Morgaine

My answer to a question about the success of Western culture was censored because I said a certain group of people was more willing than any other to steal, rape, enslave and commit genocide. 10 points for the first person to guess which group that is. I maintain that stating a fact should not be a violation of the rules. Truth often hurts.

Today is a Pagan sabbat called Imbolc, which means "in the belly." It's about the Quickening, the first stirrings of life within the body of Mother Earth and a celebration of the waxing sun.

Are you enjoying this Holy Day?

Whenever anyone mentions gay marriage or plural marriage, the Christians seem to start talking about dogs and sheep. That creeps me out - I don't see how you can compare healthy human sexuality with that kind of sickness. Is there something going on with the Christian community that I don't know about? I don't want to be prejudiced and think people are... arrested in their sexual development, shall we say? But I really don't understand this trend.

Enlighten me, someone?

Had been deliberately altered and the actual gender of "god" was female - Shekhinah as opposed to Yahweh, for example - would it affect your religious beliefs?

I have a problem with some of the polygamous groups forcing young girls into plural marriages, but as long as everyone is over 18, I have no problem with marriage between more than two people. So why not? Who are we to judge?

If no, how do you know? If yes, how are they treated by you? By others? By management?

I thought that Chocolate and soft drinks were off limits - was there a change of some sort in recent years?

This is for all you Christians that think you're going to convert someone by telling them that they should believe "just in case." Do you really think your deity would be satisfied knowing someone believed in "him" just in case they might go to hell?

Really think about it for a minute and tell me - do you?

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0MKY/is_9_2...

Pope fears Bush is antichrist, journalist contends

Catholic New Times, May 18, 2003

WASHINGTON DC -- According to freelance journalist Wayne Madsden, "George W Bush's blood lust, his repeated commitment to Christian beliefs and his constant references to 'evil doers,' in the eyes of many devout Catholic leaders, bear all the hallmarks of the one warned about in the Book of Revelations--the anti-Christ."

Madsen, a Washington-based writer and columnist, who often writes for Counterpunch, says that people close to the pope claim that amid these concerns, the pontiff wishes he was younger and in better health to confront the possibility that Bush may represent the person prophesized in Revelations. John Paul II has always believed the world was on the precipice of the final confrontation between Good and Evil as foretold in the New Testament.

Does The Dude no longer Abide?

What happened, Dude?

I'm not talking about a screen goddess like Marilyn Monroe, but an actual female deity. I'm curious what people here know and/or think about the concept of the feminine divine.

If yes, how many other religions have you seriously studied?

Would you be willing to give up your religion (or for atheists, practice a religion) to make it happen?

I'm religious. I'm not Christian. My religion doesn't have people being tortured to death and it doesn't threaten this democracy. Why do people have to lump all religions together!

That god was a WOMAN?

I don't want to hear about what the bible says, that you don't need religion, whatever, I want to know what you would do if this were ACTUALLY TRUE.

Have you actually read the whole bible?

Let's just assume for a minute that there is a higher power and She is a Goddess who is the living Universe. She is everything that exists, including you.

If that were true, how would it affect your view of the world? Of religion?

Have you ever seriously considered the possibility? Why or why not? Can you really say you've considered religion rationally if you haven't?

Do you

1) consider the new idea, and try to think in a new way for a minute,

2) try to make it fit into a category you have heard of.

3) try to tell the person they don't know what they're talking about but you do - when you don't.

In other words, do you think in concrete terms or is your mind elastic enough to embrace an entirely new idea? Give me an example if you can.

How many people here have ever heard of Monotheasm, which is the belief in one Goddess. It's not like the trendy Wicca that focuses on polarity - it's a comprehensive view of the Universe as a living Goddess, and everything that is, was or ever will be co-exists within Her. Some of us call it Wicce.

It syncs up perfectly with evolution, quantum mechanics, chaos theory, genetics and other sciences. It is an extension of the Gaia hypothesis. It says that everything is connected so everything we do affects us eventually. It's a concept of not just perfect oneness, but the perfect source - 0 (zero) that flows into existence.

I'm not asking people to believe in it, I'm just curious as to how many of you have encountered it before, and whether any of you have ever seriously considered the idea of a living Universe or planet. I don't think it's for everyone, but I do think you can't have a complete understanding of religious concepts unless you've heard this part of the story.

Before you comment, read "Life Goes On":

http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/29/life_goes_on

If you didn't read it, you aren't up on the latest research. The study involved cases where brain activity was confirmed to have ceased as well as cessation of heart activity. Consciousnes survived during the absence of brain activity. There was no mistake. This is evidence that consciousness is non-local.

How does this evidence affect your view of life after death?