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Omkara
Joined: 18 Feb 2006
Location: USA
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Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
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 Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:13 am Post subject: |
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I like the second link better because it's devotional.
The first one is basically impersonal because (like one of the viewers noted) it suggests that Krishna - via meditation - transforms into "white light" ...
Here's a nice video about Krishna's birthplace in Vrndavana, India.
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=bwDwLAKJhlo&NR=1
There's actually been a Hare Krishna temple in Seoul for over a year, but I've never visited it - mainly because of its out-of-the way location.
http://www.krishnakorea.com/index.php?m1=1
However, they just had a "grand opening" last Sunday of a center not far from Noksapyeong station (near Itaewon) that I attended.
The congregation is mostly Indians along with some Hindus (and Muslims) from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. There were also some Hare Krishna devotees from England, Russia, the Czech Republic - and even Korea.
In this photo, you can just about see me in the upper left corner - giving a brief talk about my being a direct disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami (Srila Prabhupada)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10741497@N06/2606532191/ |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:52 am Post subject: |
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| mithridates wrote: |
1) To continue on this thread you're going to have to get it through your head that I don't care what you think about Jesus. Got it?
2) My one and only point on this thread has been that given that religion isn't going anywhere, the average atheist should be able to make distinctions between different branches of Christianity |
Why should I have to make these distinctions? I don't need to know about the differing rules in variations of Dungeons and Dragons because I don't play. I don't need to know the branches of Christianity because I don't believe.
We, if I may speak for the various infidels here, don't care about your religion. We just want religion to be kept out of public policy. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:02 am Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| mithridates wrote: |
1) To continue on this thread you're going to have to get it through your head that I don't care what you think about Jesus. Got it?
2) My one and only point on this thread has been that given that religion isn't going anywhere, the average atheist should be able to make distinctions between different branches of Christianity |
Why should I have to make these distinctions? |
Because they're ridiculously easy. I can see the difference between a militant atheist (=all religious belief is a delusion and a mark of insanity) an a non-militant one (=I just don't believe in God). A two-minute investment in this article teaches you the difference between Shia and Sunni.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni-Shia_relations
It's a big world, and the geopolitical knowledge alone makes these things worth learning.
Oh, and also because if you're interested in a subject enough to cut and paste a few pages of quotes from a certain religion's book that means you're interested in the subject. Too late to pretend otherwise.
BTW, it's too bad we disagree on this because I really agree with your stance on Iran. Terrible government. Great people. Let's not look for reasons to bomb them. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:13 am Post subject: |
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| Because they're ridiculously easy. |
That isn't an answer.
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| A two-minute investment in this article teaches you the difference between Shia and Sunni. |
I know the difference between them. And I know the different between the major branches of Christianity. I am not going to now invest time in the minute details of the theology. Nor am I going to read up on Lord Xenu or Zeus. I. Don't. Care. Just keep your religion out of public policy.
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| It's a big world, mises. |
Yeah. And lots of things to be interested in. I have a finite amount of time after my relationships/friendships/family and my job to give to intellectual pursuits. My recreational interests lie almost totally in economics, financial markets and political economy. Sure, there are some points of contact with religion, but not enough for me to worry about tiny little translation difference. The thrust of the story is enough for me.
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| Oh, and also because if you're interested in a subject enough to cut and paste a few pages of quotes from a certain religion's book that means you're interested in the subject. Too late to pretend otherwise. |
No. I'd rather do any number of things than sit down and read the bible.
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BTW, it's too bad we disagree on this because I really agree with your stance on Iran. Terrible government. Great people. Let's not look for reasons to bomb them.
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The two issues are unrelated. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:17 am Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
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BTW, it's too bad we disagree on this because I really agree with your stance on Iran. Terrible government. Great people. Let's not look for reasons to bomb them.
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The two issues are unrelated. |
They're very related. Amazing you don't see how. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:22 am Post subject: |
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Oh, and by the way:
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| I have a finite amount of time after my relationships/friendships/family and my job to give to intellectual pursuits. |
Sure you do. You're spending your free time posting on Dave's ESL Cafe on a thread about religion. Pro-tip: "I don't have any time to do (subject I'm currently writing about now) because I'm so busy with y" doesn't apply when you have a few hundred posts to your name on a message board. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:37 am Post subject: |
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| mithridates wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
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BTW, it's too bad we disagree on this because I really agree with your stance on Iran. Terrible government. Great people. Let's not look for reasons to bomb them.
