Author Topic: The Religion Thread (Read 362095 times)

Dilbert7 · « **Reply #720 on:** Sep 04, 2012 at 01:07 PM »

Quote from: devlin_waugh on Sep 04, 2012 at 09:40 AM

The Devil's in the deterrent

http://www.economist.com/node/21558214?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/dc/devilsinthedeterrent

"Appears that the authors have manipulated the data to fit their conclusions."
http://www.economist.com/node/21558214?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/dc/devilsinthedeterrent

I thought so too!

Let me guess: they are using different dictionary to define a crime - because they have other laws!
Or PROBABLY they treat crimes differently in those countries - err hide it?
nice-colored graph by the way!

sharkey360 · « **Reply #721 on:** Sep 04, 2012 at 06:28 PM »

Dilbert7 · « **Reply #722 on:** Sep 08, 2012 at 10:07 AM »

I know what rhetorics are for

and almost all of them are lies!

Politicians are the ones using those kind of language.

And surprisingly, majority do believe them (see come election day in the Philippines)!

So what's new under the sun?

Simple test: Action speaks louder than words!

sharkey360 · « **Reply #723 on:** Sep 14, 2012 at 08:22 PM »

Klaus Weasley · « **Reply #724 on:** Sep 14, 2012 at 09:23 PM »

Quote from: sharkey360 on Sep 14, 2012 at 08:22 PM

As opposed to Catholicism where they will bitch and whine until it becomes embarrassing.

leomarley · « **Reply #725 on:** Sep 15, 2012 at 08:39 AM »

barrister · « **Reply #726 on:** Sep 16, 2012 at 08:29 AM »

His material highness
Far from his holier-than-all image, the Dalai Lama supports such questionable
causes as India's nuclear testing, sex with prostitutes and accepting donations
from a Japanese terrorist cult.
By Christopher Hitchens
Tuesday, Jul 14, 1998 03:00 AM +0800

http://www.salon.com/1998/07/13/news_79/

leomarley · « **Reply #727 on:** Sep 16, 2012 at 09:03 AM »

Quote from: barrister on Sep 16, 2012 at 08:29 AM

His material highness
Far from his holier-than-all image, the Dalai Lama supports such questionable
causes as India's nuclear testing, sex with prostitutes and accepting donations
from a Japanese terrorist cult.
By Christopher Hitchens
Tuesday, Jul 14, 1998 03:00 AM +0800

http://www.salon.com/1998/07/13/news_79/

from the Wikipedia page of same author of that article, from his book God Is Not Great:

Quote

Above all, we are in need of a renewed Enlightenment, which will base itself on the proposition that the proper study of mankind is man and woman [referencing Alexander Pope]. This Enlightenment will not need to depend, like its predecessors, on the heroic breakthroughs of a few gifted and exceptionally courageous people. It is within the compass of the average person. The study of literature and poetry, both for its own sake and for the eternal ethical questions with which it deals, can now easily depose the scrutiny of sacred texts that have been found to be corrupt and confected. The pursuit of unfettered scientific inquiry, and the availability of new findings to masses of people by electronic means, will revolutionize our concepts of research and development. Very importantly, the divorce between the sexual life and fear, and the sexual life and disease, and the sexual life and tyranny, can now at last be attempted, on the sole condition that we banish all religions from the discourse. And all this and more is, for the first time in our history, within the reach if not the grasp of everyone.

sharkey360 · « **Reply #728 on:** Sep 16, 2012 at 09:11 PM »

The Ten Commandments according to George Carlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-RGN21TSGk

barrister · « **Reply #729 on:** Sep 16, 2012 at 10:25 PM »

Dalai Lama — Freedom Fighter
or just a great Salesman
by Yau-Man Chan, Mar 15 2009

... Just to set the record straight, I am a very severe critic of the Chinese regime as there are a lot to criticize them for — both my father and mother have lost members of their family to that regime for no other reason than owning enough properties to be considered capitalist dogs during the Cultural Revolution. However, the one-sided reporting of all the goings on in Tibet raise the skeptic ire in me.

... Whether it’s Times, Newsweek, Harpers, New Yorker or National Review, popular magazines in the U.S. all paint a rosy picture of a smiling avuncular Dalai Lama driven from his peaceful Utopian mountain paradise and appealing to the world to help him return. (“Help” usually means “send money.”) It is not until the curious readers get their hands on more academic publications like Foreign Affairs or Asian Journal of Political Science that a more studied picture of the real Tibet can be understood in context with its history, religion and culture. http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/03/15/dalai-lama/

barrister · « **Reply #730 on:** Sep 16, 2012 at 10:35 PM »

Down with the Dalai Lama
Brendan O'Neill
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 29 May 2008 20.00 BST

... The Dalai Lama demands religious freedom. Yet he persecutes a Buddhist sect that worships a deity called Dorje Shugden. He outlawed praying to Dorje Shugden in 1996, and those who defied his writ were thrown out of their jobs, mocked in the streets and even had their homes smashed up by heavy-handed officials from his government-in-exile.

