Posted 4 years ago at around evening time by moreno
At first I wrote this as a comment to Oso’s last post (I’d put a link here but I dont know my html from my opposable thumbs…Oso, if you don’t mind?), but then I realized “hey, i dont need to write my thoughts in the ‘comments’ section like a lowlife beggar, I can put my words in big writing for everyone to see on the main page!
I’d like to say i think Bobby made a very good point in that political affiliation is in no way detached from the religious, but usually complementary. On the other hand, i think there are many (like our dear friend raman) who fill their need to belong through political affiliation. the question i have for y’all, is what about those of us who are neither Democrat, Republican, nor Independant? Even calling myself an “Anarchist” is still a declaration of membership in some sort of community that i want no part of. Likewise, I absolutely refuse and refute all religion and religious membership. I view religion as the cause of all the problems in this world and I want no part of it. Perhaps it is my intense desire to offend and alienate, but I will agree with Marx and declare religion not only the opiate of the masses, but the nectar of the ignorant and the anesthetic of the blind. For myself, I see all political rhetoric and all religious incantation and preaching to be nothing more than fulfillment of the desire to belong. In declaring your affiliation, be it political, religious, sports, national, cultural, you do nothing more than declare your extreme fear of loneliness and your willingness to bend and break in exchange for acceptance.
How then am i fulfilling my desire to belong? through music? possibly. definitely not through this blog.
by the way, anyone looking to buy some mushrooms, let me know. they’re the legal kind.
religion is good
I know you inherently hate everything Christian but are you going to tell me Buddhist philosophy is the nectar of the ignorant? Needless to say, I disagree. I agree about everything else being a group mentality on a low level in the human psyche but religion is more about the inherent need for humans to seek something deeper and greater than themselves.
yes i think all religious ideologies are such, including buddhism. are you telling me you believe in everything buddhism teaches (reincarnation?) we are so ready to call ourselves “christian” or “buddhist” when there are so many things about the doctrine we don’t agree with. all we look for are a few lines of ethos that appeal to us and we are ready to disregard any conflictions and label ourselves such in our desperation to belong. surely there are things about every religion that appeals to us, why restrict ourselves to one? because we want to belong to a specific group.
You can be spiritual without necessarily being religious. I don’t think the majority of people go to a church to fulfill a need to belong, I think it is more of a sense of community. People go to concerts, charity events (walks and such), and things of this nature for a sense of community. To learn about and interact with your fellow man using something that you have in common as a meeting point. A lot of good is done from these meetings and commonalities. Nothing wrong with that.
Yeah, I think a big part of the church experience is a sense of community. Searching for spirituality with fellow human beings adds to the experience. The spiritual drive comes first and brings people together rather than people coming together and coming up with a farce of spirituality.
..and no, I don’t believe in reincarnation but I don’t call myself a Buddhist either. (although I think I might have at various points in my spiritual growth) I’ve taken what I can from the teachings of Buddhist texts and grown from it. I do, however, call myself a Christian but you should know me well enough to know I have no need to belong with other Christians. In fact, I remember specifically telling you once that other Christians were the biggest hindrance in my spiritual growth. The reason I call myself a Christian (and I didn’t always) is because, after much reflection and introspection, I’ve come to the conclusion that the teachings of Christ are infallible and there’s nothing I agree with more than the message he delivered in his time here on Earth. It’s about loving thy neighbor and pursuing a good and fruitful way of life, not shaping my beliefs to fit in with other closed-minded Egyptian immigrants that infest the church I attend. Things are not always as simple as they appear on the surface.
I sometimes feel “godlike” an “omnipotent”, but i do think the world would be a better place without me and religion. okat, i went to sleep at 4am last night trying to mack on some chick — at 4am i had to apss out with no love. now i’m at work, tired, and no love, just my computer — and i dont understand why david thinks i am so loyal to the democratic party — in terms of religion, it’s more a hatred towards the devil than love for god.
Homer: I’m gonna die! Jesus, Allah, Buddha - I love you all!
this a message to all you all out there, Im GAY
okay — i am way too bored at work, and i am not gay for those u in utter shock .. but i do love white sterile walls of my office radiatinf with life through lumination od the white tube lights… very hospitalesc
Homer: I’ve always wondered if there was a God. And now I know there is — and it’s me.
Arun, just curious but do you speak entirely in Simpsons quotes? If you could do that in conversation as well, I’d be very impressed.
that would be sweet if you could carry a conversation in simpson quotes. i agree with Paul on this one by the way. make very good points. i’m going to start talking to him more often.
I don’t think religion is about the need to belong so much as a need to not live in a constant state of fear of the unknown. I feel like religion began much like science - as a quest to understand the things around us that baffled our tiny little minds. It’s sort of the Plato/Aristotle dichotomy manifested throughout Western society, Plato went looking to the realm of Forms to explain the things he couldn’t otherwise and Aristotle just started classifying everything in the attempt to gain some understanding. 20 some-odd hundred years later we have religion and science. Vast simplification for sure, but I think it represents both the inherent differences and similarities in the two approaches that so dictate our modern lives. But yes, religion, like beer for Homer (not of Odyssey fame), is the cause of and solution to all of man’s problems.
the meaning of christian is to be “like christ ” or likeminded in christ. Jesus not only taught his diciples but loved them and fellowshiped with them this is the true meaning of church. The church is a symbol of the Bridegroom towards Jesus. when two leave their parents to unite with Christ they Become like one. Thus symbolicly the church is united into one Body with Christ, Christ being the head of the unit. Relgion or some may say legalism is contrary to the teachings of Christ. The Blood kin related jews to Jesus were in full convidence in themselves and there relegion rather then God Himself. The jewish relgion became cerimonial and distant from God. This void was replaced with pride and cuased blindness. Most high priest no longer could recive any revelation form the scripture thus is why they were blind to see the Prophetic providence leading to Christ as the Messiah. Moiving on to my church related theme, God Has given people gifts as Prophets teachers, minister and so on. There is authority that is apllied to the fellowship of God , Like any family there are People who are called to be in leadership positions . They are expected to Be in close relationship with God Letting the Holy spirit Guide his lessons which speak to the hearts of men and women. These lessons are there to encrouge and renew the minds of a fallen nature , keeping us in repentence and Gratitude of are mercy. Jesus talks about the churches n revelation, he speaks of the inadequtecy of them and how they must repent, No church is perfect but if you find one dont go to it or youll ruin it. But it is a command to be in fellowship with the body of Christ for it says” do not forsake the gathering of Bretheren”….I am happy to say that i’v never felt so balanced and grounded since I attended church, not that all churches are Good but its important to Pray to be lead to the one for you. Before my faith was shifty and all over the place. now i have grown deep into the word of God. A Good church is a church that teaches the Bible any thing else has been decived by devil. Catholic churches confess to be the true church , but even church history shows were catholics strayed form the word and developed more rituals and higher archies that have no biblical priciples. Very few People in the catholic relgion even Know Jesus. Why you might ask , well ” first was the word and the word was God” most catholic churches speak in latin and if not in latin they rarely read fom the scripture, its made up of a bunch of call and response memorizeation game.Of course there may be a few who Know christ but any person who honestly reads there bible everyday has to see the flaws. I recomend you stay away from any church that dosent hold the Bible as the total truth and any church that does not worship Jesus 3 in one withe the Father and the Holy spirit, i ll talk about Buddism on a later Date, God Bless you
I absolutely agree with Paul …
It would be amazing if Arun could converse in Simpson quotes. I read a book review about some novel that takes place in India and one of the character’s english was limited to Beatles lyrics. But Beatles lyrics were enough for his to pull off entire conversations.
I want to read that book.
Thanks Chris…we were all far too close to going down the road to Catholicism. phew!
Paul & the kid Nix, I grew up watching TV and I turned out TV.
Brilliant. That made up for only getting 3 hours of sleep last night. I try to speak in Borat quotes, but there’s only so much Borat material to go from so the conversations end up focusing around prostitutes and gypsies, mostly.
Otto: Oso, you know how some people are chocoholics? Well I’m an alcoholic!