I was raised catholic (I swear... I had to backspace to change that 'c' from upper case to lower! but I'm not afraid I'll be struck by lightening for doing so ) and think that if there's anything I drew from my religious upbringing... it's my personal sense of conscience (which I now see as being completely secular). Being told 'there is someone watching everything you do and hearing every thought you have'... certainly makes you take pause before action and or question your motives... and though I now believe that I'm the one that's watching/listening... I'm the only one that truly gets to make 'judgments' ... I'm glad I learned the lessons of consequence and the practice of questioning my motivations.
My Mom (who I respect as a person and a parent) has 'refound' her religion in recent years... no longer a catholic...(she makes some kind of 'pffft' sound when I mention the organization and assures me that her church is the 'right one' nothing like the catholic church) ... ? She actually went on to elaborate recently, that I shouldn't judge her church by the 'old *what ever it's called*' that the current incarnation of the specific religion does not affiliate with the former... How can I not scoff at that? If there really was a God... a 'right way'... would that one entity not accept all others claiming themselves as such?
I respect and accept her choice (and everyone else who chooses what's best for them in this matter) to extend herself and her energies toward her newfound beliefs... I'd even say I'm thankful for her 'blind faith' as it seems to allow her to feel at peace with herself and the world to some extent. She tells me that she has no reason to question pain/suffering/war/etc... as God has a reason for everything and it's not for her/us to question... but to completely accept!! Personally, I believe the most important thing to believe in in this life is Yourself.
My Mom was here loving/nursing me back to health in the early spring after I got tossed into the medical/emotional blender that is Breast Cancer. On my first outing (about a week after surgery) we sat on a park bench just a couple of blocks from here after a short and shaky walk, that at the time felt like light years away. She launched into an enthusiastic conversation surrounding all of the prayers that were being said for me by all of the followers in her church. Told me about her prayer meetings on Thursdays focusing a part of their gathering on praying to God for my health and healing. I gave her my sincere thanks and told her that I truly believe in the power of others focusing energy on your well being... the power that can be transferred from one person to another by the mere knowledge of being Loved... cared for... She then expressed to me that if only everyone understood... that if they believed in God (her God!) and put their faith in him ... and followed his plan... that we would all be/go where we should be and receive our 'just rewards'...
I realized during that conversation, how important it is for each of us, in showing respect for someone we love... to be not only accepting but totally honest with them. I told my Mom that I completely respect her beliefs 'FOR HER' but that I needed to tell her that 'I don't believe in your God'. It was one of the toughest things I've ever said to someone I love.
I further explained by saying that Pearl Jam is very important to me... as more than a band creating music/lyrics that I identify with and love... but an organization of people with a common energy that come together to make things happen... that otherwise... without this central focus... would never be possible. I expressed that I was not trying to belittle her religious beliefs by comparing them to a rock band... but that it was the only way I knew of to relay to her how I felt about her expressing her ongoing desire for me to 'join the fold'... was to tell her that I didn't think she'd get any more juiced up about heading to her local record store to build her PJ boot collection... if every time we saw each other... I pressed the subject of conversation that if she'd only understood that 'she's completely missing the boat on the whole PJ thing' and should join the 10C... than I do about her telling me I'm going to be SOL on judgement day...
To each his/her own... whatever we believe in... that allows us to be at peace with ourselves... and allows us to truly love... that is what matters to Me
So my answer to the OP... No...I don't believe in One God... but I certainly believe it's important for every one of us to truly believe in something...
+1 and a "hug". Great post.
Pitt 98, Pitt 00, Cleveland 03, Pitt 03, State College 03, Toledo 04, Toronto 05, Pitt 05, Cleveland 06, Pitt 06 & Chicago 07, Chicago 1&2 09, Philly 2,3,4 09, Cleveland 10, Columbus 10, Alpine Valley 1& 2 11
It's all a transfer of energy that at this moment in time cannot be tested in such a way as to prove or disprove paranormal activity. However, one day it very well might be... unlike the existence of God which could never be tested. I think you may have watched Ghostbusters one too many times.
I never said that I needed any of those concepts. I simply choose to be Agnostic because I have no idea what happens when we die. We could cease to exist or we could not. No one, not even you, can answer that question with complete certainty... I just refuse to submit to a belief system (atheism included) that thinks they know what happens next because in all honesty, they don't.
