Reasons Why We Need to Go Beyond Religion


1. Religion is limited by our human understanding. Spiritual truth is as wide and broad as the mind of God. No human attempt to comprehend the reality and plan of God could be complete and final. There is always more to learn.

2. Religion is the grammar school of spirituality, the place where we learn the basics about God. But those lessons are couched in very elementary concepts. In the same way that we are intended to move beyond grammar school into ever higher levels of learning, so we must be willing to move beyond childhood concepts and embrace the larger truths that God continually offers us.

3. We are physical/spiritual beings. We have a body which will eventually die, and a soul which will live forever because it is part of God. As a result, we have two sets of senses, the five which connect us with the physical world and others that connect us with the spiritual world (intuition, dreams, visions, psychic abilities, etc.) Religion is an expression of the physical side of our nature, while spirituality is connected to our divine nature. Our goal as humans is to become more like God, to turn the world into the Kingdom of Heaven. We can do this only as we turn away from human/intellectual images of God and seek a broader understanding of divine truth.

4. Religion is an attempt to convert a vision of the invisible, eternal world into symbols and practices which we can understand. But the problem is that we tend to invest those symbols and practices with divine authority and eventually worship the traditions we ourselves have created. This is called idolatry.

5. Religion is trapped in its own past. Over the years it has developed a point of view about God which it considers complete and final. As a result, it spends most of its time defending that vision and protecting itself against any new revelations which might upset its system of belief. That means that even God is unable to get through to religious institutions with new insights into divine truth. Thus, we have a choice between defending old human systems or being open to God's spirit which wants to communicate with us daily.

6. Christianity is one of many efforts to understand and become one with God. To think that it is the only true way to God, or that God loves only those within this particular belief system, is the worst kind of chauvinism. It is helpful in this regard to think of Christianity as the Jesus cult. There is nothing wrong with this cult except its claim that it alone holds the key to God's love. Because of this claim, rather than embracing all others as equals in the sight of God, it looks down upon them as unbelievers who must be converted to think as Christians do.

7. Jesus made the statement that he has much more to tell us (John 16:12). But many who claim to be his followers are not interested in what he still has to say to us because they are afraid that any new idea will upset their neat little closed system.

8. Religion is by definition an effort to understand and therefore to please God. Religion began in primitive times with a recognition that the most important things in life are out of our control-life, death, weather, crops, health, the future, etc. All these things seemed to be in the hands of a power much greater than we, and therefore it was important to stay on good terms with this power. There is still a large element of this primitive thinking in current religious practice-fear of punishment, sacrificial behavior to try to gain divine favor, sets of rules which define acceptable behavior, etc.

9. Ancient Jews felt that their salvation came from belonging to the people of God. We understand today that each individual's personal relationship with God is what is required. However, there is still a large tribal component in religious practice-belonging to church, attending worship, observing certain celebrations, accepting the required disciplines. These are external and largely man-made rules. We need to move from fear of punishment to love of God.

10. Recent revelations about sinful practices in the church and the leadership's attempts to cover up those crimes underlines the fact that the church is often motivated, not by a love for God and his people, but by a desire for power and the need to protect that power. The church has become so saturated with politics that it tends to forget its basic purpose, to speak in self-forgetful love for God.

source : http://www.beyondreligion.com

Stand to Reason



Do Animals Have Souls?


A characteristic of soulish beings is to have mental activity that consist of beliefs, intentions, desires, sensations . . .





Animals have different kind of souls than human beings. Human being souls are made in the image of God and they live forever, they are everlasting. Animal souls are not made in the image of God, and we have no evidence that I can tell that they are everlasting.

When Pavlov rang his famous bell, the dog salivated because it believed it was about to get some food. As a result of that belief it set up a response in its body to produce the saliva. When the dog sees the food placed before him, it moves toward the food because it has an intention to eat, and there is desire of hunger inside of it that motivates the intention. As it eats, it chooses one food rather than another -- and you cat owners know about that -- because one food tastes better than another to the cat. Therefore it has sensation, too. In other words, animals have all of these things that are qualities and characteristics of the mental life. They have beliefs, they have intentions, they have desires, they have sensations--or they appear to. Since these things are not physical things, they are non- physical things and they must exist in the animal in the non-physical space that is real. That non-physical place is a soul. Ergo, animals have souls like human beings have souls.

