What does demon possession mean to you?

[Dan From Smithville]

I didn't intent to imply or mean they all are.

I was being a little facetious. I didn't mean that to sound so hurt. But many fundamentalists are as you describe them.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I didn't intent to imply or mean they all are.

Every once in a while, I go back home and look around. Over the last 35 years, there has been a large increase in the number of churches belonging to a certain organization that does not like to call their churches, churches. I consider it a sign of a degrading population base that does not value reason and information. One that is regressing to a time when ignorance was the order of the day and hatred was the whip that kept order.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It cracks me up to see the back-breaking rationalization that some people go through in order to maintain their deification of the Bible.

It is. They definitely miss Jesus' "forest of faith" because they are obsessed with finding the "trees of facts." And I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I came to understand the Bible far greater after I left all that behind than I ever could have hopped for as one of them. Lots of them may know what the Bible says, complete with book, chapter and verse, but they don't know "what" it says. It's as if they don't realize emphasising making students recite and memorize this verse and that verse impedes the overall comprehension. And I doubt Jesus would be that impressed by someone who could recite the entire Bible front to back. I tend to think he'd wonder why they weren't spending their time helping people instead.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I see human society as building toward a terrible
crescendo.
IF people survive the next 100 years, we may
be in good shape for the next 10,000, and who
knows. Fifty thousand, twenty million. Why not.

But they will look back at the 20th and 21st centuries
and say, "WHAT a bunch of aholes."

I do when optimistic think that in some distant time
people will figure out what they are and how to live.

Consumer -driven / resource extraction wont be it.

The Great Filter. That was the concept I was trying to remember. I am only recently familiar with this from the last few years, but it is interesting.

In a nutshell, if intelligent life in the universe is possible and likely, why have we not seen it. Is there some filter that most life or intelligent life cannot get passed?

Is the next 100-200 years our filter as you suggest?

 

[The Reverend Bob]

Yes.

Is it possible that Satan is just that? Not a metaphor but an archetype?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Every once in a while, I go back home and look around. Over the last 35 years, there has been a large increase in the number of churches belonging to a certain organization that does not like to call their churches, churches. I consider it a sign of a degrading population base that does not value reason and information. One that is regressing to a time when ignorance was the order of the day and hatred was the whip that kept order.

I remember one day, around 20 years ago by now, I was helping my church (Southern Baptist) reorganize their library. There were some pamphlets that the youth pastor's wife picked up, and she explained that though he is a good author, he isn't suitable for the church's library because he's a part of whatever denomination who believes something that gets the scripture wrong (he may have also been hellbound, but I don't remember in that specific instance), so in the trash he went. And though I know it's based in hate and bitterness, I'm glad that's one of the few things I remember about them and my relation to them. A faith so twisted and fragile that it interprets even slight disagreements as trash.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

It is. They definitely miss Jesus' "forest of faith" because they are obsessed with finding the "trees of facts." And I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I came to understand the Bible far greater after I left all that behind than I ever could have hopped for as one of them. Lots of them may know what the Bible says, complete with book, chapter and verse, but they don't know "what" it says. It's as if they don't realize emphasising making students recite and memorize this verse and that verse impedes the overall comprehension. And I doubt Jesus would be that impressed by someone who could recite the entire Bible front to back. I tend to think he'd wonder why they weren't spending their time helping people instead.

I see a lot of memorization of scripture and the repetition of standard interpretations, but little understanding of the message.

I recall, while growing up, that church was the last place, if at all, that I could get answers to some questions. Some of my questions touched nerves and revealed a lot of ignorance from people that were supposed to understand.

I do not think Jesus will be very impressed with how some of them have twisted his message to support some of the crazy stuff they do or hide some of the evil they hide.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

In a nutshell, if intelligent life in the universe is possible and likely, why have we not seen it. Is there some filter that most life or intelligent life cannot get passed?

The filter is the great distances between the stars and planets that can support life (as far as we understand things). I forget who I heard it from, but it's speculated they might only ever send robots (similar to how we've been sending satellites) because of the dangers and extreme distances that would be inherent with space travel.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I remember one day, around 20 years ago by now, I was helping my church (Southern Baptist) reorganize their library. There were some pamphlets that the youth pastor's wife picked up, and she explained that though he is a good author, he isn't suitable for the church's library because he's a part of whatever denomination who believes something that gets the scripture wrong (he may have also been hellbound, but I don't remember in that specific instance), so in the trash he went. And though I know it's based in hate and bitterness, I'm glad that's one of the few things I remember about them and my relation to them. A faith so twisted and fragile that it interprets even slight disagreements as trash.

Brothers in Christ. Not so much.

I have a good friend who is a Baptist minister. His father was as well. Neither of them were the type that you describe, especially my friend. He is not a fan of Trump or the nationalism that is going on in the name of God. I think it must be tough for him sometimes, to be in a church where that is not uncommon.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

The filter is the great distances between the stars and planets that can support life (as far as we understand things). I forget who I heard it from, but it's speculated they might only ever send robots (similar to how we've been sending satellites) because of the dangers and extreme distances that would be inherent with space travel.

That is one obvious possibility for the filter, but I have heard others speculated. Environmental crises, disease, famine, or anything that could lead to extinction have been offered as filters as well.

