Not a conspiracy theorist, however..

Old Salt said:
If it is mind control it is unconscious. I went into the ministry not to control others but to comfort them in their daily lives by preaching about LOVE! The unconditional love of God and the joy we get from committing loving acts for others.

And of all of the churches where I had the privilege to be their Pastor, none of them was even close to being rich!

However I developed a dislike of strict doctrine and dogma which robbed many people of the joys that life had to offer, so am not "wholeheartedly" supporting organized religion, because it is too rigid and too dogmatic in too many instances.

Call me a Christian Free Spirit!
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What is the impediment of preaching about love, without using the God word?
 

I am going to try earth and nature ground appreciation worshipping. Wicca and paganism are very broad in meaning and methods of practice. Magic is a big part of Wicca, however, for my intentions I prefer celebrating earth and nature. Take time to appreciate what is real, earth, wind, fire, air and space. It seems these 5 elements are the most relavent to life, they are in the present, they are now unlike Christianity that is based on interpretation of faith. Faith is nothing more than exercise of the mind.
 
VaughanJB said:
What is the impediment of preaching about love, without using the God word?
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I am sure you can feel loved and commit loving acts without believing in God. In my case, an unexpected spiritual encounter with a loving, beautiful Spirit made me turn to a Christian Church. Since this Spirit is greater than myself I call Him God!
 

VaughanJB said:
I saw a Youtuber comparing Christianity to living in North Korea. :D



I remember my father buying the first color TV. Now they have screens you can roll up and carry around. I saw a projector that doesn't have to be shone on a flat wall, you can shine it into a corner and it works out the angles to correct itself. And that's only the current stuff. It truly is something else.
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It's amazing. I'm a tad disappointed we don't have a colony on Mars yet, but...still!
 
Old Salt said:
If it is mind control it is unconscious. I went into the ministry not to control others but to comfort them in their daily lives by preaching about LOVE! The unconditional love of God and the joy we get from committing loving acts for others.

And of all of the churches where I had the privilege to be their Pastor, none of them was even close to being rich!

However I developed a dislike of strict doctrine and dogma which robbed many people of the joys that life had to offer, so am not "wholeheartedly" supporting organized religion, because it is too rigid and too dogmatic in too many instances.

Call me a Christian Free Spirit!
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What was your former denomination? You sound pretty cool to me. I'm a fan of the United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalism- I actually was pretty active in UUism for a long time, but even that got a little too churchy for me. Also, I liked to go hiking or to the dog park on Sundays.... I guess I worship nature and dogs.
 
Rich said:
Mostly, I'm grateful that so many people actually do believe in an afterlife where they will exist in eternal happiness. Can you imagine how people would behave if they didn't believe in some sort of cosmic karma? No one would be safe.
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If fear is the only thing that keeps people from doing harm then we are a terrible species. I know plenty of good folks who don't need gods to be good, though. What makes them special?
 
OlderThanDirt said:
the new earth? What the heck is that? You seem awfully sure of yourself...got any proof of which you speak?
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It'll be heaven, and whatever that means. The idea that this world is one big chore, but if we're lucky we qualify for something better is awfully hazy to me (which is not to say I don't respect the beliefs of others). I mean, it's an unprovable suggestion. You die, and you either "wake up" somewhere else, or you don't, and what's the loss? Which has always suggested to me that the whole thing was pointless, what happens, happens. I try to be a good person, and leave it at that. But to rely on something that can't be proven, seems almost trite.

On the plus side - I guess - if they're wrong, then they won't know about it. If I'm wrong, I will.
 
OlderThanDirt said:
You have got to be kidding. You must have had a charmed life. I've seen many instances where good definitely did *not* prevail. I was a social worker. I saw horrible things happen to very nice people.
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I was also a social worker for 4 years. I went back to graduate school when a coworker was murdered by a client. She was a wonderful person and the church couldn’t hold all the people that came to her funeral. I decided it was time for a new career and my husband agreed as we had 3 children at home.
 
OlderThanDirt said:
Damn, I'm glad I don't believe in a god or gods who judges and likely condemns. I feel so blessed to not have to believe that stuff. Whew, so glad I got out while the going was good. I feel sorry for you who are awaiting the judgement of an apparently wrathful god. Sorry you have to live thinking you're that important. Why is your god such a jerk? You couldn't pay me to worship the god of the bible or Koran. What a nasty being.
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Name calling and insults damage the validity of your position, regardless of what it is you are attempting to debate.
 
OlderThanDirt said:
What was your former denomination? You sound pretty cool to me. I'm a fan of the United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalism- I actually was pretty active in UUism for a long time, but even that got a little too churchy for me. Also, I liked to go hiking or to the dog park on Sundays.... I guess I worship nature and dogs.
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I was a member of the CANADIAN BAPTISTS OF THE ATLANTIC PROVINCES! Much more liberal than our brothers and sisters to the south of us, so don't be shocked! At least the Nova Scotian Baptists were like that! :)

And talking about hiking. There are many times when my spirit was touched by God when I was outdoors and took in all the beauty around me. And it wasn't just a question of feeling good ... I was really in communion with this great Spirit! God is not restricted to churches!
 
