Stoner Forums - A Marijuana & 420 Friendly Community - Spirituality and Philosophy

Nowness

PIGFOOT — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:26:59 GMT

All religions are fault-finding missions. An escape from the "Now." They operate out of some separate, exalted state. No matter what the outcome, afterlife or no afterlife, how can you fault a system that gave rise to you?

You can't fault a system that gave rise to you in any way possible.

Afterlife or no afterlife.

Meditation

HighGrade — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:37:50 GMT

I have meditated while high a few times and feel this big magnetic field pulsating from my head. It seems like it goes on/out forever and the feeling is indescribable. Any similar experience?

P.S: < edited looking for hookups is prohibited >. Peace:harvest:

If God Exists....

HalfBreedWeedMan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:29:55 GMT

If God is real and if we are all created in his image, then why do we look JUST LIKE EVOLVED APES? Just kinda throwin' that out there.....;stars

Never Mess With (My) God

PIGFOOT — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:43:22 GMT

(Especially if you're in a different religion)

If I were God I would have a Commandment that says you can make fun of me three times a year. Do it four times, though, and you're going to hell. Two times is considered pushing it. Once is best.

I don't believe in God, but that doesn't make me a heretic. It makes me an non-believer. If you believe I'm a heretic, you probably believe in an anthropomorphic kind of God, one that avenges this type of behavior. I also think God would have more than two nostrils, given the choice, and He wouldn't need toes, which are there to keep balance. Also, God would not have ugly ears. He would have beautiful ears. Have you ever noticed our ears? The ugliest things on the planet.

I believe God would have a middle name, too. Make that three middle names. Make that eighty middle names. He would have the longest name in history, and if you said it out loud, you would be required to put a "Sir" in front of it. Make that "Lord." Make that "The Lord."

I don't believe God would allow a snarky thing called science to disprove him, either. He would abolish science, or have his true believers try to abolish it. Wait ... maybe there is a God.

I believe consciousness permeates the universe, that God is everywhere, and everything, not just an entity who resides in a special place called Heaven. I don't believe in an anthropomorphic God, one with human characteristics, like anger, jealously and vengeance.

I've run out of time. I wasn't allowed to mock "God" more than a couple of times, and here I am overstaying my welcome. I believe I'm wanted in "hell" now?

See ya later jesus

MindSetFree — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:46:37 GMT

As you can see organized religion is crumbling, its old news...the book is tossed on the dusty shelf to never be seen again. Now what the mainstream media is already starting to push is "new age", for example-oprah winifrey teaming up with eckart tolle, the writer of new earth, and the power of now, both great books and I do take certain things from it. But I cant help but question the motives, and the effect she has on millions of people across the world is ridiculous.. new age religion is the synthesis and will bring us all into one final end destination, and that is a new world order. Which seems impossible when you have the mass population arguing over whos imaginary friend is the greatest, and being seperate from one another because of race and culture. Well new age takes care of that. Police state here we come...

Release from relationship

PIGFOOT — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:35:57 GMT

Tonight I'm having the most pleasurable experience by releasing my relationship with things. After reading Eckhart Tolle for years I finally surrendered to this notion, and while my friend was talking to me, I severed my relationship with him. This allowed "him" to exist independent of me, and immediately I saw him in a new light. He became fascinating, as I allowed him to "live" by releasing my relationship to him. This gave him new life, in all ways possible. If that is what the sages mean by the "now," I'm impressed.

The key seems to be relinquishing your relationship to things, or to people, for that matter. This I found the hardest to do, but such liberty when it was done! Allow them to exist independent of you, with no relationship. This grants them an aliveness, an ownership to their own being-ness, that you didn't see earlier, because you were too immersed in your own thoughts, in an "ownership" position.

Try relinquishing relationship to that cup as you drink from it. See if it stays the same cup, or if it becomes a new cup, an alive cup.

Anyone into the Tao?

Sourdiesel — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:41:03 GMT

Just wondering if anyone was into Taoism?
I really wasn't one to align myself with a certain religion, but i found Taoism and it was weird because all my thoughts and feelings about nature, the world, the universe, religion... alll seemed to sorta mimic Taoist ideas and beliefs before i even had a concept of what Taoism really was. Tao meaning "path" or "way". It is more of a deep understanding of self through nature and the universe. There's not a personified diety in he sky thats constantly watching waiting ta judge you, that you should fear.
"Taoism proclaims an impersonal creative principle which makes no moral distinction between right and wrong and which judges no one. "(From Taoism and Christianity by Michael Greghorn)

I gotta got class, but if anyone has a knowledge of Taoism i would love ta chat with ya and learn more.
Also if anyone does Tai-Chi Chuan and would like ta chat about it hit me up.

christian group opposes 'religious' statue at zoo

zaphod — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:10:28 GMT

Dancing elephant statue stays, says Calgary Zoo

Last Updated: Friday, September 25, 2009 | 5:48 PM MT

CBC News

This three-metre-high statue was donated to the zoo by a woman who wanted to honour the memory of her late father. (Courtesy Lotus Sculpture)

The Calgary Zoo said it has no plans to remove a dancing elephant statue after a complaint from a Christian group that it's an inappropriate religious icon.