Robots make more sense from a cost and value perspective. We like to have people involved, so the effort has always been to include some of us. I think we would do better sending out more robotic probes and advancing that technology. The secondary benefits could be applied development of later, manned missions if we wanted.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Brothers in Christ. Not so much.

I have a good friend who is a Baptist minister. His father was as well. Neither of them were the type that you describe, especially my friend. He is not a fan of Trump or the nationalism that is going on in the name of God. I think it must be tough for him sometimes, to be in a church where that is not uncommon.

No doubt. The Episcopalian priest who got me off my "hate all Christians" kick lost about half his church membership when he started to openly accept and welcome homosexuals. But he took it in stride, seeing it as something that got rid of those who weren't willing to practice "love thy neighbor."

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Is it possible that Satan is just that? Not a metaphor but an archetype?

You may have to elaborate. Are you saying that Satan is a real being?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

That is one obvious possibility for the filter, but I have heard others speculated. Environmental crises, disease, famine, or anything that could lead to extinction have been offered as filters as well.

Robots make more sense from a cost and value perspective. We like to have people involved, so the effort has always been to include some of us. I think we would do better sending out more robotic probes and advancing that technology. The secondary benefits could be applied development of later, manned missions if we wanted.

No doubt. Even at light speed, the time required to travel to not even that very far beyond our back door would require a full human life span. Just to get there. Then it starts to get into needing another generation to get there. Robots make deep space travel so much more possible and pragmatic that short of an extremely long lived species who has achieved incredible heights of political-social-economic stability at home, I don't even see manned missions ever really being an option except to start new colonies with colonist who don't plan on coming back.

 

[Deeje]

Having flood stories in numerous cultures doesn't make it a "universal flood stories." Rather, flood myths are common in places prone to severe flooding.

None of the stories was of a local flood. The details vary but the substance in each story is the same. It was a huge deluge.

A review of some of the world’s mythologies would serve to indicate some common features, many of which can be traced back to Babylon, (Babel) the Mesopotamian cradle of most religions. There are common threads, whether in the facts of creation, or in accounts about a period when demigods and giants occupied the land and a deluge destroyed the wicked, or in the basic religious concepts of sun-worship and an immortal soul.

Although the various language groups separated after the flood, forming families and tribes with different languages, they started off with the same basic understanding of prior history and religious concepts. (Genesis 11:1-9) Over the centuries, this understanding became distorted and adorned in each culture, resulting in many of the fictions, legends, and myths that have come down to us today. Many, even though claiming to be Christians today, cannot separate Biblical facts from fiction.

Which is very problematic for a ship design, especially under those conditions.

It wasn't a ship. It was a flotation vessel. The wave tank experiments proved that its stability even under the largest waves was amazing even to the ones doing the experiment. This was no vessel designed by men but by a very accomplished engineer. Noah was given the measurements and all the instructions necessary, and he followed them to the letter.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

No doubt. The Episcopalian priest who got me off my "hate all Christians" kick lost about half his church membership when he started to openly accept and welcome homosexuals. But he took it in stride, seeing it as something that got rid of those who weren't willing to practice "love thy neighbor."

Episcopalians are generally very open and compassionate people in my experience. My mother was one. She had some crazy idea that I would make a good minister. She thought I listened to people, wasn't irrationally judgmental and was compassionate. Maybe I was. I finally convinced her that was not going to happen.

I am glad to hear you met someone with some sense and compassion to see that we are not all bad.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

No doubt. Even at light speed, the time required to travel to not even that very far beyond our back door would require a full human life span. Just to get there. Then it starts to get into needing another generation to get there. Robots make deep space travel so much more possible and pragmatic that short of an extremely long lived species who has achieved incredible heights of political-social-economic stability at home, I don't even see manned missions ever really being an option except to start new colonies with colonist who don't plan on coming back.

Yeah. That is pretty much my view of it too. Unless there is some radical and huge advances made, that is about how we are going to have to go about it.

 

[Deeje]

It cracks me up to see the back-breaking rationalization that some people go through in order to maintain their deification of the Bible.

Be careful how hard you laugh....the Bible may actually be more truthful than you give it credit for. Jesus certainly thought so.....isn't there something about..."he who laughs last"? It might be God.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Be careful how hard you laugh....the Bible may actually be more truthful than you give it credit for. Jesus certainly thought so.....isn't there something about..."he who laughs last"? It might be God.

I never said that Bible does not have truth, but kind of you to twist it that way. I just do not deify it like you do, nor do I sit on a pedestal looking down on others claiming my interpretation is the only and bestest interpretation.

Yes. As always that snide warning of how you are going to be saved and the rest of us are doomed. It's just you. Really. You think that. I hope that you are saved. I hope that all your sins that you toss out on this forum like candy at a parade are forgiven.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Be careful how hard you laugh....the Bible may actually be more truthful than you give it credit for. Jesus certainly thought so.....isn't there something about..."he who laughs last"? It might be God.

It is not the Bible I laugh at, by the way. It is you and people like you. Your actions inspire laughter.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It wasn't a ship. It was a flotation vessel. The wave tank experiments proved that its stability even under the largest waves was amazing even to the ones doing the experiment. This was no vessel designed by men but by a very accomplished engineer. Noah was given the measurements and all the instructions necessary, and he followed them to the letter.

So, then where did this master engineer make room for all the animals?