Morality of Consumption

The Religion of the Market - Beliefnet Forums: "As one trained in Economics, it is not clear that consumption is particularly immoral. Whatever is consumed, is produced, and the producers derive economic benefit from the production. They in turn consume the production of others, who benefit right down to the peasants driven off their subsistence farms in China."

Emotional Resonance

God Helmets OBEs Illusions and a Cosmic Presence. - Beliefnet Forums: "There is credible evidence for me of some sort of emotional resonance between humans. Between lovers I don't think there is any question of the resonance although the transmission medium(s) can generate lovely arguments between skeptics arguing the normal 5 senses, and those arguing for some sort of ESP.

If that emotional resonance can be demonstrated in larger groups that have no (5) sensual connections, it is a small step to a large group including all people, or even all sentient entities which might be called a cosmic presence. As you know, I weigh in on the small group resonance scale with the village or parish being about the limit for strong resonance. Although I have experienced a general panic in a large city."

Teach your children well

Teach your children well - Beliefnet Forums: "An atheist does not live in a vacuum, and would have no more trouble than the priest, or God in noticing that certain behaviors facilitate living in the society of which hesh is a member. Hesh will adopt those that seem to work, and reject those like the inferiority of women that don't, and will create a moral structure which is relavent and useful for herm present society. This moral structure is much stronger and more useful as it is based on modern realities rather than a desert dwelling warlike tribe."

Mozart's music.

A D Music Hall - Beliefnet Forums: "Mozart turned the formulistic music of his devout predecessors on its ear, and introduced passion into music. He demanded intense involvement both of his performers and his listeners. In the process he changed music forever. It became a true communication medium for exploring the emotional range of human experience."

Are atheists really this stupid?

God exist proved scientificly - Beliefnet Forums: "Quote:
"My point is that we, humanity, will not progress, will not mature, will not coalesce, will not care for all, until we move away from religions and other dividing god beliefs."
I am not sure that all of humanity is ready to move away from religions and god beliefs. Some may be (and of course we will lead the way into the golden future [/sarcasm]) but others may need other paths to follow."

Love-and-Death - Forrest Church Sermon on Mortality

Love-and-Death.pdf (application/pdf Object) somewhere they and we share at least one common ancestor who, with twenty-twenty hindsight, would do the same for us if she were here. In fact, she is here. Those who have come before us must now use our hands to touch, our eyes to see. We carry them in our hearts and bones, we and our blood brothers and sisters, survivors of the miracle, of the ongoing miracle, never ceasing to amaze, pouring itself into new vessels, recreating itself, over and over again.

What caused the first cause? -

What caused the first cause? - Beliefnet Forums: "The God that caused God. It is turtles all the way down."

To Bob on the death of his father.

Bob,

In times like this my thoughts turn to two sources for the bittersweet comfort of being alive after the death of a loved one.

The first is Bob DeCormier's Legacy Which I hope you are familiar with. I will share a recording when you return if you wish.

The other is Forrest Church's stock sermon on Being Alive and Having to Die. made more poignant at this time with the final recurrence of his cancer.

My thoughts are with you and although Unitarians don't pray very well I am working on a prayer theory that might work even for us. I will try it out for you.

With love and hugs,

Love-and-Death.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Love-and-Death.pdf (application/pdf Object)After enjoying a year of fine health, this past Thursday I learned that my cancer had recurred, having spread to my lungs and liver. There is no way to sugarcoat this news. I shall undergo a regimen of chemotherapy, more for palliative than curative reasons, but must face the certainty that my cancer is terminal and the great likelihood that my future will be measured in months not years.

Plum Village - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Plum Village - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh: "Becoming a Buddha is not difficult because 'Buddha' means
someone who is enlightened, who is capable of loving and forgiving."

God Is Also a Flower

Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes | www.qsangha.org: "'God is Black.
But God is not only Black.
God is also White,
God is also a Flower.
So when a lesbian thinks of
her relationship with God,
if she practices deeply,
she can find out that
God is also Lesbian.
And God is Gay, too.
God is no less.
God is Lesbian,
and also Gay,
Black, White,
a Chrysanthemum.
And when you
discriminate against
Black or White
or Flower or Lesbian,
you discriminate
against God,
which is the basic
Goodness in you.'"

Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes | www.qsangha.org

Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes | www.qsangha.org: "Aware of the suffering brought about when we impose our views on others, we are committed not to force others, even our children, by any means whatsoever"

OBEs and the community consciousness.

God Helmets OBEs Illusions and a Cosmic Presence. - Beliefnet Forums: "the mind stays right where it is in the brain of the stressed individual, and it taps into the collective consciousness in an attempt to find a solution. The collective consciousness may be a shared resource made more available to the stressed person by the empathy of caregivers who may be actively seeking the community consciousness to direct assistance to the stressed individual. This is commonly known as prayer, but we don't want to upset the skeptics by a God word in our explanation."

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "Until science can show how those worshipers feed off of each other using understood communication channels, that is sight, sound, as anything but tuning mechanisms science might as well say it doesn't understand God and the human spirit. Saying either does not exist is faith not science."

Staycation

I like the "Middle of Nowhere in the middle of everything" The Sawyer Camp trail in San Mateo.

Pick a hotel in San Mateo, Half Moon Bay,SSF,even SFO will do, Woodside or wherever, and enjoy the short drive through the most beautiful country around. When you get to Sawyer Camp get out your bike, skates, walking shoes, running shoes, or even your strolling sandals. One can spend hours on each quarter mile of the 7 or so mile trail, watching the fog playing with the mountains, saying hello to the deer, and watching the most amazing assortment of humanity go by doing their own thing.

Response to "Hi" from internet friend.

Hi Shannon-

Thanks for asking, I have things working just as I hoped they would for this stage of my life, good job, good health, good singing in the SF Choral Society, family well and getting better, and all my friends at beliefnet to feed my need for stimulating conversation about important topics and to feed my blog. In the words of my health care provider, I am thriving!

I hope things are just as well for you and yours! Stay in touch.

God and dualism.

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "Until your modern scientific theory of consciousness can explain the presence of God in a group of worshipers, without an immaterial part to explain it, your modern scientific theory is simply scientific BS.

By the way, since there is no God in a Walmart, those spirits that try to connect with God for solace or guidance simply get lost and are doomed to haunt the Wallmart."

Collective consciousness defined.

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "I do find credible evidence for a 'collective consciousness' which is separate from the individual consciousness and accessible to individuals in times of emotional stress. It is nothing supernatural, just a multi-processor reservoir for the collected wisdom and lore of a tribe. The manifestation of this reservoir is called God by many tribes, and in these tribes rituals are created to reinforce the ability to access this collected wisdom called God."

Science, theology and OBEs

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "It may well be that at the current stage of scientific understanding of mental phenomena the theological explanation for OBEs may be as likely as the scientific."

On Bible study.

what do you think about being homosexual and being a christian? - Beliefnet Forums: "Worshiping the Bible is dangerous because it causes one to read it."

John Galt economics.

Our Economic Systems - Beliefnet Forums: "Randism is the best example of a secular relgion out there with the exception of Scientology. I have disassociated my self completely from objectivism and Randism, and refer to John Galt economics/philosophy when discussing the issues raised in Rand's novels. That offends everybody!"

Teach your children well

Teach your children well - Beliefnet Forums: "atheist children have to deal with fairly advanced moral concepts at an early age. Typical scenario,
Parent 'Don't take Billy's Toy'
Kid: 'Why'
Theist Parent 'God Says So'
Atheist Parent: 'Billy would cry if you took it.'
AK: 'So What?'
AP: 'If some other kid took your toy how would you feel?'
AK : 'I would cry''
AP: 'Just like Billy?'
AK: 'I guess Billy is just like me'
AP: Hugs kid, and finds a nice toy for herm.
AK: 'Thanks, loving atheist parent for teaching me the important moral lesson of empathy and the consideration of the moral rights of other kids to enjoy their toys and not to covet the other kid's toys.
AP: 'Oy Vey, this kid is gonna be a real challenge. I pity herm teachers when hesh gets to school."

