I believe in God

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Originally Posted by Breukelen advocaat

There is no hell - this idea a gigantic hoax to get people to follow corrupt leaders and beliefs. The only hell is the one man has created on earth due, in a large part, to thousands of years of not having the correct, natural psychoactivesubstances to set their brains straight.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has ever come back from the dead to describe what, if anything, happens when the body expires. Any claim to the contrary is false.

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Breukelen - Nobody is out to get you except yourself, or your ego self that perceives threats everywhere he turns. Yes, GWB did do somethings that were positive and helpful. I was talking actually about my own egotism and how I perceived him. Thanks, MH

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Originally Posted by Coelho

Well... if Bin Laden were actually an enemy of the Evil Empire (aka USA), i wouldnt say im his friend, but his greatest fan.
But, unfortunately, i think he is an ally (or even a muppet) of this same evil empire, who does (or maybe just talks) things to their benefit, to allow them to meddle with every country they wish under the (obviously false) pretenses of "fighting the terrorism".


And i also believe in God... not the usual definition of God "that man sitting there up in the sky", but the God who is the Source of consciousness... the One who created what we call space and time and energy and whatever is contained whithin it... i would say that we and the universe are like "thoughts into Gods mind"... so our (and the universes) very existence depends on Him... in a completly fundamental level.
Unfortunately, is very hard (if not impossible) for a fish to notice the water it is immersed into...

EDIT: 2525th post! A nice number... for a nice thread.

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Coelho - people who believe in enemy's are allys in fear. GWB, Bin Laden... Its all bullshit. The ego loves fear and is based on a fearful mindset. This has to change in order for peace to be established. Forgiveness, complete forgiveness is the only way to perfect peace. Thank you. MH

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Originally Posted by Mr. Happy

Breukelen - Nobody is out to get you except yourself, or your ego self that perceives threats everywhere he turns. Yes, GWB did do somethings that were positive and helpful. I was talking actually about my own egotism and how I perceived him. Thanks, MH

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You have not addressed the question of faith being an escape from reality. Faith is a conditioning of the mind to accept what it is told, whether there is evidence to support those beliefs or not. Faith is very perilous, and not in accordance with rational thinking.

You want to "forgive" Bin Laden. He and his organization, Al Qaeda, must be exterminated. It's the only solution to the threat that people like this pose.

I think everyone reading this thread should watch this video...

YouTube - George Carlin - Religion is bullshit.

To be fair, here is a link that sides with the opposing view...
Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife

The Carlin one is entertaining AND raises a lot of questions. I never thought about religion the same after watching this the first time. I personally belive in "something" or some kind of higher power. I find it hard to believe that mankind just poof appeared on earth out of the blue. I'm still on the fence about this issue and don't quite know what to believe. I can't count the number of times this subject has come up in stoned conversations among me and my friends. Continue the discussion...

:hippy:

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Originally Posted by Breukelen advocaat

You have not addressed the question of faith being an escape from reality. Faith is a conditioning of the mind to accept what it is told, whether there is evidence to support those beliefs or not. Faith is very perilous, and not in accordance with rational thinking.

You want to "forgive" Bin Laden. He and his organization, Al Qaeda, must be exterminated. It's the only solution to the threat that people like this pose.

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I know this can be a touchy subject and I really appreciate your intelligent discourse on it, even if you don't agree with me. The matter of faith: I am pretty sure you and I have "faith" in one thing or another. Based on our experience we have faith that the sun will rise tomorrow... We don't know the sun will rise, but we expect it will based on our experience. The faith in "God" is harder because we lack direct experience of Him/Her according to our expectations. We want to conceptualize God according to our desires. We create an image of Him/Her. If you want, substitute the "Truth" for "God," this will help the discussion. I have faith in Truth. I can't define it, but I know Truth is true and that you and I are part of it. The peril isn't faith, its expectations. Brother, take a deep breath (or toke) and know that you do not walk alone, despite the horrors of this world. Expectations are relics from the past. The past is the problem b/c we chain ourselves to it and have "faith" in it to establish our future. It doesn't exist! Thanks, MH:)

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Originally Posted by FourTwenty4Life

I think everyone reading this thread should watch this video...

YouTube - George Carlin - Religion is bullshit.

To be fair, here is a link that sides with the opposing view...
Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife

The Carlin one is entertaining AND raises a lot of questions. I never thought about religion the same after watching this the first time. I personally belive in "something" or some kind of higher power. I find it hard to believe that mankind just poof appeared on earth out of the blue. I'm still on the fence about this issue and don't quite know what to believe. I can't count the number of times this subject has come up in stoned conversations among me and my friends. Continue the discussion...

