Male and Female Imponderables-Then he kissed me
POSTED BY: msg
UPDATED: Thursday, November 2, 2006 17:18
VIEWED: 11912
PAGE 7 of 13
long the same lines, one definition of Pagan is basically equivalent to being a country dweller (hick) or from the country or a rural district, used to make the Christians feel superior while using the current religions' holidays with new meaning.
Quote:
Originally posted by JonnyQuest:
Why does everyone insist on coloring outside the lines?
What ?!?!? There are lines ?!?!?
~Jimi
jimi dot spettel at gmail dot com
Self-Proclaimed Grand Vizier of Georgia
- Animation by DesktopHippie
"Marijuana not only should be legal, it should be manditory." - Bill Hicks
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I was recently informed by a friend of mine that a book he had read on the comparative breakdown of religions made the claim that Buddhism is not so much it's own religion as an applicable philosophy.
Even though I'm Christian, I've read a great deal of Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist texts. At the height of my "Samurai thing", as my friends refer to it, they would actually argue to me that I was not Christian because of how much I knew and practiced from Eastern religions. My fallback was that the only real deffinition of a Christian is someone who beleives in the divinity of Christ.
The entire nation of Japan claims Shintoism as it's native religion, but "Buddhist" would be the most likely answer you'd get from any Japanese person you asked. The reason for this dates back to the Nara period, 710 - 784, when Buddhism was made a permanent institution by Emperor Shomu. Later, during the Ashikaga Bakufu (1336 - 15...something), Shintoism was brought back into the national eye, and the two religions have co-existed ever since. Most Japanese Buddhists do, or used to, consider themselves to be Shintoist as well.
Also, don't get me started on the extreme differences between certain types of Buddhism. When I frist studied it, I thought it was devoid of gods and the like, but I've read several Japanese manuscripts refering to Buddhist hell, demons and magic.
[IMG]
Place my body on a ship and burn it on the sea,
Let my spirit rise, Valkiries carry me.
Take me to Valhalla where my brothers wait for me.
Fires burn into the sky, my spirit will never die.
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I'd say I'm a both person too. I pretty much am an animal lover I guess. Though I've never owned a dog. Mainly cause I'm lazy. Which is why it sounds so funny to me that everyone is saying cat owners are staff workers. Cats are the most low maintenance pets I can think of. Change the liter and refill the water daily and fill up the gaint food dispenser maybe twice a month tops. Done and done. Dogs require walks probably twice a day at the least just so they can do their business. Tons of training when they're puppies. It's near impossible to control their barking. There's just no way I would be able to put up with all that on my own. Dogs seem like 50% chore 50% fun. Cats are more like 10% chore 70% fun 20% whatever they decide they want to do. In my experience at least.
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Nighty night PR!
JQ - PR works the midnight shift.
Cat or Dog person: Well I have 2 cats (mainly cuz the little one wanted one and he seemed so lonely so we got him a freind) I personally do not like cats. I would rather have a dog. But I am not really a dog person. I like exotic pets. I had a one time 5 ferrets an iguana and a ball python in my house before the little one was born. Now I have the python and 2 cats. The ferrets were not very child friendly so we had to get rid of them and the iguana was a grumpy little SOB so we got rid of him. My daughter loves the python. It is her favorite pet.
So how did we get talking abou religion?
Kelkhil
The Shirtless Forsaken
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Quote:
Originally posted by JonnyQuest:
But one more thing...It's only noon your time isn't it? going to bed at this hour?
Since I think PR is gone, I'll answer for her...
I do believe she works the night shift, JQ.
And to the main discussion right now...to anyone interested in the application of Zen/Buddhism/Taoism to Christianity, I would highly recommend a book called Zen Catholicism by Dom A. Graham - It's pretty dense stuff, but a wonderful exploration on how Zen can be understood to enhance the Christian understanding of God.
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Catholicism-Dom-Alfred-Graham/dp/0824514254
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Zeek- having both dogs and cats I'd have to agree. Dogs are a great deal more work and trouble, but they're just so damn cute:)
CMH- I'd agree with the definition of a Christian as someone who believes in Christ and his teachings...so I think you can be both Christian and something else.
Jonny- I'm very changeable. It's part of my charm LOL Mostly I'm just a person who believes that all religions share pieces of the truth and that the only real requirement for the afterlife is that you were a person who tried to bring good to the world and is kind to all living things... but I'm weird that way
I choose to rise instead of fall- U2
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Okay, the short version of my religion. *nods* to PhoenixRose and *winks* to RiverTwin; *bows* to the rest and sundry.
The is a verse in the Bible that says, "Thy Word is Truth." Most interpretations take that to mean the Bible is the (only) Truth (that gets you into Heaven). My read is a little different: if it's true, it's God's Word. So I'm a pan-religious buffet partaker. While I have Christian upbringing and higher euducation behind me, I freely sample the truth whatever the source. I understand what you mean CMH.
I'm an animal person. Cat, dog, baby bunny; I love 'em. Yappy little dogs and PEEPing birds not such a big fan. I consider the Gorilla my totem. Am I weird?
EDIT:
MsG, Get out of my head and quit stealing my ideas.
RE: PR. I knew that once. Damn I'm gettin' old. Forgettin' everything. Thanks Kelkhil. *still not speaking to Mavourneen, but would thank her if I was.*
I used to call myself a Zen Christian but there are two websites out there now claiming that title, neither like the other, and I wouldn't want people confused. In my view at that time, Christianity thaught the right way to get to Heaven and Buddhism taught the right way to live on Earth. 
"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"
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I love the term "applicable philosophy". But some sects of Christianity preach against philosophy, visions, and fortune telling. I'd always had a problem with that. Isn't it god who gave us free will? To explore the ideas and possibility of things is to be human. And of course ultimately Christianity is believing in the little baby Jesus. All eight pounds, six ounces of his holy goodness. Though I will not claim to be Christian, I will honestly say that God sent Jesus to show folks how to live. Even just looking at him as any other man, I believe in his teachings. His "applied philosophy".
Question: Buddist "hell" and "demons". Are these the spirit of bad things or bad lifepaths? Maybe the lack of the souls freedom after the body dies? Or maybe the angry things that hold on or attach themselves to others after the passing of ones body? Just curious.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kelkhil:
Nighty night PR!
JQ - PR works the midnight shift.
Cat or Dog person: Well I have 2 cats (mainly cuz the little one wanted one and he seemed so lonely so we got him a freind) I personally do not like cats. I would rather have a dog. But I am not really a dog person. I like exotic pets. I had a one time 5 ferrets an iguana and a ball python in my house before the little one was born. Now I have the python and 2 cats. The ferrets were not very child friendly so we had to get rid of them and the iguana was a grumpy little SOB so we got rid of him. My daughter loves the python. It is her favorite pet.
So how did we get talking abou religion?
Kelkhil
The Shirtless Forsaken
It's like this. I think Pagan like cats more and Christians like dogs more. Nothing scientific, just an observation...
"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"
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