Personal relationships with deities

[popsthebuilder]

If religion were effective, a puzzling mystery presents itself.  The believing demographic is grossly over-represented in our prison system even -after- the assumed beneficial effect of religion(and however many people that keeps -out- of prison).  

..............What is going on with that demographic to have so many fucked up people?

That's ridiculous.

The ratio of believers to non believers is most likely similar in jail and out.

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

[popsthebuilder]

Confession is for the sake of man as God knows all. It is admittance and as such, acknowledgment that one is wrong, opening the door for repentance and forgiveness and new direction leaving the sin behind

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

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Oops. Sorry.

But look at the lovely conversation that ensued.

Peace

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

[miaharun]

I wonder how the lion is supposed to know what karma wants it to do and what it doesn't?

I don't even know, and I'm a human having a conversation about it.

The lion will never know what it's doing. No thinking, just instinct. Where as you and i can think before we act. Animals : Eat, drink and reproduce. I think we are quite more than that. Karma is not some force telling us what to do. I would like to think of it as intangible force of nature. I believe it because it keeps me doing the right thing. and to think of situations like why am i born like this and why in some parts of the world people suffer from hunger.

[The Grand Nudger]

If religion were effective, a puzzling mystery presents itself.  The believing demographic is grossly over-represented in our prison system even -after- the assumed beneficial effect of religion(and however many people that keeps -out- of prison).  

..............What is going on with that demographic to have so many fucked up people?

That's ridiculous.

The ratio of believers to non believers is most likely similar in jail and out.

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

Not even close.    A paltry .07% of inmates in our system were atheists as of 2013. Perhaps you could answer that one?

@Mia, you might like to think of it as an "intangible force of nature" but it clearly isn't...since it's a non-natural force. Magic. Many christians tell us that their beliefs keep them doing the right thing..and that even if their beliefs were not accurate it would still be good to believe for that reason, if no other. Those things you think about, those questions you asked above, have decidedly less magical and better demonstrated answers than "karma".

[Reforged]

Hang on. Doesn't reincarnation also do that? 
You have an endless chain of reincarnated lives which basically translates into immortality. What happens if you're a total shit? You get turned into a bug or something in the next life. So what? Thats like a pretty short sentence if you're a serial killer or something. 
Like no matter what I do I know I can eventually work my way up to being a human again. There is literally no real punishment for anything in your religion. Its all part of the eternal loop of death and rebirth leading to the leap that takes Sam Beckett home to becoming one with Buddha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjK9GJMBpt0

Of course Sir. If one is a serial killer (according to what i believe) the consequences can be devastating. In this life or the next ones. If one is born as a animal it is very very difficult to attain a human life because an animal brings Karma on instinct. If it's a lion , the intention is killing and killing. It will be very difficult to get out of that life. I know I'm talking " Mambo-Jumbo" to you, since you asked i explained.  Punishment can vary, either your born deformed, with diseases, have a heart attack at a young age etc etc. The Buddha has thought that the universe is expanding and closing and that is a cycle. Nothing is eternal. One doesn't have to be the Buddha to seize to exist. Nirvana could be achieved after attaining Buddhahood, Pase Budhu and Maha Rahath states. Again , "Mambo-Jambo" to you.

Right but no matter what I do I can eventually attain Nirvana right? And I never really die. So that means I have eternity to attain it so its a certainty I'll get there. I could kill aload of people in this life, make up for it in the next couple of lives and get back on track.
Nothing I do really matters. If I do the most horrific things imaginable I will in-time still get to the same destination as someone who did everything right from day one.
Theres no real deterrent against doing evil.

[miaharun]

Right but no matter what I do I can eventually attain Nirvana right? And I never really die. So that means I have eternity to attain it so its a certainty I'll get there. I could kill aload of people in this life, make up for it in the next couple of lives and get back on track.
Nothing I do really matters. If I do the most horrific things imaginable I will in-time still get to the same destination as someone who did everything right from day one.
Theres no real deterrent against doing evil.

Not really Sir, Say for example if a person does quite a lot of bad deeds purposely, that person might be born into a family with no values , where parents are thieves or drug dealers etc. Most likely that person will grow up to be doing worse bad deeds. It will be very difficult to get out of these consequences. Might be stuck like this for eons of time till someday that person realizes the value of good. One cannot attain Nirvana doing bad deeds and cover up on the next life. Because one is a bad person in this life, most probably will be the same in the next. Unless that person has brought at least some good karma from the previous lives.

If one does horrific things from the start , that person can be punished for a long time and the road to Nirvana will be far far away.
If one does everything right from the start, the road will be much much shorter.

[Whateverist]

Rob, I've never gotten past 2nd base with God. Got any tips?

[Whateverist]

If religion were effective, a puzzling mystery presents itself.  The believing demographic is grossly over-represented in our prison system even -after- the assumed beneficial effect of religion(and however many people that keeps -out- of prison).  

..............What is going on with that demographic to have so many fucked up people?

That's ridiculous.

The ratio of believers to non believers is most likely similar in jail and out.

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

I'm pretty sure that most people who go to jail profess to be religious as part of their getting out strategy.  Also, more religious people go to jail in the first place because it turns out believing in objective values just isn't a very good path to being a moral person.  (I made the second one up for larks but I'm actually supposing the first is true.)

[robvalue]

Rob, I've never gotten past 2nd base with God.  Got any tips?

Once you accept the truth that God is everything, then you can go all the way with God by fucking any object you can find!

[miaharun]

@ Rhythm, Sir all i have to say is that both are not the same thing. I believe my actions control my destiny. Good deeds bring blessings and misdeeds brings curses. Where as to a Christian or a believer of God, their actions won't lead them to heaven or hell. It is through Jesus and faith. everything is under God's plan. The individual doesn't control their destiny. I don't know any other way of explaining the differences to you. You may come up with excellent analogies which your quite good at.