Muslims slaughter Christians in central Nigeria

Thank you Walks....This blog has taken on a life of its own. Hopefully you are not leaving the site altogether and we will read your thoughts on other blogs. Next time I drink my whiskey I will raise my glass to you.

Don't ever have the slightest hope that you'll accomplish more in your life than this constant diatribe?
It's like this is all you got. It's a whole bunch of feel-bad. Entirely and nothing else.

You could put your energies, of which you seem abundant, into some venue that might help the world in some way. You've got your face stuck into a bowl of oatmeal and you won't look up.
You could probably accomplish a great deal if you were doing something else.

All religions are false. All of them. i see you are one of the brainwashed masses trying to make sense of your meaningless life but Christians are just as delusional as anyone else and far more dangerous because Christians and their ilk write the historical narrative that we live with everyday.

All religions are equally true or equally false depending on how you use them. You can use them in the service of the ego or you can use them in the service of the truth. If you believe that only your religion is the truth then you are caught in the ego's web and your beliefs are false.

The statement : "All religions are equally false or equally true depending on how you use them..." was a quote from Tolle's "New Earth", page 70. I should have credited Tolle in my original reply. All relationships, including relationships between individuals, tribes, communities and nations suffer when either entity believes that "I am right and you are wrong." This was the sentiment behind the Tolle statement, that fundamental beliefs by religious groups are dangerous and have lead to documented and untold atrocities including genocide and war. Morality is defined by mankind, or by society, so of course it is relative to the definition. My prejudice is partly defined by my training as a lawyer where the rules are the rules -- which can also often lead to injustice.

With what assurance can you claim that your life has more meaning than those who profess believing in the divinity of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit?
The arrogance of your superiority of your agnosticism only lends itself to shine a light upon your ignorance. . . tell me if you can, how is it that when man hits the "wall" in times of great duress, that his spirit invariably cries out to a "higher power?"

You make an assumption about the "revealed God of Scipture" and have created your own interpretation of what some others have interpreted about the historical Jesus and what he taught. Tolle or a number of other modern interpretators of scipture may have greater insights into the true teachings of Jesus than a group of politicians from the 4th century who choose what was to be included or excluded from the Bible in order to create the religion that they felt was best for society at the time. With respect to the "mother of several young toddlers" I am not sure what you are saying. Obviously there have been acts of man which are evil such the events of 9-11. We can be certain that the terrorists are wrong, but the point is that they believe themselves to be right, and this belief is based upon their faith, the fundamental belief that they are right and we are wrong. Herein lies the error of their thinking. My only point was that the same error was made by the men who claimed to be Christians and who burned the witches at the stake and that this belief, that "I am right and you are wrong" has been the cause of most wars of genocide and persecutions in the history of the world.

It doesn't.

God of Scriptures??

Oh, which one? I'm assuming you are referring to the Christian 'god' however there are thousands of gods and thousands of scriptures that could be applied to that statement.

Then you've yet to find that day upon you, and I have no doubt the day will come when you'll find just how incomplete you really are.

Read the article again. The murder of the Christians in Nigeria was in retaliation for the murder of Muslins by Christians. This is a religious war in which both sides are committing acts of genocidal war against the other. Both are wrong; both are killing because they believe themselves to be right based upon their fundamental and nonrational beliefs; beliefs which are based upon their religious faith, and the ego projection that their god is the better god or the true god. I have not heard fundamental Christians in this country condemn the murder of the Muslims, nor have I heard fundamental Muslins condemn the murder of the Christians.

These guys are AIPAC paid trolls, there is little point in arguing anything with people who are reimbursed for their opinions.

True words. Sweet music to a sane man's ears. Keep it up.

That sounds like killing and murder is fine with you as long as your side wins. But you wo't even think about that for an instant, will you?

Wow, you really are a hater of everything Islamic. Your beliefs are as much the problem as radical Islamic beliefs.

Their is nothing within Islam that is worthy for a healthy mind. . . absolutely nothing.

I find Islamic beliefs to be mostly ridicules, the product of uncivilized thought, but the same can be said about many of the statements within the Bible, especially the Old Testament. Leviticus has lessons which, if followed today, would get you arrested. It is just nonsence, rubbish, uncilvilized.

mostly ridiculous? I'd say entirely so. even the most uneducated person in america today has a more and more accurate understanding of the workings of nature than any and all prophets in all holy books. between gravitation and germ theory even elementry school children know more about the natural world then they did when spewing their garbage.

The Universe IS God. The definition of God is the same as the Universe. Except some people have a whole raft of dumb, human oriented fantasies attached to the word "God" - so they can hope to live forever.

