Another Sunday morning...

[inochiken]

I always feel posts like these are out of place, because half of you are atheist, and the other half firmly sold on a particular religion. But I also believe most of you are pretty open-minded, so that's why this kind of post continues.

I spent all Saturday reading a translated abridged version of the Ramayana. For those who don't know, it's a

Comments

[silverguardben]

Jon I just wanted to say that I love you and I so glad to see you write something like this. It gives me hope for the future.

[inochiken]

Good to hear. Somebody's got to keep things positive, so...

How is your training going?

[silverguardben]

as good as it could i guess...i'm a cadet officer finally...hey buddy if you don't already have one..get a Facebook so i can keep an eye on you..don't want you starting anymore private empires

The Colonel lives on...

[inochiken]

That's good to hear. What AFSC are you going for?

Hadn't gotten on Facebook yet... Every time I settle down on one, people move to another. Makes me feel like an old person...

[animate]

Ben is right; I also applaud you for writing this kind of thing. (Only, unlike Ben, I don't hide my views from those around me.) Anyways.

It's interesting that you point out the lineage of religion; I think it's inherently interesting how one story is passed from one culture to another and changed. You may know this, but the Ramayana (or pieces of it at least) were taken and used in JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Most notably in Turin Turambar's tale.

To counterbalence you're positivity, I'd have to say that religion has already become a bad thing. Not that it's inherently bad to be delusional.

Wait, I said that wrong.

It's not inherently bad to have beliefs, faith, hopes & dreams. But most folks seem to take that old school-taught cannon of "follow your dreams" so effectively that they follow them right to the death; a death with no dignity or worth, or even humor.

I've never run into an atheist past the age of 16 or wasn't open minded, and now I'm glad to know of at least one theist who is.

Wily ol' JRR Tokien...

[inochiken]

I see what you mean

I used ta make religion posts

[animate]

No doubt; religion does good. It feeds and clothes people and creates families...along with all that you said

...filled with Republicans and Bald Eagles... SCARY!!!

[inochiken]

Ironically, it sounds like Atheists and Jews share a similar outlook. Judaism only vaguely explains a "heaven", but it more like returning to whence they came- G-d, instead of some Pat Robertson led banana republic in the sky. That's why the Jewish focus on "fixing what you have" instead of the Christian "trade it in for something better" idea. That's also reflected in the idea of the Jewish "World to Come" in which a messiah brings peace to and ends suffering on earth, as opposed to the Christian concept, which is let it all burn and take the faithful somewhere else. Of course, like with anything, not all Jews (or even close to it) live up to this philosophy

es jeno

[anonymous]

I started to read this last night, seeing the religious material, i grew disoriented-
But then I read it just now, and I just want to say thats just the kind of liberal insanity that you would get out of the California public school system. You want us to not only accept diversity, but appreciate it? Did the pastor email you his sermon from this week, because to my... that was the subject. I actually got something out of the message for the first time in weeks, maybe months.

ay mi hermano.

Re: es jeno

[inochiken]

Which side was he defending, or do I need to ask?...

[catgirl_kikari]

I love posts like this, I'm to lazy and to much of a procrastinator to do my own resurch on any thing so reading these posts is very interesting to me. Please don't stop posting them, ever.

[inochiken]

Much to many people's dismay, I probably won't...