posted April 07, 2014 11:30 PM            

Karma is not an exclusively Hindu idea. It combines the universal human desire that moral accounts should be balanced with a belief that, somehow or other, they will be balanced. In 1932, the great developmental psychologist Jean Piaget found that by the age of 6, children begin to believe that bad things that happen to them are punishments for bad things they have done.

My take is simple: Karma is ******** – the greatest lie ever told. In truth, the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards death and destruction. The universe is either utterly indifferent to your suffering or it actively seeks to destroy you and repurpose your molecules for other uses. In no way, shape or form is it your friend. In no way, shape or form is it balanced or just. If there is evil in the world then it is nature. If there is a God then he is a demon. If there is fate then ours is doom.

This story only has one ending and it ends with the extinction of all life. Good will not ultimately be rewarded. Evil will not ultimately be punished. The story will simply end. It is not just. It is not fair. It is not OK.

The only remedy open to us is to fight daily for our survival and our values. To live in open defiance of the physical laws that will eventually extinguish us. To suck every ounce of happiness from the world before it is done. To eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow the universe will grow cold and all life will die.

And, to along the way, ease the suffering of those we can. Suffering is not a lesson or a just dessert. It is an evolved mechanism that serves not our purposes but the purposes of natural selection. Poverty is not the punishment for ills but where the evil of nature has not yet been beaten into temporary submission. It is an uncaring universe crushing our brethren underfoot.

This will not end well, because nothing ends well. In the end, the universe, like the house, always wins. Yet, we do not have to tolerate agony and pain all the way up until our inevitable demise.

We live. We love. We laugh in defiance of that inevitability. If we have our heads on straight we’ll do it right up until the cold, bitter, utterly unjust and utterly unavoidable end. We are mortals – those who die. That fact should infuse our every value and animate our every action.

When my loved ones take ill they sometimes ask me –with hope in their eyes – “Am I going to die?” Yes, I answer, I cannot change that. But not today.

Not today.

By Karl Smith

posted April 09, 2014 12:02 AM            

Here is a question for you Randall-
Child Abuse is Karmas Prerogative!
You have only one choice to make.
AGREE? or DISAGREE?

Note:You will earn all the fringe benefits of adding some good karma into your own business of life, if you make this choice in this very month.

The month of April is Child Abuse Prevention Month----Awareness Month.

Surviving Abuse
This is the game. Learn it, know it, understand it. -Jarryd

"In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. Secrecy and silence are the perpetrator's first line of defense. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure that no one listens. To this end, he marshals an impressive array of arguments, from the most blatant denial to the most sophisticated and elegant rationalization. After every atrocity one can expect to hear the same predictable apologies: it never happened; the victim lies; the victim exaggerates; the victim brought it upon herself; and in any case it is time to forget the past and move on. The more powerful the perpetrator, the greater his prerogative to name and define reality, and the more completely his arguments prevail."

posted April 09, 2014 10:20 PM            

The Greatest Gift of God to Man is FREE WILL.

AGREE? or DISAGREE?

posted April 11, 2014 06:33 AM            

The prize Awaits all of us.
Please be patient untill the very end...
This is going to be a looong journey.
Not a never ending one...just long enough to say goodbye.

posted April 11, 2014 11:15 PM            

1.The road to perdition is paved with good intentions.
2.The Road To Success Is Paved With Failure.
3.The Road to Life is rocky and you may stumble
4.The Road To Happiness Is Full Of Potholes
5.The Road to paradise begins in hell
6.The Road to death is awe
7.The Road to a life of peace is virtue
8.The Road to wealth is paved with goals
9.The road to the pinnacle peak is lonely
10.The road to the truth is elusive

posted April 12, 2014 09:32 AM            

If I were in the room with a man abusing a child, and I could do something to stop him, I would be morally obligated to do what I could, right? So, according to my upbringing, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He has the ability to protect every abused child in this world. Why is he morally exempt from acting? Either he wants to act, but is incapable, or he can act, and chooses not to. But I can’t think of a morally good reason for him to choose to allow the abuse to continue if he is able to stop it and protect a child who cannot protect him/herself. I’ve always admired your continued faith and rationality. You don’t often see faith and rationality together these days. So, I would like to know if you can provide some insight into my dilemma. Is it possible to believe in an all-powerful, loving God in the face of such a question? I will say I don’t think it’s a matter of God respecting free will. That would work as far as adults go, but how does respect for someone’s free will trump a child’s safety? No human on earth would be granted that moral leeway, so why should God? Okay, I could probably monologue about this question forever, but I would rather hear what you think because, at this point, I’m stuck. Thanks.

It is a matter of God respecting human free will. Our free will is what makes us who we are: it’s the defining human characteristic. God gave us free will because he loves us so much that he granted each and every one of us the power to reject him. That means we must love God out of choice—which is the only kind of love that’s of any real value at all. A love that is forced is no love at all.

We have free will; God gave it to us; out of his love for us he will not violate it. Ever.

We can do whatever we want. We can do whatever healthy, wonderful thing we want—and we can do whatever vile, evil thing we want. We can steal. We can rob. We can rape.