Old Salt said:
And talking about hiking. There are many times when my spirit was touched by God when I was outdoors and took in all the beauty around me. And it wasn't just a question of feeling good ... I was really in communion with this great Spirit! God is not restricted to churches!
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Amen to that, brother

A good hike cleanses the soul

Living in the mountains is what brought me to The Creator

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Teacher Terry said:
I was also a social worker for 4 years. I went back to graduate school when a coworker was murdered by a client. She was a wonderful person and the church couldn’t hold all the people that came to her funeral. I decided it was time for a new career and my husband agreed as we had 3 children at home.
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Yeah. It's a difficult career. I came very close to quitting when I walked in on a suicide attempt. I'm glad I'm no longer working. I sometimes wish I'd gone into something a bit less stressful.
 
Gardenlover said:
Name calling and insults damage the validity of your position, regardless of what it is you are attempting to deb
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Gardenlover said:
Name calling and insults damage the validity of your position, regardless of what it is you are attempting to debate.
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I'm not aware of doing either. I simply stated how I felt about the subject at hand. Why do you find my words insulting? I am very glad that I do NOT spend my life fearing a wrathful god. I am grateful for my lack of belief and feel sorry for those who have to live in fear. Is that an insulting position?
 
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OlderThanDirt said:
Yeah. It's a difficult career. I came very close to quitting when I walked in on a suicide attempt. I'm glad I'm no longer working. I sometimes wish I'd gone into something a bit less stressful.
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This is idle curiosity and not meant to offend. I have read so many books where the Social Worker was almost the villain because he/she didn't take notice of the abuses that went on in many of the foster homes, as one example! Is there any truth to that or was your profession unjustly maligned by authors who didn't do their research? I have the highest regard for your profession, but were there bad apples like that?
 
OlderThanDirt said:
That's entirely possible. I have no idea. Seems to me we are but tiny things in a vast universe.
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The best video I ever saw that makes that immensely clear is called 'Carl Sagans best speech to humanity' on Youtube. By the time the camera has backed away from earth, waaaay out into space, you really begin to understand how insignificant we are.
 
Old Salt said:
This is idle curiosity and not meant to offend. I have read so many books where the Social Worker was almost the villain because he/she didn't take notice of the abuses that went on in many of the foster homes, as one example! Is there any truth to that or was your profession unjustly maligned by authors who didn't do their research? I have the highest regard for your profession, but were there bad apples like that?
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My experience has been very little truth to that. A male social worker with a family hung himself in Milwaukee in the 80’ because of his experiences and there were no other jobs in the field to support his family except for his county job.
 
Old Salt said:
This is idle curiosity and not meant to offend. I have read so many books where the Social Worker was almost the villain because he/she didn't take notice of the abuses that went on in many of the foster homes, as one example! Is there any truth to that or was your profession unjustly maligned by authors who didn't do their research? I have the highest regard for your profession, but were there bad apples like that?
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Actually that's an interesting question. The system is so broken, and so understaffed that abuses can go unnoticed- I haven't seen much of that myself, but I didn't work in the foster care system- I worked in mental health. I don't think anyone enters this particular low paying and risky career without coming from a place of caring (although I have had some coworkers who probably should've been working in other fields!), but it's hard and can be dangerous. I worked with kids for years (but, inpatient, not in foster care) and I loved that as I felt like there was some hope for the youngsters and saw some interventions be quite successful- some lovely stories there.
I found working with adults extremely difficult- folks with serious and persistent mental illness tended to max out their insurance and often are abandoned by their families. Many of my clients were homeless or in awful group homes. When I worked inpatient it was heartbreaking to discharge people with serious illnesses to the street. It is a huge issue- and I live in what is supposedly the richest county in the world and yet we do a terrible job of caring for our most vulnerable citizens. Frankly, my view of reality would be sunnier if I had chosen ...oh, I don't know...computer programming, say, as a career. I sometimes feel like I've seen a bit too much. It's heartbreaking.
 
Teacher Terry said:
My experience has been very little truth to that. A male social worker with a family hung himself in Milwaukee in the 80’ because of his experiences and there were no other jobs in the field to support his family except for his county job.
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The "burnout" rate is extreme. Some of the most caring professionals in the career burn out. It's a problem.
 
Debrah N. said:
The best video I ever saw that makes that immensely clear is called 'Carl Sagans best speech to humanity' on Youtube. By the time the camera has backed away from earth, waaaay out into space, you really begin to understand how insignificant we are.
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Ever seen the movie Contact ( based on Carl Sagan's novel)? The first scene is a brilliant "pull out" shot that explains so much so succinctly. It's gorgeous. Or perhaps that video is that shot? I'll have to look it up.
Oh yes! It's at the end of the video you referenced!
 

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