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2014-09-26 7:41 AM

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DC
Subject: Parallel Realities & god
I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example:

The consequences of the laws of probability: Flip a coin 100 times & you'll get heads 50 times & tails 50 times. Flip it 200 & you'll get 100/100. 300 times, 150/150 & so on... forever. If the universe is infinite (forever) as some physicists believe, then like the coin toss, all probable outcomes that can happen will happen. So, as said before, there's someone out in the vast universe that's a copy of "you" but who ordered a tea rather than the cup of coffee "you" are drinking right now. But notice, like an infinite coin toss, all probable outcomes will happen and will CONTINUE to happen. Therefore, it follows there there must be many copies of "you", indeed, an infinite amount, throughout the universe reading this post at this very moment.

And we're not even talking about the parallel universes that result from the strange behavior at the quantum level. Then, there is this idea of something from nothing where the idea of "nothing" is something very different that in fact continues to follow the falls of physics such that, while I haven't fully grasped the in/out yet, based on the laws of relativity & quantum mechanics, you WILL get something from nothing.




2014-09-26 1:23 PM
in reply to: Porfirio

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by Porfirio

I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example:

The consequences of the laws of probability: Flip a coin 100 times & you'll get heads 50 times & tails 50 times. Flip it 200 & you'll get 100/100. 300 times, 150/150 & so on... forever. If the universe is infinite (forever) as some physicists believe, then like the coin toss, all probable outcomes that can happen will happen. So, as said before, there's someone out in the vast universe that's a copy of "you" but who ordered a tea rather than the cup of coffee "you" are drinking right now. But notice, like an infinite coin toss, all probable outcomes will happen and will CONTINUE to happen. Therefore, it follows there there must be many copies of "you", indeed, an infinite amount, throughout the universe reading this post at this very moment.

And we're not even talking about the parallel universes that result from the strange behavior at the quantum level. Then, there is this idea of something from nothing where the idea of "nothing" is something very different that in fact continues to follow the falls of physics such that, while I haven't fully grasped the in/out yet, based on the laws of relativity & quantum mechanics, you WILL get something from nothing.



This is all pretty deep stuff for a three year old.

My wife and I are Jewish, but neither is particularly observant and we both have a fair degree of healthy skepticism about religion in general. (It should be noted that I"m typing this on Rosh Hashonah, so if I get struck by lightning and can't reply further, it's been nice talking to everyone...)

Anyway, my personal belief, as it pertains to teaching religion to kids is this: kids should be encouraged to question everything, but they also need a foundation to start from.

Every kid will eventually get to a point in his life where he's looking for answers to the big questions (why am I here? What's my purpose? What happens after we die? Why do bad things happen to good people? Etc.) If he's had a religious upbringing, some of those questions will have been "answered" for him in Sunday school or wherever, and he can then start the process of questioning those things he's always believed to be true and seeking his own conclusions about the universe. A kid who doesn't have any kind of spiritual foundation to help him find answers to those questions, even if it's just a jumping off place that leads him question what he's always been taught is likely to go looking for those answers somewhere else, and there's really no telling where he'll end up. Kids who are desperately looking for truth will often find it in whoever sounds the most convicing, and it can leave them vulnerable to people who don't always have their best interests, spiritual and otherwise, in mind.
2014-09-26 2:02 PM
in reply to: jmk-brooklyn

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example: The consequences of the laws of probability: Flip a coin 100 times & you'll get heads 50 times & tails 50 times. Flip it 200 & you'll get 100/100. 300 times, 150/150 & so on... forever. If the universe is infinite (forever) as some physicists believe, then like the coin toss, all probable outcomes that can happen will happen. So, as said before, there's someone out in the vast universe that's a copy of "you" but who ordered a tea rather than the cup of coffee "you" are drinking right now. But notice, like an infinite coin toss, all probable outcomes will happen and will CONTINUE to happen. Therefore, it follows there there must be many copies of "you", indeed, an infinite amount, throughout the universe reading this post at this very moment. And we're not even talking about the parallel universes that result from the strange behavior at the quantum level. Then, there is this idea of something from nothing where the idea of "nothing" is something very different that in fact continues to follow the falls of physics such that, while I haven't fully grasped the in/out yet, based on the laws of relativity & quantum mechanics, you WILL get something from nothing.
This is all pretty deep stuff for a three year old..

