Not a conspiracy theorist, however..

OlderThanDirt said:
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.
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Ah yes. It's at the end of that video.
 

Old Salt said:
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!
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I would like to hear more about that!
 
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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I have it from personal experience that it DOES actually happen.
 

OlderThanDirt said:
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.
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Thank you for your reply, @OlderThanDirt It always shocks me when I read about people being so callously treated after their insurance runs out! That should never happen in a civilized society! And I am happy that you balance things with some success stories as well! But all in all, your government should have universal healthcare and take institutions like prisons etc. out of private hands. Nothing good comes from letting people with a profit motive and stockholders expectations run healthcare or incarceration.
 
To read how the efforts of good people in a bureaucracy get mucked up and make it worse for the clients they try to serve read:
Invisible Child by
Andrea Elliot
 
Old Salt said:
Thank you for your reply, @OlderThanDirt It always shocks me when I read about people being so callously treated after their insurance runs out! That should never happen in a civilized society! And I am happy that you balance things with some success stories as well! But all in all, your government should have universal healthcare and take institutions like prisons etc. out of private hands. Nothing good comes from letting people with a profit motive and stockholders expectations run healthcare or incarceration.
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Exactly.
 
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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There’s always a few bad apples in all careers. They would send us alone into people’s homes which is very dangerous.

When my coworker was murdered the 4 horrible cases that she was working on to sever the parents’ rights those cases were transferred to other social workers. They were scared as it wasn’t known who the murderer was so they sent all those kids home. It made me sick and I would like to think I would have had more courage than to do that.

2 sisters were in a excellent foster home with no other kids and that couple wanted to adopt them and instead they went home to a extremely mentally ill and abusive mother. They didn’t find the murderer for 20 years.
 
Teacher Terry said:
There’s always a few bad apples in all careers. They would send us alone into people’s homes which is very dangerous.

When my coworker was murdered the 4 horrible cases that she was working on to sever the parents’ rights those cases were transferred to other social workers. They were scared as it wasn’t known who the murderer was so they sent all those kids home. It made me sick and I would like to think I would have had more courage than to do that.

2 sisters were in a excellent foster home with no other kids and that couple wanted to adopt them and instead they went home to a extremely mentally ill and abusive mother. They didn’t find the murderer for 20 years.
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Horrible. It's a rough field.
 
Teacher Terry said:
There’s always a few bad apples in all careers. They would send us alone into people’s homes which is very dangerous.

When my coworker was murdered the 4 horrible cases that she was working on to sever the parents’ rights those cases were transferred to other social workers. They were scared as it wasn’t known who the murderer was so they sent all those kids home. It made me sick and I would like to think I would have had more courage than to do that.

2 sisters were in a excellent foster home with no other kids and that couple wanted to adopt them and instead they went home to a extremely mentally ill and abusive mother. They didn’t find the murderer for 20 years.
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"Parents' Rights" become monstrous if children are being returned to an abusive home! And I do feel sorry for Social Workers who have to face personal danger all by themselves.
 
OlderThanDirt said:
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?
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What makes them special? That's a great question but honestly, this should be the norm not the exception. We are, in fact, a terrible species. Just think where we would be if all the money spent on war and weapons could be spent on education, research, and medical care.
 
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.
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I may be off base here, but my understanding is that God's love is quite conditional. In the Catholic religion, I was taught that if I did not have faith (which means I HAD to believe he exists) then I would be condemned to eternal torture in hell. It seems to me that you're either on Team God or you get toasted when you die.
 
Rich said:
I may be off base here, but my understanding is that God's love is quite conditional. In the Catholic religion, I was taught that if I did not have faith (which means I HAD to believe he exists) then I would be condemned to eternal torture in hell. It seems to me that you're either on Team God or you get toasted when you die.
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I brought this up in one of my classes since my father had been an atheist but a good and kind man. "I can't believe that he would go to hell, simply because he couldn't get himself to believe." My professor replied: "I see it this way, when people like your father die they are face to face with Jesus who stands in front of the gates of hell, with arms outstretched to stop them and they have to force themselves past those arms in order to go to hell." Who knows if he was right, but I was greatly comforted at the time. And I certainly don't believe in a literal fiery hell!
 
Rich said:
then I would be condemned to eternal torture in hell.
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There is no eternal torture in hell
It's not Biblical....nowhere in the Bible
There is a Hell (separation from God)
But, the word 'eternal' simply means you will not be coming back
You will die forever
 
Gary O' said:
There is no eternal torture in hell
It's not Biblical....nowhere in the Bible
There is a Hell (separation from God)
But, the word 'eternal' simply means you will not be coming back
You will die forever
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I wasn't referring to the Bible, I was referencing what I was taught in catholic school. Maybe re-read my post.
 
OlderThanDirt said:
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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Yes I have heard of it and I really enjoyed the whole premise. The idea that there is more beyond this reality was so interesting to me and that was well before I'd even begun to think about NDE's and such. I'll have to look for that one again on Netflix or one of the other streaming services. Thanks for reminding me.
 
OlderThanDirt said:
Horrible. It's a rough field.
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From everything I've ever heard, social work is a difficult field to work in and my hats off to anyone who has the heart for it.

