Wrong or right or Hummmm

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

I respect other choices of religion, and don't tell them they are wrong or misled or anything else. To me Faith is what brings peace to your soul. So believe in what brings you peace. from IDCrewDawg

http://www.bdsmlibrary.com/forums/sh...8238#post78238

This made me think because I believe in living your faith not shoving it down peoples throat. But I also believe in a rigid guide line for salvation.
Does that mean that when I refuse to tell them I think they are wrong I'm being wrong?
I'm not looking to get flamed I'm just looking for continued nice (or silly) converstation. How do you feel about this?

[maddie]

I'm still reading it, but early in "The End of Faith", Sam Harris argues that religious tolerance is a problem, that it's this "Well, I believe X and think that my beliefs are right. Still, it's OK if you believe in L, even if you have profoundly different ways of worshipping God." that's causing troubles. I'm looking forward to continuing with the book, but that has given me something to think about.

I think it's presumptuous and rather silly to think any the organized religions have The Right Answer. We're all interpreting the Bible, at least the Jews and Christians are. The sad thing there is that we get caught up in minutia and forget that it's the basic part of the message that's important. The details -- things like transubstantiation, how often to have Communion, whether priests should marry -- that's all less important than actual belief and doing as Jesus taught, which is to love your neighbor as yourself and to simply believe that God is.

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

Interesting comment Maddie.
I've always wondered why people thought they knew it all.
I know even in Christianity there are so many different options. How can I be the, know all end all.
Now I also have never been afraid; if asked, to express my beliefs. But I also have never felt it was proper to belittle someone, in to my beliefs. (hope that makes sense.)

[_ID_]

Thanks for the quote ssbe. To your question, by not telling someone you disagree with their choice of faith, no you are not wrong. I am assuming you follow a christian faith. If you are, then follow the teachings of your faith in this area. First Love God Second Love your neighbor as you would yourself. If you follow a different path of faith. Well then I don't know what advice to give, as I don't know the teachings of other religions well enough to speak about them.

If you believe that you can discuss with someone their choice of religion, and not attempt to judge them (remember the advice christ gave "Judge not, lest ye be judged") for their choice. Then feel free to enjoy a discusion of faith, for in the discussion with others is how we learn.

V/R
ID

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

Then feel free to enjoy a discusion of faith, for in the discussion with others is how we learn.

V/R
ID

Smiles, I'm really starting to believe this.
I've always believed if you don't live it you better not talk it.
Bumper stickers on cars that cut you off are not adverising for but against.

[TheKnothead]

I've always had a kind of belief that "all roads lead to Rome". Another way of saying it...God's big enough for all of our different religions. Pick the one that fits you best and follow it. I think the different flavors are for us...not Him. Most religons (excluding radical anything) promote the same basic things. And then here's where I get in trouble...but with space travel and all the exploration and telescopes and stuff....and all the looking around we've done....you would think we'd quit fighting over that little piece of dirt in the middle east...I think Earth is the garden...and we're not taking very good care of it...

[maddie]

Hello, TheKnothead! Welcome to the forums!

I think you're right, to some extent, about the "different flavors" idea. When it comes to Christianity, sure. As a Christian, I don't know how far I can go with it, though, when it comes to other faiths.

The Bible does very specifically tell us that we are to be stewards of the Earth and I'd have to agree with you that, as a whole, we're not doing a very good job of that.

[Dundee]

I've always had a kind of belief that "all roads lead to Rome". Another way of saying it...God's big enough for all of our different religions. Pick the one that fits you best and follow it. I think the different flavors are for us...not Him. Most religons (excluding radical anything) promote the same basic things. And then here's where I get in trouble...but with space travel and all the exploration and telescopes and stuff....and all the looking around we've done....you would think we'd quit fighting over that little piece of dirt in the middle east...I think Earth is the garden...and we're not taking very good care of it...

That piece of dirt you refer to is like and land, beautiful, but the leaders of men, goverments and their administrators are the one's who insist on destruction. Each human is sacred. Does not eveyone's hearts not bleed when they see a child, woman or man cry? Or their ripped bodies let to rot, not in the name of God (of all faiths) but those who govern and lie to us. They depolitise the masses and keep us in ruins while money is spent invading scared lands or others. I for one and ashamed. Like many other, we can make a change, we can read, we can write we can help.

[Warbaby1943]

http://www.bdsmlibrary.com/forums/sh...8238#post78238

This made me think because I believe in living your faith not shoving it down peoples throat. But I also believe in a rigid guide line for salvation.
Does that mean that when I refuse to tell them I think they are wrong I'm being wrong?
I'm not looking to get flamed I'm just looking for continued nice (or silly) converstation. How do you feel about this?

You asked for silly:

Subject: At the monastery

A young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand. He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to the head abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up. In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.

The head monk, says, "We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son." So, he goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original manuscripts are held as archives in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years.

Hours go by and nobody sees the old Abbott. So, the young monk gets worried and goes down to look for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall and wailing, We missed the "R" We missed the "R" We missed the "R" His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably.

The young monk asks the old abbot, "What's wrong, father?"

