What is Religion

[StClone]

If Coral Ridge Ministries TV show is any indication it's about Politics. Here are the topics listed in order today:


-- Was Lincoln A Christian?

-- What Price Liberty? (Part 2)Patrick Henry stated, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" That's what our Founding Fathers were willing to pay for liberty! Are you?

-- UN Clears Sudanese Government of Genocide

-- 7th Graders on Statesmanship (on trip to capitol Hill!)

Farther down there is actually some Xtian stuff along with send money.

I can see where people believe they are turning to Religion when that Religion is fact and extension of Conservative political agenda.





http://www.coralridge.org/

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Iran by another name... eom

[RPM]

2. a crock of shit

but that's just my opionion :evilgrin:

[TWiley]

3. This is a HUGE problem, and one that recieves NO

media attention.

There is virtually no difference between the American Christian Supremists, and the Muslim Tali-ban.

Both are fundamentalist.
Both wish to create Theocracies.
Both support military solutions to religioius differences.
Both are conservative outfits that blend religion, politics, and militarism
Both want to supress womens rights
Both are rabidly anti-homosexual
Both want to control the educational system
Both are lead by self-righteous bigots.

So what is the difference? To die for, or to be enslaved by Allah, or Jesus. It only a different side of the same turd.

[StClone]

4. Religion has its place

It can be seen as a resource guiding people to find purpose in life (to believe in a higher power whatever that may be) and to set rules of conduct above those of legal conventions. It also adds a dimension of socializing, camaraderie, shared activities and singing and yes worship that is beneficial to society. Jesus spoke of helping the poor, comforting the sick, modesty and loving neighbor and enemies, too.

Much good can come from Religion but today it is just another cog in the Conservatives machine. What it should not be is a dais for fomenting disdain of one political party for another then still claim tax exempt status.

[TWiley]

8. That is the part that botheres me

<<Much good can come from Religion but today it is just another cog in the Conservatives machine. What it should not be is a dais for fomenting disdain of one political party for another then still claim tax exempt status.>>

Add to this the neo-cons funding of religion through school vouchers, and faith based iniatives.

Taxpayer money is feeding a rabid dog.

[notadmblnd]

18. I got in an arguement with a Jehovas Witness over politics

I asked her how she could be a christian and not exercise her responsibility to vote. I told her Jesus entire life was politics, he died for politics. Jesus was crucified because the Romans and the Pharases were playing politics.

Religion I think is used by people for a virety of different purposes. Making money is the biggest reason that I can see why churches are established. We've been fighting wars for ages because of religion. Religion keeps the weak and poor under control and many use it as an emotional crutch to make existance bearable for them.

If you ask me, religion is the root of all evil.

[TWiley]

24. Some would say .....

That Jesus was not religious, and that he violated many Jewish laws.

He was judged under the full weight of their law and sentenced to death. Next, he sprung back to life and essentially said: There is power in the universe, and it has nothing to do with your stupid religious sacraments.

In a sense, some would say that Jesus died to set us free from Religion.

[Stop_the_War]

5. Today's American "Christians" would give Jesus a heart attack....

If he saw the results of the religion he created he would've been saddened and embarrassed.

[Jokinomx]

12. Jesus never created a "Church"....

In actuality the those that followed Jesus were persecuted for centuries after he died. It wasn't until Constantine that "Christianity" was adopted... I think somewhere around 350 A.D. during the council of Nicea. There several books that were part of the "Bible" were purged. The book of Mary and the book of Thomas for example. The books that were taken out of the bible became what is known as the apocrypha.

[Wise Child]

6. John Hagee's teevee (and radio) sermons

seems to be loaded with Right-Wing political vitriol. He once talked about the decline of the American economy and outsourcing to India. He focused the blame on Clinton, because in the 90s, they were too pre-occupied with the spotted owl, while Indian students learned technical skills. He then shifted to showing his support for monkeyboy. He should site Rush Limbaugh as a source for his sermons.

His politically loaded sermons seem to often be about the End Times and the Rapture. Which affirms to me that the belief in the End Times has something to do with control through fear.

[TWiley]

7. Many of these crackpots believe

Armageddon is actually a racial war which the whites will ultimately win. They support any escalation of war in the middle east.

