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First, I want to thank everyone for their expressions of sympathy. It means a lot. Thank you for taking the time, no one ever really knows what to say and it's awkward, I know. Secondly, I especially appreciate the cogent and lengthy responses from Salty and Dream. You both have opened my...

Hi. Again, thanks for the responses. I just got back in town having spent some time with my family in Tennessee. It's interesting to go through another family death. I had more space for immediate introspection this time. As I was listening to the service for my Dad, with the pastor doing...

Thanks for the replies. I have to fly out to Nashville this morning to make funeral arrangements and so forth. Kelly has a boy and a girl, Thomas. I'm going to have three girls. Yikes! Chris

Just found out that my dad was killed in an auto accident. God, what a year.

Thank you Wil! I've always valued your friendship and kind manner. You know, I think we have a similar take on the import of the Gospel message. In my reading it has everything to do with doing unto others. I think I realized that at a very early age. But I've had a hard time loving myself...

Burger...yummy burger

Truth is self evident when a complete fact set becomes available. Question is, is a complete fact set ever available? If not truth is an unobtainable ideal the missing components of which belief stands in for. Therefore belief, which is essentially a handicapping and vetting process which...

Hello. I am dating a wonderful woman who is a Lutheran (ELCA) and our relationship is getting serious. She has two lovely children ages 6 and 8, and I have two girls ages 8 and 10. We are talking about doing a Brady Bunch thing. I am not a religious person. I have studied the Bible...

Well, yeah. I tried for a long time to find the metaphysical model that explains it all kind of thing, but there just isn't one. There may be an Absolute Truth but practically everyone agrees that whatever It may be, it exists outside our comprehension. There's plenty of little t truth all...

You know... the people of all faiths that I find most friendly, intelligent, and fulfilled are those who have found meaning in every day goodness, kindness, and generosity toward others. There is a strong message toward this in most belief systems. Thomas said as much to me recently and I...

Absolute truth...blah, blah-nee-blah, blah blah... looks like this idol and...obey me. Chris

You may find that if you run out of pain your muse disappears. Irony... Chris

Well...that's kind of tough: solving the world's problems and all. I guess I would start out by saying that economics is the major factor. Most people in the world are dirt poor and barely surviving. One of the things religion tries to do is say "be happy with your lousy lot and don't blame...

Since I started this I should probably say something. An analogy never stands on two legs, unless you're Glenn Beck, LOL! In a world altered and controlled by humans, humans have a responsibility to care for animals, especially domesticated animals which they have bent to their will. I spent...

Good advice. I recently read an article that pointed out how those with the least technical skill are the most confident in their self-perceived expertise, while those with real expertise are far less overtly confident. There was a popular song in the seventies whose title was "Sorry Seems to...

This a really interesting conversation. Thank you! Chris

GFY= go fluff yerself

TMI= too much information. I've been getting this one a lot lately.

Well, I think that PoO's response gets pretty close to my point. I'm being treated like a dog or horse in some sort of social training exercise. I'm being trained to be docile, to buy things based on learned sexual response, to WANT things I don't necessarily NEED. And if I respond correctly...

Continuing on into the fog... I would like to hear other folks try to describe (not define, necessarily) what they mean by "God". It's really difficult, at least for me. It doesn't leave me happy and content. It's not a "feel good" exercise. I have to tear down and deconstruct my motives...