Tony

It is, after all, the only major one that still demands human sacrifice and supports slavery.

I am not trying to insult American liberals or leftists, but I was wondering why I keep hearing people call the Democrats "leftists. From what I've seen, any cursory glance of their goals shows that while they are to the left of Republicans, they are still considerably to the right of center and have a completely different set of goals from any traditional leftist group. Again, I don't wish to cone across as offensive to anyone, and this has nothing to do with my personal political beliefs, I am simply wondering.

As a person who has been around to see many leftist and rightist governments come and go, I fail to see what makes the Democrats far enough on the proper side of the spectrum to be considered "leftist". Any clarification would be good. Thank you in advance.

My son challenged me to find an argument that could convince an impartial bystander either way. I've got one supporting, but I just need one against as none of my personal friends have one. I'd prefer something with substance, not a sentence, personally. You know, points and counterpoints and whatnot.

Wikipedia loosely defines it as "an international cultural and intellectual movement with an eventual goal of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities." Think human mechanical augmentation, molecular nanotechnology, cryonics, AI, and at the extreme, brain uploading.

I, for one, approve greatly. What are your thoughts?

I am putting together a piece on Transhumanism for my local library, and I am trying to find out which religions, if any, are fundamentally incompatible with the Transhumanist ideology. So far, all I've managed is that the majority of Transhumanists are atheists or agnostics, but there are those with a religion as well. I've even found a Heathen, which surprised me to no end. That's rambling, but anyways, I was wondering if anyone here could assist in pointing out religions that are opposed to Transhumanism by their very nature.

Sources here would be very helpful, given the nature of the question.

-Tony

It's appalling how many people spend so much time yelling at everyone over who they think did it, even after most suspected groups fell apart or were hunted. I'm not talking about the guys who just calmly give their two cents, like "Well, I think it was (group)." Or "Guys, I think they're wrong, it was more likely (group)." I mean the folks who get on the rooftops and scream "Look at me! I figured it out! It was (group)! Stop mourning and look at me, dammit!" It wasn't respectful then and it isn't now. Now, I'm not asking this to invite argument over the topic either, I'm just wondering why people are so comfortable exploiting a tragedy for their own pleasure.

Who gains the greatest benefit by having the government shove itself into two people's relationship? Who is put on top by having heavy government regulation of social contracts like marriage? I just don't see where the government fits into personal relationships. I can see why it would be beneficial to keep track of who's married and who's not, but why all the legal measures and regulation?

I am looking for some details on the old World Church of God cult. It's changed now, more mainstream and new name, but in my younger days it was very bizarre. I'm just wondering if anyone could fill me in on some more details of the WCG, now Grace Communion International, I think. I'm writing a "Where Are They Now"-style paper on certain cult groups that survived.

Links to insider stories would be preferred.

I mean, why is a personal relationship and commitment between people regulated and presided over by the state?

People of R&S, I was wondering, what is your view on religion mingling with politics where you live? Do you think it should be more important? Or stay out all together? Where I live it's political suicide to not be religious, especially Christian, if you ever want a big position. Although, I do remember one thing that surprised me. A Heathen was supported by Republicans to be a city councilman, though he eventually stepped down after bribery allegations.

Basically, I want to know what you think of religion's influence of politics where you live. I asked here, and not in Politics, because people here are more respectful, knowledgeable, and likely to actually answer.

I was wondering, how do you actually feel about the loud evangelical conservative Christians? People like Bryan Fischer, or Pat Robertson, for example. I simply cannot understand how or if people take them seriously. I was hoping that the Christians here on Yahoo could give their views, so that I might be a bit closer to understanding the appeal of these... nithings.

A communist dictatorship or a brutal theocracy? I keep hearing that America will end up one or the other, and I want to know which hypothetical scenario you think would be worse. I only want to compare the oppressive extreme forms, rather than any more lenient styles of theocracy or communism that may be out there.

I have been finding several people complaining about a thing called "Wiccan (or Wiccanate) Privilege" where Wiccan beliefs or practices are generally assumed to be the norm for all branches of Paganism, and that the majority of books or other materials tend to deal primarily or exclusively with Wicca, even when the it claims to cover Paganism in general.

My question is, what do you think of this? Is it just a perceived event that isn't actually happening, or a misunderstanding, or simply because Wicca as a formal religion is older than other types of Paganism? What are your views on this "Wiccan Privilege"? I'm asking this because even here it's present to an extent, mainly because we have several Wiccans and very few of other types of Paganism, so it's expected we'll hear more from a Wiccan perspective on Pagan questions than other views.

What religion, besides your own if you have one, do you find to be cool sounding, or simply have some serious respect for? I'd appreciate if you don't just list a different denomination or sect of your own religion. Just some religion you like, but don't follow. Also explain why, please.

Personally, I find Discordians to be a fun bunch. I still haven't entirely figured out if it's a joke disguised as a religion, a religion disguised as a joke, or a religion disguised as a joke disguised as a religion disguised as a mental disorder. But, I talked to one and according to him I'm a pope in Discordianism, so there's that.

I'm looking for some good rock, or rock-ish songs with good videos. What are your favorite music videos, and why? For the record, mine are:

Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers- It's just amazing the way they portray the evolution of rock.

Guitar Hero by Amanda Palmer- It's a great song with a wonderful video set in a school.

Be My Friend by One-Eyed Doll- It's hilarious, and the guitar's not bad. Jeffrey Nothing, of Mushroomhead, is cooked on a grill!

Enemies by Shinedown- The perfect band meeting, nothing less.

So, what are your favorite videos? I'm rather curious.

I am a person who enjoys the study of various religions and their cultures. This is easier for some than for others. What I would like to know is at what point, Pagans, did you realize that your chosen religious path was for you? How did you feel, and how did friends or family react when given the news?

Considering a relatively small amount of Pagans are born into their religion, this makes learning about conversions more important. I would like to hear from all types of Pagans if possible. Hellenists, Wiccans, Asatruar/Odinists, Druids, Kemetics, etc.

I myself am an agnostic theist, the exact religion doesn't matter, who is just curious about this. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Forgive me if I'm misinterpreting this, but I am confused by a certain Bible verse. 2 John 1:7 says:

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist"

I'm sorry if I am not understanding it correctly, but doesn't this mean that rather than the big, single Antichrist, actually there are millions of them? All the people who are part of religions that are not Christ-Oriented? Again, I might be reading this wrong though. I do enjoy studying all religions, so this would help clarify.