Tuesday, June 1, 2010
A new religion
This is the first message of many to come. We are now at a place where we can no longer support the churched that we once thought of has holy. It is time that we cast away the shadows of mysticism and superstition and begin to understand what we believe and why we believe it. Please give me you thoughts on what should be done and how we should reform our antiquated religions. I already have my views but I am curious to see all of yours.
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I am a new writer looking to create a buzz for my book. It is unpublished and I want to get the word out so I will be posting quotes from it from time to time. Here is the first:
ReplyDelete"Why do we believe in the virgin birth? It has already beed proven false yet we still look at as the main staple of Christian belief. We know Mary was nor impregnated by heavenly God. We know that he had brothers. It isn't even unique to the Christ story. If you don't believe me then look up Osiris, Mithras, and Horace. It is shocking about the similarities."
There is a site http://urantia.us that attempts to unite religions & you can also copy and sell or give others the picture of The United Prophets and the traveler. Namaste
ReplyDeleteWhat if we are entering a new phase for religious thought and beliefs? Could that even be possible?
ReplyDeleteWhy are we so concerned whether or nor people agree with us? Is it that important for other people to validate your beliefs rather than having true faith in your own ideals?
ReplyDeleteNeo I think we are entering a new phase. I think the 'I'm right and you're wrong' of organized religion has worn VERY thin.
ReplyDeleteI've raised my children to question and search out answers. My older son had a girlfriend who was angry with him because he wouldn't be firm in his beliefs yet. She couldn't understand thinking and searching. (We live in the Bible Belt). He didn't need her or a church to validate his beliefs, he was searching for the answers himself. I do believe more and more people are taking this approach as we realize how destructive religion can be.
Thank you for you post. Religion has become destructive because we have taken out the things that once made it so good:compassion, tolerance, and understanding. I am glad to hear that he is seeking out his own answers and if he needs any help along the way by all means refer him here to ask questions. As you can see I have studied this for a long time and I may be able to help him. I will not try to influence him into my own way of thinking, but will guide him in his own quest for the truth no matter what path that takes him. I am proud to see young people breaking away and using their hearts and minds for their faith and not their fear.
ReplyDeleteQuote: "There is a revolution of the mind brewing. No longer will we be controlled by the dogmatic narrowminded views of traditional orthodox Christianity."
ReplyDeleteI was kicked out of yet another Christian forum. So much for the freedom of expression huh?
ReplyDeleteQuote: I am not a man who believes in miracles, but isn’t that what many Christian doctrines are preaching? Why should we believe in this ancient view when we live in a modern society? Why hasn’t anyone provided any real answers to life’s longest standing mysteries?
ReplyDeleteI realise that it has been a while since a comment was made on this post but I agree with what people are saying here, mostly. Not all religions are destructive, look at Wicca or Buddhism, even though its not technically a religion. And yes I agree with you that quite a few religions share similar stories (I am incredibly interested in Egyptian mythology) but that just means that some people stole other peoples ideas, what a shock. But then it begs the question which story came first and how was it made???
ReplyDeleteAnd I think it is important to get people too understand what you are trying to do because eventually someone may call what you are doing a cult and it might stick.
And be assured that I am very interested in this book you are righting, you have me intrigued :)
I am very glad you are looking forward to its release and it will be very soon now. I also thank you for putting your two cents in.
ReplyDeleteThat is my one true fear. I do not wnat people to think that I am here only to change their mind and to agree with me. That is not my point. My point is to have people agree with themselves and hopefully that will be evident. I am not a cultist nor do I ever want to have that sort of following. I wish only to open the eyes of the public to see that it is time to move on from what we have been taught for way too long.
Quote: "The days of preaching hellfire and brimstone is not enough to hold people in this ancient ideology anymore. The theistic deity that once watched over us like an otherworldly father has died. This God can no longer exist in this world which has proved that he does not exist. That does not mean that there is not a God, but it is not the same as the one that is shoved down your throat in Sunday school. "
ReplyDeleteI come from a rebel church, Polish National Catholic, and although they are quite conservative, they did break away from the Vatican oh, 3 generations ago? So it's easy for me to see how far Christian religions have diverted from Christ's actual teachings. (They taught me too well; I'm no longer Catholic and not even sure about Christian. So it goes.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in a Jesuit undergrad, about half a billion years ago, I was in a comparative religions 101 class and the prof was telling us about the similarity in the stories of the births of saviors like Jesus, Mithras, the Buddha. He asked us to think about what this might imply. After a brief contemplative silence, a student raised his hand and said: Oh, they're just copying from the Christians!
