Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Oh, well now I get it.
Yep, the LAST thing you want to do as human beings is utilize the one thing that separates you from every other creature on the planet and allows you to remain the dominate species.
"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates, via Plato.
I see this woman on TV . She's one of those 'women will be much happier in their marriages once they allow themselves to be dominated by their husbands (in a loving way)' idiots. She and Sarah would get along famously.
And then no scientific discoveries will be made, no cures for cancer, no advances in our understanding of the world around us, no attempts to control the damage we've done to the environment. Just great. Do nothing. I do not think that God would be satisfied if the creatures he gave such intellectual curiosity to failed so completely. Ms. Meyer, whoever she is, does not share my vision of our place in the universe. I think that we humans have a lot to do and it will take all of the ingenuity, intelligence, and imagination that we have. I guess that Ms. Meyer does not consider those attributes to be gifts of God. Beaglemom
And while we're at it, this whole idea of "talking to the Lord" is kind of strange, but when you hear him respond - that's just plain nuts. Substitute any other noun for "Lord" and they would lock you up. Am I right?
It's funny, cuz I had a FB account without a last name and got into it with a person that said that god talked to them. so I asked them over and over again, so why don't you ask god what my last name is, surely god knows and can tell you if what you say is true... they, of course, could not say what my last name was and then tried to claim that 'god didn't work that way', while still claiming that god spoke to them.
A few years ago a man who worked for Joyce Meyer's security team murdered his wife and children because he wanted to be with his mistress. If it couldn't get more horrible-- he said he killed his wife and kids because if he'd gone through with a divorce it might have come out that he'd had an affair and Meyer would have fired him. At trial Meyer said that was so. So this man did not reason---that would have only confused him. Of course it wasn't Meyer's fault that he murdered his family. He was really just a selfish, murderous bastard. But its interesting that he did belong to a church that decided that dogma without reason or compassion for the frailty of human behavior would only confuse people.
Thinking and reasoning are harder than just believing for those who are motivated by fear to place their blind trust in anyone who can recite the code words and persuade those other insecure, scared simple people to trust them unequivocally to lead them to a better way of life.
These con men and women are such narcissistic, deceptive psychopaths who prey upon the emotionally and physically weak who are easily programmed to submit to the word and authority of the worst charlatans and grifters. As we see.by their doubling-down when they are wrong and called out by non/followers, these pathalogical liars cannot be shamed by their behavior because they consider themselves "anointed" by a higher power.
Sadly, these sheep will always find themselves sheared, not by an outsider who sneaks into the pasture in the night, but by their trusted shepherd who is charged with taking care of the flock and leading them to a better place in life. If these sheep were able to think objectively and view the situation in a reality-based way with magic or fantasy or fairy tales guiding their biases, they could easily take a step back and realize that the only individual who is getting to a better place--- financial rewards, a more secure economic future, physically secure and an opulent lifestyle of affluence for themselves and their own family, while all others be damned.
These sick, disgusting poseurs often show the least regard for the poor, even those who contribute a high percentage of their personal income and savings to support their faux spiritual leader's efforts to expand their grifting universe. If there is a spiritual hell, it is already occupied by these "demons" who believe they are entitled to be allowed to prey upon the week. Given time, these spiritually and ethically bankrupt imposters are exposed for what they are to all but the most gullible, those who will believe otherwise in the face of incontrovertible evidence. In terms of their harm to society, those who take advantage of the poor and weak are in the same range with those who prey upon children and with mental defects for gratification of their lust for power and control over those too small or weak or scared to protect themselves from sexual predators.
Sarah, Joyce and all of these professional Grifter's are not true believers, or they wouldn't dare treat others the way they have for so long.
Remember, the shepherd's real purpose is protecting the sheep.... for eventual slaughter. Yeah, wool in the meantime, but even old wool sheep become mutton. That's the way livestock farming works. No matter what, the end point is consumption. Religious folk? Fools all.
Pretty damn hypocritical of you given your ridiculous rant the other day about religious people searching for the meaning of their existence. Damned if you do ask questions, damned if you don't. You really should take a closer look at your hostility toward all things religious. The only word for it is pathological.
My "rant" was about those who expect that there is a purpose for their life beyond the biological one to procreate.
Comparing those who seek actual answers through science and exploration to those that sit in wooden pews while having religious pablum poured into their brains to soothe their fear of a final death is ridiculous.
If you had developed any critical thinking skills you might know that.
The questions are not (necessarily) about the meaning of life, but about everything and anything. A kid asks why something happens and religion answers, because God, now stop trying to figure stuff out.
