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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cosmicforce who wrote (247557)	3/16/2014 9:32:14 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 542038

"the minister had the task to tell stories to make us self-aware and to be nice to one another." And considering the horrible people who often attend church, and the awful things they say behind one another's backs, this is, apparently, an impossible task... But all things considered, maybe they'd be even worse if they didn't go to church. Maybe they'd all be serial killing zombies. Who can know? I suspect not, though. And I think it's possible if people had no faith in forgiveness, and really had to live with their horrible actions, they might do more good in the world and less evil. But maybe that's too optimistic. (There are some experiments on this. Remember that test of seminary students? It didn't go too well) snopes.com Jesus wept.

To: cosmicforce who wrote (247557)	3/16/2014 10:15:47 PM
From: freelyhovering	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542038

I think religion provides community to older women, particularly--especially widowed or divorced. Some men get connected but not with the intensity of women. Some of it has to do with women feeling more comforted with community/family than men. Also, more women tend to hold onto childhood beliefs such as teddy bears, santa clause and a male god who will rescue/save them. IMNOTSOHP (There are some things I am absolutely certain of. <g>)

To: cosmicforce who wrote (247557)	3/17/2014 2:06:47 PM
From: koan	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 542038

<<When I was ten I think I figured out that churches were like schools (simply institutions) and the minister had the task to tell stories to make us self-aware and to be nice to one another.>> I never saw it that way? Churches are the opposite of schools. Schools teach knowledge and how to think. Schools encourage on to ask questions. Whereas churches teach dogma and how not to think. No need to think if one has the bible. Funny how that teaching being nice to one another never worked to free the African American's in the south over 400 years of slavery, black chain gangs and segregation. It was free thinking people that finally fixed that prolem, not any churches. It was the schools teaching knowledge and how to think and growing liberals that eventually freed all subjugated folks. The 60's, the rise of the liberals is what did bigotry in. The church never did anything about bigotry I ever saw except make it worse. It is the church leading the fight against gay rights, right now. Big issue on the St Patrick's day parade just today.