Do you forgive (the Abrahamic) God?

[Balthazzar]

That Jesus is an historical figure.

That's debatable. A relevant question: How many crucifixions took place during that period? I'll suggest these events happened and there are practical ways of understanding them.

 

[idea]

Blame?

Most people, most of the time, do not bring their own suffering.

 

[syo]

That's debatable.

No, it's not. Jesus is mythology.

 

[Balthazzar]

No, it's not. Jesus is mythology.

Which parts?

 

[syo]

Which parts?

The new testament.

 

[idea]

Well, we are required to acknowledge faulty parties and to make efforts to reconcile transgressions. This is needed in order to accommodate the needs of those who are repeatedly being are transgressed against, and sometimes repeated offenses are not required to do so.

It takes a tribe. Not one bad apple, an entire tribe. Bystander effect - a whole tribe to ignore, victim blame, it takes the whole tribe. Culture is not easily changed.

 

[Balthazzar]

The new testament.

Typically speaking, Hitchens razor is employed by atheists, but you are claiming that Jesus was made up and fake, and that the new testament is made up and fake also. Can you provide evidence for your claims? If not, I'll feel free to dismiss them based on the razor.

 

[Balthazzar]

It takes a tribe. Not one bad apple, an entire tribe. Bystander effect - a whole tribe to ignore, victim blame, it takes the whole tribe. Culture is not easily changed.

I'll agree that cultures are not easily changed. It's the diversity that I find appealing. I can't agree with injustices, and often times there is nothing we can do to prevent them, but and as you suggested, community involvement and effort has the ability to make the changes required to help prevent injustices from occurring. Issues often arise in our cultures over disagreements in acceptable behavior, in which cases I prefer to leave personal behavior to the respective communities they are representing, and in accordance to the laws of the land that have been established by a majority. That is your premise, correct? The "It takes a tribe to make cultural changes" part of your post is an agreeable thing to me.

 

[syo]

you are claiming that Jesus was made up and fake

I never said that. I said, Jesus is mythology.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Or it can give purpose and energy.
But what if it leads to pessimism and nihilism? What if it is unhealthy and leads to suffering?
Would you rather feel numb when facing a tragedy? I wouldn't, I would rather suffer.

I would rather be appreciative of the things I have than be angry at things outside of my control and escalate the suffering.

 

[Koldo]

I would rather be appreciative of the things I have than be angry at things outside of my control and escalate the suffering.

Why not both?
Why not both appreciate what you have and be angry at things outside of your control? You don't need to be stuck with any emotion in particular your entire life. Let it come and let it go. Let it flow.

 

[dybmh]

Why not both appreciate what you have and be angry at things outside of your control?

Respectfully, anger is only useful if it can produce change. If things are literally outside of your control, then anger is not useful for those things.

 

[Koldo]

Respectfully, anger is only useful if it can produce change. If things are literally outside of your control, then anger is not useful for those things.

Then you are treating anger as a mean to an end. But that is a choice you are making.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Why not both?
Why not both appreciate what you have and be angry at things outside of your control? You don't need to be stuck with any emotion in particular your entire life. Let it come and let it go. Let it flow.

We were talking about being angry at God, or fate/life if you don't believe in God. You aren't so angry at God/fate/life if you can let it go, which is essentially forgiveness towards God/fate/life.

 

[Viker]

No. I have no reason to.

 

[dybmh]

Then you are treating anger as a mean to an end. But that is a choice you are making.

Isn't this the evolutionary source for anger? Biologically it prepares the body for a physical encounter? Maybe I'm misunderstanding anger?

 

[Koldo]

We were talking about being angry at God, or fate/life if you don't believe in God. You aren't so angry at God/fate/life if you can let it go, which is essentially forgiveness towards God/fate/life.

I don't even find the word 'forgiveness' to be applicable to things that are abstract, and not even agents. Either way, I am not saying one should expend their entire life being angry and therefore not experiencing anything else.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I don't even find the word 'forgiveness' to be applicable to things that are abstract, and not even agents. Either way, I am not saying one should expend their entire life being angry and therefore not experiencing anything else.

That's the only thing I can imagine when someone says they are mad at God. There's so much to be happy for also, so why not say "I love God"?

 

[Koldo]

Isn't this the evolutionary source for anger? Biologically it prepares the body for a physical encounter? Maybe I'm misunderstanding anger?

I think you might be misunderstanding the underlying mechanisms behind Evolution. It is mutation and natural selection.

The organism won't develop something (like anger) simply because it would serve a purpose (to prepare the body for a physical enconter, for example), but rather what happens is that a random mutation might entail a trait that proves beneficial to increase the survivability of an organism and the offspring have a certain likelihood of inhereting those traits.

 

[Koldo]

That's the only thing I can imagine when someone says they are mad at God. There's so much to be happy for also, so why not say "I love God"?

Because that's not what they are feeling?