OT: religion

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=flyer][quote=UCGal][quote=scaredyclassic]

Prosperity gospel is about as egotistical as it gets, but very veryvl american…[/quote]

Very American.

In the 80’s I lived downtown – near the old El Cortez convention center. On Sundays, Terry Cole Whitaker had services for her church. It was semi-Christian with a big dose of new age, and dolloped with a large appeal to “greed is good”.

I went to a service with a friend – she was very excited by it. To me it came across as a cult based on greed. Lots of messages to tythe to the church and you’d be paid back GUARANTEED with wealth.

As a neighbor to this church I wasn’t impressed with the folks attending the church. Rude, bad parkers, and not unusual to see them littering. Not good neighbors in other words.

She was kicked out of the church (and started a new one) when it came to light that she and some of her closest advisors were extracting money from the church at pretty heft rates.

The church motto was “Prosperity is your divine right”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Cole-Whittaker

http://articles.philly.com/1986-04-22/entertainment/26080848_1_terry-cole-whittaker-ministries-gavin-macleod-church-funds%5B/quote%5D

Agree UCG. Have heard many stories about that “church.” The “wannabe’s” looking for an easy path to wealth does attract a lot of followers.

In my experience, most of the people we know were already extremely prosperous before we knew them at “church,” and are looking for nothing but spiritual growth, and ways to help others via their prosperity.

Again, to each his or her own.[/quote]

I suppose tolerance is good but this seems to thumb Its nose at Jesus and his message. At the very least they shouldn’t be tax exempt w thisvphilosophy

[flyer]

No worries. No one is “thumbing their nose” at Jesus. We’re fine. Thanks.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

[quote=scaredyclassic][quote=Blogstar]Lately when I want to be moderately religious I listen to this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Biz5kBIAtic

I don’t really go in for country and western but this song is the bomb as far as believing in anything goes.

None of the old men are fat so that proves they are on the right track.[/quote]

Problem is believing in people sets you up for a letdown. Invisible deities are always there for you.[/quote]

Scaredy: Not trying to be difficult, but you realize that wearing the yarmulke and observing the “G-d/YHWH” thing does make you something of an observing Jew.

Parenthetically (and asked in all seriousness), did your upbringing inform your decision to become a lawyer? No, I’m not trying to bootstrap my way into an “all Jews make good lawyers” joke, but Judaism has a strong element of God as a lawmaker (as The Lawmaker, really) and many of the practices and rites focus on God’s “contract” with the Jews, as well as stressing the strength of Judaic Law. Just curious, especially in light of your background as an attorney.

[scaredyclassic]

Yes.
Yes.

[NotCranky]

[quote=scaredyclassic][quote=Blogstar]Lately when I want to be moderately religious I listen to this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Biz5kBIAtic

I don’t really go in for country and western but this song is the bomb as far as believing in anything goes.

None of the old men are fat so that proves they are on the right track.[/quote]

Problem is believing in people sets you up for a letdown. Invisible deities are always there for you.[/quote]

It would be reasonable to trust people more than I do even though we do let others down.

[NotCranky]

What religion should you actually be?

http://www.playbuzz.com/benjaminbirely10/which-religion-best-suits-you

I bet nobody else gets Rastafarian.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=Blogstar]What religion should you actually be?

http://www.playbuzz.com/benjaminbirely10/which-religion-best-suits-you

I bet nobody else gets Rastafarian.[/quote]

sigh. i got atheist. makes me feel like charlie brown getting a rock in his halloween bag.

i wanted to hang with the rastafarians..

but this gives me an idea for your kid’s religion.

it’s a religion that incorporates some aspect of all known religions. call it G-dPlus. it’s going to take some research from him, but the religion has the selling point of covering all bases. it is the religion of all religions.

you’re safe no matter what the truth turns out to be; we’d even give a nod to the farting bear. and the clown. santa. Jesus. zoorastrianism. the hindus. zen buddhists. protestants. episcopalians. the jews; the muslims; the sufi mystics. the catholics! extinct religions too!!! plus mennonites. mormons. ancient norse mythology. ancient near east religions of all shapes and sizes. old timey greek stuff. tribal customs from papua new guina…literally everything and anyhting that ever is or was or is coming into existence!! you cannot lose! all bases covered.

it’s not some multicultural nod; it’s sincere worship, for one day, to gain that G-ds favor, just in case that’s the one.

i might actually join. ask him how much.

services would be awesome! every day, something different. today, we worship the Church of Bob, tomorrow, allah. santa on the weekend, capitalism on thursday morning. it would be a crazy adventure…

remember the chuch of the subgenius? http://www.subgenius.com i think i was a member for a few days a long time ago.

and of course, my personal fav, rev billy and the church of stop shopping.

everyone gets in, everyone is true, everyone is integrated intoa respectful awesome pascalian wager of historic proportions…

i shallc all it

THE CHURCH OF PASCALS WAGER

[NotCranky]

Sincere worship ….just in case!