Nice catch on the Ghostbusters reference (it was an easy one though). Let's just say that I am 99% sure that the god thing isn't really going to pan out (the 1% is for my mom) and I am 100% certain that there is no such thing as ghosts. I do believe that people can create things like ghosts and gods in their head (especially since we are flooded with these images all the time) and that the manifestations that they create can seem 100% real to them.
I had this well-respected witch-doctor type of healer in our extensive Finnish community here look me in the eyes and tell me that I have the gift of being able to speak to the dead. He went off a little when I told him that I didn't believe in that sort of thing. I'm sure that if I bought into it and spent some time with the guy, I would be able to convince myself of this ability as well. But just because I'm in my head talking to the dead doesn't mean that I am actually talking to the dead. See what I'm getting at?
Anyway, the comment about needing these concepts was not directed at you mbangel -- it was more of a statement that I really don't care what other people believe at the end of the day. I should have been more clear about that.
You can definitely, absolutely, without question be 100% certain that you've never experienced anything having to do with the paranormal. I'm not even going to attempt to make you 99% sure and give you that 1% doubt. If you've never experienced it, I hope you never do. I've had a few in my life... things that happened in childhood and adulthood that if they happened to you would in no doubt turn your 100% non-belief a complete 180. As far as your Witchdoctor experience, you were probably talking to a scam artist and that says all I need to say on that topic.
The 1% you give in the potential belief in God, is definitely a fair one. From your post I'm going to assume you've lost your mom and I can really relate to that. If you're anything at all like me in this context, the one thing you hate the most is when you tell your beliefs to someone and they throw it in your face. I've lost both my parents in the last six years, and the one thing I hate the most in this world is when I tell someone I don't truly believe in God and I get the response, "You don't want your parents to be in heaven?". What the fuck kind of question is that? It seriously makes me want to punch them.
Pitt 98, Pitt 00, Cleveland 03, Pitt 03, State College 03, Toledo 04, Toronto 05, Pitt 05, Cleveland 06, Pitt 06 & Chicago 07, Chicago 1&2 09, Philly 2,3,4 09, Cleveland 10, Columbus 10, Alpine Valley 1& 2 11
You can definitely, absolutely, without question be 100% certain that you've never experienced anything having to do with the paranormal. I'm not even going to attempt to make you 99% sure and give you that 1% doubt. If you've never experienced it, I hope you never do. I've had a few in my life... things that happened in childhood and adulthood that if they happened to you would in no doubt turn your 100% non-belief a complete 180. As far as your Witchdoctor experience, you were probably talking to a scam artist and that says all I need to say on that topic.
The 1% you give in the potential belief in God, is definitely a fair one. From your post I'm going to assume you've lost your mom and I can really relate to that. If you're anything at all like me in this context, the one thing you hate the most is when you tell your beliefs to someone and they throw it in your face. I've lost both my parents in the last six years, and the one thing I hate the most in this world is when I tell someone I don't truly believe in God and I get the response, "You don't want your parents to be in heaven?". What the fuck kind of question is that? It seriously makes me want to punch them.
The witchdoctor guy is a super nice guy and sort of a family acquaintance. He genuinely believes that he can speak with the dead and there are alot of older Finlanders around here that go see him. My grandmother thinks that I am absolutely out of my mind that I dismissed him but what can I say? I don't buy into that stuff. He does provide comfort to a lot of people so I have no problem with him and I would definitely not deem him to be a scam artist as he doesn't charge for his services.
My mom is still around but she hangs on to this belief that there has to be something after we die (not sure why people think that there has to be something after we die) so I give her 1% of a benefit of a doubt because she birthed me.
What are the chances that your paranormal experiences were just in your head? When I was a kid, I thought that I could float and the memory of me floating down hallways in my old house are as vivid to me as riding my bike down the street. I'm pretty sure that I never really floated though.
1/12/1879, 4/8/1156, 2/6/1977, who gives a shit, ...
while i have confirmed that i believe in god earlier int he post, i just want to make a point here.
the belief in god or the belief that there is none are one and the same thing. it's laughable that someone who is an atheist thinks that they are more rational for not believing in god. you have no proof that there is no god, just like i have no proof that there is.
there are only signs, and i know what they indicate.
well i see no signs... so what does that indicate??? and when i see no signs of something is usually means something doesnt exist...
i sincerely hope you do eventually.
no offence mr. dog, but answers like that just make me laugh...
oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
no offence mr. dog, but answers like that just make me laugh...
whatever makes you happy dude. i don't really care.
i sincerely hope you do care, for your soul's sake.
oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
However, there is a lot that is unexplained and I have seen it first hand.
