Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

I don't know... pain from eating too much latkes?

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How about some Pan-Asian cuisine?

Us humans make our own "right" and "wrong". With the universe, there's only "possible" and "impossible".

All the things you mentioned are possible. Therefore, they can happen.

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"They've taken Mr Rimmer! Sir, they've taken Mr Rimmer!"
"Quick, let's get outta here before they bring him back!"

I proudly state I am learning about Buddhism and I like it's ideals. ^_^

All right, bear with me, guys. I was listening to Screeching Weasel today and I realized that the song "The Science of Myth" pretty well sums up my religious attitudes. That is, I don't hold any particular beliefs, but I do respect those people that do. I don't ridicule any religion; I guess that's part of my respecting-opinions-and-beliefs-of-others thing.
So I'm not looking to start any arguments or debates by posting these lyrics - I just thought I'd put it out there to give an idea of the way I feel.

If you've ever questioned beliefs that you hold, you're not alone
But you ought to realize that every myth is a metaphor
In the case of Christianity and Judaism there exists the belief
That spiritual matters are enslaved to history
The Buddhists believe that the functional aspects override the myth
While other religions use the literal core to build foundations with
See half the world sees the myth as fact while it's seen as a lie by the other half
And the simple truth is that it's none of that
And somehow, no matter what, the world keeps turning
Somehow we get by without ever learning
Science and religion are not mutually exclusive
In fact, for better understanding, we take the facts of science and apply them
And if both factors keep evolving, then we continue getting information
But closing off possibilities makes it hard to see the bigger picture
Consider the case of the woman whose faith helped her to make it through
When she was [omitted], cut up, left for dead in a trunk her beliefs held true
It doesn't matter if it's real or not
'Cause some things are better left without a doubt
And if it works and it gets the job done
Somehow, no matter what, the world keeps turning
Somehow we get by without ever learning

Now, these are not my words, they are the words of the inimitable Ben Weasel, so if you disagree with them, please don't attack me for it.

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I'm definitely Agnostic borderline atheist...

Seriously though, I've never thought of Buddhism as an actual religion (no offense). I mean, it's more of a lifestyle. In fact, there are Christians who follow the Buddhist lifestyle...

I'd be Buddhist if it weren't for my violent tendencies.

Buddhism is really more a philosophy than a religion. Buddha himself is usually thought of as an agnostic. He believed that if gods exist, they probably don't have much reason to care about human beings. I'd have to disagree with that, though.

Violent tendencies, eh, Simon? You might want to consider therapy for that.

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Haha, maybe...

Haven't really hurt anyone or any living thing... but man o man do I consider it...

I am wiccan, and proud of it. If any of you people want to 'save' me, I don't care.

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Thank you for sharing that, but please don't go around telling people to shoot themselves. That's just ignorant and cruel.

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Not to mention a very un-Wiccan thing to say.

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Well, if he follows the Rule of Three, he'll wind up shooting himself three times for every person that shoots themself.

Eh. Maybe I should just toastpaint rather than go there.

At any rate ... Christian, no specific denomination. I'm not sure if my views line up with any of them.

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Trev-MUN, Ch'mera is a she.

A wiccan, Ch'mera? I had to Wikipedia that. So basically you are a witch. That's cool, just don't cast a spell over me.

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How is that ignorant or cruel? It's quite blatantly a non-literal statement of irritation at pestering proselytizers, hardly an actual request for people to top themselves

Well, considering that Jones, an Admin, agrees with me, I'd say that at least as forum protocol is concerned, I was right.

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here's my thoughts. just tossing it out there, cuz i have nothin better to do. sorry if i'm a bit vague, but it's late in the morning... if you know what i mean.

whether there is something waiting for me or not at the end of the rainbow, i figure the best way to go is to do what i can with my life while i'm here. then even if i do go to limbo or hell or whatever, i will have pleasant things to look back on. i also figure, if everyone at least tries to be good like that, no matter what they believe, hell would be a lot nicer place for those of us who chose whatever wrong religion, eh? well, at least we would be in good company.

i have gone to several churches and such, but i never really got into the idea of God i guess. I mean, i feel that yes there is a power for good out there, i get this vibe. but (PLEASE do not take the following as a "you're wrong!" statement... i am only trying to convey what is in my head, ok? ) i just can't read the bible and think of it as "God's word" because the fact is it was written by several different men several hundreds of years ago (and many years apart, and has been translated a gazillion times). i tend to think of it as a book of virtues sort of thing, rather than the guide to salvation, or the actual story of God's son. (to me jesus was a guy with the right ideas and a good charisma... not a deity/ partial deity/ er, whatever they said in my sunday schools... that i can't remember) it irks me somewhat that some people can be so into religion and i just feel like i never will be able to understand it. i am almost jealous... almost. i think i am too scientific-minded. but i do have faith i guess... faith in fellow human beings. which seems to be in very short supply nowadays.

so that was my view mainly on christianity now that i read it. anyway, just tossin it out there for discussion or whatever.

