On our arrogance in believing our "God" is the only one

I found this in a book I'm reading written by Tian Dayton:

The Black Hills in what is now South Dakota were considered a spiritual place by many people, but when the Europeans settled the area, they built churches and wanted the Native Americans to attend services. Each week, one of the Native Americans walked quietly into the hills with his burro as he did his work. And each week, a particular settler reminded him that he did not come to church to seek God. Each week the Native American listened to him politely, but was confused by what he meant. One week, when the European again asked this man why he neglected to visit God, the man had a sudden insight as to what the question meant.

"I see now, he replied. "Your God lives in a house. You go there to see Him. That's nice. I understand. For me it is different. My God lives everywhere, even in these hills, and is with me all the time."

When atheists should just butt out ...

Butting out ....

Amen.

I have 2 email friends who are Native Americans, I will send it to them. Thanks for posting it.

Thanks for sharing that paragraph. That's how I like to think about God...What is the name of the book, that paragraph is from?

Subtitled, "How to Find Meaning in Ordinary Life"

Lots of wisdom-- highly recommended.

:)

BTW, welcome to DU!

:hi:

Which is why those who adhere to those faiths do so - they believe their way is the correct way and their view of god is the right one.

I would though tend to agree that god does not live in a house of worship of course :) I think the idea many would have in that case though is that where more of his creations are gathered then there too is god (living within them all) but that does not exclude being outside in god's fuller creation.

To me god's majesty is apparent in my garden and even the grass and bugs outside my house, and the handiwork of the creator is a living testament to goodness of his works - it is those whom have power in this world, his brightest creations, who are also the worst.

Maybe the whole story of lucifer is allegorical, but it does fit in many ways. Mankind had it all, and he was lured away by the power he holds and has used that power to wreak havoc on the rest of god's creations. We had an eden called earth, and we have made it a hell.

My particular ultra-liberal strand of Christianity believes that not only that other people who don't share our religion may not be going to hell, but also you don't even have to believe in a god to go to heaven. A god who is benevolent would forgive even apostasy.

I love that idea. You a UU?

Marcia Falk

from there we extrapolate.

dp

It was amusing and cute but there were moments that made me stop and think. One part of the movie had skeptical reporters questioning "God" (Burns) about whether Jesus was his son. And he answered, "Jesus was my son. Buddha was my son. Mohammed, Moses, the man who said there was no room at the inn, was my son."

And when asked why he lets so much sadness and destruction ruin our world, God says, "Why do YOU let it? I gave you everything you need for a happy world and look what you've done to it..."

Food for thought.

John Denver's finer moments as an actor in that film, not that he needed another field to venture into...RIP John.

dp

:banghead:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough;
Give the world your best anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never about them anyway.

- Mother Teresa

If your family will starve to death if you have more children
don't use birth control anyway.


I'm not a big fan of Mamma T.

Thank you for saying just what I was thinking!

:applause:

:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

See http://www.paradoxicalcommandments.com

I knew it and I just didn't want to get beat up for posting it.

i'll just be back here hiding behind you...:hide:

What kind of soldier did you make, anyway?

Mother Teresa doesn't say beautiful things like that. She said things like, "You are suffering like Christ on the cross. So Jesus must be kissing you."

:scared:

But this private already had her butt shot off once this weekend Sir!

:patriot:

Else it's off to Gitmo where we'll flush your atheist manifesto down the toilet, got it?!?

sending me back to Creation Bootcamp !!! :scared:

http://www.creationbootcamp.com/mainPage.php

That's not my style-- never has been, never will be.
:smoke:

But I wasn't referring to you, sorry I didn't clarify that.
I've been jumped on for posting in this forum before, most of us have.

But, then again, I should be used to it by now, but my cast iron underwear was at the cleaners this weekend so I bailed!
:evilgrin:

Pretty amusing, scottie!!

Thanks for the clarification...

:)

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
-- Stephen Roberts

More:
http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/i_contend_that_we_are_both_atheists-i_just/219252.html


Now, if it be retorted that there actually are reasons X, Y, and Z for finding a supreme being more plausible than a teapot, then X, Y, and Z should be spelled out--because, if legitimate, they are proper scientific arguments that should be evaluated. Don't protect them from scrutiny behind a screen of agnostic tolerance. If religious arguments are actually better than Atkins' teapot theory, let us hear the case. Otherwise, let those who call themselves agnostic with respect to religion add that they are equally agnostic about orbiting teapots. At the same time, modern theists might acknowledge that, when it comes to Baal and the golden calf, Thor and Wotan, Poseidon and Apollo, Mithras and Ammon Ra, they are actually atheists. We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.
-Dr. Richard Dawkins

More:
http://www.simonyi.ox.ac.uk/dawkins/WorldOfDawkins-archive/Dawkins/Work/Articles/1999-10-04snakeoil.shtml

writing it down now. ;)

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
-- Stephen Roberts

Even Christians should know that but place church as divine itself just for money. What did Jesus say about splitting wood and God being in it? Deifying a place is replacing God for a building and it's minister.