ROTFLMAO

By that logic, you shouldn't even be here then. We all have spirits Truthseeker, and it often shows up in our posts.
One can sense a spirit of something sacred and/or a spirit of understanding simply by reading.

So now, let me formally ask you are you scared of the spooks in our words?

And what about the spook of "diction" found in the dictionary? Are you afraid of that too?

I think you need to be reminded that the dictonary is a slave to the trends and fashions of men (both stupid and sound alike) and it should used only in reference to diction and not necessarily fact. "GAY" today doesn't mean what it did in 1278. It is the same with "spirit."

Try going to Butler & Sands and asking for a "spook." I'll be willing to BET (heh heh) that they'd laugh you right outta that store.



And let me say, from PERSONAL experience there is a VERY, VERY, VERY lucid difference between when a djinn enters your body and when The Holy Spirit enters your body.

I do not believe in supernatural spirits therefore my existence is not contigent upon them. Obviously you missed the spirit/intent of my post which was to bring some levity to this issue. I am quite aware that the meanings of words change as time proceeds but this should not prevent us from experimenting with there usage if only for the fun of it.

Perhaps I will go to Butler and Sands as my wife has just phoned and asked me to bring some spirit home for her to drink although she could also have meant some levity as well.

CG

Delroy would probably tell you that God through the Holy Ghost is guiding my path/search. Simply lots of reading. that's it. No supernatural intervention or praying for revelations or chanelling nothing just plain old simple reading. Oh yeah and a little bit of common sense! :D

Nothing wrong with that! I have read, extensively, on religions myself. I taught religions. But I found that book learning and living it are two different things. That is why I traveled to different places to learn the religion from the people themselves.

Common sense is important too! But sometimes religions do not follow what we call common sense. It does not always follow logic either. It is working on a different plane, an abstract plane. Religion comes from the same part of the brain that dreams and art comes from. As I am sure you have observed, dreams, and some art, don't always make sense but they are sending some kind of message. We need the wit to read them! Sometimes we can do that, sometimes not (that is very true with dreams!)

You said in another post that you did not believe in supernatural spirits. You would make a good Buddhist. Most Buddhist would share your views. They don't believe, or see the need for them. However, they would not object to those (even other Buddhist) who do. Please check my posting, "Buddhism, What is it about?" in the Bahamas Religion section. I would value you opinion

Obviously you missed the spirit/intent of my post which was to bring some levity to this issue.

[sigh] Let's do this again. I'll REpost my post below. Consider the content in bold. "Obvious" eh? [shakes head]

ROTFLMAO

By that logic, you shouldn't even be here then. We all have spirits Truthseeker, and it often shows up in our posts.
One can sense a spirit of something sacred and/or a spirit of understanding simply by reading.

So now, let me formally ask you are you scared of the spooks in our words?

And what about the spook of "diction" found in the dictionary? Are you afraid of that too?

I think you need to be reminded that the dictonary is a slave to the trends and fashions of men (both stupid and sound alike) and it should used only in reference to diction and not necessarily fact. "GAY" today doesn't mean what it did in 1278. It is the same with "spirit."

Try going to Butler & Sands and asking for a "spook." I'll be willing to BET (heh heh) that they'd laugh you right outta that store.



And let me say, from PERSONAL experience there is a VERY, VERY, VERY lucid difference between when a djinn enters your body and when The Holy Spirit enters your body.

[sigh] Let's do this again. I'll REpost my post below. Consider the content in bold. "Obvious" eh? [shakes head]

ROTFLMAO

By that logic, you shouldn't even be here then. We all have spirits Truthseeker, and it often shows up in our posts.
One can sense a spirit of something sacred and/or a spirit of understanding simply by reading.

So now, let me formally ask you are you scared of the spooks in our words?

And what about the spook of "diction" found in the dictionary? Are you afraid of that too?

I think you need to be reminded that the dictonary is a slave to the trends and fashions of men (both stupid and sound alike) and it should used only in reference to diction and not necessarily fact. "GAY" today doesn't mean what it did in 1278. It is the same with "spirit."

Try going to Butler & Sands and asking for a "spook." I'll be willing to BET (heh heh) that they'd laugh you right outta that store.



And let me say, from PERSONAL experience there is a VERY, VERY, VERY lucid difference between when a djinn enters your body and when The Holy Spirit enters your body.

Point taken and understood. Maybe because of how we perceive words and their meaning especially over a medium such as this, something is lost in the translation or transmission.

Point taken and understood. Maybe because of how we perceive words and their meaning especially over a medium such as this, something is lost in the translation or transmission.

