Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Gratitude: The Girl and the Old Man





20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love the TED series. I have it on my TV and watch them all the time. Better than any sermon I ever heard in Armstrongism.

Gratitude fro the world around us and for it's diverse people was something that the church frowned upon.

It was ingrained in us that this was Satan's world and was evil to the core. We were only to grateful for the Church, the apostle, his teachings and the chance to go to Petra.

Being grateful for the world around us, in all it's remarkable beauty was frowned upon. I never learned to be grateful until I left Armstrongism. That day was my first real day of gratitude.

Anonymous said...

Excellent and beautiful. That's what I mean by spirituality . That is a Wonderful World TODAY sermon . Tomorrow will take care of itself...

Dennis

Leonardo said...

Great post. So true.

The wisdom of the little girl: mind-expanding imaginative exploration. Practical science, in a word.

The wisdom of the old man: openness to, and gratitude for, the wonders of reality all around us.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely amazing! This is better than any sermon I have ever heard in Armstrongism. So glad to be out of it so I can finally be grateful.

Sweetblood777 said...

Beautiful, just beautiful. How different the world would be if all looked and acted this way.

Anonymous said...

Yes indeed the whole Universe is full of wonderful and beautiful gifts. To think all that was created out of nothing by itself is such a silly notion. One doesn't need to read the Bible to see there has to be a wonderful God to explain all this.

Leonardo said...

Anon, what I'd be interested in knowing is why do you propose an invisible god, particularity as an explanation of the cosmos? What specific reasons can you give me that leads you to assume a deity?

Anonymous said...

Leonardo, I’m no there to force anyone to believe what I believe. Each to their own. All I can say is I’ve come to my conclusion through a lot of study and research as a scientist. Yes, I’m a scientist with a PhD in Physics and worked at a major government research facility for a very long time. I’ve studied all the evidence that’s supposed to support the theory of evolution and it’s all complete crap. Even some evolutionist will admit their theory doesn’t stack up scientifically but they support it for only one reason; they refuse to accept the notion of a God. The notion that life started from non-life is impossible according to science. Then there is all the fossil evidence, or should I say complete lack of for even a single transition of one kind of life form to another. Several have been produced in the past but each and every one of them has been shown either to be mistaken or a hoax. I could go on for hours but I know you won’t change your mind, just as I won’t change mine. We both base our beliefs on a mixture of faith and science. In the end we all have to choose. I’ve chosen and it appears so have you. God Bless and be well.

Leonardo said...

OK, Anonymous 6:50, what specific university did you get your "doctorate" from, and what was the topic of your doctoral dissertation? What is your CV? Were you the guy on Gavin's old Ambassador Watch site who claimed to have a PhD in physics from the "world class university" and then couldn't even answer the most basic questions I asked of you regarding elementary physics? Just wondering, because I talk with scientists, and you don't express yourself like one at all. In fact, your statements above are absolute evidence to me that you most definitely are NOT a scientist with a PhD. What really stuns me is how you religious fanatics (or Internet troll or whatever you are) have such low regard for truth that you have to stoop to blatant lying. Remember, "Dr." Righteous, liars will end up in the lake of fire according to the book of Revelation. You're a poor representative of a Christian, Anon. And frankly, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Anonymous said...

Leonardo, let me believe what I want to believe and I'll let you believe what you want to believe. If you can't agree civilly with that then I can't help you. I'm extremely happy with the knowledge I will live forever with our Lord. If you don't want to then that's your problem, not mine.

Anonymous said...

Oh, one other thing Leonardo. I thought this site is about the COG cults and how wrong and bad they are in so many ways, not about atheism versus Christianity. So, this is not the place to discuss whether God exists or not. There are many other forums that are available for that sort of discussion.

Leonardo said...

Well, Anon, I guess that pretty much cinches the case regarding your alleged "PhD in physics" and you claim to be who has “worked at a major government research facility for a very long time” then? I've seen it happen many times before – the exaggerating or outright faking of academic credentials by Christians in order to gain some kind of phony credibility, which their words and reasoning alone cannot earn. So they resort to falsehoods. It's become something to be expected from professing Christians out on the numerous blogsites that discuss these kinds of issues. Real scientists don't respond by saying things like "let me believe what I want to believe and I'll let you believe what you want to believe. If you can't agree civilly with that then I can't help you."

Can you imagine if science actually proceeded on that naïve view, the kind of world we’d have? It would be far worse and more chaotic that it is now, that’s for sure.

I didn’t realize that MY freedom of thought and belief, and the capacity to openly express them, are rights allowed by YOU? - as in “I'll let you believe what you want to believe.” May I remind you that you, Sir, have nothing whatsoever to do with my freedom of speech. The record of history clearly shows that when your type takes over political/legal control of a people one of the first things to be destroyed is freedom to voice anything contrary to your absurd dogmas of blind faith.

