Hey FrGamble!

Scott Adams made some really good points about Easter today. Some woman called him and made the point that Christians are always making that it's amazing Christianity has lasted 2000 years, therefore it must be true. Adams pointed out all the other religions that have lasted longer than Christianity and ask the lady if that made them all true to. Then he made a brilliant point. He said animals like cats and dogs and cows are not capable of understanding reality. why is it that we as humans think we are any more capable of understanding it then animals are. No religion is true, they are just speculations. Humans are not capable of seeing the truth, we can only see reality through our built-in filters. There are a few special people throughout history, yoga Masters, Zen Masters, who have figured out how to bypass the filters and see reality for what it is. They all say the same thing, that it can't be explained it can only be experienced. And that reality is nothing like we think it is.

I dunno. Reality is exactly like we think it is. Because it doesn’t matter what we think.

Quote: Mosca

I dunno. Reality is exactly like we think it is. .

We mostly create our own reality.
That's why two people can watch
the same movie and have wildly
different opinions of it. The realities
they've created are not even close
to the same.

A zen master will say the true reality
cannot be explained, you can only
point someone in that direction
and hope they eventually 'get it'.

FrG and I have very different realities.
I can't begin to understand his, it's
totally alien to me. Mostly because
as a kid I had no knowledge of
religion at all. I see zero evidence
the world is a spiritual place. To
me it's practical place ruled by
natural laws that can't be broken.
Like when you die, your body is
dead can't rise and come back
to life.

Quote: Evenbob

Scott Adams made some really good points about Easter today. Some woman called him and made the point that Christians are always making that it's amazing Christianity has lasted 2000 years, therefore it must be true. Adams pointed out all the other religions that have lasted longer than Christianity and ask the lady if that made them all true to. Then he made a brilliant point. He said animals like cats and dogs and cows are not capable of understanding reality. why is it that we as humans think we are any more capable of understanding it then animals are. No religion is true, they are just speculations. Humans are not capable of seeing the truth, we can only see reality through our built-in filters. There are a few special people throughout history, yoga Masters, Zen Masters, who have figured out how to bypass the filters and see reality for what it is. They all say the same thing, that it can't be explained it can only be experienced. And that reality is nothing like we think it is.

Again just looking at the facts. Christianity is the largest religion in the world and it has lasted so long. The woman was probably making the point that while these other religions are older they are not growing. There is also no religious institution or organized religion, nor any government or state, or any other human institution that is older than Catholicism.
Take heart Scott was right about one thing we are not capable of understanding God. That is why we have depend of Revelation or God revealing Himself to us. While we can no God exists through human reason alone to know God or to have religion we need God to reveal it to us.

Quote: FrGamble

Again just looking at the facts. Christianity is the largest religion in the world.

So your point is, if you need a
religion stick with the largest
one. And if you need chewing
gum, go with Wrigleys. For a
car go with GM. Because that's
all religion is, just another product
somebody is selling. Might as
well settle for the biggest manufacturer.

Good grief. Thank god for atheism
and common sense.

I have given up trying to use common sense on you. So let me just again point to the fact that I have never said nor do I say in my last post that you should just go with the largest religion. I'm glad you do recognize that there is some value in paying attention to the largest one, it isn't a bad place to start. However, truth is the only reason to believe something, not popularity or just your preference.

Quote: Evenbob

We mostly create our own reality.
That's why two people can watch
the same movie and have wildly
different opinions of it. The realities
they've created are not even close
to the same.

A zen master will say the true reality
cannot be explained, you can only
point someone in that direction
and hope they eventually 'get it'.

FrG and I have very different realities.
I can't begin to understand his, it's
totally alien to me. Mostly because
as a kid I had no knowledge of
religion at all. I see zero evidence
the world is a spiritual place. To
me it's practical place ruled by
natural laws that can't be broken.
Like when you die, your body is
dead can't rise and come back
to life.

I was born into a devout Catholic family and went to church and Sunday school. From an early age the logical inconsistencies of an all seeing and all knowing god frustrated me: if I sinned, god already knew it. If I was or was not contrite, god already knew it. Therefore, how I felt was irrelevant. I couldn’t fake feelings, and I couldn’t hide my thoughts. When I listened to the mass, and the sermons, and parsed the differences between mortal and venial sins, and learned the catechisms, none of it made any sense at all. It sounded like self serving gibberish. It still does.

I have to say, as an adult I tried. I taught Sunday school myself for a few years. But your heart can’t lie to itself. If you assume an all seeing and all knowing god, then that god would know that I don’t believe any of it. Then what? Bible aside, the basic postulate of the faith is meaningless to me.

Some of us are wired to need a God. Others of us aren’t. Who we are is less important than how we can work together to make the world a better place. There are enough failings on both sides of that question, we don’t have enough fingers to point. Learn from the past, look to the future.

Quote: FrGamble

truth is the only reason to believe something,

Of which in 6 years of talking
about this, you have posted
none. Not real verifiable truth.
All you have is hearsay and
conjecture. Which is obviously
taken for truth in your world,
the rest of us need something
more.

Quote: Evenbob

Of which in 6 years of talking
about this, you have posted
none. Not real verifiable truth.
All you have is hearsay and
conjecture. Which is obviously
taken for truth in your world,
the rest of us need something
more.

That is hearsay and conjecture!

I think I will take a hint from Mosca and not try to relive past mistakes and move forward to the future. Have a good day Evenbob and stay safe!

Quote: FrGamble

I think I will take a hint from Mosca and not try to relive past mistakes

You admit you have zero verifiable
truth? About time you saw the light.
All you have is stories you believe
are true. You have what every
religion has, nothing real. Just
superstition and imagination.