Basically the short of it is, when I was younger, my sister had kind of this weirdo acquaintance who was into all sorts of telepathic/occult type shit. He was never really around our place, he lived about 20 miles away or so.
One night we had a bonfire and we randomly called the guy because we had a question. It turned into a larger conversation, and we eventually got him on speaker phone and we conducted some sort of ritual where we held hands and kind of meditated/visualized ourselves floating up/etc and made a connection with him.
Mentally he visited my house and he hit certain things on the button that make me believe 100% that he saw our place. He described my bedroom as extremely messy and said the bed was jarred off the wall. Earlier that day I was looking for my asthma inhaler and never moved the bed flush against the wall.
He also said there was a lump in my parents' bed. My father had gone to be because he had early work that Saturday morning.
Pretty much everything else he hit right on, but the 2 above "wildcards" make me really believe something was up. I can say with 100% certainty the guy was not at my house and was not there earlier. Also, our call was rather random and spur of the moment.
He went on to tell us a lot of things about telepathy, seeing terrifying things in mirrors, etc... He sounded crazy, but there is some truth there... somewhere.
Doesnt prove anything about a god, but for me, it definitely validates that we have much, much more to understand before we can make any determinations.
I sincerely hope you do care, for your soul's sake.
this "for your soul's sake" is just fear tactics (I know is not you intention), but I would believe that "god" prefer a sincere non believer than a person who believe just because it was taught to believe just for the fear of some kind of torment.
My advise is enjoy love and life like there's no tomorrow!
"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it"
Neil deGrasse Tyson
while i have confirmed that i believe in god earlier int he post, i just want to make a point here.
the belief in god or the belief that there is none are one and the same thing. it's laughable that someone who is an atheist thinks that they are more rational for not believing in god. you have no proof that there is no god, just like i have no proof that there is.
there are only signs, and i know what they indicate.
please explain natural disasters to me... why would god create a planet that would kill the people on it via a natural disaster?
it's not for us to explain. or even try to.
science can tell us how disasters happen. and why, if you look at physical reasons. but i don't know the question to your answer.
why would he create a world where everything is perfect and you have no choices to make?
but don't a lot of religious people TRY to explain this? By saying it's God's doing?
God is the reason for everything, that is the explanation I thought.
but don't a lot of religious people TRY to explain this? By saying it's God's doing?
God is the reason for everything, that is the explanation I thought.
Bro you nail it!
"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it"
Neil deGrasse Tyson
but don't a lot of religious people TRY to explain this? By saying it's God's doing?
God is the reason for everything, that is the explanation I thought.
man made God in his own image that is why the world is not a perfect place cause its creator is not perfect
I'm more into the Ishmael / Story of B take on man... isn't it more like man is made to conquor the world... and that we were to be God's perfect end result, that is.. God made the world for man and man was made to rule it (so it says in the book) - i like this take, because it brilliantly shows off religious people's arrogance AND ignorance imo...
man made God in his own image that is why the world is not a perfect place cause its creator is not perfect
I'm more into the Ishmael / Story of B take on man... isn't it more like man is made to conquor the world... and that we were to be God's perfect end result, that is.. God made the world for man and man was made to rule it (so it says in the book) - i like this take, because it brilliantly shows off religious people's arrogance AND ignorance imo...
I thought you were the guy playing the guitar not the girl
"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it"
Neil deGrasse Tyson
man made God in his own image that is why the world is not a perfect place cause its creator is not perfect
I'm more into the Ishmael / Story of B take on man... isn't it more like man is made to conquor the world... and that we were to be God's perfect end result, that is.. God made the world for man and man was made to rule it (so it says in the book) - i like this take, because it brilliantly shows off religious people's arrogance AND ignorance imo...
I thought you were the guy playing the guitar not the girl
man made God in his own image that is why the world is not a perfect place cause its creator is not perfect
I'm more into the Ishmael / Story of B take on man... isn't it more like man is made to conquor the world... and that we were to be God's perfect end result, that is.. God made the world for man and man was made to rule it (so it says in the book) - i like this take, because it brilliantly shows off religious people's arrogance AND ignorance imo...
nope i dont think so, though you do.
