Dear Johan (OUG),

Mr Thwackum, a character in Henry Fielding's novel,
"Tom Jones," declares, "When I mention religion, I
mean the Christian religion; and not only the Christian
religion, but the Protestant religion; and not only
the Protestand religion, but the Church of England."

Many people are like Mr Thwackum when they mention
religion, they have their own in mind.

Whatever our religious beliefs may be, we usually
learn them from other people through socialisation into
a particular faith (or through re-solcialisation if
we convert from one faith to another). The religious
convictions that anyone holds are thus influenced by
the historical and social context in which that person
happens to live.

The fact that a religious doctrine is culturally learned
does not necessarily put its "truth" in question. What
this cultural variety does mean, however, is that there
are a large number of religions, many of whose members
are convinced that theirs is the one true faith and that
all others are misguided, superstitious, even wicked.

None of us are really competent to investigate the
supernatural or play umpire between cometing faiths.
None of us really know that much about the theological
aspects of religion. Even sociologists direct their
research into social rather than the theological aspects.

Most Western Christians, being white, tend to think of
both God and Jesus as white. The idea of a black God is
almost unimaginable to them, and portraits of Jesus
frequently present him as a blond Caucasian rather than
the person of Semitic features he no doubt was. In many
African churches, on the other hand, statues and portraits
of Jesus show him with dark, Negroid features.

I am a believer.
I believe the word would be a better place with out the myth of religions.
Or if we must ,invent one single one for us all.
I stayed away, only thought about even looking in.
Thought the first post a bit insulting.
I see no need to target every believer, some invite it.
But just must say this,true believers rarely give any credence to belief of others.
Hence lets re invent the invention and make one huge straw for us all to clutch so humanity,at last can be one.

thanks lexie...having the elite lok like the natives..is a basic thing
one of the funiest 'discoveries'..of mine was how hrh..image..[on nz stamps]..more resemble the first people..than her true features,..

the lable 'religion'..is a myth
each church has its sects[and that was what jesus came to fix]
he came to unite the people[like john before him]..back to the one father

the fathers house seems divided
yet across all creeds..[including the athiest creed's]there are those who gasp...its good works/charity..that alone can return those caught up in creed/back to the father..

its not important..to our father
its important to us..[of all creed's
following the tao[path/way]..of their particular messenger

all paths..[that seek the good]..lead to god
heaven is free from sects..jesus didnt die for our sins
sin is suicide..[but at the higher level..who the bigger sin
one who does a sillyness..or one who judges..the other as sinner

its the wholesale snap decisions
made in ignorance..as you put
but such is by choice..and free choice is sacrosanct[spiritually determiativly speaking..if a goat is to herd..with other goats..he must first learn..'he is a goat'..from there on its easy

all goats follow the same tao[path]
so goat paths rightly begin at whatever logos..the goat path fails

from then they must see they arnt goat..[in fact werrnt ever goats]..
but not till walking its ways..did we real-ise..
it wernt even a path leading somewhere..it was just a tao[way]..path to goat greatness

its not till ya look arround
see the goats..that some see heck that goat image..thats just not me

and just being a goat is just fine [for goats]
but telling sheep they are goats..thats a mortal sin
the lower hells are full of those..who deecieved goats
away from the head goat..or whatever type of ';head' truth they fully be..

good for gods sake
then not realkly for his/her..sake
as much as those recieving our good..that they seek doing..better..

Dear Belly,

Your last post reflects what I feel.
If we could only remove from our hearts
the illusion that we are separate.
I would wish every nation and every people
and every colour and every religion to find
at last the one heartbeat we share.

I look forward to the possibility of this in
the future - at least for my grandchildren.

Dear Johan (OUG),

Goodwill towards all is a true religion.

lexie..good will to all forms of belief?
indeed is all science of good will?

do they all plan
good will to us all[or just some]

the highest call is a call to charity
[that we do for other..we did for god]

and church[or rather more specificly lol[generally spoeaking religions..seems to be doing less and less with more and more govt assistance

[seems charity isnt doled out in cents to poverty
but midle class agencies wanting dollars..huge dollars
they mostly put into trust fund's

its not what others did or didnt do..
but what we specificly chose to do

i see in evbery living thing the spirit of our creator..sustaining its its life/living..then we get ignorants..

that claim things like evolution in ignorance..
of how that dont refute god..but only reveals..the ignorance by faith..by many chosing ignorance genericly via called idoletry

[faith by looks like[phenotype]....called science..
[if science talks only in species..not genus..[it distorts half the story into lie]..if it relies on aslian dna..[and dont present dna proof..its caught up in past lies[like taxonomy]

but its so easy to appear clever[by supporting faith in science]
yet remain completly ignorant..of the works needed to affirm it..

that cant be done..cause
its a theory..of science..not pure science..[dealing in faulsifyable fact]..just faith in others opinions[just as imaginative as the alian or commet theory..of how dna/cell membrains got here..

its sad its so easy
to go with those who seem to be..the clever guys
but only cause peer revieuw..dont question its creeds
they are as fixed in stone as any creed can be..[peer revieuw peauew]

Dear Johan (OUG),

I did say - "Goodwill towards all," there is a
difference there in meaning. "Do unto others,"
"Love your neighbour ..." "Treat others as you
want to be treated," and so on. I'm sure you get the
picture.