re: Existential astonishment

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re: Existential astonishment

TB — 11/24/2006 9:03:21 PM (archived)

My conflict with the traditional religious approach is that it subverts this profound sense of wonder into a set of arbitrary rules and rituals primarily designed to give us rewards for being good and to punish brutally all those we perceive as being bad. If there is a god, I don't think he will let us into heaven just because we kiss his ass.

It is interesting how much a certain cartoonish view of religion seems to be the example used in discussions like this. I've been to church regularly for many years, and I think I have yet to hear a pastor mention the punishment of hell.

I don't take my family to church to hear detailed theological philosophy any more than someone puts his kid into Scouting to learn how to tie knots. There's a lot more to learn about one's role in life than that.

The whole thread (73 posts)

Forked Tongues - ER - 11/23/2006 6:46:11 PM
- re: A theory: Genes are to life what memes are to culture - Raoul - 11/25/2006 10:44:00 PM
  - Bad science and emotional needs linked: Kind of like "watery Mars" - E.P. - 11/27/2006 6:44:06 PM
    - re: Antoniadi - Raoul - 11/27/2006 7:57:33 PM
- re: Why do you say that: - Johannes - 11/25/2006 4:38:14 AM
  - re: Why do you say that: - ER - 11/25/2006 4:44:32 PM
    - re: Why do you say that 2: - Johannes - 11/26/2006 3:40:41 AM
      - re: Why do you say that 2: - ER - 11/26/2006 4:27:55 AM
        
        re: re:Thank you for your explanation - Johannes - 11/27/2006 12:39:54 AM
        
        Literacy and civilization was well established during the Bronze Age. - ER - 11/27/2006 1:56:37 AM
        
        re: Literacy and civilization was well established during the Bronze Age. - Johannes - 11/27/2006 7:13:08 PM
        
        I'm sorry if I snapped a bit too. Things have been a bit testy lately. - ER - 11/27/2006 9:19:25 PM
        
        re:I snapped a bit too. - Johannes - 11/29/2006 2:06:29 AM
        
        There is not any "there" there. - ER - 11/29/2006 3:12:39 AM
        
        re: What do you mean by "it?" - Johannes - 11/30/2006 10:04:06 PM
        
        re: What do you mean by "it?" (n/t) - ER - 12/1/2006 4:40:41 PM
    - as you imply, it's about power and dominance - Daniel - 11/25/2006 6:03:58 PM
- wow, you got me wondering: - Daniel - 11/24/2006 5:51:26 AM
  - Now you've got me wondering, - ER - 11/24/2006 2:30:34 PM
    - maybe religion should learn from Spock and 'go beyond logic' - Daniel - 11/24/2006 6:56:05 PM
      - Existential astonishment - ER - 11/24/2006 8:06:25 PM
        
        re: O Jerusalem! O Earth! - Raoul - 11/24/2006 9:48:32 PM
        
        re: Existential astonishment - TB - 11/24/2006 9:03:21 PM
        
        How many virgins? - ER - 11/24/2006 9:50:34 PM
        
        re: How many virgins? - RNE - 11/25/2006 2:25:59 AM
        
        That ole time religion............ - Publius - 11/25/2006 1:10:04 PM
        
        The joy of sects - ER - 11/25/2006 2:43:13 PM
        
        re: The joy of sects - E.P. - 11/27/2006 7:00:23 PM
        
        Religious warfare - TB - 11/25/2006 7:48:02 PM
        
        re: Religious warfare - ER - 11/25/2006 8:13:57 PM
        
        Blood and Glory - RNE - 11/26/2006 2:33:37 PM
        
        Real estate? - E.P. - 11/27/2006 7:09:14 PM
- Funny, I was thinkning along similar lines yesterday. - Rob - 11/23/2006 9:49:32 PM
  - re: Cyrillic? - Raoul - 11/23/2006 10:07:35 PM
- re: Languages - Raoul - 11/23/2006 7:16:47 PM
  - Moliere wrote satire, too, mon ami.! (n/t) - ER - 11/23/2006 7:40:07 PM
    - re: Yes! And he's very popular! But Descartes !!! - Raoul - 11/23/2006 8:19:56 PM
      - Cartesian Dualism has gone out of favor these days... - ER - 11/23/2006 8:55:54 PM
        
        You might consider giving a try.......... - Publius - 11/23/2006 10:23:50 PM
        
        Philosophy - TB - 11/25/2006 7:50:24 PM
        
        re: Philosophy - Publius - 11/27/2006 10:40:54 PM
        
        re: Philosophy - TB - 12/1/2006 5:27:33 PM
        
        scope of causality - Robert - 11/26/2006 7:03:41 PM
        
        re: scope of causality - ER - 11/27/2006 2:32:28 AM
        
        re: scope of causality - TB - 11/27/2006 3:54:24 AM
        
        cartoonish - Robert - 11/27/2006 10:39:02 PM
        
        simplicity - TB - 11/28/2006 4:01:23 AM
        
        simplisticity - Robert - 11/28/2006 4:41:46 PM
        
        re: simplisticity - TB - 11/29/2006 12:48:07 AM
        
        Puttin' on my top hat... - ER - 11/27/2006 4:50:07 AM
        
        I must have missed something. Either of you two in political office? (n/t) - TB - 11/27/2006 6:30:55 PM
        
        Earn and merit - Mary Anne - 11/27/2006 4:47:31 AM
        
        re: Earn and merit - Smaug - 11/29/2006 6:17:23 PM
        
        re: Earn and merit - TB - 11/27/2006 6:55:36 AM
        
        You still have to have money to make money. - Mary Anne - 11/27/2006 12:31:48 PM
        
        Sorry, didn't know you were moving the goalposts. - TB - 11/27/2006 6:24:51 PM
        
        Same goalposts. Different view of the field. - Mary Anne - 11/28/2006 5:38:54 PM
        
        re: Same goalposts. Different view of the field. - TB - 11/29/2006 12:59:36 AM
        
        So the answer to my question is "No". - Mary Anne - 11/29/2006 2:12:52 AM
        
        "Equal opportunity" - TB - 11/29/2006 3:13:04 AM
        
        Not interested in active continuing contact with poor people, eh? - Mary Anne - 11/29/2006 5:54:41 AM
        
        You have no idea what I do or don't do. - TB - 11/29/2006 7:21:54 AM
        
        I know what you say about others. That's enough. - Mary Anne - 11/29/2006 12:36:15 PM
        
        You misread me. SDAI got it right. - TB - 11/30/2006 2:37:42 AM
        
        Liberals can be venal too. So this means that government social programs are evil? - Mary Anne - 11/30/2006 3:04:37 PM
        
        That was well written. Wrong, but well written. - SDAI-Tech1 - 11/29/2006 7:01:35 AM
        
        Lutherans don't practice Scientology. - Mary Anne - 11/29/2006 12:47:21 PM
        
        Success, money, etcetera. - SDAI-Tech1 - 11/27/2006 7:49:57 PM
        
        Where do you come up with this stuff? - SDAI-Tech1 - 11/26/2006 9:55:48 PM
        
        It fell out of a vortex (n/t) - Robert - 11/27/2006 10:40:02 PM
        
        Yep, those darn things, they're everywhere! (n/t) - SDAI-Tech1 - 11/27/2006 11:21:15 PM
        
        re: Answers - Raoul - 11/25/2006 9:23:11 PM
        
        With all due respect... - ER - 11/25/2006 8:22:13 PM

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