I just spit my coffee.

 

2014-09-28 6:52 AM
in reply to: Left Brain

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example: The consequences of the laws of probability: Flip a coin 100 times & you'll get heads 50 times & tails 50 times. Flip it 200 & you'll get 100/100. 300 times, 150/150 & so on... forever. If the universe is infinite (forever) as some physicists believe, then like the coin toss, all probable outcomes that can happen will happen. So, as said before, there's someone out in the vast universe that's a copy of "you" but who ordered a tea rather than the cup of coffee "you" are drinking right now. But notice, like an infinite coin toss, all probable outcomes will happen and will CONTINUE to happen. Therefore, it follows there there must be many copies of "you", indeed, an infinite amount, throughout the universe reading this post at this very moment. And we're not even talking about the parallel universes that result from the strange behavior at the quantum level. Then, there is this idea of something from nothing where the idea of "nothing" is something very different that in fact continues to follow the falls of physics such that, while I haven't fully grasped the in/out yet, based on the laws of relativity & quantum mechanics, you WILL get something from nothing.
This is all pretty deep stuff for a three year old..

I just spit my coffee.

 

I'm 42 and I just got a headache trying to keep up with that .

 

2014-09-28 9:36 AM
in reply to: jmk-brooklyn

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DC
Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn

Originally posted by Porfirio

Anyway, my personal belief, as it pertains to teaching religion to kids is this: kids should be encouraged to question everything, but they also need a foundation to start from.



This is what I'm getting at! Let me be frank: I want to him to decide on his own. Thing is, how do you expose him to "everything" w/out killing religion? Some folk say god created everything. Yet, pioneering theory is finding that "something" does in fact come of "nothing". Then there's the idea of infinity which is mathematically sound. IMO, this just kills god.

Thanks for your reply.
2014-09-28 10:00 AM
in reply to: jmk-brooklyn

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example: The consequences of the laws of probability: Flip a coin 100 times & you'll get heads 50 times & tails 50 times. Flip it 200 & you'll get 100/100. 300 times, 150/150 & so on... forever. If the universe is infinite (forever) as some physicists believe, then like the coin toss, all probable outcomes that can happen will happen. So, as said before, there's someone out in the vast universe that's a copy of "you" but who ordered a tea rather than the cup of coffee "you" are drinking right now. But notice, like an infinite coin toss, all probable outcomes will happen and will CONTINUE to happen. Therefore, it follows there there must be many copies of "you", indeed, an infinite amount, throughout the universe reading this post at this very moment. And we're not even talking about the parallel universes that result from the strange behavior at the quantum level. Then, there is this idea of something from nothing where the idea of "nothing" is something very different that in fact continues to follow the falls of physics such that, while I haven't fully grasped the in/out yet, based on the laws of relativity & quantum mechanics, you WILL get something from nothing.
: kids should be encouraged to question everything, but they also need a foundation to start from.

We start with this foundation in our house:

"There is something bigger than you."

We pretty much end it right there.  They are free to decide that "something" is God, order, math, evil, or something else.  As long a my children don't grow up with the idea that they are the biggest thing, I'm good with their decision.

One of my kids has recently been attending a Christian Athletes club at the invitation of a friend of hers......she seems to enjoy it.  Another one of them spent a week with a family this summer who prayed before each meal....she politely told them that she didn't pray.  I know they struggle with the same questions a lot of us seem to have.......we don't try to give them answers.....we try to give them more questions.



2014-09-28 1:58 PM
in reply to: Porfirio

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by Porfirio

I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example:




So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?