We can beat children.

Anything we want.

Violating the free will of a weaker being is one of the options all of us have in life. It’s a horrible thing to do: it’s the very definition of evil. But if you’re a fan of rational thought, then you’ve got to understand that the fact that people are free to violate the free will of less powerful people isn’t a sign that God is weak or morally corrupt. It’s a sign of just how sacrosanct God considers human free will.

The beaten child’s free will is being robbed. And that’s a heinous offense. But it’s not one being committed by God.

God witnesses such affairs, and cries.

posted April 12, 2014 09:38 AM            

The Gods of karma will not hesitate to wield their double edged sword for their own selfish needs.
None of us can escape the gods of karma untill and unless we play it right.The sooner the better.

posted April 12, 2014 07:06 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
Moving this to Divine Diversities.

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posted April 12, 2014 08:14 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
The beaten child’s free will is being robbed. And that’s a heinous offense. [b]But it’s not one being committed by God.[/B]

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Yet funny how when someone survives (including from rapists and murderers) people thank God. Like when some thought miners were still alive people were trumpeting praise to God, yet when it turned out the miners were actually dead then God was no longer part of the equation.

When it gets especially obnoxious is like that little girl who survived the Newton school shooting by playing possum (smart girl!) and a preacher said God saved her. In addition to that God did not save her (she saved herself) he was also saying (by implication) that God thought the rest of the children weren't worth saving. I honestly don't know why preachers like that don't get strung up by grieving parents.

The most surreal is the guy recently who thanked God for surviving a disaster while at the same time is suing the rescue workers who actually saved him for being too slow! (here)

But as for the statement itself on free will and all, I'll leave with this video on how God Favors Evil by caring more about the rapist's freedom to rape, and the murderer's freedom to murder, than He cares about the lives and free will of their victims:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1BzP1wr234

posted April 12, 2014 11:14 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:Reincarnation is a necessary adjunct to Karma.

This is because incomplete punishment for a person’s evil deeds in this life will be completed in future lives.

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Not necessarily. Some of us believe karma is a blind machine (and doesn't require reincarnation) as explained here:
http://www.deepleafproductions.com/wilsonlibrary/texts/raw-karma.html

"Karma, in the original Buddhist scriptures, is a blind machine; in fact, it is functionally identical with the scientific concept of natural law. Sentimental ethical ideas about justice being built into the machine, so that those who do evil in one life are punished for it in another life, were added later by theologians reasoning from their own moralistic prejudices. Buddha simply indicated that all the cruelties and injustices of the past are still active: their effects are always being felt. Similarly, he explained, all the good of the past, all the kindness and patience and love of decent people is also still being felt.

"Since most humans are still controlled by fairly robotic reflexes, the bad energy of the past far outweighs the good, and the tendency of the wheel is to keep moving in the same terrible direction, violence breeding more violence, hatred breeding more hatred, war breeding more war. The only way to 'stop the wheel' is to stop it inside yourself, by giving up bad energy and concentrating on the positive. This is by no means easy, but once you understand what Gurdjieff called 'the horror of our situation,' you have no choice but to try, and to keep on trying."

(And btw, Robert Anton Wilson is far more educated, informed, and insightful on metaphysical issues than Frank Sinatra.)

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:If a phenomenon contradicts a theory, then the theory is inconsistent and is probably false.
If this phenomenon is consistent with another theory, then the second theory should replace the first theory.

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This is exactly how I feel about the literal interpretation of the Christian Bible, which I get the impression you don't. Your theories and views are just as open to question and skepticism with at least as much justification so I hope you're prepared for that. Just saying.

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:Reincarnation cannot explain how temple mediums are able to invoke the spirits of the departed.
If the spirit of the departed has already reincarnated into another body, how can it also appear in the temple medium??

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Many possible answers, including (but not limited to) a person usually doesn't reincarnate right away (and most mediums contact someone recently deceased as opposed to historical figures), that time is subjective or even meaningless in the realm of spirits, or that the medium (when genuine) is actually tapping into an astral memory bank (see akashic records) or a "higher self" that retains the memories even when it's incarnated in a body (heck, if the theories that there are infinite universes and we're quantum connected to many counterparts of ourselves, that is people who are also us in other universes--some that die before the others, not to mention could be of different religions--this could be quite surreal once outside the realm of space/time as we know it).

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji Spirit possession) can also explain how some persons are able to accurately recall events experienced by individuals who have long since died

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IOW, reincarnation! Think what you're saying, a child remembers these past life memories and you're agreeing they're past life memories (the spirit lived them in one body and is now in another body). You can make a case that this is somehow a violation rather than how things are done, but that's simply an assumption, one I'm sure you find quite convenient, but I'm not going to just accept your premise on that reason alone. Speaking of which...

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:I believe all possessing spirits are evil, otherwise they would not possess

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Believe what you want, you're still begging the question.

posted April 12, 2014 11:46 PM            

quote:

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Your theories and views are just as open to question and skepticism with at least as much justification so I hope you're prepared for that. Just saying.

