May I politely suggest that compassion includes tolerance for the beliefs of others? That it may not be compassionate to attack and reject the views of others when those views do you no personal harm.
We all have personal beliefs. None of us has a monopoly on truth. I think we should be open to learning from each other, no matter what labels we ascribe to ourselves and to each other (Christian, Muslim, Hindu, agnostic, atheist, Wiccan, humanist, Saganist, etc.).
You're not smarter or better because you're an atheist. I'm not smarter or better because I'm a lapsed Catholic. Wisdom can be attained anywhere and everywhere, whether in church, in nature, or just in virtual conversation.
But "conversation" isn't productive when one person is denouncing the personal beliefs of another. When you do that, you ape those preachers of the Word who denounce all unbelievers as foolish and forsaken.
One of the main sources of all that "too much religious preaching" You're complaining about, Dennis, is Your constantly challenging and criticizing Ray's frequent, what could easily be termed "preaching."
To which he virtually inevitably responds with more what could easily be termed more "preaching."
To which You respond with more than a little anti-religious "preaching" of Your own.
Religious or Anti-Religious: Preaching is still Preaching, isn't it?
i am aware, Ray: that You make many comments that don't mention God or the Bible. But in my comment to Dennis, i was talking about the comments You make that DO mention Him or It. And that's what he responds to.
And one man's "pointing out the Realities" is another man's "preaching," wouldn't You agree?
The Golden Rule, Ray, comes from a LOT more places than just the BibleтАж:
Golden Rule in Religion and Culture
One of the more interesting characteristics of the Golden rule is that it can be found inside all the main religions, schools of thought, and philosophies everywhere in the world and in all time periods. We want to mention a few in alphabetical order.
BAHAтАЩ├М: тАЬBlessed is who prefers his brother to himselfтАЭ (Bah├атАЩuтАЩll├аh tablets тАУ 19th century).
BUDDHISM: тАЬWhatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto othersтАЭ (The Buddha, Udana-Varga 5.18 тАУ 6th century BC).
CONFUCIANISM: тАЬDo not do to others what you do not want them to do to youтАЭ (Confucius, Analects 15.23 тАУ 5th century BC).
CHRISTIANITY: тАЬYou shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.тАЭ (Gospel of Matthew 22, 36-40 тАУ 1st century CE).
JUDAISM: тАЬWhat is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow-man. This is the entire Law, all the rest is commentaryтАЭ (Talmud, Shabbat 3id тАУ 16th century BC).
GANDHI: тАЬTo see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of all creation as oneselfтАЭ (translated from: Il mio credo, il mio pensiero, Newton Compton, Rome 1992, page 70 тАУ 20th century).
JAINISM: тАЬIn happiness and sorrow, in joy and in pain, we should consider every creature as we consider ourselvesтАЭ (Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara тАУ 6th century BC).
JUDAISM: тАЬNever do to anyone else anything that you would not want someone to do to youтАЭ (Tobias 4, 15 тАУ 3rd century BC).
HINDUISM: тАЬThis is the sum of duty. Do not unto others that which would cause you pain if done to youтАЭ (Mahabharata 5, 1517 тАУ 15th century BC).
ISLAM: тАЬNone of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourselfтАЭ (Hadith 13, The Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi тАУ 7th century).
NATIVE AMERICANS: тАЬRespect for every form of life is the foundationтАЭ(The Big Law of PeaceтАУ 16th century).
PLATO: тАЬI can do to others what IтАЩd like them to do to meтАЭ (5th century BC).
YORUBA WISE SAYING (WEST AFRICA): тАЬIf somebody stings a bird with a sharp stick, should be first try it on himself and realise how badly it hurtsтАЭ.
SENECA: тАЬTreat your inferiors as you would be treated by your bettersтАЭ (Letter 47 11 тАУ 1st century).
SHINTOISM: тАЬBe charitable to all beings, love is the representation of GodтАЭ (approximately 500 CE: Ko-ji-ki Hachiman Kasuga тАУ 8th century BC)
SIKHISM: тАЬI am a stranger to no one, and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to allтАЭ (Guru Granth Sahib, religious scripture of Sikhism, p. 1299 тАУ 15th century).
VOLTAIRE: тАЬPut yourself in the other person's shoesтАЭ (Letters on the English, n.42).
ZOROASTRIANISM: тАЬDo not do to others what is harmful for yourselfтАЭ (Shayast-na-Shayast 13, 29 тАУ between 18 and 15 century BC).
That is in any Nation's Business that is intimately tied into, and thus influences, manipulates, and in some cases, controls ~ or is totally controlled by ~ that Nation's Government.
I thought I was writing about compassion.
