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August 29th, 2012
11:09 AM ET
My Faith: My Sikh prayer for the Republican National Convention
By Ishwar Singh, Special to CNN I am honored to be the first Sikh American in U.S. history to deliver the invocation at a national convention. On Wednesday, I will offer a prayer at the Republican National Convention from my Sikh faith. The prayer calls upon the American public to join with us in recognition that we are one family. As an immigrant, a small-business owner and a father, I am humbled by the opportunity to address the nation. When I came to this country over 40 years ago, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the honor of offering a prayer for the nation. My story is possible only in America. My prayer will be an opportunity to share the spirit of the Sikh faith with the American people. The tenets of Sikhism - humility, equality, and justice - lie at the heart of the American ethic. For more than 100 years, Sikhs have lived, worked, and worshipped in America as farmers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists and more. We see ourselves as part of one America. On Wednesday, I’ll be honored to stand as a proud Sikh with my turban and beard as a fellow American. Opinion: Is Sikh-led prayer at RNC a hollow gesture? Unfortunately, the recent mass shooting of Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and attacks on mosques across the nation call us to recommit to a vision of unity. These acts are just the most recent in a history of violence against our community. In the aftermath of the Iran hostage crisis, the first Gulf War, the Oklahoma City bombing, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, subsequent wars, and the controversy over the so-called “ground zero mosque,” Sikhs have been on the receiving end of hate. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter I hope that my presence Wednesday on the national stage will play a small part in helping Sikhs - and people of all races, faiths and orientations - be seen as part of the great American family. We Sikhs draw strength from the nonpartisan support we have received in response to the terrible tragedy in Oak Creek. On the Republican side, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Rep. Paul Ryan, and now the Republican National Committee have extended a hand of friendship. On the Democrats’ side, President Obama ordered flags flown at half-staff and Attorney General Eric Holder and first lady Michelle Obama have visited Oak Creek to mourn with us and express their support. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories After Wednesday, I hope that we will see more engagement and inclusion. I hope our elected officials will stand against hateful speech this election season. I hope that the government tracks hate crimes specifically against Sikhs and that Sikhs will be considered eligible to serve this country, as we have served so many others, in the police and armed forces. I hope that our children and grandchildren will be permitted to be full and equal members of this great American family. As our first teacher, Guru Nanak, and the founders of our faith taught us: I see no stranger. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ishwar Singh.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's note: Ishwar Singh is the president of the 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUVXEmJRGns
How does it feel to be a "token" person of color and other/religion to prove the GOP is tolerant?
'he doesn't care about hell'
You have no idea what you are talking about... I invite you to the pure monothiestic religion... now i believe you are intelecual enough to figure it out... I could just say or show you the way and the choice is your...
The definition of Monothiestic – the one who believes that there is one God who owns everything between up and down this earth and at the same time he submits himself to the sameone instead to any creation like a human, animals, objects and anything in this face of earth... now you may hear that the Hinduism, Christianity even Shikhism and others claims to be monothiestic but in reality they are not... I find the definition of pure Monothiestic is minunderstood to the majority of the human of this earth...
I pray for you and for the entire humanity...
Peace to all!!!
They even have SIKH Uncle Toms to join the group. Some folks will do anything for a buck or a TV viewing.
"I hope that the government tracks hate crimes specifically against Sikhs and that Sikhs will be considered eligible to serve this country as we have served so many others, in the police and armed forces."
What is this guy talking about? American Sikhs are eligible to serve this country or pursue any other profession. Maybe he is talking about turbaned Sikhs.
Human like this will always be there and they were from the first generation of human race and they here and they will always be there.... which is way some one can be isolated as a good one otherwise no way one can identify the good one...
Peace
Wow! On one side we have GOPers making racists comment about a black camerawoman and other side, a turbaned Sikh man gives speech in the convention. I don't what to make out of the GOP.
The tenets of Sikhism – humility, equality, and justice – DO NOT lie at the heart of REPUBICONs 🙂
Won't find it in the hearts of the Dems either.
I wonder if this dumb Sikh realizes that 99% of the people he will be speaking to think he is going to burn in hell for all eternity, and is less of an American than they are.
what matter is that millions of people who watch TV will know that a sikh with turben is not = to what they see a turben guy for last 12 years on TV after 9/11 . Muslim turben and Hindu Turben did not make it to USA. only sikh Turben make it ot america. 99.9 % people with turben are sik in america. The way our gurues and sikh community save India and Hindu religion
from mogul empire , India knows Singh is King. the way we served Britsh in world wars , Britsh knows Singh is King. now we have to prove America by doing any sacrifice it need , that singh isn King.