... The Dalai Lama has effectively been turned into a cartoon good guy. In America and western Europe, where backward anti-modern sentiments are widespread amongst self-loathing sections of the educated and the elite, the Dalai Lama has been embraced as a living, breathing representative of unsullied goodness. Despite the fact that he advertises Apple, guest-edits Vogue and drives a Land Rover, he is held up as evidence that living the simple eastern life is preferable to, in the words of Philip Rawson, westerners' "gradually more pointless pursuit of material satisfactions". Just as earlier generations of disillusioned aristocrats fell in love with a fictional version of Tibet (Shangri-La), so contemporary un-progressives idolise a fictional image of the Dalai Lama.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/29/downwiththedalailama

barrister · « **Reply #731 on:** Sep 16, 2012 at 10:52 PM »

Trite Is Trite, Even In Robes
Wednesday, 31 October 2007 17:37

I'm sure the Dalai Lama is a wise, insightful and altogether wonderful human being. He must be. Everyone says so.

... Nobody plays guru better. No debate there. Wherever he speaks, the atmosphere is electric, and there aren't many septuagenarians who can pack theatres and stadiums worldwide with two hours of extemporaneous talk. But much as I like a little crackle in the air, I can't gush about ancient wisdom made flesh until I hear some substance in the words.

... "The concept of war is outdated," quoth the Lama. To do away with external conflict, we must first change inside. "First inner disarmament, then outer disarmament."

Whoah, as surfer dudes are wont to say.

Then there was this trenchant observation: "We all come from our mother's womb. Therefore we all have the same potential for compassion."

At one point, the Dalai Lama indicated the source of humanity's problems by silently gesturing to his heart.

The audience loved it, as they always do. But I couldn't help but notice that, theatrics aside, these words read like the transcript of three out of five episodes of Oprah.

http://www.dangardner.ca/index.php/articles/item/214-trite-is-trite-even-in-robes

barrister · « **Reply #732 on:** Sep 16, 2012 at 11:23 PM »

Dalai Lama: Savior, or Selfish Jerk?
Posted on May 14, 2012 by Brian Dunning

... The Dalai Lama — who has maintained his headquarters in India ever since the 1959 escape from Chinese forces in Tibet — is today basically a fundraiser.

... There’s not a thing wrong with what the Dalai Lama campaigns for, or with his fundraising — and here’s where I want to be clear — so long as he’s honest about how the funds are going to be used. None of the Dalai Lama’s raised hundreds of millions of dollars benefit Tibetan citizens in the slightest.

http://skeptoid.com/blog/2012/05/14/dalai-lama-savior-or-selfish-jerk/

barrister · « **Reply #733 on:** Sep 17, 2012 at 04:12 PM »

Behind Dalai Lama's holy cloak
Michael Backman
May 23, 2007

... No mere spiritual leader, he was the head of Tibet's government when he went into exile in 1959. It was a state apparatus run by aristocratic, nepotistic monks that collected taxes, jailed and tortured dissenters and engaged in all the usual political intrigues.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/behind-dalai-lamas-holy-cloak/2007/05/22/1179601410290.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

rexFi · « **Reply #734 on:** Sep 17, 2012 at 04:26 PM »

Quote from: Dilbert7 on Sep 08, 2012 at 10:07 AM

...

So what's new under the sun?

....

ahhh... from my favorite out of the canonical books!

Ecclesiastes

barrister · « **Reply #735 on:** Sep 17, 2012 at 05:11 PM »

Dalai Lama Cult: Postmodern Neo-feudalism and the Decline of the West
by Gearóid Ó Colmáin / June 11th, 2012

... According to the Dalai Lama, the Dorje Shugden are traitors to the cause of Tibetan independence. Such is the Tibetan leader’s “tolerance”. The Dalai Lama’s violations of human rights are rarely, if ever, mentioned among the cacophony of hysterical “free Tibet” sloganeering in the mass media.

Death threats and the ostracism of whole families who practice this traditional form of Buddhism are common in Dharamsala. Thousands of people have had to flee Dharamsala due to the “tolerant” Dalai Lama’s commands. Many people have been murdered.

... Breaking with official orthodoxy, the France 24 report admitted that the Dalai Lama and his independence movement has no popular support in Tibet and that many Tibetans actually fear a return to the days of Lama autocracy.