Mist Trail and Ahwahnee at Yosemite

Kodakgallery.com Slideshow

I finally got the round tuit to add the top of Nevada Falls and another night at the Ahwahnee to my life to do list. Around 200 pictures in the 2 days distills down to about 30 worth sharing. The log that won't jump Nevada Falls is worth the trip.

Physical manifestations of faith

Is God a chordal resonance? - Beliefnet Forums: "This resonance is reinforced strongly each time the community joins to worship. As each comes to herm pew others will notice and as hesh genuflects the others notice, feel the resonance and reinforce the presence of God in the church."

Is God a chordal resonance?

Is God a chordal resonance? - Beliefnet Forums: "As humans tend to individualize groups. John's team, Mary's hospital, God's church, a group emotional resonance would be felt as an individual presence. If a tribe naturally developed an emotional resonance to mediate group morality and emotional support, the individual presence representing this group might well be co opted by a shaman as God. And then the rationalization would begin. Humans, being rationalizing animals would layer all sorts of supernatural omnipotent alpha humanoid traits on this individual presence and lo, and behold, God."

A skeptic's illusions of the gaps theory.

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "You are explaining OBE's, the God helmet presence, and NDE's as illusions, that is that the mind is fooled. All well and good, except that you have not explained the reality that is causing the mind to be fooled. Until you do that calling something an illusion is the same smoke and mirrors the magician uses to cause the scantily clad maiden to levitate."

Teach your children well

Teach your children well - Beliefnet Forums: "Responsible parenting is teaching your children your dreams, your fears, and yes, your Gods, and perhaps if you are really wise where your Gods have failed you."

Perfection in human terms

Atheism vs Religion - Another Perspective - Beliefnet Forums: "Perfection in human terms is rising above the common existence of people in one's society to teach better ways of relating with each other. It is usually a dangerous quest, as society generally is reluctant to change, especially if there is a God or gods involved. Gods of course deny any perfection associated with humans, as that would make humans better than Gods which are manifestly imperfect by any measure."

Abbado's Mozart c Mass

102.1 KDFC - Casual. Comfortable. Classical. - THE SACRED CONCERT: "MOZART: Mass in C minor, K. 427
Bonney, sop; Auger, sop
Blockwitz, ten; Holl, bass
Berlin Radio Choir; Berlin Philhamronic; Abbado, cond
Sony 46671"

love and death - Forrest Church

uuworld.org : love and death: "Yet without love, nothing matters. Break your life into a million pieces and ask yourself what of any real value might endure after you are gone. The pieces that remain will each carry love’s signature. Without love, we are left only with the aching hollow of regret, that haunting emptiness where love might have been."

Anthropocene

Daily Science Trivia from Scientific American: "* we should call the most recent era (starting about A.D. 1700) the 'Anthropocene,' in recognition of the increasing human impact on the planet."

Religious v. Rational worldviews

Religious v. Rational - Beliefnet Forums: "High intelligence and the ability to use it effectively is quite compatible with the religious worldview, and indeed some have applied that intelligence to understanding their worldview, that is explaining why having faith is beneficial to their lives. But the faith is not questioned, nor is their worldview about the purpose and meaning of their lives (and their science.)"

On the death of a friend.

A D Community Room - Beliefnet Forums: "So I too share in her legacy and will carry forward that memory. I was on the way to a visit to my son who asked about the visit, he is a part of our beliefnet atheist community, and so the ripples spread,"

Robber Barons or Socialist Princes?

Our Economic Systems - Beliefnet Forums: "Say what you will of the excessive wealth of the Robber Barons both modern and historical but most got that wealth by providing valuable services to their communities, one consumer at a time, at a very reasonable cost to each consumer."

Religious v. Rational worldviews

Religious v. Rational - Beliefnet Forums: "But unlike Catholics I understand much more about what the Mass is teaching because I don't believe. I can look at the myths and imagery from a rational worldview and integrate the useful lessons and images from them into my rational understanding of my relationships with other people and my own understanding of what it means to "be alive and have to die." Forrest Church.

