112 replies to this topic

[Mr Walker]

Rafterman, on 09 December 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

I'll do you one better - what if we had never started worshiping imaginary men/women in the first place.

What a dull place the world would be.

[Tutankhaten-pasheri]

Darkwind, on 09 December 2012 - 05:25 PM, said:

I don't think the Catholic church is really worshiping Mary as a Goddess. I think she is more of a go between saint to God the Father or Son.

I think they created Mary as we know her in order to bring pagans on board with the new religion, or aetheism if you believe Emperor Julian the apostate, and I do. However, I think with Mary being a goddess, then we are in Mary as Isis, Jesus as Horus territory, and the trinity being good old paganism, which I believe.....

Edited by Atentutankh-pasheri, 12 December 2012 - 09:01 PM.

[Sean93]

There are Goddesses in quite a few religions around the world so there are female gods...religously speaking of course.

Christianity (Well catholics at least and a few other branches) might as well be a Polythesitic religion I mean, how many people pray to Mary or Fatima, Saint Marie Therese? all the saints even, and a good lock of them are women.

"Awk, I saw Mary come down from the sun and she touched me on the head and I was no longer bald!!!"

[Sean93]

Mr Walker, on 10 December 2012 - 12:10 PM, said:

What a dull place the world would be.

Yeah totally man, I mean, the world would SUCK without witch burnings, animal sacrifices and balsphemy death punishments to name a few things...no seriously, that stuff is cool.

[Mr Walker]

Sean93, on 13 December 2012 - 06:34 PM, said:

Yeah totally man, I mean, the world would SUCK without witch burnings, animal sacrifices and balsphemy death punishments to name a few things...no seriously, that stuff is cool.

Glad someone agrees with me.

A world without gods would be a world where humans were incapable of imagination or of many logical skils like analytical  thinking, reason and extrapolation.


  If humans consruct gods, then they do so from abilities which are useful in other critical areas of life.If humans have the capabilty to recognise and identify the presence of gods, then that also follows inevitably and inextricably from our self- aware sapience, which is critical to forming everything else we are.

So, a world without gods would be a dull, unimaginative, and non- human world. The dinosaurs neither created nor recognised gods, but their life sucked by comparison with our own. The abilities which create the recognition/constructionf gods and can lead to conflict ALSO  create the positive and constructive/creative abilities of humanity. Without them we are no different to dinosaurs or other primate ancestors.  Vicious, (nature tooth and claw) predatory, and dull.

[Beany]

I seem to be unsure right now of the existence of gods and goddesses, but I don't feel like a dinosaur. I'll have to check the mirror to see if I look like one, though. I hope I have feathers instead of scaly skin! My analytic  reasoning, and extrapolating skills seem to be intact, along with my creativity and compassion, but I will cop to feeling or being dull at times. Nevertheless, we are all children of the universe, equally human, are we not, due equal compassion and respect, irregardless of our belief system or lack of one? It's when we sink into judgement that we open the doors to our own vicious and predatory behavior towards those whom we consider less than. Does God love only those who love him back or does he love everyone equally?

[Sean93]

Beany, on 16 December 2012 - 05:20 PM, said:

I seem to be unsure right now of the existence of gods and goddesses, but I don't feel like a dinosaur. I'll have to check the mirror to see if I look like one, though. I hope I have feathers instead of scaly skin! My analytic  reasoning, and extrapolating skills seem to be intact, along with my creativity and compassion, but I will cop to feeling or being dull at times. Nevertheless, we are all children of the universe, equally human, are we not, due equal compassion and respect, irregardless of our belief system or lack of one? It's when we sink into judgement that we open the doors to our own vicious and predatory behavior towards those whom we consider less than. Does God love only those who love him back or does he love everyone equally?

Depends on which 'god' you mean.

[Beany]

Sean93, on 16 December 2012 - 05:49 PM, said:

Depends on which 'god' you mean.

Good point, any/all? But I'm sticking with the rest of the post. I think we'd all be better served if we started looking for commonality instead of making judgments.

[JGirl]

how human of us to attach gender roles to our deities

[Beany]

Here's the point I was trying to make: we are all children of the universe, equally human, are we not, due equal compassion and respect, irregardless of our belief system or lack of one. It's when we sink into judgement that we open the doors to our own vicious and predatory behavior towards those whom we consider less than.

[Mr Walker]

Beany, on 16 December 2012 - 08:00 PM, said:

Here's the point I was trying to make: we are all children of the universe, equally human, are we not, due equal compassion and respect, irregardless of our belief system or lack of one. It's when we sink into judgement that we open the doors to our own vicious and predatory behavior towards those whom we consider less than.

Of course we are. If we can feel respect and compassion for ourselves, then certainly we can feel it for any other.

Part of the problem, imo, is the growing number of people who are never taught, or never learn, to feel love and respect for them selves, nor learn a sense of honour and ethics which goes with those feelings. That makes it hard for them to feel better about others, if they feel angry, unloving, and unrespectful towards themselves.

[Sean93]

I may come across as a rash sceptic to some but I can safely say this with a clear head - Wouldn't it be great if everyone knew god? and by this I mean the idea of god that I have that sometimes burns through my sceptical mind - a god not of any religion or doctrine but a god that knew us all, and we it? I think our world be a nicer place, much nicer; no fabrications of men to spoil it or infect it because we;d know the truth, not a god who judges our every move no matter how little, who tells us what to think etc and judge us for thought,  a kind god and one who we'd feel safe around and likewise, a god who was as believable and as visible as the sky itself.

I really wish I could believe in such a god - it would be great if we all ended up ok in the end.

All that remains to be seen though.

[SpiritWriter]

AquilaChrysaetos, on 09 December 2012 - 01:42 AM, said:

Does it really matter? I think gender is no more than an Earthly thing. Meant solely on reproduction. One's souls are born here and pass on to the afterlife. I don't think there is reproduction in the afterlife, I see no sense in it. Therefore why would there be different sexes in the adterlife? If anything, God has no gender affiliation. That's how I see it.

I believe their are masculine and feminine energies and functuons which are important in their distinctions, that they are valued by and included in 'the godhead' and have been passed down to us to eventually figure out... we have a long way to go with that because of these prodominant religions and the societies we live in. It may take a complete overhaul. And with anything so extreme as that there will be much confusion and anger during the transition. I believe that those who can see the harmony of god and godess will have a better chance at harmonizing male and female relationships in earthly reality. I think we are headed in this direction in some regard, but more than likely  we will still have very large societal problems

I have more thoughts on this but I have to come back later. Thanks for posing this darkwind.

[Paranoid Android]

Paracelse, on 09 December 2012 - 06:25 PM, said:

It was at the council of Nicea in Turkey that JC was elected god and all those who didn't vote for it were called heretics and were burned at the stake:  Methink it was in 325 CE.

You make it sound so cloak-and-dagger.  Just to clarify a bit of history here, the Council of Nicaea met to codify what most Christian groups believed about their faith.  Hence when they came to "vote" on the divinity of Jesus they were asking themselves what most people believed.  Each bishop, on behalf of their group, stated what they believed.  The eventual decision was 298-2 in favour of divinity - in other words, almost all Christians before the vote already believed in the divinity of Jesus.

And the two bishops who voted against were not burned at the stake.  They were exiled but ten years later that decision was rescinded and the two dissenting bishops were allowed to return (I could be wrong, but as far as I am aware they never recanted their non-belief in the divinity of Jesus).

Just a couple of thoughts

~ PA

[Beany]

Mr Walker, on 16 December 2012 - 09:58 PM, said:

Of course we are. If we can feel respect and compassion for ourselves, then certainly we can feel it for any other.

Part of the problem, imo, is the growing number of people who are never taught, or never learn, to feel love and respect for them selves, nor learn a sense of honour and ethics which goes with those feelings. That makes it hard for them to feel better about others, if they feel angry, unloving, and unrespectful towards themselves.

But your earlier post seems to diminish those who don't believe in god/a god, to set them apart as being less than, or to diminish a reality in which a deity it not ascendant.  Or maybe I'm not understanding your intent: A world without gods would be a world where humans were incapable of imagination or of many logical skils like analytical  thinking, reason and extrapolation. So, a world without gods would be a dull, unimaginative, and non- human worldI contend that whether there is a god or not, human beings would still have the same logical thinking skills, analyics, reason, etc., that these trait are not exclusive to religious folks nor are these skills affected by lack of religious beliefs.