The nature of the Almighty

[Irishcop]

Originally Posted by boagie

Hi Irishcop!

Hell,no offense intended,even I could wrap my mind around Spinoza's god.Spinoza's god is totality and as part of that totality we are then divine aspects,for there are no other kinds.You are a most interesting fellow Irish,like the friend I told you about,you are intrigueing and a puzzle,but of good intent and a good heart me thinks.

Hell, none taken, and thanks.

That business of being force-fed someone elses personal belief system would offend me as well,even if I agreed with it.Perhaps in this multicultural reality we have you can see where Christianity does not have a special place in the American classroom.You speak of Christianity as if it were wisdom literature--I can see that to some extent.As wisdom literature however, I do not think it holds a candle to the Hindu scriptures,the bible tends to be ethical and more concerned with the social order,rather than the complexity of being.

I speak of Christianity as if it were wisdom, and a myriad of other great things.

As far as Islam is concerned,yes I agree it is dangerous,but here again the power that drives it is faith.Interpretation of holy texts is mind boggling whether Islam or Christianity,it can mean whatever one wishes to read into it.Mass murder,slavery,the oppression of women are all supported by both holy texts.

You'll not see that in the New Testament, additionally you'll not see Jesus doing any more than cleaning house on moneychangers in the Temple. In light of the moneychangers' contemporaries ..... Tele-evangelists, can you really fault him for that?

[boagie]

Irishcop,

The universe does seem an open system,its totality however is beyond our comprehension,it is a bit like saying the universe is of itself whole,but we do not have the capcity to view it as such,but only through the imagination.Certainly one acceptable form would be a god of some sort but not one of a personality cult.Christians often refer to a personal god,but in doing so they must realize in the same breath the possiablity of the impersonal god,the one defines the other.It is logical to look toward a source,it is when believers insist on a particular image and the certainty of that image.I can more easily deal with a universal concept,"The truth is one,the sages speak of it by many names." Upanishads We are however getting a little off topic.I thought I might suggest the reading of Schopenhaur on this topic of self-sacrifice but that would be asking to much,if any one is interested however it is to be found in his works,"The World As Will And Representation."

Enjoy!

[Irishcop]

Originally Posted by boagie

Irishcop,

The universe does seem an open system,its totality however is beyond our comprehension,it is a bit like saying the universe is of itself whole,but we do not have the capcity to view it as such,but only through the imagination.Certainly one acceptable form would be a god of some sort but not one of a personality cult.Christians often refer to a personal god,but in doing so they must realize in the same breath the possiablity of the impersonal god,the one defines the other.It is logical to look toward a source,it is when believers insist on a particular image and the certainty of that image.I can more easily deal with a universal concept,"The truth is one,the sages speak of it by many names." Upanishads We are however getting a little off topic.I thought I might suggest the reading of Schopenhaur on this topic of self-sacrifice but that would be asking to much,if any one is interested however it is to be found in his works,"The World As Will And Representation."

Enjoy!

Ahhhh, you opened up a can of tuna in the sun, we better eat before it starts to smell.

The universe does seem an open system,its totality however is beyond our comprehension,it is a bit like saying the universe is of itself whole,but we do not have the capcity to view it as such,but only through the imagination.

I agree, it is beyond our comprehension. God, Black Holes, Quantum Mechanics, even something that seems simple at first, like the Big Bang are mind boggling. Jump into any of those pools, and you'll never dive deep enough to see the drain.
How then is the notion of God, with a capital G, so easy for you to dismiss? Especially if the following is true?

Certainly one acceptable form would be a god of some sort but not one of a personality cult.Christians often refer to a personal god,but in doing so they must realize in the same breath the possiablity of the impersonal god,the one defines the other.

and

It is logical to look toward a source,it is when believers insist on a particular image and the certainty of that image.

If the Universe is too much of an inigma to comprehend, how can you eliminate God? What is the source for your notion of god, with a lower case g?

Are Sages more authoritative than Saints?

[boagie]

Irishcop,

Why my friend are there so many both past and present, that claim to be the one true religion,it is religion that kills wonder for they have the ultimate answers to the most pressing of problems------Oh sweet Certainty,but one apple for this William Tell! Do you not see where that closes the door on wonder.Carl Jung the psychologist--and not an atheist--,stated organized religion is a defense against having a religious experience.Actually your boxed and ready god is much simplier then mine which necessarily remains undefined,that is it,defineing god is just plain silly,why for you can it not be what it truely is,unknown?

Actually Irish,I think it is you who has eliminated god,if you think it to be the unfortunate tale told about this desert god.

Are Sages or Saints more authoritative,well,sages are known to be such because of their wisdom,while Saints are known to be such because of their goodness,authoritative to me would more greatly involve wisdom-------so Sages it is!

[Irishcop]

Originally Posted by boagie

Irishcop,

Why my friend are there so many both past and present, that claim to be the one true religion,it is religion that kills wonder for they have the ultimate answers to the most pressing of problems------Oh sweet Certainty,but one apple for this William Tell! Do you not see where that closes the door on wonder.Carl Jung the psychologist--and not an atheist--,stated organized religion is a defense against having a religious experience.Actually your boxed and ready god is much simplier then mine which necessarily remains undefined,that is it,defineing god is just plain silly,why for you can it not be what it truely is,unknown?

Actually Irish,I think it is you who has eliminated god,if you think it to be the unfortunate tale told about this desert god.

Are Sages or Saints more authoritative,well,sages are known to be such because of their wisdom,while Saints are known to be such because of their goodness,authoritative to me would more greatly involve wisdom-------so Sages it is!

I obviously believe your logic is flawed, and it brings to mind this email I received. Ponder this while I work on the real reply.


The following is an actual question given on a University of Washingtonchemistry mid-term:

The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well :

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law(gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So weneed to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions thatexist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell becauseBoyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to staythe same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1). If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enterHell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2) If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls inHell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.
The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct..... leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A".

My two points here being, A) amusement, and B) be careful who you accept as a sage.

[boagie]

My two points here being, A) amusement , and B) be careful who you accept as a sage.

That might apply to anyone,any recommendations on sages??

[Irishcop]

Originally Posted by boagie

My two points here being, A) amusement , and B) be careful who you accept as a sage.

That might apply to anyone,any recommendations on sages??

The Christ.

[boagie]

Christ the prophet!You must be a bloody Muslim.




The new atheist

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070625/aronson

[Irishcop]

Originally Posted by boagie

Christ the prophet!You must be a bloody Muslim.

He is a prophet among other greater things.

[boagie]

Bush and the right wing Christian political movement veto stem cell research--------two steps back George.God no doubt told him to do it.

http://www.wsws.org:80/articles/2007...cell-j21.shtml

Life is like a box of chocolates! Look at George is that the face of God!


angry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a Christian!!