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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 2:45 pm
(January 12, 2016 at 2:24 pm)Rhythm Wrote: (January 12, 2016 at 2:15 pm)MTL Wrote: " feral children " ?
Yup, the worlds a shitty place MTL. When the parents legs are longer than the childs...every so often, the child gets left behind. Also, not particularly nice when they've been left to their own devices. I used to worry about waking up with a slit throat over some MRE's. Totally irrational, they mostly avoided -us-..but I still slept with my rucksack open and a few feet from me, make it easier to take my shit...without starting shit, know what I mean?
Oh, in that case...
...I still have no idea wtf you are talking about.
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 2:50 pm
(This post was last modified: January 12, 2016 at 2:55 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
In general, in a war zone, there are disturbing numbers of displaced or lost children. Some of those kids decide that it's safer out on the margins - so they never "come home" or come in for help..assuming they still have a home or anyone to help them. We call the ones that have been out there a long time feral. You try to round them up and get them to the local authorities or to an aid station....but alot of them don't want to be caught, especially by a foreigner with a gun.
Our standard explanation for phantom noises out in the middle of "nowhere" - nowhere to us, mind you..or for stolen things and rummaged rucks in the middle of the night...was feral children. The alternative is ghosts or incredible enemy commandos who don't kill ...who just take the candy bars and ham slices out of our MRES....., lol.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 3:08 pm
(January 11, 2016 at 10:06 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Sometimes I feel cheated. We've got folks on these boards that have had -two- fantastic "born again" style experiences (one on the way in, one on the way out)......and I get nada. What was the singlemost pernicious aspect of faith...the last thing you believed? The final redoubt of piety?
For me it was the idea that God exists and cares about us individually. As my doubts grew, I asked a few priests and nuns "what is the minimum belief required to call yourself a Christian?" Needless to say, I got about a dozen different answers.  My favorite, for a while, during a time when I could almost make myself believe it, was "that God loves you unconditionally". Very comforting but . . . no, looking around at the world, and out at the immensity of the universe, I just couldn't buy it.
"The family that prays together...is brainwashing their children."- Albert Einstein
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 3:11 pm
(This post was last modified: January 12, 2016 at 3:13 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
I think that the minimum required to be a christian would be affirmation of christ, wouldn't it? God loves you..hell...that could be Krishna loving you. Did you explore other faiths or go from christian to non directly? Actually, that's something I'd love to know about anyone willing to share. Whether there were any "alternative" faith periods between christianity and atheism..and what those were.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 3:22 pm
(January 12, 2016 at 3:11 pm)Rhythm Wrote: I think that the minimum required to be a christian would be affirmation of christ, wouldn't it? God loves you..hell...that could be Krishna loving you. Did you explore other faiths or go from christian to non directly? Actually, that's something I'd love to know about anyone willing to share. Whether there were any "alternative" faith periods between christianity and atheism..and what those were.
Good question, Rhythm! I actually went DRUID for a while. Yep, there is a neopagan group that worships the old nature gods and goddesses, and actually grants status within the group for study: take a class, any class, on any subject. Pass the course and level up. They were so kind and supportive, and the group just warmed my nerdy little heart. But I had to admit that I didn't think Cernunnos or the Morrigan were any more real than any other deity. The candles on the altar were pretty and warming and calming but there was nobody listening when I prayed.
"The family that prays together...is brainwashing their children."- Albert Einstein
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 3:24 pm
(This post was last modified: January 12, 2016 at 3:27 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Oh...friend...The Morrigan is real, I assure you. Like it or not, you'll one day find your neck under her fabulous boots. She's in my kitchen eating a PBJ right now...daydreaming about oppressing you...making her father proud. 
Why pagan syncretism as opposed to buddhism, islam, any number of hindu this or that's..etc?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 4:15 pm
(January 12, 2016 at 3:24 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Oh...friend...The Morrigan is real, I assure you. Like it or not, you'll one day find your neck under her fabulous boots. She's in my kitchen eating a PBJ right now...daydreaming about oppressing you...making her father proud.
Why pagan syncretism as opposed to buddhism, islam, any number of hindu this or that's..etc?
I still have a lovely celtic knotwork Morrigan window decoration on my car.  Are you describing a daughter? My cousin named his daughter Morgan - made me grin and chuckle. She's going to set the world on fire someday. (I just hope that's not a literal prophecy!)
I still love the book of the Tao and a lot of what I read in Buddhism. The Druid group was just here, and enticing and welcoming. I also was drawn toward the image of god being in all life . . . the idea that names and faces for god were just simple human labels to try to describe something indescribable. I still like that idea, but I can't make myself believe in a deity any more.
"The family that prays together...is brainwashing their children."- Albert Einstein
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 4:19 pm
(This post was last modified: January 12, 2016 at 4:22 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
LOL, yeah, my daughter MoMo's name is Morrigan. I'm kind of hoping mine -does- set the world on fire, literally, lol. I wouldn't mind being pater f to a warlord, and it would fit her like a glove......
Your inability to believe in a diety made you fall away from druidism, though? Strictly speaking, you don't have to believe in any gods to be a druid, do you? That was never my understanding of the overall movement. Was it the pomp, then, that made it seem silly, or?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 4:23 pm
I think the minimum required to be a christian is 10%
Quote:To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
- Lau Tzu
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RE: I called a friend who is a believer...
January 12, 2016 at 4:25 pm
15% nowadays......inflation.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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