Organized (sic) religions!

Sometimes it is puzzling to see organized religious practices such as polygamy, gibberish speaking, snake handling, group hypnopsis, (Hinn, Roberts, etc.), flagellating, stoning, churching, answering the "preacher" with enormous shouts, group therapy (Palin), "healing," three passes of the collection plate, and of course--the flowing robes, sashes, ties, and smoke lanterns of some of the clergy. Not to mention great towers--greater than Babel!

However, here is a new one for you:

A teenager from Katmandu, Nepal, has been in and out of the jungle there for a couple of years--sitting among the roots of trees where he meditates, supposedly without food.
Since his discovery in 2005, he has accumulated numerous "devotees," who say he is the reincarnation of Siddhartha Guatama, "The Buddha," who came along about 500 B.C.

The teenager's name is Ram Bahadur Bamjan, 18. He comments to crowds when he comes from the jungle mostly about discrimination and peace.
I would suspect from that there is no authorities there to be recriminated! Mostly those needing assurance and comfort that they will be reincarnated into something other than a cow.

The Minister of Exact Methods of Nepal says they are not sur about the fellow but will continue study.

There are 325,000,000 of these dudes--about the same as our population of strange ones! I saw a humongous Buddah sitting under a roof along a river, in The republic of China once, he was not on a diet. Proves to me that fat people should be respected!

Now for those of you who take this as a criticism of your religion---forget it! I am a believer in a "Creator," and that is all we need if we respect what was "created."

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Confusing fundamentalists
Submitted by Nitpickers on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 8:21pm.

May get more converts in todays situation---just for comfort!
See above/

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Organized religion - "baptism of the dead"
Main Stream's picture
Submitted by Main Stream on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 12:17pm.

Bonkers, here's another bizarre practice you can add to your list. It seems we cannot get away from organized religion, even in death. I recently discovered that Mormon's believe that...

"...people who have died can be baptized by proxy, thus allowing them the opportunity to become Mormons after their death. The idea behind baptism for the dead is this: God wants each of us to be with him in glory. To effect this, he allows us to accept the Mormon gospel here on earth. If we do not, he sends us to a "spirit prison" Puzzled until the Mormon gospel has been preached to us there and we convert.

Mormons believe that their church has missionaries in the "spirit world" Shocked who are busy spreading the Mormon gospel to dead people who have not yet received it. Should any of these dead people want to convert to Mormonism, they are required to abide by all its rules, one of which is water baptism. Hence the need for proxies to receive the corporeal waters of baptism."

In addition, this Mormon ritual of "baptism of the dead" is the reason that this particular religion is so interested in genealogy:

"...the Mormon church has teams of men and women microfilming records of Catholic and Protestant parishes, cemetery records, birth and death certificates—virtually any sort of record pertaining to past generations. Temple Mormons hope, in time, to have all of the dead of previous generations baptized posthumously into the Mormon church."

So, Bonkers, even in the "spirit world" you will still be hunted by missionaries and "door knockers." And since you don't seem to subscribe to any form of organized religion, like me, in death we will become Mormons, whether we like it or not! Shocked

MORMONISM BAPTISM OF THE DEAD


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religion for those not with us
Submitted by boo boo on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 5:10am.

The Mormons have been doing this for years and years, not only here in the states but I believe all over the world. Guess they think they will have a heck of bunch of guests in their heaven... Since I'm not a fan of organised Religion and don't believe any of this religious nonsense, these religions, can think what they want, they wouldn't want me up in their heaven, I would tell them they are all full of beans... If the Mormons want to give me free info on all my long lost European ancestors that is fine with me...or maybe it isn't free after all...YIKES!

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Strange stuff, indeed!
Submitted by Nitpickers on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 7:28pm.

Has anyone ever noticed just what a high percentage of humans seem to need weird stuff going on around them in order to have people they can communicate with and talk about the strange stuff?

I won't even begin to try and list these organizations but just a few are:

All organized religions, of course (not necessarily the defined religion, but the strange stuff in most of them); Masons and their high school initiations and shady ways to collect money from members; College hazings of many types; the type of clothing we wear---ever wonder what good is a stupid man's tie? A woman's eye-shadow?

What possible use can there be for a nail salon, or a "beauty shop" (ever see some of those "beauties coming and going), on every corner?
What would executives do without the "power lunches?"

Why there is almost as many as there are drug stores and banks!
Starbucks does seem to have quit building them next door to one another just so there will be more chairs available--they have run out of credit to build more!

Shopping Centers now are justified if they plan on just renting 1/2 to 2/3 of the slots! It will mean turning renters of failed businesses more often, but they don't seem to mind.
After 10 years they rent them for warehouses, churches, city offices, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Mexican restaurants! (Also, title insurance, hock shops, and more nail salons. And the 1/2 now empty!
Dentists from New Jersey own most of them, you know?

Did the republicans do all this to us in just eight years?
Today I heard they were working on a way to help people pay for their credit card debt, the college loans, Auto manufacturers (all of them), people whose house payments are too high (reduce them by lowering interest rates and the principle, and allowing 40 more years).
If you haven't made any effort to make any amount of payment on your house for several months, you are in the program---if you are up to date with your payments but are very hungry from not eating much and your 15 year old car needs tires---you are not eligible. Skip those payment for a few months and refile!

If it weren't so pitiful, it would really make for good jokes!

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history repeated Nit
Submitted by boo boo on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 5:33am.

Seems like we are repeating history. Rome Fell and such. I guess we really haven't learned much over the Century's.

Religion, has to stay out of Government no ands ifs or buts. Going to church doesn't make a person honest and trustworthy, it does cause more problems than we can deal with as a world. It is better left to ones own thoughts, because human nature will never get along no matter what, and religion in the middle just causes more problems.

I believe this downfall started with Reagan but who knows. When you have CEO's making 200 million + $ even when company is losing money we as a country only have one way to go and that is down. It is pitiful, because we know better, we as a Country are better than this mess we are in.

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boo boo: religion and politics
Submitted by Bonkers on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 9:58am.

Sarah Palin was asked today what she might do about runing for Ted Stevens seat in the US Senate.

She said that God would tell her what to do about that! That if He and the people of Alaska wanted it, then maybe.

The Alaskans have a lot of influence over God, I suppose.

How are we to know that God really did tell her to run? Of course, I would certainly back her if God did tell her to run----but not the Alaskans!

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Bonkers on Palin
Submitted by boo boo on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 5:30pm.

That woman is like that Easter Bunny, just keeps going and going, don't cha just want someone to put some tape over that irritating mouth. All those republicans men down in Florida better watch out, she has every intention of taking over that party. Look what happened in Alaska, she pulled one over on those men there, but of course they have less than 300,000 registered voters in Alaska, she only received around 118,000 to become Governor and the closest to her got around 98,000...not exact figures here, but close. No wonder she was elected, she was the best they had and that isn't saying much...Corruption is the name of the Political Game in Alaska and because Palin had big time connections to Ted Stevens, I find it hard to believe some of that didn't rub off on her.

Palin and God, well she is just another user of Gods name to further her Political Positions just like the use of abortion, users to get the Power "the people" to follow...for those who fall for such nonsense. It is all about getting"The Power", that is all God/Anti Abortion rhetoric has ever been for this Radical Right Republican Group, which Palin is a big time member of. Who is going to Win the party, the Social(in your bedroom) Conservatives, Palins group, or the Fiscal Conservatives, who knows.

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