patrick.net

Patrick says

Onvacation says

It seems quite limiting to only believe in what your 5 senses tell you. There is more going on.

I agree, but I don't think that it's supernatural, merely not understood yet. Religions may have some kinds of understanding that will later be shown true. A trivial example is all of the Old Testament rules on hand washing, circumcision, no homos, and what foods not to eat. A lot of them reflect the reality of how disease works. People violate the rules and get sick or die. Ancient people observed these things. Seemed like God did it. And maybe you can argue it was God by defining God as the universe.

I think consciousness is just a property of nature that comes and goes according to conditions. I'm pretty sure animals are all quite conscious, even bugs in a limited way.

I swear my wife can often tell exactly what I'm thinking. No idea how she does that.

I think there is an irresistible force (love that song) out there and it is supernatural. While we have come to understand many things once believed to be supernatural each gain of knowledge comes with more questions that can't be explained. That circle will never end imo, no matter how much we'll understand.

WookieMan says

All religion is based on made up stories to extract money from you. There really is no other argument against my statement. There's not a person on the planet that can verify anything in religious books and tales ever happened. It's all a lie. The books themselves are pure shit.

I don't give anyone a dime. Not saying I never would, but I would have to be involved enough to be getting something out of the church first. God doesn't care how much money I give, just that I'm a good steward of what he's blessed me with.

When they excavated Jericho, they found that walls had fallen outward, not in. There are tales of a great deluge in every ancient culture. They have found pieces of the ark up on a mountain. There's also geographical evidence. Pontius Pilot and Jesus are both found in historical records. The Old Testament is one of the most accurate historical works ever produced. Way better than Josephus. Just the complexity of the earth tells us there must be a divine Creator. No system this complex could ever happen by chance, and anyone who's a programmer should know that.

All the rest you mention is again, man, not God. The problems you have are with man and his mis-representation of who God is. If you're gonna let that keep you from God, that's just sad. Personally, I would never let a bunch of idiots scare me off of something so important. But people's dumbassery doesn't have too much sway with how I live my life.

Most thought Troy was a legendary place until Schliemann found it.

David and his House was considered legendary by many until they found a reference to King Joram, son of Ahab, of the "House of David" being whooped by Hazael, King of Aram, on the Tel Dan stele - by an Enemy, so it wasn't the Hebrews bragging about their own myths. Two other steles from around that time confirm the House of David.

Lots of interesting destruction patterns going on around the collapse of the Bronze Age, and lots of stuff to far inland to be the Sea Peoples.

MisdemeanorRebellionNoCoupForYou says

David and his House was considered legendary by many until they found a reference to King Joram, son of Ahab, of the "House of David" being whooped by Hazael, King of Aram, on the Tel Dan stele - by an Enemy, so it wasn't the Hebrews bragging about their own myths. Two other steles from around that time confirm the House of David.

Joram did not follow God, and the Old Testament makes it clear his defeat was due to this. As a contrast look at Hezekiah and Sennacherib. By the time of Joram, Israel was split into two different kingdoms, and their fall from Solomon's time was pretty far and fast.

I hope Christian missionaries concentrate on “positives” rather than poking nose into another religion like Hindooo cult.
The purpose of religion is not to control people but to rather free them.
If Christianity want to become a “exploitation cult” it will end up same way haemorrhaging Followers like Hindoo cult as more people come to know that it is about control not delivering freedom.

Bro Hindus don't really believe in conversion. Farmer u truly lack its understanding. I have not heard of any process for conversion. Just like various food satisfy u, different people have different path to God. There is no official conversion process or ceremony for converting to the Hindu faith.

If u r interested , n understand higher level of spirituality u can join but no one will ever come n say convert.

Once you say there is only one way to do something, you kill off all other options and evolution of ideas.

KgK one says

There is no official conversion process or ceremony for converting to the Hindu faith.

As I understand it, that’s because it’s connected to the caste system which you have to be born into. Therefore the only way to make new Hindus is to breed them from existing stock.

Shaman says

KgK one says

There is no official conversion process or ceremony for converting to the Hindu faith.

As I understand it, that’s because it’s connected to the caste system which you have to be born into. Therefore the only way to make new Hindus is to breed them from existing stock.

Are you saying tulsi gabbard is not hindu?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTmZlckcwMY

Kenneth Humphreys, Is there any against commentary debunking what he is saying here?

indc says

Are you saying tulsi gabbard is not hindu?

Would she be accepted as a Hindu in India?

Patrick says

indc says

Are you saying tulsi gabbard is not hindu?

Would she be accepted as a Hindu in India?

That is a good philosophical question.
Do you want all 1billion to accept her? Or if 1 person accepts is it enough? or you want a majority 500,000,001 accept her its enough?

Someone does not become hindu just because other hindus accept them. They become hindu just by thought. If you follow Dharma you become a Hindu.

Now if you are asking will they accept her into their family. I cant say. But just her name will give her entrance to any home.

farmer2021 says

Faith and science are different.

You're conflating two different things. I also believe science has been massively wrong. We're witnessing it over the last year or so. Literally masks didn't work and now they do. We can't get a vaccine and now we have 3 in record time. That was a year ago. You think someone got these stories right 2k+ years ago and transferred them accurately till today? Hell no.

NuttBoxer says

The Old Testament is one of the most accurate historical works ever produced.

My above comment on science.

There are multiple religions. By default one HAS to be wrong. The result is fighting over fiction tales that results in people killing each other over things they "morally" weren't supposed to do.

I don't care if people believe or give to a church country club, but it's pure crap. Has nothing to do with science. But if you do give you're just giving your money to an empire and you're the minion. There will be no decision at the end. You'll be dead. Jews, Catholics and Muslims as religious bodies are probably 10X wealthier than the biggest corporation in the world. What is that money getting YOU if you're religious? Oh that's right, prime real estate and power across the planet for the elites in religion.

Sorry, I'm pragmatic and logical. Religion is a con. No argument can change my mind. Even history tells it was a con from the Middle Ages with Religion versus Monarchy. It's a power grab.

In spite of religion generally being a money-making operation, I think it has clear benefits for adherents:

- a community to belong to
- a good story that creates a mental framework independent of leftist nihilism
- traditions which structure family life
- specific rules to follow which generally lead to a longer healthier life (religious people do live longer)

To throw out religion entirely is to dump the baby with the bathwater. Though I find it impossible to literally believe in any specific religion myself.

Patrick says

In spite of religion generally being a money-making operation, I think it has clear benefits for adherents:

- a community to belong to
- a good story that creates a mental framework independent of leftist nihilism
- traditions which structure family life
- specific rules to follow which generally lead to a longer healthier life (religious people do live longer)

To throw out religion entirely is to dump the baby with the bathwater. Though I find it impossible to literally believe in any specific religion myself.

In the end human being by himself/herself and even as a community is too little to understand universe.
I find Big Bang and other theories too hard to understand , The math behind anti matter etc. is too difficult for average man to understand so we rely on experts and believe them.

Religion is very similar , If tries to describe something which is beyond human understanding.
(Sikh gurus talked about galaxies and thousand of stars 5+ centuries ago).

As long as religion or science is free of exploitation and tries to serve humanity .. It is good in my book.