This is the vanity - that has been so often referred. That the whole Universe was made just so YOU - can be God's favorite little man.

That vanity, that egotism - you comparing yourself with God, making yourself the most important to God, you thinking you know God's Mind.

This is where you fail at what you wish for. (unless the vanity alone is enough)

Bravo!

Do you presume to know the propose of "God's law, from his perspective", or is your claim of knowledge coming from the dead 4th century Roman politicians who created Christianity in order to save their empire?

No, they adopted Christianity, or a version of Christianity, to save their empire. Remember, my friend, there is a difference between Jesus and his teachings, and the doctrines of Christianity.

what an oddity you are my friend. "bogus naturalist presuppositions that you never attempt to justify only to falsely assert as truth, because you listen to lies..." I do not belive that my eyes, ears, skin, nose and tounge detect lies, rather merely information. when salt touches my tounge i KNOW it is salt, although (like the matrix) there is no real way to determine if it was actually salt, though your taste will also say what mine did... there is no truths, there are no absolutes, there is only probabliity, chance and chaos. you say you know the mind of god, I say you cannot know it any better than any other person. and to spew the myths of scripture do nothing but show your interest in mythological stories. god is a man made invention just as the boogey man or leprechauns. and if you insist on giving god credit for anything then you must also admit belief and credit to ghosts, fairies, goblins, ghouls, kelpies, witches, wizards, and whatever else people have made up over time.... ALL of which have EQUAL evidence.

my only "naturalist presuppositions" are in the belief that my sences, thoughts, experiences, and needs are basically the same as yours or any other average human. and that my ability to run, hold my breath, congure imagination, think through logic, memorize information ro anything else, are basically the same as everyone elses... if that's not true, then I must concede all arguement to one such as you the far off and highly apt mr. superior.

yes religion is ridiculous. not just mosty so but entirely so, and people who fall into the bridle and allow themselves to be led by blatently misleading and fabricated myths are either just too stupid to see it, or they're lying to themselves... or both. you I assume are one of the latter, intellegent enough, but you choose to believe a lie... without question and want everyone else to collude in the lie WITH you... that's evil.

you can keep your mythology and pray to alleviate your strep throat (then you'll die) or you can turn to science and use an antibotic (and survive)... I think I know which side I'll be placing my bets, and even IF i'm wrong, I'm damn sure I'm closer to the truth than you will ever be with your ignorant myths.

I don't care how many Muslims live in the United States. The first Amendment applies to Muslims as well as Christians and Buddists. Why are you obsessed with the numbers? Fundamental beliefs, which are beliefs based upon faith with no rational basis, are producing the hatred that is now enveloping the world. Your beliefs are as much the problem as are fundamental Islamic beliefs.

I guess my post was aimed at people who aren't fundamentalists, and by implying that Muslims are doing the devils work, you obviously haven't hurt any.

You Christian fundamentalists and Muslims fundamentalists are two sides of the same coin, and you both have a knack for quoting scripture out of context.... Even with other religions....

The spirit of Abraham flows through all Jewish, Christian, and Muslim brothers and sisters.

Right now, I'll tell you this, we won't sway each other. I could cite the many early Christian sects, the historical reasons that make taking Scripture completely literally is dangerous and incorrect, but you will cite some verse about divine inspiration.

Save it, fundamentalist; I respect your faith, but I lament your fundamentalism.

To clarify one thing, I don't deny that Jesus Christ is God, our savior.

However, I see divine inspiration in the faiths of my brothers and sisters around the world. For all the major religions, the codes of conduct, the basic principles are incredibly similar.

Religion is man's interpretation of his contact with the divine. I believe different religions are different cultures/times/places interacting with the Beloved.

Over fifty gospels were written about the life of Jesus Christ or his teachings. Traditional Christians who believe in the Bible as the word of God and reject other writtings about Jesus and his teachings are also picking and choosing what to believe about the life of Jesus and his message, only they are not thinking for themselves but have allowed a group of men, politicians and church leaders from the 4th century to make the choice for them. Just as in modern times the followers of Jesus Christ split into several groups after his death. James, the older brother of Jesus (son of Joseph from a previous relationship) was the leader of the church in Jerusalem while Paul eventually became leader of the church in Rome. Paul, the masterful politician, wanted to make Christianity available to all including gentiles and he did so by allowing people to be saved by faith alone, all they had to do was to believe in Jesus Christ as their savior and then they were saved and they could begin a new life, free of the sin and guilt of their previous life. It was a masterful addition to the teachings of Christ as it allowed people to begin over again with a simple statement of belief and it allowed Christianity to spread around the world. James, and his branch of Christians, who believed in personal salvation (or enlightenment) through the hard word of meditation and the obtainment of inner peace by the quieting of the mind and the release of the ego, were soon representing only a very small percentage of Christians. This small group of Christians eventually became known in history as gnostic christians. When Constatine made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire it was decided that believers in all non traditional branches of Christianity would be eliminated. It is a fundamental principle of history that when a religion gains political power it becomes its opposite, so the first thing that the 4th century Christinas did with their new political power was to gather up and burn or crucify the non believers and to gather up all their writings and destroy their message. Over time traditional or fundamental christians have supported the inquisition, the burning of free thinking women called witches, genocidal wars like the crusades, which started the long annimostity between christinas and muslims, the genocide of Native Americans, and other atrocities. Islam also, once the religion gained political power, became its opposite, as did Judism in Israel.

You can believe what you want, if it makes you feel better. If you need salvation because of the guilt that you carry then Paul's religion is for you and I do not judge you for needing his brand of salvation. But you are really not a follower of Jesus Christ for he never preached salvation by faith and the condemnation of hell; you are more properly labled a "Paulian" as a follower of the teachings of Paul. Your beliefs do not and cannot change the truth. When your body dies your beliefs will not determine what happens to it or to your soul or spirit. Your body will become dust, your soul will "sleep" until it is ready to experience life on the physical plane once again, and your spirit is not really "yours" in the since that it can be defined as a unit. Spirit is always flowing though us. It lives within us and without us. It is spirit that Jesus referred to when he spoke in the first person. "I am the light of the world' means that the spirit within the man is the light of the world. The same spirit that flowed though Jesus flows though you and me, my friend. We just have not mastered its use yet.

With the light of love, Patanjali

James, the brother of Jesus, would have disagreed with your interpretation of Jesus's teachings. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, of his teaching on the way to personal enlightenment and how what he achieved is available to us all. "We have come from the Light where the Light came into being by itself, established itself, and appeared in an image of Light." Gospel of Thomas, 50; and "If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you...." Gospel of Thomas, 70; and "I am the light that is over all things. I am all; all came forth from me and all attained to me; split a piece of wood and I am there; pick up a stone and you will find me there." Gospel of Thomas, 75, and finally: "When you come to know yourself you will be known and you will know that you are the children of the living father"

You may be quite right. Quite exactly right - which shapes which religion or religious people?
But how do we stop terrorism?

The terrorists say they're going to bring terror into our lives whether we wish to pay attention or not.
But maybe they'll also bring their works into the lives of all the Muslims who just wish for a peaceful life - whether they want to pay attention or not.

Terrorism has to go - or - it will remain an increasing part of everyone's life.

Just show me the plane hitting the Pentagon, please. I don't buy this boxcutter bullshit.
I see you do.

Well, look at our modern world - people think they know stuff, but they believe in the story put out by religion!

IF these people were smart enough to know what God is, and wants - and if they were right -

But if they have blown it and there is no such entity - then dangerous fools they are.

Truly dangerous.

Von Malke was wrong, The Soviets were atheists and Jews.

Honestly religious people, good people, eventually reason out things. They may take a while - and they may reason it in the context of religion - being religious as they are.

If you hold yourself accountable - to yourself, it has nothing to do, specifically with the brand of religion or non-religion but about you and what is right and wrong.

To what source of values do you hold yourself accountable, and from where have you found guidance that defines your "moral compass?"

Any imbecile knows the difference between right and wrong, good and bad - up and down -

You don't need an authority figure.,

Thinking you need an authority, is the ONLY reason you do.

Here's the big news: You can stand, entirely on your own two feet (or whatever you have to stand on)

You can stand on your own. I'll tell you this, you'll never, ever have the true power of your own good mind until you do.
Religion is taught to people, inculcated on them from the time they are young and they think they should have it - but it is a crutch, at its heart - and when you lean on a crutch, the rest of you gets weak.

These religious people have no idea - the weakness they feel or that they juggle inside themselves, is created by the very thing they have been hoping will heal them, or keep them comforted.

As soon as it's thrown off, as soon as you drop the crutch, you re-balance on your own. You can become the strong vibrant adult you should always have been.
It's just like drugs in a way - you take drugs and your body stops producing what the drug provides - and you get weaker and need the drug.
The whole time, it's the drug that needs to go.

Bullshit. . . Oh yes, it is so evident to witness how secular society is doing such a "great' job of policing their morality and ethics with subjective moral relativism, isn't it? (I think, therefore I am secular!)
. . . but hey, in essence, any "faith" does not mean much without adherence. Then again, adherence to a faith can be nirvana or hell, dependent upon it doctrines and its applications, right?

The only time I can see religion being good is when, by utter chance, utter throw of the dice, a person happens to actually like it.
For all others, it's a handshake from hell.
And don't they stand up and pray in government and Rotaries across the nation? What does the Bible say about charging interest and about landlords?

But who is genuinely religious when it comes to money?

Yes, I do know there are some, but few.

Regardless, - I see religion as holding back the progress of our species, literally and truly. Maybe at certain points in history it helped civilization along.

But it has ruined civilization in the past and threatens again. It's a sea of boiling passion - the progress of mankind needs enlightened steerage and educated, talented people fired by robust economy.

Things aren't good right now and religion is mostly intellectual dead-weight if not outright evil - as we've been discussing here.

We need smart people - we need our flawed system straightened out.

actually most soviets were orthodox roman catholic.

The people were Christians for sure but the Bolshevik leadership in the beginning were mostly Jews. With major funding coming from the Rothchilds who were eager to get revenge on the Czar's family because he refused to have a Rothchild run Federal Reserve.

Actually, you are quite mistaken. There is no such thing as "orthodox roman catholic". Most Soviets were Russian Orthodox. There was (and still is) a tiny minority of Eastern Rite Roman Catholics, mostly in the Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church (and all the other Orthodox Churches) is not subservient to the Vatican and does not recognize the Pope. The Orthodox Churches do not impose celibacy on its priesthood, although to become a Bishop, an Archbishop, an Archimandrite, a Metropolite or a Patriarch, a man must be either a Monk, unmarried or a widower. The Orthodox Churches also accept divorce. These Churches are in nine different regional Patriarchates. The Roman Catholic Church used to be one of the Patriarchates of the Church but it broke off in the eleventh century, it is a schismatic church.

thanks for the clarification, but all the same: pope, no pope... catholic, not catholic... jewish, muslim... whatever all equally retarding the advancement of human society with equal determination.

It's obvious you believe all this stuff - but I do not see a Jesus - anywhere. He's not under the bed. He's not doing anything, anywhere. He's not showing himself. I don't see him.

And I also know enough about the Universe to know that the basis, the cosmology, on which he and all the other Gods are presented does not exist. If he exists, he exists in an entirely different state than all you guys expect.

There's no man hiding up there who's going to bring you to heaven after you die. You can hang on to your ego and refuse to look, but anyone can look and see that the cosmologies of the religions are not real. Just fantasy.

You say your interest is God. Yet you can look at this Universe (which you say he made) and see the presented story from religion is not true. And there is enough information available for you to see this.

If your God is real, you should be able to see by looking, you should have no fear of studying the greater universe - if your God is real. But you refuse to look. So you're holding to old ideas and refusing to see more. Your ideas are not God. You'll have to look further. But your not going to, are you?

That's great!

True, Islam is a lie and the truth reveals it so.

religion isn't about what's true. it's about spreading ignorance, fear, intolerance, bigotry, isolation, sepratism, elitism and hate.

I have no religion. I can see, smell, feel, hear, and taste everything I believe in. my faith is not faith, for I know what is holy for I experience it at every moment, and unlike the faithful I truely know what it is that I worship. there is a vast difference between observation of facts and judgments. as a sceptic, I devoutly 'test all things and hold fast to what is true' 1thes 5:21. if you don't see how these religions encourage seperatism and and isolation by encouraging an 'us and them' mentallity, then you're not paying attention nor are you actually listening to the world in which you've found yourself. we're all human, that alone should be enough.

"you will be judged, as you have judged, and with your measure shall it be measured to you" bring it on. even if it is god himself who shall judge me, he will find that I AM in the right, that I am true, and that I can stand up to the scruteny of any tests and I will peer back through my lense and I will accuse the accuser and condemn the comdemer and god would see I still stand true through his and all other fires. all because I am one with him and you and all things. I live with no fear of damnnation for I am just and true and I will never falter into anything I cannot claim true. bring on your judgements.

@ tnerrucQUF Pal, Current is for people who think, not people who quote. Religion is fine to talk about - but do your own talking.

No one hears the bible quotes. Get an opinion of your own, and voice it.

There must be a reason you think there is truth in this stuff, try talking about that truth with your own voice. Your own thoughts.

People could copy over the whole dictionary and it would only take up bandwidth.

Besides, you'll get more out of it by articulating your own thoughts.