LOL
OH man that is funny. I wonder if your professor went over the story of Horace with you. If he didn't I would definitely check it out. It is really eye opening.
ReplyDeleteAnother quote will be coming later today. Feel free to make comments on it or any of the others I have posted.
ReplyDeleteQuote:"God is all around us, but not in the sense that we were taught in Sunday school class. He creates and destroys in one fluid motion. It knows not of good nor evil, but of one underlying purpose: To create and to move forward. It is a force that runs throughout the universe destroying on cosmic levels at one point, and creating vast areas at the same moment."
ReplyDeleteThe begining of wisdom is the fear of God and fear of God is to depart from Iniquity/Sin
ReplyDelete- This is a universal truth that has never been revoked - it is binding on all mankind - avoid the creater and suffer the consequences - it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the LIVING GOD - a foolish man does not fear God - which are you?
You shouldn't fret too much about how your book will be received. Because you know already how it will be received.
ReplyDeleteThe mass culture of mental passivity will all respond like Bro. Henry. The second you begin presenting ideas requiring active thinking and loosing exaggerated moralities they will throw a temper-tantrum and rail against your discussion, but you can rest assured they won't read it. Unless, you're releasing the book in serial and utilizing only monosyllabic diction.
High culture people will read it, and will probably be interested in what is being presented. They might not agree with it, but they would at the very least want to discuss it. However, for every high the are at least 30 mass. So, you will not make any money from the book. Unless it is an extremely controversial novel. Because then people will buy it to burn or buy it show other people how subversive to society it is. But either of those options gets you more book sales. So you could be ostracized all the way to the bank.
I would read it, as I enjoy deconstruction and examination of what society believes shouldn't be questioned or what citizens don't comprehend should be questioned. Well...I would read it once I finally graduate and have my own free time again.
I also officially don't like the like handicapped man next to the word verify box. Because it does not look like a link. It looks like a label.
ReplyDeleteHas two implications:
1. Blogspot is becoming sentient from storing thousands of thoughts. However, it is developing a superiority complex because most of the thoughts floating around are written by assholes. Thus blogspot thinks we are all handicapped compared to it and is letting us know.
or
2. I need to disconnect my webcam because I don't like the fact that blogspot knows I am sitting in my wheeled computer chair.
@ CMB - I never noticed that. I guess we are all crippled according to Google.
ReplyDeleteI can only hope that my work is considered to be a viable source in scholarly discussions. I would count that as a win. Of course every writer wants a huge success, but I understand that it takes time a also a large amount of luck. Thanks for the support.
@ Bro. Henry - Using that god given right of free will why do you choose to follow blindly in the word of man and not find the truth which is so easily attained? Why do you choose to validate a faith that is quickly becoming more and more fictisious (i know the spelling is wrong)? If god gave us free will and we are to be fearful of the living god why would we follow those that are not god, but prophets claiming to be closer to god than you? Often with no evidence other than their words. If you believe you should fear god and follow others than I truly pity you. You are living in denial. You think you are a christian, but you are actually just a fool, just like the one you are implying that I am.
Quote: "If you never question your faith, you will never truly understand it."
ReplyDeleteI hear you brother and I understand. I will be recruiting disciples for Transcendology. May this interest you?
ReplyDelete@ NEO - I have not called you a fool, you came to that conclusion yourself, I asked you if you were wise or not - The bible, the word of God,ultimate non negotiable divine truth, clearly states who is a fool, Quote:"THERE IS NO GOD, THE FOOL HAS SAID IN HIS HEART" - check it out and think about it - cheers
ReplyDeleteThat is the most immature avoidance Bro Henry. You did call him a fool because you can tell from what he has written that he does not fear God and thus by your quote is a fool. Take responsibility for what you say.
