(from The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, 1911)
behemot
JoinedPosts by behemot
-
62
What/Who are the Saints?
by PSacramento inaccording to the ot:.
saints :gadowsh meaning holy one and referes to those that have kept themselves free of difelment, idolatry, and other unlcean and profane things or the word gaddiysh which means those who are sacred to the most high, but can also man gods or deities.. in the nt:.
saint: hagios, meaning someone(something) revered, worthy of veneration, someone whos services god employs.. both meaning show that the individul is special and unique in god's eyes, yet there is no mention of any saint by name, the term always being use din the plural.. paul often addresses his letters to "the saints" of whatever church he was writing too and mentions "the saints" in general.. .
-
-
behemot
- SAINT, n.: A dead sinner revised and edited.
-
U.S.A. profile of non religious population stats
by behemot inhttp://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/nones_08.pdf.
-
-
21
Religion, a force for good?
by Dean Fox inis religion a force for good?.
the knee jerk reaction from most people who hold to a religious belief is "yes, of course it is.
" then when you point out that religion is used to motivate people to commit suicide bombings they will likely concede that this isn't always the case.. in one instance though someone said religion is always a force for good because the intentions are always good, even those of a suicide bomber.
-
-
behemot
That (some) religious people do perform good deeds is an undeniable fact, but so it is with regard to non-religious people who act likewise.
I'm inclined to think that religious people who do good would act similarly even without their religion ... but the reverse is not necessarily true. As Steven Weinberg once said:
- With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. (quoted in The New York Times, April 20, 1999)
-
21
Religion, a force for good?
by Dean Fox inis religion a force for good?.
the knee jerk reaction from most people who hold to a religious belief is "yes, of course it is.
" then when you point out that religion is used to motivate people to commit suicide bombings they will likely concede that this isn't always the case.. in one instance though someone said religion is always a force for good because the intentions are always good, even those of a suicide bomber.
-
-
behemot
I don't really understand the beliefs/people antinomy, as if beliefs are somehow good in themselves and it's only people's twisting and misinterpreting (as opposed to an ideal correct interpretation) them that leads to trouble.
Religion is a cultural system and as such beliefs are man-made cultural products, so that there are no doctrines somewhere out there detached from people, there is no belief without believers.
Beliefs, ritual acts, moral codes, and a social group that feels bound together by all the above make, all together, religion.
-
21
Religion, a force for good?
by Dean Fox inis religion a force for good?.
the knee jerk reaction from most people who hold to a religious belief is "yes, of course it is.
" then when you point out that religion is used to motivate people to commit suicide bombings they will likely concede that this isn't always the case.. in one instance though someone said religion is always a force for good because the intentions are always good, even those of a suicide bomber.
-
-
behemot
suggested reading:
http://www.amazon.com/God-Not-Great-Religion-Everything/dp/0446579807
somewhat one-sided, but worth reading ...
Behe
-
37
Serena Williams "witnessing" to the line judge at the US Open!
by losthusband inis this girl really a jw, and what will happen to her in her congregation after this.............. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baeepruo1go.
-
-
-
18
The scientific approach to "holy books"
by behemot in"remember, always, young man, that science which has become a great power in the last century, has analyzed everything divine handed down to us in the holy books.
after this cruel analysis the learned of this world have nothing left of all that was sacred.
but they have only analyzed the parts and overlooked the whole, and indeed their blindness is marvelous.
-
-
behemot
I think the above quote is better understood in terms of the cultural impact of the bible on our Western world.
Perhaps the author wants to convey the idea that, despite the fact that the historical critical approach to the "holy book" has dismantled its claims of divine authorship (and this is all the more so an established fact today, more than a century later than Dostoevskij), yet we still can't help but somehow come to terms with that heritage, which remains the cradle of our culture and keeps on affecting in many ways - even unconsciously - our lives on both individual and societal level.
Behe
-
18
The scientific approach to "holy books"
by behemot in"remember, always, young man, that science which has become a great power in the last century, has analyzed everything divine handed down to us in the holy books.
after this cruel analysis the learned of this world have nothing left of all that was sacred.
but they have only analyzed the parts and overlooked the whole, and indeed their blindness is marvelous.
-
-
behemot
" Remember, always, young man, that science which has become a great power in the last century, has analyzed everything divine handed down to us in the holy books. After this cruel analysis the learned of this world have nothing left of all that was sacred. But they have only analyzed the parts and overlooked the whole, and indeed their blindness is marvelous. Yet the whole still stands steadfast before their eyes, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Has it not lasted nineteen centuries? Is it still not a living, a moving power in the individual soul and in the masses of people? It is still strong and living even in the souls of atheists, who have destroyed everything! For even those who have renounced Christianity and attack it still follow the Christian ideal. And neither their subtlety nor the ardor of their hearts has been able to create a higher ideal of man and of virtue than the ideal given by Christ of old. When it has been attempted, the result has been only grotesque ."
quote from The Brothers Karamazov by Fedor Dostoevskij, Book 4, chapter 1
Your comments welcome.
Behemot
-
Faith healing 'risks recovery'
by behemot inhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8250320.stm.
a belief in faith healing could jeopardise recover from illness, according to a new study by a university of ulster researcher.. dr tony cassidy said he believes that some people who put their trust in faith healing may be less likely to adhere to medical advice.
he will be presenting his research at a british psychological society conference in birmingham.
-
behemot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8250320.stm
A belief in faith healing could jeopardise recover from illness, according to a new study by a University of Ulster researcher.
Dr Tony Cassidy said he believes that some people who put their trust in faith healing may be less likely to adhere to medical advice.
He will be presenting his research at a British Psychological Society conference in Birmingham.
The Coleraine-based academic's research team questioned 766 people on their belief in and intention to use faith healing.
They were also surveyed about their intention to adhere to medical advice.
"We found that belief and intention to use faith healing was a significant predictor of self-reported non-adherence to a medication," Dr Cassidy said.
"Participants who believed strongly in faith healing were also more likely to say they were less satisfied with their GP.
"Given that only about one-in-three people follow medical advice totally and about one in four put their lives at risk through non-adherence, it's important that health care professionals understand their patients' beliefs about alternative remedies, such as faith healing."
But one Belfast GP, Dr Paul Corry, believes that sometimes the opposite is the case.
"Often patients that do have a faith in God or have had a Christian healing prayer for them, show a better outcome because they are more positive," Dr Corry explained.
"They have hope where maybe they didn't have it before."
-
6
PREACHER HIJACKED MEXICAN PLANE
by badboy insaid he had religious message.. what do you make of such people?.
-
-
behemot
Jose Flores, the 44-year-old preacher who hijacked Aeromexico Flight 576 on Wednesday—forcing the jet and its 103 passengers to stay on the tarmac for an hour, until armed police rescued them—told reporters that he was on a mission from God to inform the public and President Felipe Calderónof an earthquake "like none there has ever been." But the story only gets wackier. Flores' fake bomb was "a juice can ... with some little lights I attached." Onboard, Flores demanded that the pilot fly the Boeing 737 around Mexico City seven times, but the pilot said there was not enough fuel, according to the Associated Press. The hijacker told an airline attendant that he had three accomplices, so when police boarded the flight to rescue the passengers and crew, they arrested Flores and several other men the attendant suspected of aiding the preacher. Only later did Flores reveal to police that his three accomplices weren't other men on the plane, but "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." Flores, according to the AP, is a former drug addict who became a pastor and a Christian music singer several years ago.
source: http://slatest.slate.com/id/2227932/entry/4
Behe