"Pathological", in my book, describes those who absolutely CANNOT accept anything except their religion and their religious beliefs - and then try to cram it down everyone else's throats!
It's bad enough they have to believe in that crap themselves. Do they HAVE to try to make us as sick as well?
5:57 is right. Religion is like a parent who explains things to their child by saying "Because I SAID so!" It shuts down an inquisitive mind and stifles any kind of questioning. It' stupid and can be dangerous.
Ever heard of Jim Jones? HE taught don't question, too!
Keep an eye on education - from k-12 to higher ed. The attack on liberal arts, which includes courses like those in philosophy - LOGIC and critical thinking - are under attack. Either denigrated, eliminated, or turned to online rote courses (no one was ever inspired to become a philosopher by "interaction" with a computer.) The TeaTHUGlicans want everyone but their offspring kept dumb.
So, anon 4:57, what do you think the word would be for someone who comes on a blog so they can act like they have any right to judge? Hypocrite? Idiot? Nah...I think asshole fits better. Go "get a life" If you don't like this blog, don't read it. Easy fix. None of us will miss you from our vibrant lives.
I personally agree with gryphen. Religion, or maybe just religious people, are at the root of all things evil. So much easier to blame the "devil" than look into a mirror.
Yep, all these types of religious people aren't living their lives, they are waiting to die! fucking waste when so many others want to live and yet "god" kills them so he can have more floaty souls to decorate his heaven house...*rolling eyes*
"Meyer, who owns several homes and travels in a private jet (currently a Gulfstream IV), has been criticized by some of her peers for living an excessive lifestyle. She responded that she doesn't have to defend her spending habits because "there’s no need for us to apologize for being blessed." Meyer commented, "You can be a businessman here in St. Louis, and people think the more you have, the more wonderful it is...but if you’re a preacher, then all of a sudden it becomes a problem."
Typical evangelist. She wants people to remain ignorant and just send money to her. Don't question anything nor seek the truth; just pay her and your troubles will disappear..in time...Yeah right! She's disgusting.
show me the money.....so I can keep living large without having to get a real job. i need another car, house, more plastic surgery and a vacation from my non-existent job.... don't ask questions just send your hard earned money, now!
It is truly interesting to look how churches manage money — all the way to the bank. Inherent in evangelical Christianity is suspicion of Mormons and Catholics. Ostensibly, it is said one is a cult and the other worships Idols. But, I think there is a more insidious jealousy having to do with centralized money. Follow the money. It is all about money, power and the man behind the curtain. Call me cynical, but when the GOP became the church it lost its way.
Sometimes there simply is no answer. I think that's all she is saying. What she is suggesting is far better than trying to apply God and the Bible to everything.
Answers can be found accidentally, but knowing why it is the right answer won't be found, thus no knowledge gained.
E.G. performing an incantation and ritual before planting a seed - seeds grows better. ritual WorKS! But part of the ritual was peeing where seed was planted. No knowledge that NITROGEN makes plants grow gained.
I do have to say that I think sometimes Gryphen approaches this kind of fanaticism with his atheism, and I find it just as much overboard as the religious fanatics. I personally could not care less what anyone believes, but I don't want any of it shoved down my throat either...from either camp.
Lynne, originally I was with you. My mantra was yeah, religious people are like a person who thinks their spouse is the best looking and their kids all brilliant. As long as they didn't force me to agree, or give special consideration to same, and allowed me to think the same about my spouse and offspring - well OK.
But that was incorrect. There is a reason you SHOULD care. And I think Gryphen alludes to it: Non-questioning, not thinking critically is pernicious. If one does it in matters of finitude/moral conduct, then it spreads to other areas of life - as this idiot Meyer suggests.
So then we get non-critical thinking fellow citizens. In a democracy, that's horrible and horribly dangerous. As we've seen with the religious (as a general rule) uneducated teabaggers that can mean they will vote against even their own self-interest in order to punish others (you and me). They will give up protected freedoms (bodily integrity and privacy) if it means hurting "uppity" liberal women or minorities.
It is so true 8:49! We also need to realize not all of us come to this life with the same set of advantages. Some are elderly and are not able to care for themselves, some are not born with parents who are able to actually parent, some are born with nothing and struggle to rise out of poverty, some are born with physical disabilities that rule out self sufficiency. This is why there is free primary education, nonprofit community resources, state local and federal government! Churches find the reach of government a rebuke to their power over people We certainly don’t need to send needy people to churches that in turn demand payment in obedience. We are better than this as a nation. It requires intelligence and reason to help people and I put my faith in the power of a nation that respects diverse opinion, not a disjointed theocracy.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ...no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. (Science is impossible - so don't even try. LOL. Much wisdom is in Ecclesiastes, but this line is pretty stupid.)