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I draw. Lots.

As far as I can tell, I'm a Christian.

Although my family isn't really involved in the Church. But I do go to a Catholic school, so that's something.

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I'm a Christian. Heavily involved in my church and youth group.

Same here, very devout Christian. I'm even thinking about going to seminary. Maybe. If this whole nuclear engineering thing doesn't pan out.

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DISCLAIMER: The preceding post was the opinions of Nate, and should be taken as his two cents. Actual exchange rate may vary by location, see stores for details, void where prohibited under penalty of torture.

It's not like I can easily give up...the feelings...of needing her. - Sohma Hatsuharu

I am an agnostic and I catch a lot of flack for it. I do believe in one God, but I won't go to church. The reason being, I don't think God cares if you go to church as long as you believe and pray(which I do), but I am not going to church to proclaim my beliefs. If you want to know what I believe in, ask, I will be glad to explain.

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Er--doesn't your beliefs peg you as a Deist rather than Agnostic?

As far as I understand it, Deists believe there is a divinity. They are skeptic of all religions that claim to know or define it, but generally believe the divine to merely have created the world, and not have an active hand in it.

Agnostics believe it's impossible to know whethere there is or was a divinity, and therefore don't care about it.

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Well, I wouldn't say that agnostics generally don't care about whether there's a god, exactly. I'm agnostic, and because of my belief that we'll never be able to understand the nature of any existing divine power, I feel a lot of respect for it. Most agnostics I've come across feel that way too. But of course, opinions are widely different.

Well, I think it depends, like WHF said. The main belief of deists is, of course, the "clock-maker" theory, that God created the universe and sat back and said, "Screw it up yourselves, boys, I'm not getting involved."

If someone believes there is a God, and they are actively involved in the world around them, that kind of prevents them from being a deist. I guess at that point, "agnostic" would be the best definition, since they don't hold to a deist's beliefs or that of any other established religion.

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DISCLAIMER: The preceding post was the opinions of Nate, and should be taken as his two cents. Actual exchange rate may vary by location, see stores for details, void where prohibited under penalty of torture.

It's not like I can easily give up...the feelings...of needing her. - Sohma Hatsuharu

Traditional Theism, particularly Christianity*, has always held that God was and still is directly involved in the workings of the world. Why, even a clock maker occasionally has to make repairs, or wind it, or even just clean the clock in order to keep it working.

My theory is this: that God created the world, but then gave the world over to humanity. When humanity started screwing things up, God backed off and let the world begin to fall apart. However, his mercy is such that, at least occasionally, he intervenes to correct what has gone wrong. These interventions are what we call "miracles." And, no, they're not always the kind where oceans part or blind men are made to see. But they almost always are things which, when taken from an objective standpoint, they obviously point to God. I have seen God make such interventions in the lives of people, particularly my own.

I will concur that it is true that an infinite God cannot be perfectly known by finite human beings. So I can appreciate the agnostic position. But I do not believe that means he cannot be known at all. I believe he can--and in fact has done so--reveal enough of himself that we can benefit from the knowledge.

* I say Christianity in particular, because in Christian belief, God has made the untimate intervention in history by entering into the created order as a human being. That is why the cross is so important to Christian thinking: it is the ultimate revelation of God's self-giving nature.

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Dude ... that's a lot like how I feel! From reading the Bible, I noticed that God's actions in the world resemble that of a parent teaching his kid how to ride a bike with training wheels. Eventually the father lets go, and the child is able to confidently ride the bike on his own,

At first, God is directly involved in the affairs of the world. Later, however, he sends an avatar of Himself, Jesus, to further influence the world. However, after Jesus' death, His involvement in the world sibsides.

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so we kinda made God mad when we killed Jesus...? and now he doesn't have such an active (or at least apparent) role in things?

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I draw. Lots.

Christian here. Pretty heavily involved with my church.

Also, I think I may be the only Episcopalian here.

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You see, this is the kind of religious discussion I like. You can share ideas, and maybe actually learn a little something from each other in the process. (at the very least, you learn something about other people). Thanks, guys.

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yes, religion makes good discussion when discussed civilly (and with an open mind)

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I draw. Lots.

Even though you guys know I'm an athiest, I have been starting to believe in this whole karma thing. Hm..I'd really get more into that whole thing...but I like beef.

And kudos too for this not turning into another flame-fest. Hoorah for civility!

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TIRES TIRES TIRES

AGREE'd! I think we all deserve a pat on the back for being so civil about all of this. And cookies. Cookies for everyone.

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