I respect your opinion and do not try to change it or convert you, however, you follow one interpretation of the words of Jesus. There are others, and when compared critically to the dominant fundamental beliefs of traditional Christians, the gnostic interpretation of Jesus's teachings make more sense. I also realize that as long as a fundamental Christian can simply say, "It's not in the bible." or "That is not how my minister has interpreted it." or "I believe what I believe because of faith." then there is no basis for rational discussion and we can go back and forth with these blogs forever and neither will ever convince the other of the "rightness" of their opinion. So be it. I do have fun however, debating religion with traditional Christians.

The problem is my friend, that I must either use my own rational and independent judgment or rely on the opinion of another, not the Lord, but another who had an opinion about the Lord and then wrote that his opinion was inspired or the words of the Lord. The author of the Course on Miracles also claimed to have been but a voice for the words of Jesus as have others. Is it not best to critically analysed what each author has said and use my oun best judgment to accept as truth that which makes the most sense?

I once saw a bupper sticker that said: "Religions are just cults with more members." "Cult" is defiend in Webster's dictionary as "a system of religious beliefs and rituals" so all religions are cults, big and small. The word "Gnosis" means "knowledge and "Gnostism" means the immediate knowledge of spiritual truth to be attainable by faith alone." The key word is "immediate". Gnostics believed that no priest was necessary to come between them and God and that spiritual truths can be realized immediately, or in modern language that they could become enlightened without the need for the church or a priest. This is why their beliefs were dangerous to the ancient church, because they claimed that the church was not necessary. To say that they were not Christians is to be ignorant of the history of the Christian Church. It is like saying Methodists are not Christians when you happen to be a Lutheran. Because the Gnostics were killed as heritics by the Roman Catholic Church their numbers were reduced and they were driven underground. To argue that their teachings are invalid because they did not become the dominant form of Christianity is nonsensical, but exactly what the Church hoped you would believe. But the Gnostics also made it clear that their belief system was not for the masses. Most people cannot comprehend anything other than "general New Testimant agreement." Most people need the simplicity of "accept Christ as your savior and you will spend eternity in heaven." Most people are like sheep and will go where they are led. They do not think critically, and in fact, as you have quoted, the Bible teaches them not to do so. These prohibitions were edited into the Bible precisely to stop critical thinking and dissent within the early church.

See if this makes any sense to you: If you look around at all, drink in as much as you can about the greater Universe - you see that there is way more than all the human knowledge, put together.
You may say, this is God's work - but for you, or anyone, to know God - is to know more than you know. God has to be more - or it wouldn't be God. And of course, your understanding and knowledge and all the stuff you hope for, including all your scriptures, is not God. God is more.

Since you don't know more than you know (God), you know that you do not know God - because it's more than you know. A mouse may think it knows what Einstein was thinking - because the mouse watched Einstein sit at his desk.

But the mouse is mistaken.

Only here, we're talking about you and your thoughts and GOD - you see, it's way, way, way bigger.
So while you have a great ego investment in thinking you know God - You don't.
You should try for a little humility - tamper all that stuff down a bit.
Here's another secret: when anyone has their mind all filled up with something - they don't have room for more. And when you realize that you have not comprehended God's mind and that your ideas are less than you were thinking they were - you will have to empty some of that 'wrong stuff' out in order to get more in.

You'll have to let go of all that stuff you are holding onto - in order to get a better idea of the subject which obviously means so much to you.
If you don't let it go, you are simply refusing to try to know more. Then you'll be stuck.

But don't worry, everything changes and soon you'll get bored. If you're lucky.

A good book on religious history and religious persecution is "In The Name Of Heaven: 3,000 Years of Religious Persecution", by Mary Jane Engh. Engh highlights both known and lessor known examples of religious persecution and comes to three conclusions backed by historical evidence: First, that religious persecution is not new - no era, location, or faith group has been immuned; Second, religious persecution and forced conversion are often part of an occupying nation's attempts to "civilize" what it sees as an inferior people; and Third, what goes around comes around, again and again victims of persecution, once they obtain political power, victimize their former persecutors. Engh concludes that the exclusiveness of monotheistic belief systems such as Christianity and Islam often turns believers into persecutors.

If you look at just what you can know of the universe, you will see that your thoughts, regardless of how strongly held, are not all that important. The universe, or "God" is large. You are small. Your drive to be important, to think you have relevance to God -such as you do - is reducing god to a very, very small idea.
You are not on an equilibrium, or par with God.
Just study the universe for a better picture of God - it'll awe you. It'll bring growth - and expansion. Don't fear. It's exactly what you've been hoping to attain.