Forrest Church on being alive and having to die.

In a Richard French Live Profile in Courage Forrest discusses the recent recurrence of the cancer which is almost certainly terminal within the year. A wonderful discussion well worth the too few minutes to watch. "If you want to learn how to live, you should watch someone who is awake and aware die."

Religious v. Rational worldviews

Religious v. Rational - Beliefnet Forums: "The rational worldview has no understanding of faith, or belief. When I say no understanding I mean there is no referent in the worldview for either word. I know what both words mean but can't come up with a mental state that corresponds to either."

Is a rational prejudice a good prejudice?

Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums: "Rational thought is not necessarily benevolent thought."

On stealing

Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums: "I will still think about nuanced applications, fair use of copyrighted material, as an example, or ripping an out of print CD with a direct contribution to the originator. But I can do this because I have thought about why I do not steal."

China Sacks Plastic Bags: Scientific American

China has it together. US considered it and the plastic guys said no. Guess who won. China Sacks Plastic Bags: Scientific American: "Yet, the Chinese government is set to ban the manufacture and force shopkeepers to charge for the distribution of bags thinner than .025 millimeters thick as of June 1"

Abner1 Questioning prejudices

Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums: "You don't seem to realize that you need to be able to question to figure out which things don't need further questioning ... You can't reasonably just put up a wall around your own prejudices and say 'My prejudices should not be questioned, only those that need questioning should be questioned' because the way you find out which prejudices didn't need questioning is to question them all and see which ones survive the light of rational thought!"

Harvard

Intuitive vs. Rational thinking - Beliefnet Forums: "Harvard? Isn't that some place back East, where they think that because they have 'Veritas' on their escutcheon that anything flowing from any orifice smells good?"

Religion induced atrophy of rationality

Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums: "Native intelligence of any level needs exercise if it is not to atrophy. If people are systematically denied the opportunity to use the mind to evaluate issues they lose the ability to do so. All they are left with are the religious indoctrinations that are designed to cover all situations without thinking,"

Judging the Harvard Monkey Lab Moral Sense Test

Intuitive vs. Rational thinking - Beliefnet Forums: "I spent the better part of a day reviewing their protocols, the rationale for their study, and took a few of their tests that were available on line. At the end of the day I decided that the study was sufficiently flawed that for my purpose, which is the justification of atheistic morality, their study warranted no more of my time."

Economic Success and Community Service

Intuitive vs. Rational thinking - Beliefnet Forums: "Just because the brilliant doctor is paid well for using his intelligence to cure cancer, does not mean he is not using his inherited gift to serve the community."

"Reason" to be Proud.

Intuitive vs. Rational thinking - Beliefnet Forums: "It is our ability to reason that is our major evolutionary advantage over animals that are instinctively more vicious, stronger, faster, and more agile than we are."

Reason and Moral Dilemmas.

Intuitive vs. Rational thinking - Beliefnet Forums: "To take Hauser's example, the decision to sacrifice the one on the siding to save the 5 on the main track, is not amenable to reason. If the five on the main track are fighting a gang war, and the one on the siding is a police officer trying to call in assistance or use his authority to end the fighting, reason cannot override the decision to divert the trolley to kill the officer."

Intuitive vs. Rational moral responses

Intuitive vs. Rational thinking - Beliefnet Forums: "The intuitive response to any moral situation is the integration of all we have learned about that type of moral situation, whether the learning was intuitive 'mama spank' or rational, 'that comment caused emotional injury, I shouldn't say that again.'"

Moral growth ends at puberty.

anyone who has survived the adolescence of their own children needs no studies to prove that any moral growth after puberty has a negative sign. Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums: "anyone who has survived the adolescence of their own children needs no studies to prove that any moral growth after puberty has a negative sign."

Moral fervor in Christians and atheists.

Atheists are born without sin so moral growth comes naturally as they mature from infancy to puberty when moral growth stops. Prejudice v Evidence - Beliefnet Forums: "As atheists are born without sin, and moral growth comes naturally as they mature from infancy to puberty when moral growth stops."