Everyone get his/her 15 minutes of fame before the crowd throw him/her in hell 🙂
He is not dumb. He clarified he does not represent any political party. Also...he doesn't care about hell !! He was their to educated. Even if no one listened...he had to do this.
SIKHISM IS AGNOSTIC and does not claim to be an exclusive religion and that if everyone is humble, works hard, protects the weak and SERVES humanity....then they can make it regardless of membership in all these religions, castes and CULTS.
J. Singh – 'he doesn't care about hell'
You have no idea what you are talking about... I invite you to the pure monothiestic religion... now i believe you are intelecual enough to figure it out... I could just say or show you the way and the choice is your...
The definition of Monothiestic – the one who believes that there is one God who owns everything between up and down this earth and at the same time he submits himself to the sameone instead to any creation like a human, animals, objects and anything in this face of earth... now you may hear that the Hinduism, Christianity even Shikhism and others claims to be monothiestic but in reality they are not... I find the definition of pure Monothiestic is minunderstood to the majority of the human of this earth...
I pray for you and for the entire humanity...
Peace to all!!!
School has begun, and now more than ever, we have to thing about young, impressionable minds. Time to make sure we are building strong minds.
It's really best for all people including children to have an agnostic approach to god, and an atheistic approach to all religion. It keeps things simple for kids, and let's them be all that they can be. They just need to be taught that some things, like all religion, are just made up by salesmen and politicians from long ago; and that other things, like god, we really don't know a damn thing about.
Atheists have strong minds, and don't run and hide their misdeeds within their religion (and by doing so, disserving society).
So instead of praying to make-believe people, get a good cup of tea and go on and sit down and collect your damn thoughts. My goodness.
mama kindless
mama has to correct her typos. on the first line, it should be think, not thing
So many are misinformed.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
i saw the page referenced above. pretty scary, dangerous, foundationless garbage.
Thats cause mamma is a lying piece of sh it
It's not God that kills its not guns that kill it's the lack of belief tumbeled with the lack of respect of athority.
People that dont beleive in a higher athority simply hate being told what to do seeking their own desires and pleasures.
Why do the right wing hate the left because the left is assurting athority over them with new laws that restrict there freedom to
Regulate them selfs.!!!!!!
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
==[+]==
Atheists expect people to be held accountable for their actions. Christians hold nobody accountable and forgive all transgressions. I guess that's why the crime rate among christians is exponentially higher than atheists.
Jerry Sandusky will be in heaven some day. Love the sinner, hate the sin.
>>>"Christians hold nobody accountable"
Sounds more like a Atheist emotion based reasoning. Christians love holding everyone accountable for their actions. You have Atheist and others such as Gays and Lesbians saying this all the time. Do we even want to go into the abortion subject.
This guy doesnt even know WHO hes praying to! Let alone wether that individual is even listening!
No one really knows who or what they are praying too. Some people think they do. But law of attraction indicates that what you focus on can happen. I guess that's a simplified way to understand prayer?
BTW, SIkhism is a very practical faith...example here:
Guru Granth Sahib – "...even if you were known throughout the nine continents and followed by all, with a good name and reputation, with praise and fame throughout the world-still, if the Lord does not bless you with His Glance of Grace, then who cares?"
I know, I know...your gonna say, but there aren't nine continents. Well the geography was very different 4 centuries ago. The USA or Canada didn't even exist etc..etc. Read the heart of the statement.
Well, it's good to see that the comments section isn't filled with anti sikh retoric, but rather has devolved into an atheism-religion debate. I believe this same thing would have happened if it had been a christian who had delivered prayers at the RNC. Does this mean that we are growing as a nation? I think it does. I think it does.
Sikhs, while having some good qualities, remain as delusional and schizophrenic as Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all the other batsht religions out there.
Their sociopathic tendencies do not disappear in a puff of magic. When they do violence in the name of their religion, they prove themselves to be as worthless as a slug trail in the dirt.
There. You sounded like you needed me to write that for you. When you wake up, you will find your unrealistic ideas are worthless.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
..++..
atheism is not a religion
It is becoming a Religion and do so very fast.
@Mark
What a moronic statement.
Why, because it is true and Atheist whine and cry everyt ime they are forced to wear that label.
Hawaii, we even see the Rev Terry Jones factions in Atheism. If your side does not like being called a Religion then maybe you can fill out the same objection forms that the Catholics filled out when anti–Catholics called them "all" child molesters.
