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Yeah, interpretation is important, but I do believe there is somewhere in the old testement a passage explicitly stating that people trying to get you to join another religion should be stoned to death.

In the strictest definition of the word religion, it isn't one, I seem to recall a story where buddha mocked religion confused or gods, or something like that

Religion doesn't necessarily mean conflict, but religion will always ammount to ignorance. In its simplest definition, "belief in higher power". Key word here is "belief". Belief alone is never enough to justify the endless years religious people waste in attempt to get into a promised heaven or holy land of eternal bliss and paradise. Sure it provides support for the bereived and elderly, but it is dellusional support. What is better, false hope which breeds ignoarance and inequality or a cynical search for truth?

<< WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO BE TO THE LEFT OF EVERYTHING??

STORY BEHIND THIS: I WAS COMING FROM BASEBALL GAME AND THE GUY DIRECTING TRAFFIC TOLD ME TO STAY TO THE LEFT OF EVERYTHING.
MY HUSBAND AND I THEN PROCEEDED TO BE LIKE "WELL, TECHNICALLY YOU COULDN'T BECAUSE THEN YOU BE AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE BUT THEN TO BE TO THE LEFT OF THE END, THERE'D HAVE TO BE SOME SORT OF SPACE TO BE IN, ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC." >>

OK, that made me look up dharmma for a more complete understanding than I have. Again, Wikipedia says:

Wow.

See, this is why we're not to take everything we're told literally. I do that a lot. Heh. xD;
Since I believe that nothing is impossible because we don't know enough to state that, I guess it would be possible to be at the left of everything . . . In some random universe, perhaps.

Whose strictest definition? OK, hate to do it, but here comes Wikipedia again, in which no reference is made to a god... their definition of religion:



As for the effects of religion, my mother was a church lady, and never one to condemn anyone. (excepting child molesters and serial killers)

As she lay dying, and I was with her for the last six months of suffering, she gradually changed. At first she had me place on the dresser, on the only shelf she could view (she was totally bedridden and could not move herself) a picture of all her children (as adults) and grandchildren. After several weeks, she asked that I put up a picture of her husband, dead those 20 years. Gradually I moved the children's pictures away from him, till she asked that they be taken down. In the last month, and this was a devout woman who prayed more than once a day all of her life, she asked that my father's picture be moved and the picture of her mother, dressed in her long dress and apron with two little moppets hanging onto her skirt (my mother and one of her sisters) be placed in view.

And I could see that this religious woman was gradually going back in her life to its beginnings. She was not looking forward to a heaven or some payoff for her religious life, she was looking forwad to meeting again those whom she loved all of her life.

This is what a good religion can do for someone. My mother was at peace with the world when she died. She rarely spoke about what was on her mind (unless I asked, which I almost never did), she just embarked upon her journey to the end in her own way.

Of course, we had to play along with Jeopardy every night at 7pm along the way. And damn, she almost always beat me.

I've read the holy books. The Quran, the Bible, and struggled with the Torah as it is only in Hebrew and as far as I can see only Christianity or the original Christianity is very fanatical with its whole highway to hell. Christianity preaches that if you are castrated even in an accident you cannot enter heaven, period. Its contradictions are also great, Moses brings the 10 Commandments after Exodus then Jesus up and brings up in Mathew that you need to follow seven of them. Next off if you are born a b*****d (thats if your parents aren't married) you are condemned, even 20 generations before then, if there is ever a b*****d in your line you and all the descendants for 200 years are damned to burn. Also the fall of Satan is nowhere in the Bible until Revelation meaning the Devil is still in the grace of God even during the time of Jesus contradictory to what the preachers of today say. Also it should be noted that many of the original Christian texts were destroyed or denied by the Church when Christianity was established as the state religion by Constantine. Jesus' own crucifixion wasn't recorded until 89 years after the events transpired!! You can change a lot of text in that time to a preaching and contradiction of hatred against anyone else. Be assured though, Christianity in its original forms are far from what it is today. (Jesus calls himself Lucifer in Revelation or Morningstar in most cases WTF?!? Stupid Christian dudes did a mistranslation)

The problem of Judaism is that its kinda exclusive. All others are not really allowed into heaven unless your a child of Abraham of the original 13 tribes, and they don't like much people interfering with them and they have a superiority complex and believe they are the selected few to go to heaven. Greeeat, its a wonder why Hitler may have been a bit jealous of those Zionists that kept saying that over and over again to his face.

As for Islam, I've read it. The entrance into heaven in this religion is a hell of a lot easier than in Christianity and Judaism and even offers a complete tour of the joint. (Bevy of spotless virgins, with a palace, with food, drink, land, and power. In other words don't sin in life but indulge like crazy in the after life). Also unlike many of the misconceptions, Islam preaches peace and good will to others. Flying planes into buildings and what not is condemned to hell. The biggest misinterpretation, of it all is this "Those who kill a killer is like saving humanity but killing an innocent is like destroying humanity." The Islamic radicalists, Jihadists, and other different sects are condemned by Islamic law and are not tolerated by human laws or God's law. It's also unlike Christianity has been tolerant of other religions in their lands. Whether or not leaders follow through with it is not influenced by the Quran. its also good to know that Jihad as a term means the inner struggle of good and evil not Holy War against the heathens. Its only real problem I have is most definitely the treatment of women in parts of the Sharia and the Hadiths and that is most definitely debated especially in the division of Sunni and Shiite, where the girl cannot practice contraception, nor speak against the husband, nor receive the same quality of education as a man. This isn't necessarily in the Quran, its actually in the Sharia laws if I remember correctly, this is where human contradiction comes into play. The Sharia at times does contradict the Quran which is why some ultra orthodox Muslims follow only the Qurans rules over the Hadith and Sharia. Still though, a good many are greedy people that like to horde the money for themselves and invest it in such disgustingly large palaces that it leaves their people ravaged and impoverished.

Basically all the religions stemming from Abraham preach peace and respect for nature as well as incorporate science (yes its true especially in the case of Islam where it discusses the blood vessels, the forming of a fetus, water running up hill, the Big Bang, and how the sperm decides the gender. All discoveries not known until the last one to two centuries was being preached centuries earlier in Islam and some texts of Christianity many either not in the Bible, or recently discovered, and Judaism.) the only problem is human error and instinct to capitalize and take advantage of the masses and to make their personal wealth grow. Religion in itself is not a problem, it is humanity and their innate greed and over all evil as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes discuss.

o.O
-S'ploshun-

Agh. How do physicists do it?

Which came first, the internet or dinosaurs? mad heart