So, if you would like to ask me something, about ANYTHING, feel free to do so, and let's have ourselves a nice, intellectual discussion.
Click on the "Questions" and "Answers" links below to check out previous questions and their answers.
What are your views with regards to gnostic beliefs and teaching? -SugarcoatedbunnyI honestly, I don’t know enough about it without searching it on google, so I will abstain from answering this one. Someone else want to give this one a shot?
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Hell on Earth? I’ve come to believe quite the opposite. More to the point, I’ve come to question the accuracy of the most common conceptualizations of Heaven. It seems that most organized religions and denominations that recognize or proclaim the existence of Heaven characterize it as having almost identical attributes. Examples include the common concepts that all persons are equal in Heaven; that there exists no adversity, no pain or discomfort; that it is a place of rest, where no labor is required and where all needs are met even as they are realized; that there is no hunger, no failure, no fear of injury or loss; that there is a uniformity of thought and belief in the service of God; and that all is tranquil and peaceful. In the abstract, that combination of attributes would seem an ideal environment within which to spend eternity; however, in my analysis, the picture has serious flaws. In an environment where everyone is equal, there is nothing to which an individual may aspire. Without adversity, there can be no success, no triumph. Without the possibility of pain or discomfort, there can be neither risk nor thrill in pushing beyond our perceived limitations. Without labor, there can be no sense of pride, satisfaction or accomplishment. Without need, there is no motivation, no sense of self-sufficiency or self-worth. In the absence of fear, either for oneself or for others, there can be no courage. And without varied beliefs and thought, there is intellectual death. Indeed, if I were to attempt to conceptualize what, for me, Hell might look like, all would be gray and silent, and every resident’s status, appearance, speech, manner and belief would be identical for all eternity. There would be no disagreement, no desire, no aspiration or recognition of achievement. There would be no hatred due to the sameness of all; but there could be no real, distinct love of another for the same reason. It would be a place of relentless monotony, devoid of joy. In short, the attributes which might have the makings of Hell in my eyes are really nothing more than the cornerstones of a traditional concept of Heaven viewed from another perspective. Were I to fashion my own Heaven, it would be a place of ultimate diversity, where no two persons were identical in appearance, manner or thought. There would be debate, discourse and argument through which individual thoughts would be born, discussed, and would ultimately flourish or fail on their merits. There would be both labor and rest, so each could be appreciated for its own virtues. There would be challenges, one after the other, so that I could savor the joy of success, magnified by periodic failures. I would have the opportunity and responsibility to provide for my own needs, and the needs of those I love, so that I could experience the satisfaction and sense of self-worth that can only come from doing so. There would exist the possibility of failure to spur me to improve, and to insure that successes brought about by my actions and decisions would have meaning; the chance of loss to force me to recognize and appreciate the things which I earned, or with which I was blessed; and a recognition of the certainty that those I love will grow, will change, and will ultimately be lost to me, if I am not first lost to them, to insure that I cherish and adore them every moment they are with me. Effectively, I have come to realize that, at least for me, this terrestrial life, fraught with adversity, challenges, fear and uncertainty, offers more hope, more joy, more love and satisfaction than I can envision experiencing under the traditional concept of Heaven. I hope that I am able to hold onto this recognition, and to bring it to bear the next time I encounter a challenge that seems insurmountable, or a loss which might appear inconsolable at the time.
What would be your comment regarding additional chapters and verses within the Bible made by scribes or the Church to fit their intended purpose?
-Sugarcoatedbunny
My comment would be that it shouldn’t be done. In the Bible, it clearly states that the Bible is the spoken word of God. Therefore, I think that no additional writings should be attached to it. Now, I understand a lot of people say the church has tampered with the Bible already, and obviously I can’t control this. Yet, I believe that the Bible we have now is truly the most important collection of religious text, in regards to the Christian religion. By this I mean, the current Bible is what I think God wants today’s Christians to read. Plus, isn’t there something in the Bible that says “if you add to these words you will surely be punished?” or something like that?
Any other opinions on this?
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inbetweenemptyspaces asked: Question : What are your beliefs with regards to Heaven or Hell?
My opinion: I believe in HELL, maybe John Lenon is right "Hell is here on Earth", I've even watched a presentation that Hell is just right bottom of the DEAD Sea. But I think also, Nobody had gone to Heaven, maybe only 2 of them, Jesus and the one with Him on the Cross and all others are waiting for judgement day.