... The Dalai Lama’s problem with these Buddhists is simply that they worship the symbolic god Dorje Shugden and not “his holiness, the Dalai Lama”. The exiled leader is persecuting Buddhists for not worshiping himself and his insatiable desire to become the puppet dictator of a ‘free Tibet’ under NATO hegemony. Any worshiper of Dorje Shugden is, then, automatically dismissed as an ‘agent’ of China.

http://dissidentvoice.org/2012/06/dalai-lama-cult-postmodern-neo-feudalism-and-the-decline-of-the-west/

eee.dee · « **Reply #736 on:** Sep 17, 2012 at 06:03 PM »

“Religion is something left over from the infancy of our intelligence, it will fade away as we adopt reason and science as our guidelines.” -Bertrand Russell

rexFi · « **Reply #737 on:** Sep 17, 2012 at 07:55 PM »

^ ...But man is always influenced by thought of some kind, his own or somebody else’s; that of somebody he trusts or that of somebody he never heard of, thought at first, second or third hand; thought from exploded legends or unverified rumours; but always something with the shadow of a system of values and a reason for preference.

A man does test everything by something. The question here is whether he has ever tested the test.”

- G.K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936)

sharkey360 · « **Reply #738 on:** Sep 18, 2012 at 10:01 AM »

Quote from: eee.dee on Sep 17, 2012 at 06:03 PM

“Religion is something left over from the infancy of our intelligence, it will fade away as we adopt reason and science as our guidelines.” -Bertrand Russell

I can relate with that. Russell's right.

Dilbert7 · « **Reply #739 on:** Sep 18, 2012 at 01:30 PM »

well well

even those who do not believe in God has religion!

Their own brand of religion! - - - called by some other name

Nelson de Leon · « **Reply #740 on:** Sep 18, 2012 at 03:42 PM »

Dapat ata may separate thread na about the bible...

barrister · « **Reply #741 on:** Sep 18, 2012 at 04:58 PM »

Quote from: Nelson de Leon on Sep 18, 2012 at 03:42 PM

Dapat ata may separate thread na about the bible...

Maganda rin yon sir.

=========================================

Innocence of Muslims: a dark demonstration of the power of film
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula's movie is a bigoted piece of poison calculated to inflame
the Muslim world. It ought to be treated with the contempt it deserves
Posted by Peter Bradshaw
Monday 17 September 2012 17.05 BST

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2012/sep/17/innocence-of-muslims-demonstration-film?newsfeed=true

Family of California man linked to anti-Islam film goes into hiding
September 18, 2012 8:34am

LOS ANGELES - Family members of a California man linked to an anti-Islam film that triggered violent protests across the Muslim world went into hiding on Monday, with sheriff's deputies escorting them from their home to an undisclosed location, authorities said.

The family of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, was accompanied from their two-story stucco house in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos before dawn on Monday, Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/274476/news/nation/family-of-california-man-linked-to-anti-islam-film-goes-into-hiding

Anna Gurji & 'Innocence Of Muslims': Horrified
Actress Writes Letter Explaining Her Role
The Huffington Post | By Kia Makarechi
Posted: 09/17/2012 10:25 am Updated: 09/17/2012 3:52 pm

Anna Gurji is one of the actresses who starred in "Desert Warrior," a movie that was supposed to be about tribal battles prompted by the arrival of a comet on Earth. Unfortunately, "Desert Warrior" was given a heavy dose of dubbing and post-production editing. The film is now known by a new, infamous name: "Innocence of Muslims."

The anti-Islam movie, which now centers on a negative portrayal of Muhammad, has led to riots around much of the Arab world. After a series of bizarre twists involving false identities, the man behind the project has been identified as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a man with a criminal past that includes convictions on federal fraud and methamphetamine charges. Nakoula was taken in for questioning early Saturday morning, but was not under arrest.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/anna-gurji-innocence-of-muslims-letter_n_1890041.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment

sharkey360 · « **Reply #742 on:** Sep 18, 2012 at 06:56 PM »

46% of Britons say they are non-religious: largest single category of identity

Results of the 29th British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA) have been released today, with 45.7% of respondents claiming that they do not belong to a religion. The results also show that levels of religious practice remain static at a low level, with only 14.3% claiming to attend religious services once a week or more. A large number of people have left the religion which they were brought up in. Compared with the results of the first BSA in 1983, this year’s results show that religious identity in Britain has been in decline over the past three decades.

In answer to the question ‘Do you regard yourself as belonging to any particular religion?’ 45.7% of respondents to the 29th BSA said that they did not. The religion with which the largest number of individuals identify is ‘Church of England’ at 21.1%. 8.7% of respondents identfied as ‘Roman Catholic’, and 10.1% identified as ‘Christian’ but did not give a specific denomination. 3.4% of respondents identified as ‘Muslim’, 2.2% as ‘Hindu’, 0.8% as ‘Jewish’, 0.4% described as ‘Sikh’, and 0.2% as ‘Buddhist’.

