I was wrong about the simple choice.

[Brian37]

It is much simpler than that.

Have compassion for yourself to the extent you begin to fear your everlasting destiny.  When you have enough compassion to have compassion for yourself, it will easily extend to others.

Anyone who is humble enough to give up the false cloak of Satan the false pride he inspires people with, will be saved.

Love is a secret language that emanates from and points to the Divine.  If you can't hear it to the extent you should have compassion for yourself regarding your everlasting destiny, you will not hear much of it's higher calls to the most beloved and the most beloved's most beloveds.

What the fuck is it with religion and loving fear? No, sorry, but that first line is scary and depressing to me.

Compassion has nothing to do with lasting forever, and we DONT last forever. I value myself, I value the potential empathy of my fellow humans. But I don't delude myself that there is some utopia that can be had by any one group. Nor am I obligated to love every single human. I only agree that even with those I don't love non violent resolutions are far better than violent resolutions and we should default to cooperation as much as possible without expectation of submission of others.  

Humility to me is knowing "all this" was NOT put here for us and that we as a species would do better to accept our finite nature rather than to cling to old myths and the wishful thinking of a sky hero. Compassion isn't in narcissism but in our ability to know all 7 billion of us are the same species. 

"Love" is a loaded word and far too often a cliche. Humans evolved to bond and that bonding creates family structures and social grouping and cooperation. I love my mom like most humans. I love our species POTENTIAL ability to show compassion, but I don't love tribalism, nor do I think religion is a good way to conduct political diplomacy.

[Mystic]

*smiles* Still keeping it gangster, tell me how that is turning out for you?

At least I don't waste my fucking time 5 times a day.

I wish I can keep prayers fives time a day. I haven't been keeping up prayers.

[Astreja]

Great post, Brian.

I would also like to comment on the boundary violation of telling people that they "have to" love, "must" cultivate compassion or respect or fear or whatever the fuck emotion someone else demands they feel.

Denying people the right to feel their own emotions is, IMO, pure evil.

[Mystic]

Most people aren't truthful to themselves... My mind knows God is more valuable, more worthy of being valued and honored...

I see no evidence that you have the ability to read our minds to determine whether or not we are being truthful.

Accordingly, how do you know that *you* are being truthful about what you think you know about your alleged god and its supposed value?

Without fear chances are you won't seek evidence nor accept them if presented to you.

That is a reality to me at least.  I thought before anyone shown proofs would probably accept them but I've grown out that view. We can discuss proofs, but most humans value the false concept of themselves over the true path they must walk and will turn their eyes away from proofs rather than accept them, let alone seek them!

[Minimalist]

Without fear chances are you won't seek evidence nor accept them if presented to you.

I think Attila the Hun had the same motto.

[Astreja]

Without fear chances are you won't seek evidence nor accept them if presented to you.

There is no evidence that fear leads to better critical thinking -- On the contrary, there is a great deal of evidence that fear tends to lead to irrational thinking (and consequently irrational behaviour as well).

That is a reality to me at least.  I thought before anyone shown proofs would probably accept them but I've grown out that view. We can discuss proofs, but most humans value the false concept of themselves over the true path they must walk and will turn their eyes way from proofs rather than accept them, let alone seek them!

Your internal reality and subjective experiences have an evidentiary value of zero to Me.  Unless you're prepared to bring physical evidence to the table, evidence that can be tested in any properly-equipped laboratory in the world and produce consistent results, you have nothing that I want.

Oh, and you have no business whatsoever declaring that someone else's self-concept is false.

[Joods]

But I don't  fear my "everlasting destiny."  

And that is a problem. You should.

---

You offer fear as an aspiration?
Are you high?

It's a start, that if kept true to, will lead one to correct one's behaviour.

We start valuing ourselves more than God, that itself is enough of a sin.  But this can be turned around with fear. Fear is a wisdom that applies whether we value God more then ourselves or ourselves more than God. If we value our selves more, we will be lead to value God more. If we value God more, we will fear the trait of valuing ourselves more.

It's the beginning of wisdom, a way to safeguard it, but it's not it's purpose nor it's goal.

There is nothing wrong with my behavior to the point that it needs "correcting".
I do value myself more than a magical sky daddy who has never done a thing for me. He's completely imaginary, while I am not. I place value on tangible, touchable people, not an entity I cannot see or talk to.

I know you try MK, but honestly, this stuff isn't going to work here.

[Brian37]

At least I don't waste my fucking time 5 times a day.

I wish I can keep prayers fives time a day. I haven't been keeping up prayers.

Mystic, many of us here use do think there was a god to pray to. There isn't. You'd do better spending your time watching COSMOS or reading Dawkins or Hitchens. I even find my time better spent watching the Redskins suck donkey balls year after year. Resdskins are a skinking ship, but at least I can prove their existence.

[Fireball]

At least I don't waste my fucking time 5 times a day.

I wish I can keep prayers fives time a day. I haven't been keeping up prayers.

Do you believe in a flat earth? If not, your backside is facing that meteor, from its east side. And if you aren't keeping to the tenets of your faith, you need to take care of that above chiding people who consider your faith to be a pox on humanity. Get your mat out and grovel like a good little believer, instead of bothering the big kids with your crap.

[Brian37]

Without fear chances are you won't seek evidence nor accept them if presented to you.

I think Attila the Hun had the same motto.

(Note to self: Not a Trump thread)

Nothing to see here, keep moving.