But there are different kinds of souls--even in human beings. I think female souls are different than male souls. This is what encourages our valid generalizations about the differences between male and female, because the differences that we point out are soulish differences, not differences merely in plumbing or chemistry. Also, animals have different kind of souls than human beings. Human being souls are made in the image of God and they live forever, they are everlasting. Animal souls are not made in the image of God, and we have no evidence that I can tell that they are everlasting.

Just some fun thinking about the nature of the soul.

source: http://www.str.org

10 Reasons To Drink More Water


1. Get Healthy Skin
2. Flush Toxins
3. Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Attack
4. Cushion And Lube Your Joints And Muscles
5. Get Energized And Be Alert
6. Stay Regular
7. Reduce Your Risk Of Disease And Infection
8. Regulate Your Body Temperature
9. Burn More Fat And Build More Muscle
10. Get Well

"Shall we or shall we not? Yes or No? " asked the lawyer. Was the witness evading the question when he answered, " Partly yes and partly no? " Not at all. There are some questions which can neither be truthfully nor satisfactorily answered by one word. Strange to say, many of the magazine articles treating this subject have attempted to answer yes or no for all individuals. About the briefest answer which can be given to the question, Should we take water with meals? would be: seventy per cent of us should; thirty per cent should not — or at least not more than eight ounces of all fluids.

To the average person a stomach is just a stomach. He does not realize there is great variation as to size, shape, position, muscular, and secretory powers. No two leaves are alike. It is not strange that stomachs also vary.

An attempt will here be made to develop the treatment of this subject from a scientific stand-point. The first requirement is to state facts on which conclusions may be based.

The gastric juice is well represented in its chemical value by the amount of hydrochloric acid which it contains. If this is greater than average, water drinking with meals may be an advantage ; if less than average, a disadvantage; if average, not harmful.

So much for the secretory factor in the case. Motility is the other important factor. Motility refers to the motor power or the mechanical ability of the stomach to receive food, hold the same within its grasp, mix thoroughly with its own juices, and, at the proper time, pass it on to the duodenum. The size, shape, position, and muscular power of the stomach determine its motility.

The first real information regarding its muscular contractions was obtained by observation of a man who had received a bullet wound in the stomach, leaving a permanent opening through the abdominal wall. Generalization from such a specific instance was a mistake. Our present information on this subject is quite different. Much of this was obtained by means of the X-ray, which affords opportunity to observe stomachs of many kinds — normal as well as abnormal. This has helped to answer the question, " Should we drink water with meals? " and has given sufficient reasons therefor.

source: http://www.oldandsold.com

A Few Reasons to be Chinese



* You don't believe in God. You accept everything claimed by teachers and "experts." If you find errors in their thinking, you will complain, but next time you will still believe them.

* You are familiar with Qín Shīhuáng, Sūnzǐ, Confucius, Zhōngshān Sūn, Xùn Lǔ, Chairman Máo, Prime Minister Zhōu, GuānYīn bodhisattva, Wùkōng Sūn, the Spring Festival, dumplings, fire crackers, and the Great Wall.

* You know how table tennis and badminton are played. You know how to do at least some Gōngfu (Wūshù). If you are female, you played "Chinese jump rope" as a child; if you are male, you knew how to use a slingshot.

* You get seven days vacation every Spring Festival, National Day and Labor Day, during which you can travel to other cities or go home to stay with your family.

* You're likely to believe in Buddha. If not, you probably believe you will be reborn in the future, and the species of your reincarnation will depend on your behavior in your current life.

* You don't think of McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut as tasty, healthy, or cheap food-- everybody knows that Chinese food is the most delicious in the world. Somehow, when you do go to McDonald's or KFC, you have trouble finding a seat because there are so many people eating there.

* You probably have a telephone and a TV at home. If you live in northern China, your place is heated in the winter, but it isn't if you are in the south. It has its own bathroom. Unless you live in a developed city, you do your laundry by hand, and no matter where you live, you hang it out to dry. You eat at a table, sitting on chairs.

source: http://www.zompist.com

20 Reason for William Moseley

10 Reasons to Reject Social Security Privatization


1. Privatization would slash guaranteed benefits by 40 percent even for workers who DON'T choose private accounts. The average young worker would lose $152,000 in retirement benefits. (The Century Foundation, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Center for Economic and Policy Research)

2. The government would take back 70 cents in retirement benefits for every $1 in a private account. And that's on top of the 40 percent benefit cut. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

3. Privatization would weaken Social Security by diverting money from the Trust Fund to pay for private accounts. That would make our retirement security problems WORSE.

4. Privatization would explode the federal deficit—forcing the government to borrow some $4.9 trillion in just the first 20 years—mostly from foreign countries such as China and Japan. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

5. Privatization would leave retirees in poverty. Taxpayers and family members would have to provide them with the help that now comes from Social Security's guaranteed benefits.

6. Privatization would open Social Security up to corruption, waste and Enron-ization because politicians would decide which Wall Street firms make billions in inflated fees off our private accounts. You wouldn't control your private account—someone on Wall Street would.

7. Privatization could raise the retirement age. Do YOU want to work until you're 70?

8. Privatization threatens benefits for people with disabilities and survivors of workers who have died. Today, Social Security is a lifeline for 7.8 million people with disabilities and 7.5 million survivors. (Social Security Administration)

9. We can strengthen Social Security without slashing guaranteed retirement benefits. Congress should pay back the money it borrowed from Social Security before even thinking about cutting our benefits, for example.

10. We can convince Congress to stop privatization in its tracks. Every day we see news reports that even Republicans in Congress have grave concerns about privatization. Members of Congress are waiting to hear from you that privatizing Social Security is the wrong way to go.

source: http://heartsoulandhumor.blogspot.com

Five Reasons Not To Meet A Russian Woman


1. Sending a woman money: This is a huge no-no. Any Russian or FSU (Former Soviet Union) woman who asks you for money is just trying to scam you. She will either bleed you until you are dry (if she is very slick) or just disappear after a quick score (if you are lucky). An honest woman would not ask; she has too much pride. Besides, she has already lived for 20+ years without your “help.” Why does she need you now? A Russian woman does not even consider the two of you to be in a “real” relationship until you have met in person! Would you give money to American girl that you had just met? Would you ask her for money? Think about it. It is just not smart and sets you up for trouble (and makes the ladies think it is easy and encourages more of the same behavior).

2. Not being prepared to visit: You did know that in order to bring her over here as a fiancee, you must visit her, in her country? Yes, it is the only way she will be able to get a visa to come to the USA. For more details on the visa and immigration process click here. Honestly, though, an FSU woman, if she is serious, will want to meet you. You must be ready and prepared to visit her at some point in the future. It has been my observation (by watching and talking with both western men and FSU women) that a woman will generally give you about 6 months to decide you will visit. Then a few more months for you to get yourself over there. Make her wait longer than this and she will think you are not serious and probably move on to someone she thinks is! Just be ready: emotionally, physically, and monetarily.

3. Falling in love with a photo: Do not place too much emphasis on her photo. At least not until you know more details about her and her photos. Perhaps they are old. I once had a woman tell me her photos were over 2 years old! Her hair color and style was changed and it looked like she had gained about 20 pounds! Know what? It was my fault, because I did not ask her! Generally, the women of the FSU look even better in person than in their photos—and that is a huge compliment! But not always, and you do not marry a photo, you marry a real person. Get to know her, what she thinks, how she thinks, her dreams, desires, passions, hobbies, etc… Try to understand (as they say in Russia) her inner world.