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The two issues are unrelated. |
They're very related. Amazing you don't see how. |
My reflexively anti-war disposition is entirely unrelated to my atheism. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:37 am Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| mithridates wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
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BTW, it's too bad we disagree on this because I really agree with your stance on Iran. Terrible government. Great people. Let's not look for reasons to bomb them.
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The two issues are unrelated. |
They're very related. Amazing you don't see how. |
My reflexively anti-war disposition is entirely unrelated to my atheism. |
Whoosh. Not what I was talking about. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:44 am Post subject: |
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| mithridates wrote: |
Oh, and by the way:
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| I have a finite amount of time after my relationships/friendships/family and my job to give to intellectual pursuits. |
Sure you do. You're spending your free time posting on Dave's ESL Cafe on a thread about religion. Pro-tip: "I don't have any time to do (subject I'm currently writing about now) because I'm so busy with y" doesn't apply when you have a few hundred posts to your name on a message board. |
I'm not in Korea. It isn't the middle of the night here but 2pm. Working hours. Dave's is a nice break from excel. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:47 am Post subject: |
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| mithridates wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
| mithridates wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
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BTW, it's too bad we disagree on this because I really agree with your stance on Iran. Terrible government. Great people. Let's not look for reasons to bomb them.
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The two issues are unrelated. |
They're very related. Amazing you don't see how. |
My reflexively anti-war disposition is entirely unrelated to my atheism. |
Whoosh. Not what I was talking about. |
I do not need to know anything about the specifics of their religion, religiosity, theology, ethnic makeup or anything else to not want to bomb them. I don't want to bomb anybody. The two issues I spoke of was our disagreement on if I should read about god and our agreement that bombing Iran is a bad idea. They are unrelated. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| mithridates wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
| mithridates wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
| Quote: |
BTW, it's too bad we disagree on this because I really agree with your stance on Iran. Terrible government. Great people. Let's not look for reasons to bomb them.
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The two issues are unrelated. |
They're very related. Amazing you don't see how. |
My reflexively anti-war disposition is entirely unrelated to my atheism. |
Whoosh. Not what I was talking about. |
I do not need to know anything about the specifics of their religion, religiosity, theology, ethnic makeup or anything else to not want to bomb them. I don't want to bomb anybody. The two issues I spoke of was our disagreement on if I should read about god and our agreement that bombing Iran is a bad idea. They are unrelated. |
 My position up to now has most certainly not been 'please read about God'. No wonder you're having troubles keeping up with the thread and the only one getting excited about the wrong subject when we've been talking about something else all this time.
You'll forgive me if I don't feel like babysitting you much more on the thread. And BTW when I write "I don't feel like babysitting you much more" I don't mean "oh please mises read about and believe in God."  |
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Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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I agree that the agenda of a sectarian religion should not be part of public policy, but I think it is certainly in the public interest - and consistent with core American ideals - that nonsectarian religious principles be promoted by the government.
Atheist organizations represent another sectarian interest.
Their free speech is Constitutionally protected, but the U.S. government certainly shouldn't be promoting atheistic views.
Although hardcore materialists would no doubt like to see "In God We Trust" replaced by "In Science We Trust", I think that would be disastrous until the life sciences can appreciate the spiritual dimension. |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Rteacher wrote: |
| Although hardcore materialists would no doubt like to see "In God We Trust" replaced by "In Science We Trust", I think that would be disastrous until the life sciences can appreciate the spiritual dimension. |
Not that I support this idea, but why would it be disastrous?
Also that other thing you said before about governments promoting nonsectarian religions but not letting sectarian religion be part of public policy. That was a load of crap. No religion should be a part of public policy. |
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Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:08 pm Post subject: |
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Nonsectarian religious principles do not necessarily equate to "nonsectarian religions".
Regulated restrictions on intoxication, illicit sex, gambling, abortion, and unnecessary killing of animals, trees - or any form of life - are examples of religious principles followed (to varying degrees) by all major religions and are generally held to be in the public interest.
The biggest threat posed by placing too much trust in science - unguided by spiritual values but very advanced in biogenetic engineering - is environmental disasters (such as unleashing uncontrolled viruses and wiping out ecologically vital species...) |
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