Continued....

There is so much ignorance out here. I find your articles thought provoking. Yet the responses in the main, including some from the believers, reflect too much self satisfaction.

The ignorance of things as they really are in human life, for the Giddites, is expressed through them having reached the zenith of their personal, autonomous being through their own efforts in discarding God. For the believers, the ignorance of too many, is expressed in their own efforts in appropriating God to meet their own model and mode of life.

The emerging debate of whether we are of God or not needs more contributors as yourself.

Comfortable ignorance is not an option as we seek to engage in the public square.

A Welsh saying:

Po callaf y dyn, anamlaf ei eiriau -
'The wiser the man, the fewer his words'.

THE POWER OF THE CROSS..... “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”

This is “Easter”, a time when over 80% Australians have ‘religious’ thoughts about it. (if a foxtel survey is indicative)

PEARL HARBOR http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/deshazer.htm

The Bible is just a ‘cop out’.. a ‘crutch’ to get us through hard times.....right ? Of course.. like it was for one of Doolittles Air crew (Bombing raid to attack Tokyo after Pearl Harbour) who was apprehended by the Japanese after his plane went down.

In POW camp for over 3 yrs, tortured, starved, beaten.. he (and others) read the Bible. In the end, it ‘hit’ him that this was from God, and he gave his heart and life to Christ.

JAP LEADER OF PEARL RAID SAVED.
But then, the war ended, he was free ! Did he need the ‘crutch’ any more ? Guess not, so he went back to normal life, began amassing material possessions, etc.. ? er.. no, he became a missionary.. to where ? Japan ! While in Japan serving Christ, he wrote a tract titled "I was a prisoner of Japan" in which he also mentioned the 'Forgive them' phrase quote at the top, this was read by Captain Mitsuo Fuchida who led the raid on Pearl Harbor, and in the ensuing friendship won that dear soul to Jesus.

Yes, we Bible thumpers woffle... we rant.. we rave.. we get it wrong, our logic seems convoluted, our reasoning seems lacking, our faith seems ‘pie in the sky’, not many of us are eloquent or noble, but through our weakness, let Christ be seen, we glory in Him, not in or of ourselves.

Faustino says it perfectly: "Their detachment from ego, from ignorance and delusion, frees them and leads them to help others to free themselves."

How many wars, power struggles disguised as fighting for the Lord, will it take to shake off the mythology to be true to oneself? To care for humanity, for the beauty of the world without sacrifice, without "stakeburning"?

For those writing words to underpin their mythology as here, ask yourself one question, what has been expended in lives and quality of life to impose your myth on others? How does that compare to more genuine belief systems where there has been no such imposition?

Is this deabte really about power? About popes and mullahs and their struggle to stand between yourself and enlightenment

B_D, coach, phillo and others who comment on religous matters.

You may be interested in commentry in todays Australian by Kevin Donnelly titled "Church vilified in classrooms" and the books he refers to "Harmony and understanding"

DEATH says it all,
"Everyone gets what they think is coming to them". (Pratchet)