[Stop_the_War]

9. Ironically, the historical Jesus was not white.

That is what scientists are saying he looked like.
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/12/25/face.jesus/index.html

[TWiley]

23. I e-mailed this photo along with the article

to some fundi acquaintances, and they said it was "liberal propaganda"

They generally believe that God created each race as it is, and that God wants to keep each race pure.

They are strong creationists as well. Creationism is the root of their racial views.

[bperci108]

25. Check this out...

I'm not sure how these scientists arrived at their conclusion, but they weren't really too far off:

http://all-photo.ru/icon/index.en.html?kk=9586b1d45a&img=18233&big=on

This is a wax-encaustic painting from the monastery of St. Catharine in the Sinai dating from the 600's.

It is one of the oldest surviving representations of Christ known to exist.

Jesus was certainly no white man, as He is often portrayed in the West. I've seen RC art that has Him looking like a blond, blue-eyed woman. :puke:

[bperci108]

27. And just to add to the "worry factor"...

I understand that Texas Rep. Tom Delay is a big Hagee fan.

Adds a whole new dimension to that lunatic's character, doesn't it?

I mean, no wonder The Exterminator works so hard to bring about Armageddon with a theological mental midget like John Hagee fueling his delusions.

Hagee is a Southern Baptist, who are the ONLY American ecclesial religious organization to support the war in Iraq.

WWJB---Who Would Jesus Bomb?


It's sickening. :puke:

[Jokinomx]

10. Religion can be used as a tool, setting people on the path of spiritual

maturity. However, when used by power hungry control freaks it loses its usefulness to those that need guidance. In fact it stifles ones growth. It holds a person hostage and entire lives are wasted. Somewhere along the line of spiritual growth..... one needs to graduate from the need of a religion... the need to have someone tell you how to be or what is right or wrong. You become the teacher... the beacon or light. I think that is what Jesus meant when he stated he came to take away the law. Most people don't need a law to tell them that murder is wrong. That type of thinking has left the person... he doesn't need to be told it is wrong... it just is and most realize this. The same can be said for everything else also. As man's awareness of the physical world and the spiritual world continues to expand, we will lose the need for religions. But man doesn't change easily...those in power will fight ruthlessly to continue to control the masses with their false ideas of how man should live.

If Jesus were here today... who would the pharisees be? It would be the leaders of the "Christian" churches. They wouldn't even recognize Jesus if he happened to show up someday... they would kill him again.

That is my humble opinion....

[noamnety]

11. Coral Ridge is tied in with the moonies

We probably need a demopedia article on them.

[alfredo]

13. Religion is relying on someone elses revelations/hallucinations

instead of seeking the truth on your own.

[Telly Savalas]

15. No. That's dogmatism.

While many religions are dogmatic, many aren't. A nondogmatic religion can serve the purpose of letting its members seek the truth as a community. The sacred texts and symbols of such a group acts as a starting place for such a quest.

[alfredo]

17. Like the Unitarians?

Other than them, don't other religions have their own dogma one must follow to be considered a member of that religion?

[tralfaz]

21. Wow,

if I wanted to go to www.antireligion.com I would have typed that into my browser's toolbar. Isn't there a different forum for religious issues?

[LeftyMom]

22. Wiccans don't

There's the rede, but other than that there's no dogma and no unifying body codifying that to believe.

A lot of Pagan religions are like that.

[immoderate]

14. Sam Harris was on C-SPAN today. His book is...

"The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason." His thesis is that by tolerating moderate religious dogma, we open the door to extreme religious irrationality, and acceptance of principles which are fundamentally destructive to modern society.

How can you say that prayers are answered, yet deny that there are 72 virgins awaiting the guy with the bomb strapped to his torso? Every time I hear, "I respect your beliefs," I want to ask, "How do you respect beliefs, and not believe them?"

In order to go on to a peaceful world, we must realize that religion is bullshit. Whatever part of it is not bullshit existed previous to and independent of it. The irrational belief systems lead to conflict and war. This is unavoidable because the tenets of the various religions are incompatible. This is not to mention the injustices they do to their own adherents. Imagine telling adults that they can't use birth control, or that an undifferentiated clump of cells smaller than a fly's brain contains a soul.

