KeepitRealMark wrote:I am very glad for all my past exposures to the myths taught by religions.
More than several weeks ago I posted on the TB forum a link to someone very active in the Saturn Myth. It can be found
here
In that link the author stipulates that 4000 - 3500 BC the myths recorded were more historical events rather than something interpreted as religious. The ancients were literally describing in the language that was afforded to them at the time what they were witnessing in the sky. It wasn't until 1500 BC to 600 BC that the rise of religious thought truly became pronounced in civilizations, and this was due to a development of the subjective consciousness which considered the "I' in relations to others, as opposed to the pre-consciousness of only perceiving the "I".
Religious teachers and bodhisattvas encouraged their followers to accept an appreciation of contemplative thought to exercise a control of their animal instincts. In addition, the intellect and intuition of humankind progressed to a level accepting that one could change the reality of their existence through contemplative meditation and prayer.
For example:
Mindful meditation training
Meditation group participants reported spending an average of 27 minutes each day practicing mindfulness exercises, and their responses to a mindfulness questionnaire indicated significant improvements compared with pre-participation responses. The analysis of MR images, which focused on areas where meditation-associated differences were seen in earlier studies, found increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection. Participant-reported reductions in stress also were correlated with decreased grey-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in anxiety and stress. Although no change was seen in a self-awareness-associated structure called the insula, which had been identified in earlier studies, the authors suggest that longer-term meditation practice might be needed to produce changes in that area. None of these changes were seen in the control group, indicating that they had not resulted merely from the passage of time.
"It is fascinating to see the brain's plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life." says Britta Hölzel, PhD, first author of the paper and a research fellow at MGH and Giessen University in Germany. "Other studies in different patient populations have shown that meditation can make significant improvements in a variety of symptoms, and we are now investigating the underlying mechanisms in the brain that facilitate this change."
KeepitRealMark wrote:I have learned to decipher the reality from the nonsense.
Do you really believe that you're engaging your interlocutor with any degree of respectful discourse when you use terse statements that end with "nonsense?" If you want to espouse your atheist view and challenge your interlocutors, you could do it with a greater emphasis of engaging in actual dialogue (IMO).
KeepitRealMark wrote:And be honest about it all.
This sounds like a directive from you.
KeepitRealMark wrote:What does anger me is the prevailing hatred and killing caused by the various religious beliefs. Every time someone dies in the name of a false god is an atrocity.
The early Christian fathers were appalled by the brutality of the Roman State - abhorred by the atrocities of the Roman arena, and preached a condition of love and peace. Saint Paul upstaged the Beatles by centuries with a letter dedicated to the concept of "All You Need is Love."
In addition, it's my understanding that Gandhi followed the precepts of Hinduism, gave deferrance to the New Testament, and was one of the outstanding champions of peace in our recent history. Also, I do recall another champion of peace and very religious man in the name of Martin Luther King Jr.
Whereas, there were some that espoused atheist societies and governments that were brutal beyond the pale, e.g., Stalin and Chairman Mao. All ideologies can fall victim to abuse.
KeepitRealMark wrote:I have little tolerance left for this sad state of affairs assaulting our humanity.
Tolerance is a crucial concept, precept, and guiding principle for people living in a free society.
KeepitRealMark wrote:I prefer to point a finger in the face of religion and loudly say…. Face Reality. Face the Truth.
May I suggest, at the risk of being bold, you might want to concentrate on breathing in and than out - and perhaps dedicate your energies to changing yourself?
KeepitRealMark wrote:There are no gods. Stop killing in the name of gods. Start taking care of each other in the name of Humanity.
A word to the wise, people kill when they are overcome with passion or a certain ideology, whether it is religious, emotional, or atheistic. Others kill because they are psychopaths that enjoy it and have no compunction about it. You might want to read a book from a person invested in psychological research and who suffered from the abuses of Nazism and Communism in Eastern Europe. The book is called
Political Ponerology
In the book, the author explains how those of a psychopath inclination often come to power manipulating through self-righteous indignation and high moral ground to control an entire's society's political structure. The author stresses an objective approach and research to understanding the nature of evil, but also that the morals found in religions are conducive for developing a healthy society.
KeepitRealMark wrote:What is most important is to share the knowledge we have gained and help eradicate the disease of delusional religious dogma.
Eradicate? You do realize that exterminate is a synonym of eradicate. Wow. This really does beckon to the language espoused by the Social Darwinism movements of the early 20th century that condoned eugenics.
KeepitRealMark wrote:I am pleased that the truth behind EU serves to accomplish both.
I don't believe those researching the EU model claim a lock on the truth, but rather, directing ourselves to investigating a new scientific paradigm of our universe and understanding ancient myths that serve as a key to what transpired in the skies that comport with the EU model.
An object is cut off from its name, habits, associations. Detached, it becomes only the thing, in and of itself. When this disintegration into pure existence is at last achieved, the object is free to become endlessly anything. ~ Jim Morrison
For you forums I like how you said how electricity is like an unconscious god, in a way. I sort of have similar views with plasma, or the process plasma initiates. Like Birkeland currents. I am not hating on you, I like a fresh perspective on this matter. I am just saying being Rock solid about the afterlife, is illogical in every way. Maybe god is not illogical as there are flaws in the bible. But through information transfers and the way life is in general, you cannot say you are 100% certain there is no afterlife, because you have no memory of it. If you agree with the holographic principle or Rupert Sheldrakes Morphic Fields any of those just shows you memory is more complex then we thought. Even Stuart Hameroff; micro-tubules in the brain shows that memory can exist outside of the head. Remember even on wikipedia it shows you references for neurosci problems. One big one is how memory works and how it is stored. WE DO NOT KNOW 