not really taken to any specific church - early on, I remember occasionally going to Sunday school, which was largely an experience in coloring pictures and being bored to death by the ten minute "teaching." Later, my Pa took my sister and I to a local Presbyterian church for a year. After one particularly trying experience which made my sister cry, Pa stopped taking us. Mum was Church of England, originally - and pretty much became a semi-athiest. Pa went through the whole process of becoming a Friend (Quaker) - and then one day he got asked the Main Question - "do you believe in the Divinity of Christ?" I've never gotten a straight answer from him on what his response was - I note that he has not attended any Quaker meetings that I know of - but mine was "Erm, nooo..." which meant "come back when you are thinking differently."

Old Testament - a collection of stories, some beautiful, some oral history writ down - that all have a "lesson" - be good, follow the rules, and the boogie man wont get you, and you will live forever. The basic element of all religion.

New Testament - since we're talking about Testaments - another collection of stories, with modified lessons - written over 300 years after the events being described.

Jesus was a man, with a stunning vision. One of the "draws" of early Christianity was modification of Judaic Law. One important one required circumcision (at any age of conversion). At the time, this was a very dangerous practice, as it could prove fatal (sanitary conditions were not up to modern medical standards). Early Christians (who called themselves Jews, also - was quite a while before they thought themselves separate) did not require circumcision. So much for man-made rules - I sincerely doubt that a Creator would require self-mutilation.

Buddha was a man (and I admit freely my information is not nearly complete here - an y insight would be appreciated). Mohammed was a man. Joseph Smith was a man. Ghandi was a man. Yes, I include Ghandi - whatever constitutes a "holy" person, he had it, too. I do not believe that any of these men had a close personal relationship with "God" - more a clearer vision of "what its all about."

Wait, I got more....I enjoy this!

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Okay here's the story of Buddha, coz I DID study that one, in college of all places CLICK HERE. -- spoot, 01:32:43 07/20/01 Fri
- Oh I forgot to mention that Buddha is not a name, it's a title, like teacher or wise man or enlightened one, I forget which one.... (NT) -- spoot, 01:37:43 07/20/01 Fri
Thanks for sharing your insight, Gumtree. Growing up in a non religion household, we still had the Bible on our bookshelf and I read it frequently--like any other book of stories. (NT) -- Bean *dodging any rocks or stick for sayin' that*, 14:24:12 07/20/01 Fri