Dear Faith-Religious Believer

This 9-minute video clip by Plumbline Pictures is the simplest, eye-opening, brain and heart-teasing inquiry into religious beliefs (past or present) that I have come across in a very long time. It is exceptionally done, should cause pause and serious examination of anyone’s belief in a supreme divine entity, and make us embrace this spectacular world and life in which we all live. Every minute, every question is exquisite and well worth the time.

Imagine
(line break)

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

by John Lennon

(paragraph break)

25 thoughts on “Dear Faith-Religious Believer”

  1. How’s about here? Constantine was a helluve good cook, too, I hear. šŸ™‚ Oh, I’ve also read he didn’t actually get baptized into Christianity until he was on his death bed. Can’t very well be a maraudering, sword-barin’ spreader of Christianity if you’re actually a baptized peace loving Christian. Jesus wouldn’t like it. šŸ™‚ Reading Bart Ehrman’s book on how Jesus became Christ. Very informative stuff.

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    • (laughing)

      Yes, Constantine had many ‘questionable’ traits and talents. One of them was most certainly that of smelling a great opportunity. Perhaps his greatest achievement — outside of military victories in Gaul — was his brilliant socio-economic welfare plan to try and save the crumbling Roman Empire by making Nicene Christianity the empire’s legally official religion with imperial backing. This took advantage of a struggling but already well placed Eastern Empire underground welfare system known as the Jesus-Paulian Movement. In other words, by 315 CE, Rome could not possibly afford or implement socio-economic restructuring in most of its outer provinces, particularly Asia Minor and Palestinia-Syria. Thus, the catalyst for the Roman version (not the Judeo or Gnostic versions or other sects) of Christianity. What followed his Imperial Mandate was the burning, destruction, and extermination of all “heretical” forms of non-Roman non-Nicene Christianity.

      Yes, I enjoy Bart Ehrman’s work and findings immensely. He is exceptional. You’ll learn MANY rebuttals to Fundy apologetics. šŸ˜€

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      • Oh, what’s your take on the “Jesus Is Pure Myth” arguments made by guys like Richard Carrier? I find them quite possible. However, I also see nothing odd about a real Jewish, apocalyptic preacher having lived and been crucified by the Romans and then, fictionalized into a god by swingin’ cats like Paul of Tarsus. Just curious. Some of the arguments over this are extremely heated. Don’t see why, but they are.

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        • Oh, whatā€™s your take on the ā€œJesus Is Pure Mythā€ arguments made by guys like Richard Carrier?

          I am completely open to the possibility. As I’ve mentioned before (I think on John Zande’s blog once) TIME is most certainly a close ally to science, its confirmations or reconfirmations, its temporary errors into non-errors, and constant refining! Time is most certainly NOT a friend to the Abrahamic religions primarly because of their own Canonization laws/beliefs. They’ve completely cornered themselves into an inescapable immovable position. By that stance, it goes against EVERYTHING in Nature and the Universe/Multiverse… that is constant change, whether we see it in one second or in one millinium.

          Provided humanity as a whole continues to become more highly educated & interconnected (eventually into space colonization!) as it is… with each passing decade the Abrahamic religions will eventually reach extinction, being regarded as children’s stories. Scary ones at that. šŸ™‚

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  2. “What followed his Imperial Mandate was the burning, destruction, and extermination of all ā€œhereticalā€ forms of non-Roman non-Nicene Christianity.”

    His Imperial Mandate, or God’s? Hmmm, I wonder. Hee Haw!!!! Burn them damn heretics!!! Burn ’em!!!

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  3. Yeah. It’ll take a century at least for this to be close to over. Unfortunately, we’ll be dead. Well, unless Donald Trump can “fix” everything like he says he can. His rise to idiotic power shows the death throws of the current Republican Party. THAT, I think I’m gonna see before I die. Hurray!!!!

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    • I hope it is only a century, but due to incessant oligarchies which too often control socio-economic and educational standards in civilizations — except in a few current European countries — I feel it could possibly last more than a century or 150 years even. Keep the masses uneducated under an allusion of ‘freedom’, and things move a LOT slower.

