simian

I will point out most of us here started out as believers in Christianity. Some of us very devoutly so. We did not start out as "someone intent on disbelieving" as Bender states. Many of us started out intent of believing, the facts be damned. Of course we got out into the world, got an education (even "educated ourselves right into hell", if you want to look at it that way) - or even just got out into the world and realized it was a much larger place than allowed for by the mythology we grew up with.

If god actively guides his followers, I don't think there would be such a large number of denominations in Christianity. One would think that if god took an active role in his religion(s?), there would be no need for disagreement - god would let each know what is the true "TRUTH."

No longer in Christ,

Simian

[ November 06, 2002: Message edited by: simian ]</p>

babelfish

You know, ya gotta hand it to the authors of the bible. They had a keen understanding of human nature.

There are numerous verses admonishing people not to question, not to say in their heart "there is no God," but rather to mistrust their senses and their intellect.

When you read those verses you can't help but think, "hmm, maybe Satan really IS trying to lead me astray!"

lpetrich

As I've proposed elsewhere, there may be a sort of natural selection of cultishness -- those organizations that make it a big sin to question their beliefs retain members the easiest.

galiel

This just reaffirmes my assertion that the fundamental defining struggle of our era is between reason and unreason, between celebration of thoughfullness and anti-intellectualism, between joy in progress and change and fear.

This struggle shapes and underlies all contemporary conflicts, and, IMO, makes superficial differences of opinion pale in comparison.

We literally face a choice between progress toward realizing the ideals of Enlightenment and a return to a form of Dark Ages.

Fortunately, I believe that ultimately, knowledge and progress will prevail. Unfortunately, I suspect that things will get very, very bad before they get better, and that, given our latest elections, we in the U.S. will have to survive another brutal McCarthyesque era, during which the dominance of American ideals will wither in the world, before we can emerge on the other side, chastened but hopefully not dead or in chains.

Starboy

It is refreshing to find a Christian that understands that being Christian means abandoning reason. Religion is for the thoughtless.

Starboy

Oxymoron

Fantastic! Beautifully put, galilel.

Heathen Dawn

I find it very offensive to have emotions denigrated like that. Christianity isn't about thinking with one's emotions, it's about thinking with a brain locked by a heavenly system of bribe and blackmail (the heaven/hell scam). Emotions are sublime, not the vehicle of such rotten religions as Christianity.

In Anat (the Canaanite goddess of war and sex),

Heathen Dawn.

Starboy

Heathen:

Emotions form the basis for our drives to survive and procreate, drives that we share with every living creature on the planet. For good or bad it is reason that separates us from the rest of life. It is reason that amplifies the effect that our drives for survival and procreation have on the planet. We as a species have removed ourselves from the same struggle that concerns the rest of life and as a result we must deemphasize our reliance on emotion if we are to avoid self destruction. The need for reason in our species has never been greater. Stop thinking with your womb!

Starboy

babelfish

Did I say anything about emotions being bad?



I have emotions. I am a very passionate person, in fact. I'd hate to go through life without any feelings.

Terracotta

Whoops - the title of the original thread is Intellectual Idiots, not Idiocy, but same difference...

Check out the responses that this tripe has garnered:

<a href="http://boards.heartlight.org/ubb/Forum25/HTML/000653.html" target="_blank">Amen!</a>

Oh, boy.