When I asked a very religious friend how she can dismiss the reality of evolution she told me her pastor said to not get caught up in the details. Ya think there is some denial there? C’mon Jesse! This is some mass delusion we are talking about. I am convinced there is a particular DNA in some people that draws them to be sheeple. They are just looking for a tribe — any tribe — and they are easily persuaded to part with their money, identity and emotional development in some religious tribes. It is heartbreaking to watch this happen to a friend.
I bet if someone called her to confirm where to send their checks, she wouldn't tell them to stop trying to figure it out because reasoning and confusion don't go together.
I've never heard of an evangelist with this level of faith and trust in the Lord or the postal service:"Just send the check, the Lord will make sure it gets to me"
These freaks who claim that God talks to them aren't as funny as the freaks who believe them.
ReplyDeleteYou've just summarized the South Park lesson on the Mormon religion.
DeleteDumb, dumb, dumb...
Now I'M confused. They keep asking those so-called "seekers", right?
ReplyDeleteWell, what is "seeking" if it isn't questioning?
I haven't been able to stand this woman ever since she insisted on Larry King Live that being gay is a choice. She's disgusting.
ReplyDeleteI see this woman on TV . She's one of those 'women will be much happier in their marriages once they allow themselves to be dominated by their husbands (in a loving way)' idiots. She and Sarah would get along famously.
ReplyDeleteExcept that Toad is Sarah's dependent.
DeleteAnd then no scientific discoveries will be made, no cures for cancer, no advances in our understanding of the world around us, no attempts to control the damage we've done to the environment. Just great. Do nothing. I do not think that God would be satisfied if the creatures he gave such intellectual curiosity to failed so completely. Ms. Meyer, whoever she is, does not share my vision of our place in the universe. I think that we humans have a lot to do and it will take all of the ingenuity, intelligence, and imagination that we have. I guess that Ms. Meyer does not consider those attributes to be gifts of God.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
And while we're at it, this whole idea of "talking to the Lord" is kind of strange, but when you hear him respond - that's just plain nuts. Substitute any other noun for "Lord" and they would lock you up. Am I right?
ReplyDeleteWhat surprises me is not that people think God is talking to them, but that they can make other people believe God talks only to them!
DeleteIt's funny, cuz I had a FB account without a last name and got into it with a person that said that god talked to them. so I asked them over and over again, so why don't you ask god what my last name is, surely god knows and can tell you if what you say is true... they, of course, could not say what my last name was and then tried to claim that 'god didn't work that way', while still claiming that god spoke to them.
DeleteA few years ago a man who worked for Joyce Meyer's security team murdered his wife and children because he wanted to be with his mistress. If it couldn't get more horrible-- he said he killed his wife and kids because if he'd gone through with a divorce it might have come out that he'd had an affair and Meyer would have fired him. At trial Meyer said that was so. So this man did not reason---that would have only confused him. Of course it wasn't Meyer's fault that he murdered his family. He was really just a selfish, murderous bastard. But its interesting that he did belong to a church that decided that dogma without reason or compassion for the frailty of human behavior would only confuse people.
ReplyDeleteThinking and reasoning are harder than just believing for those who are motivated by fear to place their blind trust in anyone who can recite the code words and persuade those other insecure, scared simple people to trust them unequivocally to lead them to a better way of life.
ReplyDeleteThese con men and women are such narcissistic, deceptive psychopaths who prey upon the emotionally and physically weak who are easily programmed to submit to the word and authority of the worst charlatans and grifters. As we see.by their doubling-down when they are wrong and called out by non/followers, these pathalogical liars cannot be shamed by their behavior because they consider themselves "anointed" by a higher power.
Sadly, these sheep will always find themselves sheared, not by an outsider who sneaks into the pasture in the night, but by their trusted shepherd who is charged with taking care of the flock and leading them to a better place in life. If these sheep were able to think objectively and view the situation in a reality-based way with magic or fantasy or fairy tales guiding their biases, they could easily take a step back and realize that the only individual who is getting to a better place--- financial rewards, a more secure economic future, physically secure and an opulent lifestyle of affluence for themselves and their own family, while all others be damned.