With a choking voice, the old abbot replies, "After all these years..... the word was Celebrate"

[TheKnothead]

That piece of dirt you refer to is like and land, beautiful, but the leaders of men, goverments and their administrators are the one's who insist on destruction. Each human is sacred. Does not eveyone's hearts not bleed when they see a child, woman or man cry? Or their ripped bodies let to rot, not in the name of God (of all faiths) but those who govern and lie to us. They depolitise the masses and keep us in ruins while money is spent invading scared lands or others. I for one and ashamed. Like many other, we can make a change, we can read, we can write we can help.

I hear ya Dundee, but maybe you missed my point...in the vastness of space, there is but one tiny dot that may be remotely called a garden.
And yet, we idiot humans, governments, religions are fighting over pieces of it and in the process destroying it and each other. And you are correct, it's a travesty, it's obscene! You'd think, that at some point in time we'd all kind of realize that we're all in this together...and that we're all we've got. (God aside for a second) We need to set aside our differences and set about the business of insuring that we all have a planet to live on. But no...instead it seems that we are instead bent on polarizing into what will most likely be a third and final world war...religious...of course
...but that's just me being gloomy...
oh...just in case we don't and you do want to help save this planet...
here's a cool link: --http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp--
now to go find a more cheery topic

[TheKnothead]

ok...three more comments and then I'll shut up for today...maybe

maddie....I love that picture!!
Warbaby1043....great joke!
...and I don't much like the bondage hood at the end of my tag line...looks a bit morbid...and I'm really not...honest!!
...besides it's getting hot in here

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

You asked for silly:

With a choking voice, the old abbot replies, "After all these years..... the word was Celebrate"

Lol

Originally Posted by Dundee
That piece of dirt you refer to is like and land, beautiful, but the leaders of men, goverments and their administrators are the one's who insist on destruction. Each human is sacred. Does not eveyone's hearts not bleed when they see a child, woman or man cry? Or their ripped bodies let to rot, not in the name of God (of all faiths) but those who govern and lie to us. They depolitise the masses and keep us in ruins while money is spent invading scared lands or others. I for one and ashamed. Like many other, we can make a change, we can read, we can write we can help.

Ohhhh so beautiful

[Asia]

I hear ya Dundee, but maybe you missed my point...in the vastness of space, there is but one tiny dot that may be remotely called a garden.
And yet, we idiot humans, governments, religions are fighting over pieces of it and in the process destroying it and each other. And you are correct, it's a travesty, it's obscene! You'd think, that at some point in time we'd all kind of realize that we're all in this together...and that we're all we've got. (God aside for a second) We need to set aside our differences and set about the business of insuring that we all have a planet to live on. But no...instead it seems that we are instead bent on polarizing into what will most likely be a third and final world war...religious...of course
...but that's just me being gloomy...
oh...just in case we don't and you do want to help save this planet...
here's a cool link: http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp

now to go find a more cheery topic

I have to agree with both of you. Practising Catholic Ma, Non practising Muslim Pa, raised a Catholic, have a French priest for an uncle and I'm Agnostic, sometimes Atheist as no organised religion makes any sense and it is in direct contrast with my thinking as a scientist. I wish all those well who have faith in their Gods but do not abuse it by extremism and employ it as 'law enforcement'. Every time I read Marx, Gramsci and Lenin, the world makes more sense - Communism, although no longer suitable for the world we live in today, and it's ideologies of egalitarianism and equality for all was the last political way our world could have been saved (but for Stalin and his despotic madness). I had hoped that when the evil Middle East Siamese twins, Sharofat, had died, the world's leaders would learn and cease it's cruelty against it's people. I guess this is why the word 'Utopia' (often mistaken to mean an ideal place) literally means 'no place'. Finally, to refer back to my Asian (Kashmir) as opposed to my European (French) roots, Ghandi once said, and I paraphrase: If we all believed in the philosophy of an eye for an eye, we would all be blind.

Anyway:
I was at the petrol station filling my car with fuel, some leaked on my arm. Thought nothing of it, got in my car, and drove off. I picked up a pack of cigarettes and lit one and suddenly, my arm caught fire, In a slight panic, I stuck my arm out of the window trying to put out the flames when I heard a police siren behind me indicating they wanted me to pull over.

They charged me with possession of a firearm.
*this 'joke' only works if you're very tipsy or if you tell it to a 5 year old, yet I find it hilarious. I should seek help*
Asia
xxx

[siralex]

*laughing* it looks that, at 6 feet, I'm pretty tall for a 5-year-old.

this joke is probably rooted in experience, as life tends to be even more absurd. For example, in the Czech Republic, where I'm right now, according to road safety rules, if you cause a serious harm to someone while riding a bicycle, you are fined about $1000. So last week, a young man fell from his mountain bike in the woods and almost broke his neck. They took him to hospital, and while he was still unconscious, the police paid a visit and fined him $1000. The reason - he cause a serious harm to someone - that someone being him. It would be funny were it not completely absurd...

on the same wave length, what Asia said about her religious orientation reminded me of the old Woody Allen joke:

"Me and my wife, we divorced because of religious differences. She's agnostic, and I'm an atheist. We couldn't agree on which religion to NOT bring our children in."

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

They charged me with possession of a firearm.

Giggles to cute

"Me and my wife, we divorced because of religious differences. She's agnostic, and I'm an atheist. We couldn't agree on which religion to NOT bring our children in."

More Giggles
Sighs happily, I love to giggle.