Is our planet is doomed?

[TruthWorthy]

Religion certainly benefits from the financial contributions of its followers and you're spot on to use the Vatican city as an example of the worlds richest . . .
You must realise though, that the pope doesn't own any of that wealth and even the top priest positions pay less than almost every normal occupation in the work force. Of course they have some non-financial fringe benefits such as travel, health, and retirement/living arrangements. But they don't get the bonuses you'd expect in an MLM corporation, or perhaps in scientology.
Followers are the most likely to be chasing recruits because that's on the same psychological plane as they themselves are. Those guys at the top aren't going to waste their educational skills chasing conversions any more than they'd be looking amongst their own clergy for potentially 'promotable' individuals.
The correlation between oppressed people and religious belief in comparison to the rich end of the social strata is in keeping the poor preoccupied with being honest and down to earth, humble, etc while any injustice that befalls the people can be assigned to "goda's" design; "The rich man in his palace, the poor man at his gate . . . ".
Religion always seems to favour the lower half of the monetary social strata and I do not think it's a coincidence!

[Pippy]

More likely that a camel pass through the eye of a needle.

The similarity I see between our money problem and our god problem is interesting. A lot of us westerners, especially the younger ones, worship money. We will do anything to get it, we will sell ourselves for it. We enter into an unhealthy relationship with a fiat object. Modern money is a sham though, that point must be made. Bits of gold for food is old fashioned currency, and it was a lot better than bartering or trading. But Modern Money and it's systems are not that, they are a fraud. The further removed from real wealth (food, time, energy, saftey), the easier it is for skinny stupid people to hoard it.

So I see a relationship, a similarity in peoples unhealthy relationship with a bad idea of what money is, and peoples unhealthy relationship with a bad idea of what god is.

In the sense that real wealth has nothing to do with cotton paper slips, or blips on a computer, may be god has nothing to do with all the silly modern conceptions. May be we are fooled, and like in Orwells "Keep the Aspidistra Flying", to hate money is the same sickness as loving it. To hate a false god is just as bad as loving him.

[TruthWorthy]

That's the most interesting part of life today. That people will believe that everything which is important can bought at a shop. That personal image means more than understanding the world. The television has played a bigger part in shaping today's society than most parents have and when you consider how shit tv is, that's really saying something. Worst of all people just dismiss the facts because things are easier to ignore.
When you say that any subscription (whether favorable or unfavorable) to modern conceptions such as god can only produce unfavorable results in a person's life and how modern concepts abound in the minds of individuals today. This doesn't sound 'bad' until you compare the stiffling effect this has on people making real world action.
It's alot like the worshipping-herd-dweller who's happy to talk all day about morals according to "god" and the never ending life lessons that can be ascribed to one's life from biblical stories.
Where's the reality? Lost to these concepts within the minds of the indulgent.

[Pippy]

"
Where's the reality? Lost to these concepts within the minds of the indulgent. "

I'm making that into a song, very good words.
<Pippy start singing melodies as he saunters off in the frigid cold at 3 in the morn to get a coffee>
"Minds of the... Minds of theeee indulllgent"

[ib.me.ub]

Well, would you guys consider a computer and the internet to be indulgent? It is just handy isn't it.....

[Pippy]

it is a tool. Used to connect and debate with people thousands of miles away, for the betterment of all involved is constructive. Looking at porn is destructive.

The moral judgments only exist in our use of a tool, not in the tool itself.

[TruthWorthy]

it is a tool. Used to connect and debate with people thousands of miles away, for the betterment of all involved is constructive. Looking at porn is destructive.

The moral judgments only exist in our use of a tool, not in the tool itself.

Yes, the brain can be useful and harmfully useful, or wasteful . . .
ib.me.ub,
The indulgent mind and modern conception = a lot of reflection that's disconnected from reality.
Don't they teach anything about signs and imaginary cultures these days!?

[Ashes1995]

well, yes. the suns due to explode in a few years, not something we need to worry 'bout

[ib.me.ub]

it is a tool. Used to connect and debate with people thousands of miles away, for the betterment of all involved is constructive. Looking at porn is destructive.

The moral judgments only exist in our use of a tool, not in the tool itself.

Thats strange, I don't recall the question being 'What is a computer?' Ok, it is a tool, but is it indulgent?

So, are we talking about indulgence or something else

[TruthWorthy]

I'm talking about the growing division between reality based thinking and modernised conceptual based thinking. In general, my thoughts on this matter regarding this concept indulgence within 'younger generations' mostly, is gradually replacing what social mores have consisted of in the past.