ReplyDelete@Neo, I finally made it :) sorry, took me a couple days to work it in. I think one new point that should be mentioned in this discussion is "Do we want a New Religion? Or do we want irreligion?" Religion is the problem. It encourages people to not have to think. Society encourages us to take the easy way out. All in all they are working with each other to make money and control populations.
Whatever system you try to make it will become a religion either by your own volition or through humanity's natural need. Ignorance + belief breeds religion to answer questions. Power, wealth, and intelligence + belief breeds religion to boost the ego and the coffers. Nothing like claiming to be the chosen people to help justify why you should be the leader. In our online chats we discussed how belief worms its way into a variety of systems such as the religious belief of the atheist. There will never be no religion just different names because people will still have the need for belief. The small details of the religion itself are arbitrary, it's all about the inherit need for belief. That flaw in the psyche. You condone the unthinking and view yourself as being better than the masses by questioning and developing your own beliefs. And so your new religion is underway and has begun to stroke the ego and filled you with a sense of validation. Not that ego is bad. If we didn't think we were important or valid we wouldn't get out of bed, ever. The human flaw for the need to believe in something will never change. If it wasn't Christian then there would have been a different religion in power. There were many religions before Christ entered the picture. Maybe the real question is what will the new religion be? Because as long as humans exist religion will. Maybe one day when we all are worshiping Rha the Sun God of Logic and Moral Behaviors we can go to the museum and see Jesus next to Apollo next to Krishna. And ponder over the stories of one man's triumph over a three headed dog and another man's building a boat with the most pressing project deadline to ever exist. Of course, I would argue that Christianity now is a different religion than Christianity was even 100 years ago. Views points change, perception changes, the message changes, rituals change, but belief is constant keeps the whole thing going. Belief is the battery and religion is the bunny.
ReplyDeleteMan's ego and man's fear of the unknown or more pointedly, nothingness, created religion because mans ego has to believe that this can’t be it, that there has to be more, there has to be higher calling for us and our fear of nothingness is understandable because our mind can’t comprehend, can’t fathom nothingness, it has been active from the time we were born, our senses of smell, feeling, hearing, tasting, seeing are always going and most of us have all our senses and some just a few but all of us have at least one. Imagine if you couldn’t hear, couldn’t feel, couldn’t taste, smell or see, just IMAGINE. Kind of scary if you truly imagine, I know. Take a look at the meaning of nothingness.
ReplyDeletenothingness:
1.The condition or quality of being nothing; nonexistence.
2.Empty space; a void.
3.Lack of consequence; insignificance.
4.Something inconsequential or insignificant.
(from Answers.com)
Look at that meaning and tell me Mankind can handle that. Most of us cant and Voila, religion, a reason to be. From nothingness to, wait for it, wait for it, Eternal afterlife.
@CMD, I think a religion needs following and organization. What I am doing is simply thinking for myself. I don't ask anyone else to believe that beliefs that I am developing. If they do I would not pretend to lead them. If they believe what I am saying they require no leadership. That is irreligion. What requires more ego? To make my own rules or to believe an all knowing being created and needs me?
ReplyDeleteNice point Independent. The world cannot deal with nothingness. We will always need some kind of "afterlife" because it is psychologically unrealistic to expect everyone to be able to deal with the concept.
@Impact,
ReplyDeleteI think religion is merely a set of rituals and dogmas. Physical actions meant to correspond to spiritual conceptions. How many people preform the rituals together doesn't impact its status as a religion. Otherwise, Jesus when alone and first beginning to preach following his own beliefs without leadership would be irreligious and then once he got 12 friends he became religious.
Plus, I don't believe that humans being the social animals we are can exist naturally without leadership. That no matter what we would form groups with dominate members.
As for ego boosting. I would say they produce the same ego boost. For, example creationist believe in themselves because humans are the perfect creation by God. Evolutionist know that humans are the best in the world because we evolved past the other lower animals and dominated the Earth, became top of the food chain. Believe in God gives ego. Believe in logic gives ego. But logic does inspire mechanical inventions like freezers and toasters in the attempt to understand things. So, God belief gives ego, and Logical independent belief gives ego and Eggos (hot and ready from the toaster in under five min).
@TheIndependent,
While we have the same opinions on belief (well at least on belief in relation to ego)(we might even have the same opinions on Eggos) you are much more eloquent in delivery than I. You really should be posting your responses from both here and from the other discussion board on your blog. Otherwise your voice gets buried in comments and hard for anyone to stumble on it.
Thank you CMB, i followed your advice. Also i think that is the first time my writng has been described as eloquent, so thanks.
ReplyDeleteAs far as ego goes, we all have it, anytime one defends their position on any particular topic you defending your ego, you sense of being right, your pride. Pride and ego go hand in hand, you cant have one without the other. Life dictates having an ego as at some point you have to put yourself above others in order to survive.
@TheIndependent,
ReplyDeleteExcellent. I was beginning to be concerned that your blog was bulimic. It was so thin in the articles, but I kept seeing stuff that looked like it should have been in the blog. You should tell you blog that it's looks pretty, and that it is beautiful, and that it should stop comparing itself to what it sees in magazines. Being streamlined is only for those fatuous browsers, blogs are supposed to be hedonist and thick.
LoL, ill make sure to get my blog thick and voluminous.
ReplyDeleteWell,It looks like I am a stranger to my own party. Not used to having this much traffic. I was pleased when I saw how many responses there were. I will get to everyone.
ReplyDelete@Bro - you did call me a fool and you never did answer my question.
@Peace - sorry, but I am not a transcendentalist. I have already explored that line of thinking and it is not for me, but I do respect you though. You do need to worry about me "witnessing" to you.
@ Impact, CMB, and Independent - You are right to say the ego has a lot to do with modern religion and yes it has changed a lot over the last 100 years. It is man's ego to think that we are special that has been the driving force behind religion since civilization began. What is not ego driven is logic. Logic does not know or care about our wants and needs. It only exists to make sense. If you find what you believe to be logical than good on ya. My whole problem is the fact the people believe that have to be illogical in order to have faith only because that is the way it has been and that is the way they were told to believe. My problem is faith.
If you have and issue with faith then why are you trying to build, create or bring about your own? We all have faith of some sort. An Athiest has faith, a faith in that they are correct about there being nothing after death. To me the most important faith one should have is in themselves, from there you can branch off to whatever feels right to you.
ReplyDeleteI personally dont have an issue with faith. I have faith in my beliefs and i have ultimate faith in myself.
I have an issue with ignorance. To me it is ignorant to blindly follow without knowing the reasons you follow it. To me it is ignorant following something that are not for your own reasons and desires; it doesnt matter what those reasons and desires are just that they are your own.
Exactly, there are too many people who do not share that view. They believe because they are scared not to and are causing more harm than good. Look at those loons from Kansas, the Westboro Baptist Church. They are using religion to spread hate and fear and are actually growing because that is the mindset that people have. I am not wanting to create a whole new religion, but rather clear the water and make it relevant again.
ReplyDeleteIs your religion not tasting like it used to? Zealots and other unsavory deposits build up in religion over time. To restore the fresh taste to your religion, we here at Brita are proud to release our new "Neo" filter which is guaranteed rid the unsavory elements of your religion. So remember, when you think fresh religion think Neo.
ReplyDelete*Claims and blasphemies are not supported by Brita International.Although they would totally utilize Neo if he was made out of activated charcoal and could easily be packaged into small filter packets.*
WHY IS THERE NEVER ANY NEW POST?!?! I WANT NEW POST TO LEAVE SLIGHTLY PITHY COMMENTS ON!
ReplyDeletethe trouble with christianity today is they say the bible is the word of god when jesus is the word. it's god jesus holy spirit a trinity. the tru word can't get out if it's not jesus as the word. also theres the trinity to guide us. jesus said if he is liftedup he will draw all men unto him. today they manipulate the bible to bring people to christianity. jesus is the last word & only word.
ReplyDeletethere is a difference between following jesus & religion. they made a religion of the bible. the trinity has to be our guide. the holyspirit gives us strenth & wisdom. also without love whatever we do is worthless. the power in the bible is lifting up jesus. not the words.
ReplyDeleteif the trinity was used like the bible their would be less controversy about christianity & religion. jesus would be the dominant word not the bible. if we really followed jesus that would be the new religion. kevinboehmsr@optonline .net
ReplyDelete