Anyone non-religious here? Please be nice!

[curliet]

Actually, I know about the left and right brain thinking, but I was referring more to the vast part of our brain that doesn't get used at all. My thought is that we all might have very awesome abilities that we just don't know about. We've all heard about Native People having visions, and I think that it's those who have begun to unlock those parts of their brains to let themselves interpret the world around them. I believe that we could all be capable of "physic abilities" if we would only trust our own minds and thoughts. We've been taught not to use or trust those things, so that we won't question things that could give us the real answers. Hope that makes sense.

 

[thaiturkey]

The way that some church people behave in the US bible belt becomes more troubling to me with each revelation on this thread. I struggle to see how it can be that way in the world's wealthiest country with its constitutional freedoms and diverse ethnic ancestry. It hardly seems like civilised behaviour and I feel very sorry for people who are trapped in such places.

I come from a country where being non-religious, or at least not being a churchgoer, is the norm. Brits don't like being pushed around and the traditional churches (C of E, RC, Baptist and Methodist mainly) lost support for this and other reasons. Britain also has Mormons, JW's, Pentecostal and quite a few other sects that also regard themselves as the true Christianity. There are many Jews, of course. Nowadays there are Muslims, Seiks, Hindus, Buddhists, New Agers of various type, Spiritualists and probably many more. By and large there is no trouble between the different groups, although there are a few Muslim enclaves in large cities. Rarely in any area is one group of such a size that it can dominate a community. There are some areas of the country where most worshipping Christians might be chapel goers rather than church goers but I have never heard of any form of persecution against any minority group of believers or non-believers. Perhaps that's why I am so shocked by some of the stories that I have read here.

Christ, if the stories about him are true, was a Jew of a Jewish mother (we can't be sure about his father's religion!) with Jewish friends living in a Jewish society ruled by heathen Romans. How do the very picky bible belters feel about that - their hero was Jewish! And Christ, if the stories are true, overturned the old primitive religious rules and punishments and replaced them with pleas for love and tolerance. Am I right about that? It seems to me that a person who condemns someone for seeing god differently, or not at all, is very insecure in his own beliefs and not listening to Christian teachings.

I recall a true and amusing story told to me by a Jewish friend. She was at a family gathering when attention turned to her young niece. The young girl attended the local State school where, at the time, they had daily services with hymns that were Christian non-denominational. Jewish kids could stay away or join in the services as they wished and were allowed Jewish religious holidays. The young girl was asked by a relative at the gathering what she had been learning at school. She said that she had learned a nice song and was asked to sing it. So she sang. Picture the scene, a Jewish family gathered together on a Saturday afternoon and the young girl stands up in the middle of the seated adult group:


Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.


A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.


Jesus wants me to be loving,
And kind to all I see;
Showing how pleasant and happy
His little one can be.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.


I will ask Jesus to help me,
To keep my heart from sin;
Ever reflecting His goodness,
And always shine for Him.


A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.


I'll be a sunbeam for Jesus;
I can if I but try;
Serving Him moment by moment,
Then live with Him on high.


A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.


The room fell silent as she finished! The her uncle stood up after a few seconds and said, 'Well, he was a good Jewish boy!' The room erupted in laughter. How pleasant it would be if more of the Sunbeams could be as open minded and see life with a little more humour.

 

[KDbeads]

I think more of a collective knowledge for all of us plays a roll in ESP and the like. Mom and I are both clairvoyant to an extent. There are many times one of us will call the other and find out we've shared the same exact dream about the same person only to find out that they have just passed away or gone into a coma that they never come out of. Her cousin passed away a few months ago and I called her the morning he passed and asked if she'd heard yet. The next call she got was conformation on what we both already knew. We hid that from the church as well.
I have a particular dream come to me within a week of any major event in my life, it's always the same, always. I can be working outside and all of a sudden realize I've seen myself doing whatever it is before.


I waffle back and forth between deism and atheism, haven't made up my mind, probably never will.

 

[deb1]

ThaiTurkey, I don't want to give you the wrong impression about the Bible Belt. Those of us who grew up here, do see positives.

Where I am at, I am blessed with a more diversity then other areas because I live near a large American military base. Its not unusual for soldiers to marry spouses from the countries that they visit, so we do have variety of different cultures and religions in my area.

 

[thaiturkey]

Quote:
You should be able to get some good Thai food, then!

 

[KDbeads]

Yeah, I don't want to give anyone a bad impression of this area. It's beautiful. Bluebonnets are starting to bloom right now. And if I were to drive down to Austin (94 miles from here to the Whole foods Market)... I'd fit right in

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Quote:
Curliet,

That is the part of our brain they turn off so we'll obey the matrix!!!! Those aren't ghosts or angels those are the people who have been disconnected from the matrix!

 

[deb1]

Quote:
You should be able to get some good Thai food, then!

I can!

We have restaurants from Thai, India and a lot from Korea. There are military bases in Korea so there are a lot of soldiers who bring back Korean wives. I love Bulgogi(marinated beef) Yum!!

 

[1stepcloser]

Quote:
I drive an hour away to get to our nearst WholeFoods. I feel your pain.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Cool, I think I'm a Deist. I don't mind sharing a philosophy with Jefferson and Franklin.

I kept waiting for a Whole Foods or Central Market to move near where I live. I got a Sprouts instead, but it makes me happy. Considering the business that store is making, Whole Foods missed an opportunity.

Back on topic, sort of. Yesterday I had to go to diversity training; I'm a crossing guard, don't quite know why I need it since my interactions are limited to "hi", "have a good day", "nice morning, isn't it". I spend an hour and a half of my life listening to someone tell me what we all should have learned before we were five. Everyone is different from everyone else in some way. People have different religions, genders, ethnicity, skin colors, etc; don't use these differences to shut others out. Treat other people with respect. If you have stereotypes and prejudices, don't act on them. Be nice, if you don't know how someone wants to be addressed or treated, ask. I find it frankly appalling that businesses feel the need to train people on what should be basic moral/polite behavior. When did we become a nation where civility and basic human decency is so rare that it has to be taught in the workplace? Isn't this something that families and religious groups should be teaching? ARGHHHH!!!!

Sorry, rant off. But I did think it sort of relates to the topics discussed here on the this thread.

edited 'cause I can't spell.........