Vox: "The rise of American authoritarianism"

[GeorgiaDon 340]

normiss

Usually native Georgians get excited over football, what's up this weekend?

True enough.

Election season always is irritating though, especially here in the South, with all these morons running on a platform of imposing their narrow view of religion on everybody while wrapping themselves in the flag. I don't recall it being so overt when I lived in Arizona. I know Ron is not running for any office, he just epitomizes the voters around here who feel it is their business to dictate everyone else's religious and sexual preferences.

Also I'm not a native Georgia, I'm Canadian by birth and American by choice. When I lived in Canada I never felt politicians or anybody else had any interest in using the political process to force their religion on society. Maybe the contrasting experiences makes me overly sensitive to the issue.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[RonD1120 58]

GeorgiaDon

I know Ron is not running for any office, he just epitomizes the voters around here who feel it is their business to dictate everyone else's religious and sexual preferences.


Don

There is where you run aground. It is not my business or desire to dictate other's religious or sexual preferences. My only mission is to state what is in the Bible as sin.

Free will, personal choice, personal responsibility, personal accountability.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[gowlerk 1,929]

Quote

There is where you run aground. It is not my business or desire to dictate other's religious or sexual preferences. My only mission is to state what is in the Bible as sin.

Free will, personal choice, personal responsibility, personal accountability.

There you go again, promoting your demonstrably evil and false god. For the sake of your soul Ron, I invite you to reject the madness you have embraced and come over and join me in the light.

Your prophets and "saviour" are agents of evil. Repent while you can. This may be your last chance.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[Coreeece 2]

gowlerk

Quote

There is where you run aground. It is not my business or desire to dictate other's religious or sexual preferences. My only mission is to state what is in the Bible as sin.

Free will, personal choice, personal responsibility, personal accountability.

There you go again, promoting your demonstrably evil and false god.

What do you have against free will, personal choice, personal responsibility and personal accountability?

Never was there an answer....not without listening, without seeing - Gilmour

[turtlespeed 212]

Coreeece

***

Quote

There is where you run aground. It is not my business or desire to dictate other's religious or sexual preferences. My only mission is to state what is in the Bible as sin.

Free will, personal choice, personal responsibility, personal accountability.

There you go again, promoting your demonstrably evil and false god.

What do you have against free will, personal choice, personal responsibility and personal accountability?

It's a religion thing - free will except you can't have your own thoughts.

You must be part of the establishment.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[gowlerk 1,929]

turtlespeed

******

Quote

There is where you run aground. It is not my business or desire to dictate other's religious or sexual preferences. My only mission is to state what is in the Bible as sin.

Free will, personal choice, personal responsibility, personal accountability.

There you go again, promoting your demonstrably evil and false god.

What do you have against free will, personal choice, personal responsibility and personal accountability?

It's a religion thing - free will except you can't have your own thoughts.

You must be part of the establishment.

I just want to give poor suffering christians a chance to see the light and the truth. It makes me sad to see their self delusional thinking. If only they would leave the dreary darkness of their evil religion and join me in the light. Freewill and responsibility comes when you cast off the shadow of clerics who would have you study books of lies. Accountable people seek and find truth, they don't find it in a church, or in a book of fables.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[turtlespeed 212]

gowlerk

*********

Quote

There is where you run aground. It is not my business or desire to dictate other's religious or sexual preferences. My only mission is to state what is in the Bible as sin.

Free will, personal choice, personal responsibility, personal accountability.

There you go again, promoting your demonstrably evil and false god.

What do you have against free will, personal choice, personal responsibility and personal accountability?

It's a religion thing - free will except you can't have your own thoughts.

You must be part of the establishment.

I just want to give poor suffering christians a chance to see the light and the truth. It makes me sad to see their self delusional thinking. If only they would leave the dreary darkness of their evil religion and join me in the light. Freewill and responsibility comes when you cast off the shadow of clerics who would have you study books of lies. Accountable people seek and find truth, they don't find it in a church, or in a book of fables.
Who are the accountable people?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[jakee 1,259]

turtlespeed

***
I just want to give poor suffering christians a chance to see the light and the truth. It makes me sad to see their self delusional thinking. If only they would leave the dreary darkness of their evil religion and join me in the light. Freewill and responsibility comes when you cast off the shadow of clerics who would have you study books of lies. Accountable people seek and find truth, they don't find it in a church, or in a book of fables.

