Thoughts on religion

[trucha]

Random thoughts on religion

All religions are founded on the fear of the many and the cleverness of the few

Stendhal

You never see animals going though the absurd and often horrible fooleries of magic and religion. Only man behaves with such gratuitous folly. It is the price he has to pay for being intelligent but not, as yet, quite intelligent enough.

Aldous Huxley

I’m a borne again atheist

Gore Vidal

I’m a recovering Catholic

Terence McKenna

We have just enough religion to make us hate but not enough to make us love one another

Jonathan Swift

The cosmos is a gigantic fly-wheel making 10,000 revolutions a minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it. Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him the ride.

HL Mencken

We must respect the other fellow’s religion, but in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.

HL Mencken

Where it is a duty to worship the sun it is pretty sure to be a crime to examine the laws of heat.

John Morley

[mr toodly]

RE: The existence of Gore Vidal

“God, if this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them.” Teresa of Avila

[nabraxas]

"'God was in that breath you took. Now do it again'

Ram took many deep breaths, until every cell of his body was filled with the life force that his father so wanted him to feel as his birthright.

'You see it's got nothing to do with the pictures of God. God is in your heart. And surely you can always feel the presance of God when you breathe in & intend to feel it. God resides in you, & breath is the life force that's given to you. "

quoted from The Seduction of Silence, a novel by Bem Le Hunte

[ 19. May 2005, 01:05: Message edited by: nabraxas ]

[apothecary]

From the Principia Discordia:

"I'm an atheist. There is no Gregory Hill."

[Benzito]

"We have no fate but what we make for ourselves" - Terminator 2

[Jesus On Peyote]

i had a "religius" faze not to long ago,moving from one to another trying to find enlightenment but i then jus relized that over time,there have been so many differant people beleving so many religions,that i personaly desided that they all suck n r counter productive.

cept i don mind buddisium.

[jasemateau]

intersting subject...............

parts of my family are cristians to the full extent.

me not so much,the whole fear factor in this religion is too much

i certainly think there might be some universal power. but as for my choice in belif that would have to be buddah. although i know very little about the religion, the only reason why i think it could be buddah for me is........

after spent so much time in thailand and other parts of asia, seeing how these people live thier lives with buddah. they ARE the happiest people in the world.

has anyone ever heard of buddist rebels??.

it seems to be the most humble of religions.

the muslims claim to be a peaceful religion, but after also spending some months in one the most strictest muslim society (kuwait) i disagree.

and apperntly the muslim religion is one of the fastest growing religion of our times?????

so where are we going with all this poo in the world now??

i dont follow buddah religion, i would be my choice if i felt the urge.

as for now i just live by disciplined speech and actions.

i try not to start bad energys, circles in speech, (negativity,crude judement of others)

i'm not miserable not at all. i'm alot better person than i was before i went to asia thats for sure.

my 3 cents

[ 20. May 2005, 04:12: Message edited by: jasemateau ]

[apothecary]

Buddhism is an interesting beast.

I feel that Buddhism is one of the only religions to be properly assimilated into the current world.

Christianity didn't do so well, considering they include the Pentateuch in their bible but completely ignore the rules it sets out (same rules as Islam when it comes to meat/fish/pork/etc).

Islam, well they pretty much don't want or need anything to change. They are the way they are, and they've been like that since the beginning of the religion.

Buddhism is simpler. All is nothing. Nibbana is All, and All is nothing.

If all humans lived their lives to the strict teaching of the Buddha, the race would die out. However, the choice on the road to nibbana is your own and if you wish, you can raise a family or whatever and wait through another birth-rebirth cycle to attempt reaching the void.

[Prophet]

I personally am a Christian and i believe nothing can compare to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. I am not a part of any church in particular... I think they all have problems and man made doctrines which are contrary to Christ's teachings. The church today is nothing like the early church. I have never been a part of any other religion and don't intend to because i believe i have found the truth.

peace

[-YT-]

Personally i think buddhism is interesting i like their beliefs and the laws of karma, I think shamanism is a VERY important religion if u could call it that but has worked for tribal communities throughout the ages and offers any real connection with Gaia and the REAL world

[mescalito]

Religion is just another way to fragment humanity from the god-head.

The more pieces the harder the puzzle.

Just BE.

BE True.

mesc... :D

[mescalito]

Can't recall where this came from:

"The White Man goes into his church and talks about Jesus; the Indian goes into his Tepee and talks to Jesus."

:cool:

[apothecary]

mescalito, that's the path that I feel I've begun walking on.

I read a lot of philosophy, and one thing I've slowly realised is that philosophy is useless as a guide to life. It's interesting discussion and keeps the mind sharp, but I'd rather be life than contemplate it

[Hagakure]

bahai looks interesting aswell

http://www.bahai.org.au/

i think it is growing faster than islam did in its early days

me i dont want any religion that talks about a god of some kind (any notion of any man like creator is simply ridiculous) but i think religion does have some benefits.

promotes morality, hopefully free from commercial considerations, provides a strong community.

i think of myself as being a very religious person without having a religion - cant find one that fits me. lets face it they all have their problems.

i think the best way is to pick and choose good ideas and live as good a life as possible.

do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a fair enough concept.

one thing i do especially like from that bahai religion is removing the extremes of wealth and poverty. i think you can only do both at the same time - you cant simply remove poverty.

[Cyjack]

The Official God FAQ -

http://www.400monkeys.com/God/

Seriously though, if there WAS a God, surely it would give us air to breathe, food to eat, shelter us from the elements, provide kindling for fire, heal us from sickness, enhance our senses and generally remind us of what beauty and wonder really are?