God came to being as an explanation for the unexplainable. thats my take.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
I'm more into the Ishmael / Story of B take on man... isn't it more like man is made to conquor the world... and that we were to be God's perfect end result, that is.. God made the world for man and man was made to rule it (so it says in the book) - i like this take, because it brilliantly shows off religious people's arrogance AND ignorance imo...
that's gord muthafukin' downie!
i guess you gotta be canadian...
I'm with you sister...
on the B...
and the mofo downie...
and the beavers...
and the maple leaf
Exercising her will to lose control...
she lets go
man made God in his own image that is why the world is not a perfect place cause its creator is not perfect
I'm more into the Ishmael / Story of B take on man... isn't it more like man is made to conquor the world... and that we were to be God's perfect end result, that is.. God made the world for man and man was made to rule it (so it says in the book) - i like this take, because it brilliantly shows off religious people's arrogance AND ignorance imo...
nope i dont think so, though you do.
God came to being as an explanation for the unexplainable. thats my take.
no i dont.
i think you're missing my position on this. to clarify:
but don't a lot of religious people TRY to explain this? By saying it's God's doing?
God is the reason for everything, that is the explanation I thought.
what i meant to say is, i like Daniel Quinn's take on what some people percieve as a world made for man and man being perfection...
edit: i don't think i segwayed into the idea properly, and i certainly didnt spell segway right.
I'm more into the Ishmael / Story of B take on man... isn't it more like man is made to conquor the world... and that we were to be God's perfect end result, that is.. God made the world for man and man was made to rule it (so it says in the book) - i like this take, because it brilliantly shows off religious people's arrogance AND ignorance imo...
that's gord muthafukin' downie!
i guess you gotta be canadian...
I'm with you sister...
on the B...
and the mofo downie...
and the beavers...
and the maple leaf
haha, i hope you're not fresh out of syrup, i'll bring a truckload down in september if you're runnin low!
I'm more into the Ishmael / Story of B take on man... isn't it more like man is made to conquor the world... and that we were to be God's perfect end result, that is.. God made the world for man and man was made to rule it (so it says in the book) - i like this take, because it brilliantly shows off religious people's arrogance AND ignorance imo...
nope i dont think so, though you do.
God came to being as an explanation for the unexplainable. thats my take.
no i dont.
i think you're missing my position on this. to clarify:
but don't a lot of religious people TRY to explain this? By saying it's God's doing?
God is the reason for everything, that is the explanation I thought.
what i meant to say is, i like Daniel Quinn's take on what some people percieve as a world made for man and man being perfection...
aah gotcha. when you said "im more into the...." i took that as your belief.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
aah gotcha. when you said "im more into the...." i took that as your belief.
yeah i don't think i really brought up the point properly
but to continue, i've always felt that "God" is the ultimate cop out, because you can blame anything and everything on Him, and just say you can't explain it, because its God's doing....
and in the end, you can do what you want, and find god after, and repent, and its okay...
aah gotcha. when you said "im more into the...." i took that as your belief.
yeah i don't think i really brought up the point properly
but to continue, i've always felt that "God" is the ultimate cop out, because you can blame anything and everything on Him, and just say you can't explain it, because its God's doing....
and in the end, you can do what you want, and find god after, and repent, and its okay...
and yet you can lead a righteous life with no belief in God and still youre going to hell. hmmmm
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
i don't have to care for my soul's sake because you are well enough informed to make your own choices, as is everyone else int he western world. i get the idea you have a black and white opinion on it all, and that you think I do too, but i assure you its all a big grey area.
this is kind of the thing that bugs me about missionary trips... the western world is well enough informed (in most parts, anyways) about the choices of religion, but then you start going into 3rd world countries and preaching Christianity and it kind of bugs me. why not do the good deeds without stuffing bibles in their face?
whatever makes you happy dude. i don't really care.
i sincerely hope you do care, for your soul's sake.
i don't have to care for my soul's sake because you are well enough informed to make your own choices, as is everyone else int he western world. i get the idea you have a black and white opinion on it all, and that you think I do too, but i assure you its all a big grey area.
you cannot assure me of anything... i dont see any religion in any variant form of monochrome.... i see it plainly and simply as non-existent... well god anyway... clearly religion exists but why i will never fathom.
oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
Comments
+1 and a "hug". Great post.