A private donor gave the statue, modeled after the Hindu god Ganesh, to the zoo in 2006 to stand in front of the Asian elephant exhibit.

As CBC News first reported, Concerned Christians Canada sent a letter raising its concerns that the statue was "selective religious partiality" to the zoo on Thursday.

"A lot of people are saying we're being intolerant. I don't consider asking that the zoo look at this from a balanced perspective being intolerant," said national chairman Jim Blake on Friday.

Zoo officials said the three-metre-tall statue has no religious symbols and is meant to simply show the link between elephants and Asian culture.

"Our desire in putting the statue here was to demonstrate to our visitors the connection between cultures and animals, much like the same way the bald eagle for example depicts the American culture, the lion Britain, the beaver Canada," explained Grahame Newton, the zoo's director of corporate services, on Friday.

'Handful' of complaints

Newton said the zoo received a "handful" of complaints when the statue was first erected.

"We tried to explain to them the tie-in with the culture and that it was not a religious symbol and that seemed to fade pretty quickly. We didn't hear much after that. We didn't hear anything after that until this most recent situation," Newton said.

Proof for an Intelligent Creator and His purpose

andersbranderud — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:18:58 GMT

According to science our universe has a beginning (search at �age of the universe� on www.pnas.org) and time is purely physical. Therefore there can be no such thing as time external to the physical universe. Timespace has a beginning.

It is a fundamental law of physics (causality) that every physical occurrence in the universe has a cause.
The fundamental laws of physics then require a cause of the universe ex nihilo (since timespace has a beginning); i.e., a Prime Cause Singularity that is non-dimensional and independent of timespace.

To conclude the above paragraphs:
Fact: No thing nor event in the known universe or laws of physics lacks a cause.
Assume: There is no Prime Cause (Creator / Singularity).
Ergo: There is no universe.
Fact: There is a universe.
Therefore: the statement that was assumed is proven to be a false statement by reduction ad absurdum (proof by disproof).
(Since "There is no Creator" is proven false, the opposite is true: There is a Creator.)

Being logically consistent (orderly), orderly universe must mirror its Prime Cause / Singularity-Creator�Who must be Orderly; i.e. Perfect.
An orderly�"not capricious," as Einstein put it�Creator (also implying Just), therefore, necessarily had an Intelligent Purpose in creating this universe and us within it and, being Just and Orderly, necessarily placed an explanation, a "Life's Instruction Manual," within the reach of His subjects�humankind.

It defies the orderliness (logic / mathematics) of both the universe and Perfection of its Creator to assert that humanity was (contrary to His Tor��h′ , see below) without any means of rapproachment until millennia after the first couple in recorded history as well as millennia after Abraham, Moses and the prophets. Therefore, the Creator's "Life's Instruction Manual" has been available to man at least since the beginning of recorded history. The only enduring document of this kind is the Tor��h′ �which, interestingly, translates to "Instruction" (not "law" as popularly alleged). (Source and further reading of how to relate to the Creator:www.netzarim.co.il)

The fact that the Creator is perfect implies that He isn�t self-contradictory. Therefore any religion, and all religions contradicts each other (otherwise they would be identical), that contradicts Torah is the antithesis to the Creator.

(The most common counter arguments are answered at http://bloganders.blogspot.com/search/label/counter%20arguments)
)

Control Freaks

caprice — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:19:08 GMT

I was pondering and reading about "Control Freaks" and the etiology behind their motivations. I hope I am posting on the right section here.