Now THAT would be a God worth my worship.

[narayan]

I think religions have alot of good things to offer people and tend to get dismissed too quickly by people like ourselves who like to think abit harder than the average joe.

Buddhism is really interseting but personally i find some of the teachings from Gnostic Christianity to be very interesting and relevant to my worldview .

 

quote:

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His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?"

 

Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed."

---

quote:

---

Jesus said, "This earth and the planets surrounding it will pass away, and everything will become new. Consider this: In the beginning, you were organized as one body, but when you became two, the illusion of separateness entered the physical plane. Now you are many, and this illusion abounds. Listen to what I'm saying! You must become a solitary person before me, if you want to dwell on the new planets and the new earth which I will create. Those who are enlightened will understand what I'm saying."

---

quote:

---

"Learn the meaning of the creation which surrounds you, and you will perceive the mysteries hidden from your sight, for Eternal Truth is recorded on all that exists. I tell you the truth when I say that there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed to the person who can read the creation of the Eloheim."

---

[mr toodly]

apothecary:

mescalito, that's the path that I feel I've begun walking on.

I read a lot of philosophy, and one thing I've slowly realised is that philosophy is useless as a guide to life.

As with everything in subjects of supreme impotence.

"Blessed are the sleepy ones for they shall soon drop off"

[mr toodly]

I mean. It's only telling that one should feel the need for instruction.

[mr toodly]

WHO NEEDS ETHICS WHEN YOU HAVE GUIDELINES?

Opinion page, LAtimes.

[Auxin]

apothecary:

If all humans lived their lives to the strict teaching of the Buddha, the race would die out.

Dont tell me you cant reproduce without sexual misconduct- lol. I beleive you may be mistaking the monastic code for the precepts for lay followers. Lay followers can have kids, jobs, sports, etc. and infact many of the robed monks you see became monks after their kids grew up and moved off on their own, in some societies its almost like a retirement plan: stage 1) grow up and learn, find a way to be productive (job) 2) raise a family, provide for them, teach them so they can survive on their own 3) 'retire' to a monastic life and seek nibbana.

The monastic code of conduct for monks and nuns requires celebacy (as well as all that good stuff- no fighting, lieing, drug use which detracts from the path, sensual indulgance, spitting on the sidewalk, etc..), the monastic code isnt commandments from a deity but rather rules for a organization that have evolved over time (granted most were made by the buddha.. he mostly made up rules on the fly based on the 'unskillful' actions of his monks... funny that he mentions that monks shouldnt engage in bestiality. Bad Monk! Step Away from the water buffalo).

For the lay people there are no 'commandments' but rather 'precepts', those are strongly endorced (not enforced) guidelines for folks who want to be good people... the noble eightfold path is probably the core: right view, right thinking, right action, right mindfulness, right speech, right livelyhood, right dililence, right concentration. Nothin there impedes one from the householder life and one can acheive nibbana (nirvana)/supreme enlightenment in any condition- monk, wife, convict, slave... the race wouldnt die off.

But I'm just a lay follower (a theravada buddhist as one or two may have figured out from my use of pali ) - for proper explanations of these concepts please refer to what the monks say- lol

[nabraxas]

buddist rebels---yeah there's some around

1 example-- web page

--at times the ladakhi buddhists have got violent & had curfews & troops patrolling the streets.

they have also threatened in the past to attack trekers passing through.

[Prophet]

Narayan I like your first quote from the gospel of Thomas but gnosticism does have some problems. Not all their teachings are in line with what Jesus taught. That is why i tend not to identify myself with any particular denomination or group.

[apothecary]

Auxin, I have copies of many of the writings of Bodhisattvas, monks, and a whole crapload of Buddhist scripture, poetry and history from all over Asia, so I feel I've already done the last thing you ask.

The code for lay people evolved over time, just as the monastic code. However I'm not mistaking one for the other. The original 12 rules that must be followed on the path to Nibbana are what I was referring to, and one of them is not just abstinence, but also no touching!

The monks and nuns who become that after their children grow up and move on, well their code is even harsher than the standard one. You have to give up love! You have to hate your children! It's pretty intense.

As for the others, they get off pretty easy if you ask me. I remember one fable demonstrating the concept of eternal karma about a Bodhisattva and some precious bird, who was killed for unintentionally destroying the bird...but somehow murderers still can be turned into monks.

Although, I may be entirely wrong. I've just been reading the strict teachings of the Buddha etc so my view may be slightly skewed to something more ascetically extreme when it comes to this particular religion.

[ 21. May 2005, 00:36: Message edited by: apothecary ]

[Auxin]

wow apoth, thats some pretty freaky twists on buddhism... I'm not sayin folks have never gone that direction (fanaticism crops up in every religion now and then) but it most definatly is not the norm. Maby you just read more by buddhist cult leaders or from a 'buddhist dark-age' lol... nowadays loving compassion is universally encouraged and hate is universally discouraged in mainstream buddhism... and touching is allowed- lol. If ya wanna check out current stuff theres lots around... bswa.org (buddhist society of western australia) has good free audio-lectures, as does audiodharma.org (they have tons)... buddhanet.net is good for ebooks.

Oh, and yeah- theres some freaky folk-stories in ancient buddhism, no doubt... but they arent generally to be taken as factual, many are 'fairy tales' told to prove a point- like the king who cut off his own flesh to feed a carnivore so it wouldnt kill innocent animals and who was then miraculously healed by gods as reward for his compassion... its not to be taken literally, just a story based on a mix of buddhism and local theistic beleifs to teach the merits of compassion.

[Thelema]

participating in a discussion about religion divides you from the godhead.