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Charlie I am just now catching up on this particular blog and it is really terrific to read. I love that everyone who posts is so passionate about their opinions. Is everything really done in the name of religion? Or is it the way people have been brought up or just the way their family has always done it. Do people on their own see that what they are doing is wrong and change? Or are they stuck where they are with no way out?Can compassion and integrity be taught? And if so who should teach it? When children are small they watch what the adults do and follow it. What if just one adult could show them a better way? Is it possible they could change? Or is it all determined where they are in their society? These are what I wonder about frequently with the behavior that I see, and wonder how can you treat another human being that way? They are a person just like you.Maybe those questions are too innocent or too simplistic I don't know. Just keep asking the questions in your blogs and it will just keep us all thinking.
@Charlie: Okay, it's been a week. Now I have a question for you: What was the big deal about the 9/11 commemoration/celebration/memorial? I'm approaching this from an historical perspective (big surprise there), but never before have we really "celebrated" something like this. The U.S. didn't have a "10 years after Pearl Harbor" event in 1951, memorializing the last time there was an attack on U.S. soil. Granted, Civil War soldiers would hold reunions (even into the early 1900s), but they never commemorated 10 years after Fort Sumter, 10 years after Antietam, 10 years after Gettysburg, etc. The last time I can recall this sort of remembrance was around the time of the U.S. Bicentennial–and even then, it wasn't around the clock. So please, help me out–why 9/11? It can't just be because it's still fresh in our minds, or because of the number of lives lost. Pearl Harbor was still fresh in people's minds in 1951, and almost as many lives were lost that day as on 9/11.And if it's a sign that the nation is going to start remembering its past, I'm looking forward to the seeing the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor commemorations this December, the 150th of Antietam next September, the 200th of the British army burning Washington, DC in August 2014, etc.
@californiapagan You said it! Have been thinking the very same. Great to be beautiful on the outside but inside and out? That is the clincher. And smart too. Why i hang around this blog, also all these lovely ladies here. ;)!
I knew you were impressive on the outside, but OMG, are you impressive on the inside!
Woops forgot some of other aspects of pandeism. Or God sacrificed himself there by then becoming the universe making us all pieces of God and all around us other pieces. And we then get to have our emotional experiences thanks due to his scarfice. Giving us the ability to feel both pleasure and pain, happy and sad etc. I hope this is right and makes sense.
Okay one final thought. Am i sounding like Jerry Springer? And then i WILL give the religion topic a break (but only for now) or perhaps i will be just beating a dead horse. I think (and i may be the only one here) that pandeism has a pretty cool theory in that: "we humans could in fact be the emotional experiences of God." A supreme being with infinitive powers hence may not have the ability to do so and is enabling us (his creations) to experience this for him. You know learn from us. Remember Data on Star Trek? lol We are very emotional beings and love and hate seem to be the most powerful of them all. Idk! just a theory. Now leaving before i get run out of Dodge on a rail.