We should throw in a few more greats …just in case they become prophets in the future. Mr Bean? George Carlin? PeeWee Herman’s out right? We need some funny Gods…Stoned gods too, like Bob, funny and stoned would be even better. I’ll ask my kid if we can have a Funny and Stoned Worship day…just in case.

We should have Gods for kids, Thomas the Train “preachin’ it” …Builder Bob, Hello Kitty maybe Dora the Explorer …they are probably all virgins so they’re in. If my kid says they are.

[scaredyclassic]

i think you’re taking it too far.

this is serious.

[NotCranky]

[quote=scaredyclassic]i think you’re taking it too far.

this is serious.[/quote]
Kid likes it…
Stephen’s church where we worship, God , God, God, God and God…etc.

[NotCranky]

I might lose sleep over wether or not this thing is going to be sincere. It’s gotta be sincere.

We are charging 10 bucks to get in the door to guarantee at least a limited amount of sincerity ….tithing comes after that. Don’t forget the tip jar on the way out.

[scaredyclassic]

first service should be an exhortation to donate generously for the Building Fund.

[CA renter]

[quote=Blogstar]Lately when I want to be moderately religious I listen to this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Biz5kBIAtic

I don’t really go in for country and western but this song is the bomb as far as believing in anything goes.

None of the old men are fat so that proves they are on the right track.[/quote]

Such a beautiful, mellow voice…and he’s still got it after all these years!

[CA renter]

[quote=UCGal]

On the topic of faith at the time of death, I’ll share my observations of my Dad and brother. Dad was basically an agnostic. My brother was born again. My brother had much more fear of death than my dead. He would talk about joining God in heaven. He was not at peace with his terminal illness and went through horrific “heroic” measures to try and extend his life. He was constantly praying in what sounded like bargaining terms with God.
Dad was at peace with it all – choosing quality of life over quantity. Knowing he was going to die – he wanted to lead a good life while he could.

Kind of the opposite of CARs parents.

[/quote]

One big difference between my parents and your brother is that your brother died way too young. It would be incredibly difficult to “look forward to death” at such a young age. 🙁

But you’re right about some Christians fearing death while some “non-believers” are okay with it. I think it depends very much on a person’s individual personality and where they are in life.

[svelte]

[quote=scaredyclassic]It’s at least as possible as Santa. Maybe the kids who believe early on have it right.
[/quote]

Funny you should bring up Santa. Whenever someone wants to talk religion, I usually interject “God is just Santa Claus for adults.”

Think about it. Parents tell kids “be good and you’ll get toys on Christmas day!” And that’s all that is needed to keep kids in line. But that wouldn’t work for adults so they up the ante. “Be good and you’ll get eternal life!” And that is all that is needed to keep adults in the fold.

Which is something that has dawned on me in recent years. Many of these rituals are carefully crafted to keep people in the xyz religion’s fold. And there are many traditions to draw in the next generation too – easter egg hunts….santa claus…all designed to bring the little ones into the fold. Not that I think there was one person with a grand plan that did that – no, I think it was more of an evolutionary (heh) thing through the decades and centuries as churches et al figured out what worked. Process of natural ritual selection if you will.

Many religions have histories so long it is difficult to see how they formed. That’s what makes Mormonism so fascinating. It sprang up out of nowhere in the 1820s. Bam! A new religion with a set of rituals and ideas all their own. How did that happen? Surely that was the brainstorm of one individual. Some random individual, say John Smith. Doing my genealogy has shown me that half my family tree is Mormon in the 1800s and they probably still are today (I’m not in contact with most of them).

It’s all fascinating to me how people can be so hold so tightly to ideas and concepts that seem pure rubbish to other religions. Is the need to belong to a religion caused by the need to belong? Do people just follow into it unquestioning because it was drilled into them as children? Can people really be that easily programmed? Spooky stuff.

I like the comedian who pointed out that the religious can’t just point their finger at non-believers as being self righteous. They are too, for the mere fact that they so steadfastly believe they are right in their religious beliefs points out that they believe all other religions are wrong – a self-righteous point of view.

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