More Religious Nutters

[Elok]

The superstition might cross a variety of Asian cultures. I think the Japanese dislike four, but only one word for it, "yan." So everyone says "shi," which also means four, instead. Makes you wonder why they even have the word "yan."

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Elok


Oh, I understand that, and I wasn't censoring you or suggesting you should be censored. It's just that, after the third or fourth person shot down the claim of "superstition" in the exact same way, you'd be wiser just to stop, methinks. These people dislike the number, but they're obviously not afraid having the phone number will bring a curse on them or anything like that--yet, pages and pages later, people are still claiming as much.

It took some time, but finally the thread is back on topic.

No offense, but simply claiming "tis is not teh result of superstition" isn't exactly shooting down anything - not even if repeated.

No nonreligious town population would care a bit having 666 as their area code - not even if outside religionistas would hesitate to dial such a number.

Only a religious society would care of about something that even inside their own religion can be considered supersticiousness.


About censoring, well, some would say that STFU could be claimed a boarderline such

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by BlackCat


It took some time, but finally the thread is back on topic.

No offense, but simply claiming "tis is not teh result of superstition" isn't exactly shooting down anything - not even if repeated.

No nonreligious town population would care a bit having 666 as their area code - not even if outside religionistas would hesitate to dial such a number.

Only a religious society would care of about something that even inside their own religion can be considered supersticiousness.


About censoring, well, some would say that STFU could be claimed a boarderline such

What makes you say a town of atheists or agnostics wouldn't tire of the number as well? I think I'd get sick of the references if I had a business that operated nationally from the area for instance.

In any event the people clearly and directly stated their motivation for getting rid of it in the article and you apparently choose to ignore that.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Oncle Boris
You've probably missed the part that says God love all people. That's why smart people, like Malraux or Nietzsche, noticed Christianism is actually anarchism, making every soul equal in front of God.

Ah yes, but he sends some to Hell though. But that doesn't matter, because you don't need to think you are superior to others to be arrogant. You just need to think you are superior, as in better, or more important than you actually are. If you think you are better than other people, maybe you are or maybe you are Narcisistic.

But my port is that all religious people see natural order and natural justice in the world, even taoists. That's truly absurd, and a lot of them do have serious psychological problems as Agy says.

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Geronimo


What makes you say a town of atheists or agnostics wouldn't tire of the number as well? I think I'd get sick of the references if I had a business that operated nationally from the area for instance.

Such a city would simply not care about it. Why should they ? It's just a number for them. Actually, only a christian populated city would think the nuber would be offensive.

In any event the people clearly and directly stated their motivation for getting rid of it in the article and you apparently choose to ignore that.

Since a non-religious city population wouldn't care a bit if they had 666 as their prefix, it's obvious that the reason they want to get rid of it is their religious belief.

"This is a good town. ... We're good Christian people," Walker said.

Edit : added a minor clarification.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Elok
Sorry, I didn't know only atheists were allowed to act condescending. I must have missed that post; could you direct me to it?

As I've already told you, I've had religious experiences. I've just moved beyond them. I don't look down on you.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Perfection
Therapies like these generally don't work except for people with diseases like schizophernia. Alien abuductees aren't helped by therapy and certainly not drugs alone.

You can't pop a pill that replaces one ideology with another.

Don't teat religion like it's a mental illness, becasue it ain't one.

That's not true. Therapy is helpfull to a wide variety of people, but I think what would be better is not ****ing peoples heads up in the first place with religious indoctrinations.

[Elok]

Originally posted by Kidicious
As I've already told you, I've had religious experiences. I've just moved beyond them. I don't look down on you.

It seems you do...for not "moving beyond them," as you did. Also just now saying I'm "****ed up in the head." You're giving a hell of a good impression of it, at least.

BlackCat, maybe it's different in Europe. In the U.S.A. 666=evil is a well-known meme that even people with no religious background might crack jokes about and consequently annoy the jokee with. These people mostly resent it because of their religious beliefs, but in any case it's pretty well established that they don't think it's bad juju. Can we agree that the next person to suggest such a thing be smacked around with a trout?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Elok
It seems you do...for not "moving beyond them," as you did. Also just now saying I'm "****ed up in the head." You're giving a hell of a good impression of it, at least.

I think you have psychological problems. Seriously. I don't think that's condescending. Condescending is something different.

[Kidlicious]

I'll share something so that you might not think that I'm trying to put you down, or look down on you.

I've been though a lot of hard times. My wife pretty much lost her damn mind and got ****ed up on meth. I don't know which one caused the other, but she had control over my son and it was serious mental torture. It caused me psychological problems, because I couldn't function normally. During that time I turned to religion to try to find some peace, and it did work in that I got some peace from it, so I don't look down on people for doing that.

But my prayers were not answered, and after awhile I couldn't get much peace from the religion and lost my faith. At any rate, it took a long time for the situation to resolve itself and my, now exwife, is still messed up.

When some people go through tough times like that they full themselves into believing that there's some reason for all that ****. There isn't. They just trick their own heads. But when it's all said and done you have to accept the universe the way that it is to get true peace.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by BlackCat


Such a city would simply not care about it. Why should they ? It's just a number for them. Actually, only a christian populated city would think the nuber would be offensive.