You can definitely, absolutely, without question be 100% certain that you've never experienced anything having to do with the paranormal. I'm not even going to attempt to make you 99% sure and give you that 1% doubt. If you've never experienced it, I hope you never do. I've had a few in my life... things that happened in childhood and adulthood that if they happened to you would in no doubt turn your 100% non-belief a complete 180. As far as your Witchdoctor experience, you were probably talking to a scam artist and that says all I need to say on that topic.
The 1% you give in the potential belief in God, is definitely a fair one. From your post I'm going to assume you've lost your mom and I can really relate to that. If you're anything at all like me in this context, the one thing you hate the most is when you tell your beliefs to someone and they throw it in your face. I've lost both my parents in the last six years, and the one thing I hate the most in this world is when I tell someone I don't truly believe in God and I get the response, "You don't want your parents to be in heaven?". What the fuck kind of question is that? It seriously makes me want to punch them.
My mom is still around but she hangs on to this belief that there has to be something after we die (not sure why people think that there has to be something after we die) so I give her 1% of a benefit of a doubt because she birthed me.
What are the chances that your paranormal experiences were just in your head? When I was a kid, I thought that I could float and the memory of me floating down hallways in my old house are as vivid to me as riding my bike down the street. I'm pretty sure that I never really floated though.
no offence mr. dog, but answers like that just make me laugh...
i sincerely hope you do care, for your soul's sake.
However, there is a lot that is unexplained and I have seen it first hand.
Basically the short of it is, when I was younger, my sister had kind of this weirdo acquaintance who was into all sorts of telepathic/occult type shit. He was never really around our place, he lived about 20 miles away or so.
One night we had a bonfire and we randomly called the guy because we had a question. It turned into a larger conversation, and we eventually got him on speaker phone and we conducted some sort of ritual where we held hands and kind of meditated/visualized ourselves floating up/etc and made a connection with him.
Mentally he visited my house and he hit certain things on the button that make me believe 100% that he saw our place. He described my bedroom as extremely messy and said the bed was jarred off the wall. Earlier that day I was looking for my asthma inhaler and never moved the bed flush against the wall.
He also said there was a lump in my parents' bed. My father had gone to be because he had early work that Saturday morning.
Pretty much everything else he hit right on, but the 2 above "wildcards" make me really believe something was up. I can say with 100% certainty the guy was not at my house and was not there earlier. Also, our call was rather random and spur of the moment.
He went on to tell us a lot of things about telepathy, seeing terrifying things in mirrors, etc... He sounded crazy, but there is some truth there... somewhere.
Doesnt prove anything about a god, but for me, it definitely validates that we have much, much more to understand before we can make any determinations.
this "for your soul's sake" is just fear tactics (I know is not you intention), but I would believe that "god" prefer a sincere non believer than a person who believe just because it was taught to believe just for the fear of some kind of torment.
My advise is enjoy love and life like there's no tomorrow!
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Why not (V) (°,,,,°) (V) ?
not gonna happen.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
but don't a lot of religious people TRY to explain this? By saying it's God's doing?
God is the reason for everything, that is the explanation I thought.
Bro you nail it!
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Why not (V) (°,,,,°) (V) ?
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
hahaha
I thought you were the guy playing the guitar not the girl
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Why not (V) (°,,,,°) (V) ?
that's gord muthafukin' downie!
i guess you gotta be canadian...
nope i dont think so, though you do.
God came to being as an explanation for the unexplainable. thats my take.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
I'm with you sister...
on the B...
and the mofo downie...
and the beavers...
and the maple leaf
she lets go
i think you're missing my position on this. to clarify:
what i meant to say is, i like Daniel Quinn's take on what some people percieve as a world made for man and man being perfection...
edit: i don't think i segwayed into the idea properly, and i certainly didnt spell segway right.
aah gotcha. when you said "im more into the...." i took that as your belief.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
but to continue, i've always felt that "God" is the ultimate cop out, because you can blame anything and everything on Him, and just say you can't explain it, because its God's doing....
and in the end, you can do what you want, and find god after, and repent, and its okay...
and yet you can lead a righteous life with no belief in God and still youre going to hell. hmmmm
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
you cannot assure me of anything... i dont see any religion in any variant form of monochrome.... i see it plainly and simply as non-existent... well god anyway... clearly religion exists but why i will never fathom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o