dimreepr

The point is it doesn't matter what I think “extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence”- David Hume.

It’s not up to us to show you’re wrong; it’s up to you to show you’re right, over to you.

PeterJ and Tar It strikes me that you’re both as obdurate as each other and that you both are guilty of overcomplicating what seems to be a relatively simple concept. For me karma begins and ends with its utility in enabling forgiveness.

Tar may seem to have his head in the sand but at least he is trying to understand; maybe you should ‘try’ to understand him before dismissing his approach; he is, after all, just a product of his culture, a culture that perceives money/power as a means to alleviate fear, much like mysticism does in yours. You can’t control what is understood by others but you can guide them to what you understand to be true.

How is a child gestated artificially, artificial?

Why not? I agree that ajb shows patience and maybe that patience is wasted on some, but his patience shows that anger is not inevitable; maybe it shows understanding ones knowledge is key in accepting that lack in others.

When reading this thread I started to wonder why it matters so much that what we see as correct information should be digested and understood. Shortly after xytz suffered an emotional meltdown in this thread. The level of knowledge seems to make little difference, so why is it reasonable to expect others to understand what I do? Maybe the anger comes from a need to control others or maybe it comes from the illusion that knowledge equals understanding.

Come on America, do your duty, eat more goats; you may just save the world. LMAO +1

It's a long term plan, we need to wake up people; spider-goats are just the start, the tiger goat phase won't be pleasant.

They're everywhere.

I'm sure no pun was intended.

Reincarnation is unnecessary for karma to work; do you really think Hitler’s life was without suffering?

Agreed given the number of elective C-section’s amongst women that have the option, I have no doubt this technology has a future. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/9796499/Why-50-per-cent-of-Chinese-women-are-opting-for-C-sections.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2290672/The-hospitals-wealthy-mothers-posh-push-babies-delivered-caesarean-section.html

The whole point of Karma/hell is a construct of those that understand the value of contentment; the enlightened have no need of god, heaven or karma, they don’t need to believe because they are at peace with themselves. If you can’t forgive (you have my sympathy), then you really don’t understand and that construct delivers peace and prevents the extremes revenge inevitably brings.

Is it necessary to keep the players honest? RADAR, for instance, was developed and implemented through deception; the benefits of which are clear today.

When did that happen?

The Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones. Of course not all progress is progressive or good for society and sure we can learn from the past but what we have now is what we have to work with; no amount of hand wringing or harping back can change that simple fact; rose coloured specs is a result of confirmation bias i.e. we remember what gave us pleasure and forget the forgettable norm.

What would it take? Let us not resort to global threat, in this discussion, such as an alien or other external threat; yes, of course, that type of jeopardy would unite us but for how long, after the threat dissipates? Can anyone imagine a strategy or event, other than that described above, that could lead to a long term peaceful world? Would, for instance, a purely secular society instigate such a peace or is a new religion or pseudo religion required?

We judge people all the time, when a bedraggled unkempt man/woman, who obviously hasn’t washed in a while, approaches its natural to think their homeless. A well/expensively dressed person tends to make us think their successful or wealthy. There’s nothing wrong in that type of judgement it’s almost automatic. The problems arise when we act on that judgement, like avoiding the tramp looking person (in case they beg for money) or fawning on the well dressed person (in case they give us money).

This helps my case.

The reason there isn’t a world government is cultural thinking; just imagine the culture shock an alien would bring.

I’m with phi on this; it seems there is no rational argument to which you’ll concede. This: “something to do with the understanding that comes with my beliefs and the lack of understanding that comes with yours” Confirms that observation.

I’m sorry if my lack of skills with the written word has confused you but you seem to have entirely missed my point. Essentially, my question is what manifest difference would it make to your life if god didn’t exist? Can you please clarify your meaning here, because at first glance this is twaddle? Let’s imagine were in the universe where god does exist and you were able to actually prove it (an introduction would be necessary). It wouldn’t change my moral compass or me whatever god said: If god asked me to sacrifice my son, or any creature, I’d refuse whatever he threatened because I despise bullies. If god asked me to worship him I’d again refuse because I prize humility above arrogance. If god asked me to be humble, do no harm, be charitable to anyone in need and judge nobody I wouldn’t refuse but that’s how I try to live now. Now let’s imagine a universe in which I can prove god doesn’t exist, would the positive changes in your life suddenly cease? That would be like a child suddenly hating Christmas because they found out Father Christmas didn’t exist.

You started as an atheist John or at least have been one and then you, for whatever, reason decided there is a god and as you said “it sure has brought some positive changes to my life”. The actual existence, or not, of any sort of deity is irrelevant; you would feel the same in both universes (the one in which god exists and the one in which it doesn’t). My point is, those positive changes in your life were made by you; god may have motivated the changes but his actual existence isn’t needed.

The fundamental difference between these franchises is the, potential, reality of the monsters/evil; DC forms it’s monsters/evil from a more simplistic meaning, whilst star wars use a definition far closer to the reality.