Since a non-religious city population wouldn't care a bit if they had 666 as their prefix, it's obvious that the reason they want to get rid of it is their religious belief.



Edit : added a minor clarification.

You think the metal bands and ID software used 666 references because of their religious beliefs?

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Geronimo


You think the metal bands and ID software used 666 references because of their religious beliefs?

Probalby not (actually definately not) but what has that to do with the reasons why a religious based town is offended by having the area code 666 ?

[Elok]

Originally posted by Kidicious
I'll share something so that you might not think that I'm trying to put you down, or look down on you.

I've been though a lot of hard times. My wife pretty much lost her damn mind and got ****ed up on meth. I don't know which one caused the other, but she had control over my son and it was serious mental torture. It caused me psychological problems, because I couldn't function normally. During that time I turned to religion to try to find some peace, and it did work in that I got some peace from it, so I don't look down on people for doing that.

But my prayers were not answered, and after awhile I couldn't get much peace from the religion and lost my faith. At any rate, it took a long time for the situation to resolve itself and my, now exwife, is still messed up.

When some people go through tough times like that they full themselves into believing that there's some reason for all that ****. There isn't. They just trick their own heads. But when it's all said and done you have to accept the universe the way that it is to get true peace.

Maybe you do. But I don't. A psychological problem is defined by the APA as a mental abnormality which causes a significant impairment in the subject's ability to lead a fulfilling life. Or something like that, I've probably paraphrased a little. Anyway, if you function just fine with your abnormality, it ain't a disorder. That's why homosexuality was removed from the DSM; they found gays were able to have happy lives provided people did not tie them to fences and leave them to die, et cetera, so their peculiarity did not qualify as a disorder.

I'm curious as to what you prayed for. For your wife to come to her senses? Only she could have decided that; God won't control someone's mind. Nor is prayer supposed to be magic. Sometimes it isn't granted, or is granted in different ways from what you expect. I find it's most useful to pray for strength or patience or wisdom.

I don't particularly believe there's a reason for everything, for the record. That sounds Calvinist to me. God probably does have a hand in many things, but most everything that hassles me (certainly all the major stuff) is caused by people.

[Blake]

Originally posted by Kidicious
When some people go through tough times like that they full themselves into believing that there's some reason for all that ****. There isn't. They just trick their own heads. But when it's all said and done you have to accept the universe the way that it is to get true peace.

Actually things DO happen for a reason.

And Buddhism, is about figuring out those REASONS.

One of the core principles of Buddhism is "dependent origination" which is "all effects which occur, do so based on causes and conditions".

The 5 things which cause effects are

Kamma
Laws of Nature
Seasonal Changes and Climate
Genetic Inheritance
Will of mind

For example, you feel cold because of the climate. The cold feeling arises due to the climate.

Kamma isn't supernatural, it's just like guilt and stuff, fetters on your mind.
You feel bad (guilt), this arises based on your past, when you did things you knew weren't good. The bad feeling arises, because the conditions remind you of what you did. (cause: Bad action. Condition: Reminder of past. Effect: Feeling bad).


You can obviously do nothing about Nature, the Climate and Genetics - except try to stay out of it's way. But there's a lot you can do in the kamma and force of mind department, for example, bad kamma can be avoided by not doing bad things which cause guilt and stuff, so simple!


Buddhism is of course unique in that it strives to actually explain all things which occur, in a way which helps you understand what you can do to prevent them arising, if anything. This is wisdom - knowing what do to and what can be done, and leaving that stuff which can't be done well enough alone, it's not your business.

What people often look for in religion, is self-centric ego-pleasing reasons for things. For example, to believe that some bad event is God trying to teach you a lesson, is clearly immensely ego-gratifying. Or to believe that some ritual can keep you safe from your kamma, from the bad things you've done.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Elok
Maybe you do. But I don't. A psychological problem is defined by the APA as a mental abnormality which causes a significant impairment in the subject's ability to lead a fulfilling life. Or something like that, I've probably paraphrased a little. Anyway, if you function just fine with your abnormality, it ain't a disorder. That's why homosexuality was removed from the DSM; they found gays were able to have happy lives provided people did not tie them to fences and leave them to die, et cetera, so their peculiarity did not qualify as a disorder.

I just said you had a psychological problem, not a psychological disorder as defined by the APA. I'm also not saying that you are crazy like Agy is.

I'm curious as to what you prayed for. For your wife to come to her senses? Only she could have decided that; God won't control someone's mind. Nor is prayer supposed to be magic. Sometimes it isn't granted, or is granted in different ways from what you expect. I find it's most useful to pray for strength or patience or wisdom.

Actually I prayed for peace of mind. I did get peace of mind, but it's obvious that it wasn't due to prayer, but to my acceptance of things. If it were due to prayer it would have happened more timely. And I still have psychological problems due to obscessions that haven't been resolved.

I don't particularly believe there's a reason for everything, for the record. That sounds Calvinist to me. God probably does have a hand in many things, but most everything that hassles me (certainly all the major stuff) is caused by people.

Okay, so you don't believe that good is allmighty? How do you explain suffering? Who created bad people?