Sodaiho

Reply to The government's "money" in Politics Stardock Forums

[quote]I don't know how anyone can read the original post and figure it as anything OTHER than complaint about BAILOUT. [/quote] This is how: [quote]The reason they have to be put off is not that we don't have the capital to build out more of the building and hire more people, we do. It's that that money is going to go to the government instead in the form of income taxes -- almost $2 million of it in fact.[/quote] Sounds to me as though poor Brad is kvetchi

Reply to The Third Grave Precept: Sexual Misconduct in Religion Stardock Forums

Don't resist on my account. :) We create wondrous joy with these tools.

On this day (among others) in Religion JoeUser Forums

To all of my Christian Readers and Friends, May you have a blessed Christmas day in remembrance of your Lord and Savior. Be a blessing in the universe.

The Third Grave Precept: Sexual Misconduct in Religion JoeUser Forums

With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, This morning we address the Third Grave Precept: Do not commit sexual misconduct. This precepts points directly at us and our society. We reflect ourselves in our art f

Reply to The government's "money" in Politics Stardock Forums

[quote]its stuff like that that needs to be done... yeah it sucks for those 2 people... but out of a city of 20000 people... its not a big thing[/quote] I wonder if those two peopple should get a rebate on the percentage of tax that went to snow removal? Gee, we could save a ton of money if we just let those in need of transplants die, after all they are just a small percentage of the population. And Frogboy's taxes are the lower taxes of his boy Bush. Never can pay

Reply to The Word on Creationism in Religion Stardock Forums

On the other hand, there is no evidence whatsoever that the universe was created. Period.

Stealing in Religion JoeUser Forums

With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, This morning we explore the Second Grave Precept: Do Not Steal. To accept what is not given speaks to a breakdown in social and personal boundaries. It suggests a profound disrespect for the property rights of others. But more than that, it points to our own greed. Stealing takes so many forms it is easy to violate this precept without care. Accepting more change than you are entitled to at

Reply to Loving God; Loving His Law in Religion Stardock Forums

Hey there, KFC, I do not necessarily accept that all the words attributed to Jesus were actually spoken by him, especially in John. My sense it it is best to try to get the "sense" of the words and look to the historical times to help filter out the spin. More than anything else, it seems to me, Jesus brought a message of peace and personal transformation. I don't trust much of the stuff that relates to salvation through belief. Jesus, I believ

Reply to Loving God; Loving His Law in Religion Stardock Forums

[quote]"For God so loved the world that he gave his only beloved son that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life." John 3:16 "Verily verily I say to you. He that hears my word and believes on Him that sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life." 5:24[/quote] This is one of the reasons I have serious trouble with John. I think this is an injection of Greek philosophy. The Platonic vi

The First Grave Precept in Religion JoeUser Forums

With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, The other day, I addressed the The Pure Precepts. This morning I would like to talk about the first of the Ten Grave Grave Precepts, do not kill. This precept is first among the Ten Grave Precepts. It is a very challenging precept for many reasons. Like most precepts its paradoxical. We must live, in order to live we must eat, in order to eat we must kill, yet here it says: do not kill.

Reply to Loving God; Loving His Law in Religion Stardock Forums

[quote]the Good News is that Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross redeemed all. all that would believe! [/quote] Church mythology to make it far too easy on people. What is important is not that Jesus died, but that the lesson is we should all die to God in order to live, but this isn't some far off moment, its the present moment.. Let your self dsrop away and there you are. Be well.

Reply to Loving God; Loving His Law in Religion JoeUser Forums

[quote]Jesus taught that we can ONLY be perfect thru Him. In other words while we can't be perfect, He was so our perfection is wrapped up in our belief in Him. I think it only realistic to acknowledge our imperfections and cling all the more to Christ who makes us clean. Remember the lady who grabbed the hem of his garment? She had the right idea. [/quote] NOT through him, but as him. He taught his followe

Reply to Loving God; Loving His Law in Religion Stardock Forums

Hellu Lula, Good, we are quibbling over nothing. When one has the capacity for perfection, perfection resides within them. From a Zen Buddhist POV "practicing perfect faith, hope, and charity in our every thought, word, and action" is to practice realization. Perfection in the moment. Jesus essentially taught Zen. He taught to the level of his listeners. He used koans in the form of parables. He modeled oneness with God (the Infinite). He did a lot of walking me

Reply to Loving God; Loving His Law in Religion Stardock Forums

You know, the more we believe it is impossible to be the law perfectly, that is, be the Dharma, or the Torah, or the Truth, the more we distance ourselves from actually being what we are: perfect. I know you don't believe we are perfect. That's OK. Yet, the extent of this failure to see our true nature keeps you from the perfection. We must drop away concepts. Drop away discernments. Notice Oneness. Your Jesus came to show you that you are perfect.&nb

Reply to I am NOT Religious, I just Love G-D in Religion Stardock Forums

[quote]I am not very familiar with the gospel, so perhaps KFC can help me out here: how many of the important characters of the Christian Bible are really Greeks?[/quote] Yes, I would like to see KFC weigh in here. Although I think it is more a question of "influence" than of actual Greek characters. The whole notion of a "Logos" is a Greek formulation. John begins with this notion. The book gets quite philosophical as I recall. Be well.

