Homosexuality is an abomination to god?

[Nebula]

Maybe - but it could also be argued that once such a conclusion has been reached, thought has stopped.

It could certainly be argued that once one begins to believe in a god, critical thought has stopped.

[sunshine11]

...then as is regularly done in a library, large amounts are WEEDED out as OBSOLETE, IRRELEVANT and too old.

I'm not quite sure who agreed to what here, but I doubt you'll ever see something as historically relevant as the bible get "weeded out". As with any book, it is the readers' responsibility to decide for themselves just how significant a role the content will play in their lives.

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[fluffy]

Okay, if the Bible is a library, it needs regular weeding, and some was recently done as posted in my comments. If it is a Book, why not READ IT LIKE A BOOK?

eh?

Isn't that a choice that should be left to the individual reader? Who am I to "weed" what another reads? That's too close to censorship for my liking. I agree that cherry-picking verse by verse for the sake of supporting a particular point of view carries the risk of distorting the original intent of the writing, but that is not the fault of the authors so why take it upon ourselves to edit their work? I'm of the mind that it's just those cases of distortion that is responsible for the decline of Christianity in areas where independent thought has become the norm rather than the exception.

[cliffy1]

I like the expression "the all that is". It is inclusive. There is no separation, no god that sit in judgement, no punishment, no heaven or hell. Just a cosmic dance of which everything is a part. It is the ego's sense of separation that is the cause of all suffering, creating the need for a god that is a judge and jury just like the ego is. That is why Mark Twain said, "and Man created god in his own image."

[fluffy]

It could certainly be argued that once one begins to believe in a god, critical thought has stopped.

I think cleaving to an idea for which there is no definitive proof does reveal a degree of close-mindedness, and in my opinion this would apply to both extremes of the "belief" scale, the fundamentalist believer of the traditional christian god and the hardline atheist as well.

It is also worth noting that the traditional "cosmic consciousness" model is but one manifestation of belief in something beyond the physical, a model that seems to be losing ground lately. As science delves deeper into territory formerly labelled "spiritual" a reconciliation of science goes past possible and actually becomes imminent. The research mentioned above is a good example.

[steven lloyd]

It could certainly be argued that once one begins to believe in a god, critical thought has stopped.

I suppose if one presumed to already understand what "God" is. I make no such presumption, nor do I suggest when anyone else should start or stop considering the notion. I'm okay not knowing the answer to that question and I respect your right to think you do.

[Nebula]

I suppose if one presumed to already understand what "God" is. I make no such presumption, nor do I suggest when anyone else should start or stop considering the notion. I'm okay not knowing the answer to that question and I respect your right to think you do.

I don't think I do. I was simply countering your assertion that critical thought would naturally lead one to believe there is something going on.

[steven lloyd]

I was simply countering your assertion that critical thought would naturally lead one to believe there is something going on.

I made no such assertion. Critical thought would, however, naturally lead one to wonder if there was something going on - and to continue exploring that question as scientists continue to do today. Anyways, I am not here to convince you to ponder any mysteries or ask any questions. In fact, I think I'll spend the next few hours hitting a small little ball through the woods. Peace.

[fluffy]

While there may eventually be a "black and white" answer to this question, at present it is decidedly gray. I will dispute anyone claiming to have a definitive answer one way or the other. I'm with Steven, there are people much smarter than us looking into this right now, I'm happy to wait until the count is in.

[sunshine11]

Okay, if the Bible is a Book, why not READ IT LIKE A BOOK?

Isn't that a choice that should be left to the individual reader?

This post was removed by the author since it did not meet posting rules (contained all caps)

[sunshine11]

This post was removed by the author since it did not meet posting rules (contained all caps) as evidenced below
INFORMATION
NOT LOST
SEED
INFORMATION,
MULTIVERSE,
S/HE

[kibbs]

This discussion is so not gay.The face and the rules of god changes since he is within us and evolves as we do.I think god loves the crap out of the gays now.

[cliffy1]

This discussion is so not gay.The face and the rules of god changes since he is within us and evolves as we do.I think god loves the crap out of the gays now.

Are you saying god is an enema?

Although some people (like you) can find a spiritual experience, religion is as far from spirituality and a slug is from a cat. From my experience, most religious adherents are there for the social and political aspects of congregation.

[fluffy]

That was hardly the point, was it? The point was the CHALLENGE that MOST Christians have NEVER approached their faith by reading their Holy Book as a BOOK, you know, from beginning to end. And neither have most Critics. So most folks, in spite of blabbing their heads off, haven't a clue what the story is.

I don't doubt that, it's not exactly a vibrant narrative. My point is that any belief system is a deeply personal thing and we are all free to pick and choose among what feels right to us. What I choose to use from the multitude of sources available is entirely up to me.

I sense a considerable degree of skepticism in your posts sunshie11, I'd be interested in hearing your personal thoughts on the subject. From all the different theories and opinions out there, what rings true for you?

[Piecemaker]

While there may eventually be a "black and white" answer to this question, at present it is decidedly gray. I will dispute anyone claiming to have a definitive answer one way or the other. I'm with Steven, there are people much smarter than us looking into this right now, I'm happy to wait until the count is in.

When it comes to spiritual beliefs hasn't that been a problem since the dawn of time? Supposedly "smarter" people telling the masses what they should believe and how they should behave?