Perhaps you are right!
In the written word we miss the inflections and of course, we can't see the face of the writer. We can't read the small smile at the corners of the mouth, or the twinkle in the eye. We don't see the crumpled brow of confusion or the "Ah!" of understanding. It is to easy to read into words things that are not there or, indeed, to entirely miss what is there! Could not the same be said of the Bible itself? It is a written word, subject to all the problems I mentioned.

Nothing wrong with that! I have read, extensively, on religions myself. I taught religions. But I found that book learning and living it are two different things. That is why I traveled to different places to learn the religion from the people themselves.

Common sense is important too! But sometimes religions do not follow what we call common sense. It does not always follow logic either. It is working on a different plane, an abstract plane. Religion comes from the same part of the brain that dreams and art comes from. As I am sure you have observed, dreams, and some art, don't always make sense but they are sending some kind of message. We need the wit to read them! Sometimes we can do that, sometimes not (that is very true with dreams!)

You said in another post that you did not believe in supernatural spirits. You would make a good Buddhist. Most Buddhist would share your views. They don't believe, or see the need for them. However, they would not object to those (even other Buddhist) who do. Please check my posting, "Buddhism, What is it about?" in the Bahamas Religion section. I would value you opinion

Religion is just a small part in my search for a better understanding of the grand scheme of things and our place in it. For some people, religion explains it all, but I need evidence or sound reasoning not abstract concepts open to various intrepretations. Religion I suspect comes from fear of the unknown. The sky gods were unkind to early man so they offered prayers and sacrifices to appease these gods. Nowadays most people offer prayers and 10%, despite the fact the we have a better understanding about the capriciousness of the sky gods. I will have to remain a slave to science until proven otherwise. I can see no good in religion for me. Perhaps if I were still single it could could serve a useful purpose.

I read you post regarding Buddhism. If it benefits you then by all means continue. At least its more tolerant than Christianity which is so dogmatic in its approach, never accepting that it possible to have different perspectives.

Perhaps you are right!
In the written word we miss the inflections and of course, we can't see the face of the writer. We can't read the small smile at the corners of the mouth, or the twinkle in the eye. We don't see the crumpled brow of confusion or the "Ah!" of understanding. It is to easy to read into words things that are not there or, indeed, to entirely miss what is there! Could not the same be said of the Bible itself? It is a written word, subject to all the problems I mentioned.

Perhaps the same could be said of the bible in some instances but the important promises stand out like a sore thumb no how you intepret them. We have better tools for understanding. We have better knowledge so of what use is the bible in our modern society. How can it make life tangibly better for the millions of starving homeless people around the world? How can it cure deseases? How can it get us to the stars? The bible has been offering/selling hope through its agent the church for a long time now. Isn't it time to delivers on at least some of those promises?

Truthseeker, I will combine my response to your two last postings. Your words are in italics.

"Religion is just a small part in my search for a better understanding of the grand scheme of things and our place in it." Same hold true for me. Religion does not answer everything. "....I need evidence or sound reasoning not abstract concepts open to various interpretations." I would love it to be that way too, lots of evidence and sound reasoning! However, evidence is very thin and abstract concepts are the way it is expressed.

"Religion I suspect comes from fear of the unknown. The sky gods were unkind to early man so they offered prayers and sacrifices to appease these gods." I don't doubt that could indeed be true." "Nowadays most people offer prayers and 10%, despite the fact the we have a better understanding about the capriciousness of the sky gods." True. The fact is most people don't really know how to pray. "I will have to remain a slave to science until proven otherwise." I would be happier if you had said ‘student' rather than ‘slave,' as I to am a student. Buddhists see not conflict between science and Buddhism. "I can see no good in religion for me." Sorry to hear that, but for some people, that is all to common. "Perhaps if I were still single it could could serve a useful purpose." I don't get that! I am married, but I think I am of service.

"I read your post regarding Buddhism. If it benefits you then by all means continue." Thank you for reading it. I will continue. I wrote something new there, it was an answer to Haitianboy. Did you read that? "At least its more tolerant than Christianity which is so dogmatic in its approach, never accepting that it possible to have different perspectives." True, very true. That is one of the things I like about it.(Buddhism)

You wrote: "Perhaps the same could be said of the bible in some instances but the important promises stand out like a sore thumb no (matter) how you intepret them." I am not sure which promises you are referring to. I have an idea, but I would like you to state one in particular.

