Steve
Member
EDIT: So you glanced at the links and decided that you didn't like what they say.
No I scanned them and saw a lot of data that had no analysis. The task of refuting your erroneous suppositions based on the links you posted - as an effort to substantiate your argument was simply not worth my while. Besides there was nothing there I was not essentially familiar with in any case and nothing that seemed to give your argument any strength or add to my counter argument..
For the record, I have been exploring religion and belief for decades. Humans are not so unidimensional as to be motivated by single factors such as religious belief. There are multiple and complex factors - and if you don't have a grasp of them Pew's data is meaningless at best and a tool for misrepresentation at worst. It is virtually impossible to arrive at a genuinely informed and balanced POV from inside a political camp - or inside a set of culturally conditioned presumptions...
The worst thing, the most dangerous thing, we can do is hand over to politicians intent on tapping the fear of a portion of an electorate the job of analysing the threat and devising a response to it..
The next worse thing is imagining an religion is inherently dangerous of itself. Not only is this a facile analysis of a deeply complex matter, it perpetuates antagonisms and deepens the sense of existential threat.
(Goodonya for changing from fuck to screw) but still, this is hate-speech, not political discussion. Your comments are full of aggressive condemnations, threats and abuse -this is spiritual fraudulence..with your fairy-painting rainbow palette avatar. You reveal your true self in these comments Eric. Try to not say them, it will be better for your spiritual progress :)
Since Bernie Sanders was 'taken out' of the running, Trump was described as the lesser of two evils, I agree with that.
But he has incited racist antagonism within America and has not arranged for the withdrawal of American troops currently in dominant positions around the world. I suppose we are so involved with discussing American politics because we are all held to ransom by its fear-mongering, economically-manipulative, worldwide terrorising behaviour. Trump has proved very ineffective in dispelling that. But then, that's not your concern is it?
Honestly, President Trump hasn't been given a decent run yet - first he had the phoney Russia probe, and at the same time he had the NeoCons, such as Senator McCabe attacking him because he wasn't a warmonger! When he announced plans to pull the troops out of Syria, there was one of those fake gas attacks (presumable the NeoCons had something to do with that), designed to pull him back into a Syrian war. I'd say he dodged that pretty well!Since Bernie Sanders was 'taken out' of the running, Trump was described as the lesser of two evils, I agree with that.
But he has incited racist antagonism within America and has not arranged for the withdrawal of American troops currently in dominant positions around the world. I suppose we are so involved with discussing American politics because we are all held to ransom by its fear-mongering, economically-manipulative, worldwide terrorising behaviour. Trump has proved very ineffective in dispelling that. But then, that's not your concern is it?
Honestly, President Trump hasn't been given a decent run yet - first he had the phoney Russia probe, and at the same time he had the NeoCons, such as Senator McCabe attacking him because he wasn't a warmonger! When he announced plans to pull the troops out of Syria, there was one of those fake gas attacks (presumable the NeoCons had something to do with that), designed to pull him back into a Syrian war. I'd say he dodged that pretty well!
As for shouting "Racist" at anyone, that is just absurdly vague. If they think Trump did something racist why can't they be specific? I would imagine that everyone is getting sick of hearing vague attacks - racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic,......... Anyone can shout them, because they don't have to follow through with any specific criticism.
David
Ok, it was a long shot, but it doesn't take much to scratch the racist itch. Many of us, including Trump supporters, have a knee-jerk tendency to look around for 'someone to blame'. It's currently 'brown-skinned people' because on top of american propaganda blaming the Muslims, he clumsily fed the masses with a simple 'wall' solution, leading to all the assumptions you can guess, that say Mexicans are 'to blame'. It leads to killings like the El Paso, on the Mexican border Walmart shooting.Look. It is the Left who are inciting racial tensions. What has Trump done in that direction? What? Sought border security and that somehow gets redefined as racism. By redefining something that every country on the planet does as "racist" the Left is stirring up racial tensions. Just as Obama did with his phony rhetoric about racist police killing unarmed blacks (12 per year according to FBI statistics - and most of those were attacking a police officer and trying to grab the officers' guns).
Every day and night the leftist media rants on and on about racism in America when most of us look around and don't see it (that includes Blacks, Hispanics, Asians - who are all doing much better under the Trump economy).
Making something up and then complaining about it isn't the fault of the target of your hallucination.
BTW, I find your claim to be more spiritually advanced than I am kind of sick. Who goes around measuring virtue and proclaiming oneself to be more virtuous?
You say I'm stressed, etc and then you go off on how stressed you are because of Trump and America. This would be hilarious stuff if it wasn't so twisted and so typical of a large borg that is politically active.
when the guy they wanted elected is a friend of the Soviet Union and Cuba.
Leftists are not to be trusted.
As for shouting "Racist" at anyone, that is just absurdly vague. If they think Trump did something racist why can't they be specific? I would imagine that everyone is getting sick of hearing vague attacks - racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic,......... Anyone can shout them, because they don't have to follow through with any specific criticism.
This is a lovely piece TESThere are those who demonstrate spiritual principles, but rarely are cognizant of it, nor do they highlight it as such.
There are those who struggle earnestly in suffering to make this journey manifest in their own lives.
From each of these, we may learn.
But the character from whom one cannot learn is the spiritually enlightened and the one who points out the transgression.
Those who fail to understand that spirituality is not an instructed qualification, virtue identity, office nor acquisition.
If spirituality were so easy and could be a state of adornment as such, there would be no need to be here at all.
You are here precisely because you cannot make a claim to spirituality.
This is why the higher spirits refuse to instruct us as to what to do.
And lower spirits are full of advice, accusation and admonition.
You're being ironic, right?
Oh well oh well I feel so good todayWe just touched ground on an international runwayJet-propelled back home from overseas to the USANew York, Los AngelesOh how I yearn for youDetroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton RougeGod I long to be at my home back in old St LouDid I miss the skyscrapersDid I miss the long freewayFrom the coast of CaliforniaTo the shores of the Delaware BayYou can bet your life I didTill I got back to the USALooking hard for a drive-inSearching for a corner cafeWhere hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and dayYeah, and the jukebox jumping with records back in the USAI'm so glad I'm living in the USAYes I'm so glad I'm living in the USAAnything you want we got it right here in the USAAh we're so glad we're living in the USAYes we're so glad we're living in the USAAnything you want we got it right here in the USAAh we're so gladWe're so gladAh we're so gladWe're so glad
This is a lovely piece TES
But I disagree that spiritual practice is not necessary, as this seems to imply, or that we cannot help each other with sympathy and sometimes admonition, towards us all becoming a better lower spirit. How we treat each other is an expression of our inner state and progress and I only claim to have a very slight edge, it's taken me all of my 58 years too.