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It’s been years since I have perused the forum, and it seems the newest posts are over a year old. Have I missed a mass exodus?

This seems to be comparing apples and oranges, to me at least. Characterizing making sure to pay your bills and take care of your car, and scientific facts as fear based content is a bit off. I understand what Jonathon is saying, and in a way his interpretation has merit. I see the bible as 2 story lines essentially. Old and New Testaments. Personally I do not see the bible as fear based content once you read the New Testament. The way I interpret it, and I could be flawed in this, is that the New Testament gives us the New Covenant through Jesus, which kind of supersedes the Old Testament (Law of Moses) and focuses more on the spirit rather than the rules laid out in the Old Testament. It’s like raising your children, in a way. As parents, we’ve all given warnings(some outlandish) to keep our children safe and turn them into decent human beings. Later, they’ll see you said some crazy stuff to keep them in line(talking fear based warnings and such) and keep them safe, and they’ll learn as they go that some of it was exactly that. That’s how I interpret the Old and New Testaments. Old Testament is rules, warnings, threats of punishments, if you will, like for toddlers. New Testament is bringing it full circle to show your now teenaged child the best path to be a good human. side note: Jesus says in John 4:21-24, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” I read this as the “Fire and Brimstone, Hellfire and Damnation” of the Old Testament is being replaced by the promise of Jesus’ message. One where temples and houses of worship are not the only place to seek God. Now, you may say I’m wrong and that Hell is warned about in the New Testament, and you’d be right! Jesus mentioned Hell more than any other person in the bible, characterizing it as not only a physical place of punishment for rebellion against God, but also a figurative place meaning God being absent from your life. But reconciliation with God is always possible! Just my interpretations on the matter.

Yes! The pair of each unclean animals were brought aboard to repopulate after the flood, and the 7 pairs of clean were meant to be used as sacrifice in gratitude to God. Or so I read.

Pay no attention to the man behind the cloud...

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17Su4ENwQF/

Thanks for sharing your story.

Can you explain the difference between the two?

I think that depends on what you are trying to replace. Religion covers a huge range of beliefs and practices, some of which we could do without, others if which may be vital to our well being in this life even if you believe that is all there is. Religion can cause us to lift our thoughts beyond the minutiae of everyday existence and think about the bigger picture. It can also produce narrow-minded social prescriptivism and bigotry. The first aspect is one I would like to carry forward; the second I would agree we are better off eradicating.

Is it necessary to replace religion? I think we could do without it

That's probably accurate, I don't recall Parkinson's being in the Bible. Must not exist 😂

I read that as socks and was very confused! LOL I agree, although Dan would probably say it wasn't biblical.

Parkinson's sucks

So do you have any new facts to offer?

the old arguments, they lost their flavor when I realized that there are those who agree with me and those who disagree, neither ultimately willing to change their minds or even observe new facts. the company was pleasant, but it feels like preaching to the choir.

What replaces religion ? What was there before religion ? Self reliant survival ? Fear/confusion leading to superstitions born of the experience if randomly timed coincidence? An evolution awareness that kindness nets improvement of one’s life? An intrinsic motivation simply to be a better self? Is not most if not all virtue ultimately self directed ? Why did religion ever evolve as a group approach? There are now leaders and sacred spaces & places - to what end & of what value? What replaces religion largely is determined on why religion ever came into existence. von

Interestingly, music might enhance meditation. I recently bumped into the concept of dance as a form of meditation. The rhythms of sound certainly can improve relaxation. Does tempo or rhythmic pulsing improves focus? Of course! Or of course not - it is a distraction/irritation…. Or is the sound of silence a more effective concentration technique? Is meditation an active or passive practice? von

Perhaps defining Enlightenment is helpful? If one becomes enlightened the question would be how do they know more than how do we know - would it not? Where are they - might rather be - they surround you…..might it not ? von

Topics are self limiting? And yet it takes a lifetime to understand one’s self. Therefore, perhaps, stagnation of the topic is less correct than maybe the evolution of thought/understanding of those researching said topic? Hmmmm. Can topics become stagnant? Extinct? Is losing popularity akin to being no longer relevant? Is it a dynamism issue? Do thoughts curl up and die? Thinkers do. Philosophers do. But the topics? interesting. I’m considering. Surely fresh thinkers can voice refined, amalgamated and perhaps improved understandings? von

For a while, the old arguments creeping into various threads tended to curb my enthusiasm or any hope up picking up interesting reads. I check from time to time. I also had some trouble trying to log in for a while. Glad to see some familiar names still checking in, though.

This a a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing.

I've been checking about once a month. This is the first time I've seen more than a status change so far this year. Good to see something happening. This place used to be quite lively.

I regularly see the government and the media spreading and encouraging fear, uncertainty and doubt. I wonder if that is because fear makes people easier to manipulate.

My definition of "right" I take from a paraphrase of Micah: 'Be just and fair in everything you do. Go out of your way to help others.'

I, for one, will eagerly await your efforts to extract that very large foot you have shoved down your throat.