Canem Malum, Sunday, 29 May 2022 9:56:18 AM writes: "The problem of Spinoza's god is it doesn't have a human or cultural face."

Your implication that Spinoza ignored a glaring truth that negates the integrity of his entire divine realm is not only pompous, it is without merit, for your "problem" is a contrived opinion revealed to be exactly that by your next breath: "God as a representation of divine humanity surely needs one."

Surely, you must realise that the gods of which we speak are whole, entire, devoid of incompleteness or need. How could you answer thus and not realise your perfidy in a previous post to Yuyutsu wherein you wrote: "Answer- With the greatest of respect Yuyutsu I suspect that the Anglo and European understanding of God is very different from yours- certainly very different than mine and the view of my family and extended family." Wherein lies the reason and responsibility for this.....in the gods or humankind?
In the gift of free will or simply unreasoning human perversity? Surely you have noted that humans are accused of employing their free will whenever events can be counted against them and whether in fact their free will was involved or not? Is humasnkind capable of thinking and acting minus the facility of free will?

The term "divine humanity"in your context is perplexing. For theists, gods represent the supreme state of everything. Humankind is the exception at the insistence of said gods.

"I suppose you would expect that Judaism (Einstein/ Spinoza) would be closer to the Chinese (Buddhism (originally from India), Taoism (Tao Te Ching), Confucism) than the Western Traditions (Greek, Roman, Nordic, Anglo). Judea is located between China and the West even though theoretically Christianity is part of the Judean Tradition."

Your supposition is indicative of a superficial approach to an intelligent conversation. Surely you can do better but cannot arouse the enthusiasm. Or perhaps you can find too little solid ground to tread.

Thursday 2 June 2022

Judaism has little connection with either Einstein or Spinoza. Spinoza was excommunicated by the Amsterdam Jewish community as they thought (and I believe correctly) that his ideas were a heresy and not consistent with Jewish belief. Einstein did not believe in a personal god, and the Jewish idea of god is intensely personal. Neither Spinoza nor Einstein are representative of Jewish belief.

Posted by Yuyutsu, Tuesday, 31 May 2022 12:48:29 AM, you write:

"There is the reality of that state of being which Buddhists refer to as "Nirvana" and there is the reality of that state of being which Christians refer to as "Union with God"." much more commonly referred to as HEAVEN. Contriving special names for your divine states to fortify your argument is a common theistic device and shames the theist. In addition, it should be noted that despite your striving you have repeated your assertion with different words and managed to be somewhat patronising about it simultaneously.

"That reality, that ultimate state of being is one and the same." A plain assertion is insufficient. In my previous post to you I described several difficulties and incosistencies and you have done nothing whatsoever to address them. I brought you facts and you reply with barely relevant repetition and assertion

"Further, that state would still exist and remain the same regardless whether Buddhism or Christianity were ever invented." More baseless, wishful assertion. You resort to the convenience of conceit because to you it is plausible. Was it that great physicist Carl Sagan who brought home the truth to the contenders, "That which is asserted without evidence shall be likewise dismissed", or words to that effect?

But are you asserting that this MCP exists somewhere as a realm independent of all religions and that the religious leaders up to today have been lying to the faithful that the christian heaven, say, is not the be-all and end-all of human existence? So far, my friend, you are leaving too many questions unanswered for your assertions to acquire any credibility. That you ignore genuine enquiries pertaining to genuine issues and leave the fabric of your faith in tatters and shot with gaping holes reveals a faith hardly worth considering.

And blaming others for your inability to present a cogent and credible evidence-based system of belief reveals more of your inadequacies than any that your readership may suffer. Do you understand why you don't as least try?


Friday 3 June 2022

Dear Pogi,

No, I was not referring to heaven.

«In my previous post to you I described several difficulties and incosistencies and you have done nothing whatsoever to address them.»

In your previous post to me you bombarded me, out of the blue, with all sorts of criticisms against Christians, Buddhists and some of their beliefs and behaviours. I am not an advocate for either Christianity or Buddhism, nor am I getting paid for this, so why should I waste my precious time on addressing such issues?

«But are you asserting that this MCP exists somewhere as a realm independent of all religions»

I am not familiar with the term "MCP".

Let me reiterate:

Buddhists stress the existence of the state they call "Nirvana" where all suffering permanently ceases.
Christians speak of the existence of a state of Union with God which is filled with eternal joy (some of them might confuse it with "heaven", I didn't).

Yet I claim (according to Hinduism) that there exists this achievable state of being which is BOTH - the permanent cessation of all suffering AND the attainment of absolute eternal joy - thus that [at least about this particular point] there is no conflict between Christianity and Buddhism.

It is just wishful thinking in both cases.
David

"In your previous post to me you bombarded me, out of the blue, with all sorts of criticisms against Christians, Buddhists and some of their beliefs and behaviours."

Your estimation of my post amounts to wild exaggeration, deliberate misinterpretation and an astonishing disregard for the truth. I wrote nothing AGAINST christianity and nor did I of buddhism. I pointed to the irreconcilable differences between them and how it makes nonsense of your fanciful opinion on ecumenism, that a Multi-Cultural Paradise (an MCP) has prime control over the whole kit and kaboodle of all supernatural realms.

" nor am I getting paid for this, so why should I waste my precious time on addressing such issues?". That you lament not being paid for your posts and time/effort invested demonstrates the depth and severity of fantasy that has overtaken you.

"Let me reiterate." If I had the power I would assuredly not. Your preference for monotonous repetition as a substitute for a meagre serving of evidence additionally demonstrates the poverty of your witness.

"Yet I claim (according to Hinduism) that there exists this achievable state of being which is BOTH - the permanent cessation of all suffering AND the attainment of absolute eternal joy"

Congratulations. Your CLAIM is easily recognised as such, as a forlorn hope to fill a gaping hole of hopelessness that encompasses your universe. Your fears of being finite and destined for oblivion upon death are those of a 5-year old locked alone in a darkened room. There is a tiny place in your brain that knows this is the way of all flesh but in abject fear you'll commit to the preposterous rather than see life for what it really is. It is, like all other life, unsatisfactorily brief for nearly all the objects that are infected with it. Humans get one go at it, like all other life-forms.

Saturday 4 June 2022