KMAN wrote:
in article ,
Tinkerntom
at wrote on 3/19/05 9:22 PM:
BCITORGB wrote:
Tink opines:
=============
So we can still look forward to our little chats, about boats and
faith. I prefer the personal approach, to enjoying life. A
website
just seems a little cold and impersonal. That is sort of like
fixing
something with a ten pound sledge, that needed a more delicate
touch!
I
hope some of you can appreciate my more delicate touch, I only use
a
five pound sledge!
=============
I'm confused. What are you trying to say?
frtzw906
It's like this, I appreciate our conversations. The stimulation is
good, and it forces me to consider some issues and how my faith
applies
to them in the market place of life. Not that you necessarily get
me to
change my mind, or vice versus. But I have to freshen up my faith
and
the expression of it. I hope that it has been stimulating to you as
well.
Rest assured that this is one of the main differences I feel
between
what I am saying, and what is usually passed off as religion
(visa-vis
Ron's approach), and which I believe KMAN and others have such a
viseral reaction too.
First off, it is "visceral." Secondly, my "reaction" to religion is
not
visceral, but rather based on obvservation and reasoned conclusions
about
the functioning of religious belief systems and their real world
impact on
human beings.
A very standard dictionary definition of religion is:
"Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded
as
creator and governor of the universe; a personal or institutionalized
system
grounded in such belief and worship."
It seems to me that your god blather fits this definition rather
perfectly,
Tinkerntom. So I'm not sure why you think your religious belief
system is
somehow disctinct from "what is usually passed off as religion."
There you go correcting my spelling again, but you seemed to know what
I was writing about. Now whether you agree with me or not, that is
another issue.
Even your definition of religion, comes from your dictionary, which may
be correct, but that is not what I am talking about, and I am sure you
haven't the foggiest Idea what I am speaking about. That you keep
trying to pound it into the religious mould, demonstrates your complete
unawareness of a part of life that for all your observation and
reasoned conclusions, you are blind and clueless.
Reminds me of a story, a lexiographer, desiring to publish a new
dictionary, and in all fairness wanting to get unbiased definitions
based on any preconceived perceptions, got to the word "elephant". He
decided to hire four blind guys to help develope a definition of what
an elephant is like. So he placed one at the front, one at the rear,
one underneath, and one on the back of the elephant, and ask them to
describe what an elephant was like. Needless to say he got four widely
different definitions.
All I can say to you KMAN, is that I am speaking of something that goes
beyond religion. I am not interested in religion per se; belief in,
reverence for, personal or institutional system, even if grounded in
belief or worship, according to your text book definition. All these
thing are things that man is doing, and probably using for his own
power/control structure as you so consistantly point out, where he is
the big cheese, the top banana, the muckety-muck! That the rest of us
get to admire because he is so "spiritual" at least in his own humble
opinion.
I am not interested in what man is doing, I am interested in finding
out what God is doing! Now obviously if you don't believe in God in the
first place, then you don't believe He could be doing anything at all.
Or if you believe that there is a pan-theon of Gods, then you may be
interested in what they are doing, but most likely, they are more
concerned with each other than mere mortals.
However if there is a God, would it not be beneficial to know what He
is up to! If it is possible to know Him, and to see what He is doing,
would that change how you look at life, and respond to other people,
and to Him. All the philosophical head games, word games, annoyingly
cute games, that you play with yourself, and with others, become
meaningless, if He is, and we can know He is. Play your games in life,
and here on RBP, if you want, but if He is, you are only screwing
yourself and depriving yourself of the greatest trip around!
I assure you that there is God, He loves you, and He will show Himself
to you if you honestly desire to know Him, TnT