2014-09-29 8:08 AM
in reply to: NXS

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
I think think concept of a god can work in every religious and philosophical view.

Even atheists if you want to accept there is a god out there that just not interfere with anything would work. (Just kinda silly because god would not mater for your life, maybe that is what an agnostic is not sure).

Infinite number of you does not mean god does not exists. Though It might mean the concept of a soul and need to believe in a savior for eternal life might be suspect.





2014-09-30 12:13 PM
in reply to: Left Brain

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn

We start with this foundation in our house:

"There is something bigger than you."

We pretty much end it right there. 



That's cool. Just that I'm biased to encourage my kid to "how" rather than "why".
2014-09-30 12:15 PM
in reply to: NXS

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by NXS

Originally posted by Porfirio

I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example:




So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?





In my mind, religion has really attempted to explain it all away &, IMO, science has destroyed these explanations. Nope, we're not in the center of the universe. Intelligent design is out the window, etc.

These might be silly observations. Then again, consider why the Middle East is so f******. Because people believe in these fairy tales. That said, if my boy chooses to believe these fairy tales, more power to him.
2014-09-30 12:25 PM
in reply to: Porfirio

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by Porfirio
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn

We start with this foundation in our house:

"There is something bigger than you."

We pretty much end it right there. 

That's cool. Just that I'm biased to encourage my kid to "how" rather than "why".

 

How isn't that hard.....right?



2014-10-01 10:07 AM
in reply to: NXS

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by NXS
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example:
So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?

Religion is a contested topic in my house, as I'm a non-believer despite being raised in a Christian Reformed household, not missing church more than a handful of times in my life until the age I moved away.  I always questioned the things I was being taught in sunday school and church, things we were told were facts etc.. 

My wife and I raised our kids with religion (21 y/o twins, 17 and 14 y/o's) as my wife is a believer however as the years went by I could no longer hide my viewpoint and I withdrew from attending church.. With the exception of a few christmas eve masses that I was guilted into attending "for mom", I haven't been to a regular service in nearly 10 years.... As an aside, I'm not even introducing the tangent on religion being a business and breeding ground for manipulation, on and on...

I forgot who the quote is from and I may be a bit off but essentially it goes like this:  "religion is an opiate for the masses."

I have debated religious "scholars" in our family and friend circle and ultimately their final card is "faith"... That being, you must have faith in that which you cannot understand...

And my final quote:  What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence. -- Christopher Hitchens 

As for raising your child and whether you should introduce them to religion in order to allow for a level of understanding that may or may not breed questions, I would argue that why subject them to the brainwashing?  

One of my 21 y/o's is quite religious (considering her environment) as a result of being invited by a friend to  "young life", a christian organization geared towards teenagers and I truly believe she's been brainwashed... She will occasionally quote a bible verse and try to explain it in a way that "dad can understand" and will emphasize that god works in mysterious ways that a mere mortal cannot understand blah blah f'n blah...I love her and always will but I've given up trying to convince her of my viewpoint... She means well and the kids she's met are good people, they just cling to a fantasy and try to introduce godliness into everything...

Obviously a hot button issue and maybe the flames will come my way however religion and what it means in a country that supposedly has a separation between church and state is an every day issue in my neck of the woods...

 

2014-10-01 12:08 PM
in reply to: TriMike

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by NXS
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example:
So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?

Religion is a contested topic in my house, as I'm a non-believer despite being raised in a Christian Reformed household, not missing church more than a handful of times in my life until the age I moved away.  I always questioned the things I was being taught in sunday school and church, things we were told were facts etc.. 

My wife and I raised our kids with religion (21 y/o twins, 17 and 14 y/o's) as my wife is a believer however as the years went by I could no longer hide my viewpoint and I withdrew from attending church.. With the exception of a few christmas eve masses that I was guilted into attending "for mom", I haven't been to a regular service in nearly 10 years.... As an aside, I'm not even introducing the tangent on religion being a business and breeding ground for manipulation, on and on...

