Hey Joe
Imagine – Right Livelihood
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
John Lennon ~ Imagine
One of the principles of the Buddha’s Continue reading “Imagine – Right Livelihood”
Red Heads and Lime Green VWs
When I think of my Aunt Gayle I think of a big, lop-sided smile and red hair. Her hair had been many colors through her life, but mostly it was red. Folks who knew her called her a lady. She always presented herself perfectly coiffed and perfectly dressed. Her manners were in the same mode, but she was as earthy as my father was prudish. I say earthy, but more in a matter of fact Mother Nature sort of way. It was a refreshing combination.
Her online handle was Sewing Mama. She had always sewn, but in the later part of her life she discovered quilting. She was very good at it, and was widely acknowledged as being so. She obviously enjoyed the process and the recognition. Continue reading “Red Heads and Lime Green VWs”
The 3 Abrahamic religions explained
This is one of the best succinct explanations that I have seen.
It is from this blog DJ Allyn – The Soundtrack for my Life
The following is an accurate Description of the three Abrahamic Religions:
There are three major religions in this world — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All of them worshiping the same God — the God of Abraham.
Each has their own religious book that outlines their story, their history, and rules to live by.
Think of each of them like a movie. The Torah is the first one, and the New Testament is the sequel. Then the Qu’ran comes out, and it reconstructs the last one like it never happened. there is still Jesus, but he is not the main character any more, and the messiah hasn’t shown up yet.
Jews like the first movie but ignore the sequels, (Matrix Trilogy) Christians think you need to watch the first two but the third movie doesn’t count. (The Godfather Trilogy) Muslims think the third one was the best (The Starwar prequels), and Mormons like the second one so much that they started writing fan fiction that doesn’t fit with ANY of the series canon.
Of course, the author of this seems to have forgotten Hinduism and Buddhism which are also major world religions, but they do come from a different movie studio.
Something to chew on…
Scary truth about drugs and religion in the home
Quoted from “Sexual Abuse in Christian Homes and Churches” by Carolyn Holderread Heggen:
A disturbing fact continues to surface in sex abuse research. The first best predictor of abuse is alcohol or drug addiction in the father. But the second best predictor is conservative religiosity, accompanied by parental belief in traditional male-female roles. This means that if you want to know which children are most likely to be sexually abused by their father, the second most significant clue is whether or not the parents belong to a conservative religious group with traditional role beliefs and rigid sexual attitudes. (Brown and Bohn, 1989; Finkelhor, 1986; Fortune, 1983; Goldstein et al, 1973; Van Leeuwen, 1990)
What is up with that?
Here is my premise:
Mankind is busy destroying the ecosystem to a point that it may drastically affect our quality of life. It will probably also cause untold suffering and deaths in the next 30, 40 or 50 years if we do not change our course of action.
I think we can agree that there are numerous societies and countries across the world that are pretty screwed up. I am not going to except the USA as I believe that we are a society based on capitalism. The heart of capitalism is greed, one of the worse human traits.
The well being of individuals are based on environmental and societal conditions.
My question:
To me the above implies that any God does not care for the world or societies at large. Continue reading “What is up with that?”
Would this treaty be signed today?
From the book, Doubt: A History, by Jennifer Michael Hecht:
As second president of the United States, Adams signed into law the Treaty of Tripoli (1797), which declares that “the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion” and is in no way an enemy to Muslims. On this basis “it is declared…that no pretext arising from religious opinion shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.” Further, “The United States is not a Christian nation any more than it is a Jewish or a Mohammedan nation.” It was carried unanimously by the Senate.
I just have a hard time believing that a treaty containing such language would be passed at all today, let alone unanimously!
I could even see the Okie delegation storming out in protest.
Epicurus’ old questions
Since we are being sophomoric here, and pondering some of the old questions here is one.
The monotheistic problem of evil is often summarized as a trilemma cited in David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (book 10):
“Epicurus’ old questions are yet unanswered. Is he [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?“
Note on April 8, 2009
Apparently it is going to remain unanswered.
Memes, is there a self?
I just finished reading a book by Susan Blackmore, The Meme Machine.
Meme may be an unfamiliar term to you so I will attempt to explain to the best of my limited ability. All of us are familiar with DNA and genes; these can also be termed replicators. It is how the blueprint of a species is passed down the generations. Modifications/mutations of DNA are the backbone of evolution.
Memes were not first proposed by Ms. Blackmore, but she explores the concept deeply. It is her contention that what separates Homo sapiens from other species is our ability to imitate. Continue reading “Memes, is there a self?”
Instructions for Life – The Dali Lama
A good friend passed these on to me… Thanks Robin
- Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
- When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
- Follow the three R’s:
- Respect for self
- Respect for others and
- Responsibility for all your actions.
- Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
- Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
- Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
- When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
- Spend some time alone every day.
- Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
- Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
- Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
- A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
- In disagreements with loved ones deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
- Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
- Be gentle with the earth.
- Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
- Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
- Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
- Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.