CDIH

They can still ponder the afterlife

i don't want to die. ever.

you can ponder anything you want, because none of this can be proven.

I was at that stage once, the whole fear of death and fixating on it constantly. I went throught it when i was about 13.

Quote:They can still ponder the afterlife

they can ponder the vast emptiness that is time & space beyond the existence of their mortal self? they can't ponder what they don't think is there.

Heaven and Hell are man-made concepts, as is religion as a whole IMO. Did Christ walk the Earth - was he The Messiah? I don't know, I wasn't there. He hasn't come around lately (and who can blame him?). Organized religion was used to keep the people in line back in the day. It was also used to explain the unexplainable - the bible mainly consists of moral vignettes designed to make you think twice about your actions. Some say the words are inspired by God himself, and were passed through man to write to spread the word. Possible? I guess, but considering at present, man has the ability to destroy the world 100 fold, you'd think he'd pass down a few words today to tell us to chill out.

I was raised Catholic, I believe in a higher being, or a God - I don't believe I have to go to a building every 7th day of the week and give donations to show my appreciation to him. I think doing it from my own home, and when I feel the need to open a dialogue with him is a much healthier way to practice my faith - as well as through how I live my life. I think life has much more meaning to it, and to be sheep and take literal the words written for a people who at the time had the education level of a 10 year old somehow seems wrong to me.

If I had lots of sex before I was married and never went to church to tell a priest about it so he could tell me to say 15 Hail Mary's means I'm bound for Hell, then so be it - but I doubt it.

No one is with me on this BBQ thing are they?

Plus if christ did come back, he'd be up in bellvue right now.

"Hi, I'm jesus!!!"

... sure, anyone can ponder the afterlife, but there's really no reason to if one doesn't believe in some higher power or greater force....

I will Gonzo, can we wait till the snow melts again though? Or did you want to celebrate Summer early?

Quote:they can ponder the vast emptiness that is time & space beyond the existence of their mortal self?

No, there are other beliefs, you don't have to believe in God to believe in an afterlife

Goat, you seem to share the same faith as I do. The Bible should be viewed as a guide, not as concrete law on how to serve God.

Only if Goatweed shows up in a robe and yells "Hi, i'm jesus"

Can we play Softball and call it an OA.com event?

That way I can get the relish from Alkey

The whole problem with "organized" or "personalized" religion is that it's all based on an individual's perceptions and need for SELF fulfilment or actualization. The world and the universe is a big fuckin place. What makes you as an individual and your actions so Damn important?

Jesus has returned and his name is Marshall Mathers.

Jesus keeps coming back and dies from a herione overdose everytime.

Quote:Goat, you seem to share the same faith as I do. The Bible should be viewed as a guide, not as concrete law on how to serve God.

Exactly. I think it was written with the intent to be a design for laws, again to keep people in line. Most people back then were skillful, but not very smart - he smart ones came up with a way to tell people what to do without directly telling them - have God tell them, and make it a cute little story so it's easily remembered. I'm not knocking the bible, it has it's good and bad points, but it's far from a book of rules as far as I'm concerned.

People have the use of freewill in their lives - this is what separates us from the animals (so it's been said). God gave us this free choice, but if we decide to do thing a little differently then he wanted us to, we're sinners. That makes no sense. "Here's a gift of choice for you, but if I don't like what you choose you'll go to Hell". Bullshit. If you live a good life, are respected by your friends and family, and honestly try to do the best you can - even if that means you fuck up along the way, you're good to go.

Quote:Most people back then were skillful, but not very smart - he smart ones came up with a way to tell people what to do without directly telling them

I doubt the "smart" one's we're THAT smart.

Quote:I doubt the "smart" one's we're THAT smart

"smart" meaning they could write or at least understand the concept, while the others couldn't. I don't know, I wasn't there. Point is, it was a way to enforce laws - if they were all equally morons they wouldn't even understand the concept of a law, so some of them had to be smarter than the others.

Life is meant to be lived and appreciated, not worrying about walking through pearly gates or swimming through lakes of fire. The very concepts alone are archaic in and of themselves. When we die, our bodies cease - the energy that was in us goes somewhere. The only ones who know where it goes are the dead, and apparently they either don't wanna come back and tell us, or they can't.

Thus then: power = intelligence. Therefore: God > George W. Bush > everyone else

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GOD IS GOOD, GOD IS GREAT!!! :banana: :banana: