Search results

Not yet.:) I guess I wasn't emphatic enough or something. Yes, that is what I was referring to. I haven't read the whole thing, but his theory of paradigm change was instrumental in three our four classes I took at university, so I got a pretty good grounding in what he had to say. Thank...

This reminds me of something that John Muir, an early conservationist and friend of Yosemite Valley, said (and this is just a paraphrase, as I don't have the quotation in front of me, but the "thread" imagery is his): If you pull on any thread in the universe, you will find that everything is...

Vajradhara...thank you so much for your answer concerning the Buddhist position on the possibility of belief being wrong. I suspected that this might be what the answer would be, based on what little I know concerning Buddhism. I have to say that I would make more of a differentiation than you...

vajradhara...this is fascinating stuff. First of all, thanks for finally providing a definition of "meme" that makes some sense. I've run into the concept in several places, and it has always been presented in a manner that is convoluted and jargon-ridden. First, I have a respectful question...

I quite agree, Brian, that this protectiveness of beliefs is interesting. As I said in my initial post, I am fine with the fact that I might be wrong about the things I believe. And, especially at this time in my life, I'm not exactly sure what I believe, especially in the religious/spiritual...

I'm afraid that the first thing I would ask him is: "Did you really mean for people to torture and kill and destroy in your name?" I recognize that lots of good has been done in the name of Jesus. However, it is historically true that milliions of people have been tortured and killed, and...

I think I was trying to say this in my post when I made a differentiation between "receives universal acceptance" and "is proven to be true". And I think this was the thing I was trying to get to when I said that I would "take into consideration" something that appeared to be "proven true"...

"Receives universal acceptance" or "is proven to be true"? There is a difference, I think.. Would I abandon my belief? If the situation were as you state it - the contradictory theory "receives universal acceptance" - I don't know that I would necessarily feel the need to abandon my belief...

First of all, Shih Yo Chi, welcome to the forum. I've come to believe that to try to say what "Christians" believe is like trying to say what "human beings" believe. It just isn't possible to find one set of beliefs that applies to the whole group. As you say you have discovered, there is a...

Susma...I hate to disillusion you, but mainstream Mormonism officially stopped the practice of polygamy in 1890, issuing a manifesto to that effect on October 1 of that year. Now, this does not mean that Mormons quit practicing polygamy immediately. Some, including some high officials of the...

Certainly no offense taken, JJM. I never heard anything about a hat, as far as I can recall, in official church teachings. It is however, a prominent feature of many stories about Joseph Smith. As far as the "magic stones" are concerned, this is probably a reference to the Urim and Thummim...

Just a small correction Susma: as I stated at the end of my post, while I was baptized into the Mormon church I no longer practice that religion. The things I have posted here concerning Mormonism are the understandings I gleaned from teachings while I was attending that church. Also...

JJM wrote: Then, DrChaos wrote: Well, in Mormon theology, spirituality and actual intelligence on the order of the stuff you learn in school both play into the equation. The belief is that one must progress spiritually in order to gain perfection. However, there is also a belief that...

I think it is really interesting that JJM commented that this sounds exceptionally Hindu. It struck me as sounding very Mormon. You see, in Mormon theology, it is assumed that human beings will get more and more truth as they perfect themselves and prove themselves worthy of it, at least as...

Point taken.:) On the other hand, there are all those fathers who don't want their daughters dating until they are thirty-five. Just something to think about. I'm good with that possible explanation for deja-vu. Makes as much sense as anything else. I never really understood the theory that...

You really think it'll work? Ooh, let me try. What kind of silly name for a city is Florence? I mean Italy ought to have more romantic place names than that. Okay. Now all I've got to do is wait, right?:D

Yeah, but at least Fresno is only the red-headed stepchild; Firebaugh is the armpit - and if you ever made it out there you know that for sure (I spent a couple of summers out there when I was a kid - awful, awful, awful, with absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing, to do but keep in out of the...

Well, as far as my screen name goes, I've been told so many times by so many people that I have "an attitude", I figured I'd just own it rather than trying to deny it - even though I don't really have an attitude all that often, really. It's just that some people in real life out here interpret...

Actually, I didn't move to the Valley until I was 21, so I didn't go to high school around here. However, I know quite a few people who attended McLane. I'm not sure any of them were there in '79, though. Also, one of my best friends just did her student teaching there last spring, and also...

Wow. I'm going to have to think about all of this, digest it a little, before I can make any kind of intelligent response. However, I can comment on one of your questions. You wrote: People sometimes tell me that the reason I think about things like this, and then talk about them or write...