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subtee -> RE: Religious beliefs of Collarme members? (7/22/2008 10:06:32 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Leoben
People who are so arrogant as to think they know everything and they know what God thinks (should he exist) tell me one thing: they're terribly, at least on a subconscious level, insecure about themselves. They need to hate other people (I daresay finding joy in the eternal damnation of others, by throwing it in their faces constantly, is hate) to avoid hating themselves. They probably have poor self-esteem but they learn to adopt an arrogant, self-absorbed attitude from their pastor or priest.
quote:
ORIGINAL: HarryVanWinkle
And how do they know this? Because it's what Mommy and Daddy told them when they were children. Many of them have grown up enough to realize that Mommy and Daddy were absolutely full of shit about everything else, but they jus KNOW they were dead on right on this subject.
I have serious problems with showing people respect when they are incapable of self-analysis, self-criticism, and at least considering inimical schools of thought, be it economics, politics, history, culture, religion, etc.
It's really sad sometimes.
Uh oh.
My brother is a born-again Christian. I can promise you he has thoroughly, and for the last 17 years engaged in self-analysis, self-criticism and has certainly considered any number of schools of thought--probably more than most of us on this particular subject.
Before he became "born again," he was a hippie. He smoked pot daily, drank tall gins, dropped acid, followed the Grateful Dead, etc, etc, etc. He was kicked out of confirmation class as a 13-year-old and didn't step back into a church until he was 30. Today he goes to church at least twice a week and attends bible studies. He also lives his life in a thoughtful way: for his (meager) paycheck, he works at a homeless shelter. On Thursdays he volunteers at the jail, ministering to prisoners. On Mondays and Wednesdays (and quite a bit more lately, due to the floods), he volunteers at the Mission giving out food. He's kind and loving to everyone. He does not hate and I doubt he thinks of himself often enough to even consider his own self-esteem. To me he said he has to live this way because all of the blessings he's been given in his life.
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