Americans Are Losing Their Religion -- But the Fundamentalists Have a Plan

reply to post by BlueMule

But it's ok for me to act with passion. I'm Irish. When I fight it's all in good fun.

So am I, friend (Irish). So am I.
But my passionate outspokenness isn't always "in good fun." It's okay - imperative, in fact - to act with passion because "The day we remain silent about things that matter is the day we begin to die."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.

I'm a "social worker". AKA "change agent." Rocking the boat is the way to get it to move forward.

Originally posted by wildtimes

So am I, friend. So am I. But it isn't always "in good fun."

If it isn't good clean fun, then its good dirty fun. Both are good.

Life is serious fun. It's the play of the Divine in us all. Act from that center, not the ego-self. The ego tends to take things too seriously.

It's a ride. A theatre.



All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts

reply to post by BlueMule

Act from that center, not the ego-self. The ego tends to take things too seriously.

I totally understand what you're saying. Unfortunately, the majority of people don't understand it.

And people get hurt. And then, because they are hurt and don't understand it, they hurt their children. I want it to stop.

Originally posted by wildtimes
reply to post by BlueMule

 

Act from that center, not the ego-self. The ego tends to take things too seriously.

I totally understand what you're saying. Unfortunately, the majority of people don't understand it.

And people get hurt. And then, because they are hurt and don't understand it, they hurt their children. I want it to stop.

edit on 20-3-2013 by wildtimes because: (no reason given)

Of course you want it to stop. The part of God that is playing you is playing a game called 'I want to to stop'.

The part of God that is playing some asshole evangelist in Uganda is playing a game called 'I don't want it to stop'.



So play... but do it in the spirit of play. You'll live longer.

reply to post by BlueMule


Hehe!! Point taken.
Actually, for the last many months, ATS is my "playground". But that doesn't mean I'm trolling. I'm deadly serious about the things with which I am consumed: Social justice, progress, and balance.

I consider it a "public service". Sometimes it's hard, but mostly it's just "me." I'm "just sayin'", I guess.

Originally posted by wildtimes
reply to post by BlueMule

 

Hehe!! Point taken.
Actually, for the last many months, ATS is my "playground". But that doesn't mean I'm trolling. I'm deadly serious about the things with which I am consumed: Social justice, progress, and balance.

I consider it a "public service". Sometimes it's hard, but mostly it's just "me." I'm "just sayin'", I guess.

Well I'm glad you're here and I appreciate your service. I'm deadly serious.

Fundamentalists are not aware of the Divine spark in them, the spark which is playing a deadly serious game called 'I am an ego who is not aware of the Divine spark in me'. Through them, God plays hide-and-seek with itself. It's a good game. Not good in the sense of good-vs-evil but in a higher sense.

And it's a game that gives the opportunity for The Divine spark to play other games off it. For example the social justice game. Through people like you.

That isn't about downplaying the importance of these things, it's about elevating the concept of play to the absolute. But as you say most people don't act from their center of identity as the absolute. If they did, there would be no play. If God couldn't lose himself in the play, it wouldn't be worthy. Eternity would be boring. No novelty.

Most people act from a center of identity firmly planted in the ego. When the center of identity switches from the ego to the Atman (Atman = Brahman) one sees through maya (illusion). Then the nature of the game is revealed. That is part of enlightenment.

Presumably the justification for fundamental evangelicalism stems from the belief that the gospel hasn't been spread around enough already. As we type satellites are broadcasting the word to the entire globe. Irony?

Catholicism, Protestantism, Fundamentalism... I see a tree. The trunk, the limbs, and the branches.

I walked away from religion upon the realization that Protestantism is largely an extension of the HRC, rather than divorced from it. Politics. Protestant faiths, though they do not pray to the virgin or worship saints, still swear fealty to the Roman Church.

In affirming faith, anyone that recites the Apostle's Creed is thereby swearing belief in (submission to) the HRC, a ritual still practiced by Protestant denominations. So much for reformation. Organized religion reformed into something far more reaching than Catholicism.

reply to post by SlackOps


Thanks for your post. I agree with you.

(Edit): Oh! We share a join-date! Happy almost second anniversary!

reply to post by BlueMule


Very well said.
Thanks for your input.

reply to post by wildtimes

People must be allowed to grow their societies without coercion or threats of things that can't be proven (like hell and a personified "God") from outsiders.

