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Hi Luna. Hope all is well with you and yours. Yes, the fool has put in another appearence. Lucky we're all fools here, each in his or her own way - and I'd be disappointed if it were otherwise.:rolleyes:

But perhaps you misunderstand. Devadatta is the conch shell, the battle horn of Arjuna. It’s always on the side of Dharma, and can never be a sower of discord. Sincerely, Devadatta.

Hi Vimalakirti. Excellent post, but I do have to take issue with several points: 1. You seem to tie Abrahamic religion exclusively to left wing politics. Are you saying that the only true followers of Abraham are lefties? 2. Also, you ignore other benefits of these faiths, great art for...

This being comparative religion and all, here’s a comparison I think worth making more often: that between the New Testament and the Bhagavad Gita. The first parallel is that each is a composite document. The BG epitomizes sanatana dharma, that is, the broad stream of Indian metaphysical...

Hi again. Thanks for your calm defence of prophecy and the apocalyptic spirit. I'm afraid I can't go very far with you along this track. I think biblical scholarship has shown that these things can get backdated, I've read for example that that's the case with the prophesies in the Book of...

Hi Juan. I appreciate your concern. I think you may be right that my post was more provocative than it needed to be. My original intention was really only to talk about the problems liberal Christians and theologians have of conveying their less literal readings of scripture. So I guess it was...

I agree. It is simple. But there's more than one idea of simplicity. Please check my full version, and welcome further comments, since I admit I don't fully understand your point of view. Cheers.

Hi Wil. It turns out my full post didn't make it here. Please see full version. In the meantime, you have a point. But I think the atheists do challange we liberal types to be more rigourous. And in battle with the literalists, I think we need that. Cheers.

(Sorry. The other post under the same name was incomplete. Please respond to this, if you like.) The new atheists have often pointed out that liberal Christians tend to cherry pick from the bible, choosing only what fits comfortably with what they already believe, whereas fundamentalists and...

The new atheists have often pointed out that liberal Christians tend to cherry pick from the bible, choosing only what fits comfortably with what they already believe, whereas fundamentalists and literalists appear to at least stand by the text. To me the irony – unless I’m totally off base – is...

Hello Senor Diablo! Nice reversal of fortune, in keeping with the principle that the way down is the way up. Paul & Jesus are joined at the hip, and thought by many to be in mortal danger as a result. There’s a perennial desire to want to save the one from the other. I think you would agree that...

Here I’ll give a non-inerrantist point of view, which is bound to be at cross-purposes with what’s been said so far. So it’s only to offer another point of view, not to launch a debate that won’t have any legs. For a non-inerrantist, citing St. Paul or this or that bible verse on...

Speaking of picking up on ideas, it’s strange to me that hardly anyone else has picked up on this one. I saw the movie last night and it confirms my previous impression that what this movie is really about is the suppression of the feminine in the Christian tradition. The idea that Jesus may...

Very sensible procedure. My aversions don't change the fact that there are numerous points of interest in nearly every line of the bible, depending on the dispositions of the reader. Exactly. If you don't, no one else will. Sincerely, Devadatta

Interesting thread. I agree with wkross up to a point; that is, that we do labour under a legacy of primitive thought when it comes to issues like salvation and life after death. But I wouldn’t be so hard on those pioneering shamen! I don’t think we can dismiss these sorts of non-normal states...

Point taken. And I agree. I was only adding some supplements. Sincerely, Devadatta

Hi Vajra. I'm curious. What are you looking for when you read the bible? Sincerely, Devadatta

Come on folks, tell me that when you get to that point in Exodus where the enumerations start, Hebrews dividing up the spoils, measuring their ark & temple, setting out the details of sacrifice – one-eyed chickens on Tuesday, three-horned goats on Thursday – that your eyes don’t glaze over...

- I guess there are two main candidates for the birth of God consciousness in Jesus: his forty days in the desert, and his baptism by John with the descent of the dove. - I believe that according to modern scholarship, Lao Tze was not an actual person but only an ideal type, attached to an...

As Bruce has already pointed out, Christians also have their hot buttons. But of course you’re right that not all traditions are equally “hot” – and take this from someone prone to pushing buttons. Historically, Christians & Muslims have been the hottest, for the simple reason that these two...