Who are the accountable people?

These guys?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[RonD1120 58]

turtlespeed

******

Quote

There is where you run aground. It is not my business or desire to dictate other's religious or sexual preferences. My only mission is to state what is in the Bible as sin.

Free will, personal choice, personal responsibility, personal accountability.

There you go again, promoting your demonstrably evil and false god.

What do you have against free will, personal choice, personal responsibility and personal accountability?

It's a religion thing - free will except you can't have your own thoughts.

You must be part of the establishment.

That is not correct. IMO, you are trying to understand God through an intellectual process. That is not likely to produce truth. I have been told that Cyrus Scofield found Christ that way. The folks that I know found Christ through obedience to the Holy Spirit when they realized they were lost in a lost and suffering world.

If you are not in that situation no intellectual argument will have any value.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[RonD1120 58]

Where did you find your truth?

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[gowlerk 1,929]

RonD1120

Where did you find your truth?

I made it myself, that's how I know it's true. Everyone does this in the end. We all have to believe something. Even within your church you will find that people dissent over belief. No two people believe exactly the same thing. As much as the need for knowledge is human and leads to faith, it also leads to schism.

Your particular brand of Christianity is a breakaway from another slightly different set of beliefs. And if your group lasts long enough some will leave over differences. And each of these beliefs is as valid and true as any other.

You made a decision what to believe, and so did everyone else. And all of us could change our minds at any time. And we would still be just making it up because man is not ever going to be able to know where he came from.

My main problem with religions is that leaders use it to abuse others and enrich themselves. I am a practicing Kenist, I follow the teachings of Ken. The first rule of Kenism is that no one is allowed to make money from it. Especially not Ken.

Like Jesus, I have a strong dislike of priests, even though I have met some that I admire. In my thinking it is wrong to make a living telling others what the nature of God is. If you want to devote your life to service, there are far more honest ways to do so. If you want to devote your life to God that's fine too. Just as long as you support yourself.

I think that's more than enough for today.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[RonD1120 58]

gowlerk

***Where did you find your truth?

I made it myself, that's how I know it's true. Everyone does this in the end. We all have to believe something. Even within your church you will find that people dissent over belief. No two people believe exactly the same thing. As much as the need for knowledge is human and leads to faith, it also leads to schism.

Your particular brand of Christianity is a breakaway from another slightly different set of beliefs. And if your group lasts long enough some will leave over differences. And each of these beliefs is as valid and true as any other.

You made a decision what to believe, and so did everyone else. And all of us could change our minds at any time. And we would still be just making it up because man is not ever going to be able to know where he came from.

My main problem with religions is that leaders use it to abuse others and enrich themselves. I am a practicing Kenist, I follow the teachings of Ken. The first rule of Kenism is that no one is allowed to make money from it. Especially not Ken.

Like Jesus, I have a strong dislike of priests, even though I have met some that I admire. In my thinking it is wrong to make a living telling others what the nature of God is. If you want to devote your life to service, there are far more honest ways to do so. If you want to devote your life to God that's fine too. Just as long as you support yourself.

I think that's more than enough for today.


I agree with much of what you have written.

The main message that comes through is that, on Maslow's Hierarchy of Need Satisfaction, you have reached Self Actualization. I know that is a good feeling and provides a great sense of comfort.

It also says that you have never found yourself in a life crisis which produced a sense of hopelessness. You have thus far been able to get yourself out of whatever situation you were in. I relate that to the spirit of the warrior.

Thirty-five years ago, 16 March 1981, I found myself in a hopeless situation with no way out that I could think of.

The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Why don't you try Jesus? You have tried everything else.”

I could not find an adequate intellectual response. I surrendered and asked Christ to come into my heart. Instantly, and I do mean instantly, my situation and circumstances changed and I knew that Jesus was real. I have never looked back.

That is all that I can really share. The rest are explanations based on that one experience. Well, that and the deliverance from substances but that is another story. Eternal victory in life is in Christ Jesus.

To each his own.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.