If you do, then do the following:
1. Take your money out of the big five banks and put it in small local banks
2. Take your investments out of the big investment companies and invest locally.
3. Get loans from your local bank or credit union - not the big banks.
4. Do not vote for representatives who receive money from outside your district - if they do, then they won't represent you - they will represent those who gave them money.
5. Only buy "Made in America" that supports jobs like nothing else.
6. Buy from your local shops before you buy from chain stores. That keeps your money in the community.
7. Keep your community clean, drug free and support neighborhood watch - look out for each other. That will bring your police and medical costs down.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
What is atheism?
It depends on where you come from. Fundamentally it is the rejection of the existence of a deity.
On the surface, this sounds innocuous. While many might find it unpalatable and others a crazy idea, a very large number of people in the world are atheist.
Now here is the rub: It is not the belief that human life ends at the last breathe. It is not the belief that human spirit ends its existence after the physical body “dies.” Atheism is NOT the belief that science is the only proof of existence. It is simply the rejection of a creator.
So, why did I say “It depends on where you come from”?
In the western (American) culture, heavily influenced by materialism, atheism goes hand in hand and indistinguishable from the concept that human life ends with the death of the material human body, AND that nothing exists beyond the eventual ability of science to prove. Personally I find this to be an incredibly arrogant and closed minded approach to existence.
Then there is the Eastern metaphysical view of atheism exemplified by Buddhism. Buddhism is an “Atheistic” religion in that it does not hold that there is a “creator” God; but, it DOES teach that human life is more than the confines of the physical body.
Buddhism does acknowledge an ever evolving human spirit that continues to grow after the death of our present physical body through ever higher levels of existence and inter-action with the universe. Buddhism does not expound a creator God but does extort humans to become “god-like” through a journey of self-discovery encompassing ever broader universal ideals.
Even if I held to this belief, I would still have to ask, “with a universe as vast as ours, is there not room for life other than – and perhaps even much greater than, human?”
On the surface, this sounds innocuous. While many might find it unpalatable and others a crazy idea, a very large number of people in the world are atheist.
Now here is the rub: It is not the belief that human life ends at the last breathe. It is not the belief that human spirit ends its existence after the physical body “dies.” Atheism is NOT the belief that science is the only proof of existence. It is simply the rejection of a creator.
So, why did I say “It depends on where you come from”?
In the western (American) culture, heavily influenced by materialism, atheism goes hand in hand and indistinguishable from the concept that human life ends with the death of the material human body, AND that nothing exists beyond the eventual ability of science to prove. Personally I find this to be an incredibly arrogant and closed minded approach to existence.
Then there is the Eastern metaphysical view of atheism exemplified by Buddhism. Buddhism is an “Atheistic” religion in that it does not hold that there is a “creator” God; but, it DOES teach that human life is more than the confines of the physical body.
Buddhism does acknowledge an ever evolving human spirit that continues to grow after the death of our present physical body through ever higher levels of existence and inter-action with the universe. Buddhism does not expound a creator God but does extort humans to become “god-like” through a journey of self-discovery encompassing ever broader universal ideals.
Even if I held to this belief, I would still have to ask, “with a universe as vast as ours, is there not room for life other than – and perhaps even much greater than, human?”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)