This is no way to make decisions. It's irresponsible to humanity.

--IMM

[mutus_frutex]

28. Excellent..

I've been saying this a long time and I get this stares as if I'm from another planet.

Irrationality must not be tolerated. Every time you tolerate intolerance, you are simply advancing it. This is what happens with the democrats and the republicans. The repub. never concede anything and the democrats are always willing to look for a middle-of-the-road solution. That way politics in this country is always moving toward the right until it is brought into balance by some huge shift.

[davekriss]

29. If I can repeat myself...

...this from a post made in December:

Imbalance

Just as Chomsky says there is a "language organ" in the brain, I think there is also a "spiritual organ" -- i.e., we are perhaps preprogrammed by countless generations of natural selection to pursue spiritual "truth", "salvation", "peace", and "meaning". To deny that pursuit with zeal or conscientious devotion is equally an expression of that preprogrammed given in our natures, albeit in disguised form.

Joseph Campbell describes 4 major cultural functions for religion (IIRC): (i) to engender sustaining and grounding "mystical" experience in a few (the founding roots of religions), (ii) to provide order and meaning that allows a political/economic system to florish, (iii) to establish and justify a ruling priestly class that benefits a few and maintains the general order, (iv) to function as a screening myth that keeps system-contrarian truths from the minds of the non-privileged classes. There is nothing wrong with item one; it all goes downhill with the latter three. That preprogrammed pursuit of the spiritual gets hijacked again and again for sociopolitical purposes that maintain, sustain, and benefit selfish hierarchy -- and at complete variance (usually) from the "mystical" experiences that served to found the religious order in the first place -- steers us into discussions of our natures that spill far beyond just the "religious" in us.

Having said that, my wife (Kriss) is a good Christian. I can say unequivocally that her church (a small charismatic church) is filled with men and women of good spirit who turn to Sundays for nourishment, comfort, and community. The values and ideals upheld are positive and healing. During the rest of the week many do much community work to alleviate the suffering of others. In and of itself there is nothing negative with this at all; on the contrary, this is a beautiful thing.

If I can wax metaphorically here I think there are levels to consciousness, spheres turning slowly within spheres. Up above are the spheres of transpersonal experience (the mystical, spiritual, revelatory). Down below are the spheres of the wounded child, the detritus of our tragic personal histories. In between are the spheres of the everyday self that balances the checkbook and clocks in at work. A retreat into any one at the cost of the others is disorder, disease.

The transpersonal in flight from the weight of the everyday or from acknowledgement of our woundings can lead to imbalance and fanaticism; a retreat below can lead to depression, emotional chaos, continuance and increase of pain. And a retreat into the everyday in denial of the above/below can lead to ennui, emptiness, and meaninglessness. What's called for, and I think the words of the many spiritual leaders across time have called for this, is balance and integration of all spheres.

To the extent that religion orders and integrates it can be tolerated (by me). I understand that many of us are strong enough to stand alone, separate from the ordering community of various religions (Tillich's the courage to stand apart vs. the courage to participate, two poles of the courage to be in a world where God can seem very absent -- the many of us falling at various points along this valid continuum). But I am also fully aware how the sensitive spheres can be hijacked for banal (even evil) purposes. And I am aware how the screening myths of religions can distract from and postpone the fight for corrective social justice and equality. On this contradiction I don't pretend to have answers, but unlike some I neither embrace naively nor reject wholly the fundamental drives that lead men and women to bond together in intended good will under the banners of various religions.

But, hey, that's just me <---- lost in Samsarra, swimming in our Ocean of Tears...

[autorank]

16. What is Three Card Monty?

[Az]

19. A street hustler game

Three cards are placed on a table. The conartist shows you where the queen is and then turns the three cards face down and rapidly shifts them around. You have to guess where the queen is. You won't guess right.

[autorank]

20. Excellent description. Kinda like religion, isn't it?

[leftofthedial]

26. Of course religion is politics

always has been

[Just Me]

30. "Religion" is man's desire to master his universe.

Did I do good? :bounce: