In Reply to: Re: criticisms of aetheism posted by MG on January 29, 2007 at 02:34:09:
When I find something that works for me I use it. If it doesn't work it's not for me.
Happy trails to me.
MG I thank you for your response...I think your attitude, displayed in the above quote is "fair enough"...don't think that I don't respect your right to think this or any other way...I have often enough said here, that it's not my place to judge (misjudge)people here...however, I say an opinion & I admit that my thinking, my opinion is heavily NT-loaded...some might call that a servitude/slavery rather than attitude, but I have
had 15 years since leaving TF to really ponder about a lot of NT-questions...parts which have bothered me...& I am still hanging on...call me a drug addict...but you won't...I think you're a really nice person.
I am somewhat disturbed, as I sensed a somewhat offended mood here & there in your response.Did I personally attack you in any way?The quote you used was just displaying thoughts I was confronted with before joining TF, I thought, you could discern that, that I was speaking in general...because that's roughly the alternative:
being independant, relaying on the "own energy" etc. I was quite attracted in the older days first by mysticists like "Meister Eckhart"...he was strong in stressing, that you had to empty yourself first..."funny enough" the word mysticism
stems from myein: closing eyes, ear or mouth...
I have again books about mysticists or that way of life, not because I have to pursue it myself, but rather to understand others in their efforts, why they saw the necessity for such lifestyle.
About square one: we all seem to start there, trusting teachers in our lives...the thing about Berg was, he thought to have such a privileged position of hearing directly from God & we thought to be so priveleged, being among the "few", who could hear it "first hand"
Now we're priveleged in having experienced religious BS first hand & all the mechanisms involved...maybe worth sharing it with the world
about some more "maya".
In any way, you're right of course...in part I'd say though.For me God uses the people He wants to use to get a lifestyle, a rule, a message out.
For me OT-prophets are "ordinary" people, but at the same time special...
Looking into the many theological books I have, it seems that the "learned studied elders" came to
agree, that it is hard to impossible to disprove certain believes, thoughts & dogmas at the same token hard to prove them...similarly believers have a "problem proving God" & the atheist has a problem proving the nonexistence of God....that's why I said in our limitations we cannot judge "fairly" certain issues, we lack in "power" to do it adequately.
However, if you follow a normal kitchen recipe, either it works if you follow it or it doesn't.
(However some ingrediences are so delicate, that blaming the recipe & the author is at times somewhat premature)
So I agree, good religion should work, help people in their lives, if it doesn't, there's something wrong with the believer & /or the religion.
However I guess you see the limitations of trying to "prove to yourself" whether you go to heaven or not...suicide is in any way no option...so Christianity as any other religion claiming "realities" beyond death have no easy way to no way to prove it in the present time...I believe in the miracles Jesus performed...so it must have been a great boost in faith, when He resurrected Lazarus...of course, that & much else is disputed by doubters...
So either we never progress from square one much for distrusting most books or all, because of bad experiences or we find a "good road map" which really leads out of lives' messes.
(That's what a messiah is good for ; ) ...I just thought)