I am back again. A bad penny, i said was done. Is my opinion (and i doubt many others here share my view) that Unitarianism rocks! Is the only church that i am excited about visiting. Heard there is one 60 miles away and i wish i could go but never get the opportunity. Have been told by friends that because they accept gay members they are a doomed religion for the starting gate. Still not going to let that detour me from being curious or buying a t-shirt. (Been thinking about that lately) Also, tempted to join up with the Illuminati. (If i could find them) lol Jo: Agree that if i went to your church (and i am kinda borderline atheistic i reckon)(more agnostic really, but i am still curious about spirituality) i'd probably feel quite at home and comfortable. The message is fine and i would most likely enjoy it. The problem is if you don't believe whole heartily in the foundation is hard to embrace the the drywall. Learning lessons can't hurt anyway. Same nearly as going to school. I believe the bible is a guide book, i don't hate and i hate to dispute it. Simply hard emotionally to do. Don't feel qualified really. Is hard too, i feel Charles Darwin was a genius ahead of his time and i surely don't want (or feel qualified) to dispute his findings as well. I am hardly a genius. What i do is try and take a medium position on things (but Christians call me passive and a fence rider) and i weigh things out and make decisions accordingly. Just how i role. And what i can not understand (and i have stated this before i know) and i respect Christianity as much as i do my own family and America because they seem so interconnected with each other. But, we are supposed to have freedom of ANY and ALL religions and i try to respect that clause of our Country's foundation. Drum roll! How is it (other than the bible says so) that you are absolutely sure that Christianity is the ONLY way to heaven and that the other ones (how could i be siding with Jihad beliefs in any way shape or form) have a choice to change or suffer the wrath. How is it that we are blessed? What is so GREAT about us that we are so worthy to inherit a leg up toward footsteps of Christ? We are not Israel, Monks in robes. Point trying to make is: don't you think that the Chinese, Japanese, Aborigines, etc. also believe there way or holy books, scrolls, text, etc are they ONE TRUE most virtues wonderful best way. How can WE be the only RIGHT way? The only one with the KEY to immortality or heaven. This is why i value Unitarianism so much. I can't look at a gay person and feel i have the balls to remind them of hell. No matter if i think yucky if they are smooching in front of me. I have done things i am not proud of, have to live with etc. Everyone has. Is not that i WANT to contest the all mighty bible and prove it Null and void. Is truly that i don't understand certain things with the foundation and basis of it all.
Lilly, Thanks again. Your quote is insightful and unfortunately true. It is no surprise that Christians are persecuted because Jesus told us that would be so. Looks like what he said is sadly too true.
Charles if you would read the bible you would understand not every behavior can be condoned. I am not saying that that person should not be loved or respected but we cannot go on agreeing with what we know is wrong. Love the sinner hate the sin.
Part 2(and apparently my name is now Miss JoAnn, I can't find JoAnnZMT anymore). Charlie, "A solution would be to view all religion as, by definition, all- inclusive: that is inclusive of Moslem, Christian, Jew,mormon, atheist,saint, sinner gay, straight, man, woman, rich and poor. And IF your religion is in any way EXCLUSIVE of ANY of the above, it is faulty and needs to be adjusted in the name of the ONE TRUE GOD." Do you REALLY think that's the answer? I know it's your opinion, and just one idea of how to handle this, but it's completely unrealistic and totally against the Freedom of Religion we have in this country. And…Jesus DID come to save all of those on that list! We all have an equal opportunity to come to Him for salvation, slaves and masters, Jews and Gentiles, Muslims, atheists, prostitute, drug dealers, gays, etc. There is no requirement other than faith that Jesus is who He says He is, confessing that we are sinners who can not get to Heaven on our own merit, and asking Him to come to us. The invitation is there, we just have to RSVP. However, you have the free will to say no. If an atheist does not feel comfortable in my church, it's not because he hasn't been greeted, welcomed, introduced to people…it's because he doesn't want to hear the Message and CHOOSES to reject it, not the other way around. Jesus is not "faulty", mankind is. Humans are sinful, greedy, selfish, quick to anger, covetous, etc etc etc. You could figure out a way to outlaw religions, and it wouldn't stop ANY of the faithful(any faith)from worshipping silently. You could come to my home and take my Bibles, and my faith would STRENGTHEN because of it. I think you're fighting a losing battle here. Most of us who are faithful may disagree with other faiths, but we are tolerant of their existence and understand that it is God's job to change hearts, and that we have free will to CHOOSE to believe. That's what Jesus said…not "follow me or say goodbye to your head".