4. Focusing only on one woman: Bad idea. You may get lucky and find the woman you end up marrying right away. I do know some people that things worked out this way with. I also know some people who won the lottery! Do not bet on this happening. You need to get over the idea of being a gentleman. This is, in it’s most basic sense, a numbers game. I heard it said that only 4% of US-Russian relationships are successful. With that in mind you will have to date and meet 25 ladies on average before finding your wife. This was indeed true in my case. I met over 150 ladies in person, and actively dated around 30 of them. Hopefully you will not need to go through this many. If you hang around at my site, read my articles, manuals, and use my consulting services, I guarantee you a heck of a lot better results! Writing/dating only one woman at a time is a bad idea. If it doesn’t work out with her, than you are back at ground zero and have nothing. You have to start all over again. Not to mention the time that you have wasted, and the money if you actually took a trip to meet her in person. We all want to believe in love at first sight, but many times you look at someone and she looks at you and you know immediately it is just not going to work. Sure, sometimes it goes perfectly, but will you gamble 3-4 months of your life and several thousand dollars on a trip to Russia just to find that out!? Most guys who are involved in this process (statistically speaking) are in their mid-upper 40’s…and most of the ladies are in their mid-upper 20’s. Do you have the time to waste? She probably does, but you need to be in contact with several women at any given time. Even if only for comparison purposes.

5. Not doing your proper research: By this I mean finding an honest and reliable dating or marriage agency, finding out all you can about your woman, learning about the geography, history, culture and language of the country she is from. These are all crucial to your success. You need to find an honest service. Then you need to educate yourself on other ways of contacting your woman. This will continue to ensure that your agency is honest, and that you are indeed writing to a real woman! Without doing your research you are just placing your bets (paying your money) and taking your chances.

via: http://top-10-reasons.blogspot.com

10 Reasons people don't live a prosperous life


1. CLARITY

Many people don't know what they truly want in life. They have not clarified exactly what they desire and where they want to be within a year, 5 years even 3 months. Because they don't know where they are going they drift along with the daily grind, totally forgetting that they want to attain true prosperity.

2. A CLEAR PATH

They are some that have a goal for their life, yet they do not know how to attain it. They go through the motions daily and never actually make a conscious decision to attain their goal.

3. STRUGGLE

Many are desperately trying to live a life of happiness, wealth and success. They are focused on achieving true prosperity but yet constantly find themselves struggling to attain it. It is this struggle that actually prevent them from being truly prosperous.

4. FEAR

-False Evidence Appearing Real. This one 4-letter word prevents us from going forward to achieve all that we desire. What will our family think? Will our friends still like us? A very high percentage of persons fear success because of how it will affect us and our relationship with others.

5. CONDITIONING

As children and young adults our environment affects a great deal of our 'conditioning' and has a profound effect on the way we think, act and live. Our environment here could include our parents, our friends, television, politics, religion, school courses and our job. For example, the TV may constantly bombard us with images of prosperous persons as unhappy, as crooks or gangsters or as lonely or selfish. If we really believe this, who would want a lead a prosperous, successful life?

6. THE NORM

"I can't be bothered. This is too much work. It's too hard". Some persons simply cannot be bothered to achieve prosperity. They live each day in a trance, in a numb existence, going along with the status-quo and have no desire to change their lives for the better.

7. OUT-GROW YOUR PEERS

Some people don't want change. You may be hesitant to achieve your dreams, goals, you vision because once you do achieve true prosperity it may reduce your inventory of what is actually possible for you. It may mean that you grow beyond your partner, your friends and your family. What will that mean for you?

8. NEGATIVITY

Our lives are stuck by the negativity we are drawn to in our daily lives. A large percentage of persons want to out do their co-workers or friends with the amount and magnitude of problems that they have. Most of us live our lives in total lack and shortage and that prevents us from achieving true prosperity.

9. COURAGE

It takes courage to be prosperous. It takes courage to make that decision and that change! We need to focus our thoughts towards our vision of true prosperity and hold to that vision. Once we have the courage and the beliefs, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

10. BELIEFS

"It can't happen to us. Prosperity is for other people. They were born with a silver spoon in their mouth". We are programmed to think that being poor equals happiness. Our belief system totally affects how we live our lives. Its is these beliefs that hold us back from our true potential and our true prosperity.

source: http://www.ideamarketers.com

5 Reasons to use Firefox


1) Small and slick

The Windows version is only 6.0 MB. That's insanely small for something this powerful. No matter what theme you choose for your Fireird -- and there are quite a handful of personalized styles out there to select from -- it just feels slicker than all the alternatives. It's extremely responsive, and just looks cool. Far more screen real estate is given to the webpage itself and less to the browser, giving it a clean and compact feel.

2) Intuitive user interface

I've watched over a dozen people pick up Firefox for the first time, and it takes them only seconds to become comfortable with its interface. All the menus are stored exactly where they should be, and although Firefox offers an abundance of features and options, it never feels as though you have to wade through an impossible labyrinth of choices and menus in order to change your settings. Firefox successfully accomplishes the difficult goal of making simple things simple and complicated things possible.

3) Tabbed browsing

Anyone currently using a browser without tabbing abilities may have difficulty comprehending exactly why tabs are such a useful feature, but those who use tabs wouldn't give them up for the world. Firefox integrates tabbed browsing seamlessly into everyday browsing life by opening tabs if a user holds Ctrl while clicking on a link. While you continue to read the current page, the background tab loads so that it's ready for you when you're ready for it. There's no confusing switching between windows, and you can open an entire folder of bookmarks as a series of tabs. Fast, efficient, and intuitive.

4) Popup blocking

You can finally laugh at all the Internet Explorer users who visit one webpage only to have fifteen popup windows jump ceaselessly on top of each other. Firefox offers a powerful solution by blocking popup windows by default but informing the user through an unobtrusive icon when popups have been blocked. If a user clicks on the icon, they can manage their popups and grant access to legitimate ones.

5) Extensions

Firefox currently has over 150 extensions (including some of the extensions mentioned in this document): from Calendar modules, to "Blog This" capabilities, to W3C checking of the current page, and mouse gestures. Extensions are remarkably easy to install in Firefox -- just a few clicks without a disruptive install screen. Whether you want to play Minesweeper in your browser, or add Word Processor functionality to text forms (including opening and saving form entries as files), Firefox has more extensions than you could possibly dream of.

source: http://www.insanecats.com/firebird

20 Reasons WHY FISHING IS BETTER THAN SEX




20 - No matter how much whiskey you've had, you can still Fish.

19 - A limp rod is still useful while Fishing.

18 - You don't have to hide your Fishing magazines.

17 - It is perfectly acceptable to pay a professional to Fish with
you once in a while.

16 - The Ten Commandments don't say anything against Fishing.

15 - If your partner takes pictures or videotapes of you Fishing,
you don't have to worry about them showing up on the Internet if you
become famous.

14 - Your Fishing partner doesn't get upset about people you Fished
with long ago.

13 - It's perfectly respectable to Fish with a total stranger.

12 - When you see a really good Fishing person, you don't have to
feel guilty about imagining the two of you Fishing together.

11 - If your regular Fishing partner isn't available, he/she won't
object if you Fish with someone else.

10 - Nobody will ever tell you that you will go blind if you Fish
by yourself.

9 - When dealing with a Fishing pro, you never have to wonder if
they are really an undercover cop.

8 - You don't have to go to a sleazy shop in a seedy neighborhood
to buy Fishing stuff.

7 - You can have a Fishing calendar on your wall at the office,
tell Fishing jokes, and invite coworkers to Fish with you without
getting sued for harassment.

6 - There are no Fishing-transmitted diseases.

5 - If you want to watch Fishing on television, you don't have to
subscribe to the Playboy channel.

4 - Nobody expects you to Fish with the same partner for the rest
of your life.

3 - Nobody expects you to give up Fishing if your partner loses
interest in it.

2 - You don't have to be a newlywed to plan a vacation primarily to
enjoy your favorite activity.

1 - Your Fishing partner will never say, "Not again? We just
Fished last week! Is Fishing all you ever think about?"

source: http://www.azinet.com
Asigurari