Free Thinker's discourse
sent in by Lynn D. Ellis
I will not submit to the intimidation of those who claim any theories, ideas, or philosophies about the nature of reality are exclusively their own institutionalized domain - whether theological or quasi scientific.
I will not be governed by the mind police who believe themselves to be inherently correct in the positions they hold. I choose to think and reason unencumbered of their supposed "enlightened" views.
I will not be dominated by political correctness so that my own personally held beliefs must first filter through the threshold of sequestered thoughts and ideas held captive by the credentialed power mongers.
I will not be manipulated, handled, or made to fit a social paradigm that continues to reinforce its own self-made image of intrinsic superiority. Many fail to recognize there may never be a philosophy, idea, religious tenet or dogma, scientific theory, or even a societal anomaly that will not be ultimately proven false.
The entire Universe is in a continual state of flux.
Humanity is no exception.
Tucson
AZ
USA
Joined: nine years old
Left: Fifty-one
Was: Baptist, Christian, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Born-Again
Now: None
Converted because: I wanted to go to heaven and not hell when I died
De-converted because: After suffering extreme pychological abuse as the result of "faith in God," I knew there had to be something far better. Following is my statement of present beliefs:
email: lynette190 at msn dot com
I will not submit to the intimidation of those who claim any theories, ideas, or philosophies about the nature of reality are exclusively their own institutionalized domain - whether theological or quasi scientific.
I will not be governed by the mind police who believe themselves to be inherently correct in the positions they hold. I choose to think and reason unencumbered of their supposed "enlightened" views.
I will not be dominated by political correctness so that my own personally held beliefs must first filter through the threshold of sequestered thoughts and ideas held captive by the credentialed power mongers.
I will not be manipulated, handled, or made to fit a social paradigm that continues to reinforce its own self-made image of intrinsic superiority. Many fail to recognize there may never be a philosophy, idea, religious tenet or dogma, scientific theory, or even a societal anomaly that will not be ultimately proven false.
The entire Universe is in a continual state of flux.
Humanity is no exception.
Tucson
AZ
USA
Joined: nine years old
Left: Fifty-one
Was: Baptist, Christian, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Born-Again
Now: None
Converted because: I wanted to go to heaven and not hell when I died
De-converted because: After suffering extreme pychological abuse as the result of "faith in God," I knew there had to be something far better. Following is my statement of present beliefs:
email: lynette190 at msn dot com
Comments
Another con-man cashes in on it an so on and so on.........What will the church be like in 50 years?
It freakin insane!
If "whatever made us," gave a shit what we think, and is all powerful, and all knowing, and wanted us to all believe in the same thing, "it" would have programed our minds to do just that.
I believe "IT" did!
It made us all want to be "happy," and feel good, and be healthy, and do what we must to achieve this.
One of the instincts that "It" designed into us, to be able to achieve happiness, is the desire for freedom of mind and body, which relegates religion to nothing more than just another virus to be inoculated against.
I believe there is a gland in our brain that produces a growth hormone for the intellect, (or spirit if you will), that functions quite well in the absence of mind viruses like (insert your favorite magical belief)
All of the greatest thinkers down through history have discovered that "Iron bars can enslave the body" but as long as we allow ourselves to reason, and reject the baggage of primeval fears and superstitions that we have dragged along with us "out of the cave," we can still continue to grow.
So when we cast off the mental bonds that we get entangled in, I believe "It" is pleased, because we are becoming "All we can be"
I believe that when we are thinking and creating, God (or whatever you call the force), is clapping and says "See! They are working just like I designed them," and our "intellectual growth gland" releases a little shot of spiritual endorphins.
Dan (Agnostic, rationalist, humanist, and any damn "ist" I want to be "Today")
First of all, I'm a Christian. I believe that personally trusting in Jesus Christ as your only means of salvation is THE ONLY WAY to heaven.
I didn't say religion, rituals, going to church, crosses around your neck... none of that stuff. I said personally trusting in Jesus Christ as your only means of salvation.
Now, If you're right, and I'm wrong, then cool... we will both die and become worm food. The End.
But, If I'm right and you're wrong... we will still both die, BUT I'll be in heaven and you'll be burning in hell... for eternity.
With that said, I want to ask you personally... How confident are you that your way of viewing the world is The TRUTH?
Check this out... and try to ignore the cheesy music.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4136610474021109864
Look, I don't know you, and you don't know me... but I want you to think about the question I asked above. If you're not 100% confident that you have the truth, then I will encourage you to read the book of John in the Bible.
- Jonathan
"But, If I'm right and you're wrong... we will still both die, BUT I'll be in heaven and you'll be burning in hell... for eternity"
Dan says:
"How do you know which God to believe in? There are plenty to choose from, and if you pick the wrong one, you could be in big trouble (e.g. what if you choose Jesus, but get to heaven only to come face-to-trunk with Ganesh?). This is known as the "Avoiding the wrong Hell problem". If a dozen people of different religions came to you with Pascal's Wager, how could you possibly choose between them? After all, many religions are quite specific that they are the One True Religion, and not any others. Jesus Christ said "I am the way, the truth and the light. None shall come to the Father except through me." [emphasis added] and no doubt most other religions make similar claims. If a Christian considers the Wager as strong support for his faith, surely he must accept that it is equally valid for all other religions when presented to himself"
"If there is no God, you have still lost something. You have wasted a good portion of your life performing the various devotional rituals, attending Churches, praying, reading scripture and discussing your deity with His other followers. Not to mention giving your hard-earned money to the church, wasting your intelligence on theological endeavours and boring the hell out of people who really don't want to hear your Good News"
Dan (who has socks older tha you)
Jesus was wrong, a set precedent.
You will accept the views of the scientific establishment.
You will believe what they say about the origins of life and the human mind.
You will submit to their power...or you will be ridiculed, cursed, and marginalized.
And if they want to engage in genetic engineering and eliminate the "inferior" if they want to fill the world with weapons that could wipe out civization you will not be able to do any thing about it.
Historically, Christians have proven that they possess no higher moral ground than anyone else on the planet. When Christians had the opportunity to prove the superiority of their worldview, when they ruled Western Civilization, society fell into a cesspool of religious fanaticism filled with stark ignorance, heinous tortures, and horrific disease. Fortunately the medieval fear of science kept modern weaponry out of their reach.
Can you imagine the Holy Crusaders with the A-bomb?
Scary.
1 Samuel 2:8 "The pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them."
Isaiah 11:12 "And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
Flat earth, sitting on pillars.
"You will believe what they say about the origins of life and the human mind."
Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
Family tree Origin? Dirt.
"You will submit to their power...or you will be ridiculed, cursed, and marginalized."
Deuteronomy 13:6 "If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;"
Deuteronomy 13:9 "But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people."
"And if they want to engage in genetic engineering and eliminate the "inferior" if they want to fill the world with weapons that could wipe out civization you will not be able to do any thing about it."
Genesis 30:37 "And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods."
Genesis 30:38 "And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
Genesis 30:39 "And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
Leading edge genetic engineering, creating ringed, speckled and spotted goats by having them stare at different textures while copulating.