Made it through my speech. No problems, except I forgot I had to use some sort of visual aid. Damn---one point off. Topic was personal computer security, including computer threats (viruses, ad-ware and crackers), tools to overcome the threats (antivirus software, ad-ware scanners and personal firewalls/firewall appliances), and general computer tips (web tips, e-mail tips, and good password tips).
It was received well, and people said they learned something from it. Works for me!
So I've been thinking about religion for a while, but particularly over the last few days. I'm officially agnostic, so I think there might be a god (or gods) out there, but I don't have enough proof to make a decision I am willing to make any sort of life-altering dedication to.
Most of my friends are Christians (many Protestant, family is Methodist, and some attend non-denominational churches), with several atheists and several other Messianic Jews thrown in for good measure. My roommate reads his Bible daily in Hebrew, for instance.
My own general feeling is that if, according to 1 Corinthians 9 (BTW, while I think that the Bible is a good book, and has a lot of good teachings, I do not think it is The Book), God is all things to all people, that he will be whomever people need him to be. I also believe that a god would not alienate entire societies because of their backgrounds. Rather, if I were to believe in a single, all-powerful deity, I surmise he would be Buddha to the Buddhists, God to Christians, and be known through Nature to Druids.
I found an excellent summary of my beliefs many years ago in a Shadowrun book (Steel Rain by Nyx Smith) of all places:
"Mitsuhara-san was a Buddhist and Catholic-Christian. Jiksumi-san practiced no religion, but his family is composed of Buddhists, Methodist-Christians, and members of the Church of Gaia, a naturalist religion. And so five distinct sects drawn from three distinct religions are represented in the inner sanctuary. All play their part in the ceremony. There is no contradiction in this, no hypocrisy, at least not in Machiko's view. For all peoples are basically the same. They share a common essence. They may give their gods different names, but these too are all basically the same, concerned with life and the living, spirits, eternity, Spiritual matters, enlightenment. Whatever the names, whatever the particular concerns, it is all basically the same, all with similar intentions. That people should live in peace, respect their neighbors, honor their parents, revere their ancestors, worship the divine. Gods, kami, enlightened spirits---all understand this. As long as the tenets of their own particular faith are observed, the divine take no insult, no affront, if other faiths are also observed. Enlightened beings possess the wisdom to respect all forms of pious living and sacred ritual."
I am as yet not sure if there are many gods, as this would suggest, or that there is one god, and he is these other gods to their respective peoples.
Or if gods are all made up so we would have something besides ourselves to believe and place our faith in.
With the wonderfully varied peoples represented on SG, I'm sure many of you have your own thoughts. I'd love to hear them, if you feel like sharing...
It was received well, and people said they learned something from it. Works for me!
So I've been thinking about religion for a while, but particularly over the last few days. I'm officially agnostic, so I think there might be a god (or gods) out there, but I don't have enough proof to make a decision I am willing to make any sort of life-altering dedication to.
Most of my friends are Christians (many Protestant, family is Methodist, and some attend non-denominational churches), with several atheists and several other Messianic Jews thrown in for good measure. My roommate reads his Bible daily in Hebrew, for instance.
My own general feeling is that if, according to 1 Corinthians 9 (BTW, while I think that the Bible is a good book, and has a lot of good teachings, I do not think it is The Book), God is all things to all people, that he will be whomever people need him to be. I also believe that a god would not alienate entire societies because of their backgrounds. Rather, if I were to believe in a single, all-powerful deity, I surmise he would be Buddha to the Buddhists, God to Christians, and be known through Nature to Druids.
I found an excellent summary of my beliefs many years ago in a Shadowrun book (Steel Rain by Nyx Smith) of all places:
"Mitsuhara-san was a Buddhist and Catholic-Christian. Jiksumi-san practiced no religion, but his family is composed of Buddhists, Methodist-Christians, and members of the Church of Gaia, a naturalist religion. And so five distinct sects drawn from three distinct religions are represented in the inner sanctuary. All play their part in the ceremony. There is no contradiction in this, no hypocrisy, at least not in Machiko's view. For all peoples are basically the same. They share a common essence. They may give their gods different names, but these too are all basically the same, concerned with life and the living, spirits, eternity, Spiritual matters, enlightenment. Whatever the names, whatever the particular concerns, it is all basically the same, all with similar intentions. That people should live in peace, respect their neighbors, honor their parents, revere their ancestors, worship the divine. Gods, kami, enlightened spirits---all understand this. As long as the tenets of their own particular faith are observed, the divine take no insult, no affront, if other faiths are also observed. Enlightened beings possess the wisdom to respect all forms of pious living and sacred ritual."
I am as yet not sure if there are many gods, as this would suggest, or that there is one god, and he is these other gods to their respective peoples.
Or if gods are all made up so we would have something besides ourselves to believe and place our faith in.
With the wonderfully varied peoples represented on SG, I'm sure many of you have your own thoughts. I'd love to hear them, if you feel like sharing...
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
glassheart:
not "more than" cool...just polite my friend.
wolfgang4:
so if you dont have enough proof to know if there is a God, then youre saying that you have enough knowledge to make an educated decision that you dont know enough to make a decision. see the loop??? so in other words, youre saying you know enough about God, to know that you dont know enough yet.