What is so scary about thinking, or discovering, your Religion is false?

wildtimes
Okay, you are officially, in my mind, an "ENIGMA."

Are you a fatalist? Hopeless? Oh well, I guess we'll figure it out as we all go along on this ride.

Oi,

No ma'am, not a fatalist at all. Just buried enough friends and family that I don't take for granted my time left on this beautiful big blue marble of ours.
As for me being an "enigma"....I gotta tell ya I've been called MANY things in my life but never that.
(I rather like it!)
Merci beaucoups cherie.

-Amitaba-

reply to post by Eryiedes

Look ... you just want to argue with someone and I'm not going to be that person.
I've been very polite and patient with you ... but that's over.

As I've said before ... if YOU want to think Jesus and Muhammad are imaginary, go right ahead.
There is enough documentation for me to believe that they were indeed walking the Earth.
If YOU want to believe that the teaching of Original Sin is just as bad as Islamic Jihad,
then go ahead .. knock yourself out .. I don't give a rats backend what you believe.

I'm done attempting a civil discussion with you.

reply to post by wildtimes

I think, in the case of AfterI (and he is, of course, encouraged to respond to this post), he is mostly upset with the "Abrahamic" concept of God. That doesn't preclude that there is an afterlife.

AI, am I right??

Any religion, or progenitor of such religion, that denigrates and subjugates humanity is subject to my deep and unrelenting disapproval. Not that my opinion makes a damned bit of difference in the larger picture.

reply to post by wildtimes


lol sweetie... ok.. let me explain..(no offense taken and none intended in this correction!)

The english words Peace Be Upon Him or Peace be Upon Them (salallahu alayhe wa salaam) only refers to the Holy Prophet and only extends to His Family (ie: the 12 Imams and Lady Fatima and Lady Zainab) when they are all being spoken of at the same time.. ie: at the same time as the Prophet

For the Imams alone, the Two Holy Ladies, and all the Prophets of God (Jesus, Moses and the list goes on) we say Alayhe Sallam...

When speaking of people, we dont say any of that, those terms are only for the Holy People of God.

Just like the jews say shalom to one another, so do the muslims simply say salaam or salaam alaykum... it is just a short blessing of peace....

you can just say peace... its cool... I am no Prophet nor am I deserving of such a respect...

wildtimes
I don't think "atheism" automatically eliminates an afterlife.

You are right. I should have been more clear. I thought he was both atheist and a person
who didn't believe in any afterlife at all. I thought that's what I remembered but I could
have jumbled it with someone else. That's why I asked him ...
There are tons of folks posting and, after posting here for 9 1/2 years, I sometimes
get their back grounds confused.

reply to post by Eryiedes


I would much rather be an enigma than a sheep. Enigmas are interesting. Sheep are not. Enigmas are mysteries worth exploring...sheep provide material with which to cover up one's true essence.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

Any religion, or progenitor of such religion, that denigrates and subjugates humanity is subject to my deep and unrelenting disapproval.

I know that about you.

My suggestion is that maybe the "Abrahamic" tyrant-God is just as much a myth as an angry Zeus/Odin, or a Satan.

I think your view of "God" is stuck in the Abe-style, and there are MANY other concepts of "God" and "afterlife" to be considered.

For me? I've pretty much thrown out the Abrahamic "vengeful God" stuff - but totally believe in a Higher Power, AND an Afterlife.

reply to post by OpinionatedB


Okay, thanks for clarifying. Peace. (Although, for the record, I believe we are ALL part of the Holy Family - ALL connected, and manifestations of the Divine...)

Does that work?

Peace be yours. How's that?

I'm floundering here. Just know that I care, and feel helpless to offer anything but words here.

reply to post by wildtimes

I think your view of "God" is stuck in the Abe-style, and there are MANY other concepts of "God" and "afterlife" to be considered.

You misunderstand. I don't care for the word "God", in and of itself, at all. Much the way some feel about the word "Muslim" or "gay". "God" has become a catch-all phrase for the sort of mentality which betrays the shallow naivety and ignorant fear which molded the modern-day understanding of what we call "God".

