[Brown]

johnh wrote:

Wow…can’t think it through eh? Didn’t say they were the same. The point is that everyone has a religious belief of some type. So let’s say this…everyone also has a brain so brains cause all war. The fact that everyone has downing common has no direct correlation with the evil they do. Most conscripts in war fight because they are pressed into the service.

You seem to be arguing in favor of the point I originally made. I essentially said that while many wars and atrocities are committed by religiously influenced people, it is hard to trace it back to the actual religion causing the acts. I’m not really interested in arguing about whether you like a phrase I typed when taken out of context.

[Brown]

Shoes and religion are not the same. One teaches you a code of behavior and belief and frames how you see the world. Shoes just keep your feet from getting sore. Not a good analogy.

[Brown]

I’m glad my thread spawned these comments. I like them a lot. Wish I had more to add.

[Brown]

I never said most wars are caused by religion, only that most people starting wars are religious. It’s easy to trace it back to a particular religion if you’d like and it is always some kind of influence. Do you really think Hitler was targeting a particular religious group for non-religious reasons? But it was definitely not a large Christian church backing his actions, so do you blame it on the Christians or on a crazy guy who was raised Christian? I would say the latter.

[Brown]

Considering that most of the people in this world are religious, generally any good or evil can be traced back to religion if you want. But really it’s the few religious zealots that cause a lot of harm because they cannot listen to reason. Faith demands they ignore it and once someone convinces them that God demands they act, they must. And when a religious zealot gets in a position of power we end up with the Taliban or the Crusades or the Salem witch trials or the Spanish Inquisition, etc.

I think life generally sucks for most people, so the belief that this is just a temporary trial gives comfort and hope, regardless of the truth of it.

Also, you have to wonder why so many people believe in an afterlife and nearly every culture has come to that conclusion on their own.

[Brown]

I think a lot of these end up being the result of looking for the answer you want, rather than using the scientific method to derive the actual correct answer to an ubiased question.

[Brown]

I think the only reason the divorce rate is so high now, is that women couldn’t ever leave before without being wholly shunned by society. It’s only really been an option for about 30-40 years. But you can be sure there were plenty of terrible marriages.

[Brown]

I don’t know. I couldn’t do it today. I showed up sat in my seat for 5 minutes and came home. Just couldn’t do it.

[Brown]

Roadrunner wrote:

It seems that it would be easier for a God to test us by creating a simulator (e.g. brain in a jar) than by creating a whole universe.

Or we might be actually plugging into a simulator while never leaving wherever it is the “preexistence” actually is located.

Another theory I supposed was that perhaps only a few percent of the earth are actual “spirits” and could be considered real, while the rest are simulated. I mean how many people will you really talk to and experience on a personal level. Certainly not more than a 1,000. I bet it’s only around 100 for me. The brief interactions we have with most people could easily be a script or program.

[Brown]

This idea has always made a lot of sense to me. Obviously one cannot learn everything they need to become an advanced spiritual being in one go ’round.

I’ve often wondered if I am not my own forefather. My wife thinks this is a nutty idea, but personally, I just don’t see there being 100,000,000,000 souls (estimated total people to ever live) in the kingdom of heaven, or whatever.

[Brown]

I’ve always thought it interesting that when a large animal gets severely injured, the “humane” thing to do is to just put them out of their misery (i.e. Kill them). But when a person is in for a lifetime of suffering, there is no “humane” treatment, only “let God decide”. Just ironic that humans don’t get humane treatment.

I had a friend who watched his Dad slowly die of cancer and he said that if he thought he could have got away with it, he would have killed him out of mercy. For some people, death is the only comfort possible. At the other end of the life spectrum, is it better to end a fetus early, or let the child live and be born into a life of pain and suffering? Would you rather desperate teenagers leave a newborn in a trash can to die or just get an abortion?

As for military killings, Sometimes you have to kill a lot of people to save even more people. It’s a drag, yes, but it only takes a few really bad guys to cause a lot of suffering of innocent people.

And I would kill a person attempting to do serious harm to my family without hesitation. To me, my family’s life is more important than anyone else’s and if forced to make a choice, I will make it.

Nobody “supports” killing, but it is naive to think it is black and white.

[Brown]

turinturambar wrote:

I mentioned to a colleague of mine that one of my pet peeves in church is the sheer number of people needing electronic devices just to get through the meeting. She was shocked. I probably should have kept it to myself, but it is really discouraging to me. Why don’t they just stay home? (I know there is probably social pressure…)

.

Social pressure

Family pressure

Not wanting to become ward project

Have other calling that “forces” attendance.

If I was single I wouldn’t go more than 3x a year. As is, I attend more than that and sometimes I require a bit of digital distraction to make it through, yes.

If I was Prophet for a day, I’d make Sacrament meeting a 20 minute service just for the sacrament and then split for two 50 minute blocks for classes.

[Brown]

mackay11 wrote:

Hang on, brain fart…

Do you bare a testimony or bear it?

That depends. Are you exposing it or presenting it?

[Brown]

Logically thinking out the probability and possibility of not only finding the names of everyone ever born, but also having the time to go through a 3 hour session for them, it becomes obvious God has a plan B. And I mean, we agreed not to do Jews anymore, so that kinda messes up the whole idea anyway.

So honestly, I don’t know why we do it. It’s an excuse to go, I guess.

[Brown]

God is God. He knows everything, even what we are going to suggest. And God directs the prophet. So what would be the point?

(Or I am guessing the thought process, goes….)

[Author]

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