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Politics : Should God be replaced? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (10495)	2/10/2002 1:38:44 PM
From: briskit	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 28931

I think it is precisely bad people who are attracted to religion. I just don't think they are more bad than other people. "Good people" are o.k. without god, and hence have no attraction. Religious people that I know express an awareness that they are not all that good. It's ironic that one accusation leveled at religious people is "they think they are better than other people" or some version of that. It is not a sense of moral superiority that motivates the people I know, quite the opposite. I shouldn't have jumped in on your conversation. I take it back. I responded to the words I read. Sorry about that.

To: epicure who wrote (10495)	2/11/2002 7:38:04 AM
From: Frederick Smart	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

The Internal Controls of Divine Providence.... >>I suspect people who do not have adequate internal controls gravitate to the external control of religion (among other things)- which would mean you would get more people attracted to religion who were, on average, less able to control their negative impulses. But that is just my thought. Therefore religion is not "causing" anything, it is merely an attractor. Now I suspect you will read that wrong also- that is not to say that ALL people attracted to religion are attracted for those reasons, only that some people, who need external controls are.>> From Emanuel Swedenborg's The Divine Providence (paragraph 183): That is the Divine Providence and its operation were clearly seen by man he would deny God does not appear probable; for it would seem that if it were clearing seen by any one he could not but acknowledge it, and thus acknowledge God; yet the contrary is the truth. The Divine Providence never acts in accord with the will's love in man, but constantly against it; since man, because of his hereditary evil, is always panting for the lowest hell; but the Lord by His providence is contantly leading and drawing him away from it, first to a milder hell, then out of hell, and finally to Himself in heaven. This operation of the Divine Providence is constant. Consequently if man clearly saw or felt this drawing or leading away he would be angry, and would regard God as his enemy, and from the evil of his selfhood (proprium) would deny God. Consequently, lest this be know to man he is kept in a state of freedom from which he knows no otherwise than that he leads himself. =========== The "religion" of mankind denies the working of Divine Providence in the very way that it establishes claims for being a divinely ordained representative conduit for His Light, Energy and Love. But the religion of the Lord is ALL about confirming, embracing celebrating the energy, light, truth and Love that proceeds forth perfectly inside the mind, heart and soul of every individual. True Christian Religion - which is the title to Emanuel Swedenborg's last work - is all about simply turning away from evil to embrace, share and celebrate His energy, light and Love. And we don't need mediators with sticks, stones, lables, judgments, claims and controls to effect the natural perfect articulation of His Divine Providence. For His Love is perfect and free. His Light is truth. And the Light of His Love resides inside ALL of us!! And we are all free to chose to believe and receive it or not. With zero/no claim, blame or shame. 119293!!