I forgot who the quote is from and I may be a bit off but essentially it goes like this:  "religion is an opiate for the masses."

I have debated religious "scholars" in our family and friend circle and ultimately their final card is "faith"... That being, you must have faith in that which you cannot understand...

And my final quote:  What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence. -- Christopher Hitchens 

As for raising your child and whether you should introduce them to religion in order to allow for a level of understanding that may or may not breed questions, I would argue that why subject them to the brainwashing?  

One of my 21 y/o's is quite religious (considering her environment) as a result of being invited by a friend to  "young life", a christian organization geared towards teenagers and I truly believe she's been brainwashed... She will occasionally quote a bible verse and try to explain it in a way that "dad can understand" and will emphasize that god works in mysterious ways that a mere mortal cannot understand blah blah f'n blah...I love her and always will but I've given up trying to convince her of my viewpoint... She means well and the kids she's met are good people, they just cling to a fantasy and try to introduce godliness into everything...

Obviously a hot button issue and maybe the flames will come my way however religion and what it means in a country that supposedly has a separation between church and state is an every day issue in my neck of the woods...

 




Yes, it all boils down to faith. Actually, we all have faith, we just choose to put it in different things

2014-10-01 12:28 PM
in reply to: TriMike

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by NXS
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff?
So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?

As for raising your child and whether you should introduce them to religion in order to allow for a level of understanding that may or may not breed questions, I would argue that why subject them to the brainwashing?  

 




I guess it's a little different in Judaism, to the extent that the religion is closely connected to history and culture, as opposed to being strictly about rules that have been set down by G-d that we are expected to follow. I don't really see it as "brainwashing" because what they're being taught is, to me, just comonsense stuff. You can argue, I suppose, that the message of "love thy neighbor" or "thou shalt not steal" can just as easily be taught by a parent as by a religion, but I don't see the harm in kids hearing it in both places.

I take issue with religions that place their own adherants above others. It annoys me when religions teach that only their adherants are going to heaven or that there is only one true path to righteousness. That includes the propensity of some Jews to identify themselves as "the chosen people". It's one thing to have pride in one's heritage. It's another to teach that any one group is inherently superior to another. In general, that's not a big feature of the version of Judaism that I ascribe to.
2014-10-01 12:41 PM
in reply to: jmk-brooklyn

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by NXS
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff?
So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?

As for raising your child and whether you should introduce them to religion in order to allow for a level of understanding that may or may not breed questions, I would argue that why subject them to the brainwashing?  

 

 

I guess it's a little different in Judaism, to the extent that the religion is closely connected to history and culture, as opposed to being strictly about rules that have been set down by G-d that we are expected to follow. I don't really see it as "brainwashing" because what they're being taught is, to me, just comonsense stuff. You can argue, I suppose, that the message of "love thy neighbor" or "thou shalt not steal" can just as easily be taught by a parent as by a religion, but I don't see the harm in kids hearing it in both places. I take issue with religions that place their own adherants above others. It annoys me when religions teach that only their adherants are going to heaven or that there is only one true path to righteousness. That includes the propensity of some Jews to identify themselves as "the chosen people". It's one thing to have pride in one's heritage. It's another to teach that any one group is inherently superior to another. In general, that's not a big feature of the version of Judaism that I ascribe to.

This is common in the Christian faith...

When I was probably 10 years old I had a sunday school teacher explain that only Christians go to heaven which is why it's so critical that we "spread the word" throughout the world so we can save as many poor souls as possible...

Then one of my buddies asked if his dog would go to heaven since we can't really teach it the bible, it can't pray etc., and the teacher calmly explained that animals don't go to heaven, they don't have souls...

Rude awakening to the art of teaching opinions...

2014-10-01 12:43 PM
in reply to: TriMike

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by NXS
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff?
So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?