In 1983, when the first BSA was conducted, only about one in three (31%) claimed not to belong to a religion. The data on religious practice in this year’s BSA also shows that the number of people who attend religious services on a regular basis has remained almost static. In answer to the question ‘Apart from such special occasions as weddings, funerals and baptisms, how often nowadays do you attend services or meetings connected with your religion?’, only 14.3% said that they attend once a week or more. In last year’s BSA, 14% said that they attend religious services at least weekly.

The question on religious upbringing shows many respondents have left the religion which they were brought up in. 45.7% of respondents claim not to have a religion now, but only 18.3% of respondents said that they were brought up in a family which did not have a religion. The non-religious group therefore includes a large number of people who had a religious upbringing but decided to leave their faith.

Pavan Dhaliwal, BHA Head of Public Affairs, commented ‘Religious identities in Britain have been in decline over the past few decades and religious practice has remained static at a low level. These figures should be borne in mind when the upcoming results of the 2011 Census results are released, as the Census results routinely exaggerate the number of religious believers in the population. Certain government ministers have recently taken a more aggressive stance regarding the role of religion in public life, and have claimed that Britain is still a Christian country. We urge the government to take note of these new survey results, and to recognise the fact that almost half of the British population are in fact non-religious.’

http://www.humanism.org.uk/news/view/1117

Nelson de Leon · « **Reply #743 on:** Sep 18, 2012 at 08:57 PM »

Quote from: barrister on Sep 18, 2012 at 04:58 PM

Maganda rin yon sir.

Yes. And let's concentrate more on application sa buhay natin with reference to the bible teachings. Help me draft the topic.

barrister · « **Reply #744 on:** Sep 19, 2012 at 12:57 PM »

Suggestion lang: The bible in Christian life.

Then clarify in the threadstart post that the topic is for Christians. Atheists and non-Christians, sa religion thread na lang mag post.

Even without the atheists and other non-Christians, giyera patani pa rin yan. Pero at least hindi masyadong kalat-kalat ang discussions.

Klaus Weasley · « **Reply #745 on:** Sep 19, 2012 at 03:54 PM »

Do you think religiosity is detrimental to the progress of the Philippines? I noticed a lot of our poor citizens may have simply given up on trying to better their lives, accepting the fact they're poor, thinking maybe if they go to church enough, the Lord will make up for their crappy Earth lives with eternity in paradise.

JT · « **Reply #746 on:** Sep 19, 2012 at 04:43 PM »

Quote from: Nelson de Leon on Sep 18, 2012 at 08:57 PM

Yes. And let's concentrate more on application sa buhay natin with reference to the bible teachings. Help me draft the topic.

Subject : The Christian Thread or The Christian Life

dpogs · « **Reply #747 on:** Sep 19, 2012 at 05:10 PM »

Quote from: Klaus Weasley on Sep 19, 2012 at 03:54 PM

Do you think religiosity is detrimental to the progress of the Philippines? I noticed a lot of our poor citizens may have simply given up on trying to better their lives, accepting the fact they're poor, thinking maybe if they go to church enough, the Lord will make up for their crappy Earth lives with eternity in paradise.

well, most Filipions are just religious... not 'true' Christians... thats the main reason i believe.

what do you expect if majority are not true Christians!!!

rexFi · « **Reply #748 on:** Sep 19, 2012 at 05:11 PM »

Quote from: JT on Sep 19, 2012 at 04:43 PM

Quote from: Nelson de Leon on Sep 18, 2012 at 08:57 PM
Yes. And let's concentrate more on application sa buhay natin with reference to the bible teachings. Help me draft the topic.

Subject : The Christian Thread or The Christian Life

pwede rin, Your Life Lessons From The Bible,
medyo magiging personal nga lang malamang maraming Overshare

Quote from: Klaus Weasley on Sep 19, 2012 at 03:54 PM

Do you think religiosity is detrimental to the progress of the Philippines? I noticed a lot of our poor citizens may have simply given up on trying to better their lives, accepting the fact they're poor, thinking maybe if they go to church enough, the Lord will make up for their crappy Earth lives with eternity in paradise.

I don't know where you got this, but I guess you haven't encountered the Issue (The Debate Within) within Evangelical circles.

Groups who believe that God Prospers believers and groups who believes just that, yung nakaBold sa quote ko sayo.

Yun bang Hyper-"Prosperity Gospel" groups vs. God is not Sta. Claus groups.

Nelson de Leon · « **Reply #749 on:** Sep 19, 2012 at 08:04 PM »

Eto kaya, The Importance of the Bible in our Christian Walk.