Kent Hovind vs. a Molecular Biologist (The limitations of science)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 04:25 (4655 days ago) @ Balance_Maintained

Tony,
> > 
> First, I have not once stated that I am a Christian or a Buddhist. I was raised in a Christian family, and in a predominantly Christian society, but that is not the same thing. I study religion, all religion, all faiths and philosophies, so that I can gain a better understanding because I believe that they all fundamentally teach the same things, and that there is something that can be learned from all of them. 
> -I didn't mean to paint you as either one, but I know your early training was as a Christian (as was my own). I've been some level of Buddhist since about 2003, one could say I became a "convert" almost immediately upon hearing the "Four Noble Truths. But my studies have taken me also through every main religion, though most of the truth I've found has resided in the more esoteric ones; Kabbalah, even Luciferian paths as suggested before. On my plate in the near future is the Kitab 'i Aqdas. -> For the Christian, though, their God, the one they admire and attempt to be like, shows numerous examples of the righteous indignation that warranted violence. (Notice how many folks got the crap kicked out of them for messing with God's children...)
> 
> I actually have one disagreement with the Buddhist, so I am glad this came up. The fact that a Buddhist refuses to fight for the protection of life, even the life of another, could be seen as indifference to it, not appreciation of it. One thing about the Abrahamic religions and Hinduism that I really appreciate is that they recognize this. This is also the point I was trying to make in my earlier statement. Self-sacrifice, in the sense of Christ or someone giving up their life for someone else, is difference. It means you love someone so completely that you view their well being and happiness as intrinsic to your own, and place great value upon it, in fact, you value it more than your own life. This is far and away different than refusing violence.-It's funny you brought this up, because until about 6 months ago the biggest reason I had stopped practicing Buddhism was because I viewed it as too pacificistic; however I needed a reality check. Every major martial art that was born in the east (Japan, China, Korea, etc.) is directly connected to the Buddhist religion by their links to the Shaolin. Especially when you begin dealing with the Shaolin, you adhere to these rules:-1. You will never be the aggressor in a conflict. 
2. You will attempt to solve disagreements without combat.
3. Barring that you will only do what you must to incapacitate your opponent.
4. Never kill. -Ju Jitsu (the father of all Japanese and Korean martial arts) directly translates to "The Gentle Art." (I have 6 years each between Judo and Ju Jitsu.) -In Buddhist ethics:
War is always wrong. A practicing Buddhist will work to end the suffering caused by war. This was explicit in the Buddha's teaching itself:-"Even if thieves carve you limb from limb with a double-handed saw, if you make your mind hostile you are not following my teaching." (Dhammapada)-When you compare this with Christian Martyrs... you see a marked similarity.-But note what you don't see here. It doesn't say you can't protect yourself. It doesn't say you can't keep others from harm. It says that you cannot have a hostile mind. There is a difference. -I didn't understand the necessity of this kind of thinking until recently, after having read about Christian asceticism. If life is truly sacred; we should never end it under any circumstance, no matter how much it hurts. Contrast this with Luciferian paths where direct retribution is demanded, you realize why. The emotions of hatred and anger are fleeting, they satiate your blood, but only temporarily. More importantly, you continue the chain of violence in the world. -I have come to agree that the only salvation for man is to recognize that altruistic love & forgiveness really are the only things that can make positive changes in human affairs. (Father Zossima deeply impacted me...) But so too has St. John of the Cross.-I will be happy to discuss the other threads later, but for now I must get to bed. I have a CT scan in the morning.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"