[extropy-chat] off topic

[ilsa]

a word about myself:  i was asked by the u.u.'s to give this event at
their retreat.
most u,u.'s go to the fellowship or church for the community support
no matter where they came from or where they are going.
i was asked by the HH Dalia Lama's personal assistant to write a book
for people like spike who have left religion for all the right
reasons.  why he asked me is beyond my understanding.  i am not a
religionist. they are not religionists.  they as you are focused in
their part of the process.   in my past life i was a science writer.
hard and clear.
lobsang samten picked a title and suggested that i arrange to have a
web site for this work.
lobsang samten played himself in the Scorsese film 'kundun'.  you can
see his face and position in that movie.  well he asked me to help
people understand their humanity in context of evolution and infinity.
 i have no issue nor do i ever missionary.  i have taken my years of
training and formulated a non religious process.  the only religion i
practice is Kindness.  ai is understood and fostered by those arround
HHDL.
after all every one on this list is all that and a brain!  yea baby!
i have a real sense of some aspects of who some on this list are and i
was sharing a facet of what your research can manifest to the 85
percent of the walking unaware of your work in simplicity to help a
beginning of a paradigm shift.  if not a shift then just getting to
the line in the shifting sand.
gertrude stein said at the turn of the 19th century that in the 21 st
century there will no longer be a need for capitol letters.  a
prophetic thought that expands in meaning as i ushser in the practice.
 enough about me.  grin,  ilsa

On 5/21/06, spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:
> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Robert Bradbury
> Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] off topic
>
>
> > Spike, I'd like to know particularly what aspect you consider to be
> "foolish"?
>
>
> I was both harsh and hasty.  I googled and read up on u.u. which I think
> means Universalist Unitarian.  As far as I can tell, this is a church for
> people who don't really believe in traditional religion, but have all the
> emotional aspects that tradition religion provides.
>
> I am one who should have related to this better than I did, for I am one who
> has only fond memories and positive emotions towards religion in general.  I
> like the art, the music, the culture that goes with religion incorporated.
> In my religious days, I loved my church.  I loved my church family.  I was a
> good church guy.  It was the hardest thing for me to sever my ties.
>
> The problem I kept running against was the stubborn conclusion that it
> simply was not true.  I studied evolution, visited the petrified forest in
> Arizona, hiked down into the Grand Canyon from the south rim to the north,
> looked at the fossils, studied the layers.  I climbed the mountain to
> Wolcott's quarry to see the Burgess Shale in Canada, watched the Harvard
> students as they chipped the fossils out of stone.  Against my will, I
> became convinced that evolution is true, which meant my religion was false.
> Science is the way and the truth, even if not the life.
>
> For years I struggled with the question, does it matter if religion is true
> or false?  Eventually I concluded that for most people it does not matter.
> But for me, it matters.  I love true things.  I want to base my life on
> objective truth, evidence, reason.  Only truth, and I argue to this day that
> there is objective truth.  I still miss the church life.  I would like to
> believe it is true, but I cannot.
>
> Perhaps Universalist Unitarian is a good place for recovering religionists.
> It probably would have helped me 20 years ago.  Now, I no longer need it,
> any more than a person who quit smoking 20 years ago would need nicotine
> patches now.  Too late for that, mighta helped back then.
>
> I apologized for jumping Ilsa, and I meant it.  I didn't understand what she
> was talking about exactly (did you?), but after that unpleasantness
> regarding religion a few months ago, I was eager to see that not repeated.
> Ideally, ExI-chat should be a religion-free zone; we are not about that
> here.  But perhaps that is not practical either, or perhaps that is just my
> own view that I should keep to myself.  On the other hand, I am not
> currently acting as moderator (thanks Gene and J.Andrew) so Ilsa is free to
> ignore my request; I wouldn't do anything.
>
> Robert, criticism accepted.  Do meditate away, with my sincerest blessing my
> friend.
>
> {8-]
>
> spke
>
>
>
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>


-- 
don't ever get so big or important that you can not hear and listen to
every other person.   john coletrane
www.mikyo.com/ilsa
http://rewiring.blogspot.com
www.hotlux.com/angel.htm