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(Was "Atheists, Mormons & Nudity...")
Wow, Reading the original post, and the items following, WOW says a lot.
Mike might very well be young. Making the same observation that someone else made, his post is difficult to read. But I did! And to Mike's credit, he had a frustration he needed to express.
Unfortunately, there are certain people in this world who seem to subsribe to the notion "My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts." Mike's father does seem to fall into that category through what appears to be a double-standard.
In simplest terms, an enlightend person is able to come to a beleif that is not easily reached. That is that sometimes, there is no such thing as right and wrong. Sometimes, it is possible that "we" are both right. Religion is high on that route. This is how we should be able to accept Mormons, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and Pagans all equally. Unfortunately, that acceptance is less than perfect.
And this is a rant I have said before: This is the true meaning of what September 11th was about. From both sides! America in general HAS, or IS PERCEIVED AS HAVING an arrogance that we are high and mighty above all others. Best evidenced by the fact that the UN and many individual member nations did not want to invade Iraq.
Amazing how Congress voted it's own power about declaring war away from themselves. But almost all voted for invading Iraq. It was supposed to be quick and lif would be "wonderful." America would kick-***, take names, and make the Middle-East jst like us... We never did find WMD. Suddenly Saddam is caught and perception is different. Public polls show Bush's approval higher. World opinion is changing. Right in time for the holidays. Right in time to throw a definite curve-ball at the Democratic contendors before primaries. Conveniently just after Bush made his great visit to the troups at thanksgiving. A conspiracy theorist would have good fuel with that, but it is no different than "the grassy knoll." You can't prove it.
Is there a religious belief structure that is right for all? no. Is there an answer that is right for all? no. Many a pagan will tell you variations of the following: We are all equally part of a greater divine. We are all here to learn. Some do so "better" than others. How you find a connection to that divinity is not as important as what you get from it. That is true spirituality. Religions on the other hand, are man-made (sidenote: not frequently women made. HMMMMM...butI actually wrote man made as the "generic.") Religions have rules to them for creating order. Religions have practices, ideas, traditions, etc that come from the culture at the time. Religions have a power structure to them.
But we are all working towards a great divine. And then there are atheists. Is there nothing else? Is there no life after this? is there no re-incarnation? Is there no Heaven, Hell, Summerlands, or anything else? Are atheists right, and anyone spiritual is wrong? Or are they just different beings who don't have a link to something higher? All rhetorical questions that we can each have theories on, and proof that we believe. But they feel the same way.
The important thing to realize is that all religious belief structures have some semblance of common ideas we are taught early on: Love one another, respect others, be aware that our actions have consequences; and as such-we may have to pay a price. Christianity has the 10 commandments. Pagans have the rule of 3 and the rede: "Do as thou will, an it harm none."
And so then we go to nudism. I think that almost all here are nudists. I know Stu seems to be NOT. I wonder why Stu is a member here, but yet he challenges us daily. And we do become stronger because of the challenge. So more pwer to him. Yet, the nudists here will essentially agree on all of the following, in no particular order: There is a definite enjoyment obtained from being nude. There is nothing wrong with it. Thereis nothing sexual about it. And yet, most people don't understand it. Because somewhere down the line, "we" have been taught that it is wrong to show our bodies to another.
OK. Time to go back off my soap-box. Time to get dressed and go celebrate a Christian holiday with my family. Time to temporarily put my pentacle where those who don't understand won't have fuel for an arguement. And I will dream about the day I am on a plane away from the Western NY cold and off to the Midwinter Gathering in sunny Loxahatchie, Florida. To a place where there is more of that acceptance and understanding.
Wow, Reading the original post, and the items following, WOW says a lot.
Mike might very well be young. Making the same observation that someone else made, his post is difficult to read. But I did! And to Mike's credit, he had a frustration he needed to express.
Unfortunately, there are certain people in this world who seem to subsribe to the notion "My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts." Mike's father does seem to fall into that category through what appears to be a double-standard.
In simplest terms, an enlightend person is able to come to a beleif that is not easily reached. That is that sometimes, there is no such thing as right and wrong. Sometimes, it is possible that "we" are both right. Religion is high on that route. This is how we should be able to accept Mormons, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and Pagans all equally. Unfortunately, that acceptance is less than perfect.
And this is a rant I have said before: This is the true meaning of what September 11th was about. From both sides! America in general HAS, or IS PERCEIVED AS HAVING an arrogance that we are high and mighty above all others. Best evidenced by the fact that the UN and many individual member nations did not want to invade Iraq.
Amazing how Congress voted it's own power about declaring war away from themselves. But almost all voted for invading Iraq. It was supposed to be quick and lif would be "wonderful." America would kick-***, take names, and make the Middle-East jst like us... We never did find WMD. Suddenly Saddam is caught and perception is different. Public polls show Bush's approval higher. World opinion is changing. Right in time for the holidays. Right in time to throw a definite curve-ball at the Democratic contendors before primaries. Conveniently just after Bush made his great visit to the troups at thanksgiving. A conspiracy theorist would have good fuel with that, but it is no different than "the grassy knoll." You can't prove it.
Is there a religious belief structure that is right for all? no. Is there an answer that is right for all? no. Many a pagan will tell you variations of the following: We are all equally part of a greater divine. We are all here to learn. Some do so "better" than others. How you find a connection to that divinity is not as important as what you get from it. That is true spirituality. Religions on the other hand, are man-made (sidenote: not frequently women made. HMMMMM...butI actually wrote man made as the "generic.") Religions have rules to them for creating order. Religions have practices, ideas, traditions, etc that come from the culture at the time. Religions have a power structure to them.
But we are all working towards a great divine. And then there are atheists. Is there nothing else? Is there no life after this? is there no re-incarnation? Is there no Heaven, Hell, Summerlands, or anything else? Are atheists right, and anyone spiritual is wrong? Or are they just different beings who don't have a link to something higher? All rhetorical questions that we can each have theories on, and proof that we believe. But they feel the same way.
The important thing to realize is that all religious belief structures have some semblance of common ideas we are taught early on: Love one another, respect others, be aware that our actions have consequences; and as such-we may have to pay a price. Christianity has the 10 commandments. Pagans have the rule of 3 and the rede: "Do as thou will, an it harm none."
And so then we go to nudism. I think that almost all here are nudists. I know Stu seems to be NOT. I wonder why Stu is a member here, but yet he challenges us daily. And we do become stronger because of the challenge. So more pwer to him. Yet, the nudists here will essentially agree on all of the following, in no particular order: There is a definite enjoyment obtained from being nude. There is nothing wrong with it. Thereis nothing sexual about it. And yet, most people don't understand it. Because somewhere down the line, "we" have been taught that it is wrong to show our bodies to another.
OK. Time to go back off my soap-box. Time to get dressed and go celebrate a Christian holiday with my family. Time to temporarily put my pentacle where those who don't understand won't have fuel for an arguement. And I will dream about the day I am on a plane away from the Western NY cold and off to the Midwinter Gathering in sunny Loxahatchie, Florida. To a place where there is more of that acceptance and understanding.
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