These sick, disgusting poseurs often show the least regard for the poor, even those who contribute a high percentage of their personal income and savings to support their faux spiritual leader's efforts to expand their grifting universe. If there is a spiritual hell, it is already occupied by these "demons" who believe they are entitled to be allowed to prey upon the week. Given time, these spiritually and ethically bankrupt imposters are exposed for what they are to all but the most gullible, those who will believe otherwise in the face of incontrovertible evidence. In terms of their harm to society, those who take advantage of the poor and weak are in the same range with those who prey upon children and with mental defects for gratification of their lust for power and control over those too small or weak or scared to protect themselves from sexual predators.
Sarah, Joyce and all of these professional Grifter's are not true believers, or they wouldn't dare treat others the way they have for so long.
I'm sorry that isn't on Disqus where I could tweet it.
DeleteRemember, the shepherd's real purpose is protecting the sheep.... for eventual slaughter. Yeah, wool in the meantime, but even old wool sheep become mutton. That's the way livestock farming works. No matter what, the end point is consumption. Religious folk? Fools all.
DeletePretty damn hypocritical of you given your ridiculous rant the other day about religious people searching for the meaning of their existence. Damned if you do ask questions, damned if you don't. You really should take a closer look at your hostility toward all things religious. The only word for it is pathological.
ReplyDeleteWrong Spanky.
DeleteMy "rant" was about those who expect that there is a purpose for their life beyond the biological one to procreate.
Comparing those who seek actual answers through science and exploration to those that sit in wooden pews while having religious pablum poured into their brains to soothe their fear of a final death is ridiculous.
If you had developed any critical thinking skills you might know that.
Illogical comment.
DeleteThe questions are not (necessarily) about the meaning of life, but about everything and anything. A kid asks why something happens and religion answers, because God, now stop trying to figure stuff out.
"Pathological", in my book, describes those who absolutely CANNOT accept anything except their religion and their religious beliefs - and then try to cram it down everyone else's throats!
DeleteIt's bad enough they have to believe in that crap themselves. Do they HAVE to try to make us as sick as well?
5:57 is right. Religion is like a parent who explains things to their child by saying "Because I SAID so!" It shuts down an inquisitive mind and stifles any kind of questioning. It' stupid and can be dangerous.
Ever heard of Jim Jones? HE taught don't question, too!
Keep an eye on education - from k-12 to higher ed. The attack on liberal arts, which includes courses like those in philosophy - LOGIC and critical thinking - are under attack. Either denigrated, eliminated, or turned to online rote courses (no one was ever inspired to become a philosopher by "interaction" with a computer.) The TeaTHUGlicans want everyone but their offspring kept dumb.
DeleteSo, anon 4:57, what do you think the word would be for someone who comes on a blog so they can act like they have any right to judge? Hypocrite? Idiot? Nah...I think asshole fits better. Go "get a life" If you don't like this blog, don't read it. Easy fix. None of us will miss you from our vibrant lives.
ReplyDeleteI personally agree with gryphen. Religion, or maybe just religious people, are at the root of all things evil. So much easier to blame the "devil" than look into a mirror.
Yep, all these types of religious people aren't living their lives, they are waiting to die! fucking waste when so many others want to live and yet "god" kills them so he can have more floaty souls to decorate his heaven house...*rolling eyes*
ReplyDeleteAnd they're all too damn chicken to just cut to the chase. If the afterlife is gonna be so great, well heck, just slit your wrists now.
DeleteTo Anonymous4:57 AM
ReplyDeleteYour not the brightest bulb are you?
You're.
DeleteWikipedia:
ReplyDelete"Meyer, who owns several homes and travels in a private jet (currently a Gulfstream IV), has been criticized by some of her peers for living an excessive lifestyle. She responded that she doesn't have to defend her spending habits because "there’s no need for us to apologize for being blessed." Meyer commented, "You can be a businessman here in St. Louis, and people think the more you have, the more wonderful it is...but if you’re a preacher, then all of a sudden it becomes a problem."
Victim!!!!
Don't question why Meyers has all that cash while others starve in the street. If you ask those questions, you're not a good Christian.
DeleteTypical evangelist. She wants people to remain ignorant and just send money to her. Don't question anything nor seek the truth; just pay her and your troubles will disappear..in time...Yeah right! She's disgusting.
Deleteshow me the money.....so I can keep living large without having to get a real job. i need another car, house, more plastic surgery and a vacation from my non-existent job.... don't ask questions just send your hard earned money, now!