But most all of us know them. I was married to one many years. PPL who insist on having their way in all interactions with you. They wish to set the agenda and decide what it is you will do and when you will do it. A driving need to run the show and call the shots....LOL

Lurking within the fabric of conversation is the clear threat that if you don't acede to their demands and needs, they will be unhappy.
It is normal to want to be in control of your own life. But when ppl have to be in control of ppl around them as well....they literally won't rest till they get their way is pathological and prolly a personality D/O.
They have a fear of their flaws being exposed....deep down they are terrified of being vulnerable and they think they protect themselves by being in control of every aspect of their life. Including relationships. They cause others stress so they can maintain a sense of order. But are riddled with anxiety, fear, insecurity, and anger.
Underneath a mountain of UNHAPPINESS!!!!
But they seldom recognize their fears. They are difficult to live with...
The essential needs of a control freak is to defend against anxiety....helplessness...and impotence.....controlling is an ANXIETY MANAGEMENT TOOL!!!!!!!LOL

Just a little musing and sharing from my morning reading and pondering.....LOL;coffee

My trip to Hell

PIGFOOT — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:56:46 GMT

Hell found me. Or should I say, I found hell.

I found hell because I wanted to go there--desperately.

TRIP TO HELL

I started my trip to hell by saying God's name in vain. Then I said Jesus's name in vain. To cover my bets, I also said Allah's name in vain, Vishnu's name in vain, Zeus's name in vain, and Sun Myung Moon's name in vain.

Then I stole a pack of cigarettes, smoked them, and littered them. I know littering is not a Commandment but it's illegal in most cities. To ensure going to hell, I turned a teenager on to cigarettes. Then I tried quitting myself, which is an abbreviated form of hell.

I became a mortgage broker and specialized in loans with variable interest rates. There will be a special place in hell for me.

I started playing Christian music backwards.

I got a special audience with the Pope and did nothing but fib to him.

Before falling asleep I withheld prayer, but found time to masturbate.

I read "The Origins of Species." Twice.

I became a telemarketer.

ARRIVAL IN HELL

Who greeted me in hell? The creators of South Park, mosquitoes, Hitler, Hitler's chaplain, the inventor of the restroom hand dryer, a homeless guy named Steve, and a surprising number of televangelists. Oh, and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, for selling too many Satanic Bibles and Korans.

Hell is exactly how you'd expect it: hot. With too much humidity.

ESCAPE FROM HELL

After fifty thousand eternities I decided I had enough of hell. It was time to escape.

Leading the way out was Bon Scott, immortal singer of AC/DC, who later wrote a song about the experience, called "Highway Out of Hell." He suggested we take the quick route, the "Stairway to Heaven" route. I wasn't sure if there was still time to change the road we were on, but he assured me there was, so we headed north. All the while, the first verse of John Lennon's "Imagine" floated through my imaginary skull. OJ Simpson tried to tag along but we made him go back. We passed Noel Gallagher but he was heading south.

Finally, there was light up ahead -- soothing light, diffused light, not burning, raw light. Roy Orbison met us at the gate. I asked for Peter and he said he hoped I didn't mean Frampton. I assured him it was Gabriel I was after.

We ate sponge cakes and apple sauce and drank champagne and no one burped. Heaven did away with all burping.

Peter Gabriel gave us a tour of the Place. It was BIG.

He said God loved the name of his original band, Genesis, and I asked him what his current band's name was, and he said Genesis II.

I asked him who he was most surprised to see in Heaven and he said Yoko Ono. Paul McCartney, as it turns out, was the real reason for the Beatles breakup, he informed me, and that why he's in hell.

Feeling finite.

Osprey — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:58:37 GMT

Each and every day, I feel it. When I wake up, when I'm at work, when I get home and when I go to sleep. We as a collective, as a conscious entity, have such a small shot at the whole of existence. I look to the sky, to the stars. Perceived as small, however massive they may truly be. It's all so far off, we're all so small. Having been quite a pedestrian in my younger years, I acquired a good feel for how far away things are. That "feel" is completely useless when contemplating our minuscule footprint to that of any celestial body. We sit here, on our tiny, beautiful, blue and green rock, arguing about who has the most powerful imaginary friend (please don't be offended if you're the religious type, I was raised Roman Catholic and wish I hadn't been, that's where that's coming from) and weather or not every single person in the world should worship them. Creepy. If only, this is where I wish a bit now, if only we could see past our incredibly insignificant differences, that have been blown out of proportion, we could be an enlightened race. We could be interstellar, we could cure everything. Sure the people with the money would be upset with that, nature of the beast though I guess. Being less than a spark, a flash of light, a shattered fragment of a grain of sand, I wonder where the powers that be get their sense of significance? I would have to imagine that it's self imposed but others have to believe for the feeling to propagate. Subjugation! Or death right? Great way to move forward as a species. Is there a way for us to impact the greater scope of what is? Probably. If you don't believe, no worries, you don't have to. There is more than meets the eye going on, much more. We've been here so briefly and believe we know so much.