Thoughts regarding God's Grace

[_moksha]

This begs the question...in what way is belief in the supernatural elements of religion different from a belief in magic?

Idols can sometimes be unreasonable in their demands. When was the last time you saw a Priest ask someone to jump into a volcano? They might ask for donations, but not volcano jumping.

I heard Janis Joplin in 1967 Austin Texas folk music club. She used a six string acoustic, a kazoo and some magic to blow the house down. I have never seen the like since.

For the magic, did she use a Dragon Shout, alteration, destruction or ordinance magic to help blow the house down?

[_subgenius]

please, tell us more about satanism...i mean Ayn Rand with a little red mascot.

a few funny excerpts from the LaVey handbook for self-improvement:
Better living through Satan can be achieved by following these 11 simple "commandments" -

1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
2.Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
3.When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
4.If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
5.Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
6.Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved.
7.Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
8.Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
9.Do not harm little children.
10.Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
11.When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.

Thank you for reading, but don't you think this post belongs in the Bible Verse by Verse thread?

Clearly you are in violation of #8 (and #5) -
You are done.

[_LeVay]

This begs the question...in what way is belief in the supernatural elements of religion different from a belief in magic?

Idols can sometimes be unreasonable in their demands. When was the last time you saw a Priest ask someone to jump into a volcano? They might ask for donations, but not volcano jumping.

I can't say I've ever heard of an idol requesting a volunteer to jump into a volcano. I've always assumed this type of request comes from a self-appointed middleman who takes it upon himself to be the idol's spokesperson.

[_The Erotic Apologist]

There, fixed it for ya.

please, tell us more about satanism...i mean Ayn Rand with a little red mascot.

a few funny excerpts from the LaVey handbook for self-improvement:
Better living through Satan can be achieved by following these 11 simple "commandments" -

And that right there is the problem. It's easy to spot the absurdities in someone else's emotionally invested supernatural belief system, but you're blind to the absurdities in your own.

[_huckelberry]

I heard Janis Joplin in 1967 Austin Texas folk music club. She used a six string acoustic, a kazoo and some magic to blow the house down. I have never seen the like since.

For the magic, did she use a Dragon Shout, alteration, destruction or ordinance magic to help blow the house down?

The eleventh door was a small basement folk music venue. Perhaps the space had a special magnification. Perhaps there is a special electricity in the moments between not yet but just about to be famous. Perhaps that foot stomp accessed a special mojo source. I do not know. Perhaps there is in some events a performer audience synergy. It had not yet happened but a certain number of people in Austin knew she would be famous.

The magic dimension in art is the only magic that I personally find interesting. there could be other examples but each would have a bit of mystery in the power engaged.

I also suspect that art, in the form of poetry theater are an important part of religion. I tend to understand Joseph Smith as artist and magician. (though not my favorite one)

[_subgenius]

And that right there is the problem. It's easy to spot the absurdities in someone else's emotionally invested supernatural belief system, but you're blind to the absurdities in your own.

wow, how enlightening...how insightful...such irony and illumination....centuries could have passed and all would have been lost were it not for the keen discernment from EA

actually the problem being yours...in that you did not notice that it, as usual, was tit for tat.

(and thanks for pointing out the obvious about LaVey's faith system)

[_The Erotic Apologist]

And that right there is the problem. It's easy to spot the absurdities in someone else's emotionally invested supernatural belief system, but you're blind to the absurdities in your own.

wow, how enlightening...how insightful...such irony and illumination....centuries could have passed and all would have been lost were it not for the keen discernment from EA

actually the problem being yours...in that you did not notice that it, as usual, was tit for tat.

(and thanks for pointing out the obvious about LaVey's faith system)

Does this mean you agree with the rest of us about the magic rock in the hat?

[_The Erotic Apologist]

The eleventh door was a small basement folk music venue. Perhaps the space had a special magnification. Perhaps there is a special electricity in the moments between not yet but just about to be famous. Perhaps that foot stomp accessed a special mojo source. I do not know. Perhaps there is in some events a performer audience synergy. It had not yet happened but a certain number of people in Austin knew she would be famous.

The magic dimension in art is the only magic that I personally find interesting. there could be other examples but each would have a bit of mystery in the power engaged.

I also suspect that art, in the form of poetry theater are an important part of religion. I tend to understand Joseph Smith as artist and magician. (though not my favorite one)

I really like the attitude expressed here. It acknowledges the unanswerable questions that lie at the heart of religion, but avoids the dogmatic rigidity that, in my opinion, causes so many problems.

[_LittleNipper]

Idols can sometimes be unreasonable in their demands. When was the last time you saw a Priest ask someone to jump into a volcano? They might ask for donations, but not volcano jumping.

I can't say I've ever heard of an idol requesting a volunteer to jump into a volcano. I've always assumed this type of request comes from a self-appointed middleman who takes it upon himself to be the idol's spokesperson.

What about the human who fabricated the idol?

[_LeVay]

What about the human who fabricated the idol?

You mean prophets?