As for raising your child and whether you should introduce them to religion in order to allow for a level of understanding that may or may not breed questions, I would argue that why subject them to the brainwashing?  

 

 

I guess it's a little different in Judaism, to the extent that the religion is closely connected to history and culture, as opposed to being strictly about rules that have been set down by G-d that we are expected to follow. I don't really see it as "brainwashing" because what they're being taught is, to me, just comonsense stuff. You can argue, I suppose, that the message of "love thy neighbor" or "thou shalt not steal" can just as easily be taught by a parent as by a religion, but I don't see the harm in kids hearing it in both places. I take issue with religions that place their own adherants above others. It annoys me when religions teach that only their adherants are going to heaven or that there is only one true path to righteousness. That includes the propensity of some Jews to identify themselves as "the chosen people". It's one thing to have pride in one's heritage. It's another to teach that any one group is inherently superior to another. In general, that's not a big feature of the version of Judaism that I ascribe to.

This is common in the Christian faith...

When I was probably 10 years old I had a sunday school teacher explain that only Christians go to heaven which is why it's so critical that we "spread the word" throughout the world so we can save as many poor souls as possible...

Then one of my buddies asked if his dog would go to heaven since we can't really teach it the bible, it can't pray etc., and the teacher calmly explained that animals don't go to heaven, they don't have souls...

Rude awakening to the art of teaching opinions...

 

Well, if dogs don't have souls there can be no God, that's all I know for sure.



2014-10-01 1:14 PM
in reply to: Left Brain

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

do you try to explain to your kid why god likes some forms of birth control and not others? or why corporations are people too?

these are the questions that confuse me

2014-10-01 3:44 PM
in reply to: dmiller5

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by dmiller5

do you try to explain to your kid why god likes some forms of birth control and not others? or why corporations are people too?

these are the questions that confuse me

Or why God made giraffes?  Nobody could think of that.

2014-10-01 4:10 PM
in reply to: Left Brain

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by dmiller5

do you try to explain to your kid why god likes some forms of birth control and not others? or why corporations are people too?

these are the questions that confuse me

Or why God made giraffes?  Nobody could think of that.

Numerous examples of tropical fish indicate their creator is most definitely smoking weed....

2014-10-02 8:17 AM
in reply to: TriMike

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by dmiller5

do you try to explain to your kid why god likes some forms of birth control and not others? or why corporations are people too?

these are the questions that confuse me

Or why God made giraffes?  Nobody could think of that.

Numerous examples of tropical fish indicate their creator is most definitely smoking weed....

how about the human eye! It was definitely not designed by any good engineer....upside down and backwards

2014-10-02 10:25 AM
in reply to: Left Brain

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by Porfirio
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn

We start with this foundation in our house:

"There is something bigger than you."

We pretty much end it right there. 

That's cool. Just that I'm biased to encourage my kid to "how" rather than "why".

 

How isn't that hard.....right?




I don't know that it's about difficulty. More about having proper focus.


2014-10-02 10:26 AM
in reply to: TriMike

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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by NXS
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff? One example:
So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?

Religion is a contested topic in my house, as I'm a non-believer despite being raised in a Christian Reformed household, not missing church more than a handful of times in my life until the age I moved away.  I always questioned the things I was being taught in sunday school and church, things we were told were facts etc.. 

My wife and I raised our kids with religion (21 y/o twins, 17 and 14 y/o's) as my wife is a believer however as the years went by I could no longer hide my viewpoint and I withdrew from attending church.. With the exception of a few christmas eve masses that I was guilted into attending "for mom", I haven't been to a regular service in nearly 10 years.... As an aside, I'm not even introducing the tangent on religion being a business and breeding ground for manipulation, on and on...

I forgot who the quote is from and I may be a bit off but essentially it goes like this:  "religion is an opiate for the masses."

I have debated religious "scholars" in our family and friend circle and ultimately their final card is "faith"... That being, you must have faith in that which you cannot understand...

And my final quote:  What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence. -- Christopher Hitchens 

As for raising your child and whether you should introduce them to religion in order to allow for a level of understanding that may or may not breed questions, I would argue that why subject them to the brainwashing?  

One of my 21 y/o's is quite religious (considering her environment) as a result of being invited by a friend to  "young life", a christian organization geared towards teenagers and I truly believe she's been brainwashed... She will occasionally quote a bible verse and try to explain it in a way that "dad can understand" and will emphasize that god works in mysterious ways that a mere mortal cannot understand blah blah f'n blah...I love her and always will but I've given up trying to convince her of my viewpoint... She means well and the kids she's met are good people, they just cling to a fantasy and try to introduce godliness into everything...

Obviously a hot button issue and maybe the flames will come my way however religion and what it means in a country that supposedly has a separation between church and state is an every day issue in my neck of the woods...

 




Wow. Appreciate you sharing.
2014-10-02 10:27 AM
in reply to: Left Brain

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DC
Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by NXS
Originally posted by Porfirio I have a 3-yr-old & have been prepping to give him all option available to him in life. So, in an attempt to better understand why "god" continues to remain so popular in this day in age (disclaimer: I am an atheist & majored in philosophy ), I have been reading a lot of physics & parallel universes. Is anyone familiar w/the stuff?
So what does physics and parallel universe have to do with the popularity of God today?

As for raising your child and whether you should introduce them to religion in order to allow for a level of understanding that may or may not breed questions, I would argue that why subject them to the brainwashing?  

 

 

I guess it's a little different in Judaism, to the extent that the religion is closely connected to history and culture, as opposed to being strictly about rules that have been set down by G-d that we are expected to follow. I don't really see it as "brainwashing" because what they're being taught is, to me, just comonsense stuff. You can argue, I suppose, that the message of "love thy neighbor" or "thou shalt not steal" can just as easily be taught by a parent as by a religion, but I don't see the harm in kids hearing it in both places. I take issue with religions that place their own adherants above others. It annoys me when religions teach that only their adherants are going to heaven or that there is only one true path to righteousness. That includes the propensity of some Jews to identify themselves as "the chosen people". It's one thing to have pride in one's heritage. It's another to teach that any one group is inherently superior to another. In general, that's not a big feature of the version of Judaism that I ascribe to.

This is common in the Christian faith...

When I was probably 10 years old I had a sunday school teacher explain that only Christians go to heaven which is why it's so critical that we "spread the word" throughout the world so we can save as many poor souls as possible...

Then one of my buddies asked if his dog would go to heaven since we can't really teach it the bible, it can't pray etc., and the teacher calmly explained that animals don't go to heaven, they don't have souls...

Rude awakening to the art of teaching opinions...

 

Well, if dogs don't have souls there can be no God, that's all I know for sure.




Well said!
2014-10-02 10:29 AM
in reply to: Porfirio

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DC
Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god
Been away from a computer so couldn't read the comments.

And by the way, if we don't have the courage to have these discussion because it's not "politically correct" to challenge someone's religious views... then women will continue to have their genitals removed, then men will continue to kill w/the belief that they will be re-payed w/12 virgins, then homosexuals will continue to outcasts.......................

I reckon I too have a bias.
2014-10-02 11:26 AM
in reply to: Porfirio

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Pro
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Subject: RE: Parallel Realities & god

Originally posted by Porfirio Been away from a computer so couldn't read the comments. And by the way, if we don't have the courage to have these discussion because it's not "politically correct" to challenge someone's religious views... then women will continue to have their genitals removed, then men will continue to kill w/the belief that they will be re-payed w/12 virgins, then homosexuals will continue to outcasts....................... I reckon I too have a bias.

THAT'S the one that cracks me up the most..... I would have loved to been in on the discussion with the founders of Islam to hear how they came up with that one.  "Tell them 4 virgins, no, wait, tell them 12, they'll do anything for 12".

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