It was god wot did it!

[JohnD]

Christian God, Allah and Jehova are all one and the same deity.

That's very much a matter of opinion, isn't it? If Harry's god is a vengeful god, and Simon's god is a god of love, and Vijay's god is a destroyer, and Al's god is a forgiver, and Bert's god approves of racial segregation, and Naidoo's god approves of hereditary class segregation, then maybe they're different gods. Or maybe each of them has constructed a god that suits the cultural beliefs he holds.

In my own small town, there's a Christian god that says transsubstantiation is right, and another Christian god that says it's wrong. There's a Christian god that says women can't be priests, and another that says they can. There's a god that says everyone is a priest, and a god that says no-one is. There's a Hebrew god that says women can't get divorced without their husbands permission, and another that says they can. There are gods that say a man can only have one wife, and gods that say he can have two, or three, or as many as he can afford.

 

[kendor]

Whoever has voted for Labour has effectively agreed to the war. More people are now killed since the war has ended, now what?

Thats quite a comment! though i can't see the connection? Is everyone who voted for the Lib Dems advocating drinking in excess?

 

[kendor]

Christian God, Allah and Jehova are all one and the same deity.

That's very much a matter of opinion, isn't it? If Harry's god is a vengeful god, and Simon's god is a god of love, and Vijay's god is a destroyer, and Al's god is a forgiver, and Bert's god approves of racial segregation, and Naidoo's god approves of hereditary class segregation, then maybe they're different gods. Or maybe each of them has constructed a god that suits the cultural beliefs he holds.

In my own small town, there's a Christian god that says transsubstantiation is right, and another Christian god that says it's wrong. There's a Christian god that says women can't be priests, and another that says they can. There's a god that says everyone is a priest, and a god that says no-one is. There's a Hebrew god that says women can't get divorced without their husbands permission, and another that says they can. There are gods that say a man can only have one wife, and gods that say he can have two, or three, or as many as he can afford.

You have struck upon the same thoughts i proposed in earlier posts that religion is basically a set of rules to live by that each culture bases it's lifestyle on (the god/deity part is there for a focus) and therefore they tend to be tailored for the environment they were created for, that's not to say that they can't be modified for other cultures and indeed those that choose to live in different countries than where the religion was formed tend to live to an adapted form of the religion.

 

[toffee]

i read something once about religion being a method of control and control alone.

A way of making man/woman
( look if I forget to go through every option... take it for granted I mean you all, regardless of sexual orientation.. colour.. whatever ok..)
police themself.

A method of using fear and guilt and shame to manufacture desired behavioural traits.

 

[markie]

God, is he/she/it real,

 

[kendor]

i read something once about religion being a method of control and control alone.

A way of making man/woman
( look if I forget to go through every option... take it for granted I mean you all, regardless of sexual orientation.. colour.. whatever ok..)
police themself.

A method of using fear and guilt and shame to manufacture desired behavioural traits.

You can certainly take it that way but as it is such an open and widely form it can be interpreted many ways by many people, those that adhere closely to the rules tend to feel enlightenment and peace within themselves so it must have beneficial properties aswell, the thing is not everyone agrees with religion, some believe it to be total bunkum others old and out of date with modern times but remember that most of the mainstream religions are very old and probably need updating to fit in with most modern peoples way of thinking.
I believe that religion has lost so many followers in recent times as we now have a new god it's called money, or some like to call it greed.

 

[toffee]

kendor.. i agree about the money thing.. in more ways than one.

for example the good samaritan barely exists these days for fear of... being sued for money.

 

[kendor]

or is it because they really can't be bothered anymore?

 

[toffee]

im not sure.
research shows you are less likely to be helped ina crowd than surrounded by only handful of people.
Im not sure any changes in this in recent years... will have to check.

I may be generalising but I feel that sometimes these days people expect someone else to take responsibility all of the time.
blame culture and covering ones own back culture.

I am sick of having to behave in a way that is not equal... I have to behave in a way that though intended to make everyone the same... in actual fact causes.. rifts.

 

[masona]

Whoever has voted for Labour has effectively agreed to the war. More people are now killed since the war has ended, now what?

Thats quite a comment! though i can't see the connection? Is everyone who voted for the Lib Dems advocating drinking in excess?

You know what I mean Am'I wrong saying you can vote for Blair's even if you disagree with the war? If so, then it's sending out the wrong signal. It's the same with Bush, means the majority of american who voted him in agreed with the war. I'm afraid the issue with the Iraq war will always be a sore point.

Nice to see the old crowd coming back

 

[kendor]

Rifts due to religion are caused because some feel their way of belief is correct above others, this is as much the fault of the west as the east as both (leaders) tend to impose their way of life on others whereas the common old garden types like us just want to live our lives in peace.

if religion is broken down to it's basic form of a set of rules to live by then we are all following a religion by abiding by the laws of the land, maybe another reason why god based religion is not so necessary in our lives these days?

 

[toffee]

It seems that there has to be a winner...

 

[kendor]

It seems that there has to be a winner...

does there though? why can't we just live in peace and go about our business in our own way without being told what to do? the christian analogy of a flock of sheep is very apt.

 

[masona]

Rifts due to religion are caused because some feel their way of belief is correct above others, this is as much the fault of the west as the east as both (leaders) tend to impose their way of life on others whereas the common old garden types like us just want to live our lives in peace.

Very true, it's a pity most people cannot accept or respect whatever religion they believe in.

 

[toffee]

so... its deeper then than religion maybe?

its the driven desire to win... disguised by the word religion ( meaning... everyone will follow the views of the given winning dictatator)

scary