No, I'm afraid I won't permit you here in such a public forum the "free pass" that you religionists have enjoyed for centuries. It's made you so mentally weak, because it's taught you that all you have to do is mention the phrase "I have faith" or "I believe" – and, like the conditioning of Pavlov’s dogs, you’ve come to magically expect all challenges to your archaic belief system to then suddenly be dropped. But it's the 21st century now, Anon, not the Dark Ages any more. Sure, in America you have the freedom to PROCLAIM your beliefs, but that's very different from being able to then follow up by persuasively DEFENDING them in public forums without resort to outright lies and deceptions, as you attempted last night by your foolish claim to be a PhD-level physicist.

Interesting, your perspective: apparently it's all about emotional BELIEF, rather than actual, objective, demonstrable TRUTH. I despise your kind because they have such a disdain for reality. And who says I need your "help"? You Christians just mindlessly assume such vain and silly presuppositions, by coming across as if you are the ones with all the answers, and the rest of us so desperately need what you have to offer. But in actual fact, you have nothing to offer the world, except your poorly reasoned "truth claims" which cannot stand up to rigorous examination. You've proved that here by your very incapacity to do so.

So go and believe the ungrounded tenants of your religion all you want. You have that right. Just realize that your mindless belief in them doesn’t make them true in any sense of the word.

Leonardo said...

Oh, and may I remind you, Anon, that YOU were the one who first introduced the discussion of God into the comments here? The rest of us were praising the various aspects of the video we liked, then YOU chimed in with "One doesn't need to read the Bible to see there has to be a wonderful God to explain all this."

So your above whining complaint that "...this is not the place to discuss whether God exists or not" seems a bit odd and incongruous, especially considering the plain fact that YOU were the one who started this particular strand of the conversation to begin with.

But, I best let you get back to your work as a PhD-trained physicist at a government research facility!!!

"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and ALL LIARS shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev. 21:8)

Anonymous said...

Leonardo, you think I'm a liar about my claim I have a PhD in Physics. As God is my witness I'm telling you the truth. Your diatribe therefore is of no value to me or anyone else who believes in the truth.

Leonardo said...

Yeah, right, Anon. Besides, your god's a liar, so claiming such a deity to witness to your bald-face falsehoods means nothing to the rest of us. Unless you can provide the specific university you got your "PhD" from, and the title of your dissertation - which after all, is only basic information to ask of you, nothing that wouldn't be on your CV that all you "scientists" have - then you are a superficial lying sack of crap as far as I'm concerned.

Leonardo said...

Yeah, right, Anon. Keep on blathering.

Anonymous said...

Leonardo, do you understand the meaning of "anonymous"? The reason I post anonymously is to protect my privacy. To prove I do have a PhD thesis I would have to expose my real name. Do you understand that, or do you just like to post nonsense for the sake of it?


Leonardo said...

I post here to get you to reveal the reality of your empty boast to being a well-educated scientist, which you have obviously done by means of the emptiness of your words. Really, I think you are the same guy who claimed the PhD from "a world class university" several years ago on Gavin's old Ambassador Watch site. You write just like that guy, and use the exact same excuses. But I do understand, for if I lied like you I wouldn't want others to know my real identity either. People like you are the scum of the earth, and terrible representatives of your religious beliefs.

Anonymous said...

Leonard, you can believe whatever you want to believe. I'm telling the truth and there is nothing you can do to make into a lie because I do have a PhD Thesis.

Anonymous said...

Anon, stop your protests. I've known many PhD's through the years, and you don't think nor communicate like one AT ALL. A very close friend of mine in the UCG has a PhD from Cal Tech in physics (microwave technologies). We talk together from time to time. So I know how actual physicists think and communicate. Rather, you come across very clearly as a relatively uneducated fundamentalist, with your anti-scientific rants and poorly expressed shallow thoughts, etc.

And besides, even if you ARE a real scientist, so what? If you can't defend your views any more seriously than you already have, then you truly are pathetic, and this is especially true if you actually are a scientist. Which I don't for a moment believe.

But my impression is neither here nor there. What matters is the quality and cogency of one's thoughts and words, not one's academic qualifications. I'm an experienced blogger, and can tell you fundamentalist Christians are CONSTANTLY trying to boast of their imaginary degrees and professions. The fact that they even stoop to doing this is strong evidence that they are blatantly lying. But then what caps it off and removes all doubt is their patent inarticulateness in conversation, as most of them write at about a 3rd grade level, like you do. If you were as educated as you claim to be, you'd be more than able to counter the things I say. But you can't, and you KNOW you can't, so you whine to the webmaster about my "anti-Christian" screeds.

So my final words to you here are: either put up, or shut up and withdraw from the field of verbal battle.