What good does religion offer the world today?

I look at this drivel that you and the other religious fanatics, like your buddy Newologist, post and i am reminded of Humpty Dumpty


'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'

-- From Through the Looking Glass.

Set, I didn't write the book.

All I can do is try and prevent its meaning from being misconstrued for what ever interpretation becomes the flavor of the day.

Is there any authority in the words of the bible?

Well they are words and words are usually protected under social laws of personal liberty and free speech. Even stupid words, like some of your own.

Words of bitter scorn are often kept on some select bookshelves of the world too.

They may remind us of what makes us fortunate.

I do not find the question of the existence of holy spirit to be silly and preposterous. I just do not see that question as having a definitive answer based upon evidence.

Some may say speaking in tongues is evidence. lol

It still does not have a scientifically testable hypothesis.

I find rather than surmising what the bible says by inferences of what others say it is better to study it ones own self and know your adversary.

If you do not like the book Set, take it up with the writers themselves.

Leaving aside silly, preposterous concepts such as a "holy spirit," language only works when there is a consensus of meaning. Your silly discursus, for example, of "the spirit" being "upon" Adam and Eve, was a sterling example of taking an otherwise innocent word such as upon to suggest that it has some special meaning which is not warranted by consensus definition, nor explicit in the text to which you refer. There is no good reason to believe that Adam and Eve claptrap in the first place. I don't have a problem with people choosing to believe something; but i do have a problem with them pontificating to others, and especially on the basis of a ridiculous distortion of the language.

In short, you're just making this sh*t up--don't expect to be taken seriously by anyone who is not infected with your particular delusion.

Set, the "spirit within" thing signifies the democratization of God.

No longer did a person have to go to a priest in the Holy of Holies to speak to God and get absolution.

Whether if God exists or not the democratization of God gave less church control over the believer/non believer.

That meant the believer could make intercession for themselves.

When God speaks from clouds, burning bushes or though priest, the spirit is upon them.

When one priest confers the spirit to another priest he transfers the mantle. The mantle ceremony a physical representation of the transference of the spirit upon one priest and being conferred to another. (yea, Humpty Dumpty)

"Upon" what condition?

The spirit was granted upon the conditions that one followed the law and believed in the holy spirit.

Can the spirit be removed? Well it seems so in passing the mantle.

But the idea is that spiritual "seed" cannot be removed.

Seed is an eternal truth.

Born once of physical seed and "born again" of spiritual seed.

This is an open discussion of whether or not religion offers the world any good. I am saying that what it offers is a litany of self-delusion to its adherents. Your babble about spirits simply confirms that. Why should i, or anyone else, believe any of that--just because you say so? But religion is more than just a source of self-delusion, because its adherents insist upon attempting to impose their delusions on others. This leads to the abuse of children and women, the persecution of homosexuals, discrimination against non-adherents and the large scale slaughter of those who do not share the same beliefs, often for trivial doctrinal disagreements.

Religion is a powerful force for evil in the world. Your babbling about spirits is a prime example of just how far from reality delusion can care us.

Religion is a double edged sword it can cut both ways.

Religion is the basis for most sci-fi movies today, a billion dollar industry.

I don't know if I would call that evil.

Lord of the Rings, I don't call that evil.

They are stories that are full of half-truths and it is up to us to decide what goes beyond our belief system and what remains within the boundaries.

The problem is propaganda, most religions call themselves religions of peace yet we have holy wars. The religions do not teach the doctrines of peace.

That is evil.

It is not necessarily the imagination that is evil but it is the fruit of the thoughts and how one responds to them.

Creative artistry and irony.

Much of the truth we have yet to discover lies in the realms of the absurd.

When it comes to delusion, a claim that religion is the basis for most sci-fi movies is way out there on the edge. You're just babbling here. I've made my case and you have no cogent objections to it. Religion is not a "double edged sword." It does evil in the world, while offering no good that ordinary human decency will not provide.

Religions offer some of the finest comfort food sales (like Chicken pot pie, pasties, Golumpkie dinners, and saur Kraut and pork dinners)

Not really . . . it is the community of the deluded, who adhere precisely for the benefits of community, who offer those foods. All too often, they're not very well prepared.

maybe up your way. Down here they take thir comfort food sales ---religiously.
In Pa, even church and Fire Company kitchens need a licensed food prep specialist and NSF equipment properly maintained.

I can see the church road side "chicken barbecues" along the Danville Va strip, where noone has any responsibility for "clean food".

Up in Pa, church meals have a better food safety record than chain restaurants.

If i lived with all those Amish, i'd want that, too.

However, my point is that this is not some kind of benefit of religion. Girl scouts have bake sales and fish fries, too, ya know.

Bacteria are part of the necessary biological system here, there are scores of other things he didn't educate us about as well, combustion, electricity, nuclear power, etc. He wanted us to figure that stuff out ourselves.

But you posing a false choice. Both things cause illness, even if you wish to call 'demons' mental illness, we know that mental imbalance can cause physical illnesses. I don't really know which proportion of mental illness is caused by demons and which is self imposed but I'm guessing both are in play.


The danger of evil/demons is far greater than that of bacteria. The death of spirit is far more catastrophic than that of the body. It would be unwise to discount spirit as 'illusion'.


Errors are certainly made. We should value these occasions to separate error from wisdom.

The second silliest thing, next to creating gods, is presuming to know what's on its mind.

God found it vital to tell us all not to wear plaid and don't untie your donkey on the Sabbath but not one word about bacteria?

And you talk about the "death of spirit" as if one could slay God.??

Not talking about human sacrifice. We're talking about animal sacrifice.

Your words, actually. Based on hearsay, right?

Keep it up. You're doing fine.

Define spirit.