My aunt was a foster mother for decades. I don't know what your term would be, but she took in the babies that were the medically disastrous cases. She had one baby for a while who had severe hydrocephalus and I can remember how huge his poor head was and the last child she ever took in had multiple issues both mental and physical.

My aunts last thoughts as she was in hospice at the age of 92 was for making sure that the 50 year old child that she'd loved and cared for since she was an infant of 6 months, was safe and taken care of. My aunt and uncle were two amazing people who had hearts the size of the ocean! So there are some great people who do the horrible, rough stuff with grace.
 
Debrah N. said:
From everything I've ever heard, social work is a difficult field to work in and my hats off to anyone who has the heart for it.

My aunt was a foster mother for decades. I don't know what your term would be, but she took in the babies that were the medically disastrous cases. She had one baby for a while who had severe hydrocephalus and I can remember how huge his poor head was and the last child she ever took in had multiple issues both mental and physical.

My aunts last thoughts as she was in hospice at the age of 92 was for making sure that the 50 year old child that she'd loved and cared for since she was an infant of 6 months, was safe and taken care of. My aunt and uncle were two amazing people who had hearts the size of the ocean! So there are some great people who do the horrible, rough stuff with grace.
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I admit to being humbled by your post, @Debrah N. I preached LOVE for more than twenty years and feel like an absolute charlatan and phoney at the moment because I would not have had the kindness and courage your aunt possessed. She was indeed very special and in my eyes she is truly a Saint!
 
Old Salt said:
I admit to being humbled by your post, @Debrah N. I preached LOVE for more than twenty years and feel like an absolute charlatan and phoney at the moment because I would not have had the kindness and courage your aunt possessed. She was indeed very special and in my eyes she is truly a Saint!
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You see that and I always felt that too, but funnily enough (or not funny maybe) my aunts own brothers and sisters, somehow didn't recognize that goodness in her. She was a very assertive woman, quite firm in her personal convictions and tended to be a little pushy and that's all they saw. I had a wonderful relationship with her though and in retrospect, I think those were exactly the characteristics that she needed to have to make sure that HER kids (she never had babies of her own) got what they needed.

I also had another aunt and uncle who took in three children who'd been adopted by another couple who divorced shortly after the adoptions were final. She raised them from toddler-hood until they were adults and they were at the bedside with the rest of the kids, when both their 'parents' died. The oldest boy had even legally changed his name to theirs after he was old enough to. They weren't adopted you see because my aunt and uncle were 'poor-ish' and wouldn't have been approved as adoptive parents, but they gave them a safe, stable and loving home to grow up in. You know, as I'm telling you about them, I'm feeling really blessed to have had such good people in my life.
 
Debrah N. said:
You see that and I always felt that too, but funnily enough (or not funny maybe) my aunts own brothers and sisters, somehow didn't recognize that goodness in her. She was a very assertive woman, quite firm in her personal convictions and tended to be a little pushy and that's all they saw. I had a wonderful relationship with her though and in retrospect, I think those were exactly the characteristics that she needed to have to make sure that HER kids (she never had babies of her own) got what they needed.

I also had another aunt and uncle who took in three children who'd been adopted by another couple who divorced shortly after the adoptions were final. She raised them from toddler-hood until they were adults and they were at the bedside with the rest of the kids, when both their 'parents' died. The oldest boy had even legally changed his name to theirs after he was old enough to. They weren't adopted you see because my aunt and uncle were 'poor-ish' and wouldn't have been approved as adoptive parents, but they gave them a safe, stable and loving home to grow up in. You know, as I'm telling you about them, I'm feeling really blessed to have had such good people in my life.
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Your aunt was given exactly the traits that she needed. According to eye witness accounts Mother Teresa could be quite the bully at times! And great admiration on my part for your other aunt and uncle. Families like yours are very rare!
 
1.The bible says.
IN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1-4: The Biblical Story of the Creation of the World and the Fall of Mankind.

2.How big is the universe?
about 93 billion light-years
The proper distance—the distance as would be measured at a specific time, including the present—between Earth and the edge of the observable universe is 46 billion light-years (14 billion parsecs), making the diameter of the observable universe about 93 billion light-years (28 billion parsecs).
Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia › wiki › Universe

3. Sentient comes from the Latin sentient-, "feeling," and it describes things that are alive, able to feel and perceive, and show awareness or responsiveness. Having senses makes something sentient, or able to smell, communicate, touch, see, or hear.
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictiona...ient comes from the Latin,touch, see, or hear.
4.Blind Faith
Meaning
unquestioning belief in something, even when it's unreasonable or wrong
blind faith

!. Bible claims God made heaven & earth, otherwise known as the universe.
Example if a person was to make a box, to do that the person would have to be outside the box.
2. For the universe. Known so far, the universe about 93 billion light-years.
3. The belief that dead will still be sentient then travel 46 billion light years in one direction, arrive to join other sentient beings that were dead isn't explained in the bible.
4. Religion takes blind faith. For me the bottom line is. If those with faith are comforted by their belief why argue?
 

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