:hippy:

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I love George Carlin RIP. He did a lot of good and was funny as hell. He said a lot of things that resonated with me. I watched the link above again and what he is talking about is organized religion, which is bullshit for the most part. I think God himself is an even bigger fan. George was anti-establishment, stood up for the underclass and challenged our illusions about this world. God Bless him and you. Thanks, MH:)

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Originally Posted by Mr. Happy

I know this can be a touchy subject and I really appreciate your intelligent discourse on it, even if you don't agree with me. The matter of faith: I am pretty sure you and I have "faith" in one thing or another. Based on our experience we have faith that the sun will rise tomorrow... We don't know the sun will rise, but we expect it will based on our experience. The faith in "God" is harder because we lack direct experience of Him/Her according to our expectations. We want to conceptualize God according to our desires. We create an image of Him/Her. If you want, substitute the "Truth" for "God," this will help the discussion. I have faith in Truth. I can't define it, but I know Truth is true and that you and I are part of it. The peril isn't faith, its expectations. Brother, take a deep breath (or toke) and know that you do not walk alone, despite the horrors of this world. Expectations are relics from the past. The past is the problem b/c we chain ourselves to it and have "faith" in it to establish our future. It doesn't exist! Thanks, MH:)

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We all know (or at least I THINK we know) that religious faith is a different concept from expectation based on experience. Fact is, nobody has come back from the dead to confirm that any of the claims of religion are true. There is absolutely no evidence that a supreme being exists - it's based on religious faith. I believe that it's genetic - you either believe in fairy tales, or you don't. Since so many nonbelievers have been wiped out by the believers, the resulting gene pool has put Atheists in the minority.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Happy

I love George Carlin RIP. He did a lot of good and was funny as hell. He said a lot of things that resonated with me. I watched the link above again and what he is talking about is organized religion, which is bullshit for the most part. I think God himself is an even bigger fan. George was anti-establishment, stood up for the underclass and challenged our illusions about this world. God Bless him and you. Thanks, MH:)

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As a comedian George Carlin wasn't funny, IMHO, but he was not a believer in religion. I do not think he would have cared for anyone saying, "God bless", regarding him. Besides, he's dead and even if invoking this phrase was capable of doing something, it's too late.

Stories of gods and devils are like fairy tales for children, and in this regard my childhood ended a long time ago.

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Originally Posted by Breukelen advocaat

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We all know (or at least I THINK we know) that religious faith is a different concept from expectation based on experience. Fact is, nobody has come back from the dead to confirm that any of the claims of religion are true. There is absolutely no evidence that a supreme being exists - it's based on religious faith. I believe that it's genetic - you either believe in fairy tales, or you don't. Since so many nonbelievers have been wiped out by the believers, the resulting gene pool has put Atheists in the minority.

And what is genetics, do you think you know? I'm interested in your interpretation and please don't reply with a dictionary definition. I can read that for myself. I'm not anti evolution. God is love, God is the source of life and the only purpose./


As a comedian George Carlin wasn't funny, IMHO, but he was not a believer in religion. I do not think he would have cared for anyone saying, "God bless", regarding him. Besides, he's dead and even if invoking this phrase was capable of doing something, it's too late.

I can bless whom I want to. Thats not up to George Carlin, or you.

Stories of gods and devils are like fairy tales for children, and in this regard my childhood ended a long time ago.

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The stories you call "fairy tales" are metaphors not to be taken literally. Seek within, this world will only disappoint you. I don't say that just to be right, just my experience. Thanks, MH.

I think that religious belief is mental illness, and in most cases it's inherited. It can skip generations, ie a child and his parents may or may not have the same views on the subject. The degree of religion-based mental illness depends on how delusional the individual is, their addiction to prayer and ritual, self-destructive behaviors, etc.

Why didn't Jesus just come out and say what he meant, rather than confusing his followers with metaphors and parables that were open to all kinds of interpretation, which has resulted in all manner of horrible events? It is apparent that the whole story is fraudulent and that there never was, and never will be, a god.

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Originally Posted by Breukelen advocaat

I believe that religious belief is mental illness, and in most cases it's inherited. It can skip generations, ie a child and his parents may or may not have the same views on the subject. The degree of religion-based illness depends on how delusional the individual is, their addiction to prayer and ritual, self-destructive behaviors, etc.

Mental illness lies not with just an individual, its the context that the individual is in that makes him ill or not. The ego can infiltrate any organization and the Church is no exception. But do your really think that if Jesus never came, we wouldn't have wars, rape, starvation? He came to point the way out. God would not usurp our free will which he gave to us. The "devil" is the metaphor for the ego (self concern based on fear). This lies in everyone and there is no "devil" outside of one's self. The ego has its own interpretation of love, peace and happiness that is counter to God's will. It loves separation, guilt, fear as the driving motivator. Whereas our Holy Father (the sane context) knows only unconditional love and He does not respond to illusions knowing and being Truth. To respond would validate the illusion.

Why didn't Jesus just come out and say what he meant, rather than confusing his followers with metaphors and parables that were open to all kinds of interpretation, which has resulted in all manner of horrible events. It is more apparent that the whole story is fraudulent and that there never was, and never will be, a god.

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We are talking 2000 years ago. How would you talk to people 2000 years ago and explain genetics or dark matter to tribal elders? Metaphors might help. Any ways, thanks for your feed back dude. I hear you and respect your opinion. Over and Out.