Why are you a Christian?

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Blake


Quite. Damn, once I saw the illusion of the self it no longer seemed so reasonable for me to believe that I could go around judging and persecuting beings. Heck, now I don't even kill blood sucking insects, I don't take offense at another being needing some of my blood to live, there's no need to take offense at such a thing! (and if I were to take offense, I'd have to take much offense at my sustenance habits, I result in unimaginably more death and harm than a blood sucking insect).
It brings with it, a tremendous sense of solidarity. We're all down here together and all beings suffer, lets not make conflict over trivial things.

How do you know the blood sucking insect appreciates it's life? If you make AI opponents that have aversive response to noxious stimuli would you have to go out of your way to avoid harming them on the off chance that there's now a tiny feeling ghost in the machine associated with each such AI opponent? How do you determine what constitutes a fellow being?

[Blake]

Originally posted by Geronimo


How do you know the blood sucking insect appreciates it's life? If you make AI opponents that have aversive response to noxious stimuli would you have to go out of your way to avoid harming them on the off chance that there's now a tiny feeling ghost in the machine associated with each such AI opponent? How do you determine what constitutes a fellow being?

Why do I need to know it does?

I know what it does with my blood. It goes make some babies and those babies mostly get eaten by little fishes and birds (creatures which I appreciated even in beforetimes) and there's that whole food chain thing...

It doesn't matter whether the insect appreciates it's life, because *I* appreciate the insects life! To me it's a very noble thing to be at the bottom of the food chain and to let such a creature be is a joyful thing.

[Arrian]

Any sort of system for morality we humans can invent will always be incomplete and will always be, essentially, a guess.

Oh, granted. Absolutely. But I think that's the best we've got.

I'll sign off since the threadstarter didn't want yet another religion/atheism debate. Thanks for the thoughtful response, Elok (and Lorizael).

-Arrian

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Blake


Why do I need to know it does?

I know what it does with my blood. It goes make some babies and those babies mostly get eaten by little fishes and birds (creatures which I appreciated even in beforetimes) and there's that whole food chain thing...

It doesn't matter whether the insect appreciates it's life, because *I* appreciate the insects life! To me it's a very noble thing to be at the bottom of the food chain and to let such a creature be is a joyful thing.

but what about the other people who will be tormented by it's babies?

[Blake]

Originally posted by Geronimo
but what about the other people who will be tormented by it's babies?

But what about the birdies and fishes who don't get a meal?

Are you REALLY wise enough to decide which is more important? Well I'm not wise enough anyway, so I just let it be.

[DirtyMartini]

Blake,

When did the beforetimes end? In other words, how long ago did you become Buddhist, if you don't mind me asking?

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Blake


But what about the birdies and fishes who don't get a meal?

Are you REALLY wise enough to decide which is more important? Well I'm not wise enough anyway, so I just let it be.

I'm wise enough to know that I don't like the insect biting me and that the blood sucking insects are either mainly external parasites that have few if any predators or they are blood sucking insects that don't actually rely on the blood as a food source and instead are mostly nectar eaters who compete with non blood sucking nectar eaters the birds are just as happy to eat.

I regard the blood sucking insects as harmful to my world and don't like to see them protected.

[Blake]

Originally posted by DirtyMartini
Blake,

When did the beforetimes end? In other words, how long ago did you become Buddhist, if you don't mind me asking?

Depends really, I'd say it was about 30 Months ago I had the important lifestyle change (one promoting finding inner-peace), 13 months ago I had the important mindset change (deciding to try that whole universal compassion / unconditional love type thing). About 8 months ago I started listening to Ajahn Brahm (discovered Buddhist teachings which worked for me)

And 6 months 28 days ago I had the insight which shattered certain illusions of self. It was probably that moment, I became a Buddhist, as in I had glimpsed the truth, and from that moment HAD to strive towards it, and I knew it was a Buddhist Monk who had provided the trigger.

I started calling myself a Buddhist about 3 months ago or something.

But basically my life is "pre-insight" and "post-insight" because that moment 6 months 28 days ago is the one which transformed my mind and gave me an entirely new perspective (but there was a lot of hard work leading up to that...).

edit: The other thing, is that pre-insight I needed 10 hours of sleep a night. Post-insight, I need only 4 hours of sleep a night (as monastics tend to). So... yeah.... I knew an important transformation had happened and I couldn't deny it :O.

[DirtyMartini]

Originally posted by Geronimo


I'm wise enough to know that I don't like the insect biting me and that the blood sucking insects are either mainly external parasites that have few if any predators or they are blood sucking insects that don't actually rely on the blood as a food source and instead are mostly nectar eaters who compete with non blood sucking nectar eaters the birds are just as happy to eat.

I regard the blood sucking insects as harmful to my world and don't like to see them protected.

I'd say the world's most famous blood-sucker is the mosquito, which does rely on the blood for sustenance and is a vital prey item for many bats and birds...Letting them bite you could lead to any number of nasty diseases, though. West Nile Virus for example. Malaria for another.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by DirtyMartini


I'd say the world's most famous blood-sucker is the mosquito, which does rely on the blood for sustenance and is a vital prey item for many bats and birds...Letting them bite you could lead to any number of nasty diseases, though. West Nile Virus for example. Malaria for another.

no. mosquitos rely on nectar for their growth. the females bloodsucking just provides iron that is needed for fertilization of their eggs. Not all mosquito species need to acquire iron this way. Other mosquito species like Toxorhynchites are much better at sequestering traces of iron intake and they do not and cannot drink blood.

[Agathon]

No wonder humanity is doomed, with all this irrational crap flying around.

[DirtyMartini]

Originally posted by Geronimo


no. mosquitos rely on nectar for their growth. the females bloodsucking just provides iron that is needed for fertilization of their eggs. Not all mosquito species need to acquire iron this way. Other mosquito species like Toxorhynchites are much better at sequestering traces of iron intake and they do not and cannot drink blood.

Good to know, thanks. And sorry for the butting-in, I'm a little post-happy lately.

[Meticulous Man]

Blake: wow, sounds hardcore. Ever read stuff by Alan Watts? He was a British-American philosopher that focused on interpreting Buddhism to Western audiences and authored lots of very accessible books and essays that I've enjoyed reading.

A lay claim off the top of my hat: based on what I know, the process of enlightenment as I've understood it seems to be compatible with a cognitive-neuroscientific approach, in that there could be thought to exist parts of your mind you can learn to utilize that in a sense are "directly" in contact with your surroundings without language/conceptual thinking as a mediator

[Jon Miller]

Maybe we can have a "Why are you a Buddist?" thread?

JM

[Blake]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
Maybe we can have a "Why are you a Buddist?" thread?

JM

It would probably get hijacked.