DeleteIt is truly interesting to look how churches manage money — all the way to the bank. Inherent in evangelical Christianity is suspicion of Mormons and Catholics. Ostensibly, it is said one is a cult and the other worships Idols. But, I think there is a more insidious jealousy having to do with centralized money. Follow the money. It is all about money, power and the man behind the curtain. Call me cynical, but when the GOP became the church it lost its way.
DeleteSometimes there simply is no answer. I think that's all she is saying. What she is suggesting is far better than trying to apply God and the Bible to everything.
ReplyDeleteNo, to every question there IS an answer.
DeleteHowever nobody who is not searching will ever find it.
Answers can be found accidentally, but knowing why it is the right answer won't be found, thus no knowledge gained.
DeleteE.G. performing an incantation and ritual before planting a seed - seeds grows better. ritual WorKS! But part of the ritual was peeing where seed was planted. No knowledge that NITROGEN makes plants grow gained.
exactly, however the answer maybe that she is lying.
DeleteI do have to say that I think sometimes Gryphen approaches this kind of fanaticism with his atheism, and I find it just as much overboard as the religious fanatics. I personally could not care less what anyone believes, but I don't want any of it shoved down my throat either...from either camp.
ReplyDeleteLynne, originally I was with you. My mantra was yeah, religious people are like a person who thinks their spouse is the best looking and their kids all brilliant. As long as they didn't force me to agree, or give special consideration to same, and allowed me to think the same about my spouse and offspring - well OK.
DeleteBut that was incorrect. There is a reason you SHOULD care. And I think Gryphen alludes to it: Non-questioning, not thinking critically is pernicious. If one does it in matters of finitude/moral conduct, then it spreads to other areas of life - as this idiot Meyer suggests.
So then we get non-critical thinking fellow citizens. In a democracy, that's horrible and horribly dangerous. As we've seen with the religious (as a general rule) uneducated teabaggers that can mean they will vote against even their own self-interest in order to punish others (you and me). They will give up protected freedoms (bodily integrity and privacy) if it means hurting "uppity" liberal women or minorities.
It is so true 8:49! We also need to realize not all of us come to this life with the same set of advantages. Some are elderly and are not able to care for themselves, some are not born with parents who are able to actually parent, some are born with nothing and struggle to rise out of poverty, some are born with physical disabilities that rule out self sufficiency. This is why there is free primary education, nonprofit community resources, state local and federal government! Churches find the reach of government a rebuke to their power over people We certainly don’t need to send needy people to churches that in turn demand payment in obedience. We are better than this as a nation. It requires intelligence and reason to help people and I put my faith in the power of a nation that respects diverse opinion, not a disjointed theocracy.
DeleteI like the way her fang pops out of that smile. And could her eyes be any closer together? My boyfriend says, that's a woman who has never seen penis.
ReplyDeletewonky or cross-eyed and tight-lipped seems to be requisite for TeaTHUG wimmen. $carah, Ginny Foxx...
DeleteCome now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.
ReplyDelete--Isaiah 1:18
I guess she never read that one.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ...no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. (Science is impossible - so don't even try. LOL. Much wisdom is in Ecclesiastes, but this line is pretty stupid.)
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me she has used her reason to figure out how to make a fortune.
ReplyDeleteAnother headsmack example of how we cannot serve two masters (God and money).
ReplyDeleteShe has the stink of an idol worshiper all over her. Will probably request her casket be strewn with $100 dollar bills.
When I asked a very religious friend how she can dismiss the reality of evolution she told me her pastor said to not get caught up in the details. Ya think there is some denial there? C’mon Jesse! This is some mass delusion we are talking about. I am convinced there is a particular DNA in some people that draws them to be sheeple. They are just looking for a tribe — any tribe — and they are easily persuaded to part with their money, identity and emotional development in some religious tribes. It is heartbreaking to watch this happen to a friend.
ReplyDeleteWanna know why people are confused? 'Cause they try to reconcile mythology with reality.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me so of a "Church Signboard Picture" of a witty church proclaiming: "If your faith is strong, the facts don't matter"
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI bet if someone called her to confirm where to send their checks, she wouldn't tell them to stop trying to figure it out because reasoning and confusion don't go together.
I've never heard of an evangelist with this level of faith and trust in the Lord or the postal service:"Just send the check, the Lord will make sure it gets to me"
Yeah, don't think, just obey. An all-too-familiar mantra of religion.
ReplyDeleteHow come everyone who hears voices is considered crazy and sometimes locked up.
ReplyDeleteBut if GOD talks to you, you get to rake in millions as the minister of a church.