May I politely suggest that compassion includes tolerance for the beliefs of others? That it may not be compassionate to attack and reject the views of others when those views do you no personal harm.
We all have personal beliefs. None of us has a monopoly on truth. I think we should be open to learning from each other, no matter what labels we ascribe to ourselves and to each other (Christian, Muslim, Hindu, agnostic, atheist, Wiccan, humanist, Saganist, etc.).
You're not smarter or better because you're an atheist. I'm not smarter or better because I'm a lapsed Catholic. Wisdom can be attained anywhere and everywhere, whether in church, in nature, or just in virtual conversation.
But "conversation" isn't productive when one person is denouncing the personal beliefs of another. When you do that, you ape those preachers of the Word who denounce all unbelievers as foolish and forsaken.
Well said, Bill. Very well said.
One of the main sources of all that "too much religious preaching" You're complaining about, Dennis, is Your constantly challenging and criticizing Ray's frequent, what could easily be termed "preaching."
To which he virtually inevitably responds with more what could easily be termed more "preaching."
To which You respond with more than a little anti-religious "preaching" of Your own.
Religious or Anti-Religious: Preaching is still Preaching, isn't it?
i am aware, Ray: that You make many comments that don't mention God or the Bible. But in my comment to Dennis, i was talking about the comments You make that DO mention Him or It. And that's what he responds to.
And one man's "pointing out the Realities" is another man's "preaching," wouldn't You agree?
The Golden Rule, Ray, comes from a LOT more places than just the BibleтАж:
Golden Rule in Religion and Culture
One of the more interesting characteristics of the Golden rule is that it can be found inside all the main religions, schools of thought, and philosophies everywhere in the world and in all time periods. We want to mention a few in alphabetical order.
BAHAтАЩ├М: тАЬBlessed is who prefers his brother to himselfтАЭ (Bah├атАЩuтАЩll├аh tablets тАУ 19th century).
BUDDHISM: тАЬWhatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto othersтАЭ (The Buddha, Udana-Varga 5.18 тАУ 6th century BC).
CONFUCIANISM: тАЬDo not do to others what you do not want them to do to youтАЭ (Confucius, Analects 15.23 тАУ 5th century BC).
CHRISTIANITY: тАЬYou shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.тАЭ (Gospel of Matthew 22, 36-40 тАУ 1st century CE).
JUDAISM: тАЬWhat is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow-man. This is the entire Law, all the rest is commentaryтАЭ (Talmud, Shabbat 3id тАУ 16th century BC).
GANDHI: тАЬTo see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of all creation as oneselfтАЭ (translated from: Il mio credo, il mio pensiero, Newton Compton, Rome 1992, page 70 тАУ 20th century).
JAINISM: тАЬIn happiness and sorrow, in joy and in pain, we should consider every creature as we consider ourselvesтАЭ (Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara тАУ 6th century BC).
JUDAISM: тАЬNever do to anyone else anything that you would not want someone to do to youтАЭ (Tobias 4, 15 тАУ 3rd century BC).
HINDUISM: тАЬThis is the sum of duty. Do not unto others that which would cause you pain if done to youтАЭ (Mahabharata 5, 1517 тАУ 15th century BC).
ISLAM: тАЬNone of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourselfтАЭ (Hadith 13, The Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi тАУ 7th century).
NATIVE AMERICANS: тАЬRespect for every form of life is the foundationтАЭ(The Big Law of PeaceтАУ 16th century).
PLATO: тАЬI can do to others what IтАЩd like them to do to meтАЭ (5th century BC).
YORUBA WISE SAYING (WEST AFRICA): тАЬIf somebody stings a bird with a sharp stick, should be first try it on himself and realise how badly it hurtsтАЭ.
SENECA: тАЬTreat your inferiors as you would be treated by your bettersтАЭ (Letter 47 11 тАУ 1st century).
SHINTOISM: тАЬBe charitable to all beings, love is the representation of GodтАЭ (approximately 500 CE: Ko-ji-ki Hachiman Kasuga тАУ 8th century BC)
SIKHISM: тАЬI am a stranger to no one, and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to allтАЭ (Guru Granth Sahib, religious scripture of Sikhism, p. 1299 тАУ 15th century).
VOLTAIRE: тАЬPut yourself in the other person's shoesтАЭ (Letters on the English, n.42).
ZOROASTRIANISM: тАЬDo not do to others what is harmful for yourselfтАЭ (Shayast-na-Shayast 13, 29 тАУ between 18 and 15 century BC).
Source: http://livingpeaceinternational.org/en/the-project/regola-d-oro-2.html .
That's not just in "American Business," Dennis.
That is in any Nation's Business that is intimately tied into, and thus influences, manipulates, and in some cases, controls ~ or is totally controlled by ~ that Nation's Government.