I agree with you. Catholics believe in a purgatory, well, I believe that if purgatory exists, it’s Earth. When the body dies, from what I know of the Bible, the soul doesn’t ascend to heaven (or descend to hell) right then. I believe it is left to wait in “purgatory,” or as some people would say, haunt Earth. This would explain ghosts, if they exists, and also supports the book of Revelations, when it claims that before Christ takes the living from the Earth during his second coming he will allow the souls of the dead to ascend first.
Great question Anna! I’ve been thinking about this one a lot!
Any other opinions?
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“If you uncovered a secret so immense, as to bring down everything that the Vatican and churches around the world have preached and taught us for centuries… if you uncovered that Jesus was just an ordinary man, that the bible is an extravagant fabrication of lies… and you had the power and the voice to be heard by the world… would you reveal the truth?
I suppose the point of the question is… religion has had and continues to have a very powerful hand at the way we live our lives today, whether we participate in one or not. Would the end of religion bring us chaos or would it bring us peace? Is man capable of handling such a truth or are our we stubborn fools by nature?”
Human by nature are hard headed creatures, people in general doesn’t want to change. I think Even if GOD will show himself to everyone else, people in general will not believe him. They will make any other possible excuse to go right on living the way they wanted, and they wouldn’t care.
Humans in general will not care unless otherwise, they suffer from something. If GOD will punish people for their nonchalant, maybe a few will recognize and follow the instructions of GOD, but I think most will BLAME him instead.
Jesus warned the leaders of the various sects and parties of His day, “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the traditions of men. You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. You invalidate the Word of God by your tradition which you have handed down, and you do many things such as that” (Mark 7: 8,9,13).
If it will cause chaos: I think it will, at least for some part of the world, in some countries, people are not afraid of their justice system, some doesn’t have any justice system. If we consider Religion now, GOD is portrayed as a HATEFUL God that will Punish, people in general are motivated by FEAR and not LOVE. So if there is nothing to fear… people will say “What the Hell…”
Love, Anna SCB
Disclaimer: This is just my opinion
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“If you uncovered a secret so immense, as to bring down everything that the Vatican and churches around the world have preached and taught us for centuries… if you uncovered that Jesus was just an ordinary man, that the bible is an extravagant fabrication of lies… and you had the power and the voice to be heard by the world… would you reveal the truth?
I suppose the point of the question is… religion has had and continues to have a very powerful hand at the way we live our lives today, whether we participate in one or not. Would the end of religion bring us chaos or would it bring us peace? Is man capable of handling such a truth or are our we stubborn fools by nature?”
I personally believe that it would bring chaos. Religion has lasted for far to long and has become such a foundation in society, that even the die hard atheist could not handle its removal. All way of life (at least in America) would become false, and we would be forced to change everything. As you said, we are stubborn fools by nature, we cannot change overnight; especially this society. Examples: What would be the point of having weekends off work if the “sabbath” was not an integral part of society? Important holidays in American culture would no longer exist, which would destroy certain industries within our economy. I imagine that almost any Christian that truly believes in God’s word would no longer have the will to live and would therefore either turn to anarchy or suicide. And though these might sound extreme, they present a realistic outcome to the nullification of religion.
Also, just think about daily life. You (anyone: believers and atheist) stub your toe and you say “OH MY GOD THAT HURT!”. Well, you’re going to keep saying that, even if you know God doesn’t exist, because that’s what we have been trained to say through social norms. Our society, ever since the Declaration of Independence, has been founded on institutionalized religion. Without, American society will crumble.
Great question C.!
Please give your opinions!
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stealing to feed a child will only be wrong once there are enough resources to feed every child (ie. never). if stealing for a child to eat is wrong, then we can simply excuse the ruling class for enforcing a system that births these children into poverty, hunger, violence, etc.
stealing food is, i think, the least of any evil. food, and water, belongs to no one.
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“If for example, you have a child, and S/He is sick, you have no money, no support from anybody, and the only option you got is to STEAL money, will you do it? as a parent? The most probable answer would be YES, you will, anything for your baby, so for you, what you’re doing is RIGHT, right? It became necessary, But, to the person you robbed, you’re wrong, right? So, is it right or wrong then?”
-sugarcoatedbunny
In my opinion, it’s wrong, no matter what the situation is. Though it may be necessary for you to do it, it’s still morally wrong to do it. Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do it, because if that really is the only means you have of supporting a loved one, then I’ll be honest, I’d to it too. Sometimes doing the wrong thing is more likely the right thing to do.
Now, I personally would have exhausted every possible resource I could before resorting to larceny, but that’s because I am morally supportive of justice (not to mention that my career defend’s my countries laws and way of life). Yet, I would not say the person in this situation is a immoral person, but nevertheless, it is still an act of wrong-doing.
Great question!
Does anyone else have any opinions on this?
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