Religious people equate athiests to rapists

[BikerDude]

without wanting to disagree with any of the opinions stated here, i want to point out something interesting-

in western culture, we are used to thinking of "God" in only one way.
there are many ways to conceive of the divine mystery that is called God... For example in Buddhism (which is, technically NOT a religion) the Atman is not worshiped or believed in as "God", but rather the Atman is known as the entity of consciousness that is at the center of every human mind, the power that is manifesting the entire universe. 

considering that our Church has some fundamental things in common with all religions, such as the dichotomy of mystic vs dogmatic impulses (in our churches case i would argue that the mystic impulse is the contemplation of how to Abide; and the dogmatic impulse is the the Lobowskiist fixation on speaking like and constantly quoting characters from the movie.

These two impulses are in-fact mutually arising dichotomies that exist in all religions. When balanced with each other, these two impulses can work in harmony to provide catharsis and enlightenment among the congregation. it is when the two are separated, that rigidity and corruption will creep into any religion. 

But i digress... as i have lost my train of thought...

I dig it.
Spiritualism is a very different thing from faith.
One starts within and (no matter how much the faithful insist otherwise) the other lies without.
Those of faith should ask "if no one taught me what to believe would I have the same or even similar beliefs".

[Caesar dude]

I just want to reiterate that in my Dudely opinion this is one of the best posts I have ever read on this forum.

Well for many years I trod the path of what can best be described as investigation into 'God'.Initially through cultural reasons I looked into Christianity, Islam and then Baha'i faith. I eventually attended a Buddhist centre and was taught by a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Finally I received Dharma transmission from a Soto Zen Monk. What did I find-a lot of hog wash and hypocrisy people seeking power using the all powerfull God as a weapon and a threat. Even in the Buddhist tradition particularly Tibetan there were threats of bas karma or negative spirit entities.

Where am I now-I teach Zen Buddhism but in a very light way and have found meditation a useful adjunct to my day as well as Yoga. Born again Christianity I regard with anathema it justifies wars and all manner of exclusive practices. Frankly I have many friends who would be dammed by the born agains but who are the best people I know with great compassion, understanding and a non judgemental attitude.

[Rev. RJ Dudemiester]

OH boy!
have y'all seen this yet?
really rather perfect for this thread-

One right-wing religious group is considering a boycott of Google over the Internet giant's new gay rights initiative. MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell has more in the Rewrite.

http://thelastword.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/11/12691873-rewriting-the-right-wing-attack-on-google?lite

[AspiringDude]

without wanting to disagree with any of the opinions stated here, i want to point out something interesting-

in western culture, we are used to thinking of "God" in only one way.
there are many ways to conceive of the divine mystery that is called God... For example in Buddhism (which is, technically NOT a religion) the Atman is not worshiped or believed in as "God", but rather the Atman is known as the entity of consciousness that is at the center of every human mind, the power that is manifesting the entire universe. 

considering that our Church has some fundamental things in common with all religions, such as the dichotomy of mystic vs dogmatic impulses (in our churches case i would argue that the mystic impulse is the contemplation of how to Abide; and the dogmatic impulse is the the Lobowskiist fixation on speaking like and constantly quoting characters from the movie.

These two impulses are in-fact mutually arising dichotomies that exist in all religions. When balanced with each other, these two impulses can work in harmony to provide catharsis and enlightenment among the congregation. it is when the two are separated, that rigidity and corruption will creep into any religion. 

But i digress... as i have lost my train of thought...

I dig it.
Spiritualism is a very different thing from faith.
One starts within and (no matter how much the faithful insist otherwise) the other lies without.
Those of faith should ask "if no one taught me what to believe would I have the same or even similar beliefs".

True mysticism and spirituality have always been the enemies of mainstream religion. After all, it's hard to get riled up at someone's "sins" or "wrong beliefs" when your own experience has told you that you and the other are not truly different at all and are, in fact, connected on a level that the notion of a bearded old man in the sky could never encompass?

As I stated somewhere else around here...I'm not buying it. I'm going to stay here and abide with my very own slice of truth, decency and laziness

[cckeiser]

without wanting to disagree with any of the opinions stated here, i want to point out something interesting-

in western culture, we are used to thinking of "God" in only one way.
there are many ways to conceive of the divine mystery that is called God... For example in Buddhism (which is, technically NOT a religion) the Atman is not worshiped or believed in as "God", but rather the Atman is known as the entity of consciousness that is at the center of every human mind, the power that is manifesting the entire universe. 

considering that our Church has some fundamental things in common with all religions, such as the dichotomy of mystic vs dogmatic impulses (in our churches case i would argue that the mystic impulse is the contemplation of how to Abide; and the dogmatic impulse is the the Lobowskiist fixation on speaking like and constantly quoting characters from the movie.

