So, really, what Do You think> Revelations> OBL/Herrod : * /Pilate?

[patrice]

?

Suffering Innocents and Innocent Dead/Jesus.

discuss . . . .

also,

What about the "Seconde Coming", since Religion is so dominant, what does it say about Jesus's living prescience amongst our kind? Where do I recognize Rabboni? Jeshua, my firend and Lord of the Living? Here amonst Us.

[trotsky]

1. I think people will try to see patterns in a lot of things.

And that it's better to work to make a real difference than worry about ancient meaningless hallucinatory-inspired prophecies.

[patrice]

2. Does "seeing patterns" make the patterns false?

Relatively strong human impulses repeat themselves throughout history.

"worry"? I'm not worrying; I'm trying to point something out to those who say they believe in somebody named Jesus.

"ancient" Does something being old make it ir-relevant?

"meaningless" to you, a very powerful force in many many other lives.

I don't like Religion much myself, but that doesn't make me turn off to the more emergent properties of physical reality.

Yes, Revelations were supposedly inspired by hallucinations, but again, stripping away John's perceptions could reveal under-lying phenomena that may be interesting. There's always the question, "Of the infinitude of things John could have hallucinated, why these particular images."

P.S. I work to make a difference every day of my life.

[onager]

3. You got one thing right, anyway...

Relatively strong human impulses repeat themselves throughout history.

Yep. Like the impulse to believe in omnipotent, invisible beings in the sky, which only leaves the hapless humans vulnerable to tyrannical, ignorant thugs and charlatans who claim to have a hot line to said invisible beings.

[patrice]

5. You assume that all of those whom you criticize believe

in some "invisible beings in the sky". That's pretty arrogant of you; many people have MUCH more sophisticated understandings of what is referred to as "spirituality". How many people have you ever asked anyone to tell you in detail what they believe?

[onager]

11. I don't go around asking people to tell me what they believe...

Since most of them are only too happy to subject me to a lengthy dissertation about all sorts of hare-brained nonsense, while I sit there glassy-eyed wishing I believed in a Hell to which I could dispatch them. And sooner rather than later.

For some strange reason, you seem to think I've never heard of "spirituality." That's funny. It's sort of like the ranting Fundamentalists who assume I've managed to live in America all my life without hearing about Jesus.

Most of the mindless pabulum I see peddled nowadays under the label of "spirituality" is just Religion Lite. It's basically a sort of nebulous, free-floating belief system for people who are too lazy to get up and go to church on Sunday morning.

[trotsky]

4. No, but it doesn't make them true either.

Your questions are about as valid and meaningful as asking someone what they think a cloud looks like.

Culling together bits of real-world data to try and make a fit with a prophecy written in an old book is a pointless exercise. People have been trying to do it for thousands of years. Tell me one thing beneficial to humans that's come out of that futility.

[patrice]

6. Oh, so you are the one who says what is "valid and meaningful"

how fortunate for you! Do you enjoy knowing everything?

[trotsky]

7. Hehe.

Enjoy getting defensive and snippy?

Do you think you could answer my challenge, or do you just want to personally attack me?

[VioletLake]

8. My guess is -

she enjoys it less than you enjoy being an irritant.

strange thread...

[trotsky]

9. Well, it sat there for over 14 hours without a single peep of a response.

So I thought I'd voice my opinion. If someone finds my opinion irritating, then they're welcome to ignore me. :hi:

[VioletLake]

10. So you held back for 14 hours. I'm impressed.

You're too itchy to ignore. ;)