Sigh…oh Charlie. Here we go again. I think this is gonna be a 2-parter(LOL) I know full well "who did this", and they weren't reading the Old or New Testament when they did it. They weren't screaming out the name of Jesus or G-d, they weren't speaking Hebrew or doing the Rosary. I know I'm not the only one who has caught on that there is a common denominator among AlQaeda, Taliban, Hamas, the Ft. Hood Massacre, the Shoe Bomber, the Christmas Day Underpants Guy. They are doing these acts because it is commanded in the ahadith. I saw an interview yesterday with the sister of the flight 77(Pentagon) pilot. She was just amazed that after the Fort Hood massacre, President Obama said that the events of that day were "unimaginable". UNIMAGINABLE? To whom? They were quite obvious to me…this guy had been speaking openly about Jihad, corresponding with a radical Iman, and was in our military! A blind man in Jersey saw that one coming…but it wasn't PC or "tolerant" to be proactive. I'm not saying that there aren't loonies out there who will 'see things' in religious texts. Mark David Chapman saw HIS 'mission' in "Catcher in the Rye". Son of Sam's dog told him to kill all of those women. Warren Jeffs used the Mormon books to justify abusing children. And I'll be brutally honest…what about the violence and bloodshed in video games that are often played by those most at risk for anti-social behavior? Like "Saint's Row"? Isn't your participation in that encouraging the violence, the use of weapons to solve problems? (ok, now wipe the tea off your keyboard and keep reading). Some groups have TRIED to get those violent games off the market, to no avail. And that's a GAME. Do you really think people will give up their deep, devout faith, when we can't even get violent video games and pornography to go away? Again…there's a pink elephant in the room, and it's not fair to punish/blame ALL faiths for the actions of one radical arm of a particular religion.
@Charlie: I apologize if the timing was inappropriate for my 9/11 comments. I should have waited until today to submit that portion of the comment. It came out of frustration from watching a couple of commentators on Sunday reflecting on the nation since 9/11 and how it wouldn't have happened if the nation had a different president.
Charlie! I also grew up to discuss around a table and sometimes we ended up arguing, but how beautiful it was! I must say that I follow and participate in your blog is a bit like being back around the table with regard to agree or disagree with your opinion, there is a saying here with us: the reason to be mad
I feel it necessary to defend Diane here. Does anyone REALLY believe Diane was implying she believes Charles is actually Mr. Sheffield in real life. I hope not. The way I took her comment was there are endearing traits in Mr. Sheffield that she is finding out Charles does not have and that disappoints her. Also, I have a little quote that I heard a long time ago and would like to share it with you because it sums up our differences pretty well with respect to God and religion. I hope Charles will allow it. He does not want us to quote but this one is pretty short. It goes like this: "For those who believe in God no explanation is necessary – for those who do not, no explanation will suffice."
Karen, in answer to the first part about which God and who should be included..the answer is "YES." In answer to the second…are you seriously choosing this day to re-hash the "Clinton is to blame for 9/11" boondoggle???
@Charlie: I don’t know where to begin, other than to say I’ll leave the spiritual and theological discussions to those who are far more familiar with the Bible than I am. The whole concept of “ONE TRUE GOD” that you speak of…what do we call this one true God? Allah? Yahweh? Jehovah? Jeshua? Or just God? Sounds a bit like Unitarian Universalism to me, with the notion of one God (instead of the Trinity) and acceptance of all religions in an inclusive manner. Also, if we are all supposed to follow this one true God, how do you propose we include atheists, who, by definition, deny the existence of any deity? (This, by the way, is a contrast to Deists like Thomas Jefferson, who acknowledged the existence of a deity without a need for organized religion).Finally, you commented about reflecting on who was responsible and why…it was a worldwide terrorist network whose leader had been involved in planning attacks on the United States since 1993. If Bill Clinton had been more proactive in his response to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and to the attacks on U.S. embassies around the globe and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, perhaps the Twin Towers would still be standing, and maybe we wouldn’t have dedicated Flight 93 National Memorial yesterday. Yes, 9/11 happened on Bush’s watch, but it wasn’t entirely his fault—just like the economic problems we have today started while Bush was president but had their origins in the failed fiscal policies of the Clinton administration.