"We have better tools for understanding." In some areas, yes we do. "We have better knowledge so of what use is the bible in our modern society." As a science book, little or none. As a history book, questionable. But as a book that opens the soul of man? I think it is pretty good. "How can it make life tangibly better for the millions of starving homeless people around the world? How can it cure deseases? How can it get us to the stars?" Its job is not to do those things. its job is to change our hearts so we do those things. If we are our brother's keeper we are doing a bad job, over all. I think you will agree with that? That is because we still have not understood the real message of the Bible. "The bible has been offering/selling hope through its agent the church for a long time now. Isn't it time to delivers on at least some of those promises?" Time is LONG overdue. The Bible does offer hope, but its stress should always have been placed on another of its qualities - ACTION!

The Bible is Faith.

Its simple prove the Bible is fact with out using referances in the Bible.

CG

Aren't we all slaves to science. Every technology we use today in our lives right down to our present means of communicating is because of science. If you prefer me to use student of science instead of slave Ok student. Also when I said religion could be beneficial to me if I were still single I meant finding a girl to date. Isn't the church where all the single women go looking for men/husbands. :heartbeat

What is the exact message of the bible because no one seems able to agree? If it is open to many interpretations as I suspect, then please tell me which of these interpretations it is benefiting? Could it be the religious leaders?

CG

Aren't we all slaves to science. Every technology we use today in our lives right down to our present means of communicating is because of science. If you prefer me to use student of science instead of slave Ok student. Also when I said religion could be beneficial to me if I were still single I meant finding a girl to date. Isn't the church where all the single women go looking for men/husbands. :heartbeat

What is the exact message of the bible because no one seems able to agree? If it is open to many interpretations as I suspect, then please tell me which of these interpretations it is benefiting? Could it be the religious leaders?

Boy, I glad you touch on this...I een never forget bout that nonsense. This should be a wake-up call/slap in the face for those churches who have these "Singles" Ministries. Christ did not come to establish a zoo.
It makes my very skin crawl to hear bout these "Women's Ministries, Youth Ministries..." When I used to attend a church at age 15 I was telling the pastor and his "officials" that this nonsense een right. The church should not be a harem or a dating club. Do they ever listen? Not these ones, tell me say leave their church and don't come back. Now, all the stupid trendsheep will reap their reward in whirlwinds and the innocent suffer for the guilty.

Granted Christ came to bring a sword of seperation He een divided, so what's with all these different categories? Someone shed a different viewpoint on that for me please?

Its simple prove the Bible is fact with out using referances in the Bible.
By that logic, prove the dictionary is fact without using words from the dictionary.

By that logic, prove the dictionary is fact without using words from the dictionary.

We are not questioning the dictionary are we?

CG

Aren't we all slaves to science. Every technology we use today in our lives right down to our present means of communicating is because of science. If you prefer me to use student of science instead of slave Ok student. Also when I said religion could be beneficial to me if I were still single I meant finding a girl to date. Isn't the church where all the single women go looking for men/husbands. :heartbeat

What is the exact message of the bible because no one seems able to agree? If it is open to many interpretations as I suspect, then please tell me which of these interpretations it is benefiting? Could it be the religious leaders?

Thank you for your response Thruthseeker. You wrote. "Aren't we all slaves to science. Every technology we use today in our lives right down to our present means of communicating is because of science." Yes, if you put it that way you could say we are slaves to science. I prefer to say the beneficiaries of Science

"Also when I said religion could be beneficial to me if I were still single I meant finding a girl to date. Isn't the church where all the single women go looking for men/husbands." Some do, some don't But the ones who are looking are looking for someone who is a good religious person. I fear many of the gals will be disappointed.

"What is the exact message of the bible because no one seems able to agree?" I think that 99% of Christian scholars will agree that the main thrust of the Bible is the forgiveness of sins in Christ the Savior - after that they go off wildly in all directions. If the Bible consisted of only Jesus' words, it would be a lot clearer to many people.

"If it is open to many interpretations as I suspect, then please tell me which of these interpretations it is benefitting?" Here is one that I think most Christian could agree on, if they only read it, took it to heart and then stopped trying to explain it or interpret it. Here it is - I am a sinner. There is a price to pay for sins. Christ paid it. Now we get into trouble because along come the theologians who want to interpret that statement. They put conditions on whom Christ can forgive, and whom he will not. They want to make some sins worse than others. They want to have a "hand" in the work of forgiveness. But it is a simple statement. It does not need help, leave it alone - I am a sinner. There is a price to pay for sins. Christ paid it.

Your Last question was, "Could it be the religious leaders?" I think my paragraph above answers that don't you? The Bible is a book addressed to one soul from another - God's soul to yours - it should not need a third party. It says what it says!

There is a Buddhist saying, "When the student is ready a teacher appears." That "teacher" could be a person or anything, like a book - maybe, in the West, a Bible?