These two impulses are in-fact mutually arising dichotomies that exist in all religions. When balanced with each other, these two impulses can work in harmony to provide catharsis and enlightenment among the congregation. it is when the two are separated, that rigidity and corruption will creep into any religion. 

But i digress... as i have lost my train of thought...

Is that some kind of Eastern thing?

[Rev. RJ Dudemiester]

without wanting to disagree with any of the opinions stated here, i want to point out something interesting-

in western culture, we are used to thinking of "God" in only one way.
there are many ways to conceive of the divine mystery that is called God... For example in Buddhism (which is, technically NOT a religion) the Atman is not worshiped or believed in as "God", but rather the Atman is known as the entity of consciousness that is at the center of every human mind, the power that is manifesting the entire universe. 

considering that our Church has some fundamental things in common with all religions, such as the dichotomy of mystic vs dogmatic impulses (in our churches case i would argue that the mystic impulse is the contemplation of how to Abide; and the dogmatic impulse is the the Lobowskiist fixation on speaking like and constantly quoting characters from the movie.

These two impulses are in-fact mutually arising dichotomies that exist in all religions. When balanced with each other, these two impulses can work in harmony to provide catharsis and enlightenment among the congregation. it is when the two are separated, that rigidity and corruption will creep into any religion. 

But i digress... as i have lost my train of thought...

Is that some kind of Eastern thing?

why... yes... yes, i do believe it is!

[BikerDude]

Back on the topic of rape and what have you....
It occurs to me that when religious people ask that question they are displaying a complete lack of empathy for others. In the mind of the religious everything is about me.
I shouldn't do that because I will go to hell. The notion of a natural revulsion to causing harm to others is simply foreign to the mind set.

Consider the common definition of....

Psychopathy (/saɪˈkɒpəθi/[1][2] from the Ancient Greek ψυχή "psyche", -soul, mind and πάθος, "pathos" -suffering, disease, condition[3][4]) is a personality disorder that has been variously described as characterized by shallow emotions (in particular reduced fear), stress tolerance, lacking empathy, coldheartedness, lacking guilt, egocentricity, superficial charm, manipulativeness, irresponsibility, nonplanfulness, impulsivity, and antisocial behaviors such as parasitic lifestyle and criminality. There is no consensus about the symptom criteria and there are ongoing debates regarding issues such as essential features, causes, and the possibility of treatment.[5]

http://umich-ssa.org/?p=335

http://revcjconner.com/?p=60

[AspiringDude]

Yeah...we are not all like that.

I have a few other arguments against this "without god, all will turn evil".

1) It is easier to destroy than build. Yet we have houses, devices and what have you.

2) There are hundreds, if not thousands of organisations on the planet dedicated to just one cause: Helping others. Many are religiously affiliated but there are also many that are secular.

3) There are things wrong with society...deeply wrong...but the basics of most western societies are based on fundamental trust. Democracy is a system based on trust and belief in the good within us. And that idea came from people who were often not particularly fond of religion.

[BikerDude]

Voltaire:

"Formerly there were those who said: You believe things that are incomprehensible, inconsistent, impossible because we have commanded you to believe them; go then and do what is unjust because we command it. Such people show admirable reasoning. Truly, whoever is able to make you absurd is able to make you unjust. If the God-given understanding of your mind does not resist a demand to believe what is impossible, then you will not resist a demand to do wrong to that God-given sense of justice in your heart. As soon as one faculty of your soul has been dominated, other faculties will follow as well. And from this derives all those crimes of religion which have overrun the world."

[meekon5]

That sir is an excellent quote.

[Hominid]

without wanting to disagree with any of the opinions stated here, i want to point out something interesting-

in western culture, we are used to thinking of "God" in only one way.
there are many ways to conceive of the divine mystery that is called God... For example in Buddhism (which is, technically NOT a religion) the Atman is not worshiped or believed in as "God", but rather the Atman is known as the entity of consciousness that is at the center of every human mind, the power that is manifesting the entire universe. 

considering that our Church has some fundamental things in common with all religions, such as the dichotomy of mystic vs dogmatic impulses (in our churches case i would argue that the mystic impulse is the contemplation of how to Abide; and the dogmatic impulse is the the Lobowskiist fixation on speaking like and constantly quoting characters from the movie.

These two impulses are in-fact mutually arising dichotomies that exist in all religions. When balanced with each other, these two impulses can work in harmony to provide catharsis and enlightenment among the congregation. it is when the two are separated, that rigidity and corruption will creep into any religion. 

But i digress... as i have lost my train of thought...

Good analysis dude - I like the way you roll.  You're right about the narrow way westerners think of God as some guy in a long beard sitting up in the sky, throwing thunderbolts when he's pissed off. I know, it's a bit of a caricature, but holds pretty true.  Same for the devil.  Neither image is supported by any religious texts; the evolution of western religion is an interesting subject.

Welcome to our little beach partay.