The version of hell that is talked about in most Christianity, the one where the burning lasts forever is wrong as it is scripturally wrong, people will be erased from existence...they will burn away to nothing where the length of the burning is based on what they have done in this life. This length of time will range from a blink of an eye to much longer.

God's judgment on people in the past can be proven. The Cretaceous layer is the only layer that is universal around the whole world and was the last extinction level event. The layer is known as the chalk layer, as it is made up of calcium carbonate soft-bodied creatures that only form in water. Something like 95% of all the fossils on land are marine invertebrates. The father of modern stratigraphy, Nicolas Steno, has described the layering of sediments on the Earth as occurring from the Noachian deluge, meaning from Noah's flood. Steno's axioms of analyzing geological layers is still the mainstay in geological education today, several hundred years after he came up with his methods.

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah have been found. They were destroyed by the same fire as what will be used at the judgment of the wicked in the lake of fire. Chemical analysis of the sulfur balls found all over the destroyed city locations showed that the sulfur to be around 96-98% pure sulfur with the remainder of the elements made up of things that would make the sulfur burning even hotter, like magnesium metal for instance. The most pure sulfur ever found in nature is not much more than about 40% pure, the rest is impurities. This means the molten sulfur that fell on those cities only has about 20-30 times less impurities than any sulfur that is found naturally on Earth, whether from a volcano or otherwise. How those cities were destroyed can only be explained by supernatural intervention. This is not only proof that God exists, it is proof that is able to perform His judgments and capable of carrying account the Lake of Fire.




info on Sodom and Gomorrah discovery

To me it sounds like the person in need of an education is yourself and it would be cruel to impose your will on others, to ban evangelism ect. when the religion is a fundamental truth of science, archaeological, history for people who have studied the areas extensively and broadly. What is cruel is the education in the world that doesn't give fair hearing to the evidence for the Bible and God, so we end up with people thinking they actually know something, imposing their will on others based on ignorance of reality and false information.

P.S I didn't read the article in the OP, I am sure there are wrong ways to evangelize and right ways...just because some ignorant or retarded Christians don't evangelize the way they should does not mean that all should be banned.

OP, you deserve every star and flag for your post. Evangelicals are worse to me than satanists. The damage they are doing in unimaginable and a simple google search will render hundreds of articles that represent your post. We need legislation to stop these evil, vile people from making other countries commit heinous genocide against their own people. This issue needs to stay in the light. Thank you OP

reply to post by JesuitGarlic

To me it sounds like the person in need of an education is yourself and it would be cruel to impose your will on others, to ban evangelism ect. when the religion is a fundamental truth of science, archaeological, history for people who have studied the areas extensively and broadly. What is cruel is the education in the world that doesn't give fair hearing to the evidence for the Bible and God, so we end up with people thinking they actually know something, imposing their will on others based on ignorance of reality and false information.

Ya know, JG? I actually read your response/post with interest (as per usual), but then you said this ^^ !!

Balderdash. I'll take you on any day, son, but, T&C prohibit me from doing so in public.

reply to post by SinMaker


I appreciate your post in response to the OP.
I hope the message will get out there where it needs to be.

hasnt this been the organized religion's gameplan for thousands of years? this isnt really new.
they will exploit who is exploitable.

reply to post by Bisman

I know it's not "new". That's my entire point.
Thanks for chiming in.

Why do any of you care? If there is no God, no point to life, why waste your time fighting with people that believe the contrary? Sounds like many of you subconsciously believe, hence the wasted time posting anti Christian rants.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.-Mark 16:15

reply to post by SlackOps

In affirming faith, anyone that recites the Apostle's Creed is thereby swearing belief in (submission to) the HRC, a ritual still practiced by Protestant denominations.

I am thankful that I was brought up in a church that does not believe in creeds or dogma.
That is probably why I still go to church today.
I say what I think and people may disagree with that but in the end, we don't hate each other over it.
I think all churches should be that way, and cut out the nonsense.

reply to post by jmdewey60


I hope all america loses its religion and finds God.

Looks like the OP is seething with hatred, rather tragic to behold, almost as tragic as the meandering downward path that the United States is taking away from faith in God and transferring it to faith in so many things that are temporal, they are but for only an instant and then they are gone, returned to the dust of the earth.