Reply to I am NOT Religious, I just Love G-D in Religion Stardock Forums

Leauki, I think Lula believes that since the first exile to the destruction of the Second Temple and on, Hebrew was left to wane. That the Jews were becoming Hellenized, that is, assimilated, suggests there was indeed a waning of Hebrew, but as you point out, even those in the Diaspora still got by and did get by even then. The translation of the Tanach into Greek was no more special in meaning than translating the scripture into English. That we can read both English and Heb

Three Pure Precepts in Religion JoeUser Forums

With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, This morning I would like to talk to you about the Three Pure Precepts. In Zen Buddhism, these three precepts are core. These are: Cease doing evil; Do good; Bring about abundant good for all beings. It takes a lot of personal work to enact these precepts, even more to make them our own. The reason these precepts are so challenging is that they point to a way of being as a Buddhi

Reply to I am NOT Religious, I just Love G-D in Religion Stardock Forums

Lula, It is interesting to me, that you seem to make a distinction between what you call "Hebraic Jews" and, I think, "Rabbinic Jews". As if to say Hebraic Jews were the true people of God and Rabbinic Jews are not. I think you are trying to make the case, overall in your thought, that Christianity is the logical next step of Hebraic Judaism while Rabbinic Judaism was a offshoot. If this is your thinking, its backwards. Christianity is a daughter faith spro

Reply to Loving God; Loving His Law in Religion JoeUser Forums

[quote]nobody can keep the 10 commandments Lula, that's the point. Jesus went so far as to say our even just thinking something can result in breaking a commandment. If we think evil against our brother we have committed murder in our mind, or if a man just looks at a woman he commits adultery in his mind and thereby breaks a command. James said the commandments are so connected that if we break one, we break all. And yes, we are guilty before God when we knowingly and willingly d

Reply to Like him or Hate him, Bush got Ninja skills! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

[quote]That doesn't follow at all. From this incident follows that there are kooks in Arab countries and on the political left. [/quote] So, Adolf Hitler wasn't a kook? Or Mussolini? Or some of our very own far right fascists here in the US like those in the John Birch Society or the KKK? There are Kooks all over the wold in all political persuasions.

Reply to There was evening, there was morning... in Religion Stardock Forums

[quote]Years later just before Templeton died Strobel interviewed him for this book. He too had tears streaming down his face telling how he couldn't believe in God but oh how he missed Christ. I just don't get it.[/quote] Revealed religions are a serious challenge, I think, to very smart people who have great faith in reason and rationality. The feeling side of faith just isn't enough to carry the day and the rational side says the stories we are asked to believe j

Reply to There was evening, there was morning... in Religion Stardock Forums

Thank you KFC, We just returned from the mortuary with Deana, his wife. We helpd her through the arrangments. And will hold a service at the Temple tomorrow afternoon. We begin shiva on Saturday night. Start lighting Hanukah candles on Sunday night. Goodness. Its far too early to say how Ken's death will affect us. I know it will slightly change the dinner dynamics. We always had three couples at the table. Now it will be two couples a

Reply to Loving God; Loving His Law in Religion Stardock Forums

Dear KFC, Another very fine piece. You get to the core while framing the dilemma very well. I have always taught that the mitzvot are like the cup we use to drink the wine. No cup; no wine. These commandments are a pathway, like a discipline. Few of us today like this notion of a disciplined spiritual practice, and the consequence in this world is that few of us really come close to the Infinite. We may "feel" we do, but feelings are illusion, mere chimera pass

There was evening, there was morning... in Religion JoeUser Forums

With palms together, Good Morning Everyone. Yesterday was a challenging day. My friend Ken, had taken a serious turn for the worse and was placed in the Hospice center here in town. Then early in the morning we got a call that he was near death. So, Judy went to his wife's side and I was assigned the various tasks of contacting the rabbi, contacting the burial committee at the Temple, and picking up their dog to bring to our house so there would be n

Reply to I am NOT Religious, I just Love G-D in Religion Stardock Forums

[quote]Six....the largest temple is the earth or the physical universe itself. (Sodaiho's gonna like this one!)[/quote] And you would be right. May you be a blessing in it, too.