      The biggest reason I’d like it to happen much quicker is because by 2030, definitely by 2050, at our current rates, the Earth’s climate change will tip everything out of balance. The only way as a species we can slow or reverse this warming ecological trend is by GLOBAL collaboration. Unfortunately, I feel as long as the Abrahamic religions still play a MAJOR part of global politics — some 10-million to 2-billion religious humans — will be happily apathetic for their mythical raptures. And for that smaller religious sector of militant extremists in any of the 3…if they feel they are being outdone or humiliated, I see them as a significant hindrance in saving our planet and our species. I hope I am wrong.

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  4. Me too, but I truly believe you’re right. I forget who, but someone once said that intelligence is not a good factor for the survival of a species. Bacteria will survive a much more heated earth. We won’t. We simply can not agree that, in the end, we’re all the same.

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    • Bacteria will survive a much more heated earth. We wonā€™t. We simply can not agree that, in the end, weā€™re all the same.

      A great point Jeff. Indeed, in the end WE ARE essentially the same. Genetically in genome comparisons, there is LESS THAN a 0.5% difference between every single human. There is less than a 2.5% difference between us and chimpanzees, and less than 8% from a mouse. Funny how all the evidence and Nature say WE ARE the same — only our families and environment/culture teach us (differently) that we are nothing similar — and yet denial persists upon comprehensively unexamined reasons. Very sad.

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  6. Well, she did invite me, from Zande’s blog, to come to her blog and talk about the reality of Satan. I had no prior knowledge of the Nan and really didn’t care about her or her false testimony, but it does bug me, the lies, and deceit. I went out for a real quest for an honest understanding of the “informed” and it did not go well.

    I would blame it on the female sensibility. Sometimes when you tell a female to shut-up and listen they do not take it too well, so, the broken ones don’t anyway. So she banned me. There always has to be hierarchy and it starts with Christ, then man, then women. It’s a circle, complete and perfect perfectness.

    I initiated conversation to another Trump sham post under another WordPress login, “Bobby”, after she banned “Leroy”. It was going great and no one had any idea that Leroy was Bobby until I confessed. And guess what? The Nan banned me and erased some of my posts. Not all of them, but some of them. Dumb.

    I don’t really give a shit about you two dumb-asses either but I thought I should give an explanation, kind of bros-before-hoes kind of thing. I mean, for me, I would trust my life to you two guys if under fire, before any shit-for-brains female like Nan. I don’t really care if you like me, because i really don’t like you either. I love your soul, just don’t like your mind, but I would trust my life to you two guys over some flake. Throw me under the bus dudes and I will lay there smiling knowing it was my choice to trust youins.

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    • The Professor, a Learned Scholar, writes a post entitled, “Dear Faith-Religious Believer” and when a Dear Faith-Religious Believer responds their reply gets deleted and a warning is issued. Wow.

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    • There is another side to that multi-faceted coin Sir. Perhaps the ‘dislike’ is also from the other side; that argument goes both ways Roy.

      There is absolutely a method and language for civil disagreements and opposing views where all parties can be dignifingly respected. Often what is the ultimate problem is the degree of patience and wide articulation used that avoids emotional disengaging outbursts. And yes Roy, sometimes that might mean using 3,000 carefully chosen respectful words. More if necessary.

      I hope you can find within your heart and vocabulary more patient articulation. It would be appreciated.

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  8. “I do not wish my blog or this page to turn into a playground brawl.”

    – And how easily that happens hmmm? Indeed. As you know, I fully agree with you on this, and by the way the video was very interesting. I can’t see any full blown believers even watching it all, and if they do, I doubt it will make any difference, but perhaps those who are not quite sure, might see what happens when they do ask themselves these questions.

    – esme upon the Cloud

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    • Esme, as ever your wonderful, often charming, calming wise touch is exactly the prescription needed. Thank you. ā¤

      There is much much more I want to say regarding your points, but I don't want you to get caught-up unintentionally in the current maelstrom. I've discovered when involved in these sorts of debates they often demand the UTMOST patience, language, humility, and acute listening/reading in order to be productive for all, if at all. šŸ™‚

      Thank you for your most welcomed feedback here. If you so desire, YOU of course, are invited to this “civil” discussion if you so desire. Warmest wishes to you my Lady. ā¤

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