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Your views are your own.
Im not here to change them.You can come up with as many counterproductive arguments as you wish to.
All I understand is that Your free will allows you to dissect, rip and tear others views apart.
With that, I take leave from here.Hope you have a nice time making a lasting impression.
In the process dont forget to ask yourself what Personal Fingerprints you hope to leave behind.
Im not just saying, I mean it.

posted April 13, 2014 02:21 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
Putting Religious Sentiments aside,
I dont think that a human soul can ever reach the stage of ultimate perfection,without nourishing the virtues of compassion,empathy,kindness,love, honesty towards fellow human beings,here and now!
Virtue is excellence at being human.
I just find it so cruel, to have to say that certain things are justified just because it is beyond our own understanding by turning a blind eye towards those who are less fortunate.Does that make us wise in any way?It is believed that everyone gets what he or she deserves in life. There is no mercy towards the less fortunate because it is believed that they had bad karma in their past life or lives.

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No. Many who believe in karma try to help the less fortunate to help their own karma and/or spiritual development. And the Buddhists of Thailand (who do believe in reincarnation) are well known and often loved for their generosity to the less fortunate.

Granted, some take the view you've described here. Likewise, many Christians believe those who have it bad aren't "right with God" or some such and that prayer is all that's needed without any actual help.

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
]Belief in Reincarnation Tied to Memory Errors
://www.livescience.com/7272-belief-reincarnation-tied-memory-errors.
The article ends with the following statement-
“We suspect that this might be kind of a psychological buffering mechanism against the fear of death.”[/B]

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It's interesting that you fall on science when it suits you but ignore it when it doesn't. Otherwise you'd neither be a Christian nor believe in astrology. Speaking of which:

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
The study of all the subjects pertaining to Reincarnation & Karma such as spiritism, Theology, metaphysics, mysticism, Hemitism,Reflexology, Cosmology etc...operates outside the confines of objectively testing hypotheses.
It selects its own peers for review who possess obvious bias.It is about making a distinct Choice

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You forgot to mention Christianity.

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
Utter Disregard for humanity is only due to the false notion that the world where we live in, is but an illusion

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Or conversely that life is a "veil of tears." And that we should focus on the next life rather than this one. And that we all have our own crosses to bear.

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
Yes iq, the truth is, precisely the belief in the 'All Impersonal One' that caused hitler to commit all the grave crimes, if you choose to believe it.
It is precisely the belief in the Blind and Erroneous Reincarnation Theory propogated by the ARYAN CENTRIC NAZI CULT that lead to
such a Grave impact in the history of humanity.ARYAN CULT IS EMBODIED IN THE VERY STRUCTURE AND ESSENCE OF HINDUISM.
Hitler and his many followers carried , practised and preached the versus contained in the holy book of hindus- The Bhagavat Gita!They base and affirm their actions on the Futile but destructive theory of superior race system embodied in our very own caste system. Even the symbol they chose was inspired by the Swastika (which was originally a Hindu symbol, but later co-opted by Hitler!Nazism came into existence and is solely based on the core values of hinduism. No wonder here in India, Hitler is still revered and honoured more than God.

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Oh no you didn't! You're either lying here or you've been duped by someone (or a book) that lied to you.

Hitler quoted the Bible and Jesus in his speeches, as did his supporters, as did Mein Kampf (and in other ways). Prayer was mandatory in school and the badges and medals also affirmed the Christian god. It was based on Lutheran Protestantism as practiced in Germany back then which, true to its origins, was both anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish.

Many Christians, dismayed by this, try to explain it away by finding something divorced of context to show why he was anti-religious. And due to the problems of the world several types of occultism were prevalent and there are reasons to accept the POSSIBILITY that either the Thule or Vril Society influenced Hitler, but overall he was generally hostile to the occult once in power (though some of his cohorts bought into it). In any case, Hitler was only able to accomplish what he did by the public following him, and whatever Hitler's personal beliefs were the public that supported him was of the dominant Lutheran Christianity which Hitler always tried to appeal to along with Germanic nationality (as Martin Luther was, btw).

Of course this is all irrelevant, for Hitler appealing to Lutheran Christianity isn't a condemnation of it today (which has changed since then), nor should it be used to demonize vegetarians or Germans, and even IF he believed in reincarnation (which I don't believe) it shouldn't demonize that belief either.

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
I come from a place where I have shed all my prejudices and inhibitions

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quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
I am only asking the reader to judge for himself amidst such conflicting vague probabilities before he arrives at any conclusion

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posted April 13, 2014 02:45 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
Isn't your thread by design doing the same thing?

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Exactly. People who live in glass houses shouldn't be throwing stones.

posted April 13, 2014 02:46 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
Isn't your thread by design doing the same thing?

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quote:

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You'll pay for this.

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posted April 13, 2014 03:02 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
She is lucky.I dont do that to her

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Hey, if I start a thread telling everyone else what they believe is a lie then you and anyone else is welcome to respond (and I'd probably feel slighted if no one did ) and I'd see it as an opportunity to clarify and expand on what I was saying rather than running away the moment my ideas were scrutinized.

posted April 13, 2014 03:08 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by PixieJane:
You'll pay for this.

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And just to be clear, Randall, I said this tongue in cheek.