If it is not the Abrahamic god, then it is not a god. It is an entity whose precise nature remains as yet obscure and distant. God, to me, is an insult. You may as well walk up to the President and call him "dude". It's a lazy label and entirely insufficient for the idea it attempts to convey.

Not to mention that there is no actual tried-and-proven basis for determining the nature or existence of a higher power. Bring to me an official, scientifically established set of parameters for identifying a real, concrete deity, and I will adjust my regard accordingly. But not a moment sooner.

wildtimes
My suggestion is that maybe the "Abrahamic" tyrant-God is just as much a myth as an angry Zeus/Odin, or a Satan.

I'd agree with that. I really don't see a lot of 'God' in the Old Testament.
Maybe Daniel and Isaiah .. that kind of thing.
But Exodus or Adam and Eve or Jonah in the Whale or Abraham etc .... I dunno.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

If it is not the Abrahamic god, then it is not a god. It is an entity whose precise nature remains as yet obscure and distant.

Precisely. GOD, to my thinking, IS a force or power that is inconceivable, incomprehensible, and for which there are NO HUMAN WORDS. We can't describe, understand, or truly grasp it.

Have you read Thomas Paine? I think you'd like his work. Also, Mark Twain's Letters From the Earth??
It's a real hoot.

Check it out.

I've been thinking of starting a thread about it for a couple of years now.

reply to post by wildtimes


You mean Screwtape Letters?

Also...

Precisely. GOD, to my thinking, IS a force or power that is inconceivable, incomprehensible, and for which there are NO HUMAN WORDS. We can't describe, understand, or truly grasp it.

I would strongly advise against such an absolute stance. We can't be certain we'll never know anything about something we don't know anything about. Because that implies that we do know something about it. And we don't. We think we know what we want it to be, what we want it to do for us, we think we know why we're looking for it...but we don't know it.

In my opinion, we don't know enough about ourselves to look for anything like God. When we know enough about ourselves that we can be honest and constructive about what we find, when we are prepared, willing, and fully capable of being as honest with ourselves as we can be, we'll be ready. But not yet.

Sometimes, I feel like we should have adhered to the path of the Jedi...

reply to post by AfterInfinity


No. I mean Letters From the Earth.
Check out the link.

reply to post by wildtimes


I added to the post as well. Something I felt was worth noting.

My short answer: the death of a huge accumulation of beliefs maintained by the EGO.

The ego doesn't want to die and will do anything for it not to happen.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

Something I felt was worth noting.

And I agree with you.
Thanks. Check out Twain, though, it'll have you rofl.

reply to post by St0rD


Welcome to the thread. Are you responding to the OP?
Seems so.

reply to post by wildtimes


I added more. Again. You should check it out, if you are interested. If you're not, it's no skin off my back.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

In my opinion, we don't know enough about ourselves to look for anything like God. When we know enough about ourselves that we can be honest and constructive about what we find, when we are prepared, willing, and fully capable of being as honest with ourselves as we can be, we'll be ready. But not yet.

Agreed.

Do you have any interest in NDEs, AfterI? I have this intuitive feeling that we are close to being fully capable of being honest with ourselves....and thus, close to being "ready."

Thanks for your added thoughts. (What makes you think I woudn't want to read them?)

reply to post by wildtimes

Agreed.

Do you have any interest in NDEs, AfterI? I have this intuitive feeling that we are close to being fully capable of being honest with ourselves....and thus, close to being "ready."

Thanks for your added thoughts. (What makes you think I woudn't want to read them?)

I had the nagging concern that I was being pushy. "Mommy, mommy, look at what I made!" *Repeat for the next half hour* Evidently, it was baseless.

I do have interest in NDE's. However, I am also deeply interesting in numerology and astrology. By which I mean, my interests are not always correlated with, or reliable for, constructing a sound frame by which to weave an accurate schematic of the universe and its metaphysical operations.

As for being close to ready...one can only hope.