@Mark
And what are the rituals, doctrines, and underlying belief system of the "atheist religion"?
@Mark
Also, where do we get these supposed unifying doctrines, and rituals and what not?
Rituals. Since there are folks who consider themselves Christians and have never been baptisted or take Communion or other rituals, I would have to respect them if they felt that rituals are not required. Just a Belief in God and Jesus.
Doctrines. We could go with the weak and strong Atheism statements made in the past here. Dictionary.com, states that having a doctrine is not exclusive to Faith and Religion. It is something that is a belief or principle that is “advocated”. Since we know from the Billboard articles and general Atheist post, that Atheist share in a disbelief of a God or Gods.
Underlying Belief Systems. There are different factions within Atheism, just like in the Faiths. We have seen Atheist take each other to task on issues, so Atheism is not “lockstep” just as they believe that the faithful are “lockstep”, but just like even a Jew and a Muslim can “boil down” their general stance that they both believe that there is a God, the different factions of Atheism boils down to a non-belief in the existence of God.
Hmm... Where do you get these beliefs. Atheism or doubt has been with us since the beginning. Even to a point that Jesus disciples refused to believe when the women came to them and told them that Jesus had risen from the grave. So, the Atheist doctrine of non-belief came from the persons who were told of the miracles and did not believe them to be true. You could also argue that non-belief also exist within the Faiths of other Faiths. When a Atheist doubts that he or she does not believe a incident of a Faith then they also share the same soap box with other Faiths. Almost to a point that they echo.
@Mark
What you said boiled down to, "Non-belief = religion". Do you not see how absurd this is, or are you intentionally trying to be ridiculous?
HawaiiGuest. It is interesting that your response is down to simple name calling. I want to ask are you intentionally trying to start a flame war? If you feel the reasoning is against your view of Atheism then, like I said, you can fill out the same paper work that the Catholics and everyone on this planet has had to in their lives. You gave me three areas and I took them and your argument down.
That Atheism meets so many of the points that Religion does, especially with a radical “I hate everyone that is not Atheist” factions. They just are mirrors of our 700 club groups with their vocal intolerance. It is a belief that there is not a God and since Atheist have had no luck disproving God or Gods existence, that is all they have is a hope and belief of their views.
I'll be back later. Peace.
@Mark
Really? Wow where to start.
1) I pointed out that everyne of your responses dealth with non-belief equaling religion. I also notice that you didn't deny that's what it came down to. It is indeed an absurd proposition.
2) You took down nothing, merely conflated non-belief with religion three times.
3) Atheism is not necessarily the belief that there is no god. I find this hilarious, especially since you said earlier in that post that the non-belief of athesm is the reason it's a religion.
4) It's not our job to disprove god, that's a shifting of the burden of proof.
Talk about complete dishonesty.
HawaiiGuest.
1. Your pointing out, you feel equates to just saying that my view and a growing view of Atheism is a religion is “absurd”. That is the best you can come up with and then attempt to stand on a flame response as a reasoned counter argument? You are grabbing at straws and drowning fast. 🙂
2. Sorry, but that was taking down your reasoning in quick manner. Do not blame me that your arguments are weak. All I had to do was give you a outside source for defining your points, such as the failed doctrine point, and the best you could respond with is … what, nadda.
3. Wow … finally a counter point. Good grief, took yah long enough. 🙂 Ok, I know you find it hilarious but trust me, a life of dis-belief is hilarious to me as well but, folks believe different and I can respect your view. To myself, since you can not offer me proof that there is not a God, it is just a personally held Belief that you hold that there is not. This is why, along with the factions and the same level of vitriol and shared view, Atheism is becoming quickly a Faith and/or Religion.
4. Who told you that it was not your job? You see, this another one of those examples that point to Atheism as a Religion, many among you are evangelist of your Atheist views. This is not a bad thing but if you search Dictionary.com you will see under “evangelical”, the 5th definition is:
“marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause. “
In the few years here I have seen a small few Atheist that have even advocated for the burning down of Houses of Faith and even Death for Christians. Think about, we are talking destruction of property and taking lives, just because someone holds a different view. With this active, at varying levels, of active promotion of Atheism, the burden falls on such Atheist to disprove God to us. Since it is now the Atheist making that claim. I know it takes the steam out of you but the moment you come to tell any of us that there is not a God then you have shifted the burden to your and your augment to prove your claim.
Ok... going back to playing Halo. I am determined not to repeat the past few days/time offs sitting on the Belief Blog answering and posting.
So, be back Later.
@ There are...
You don't have to be rude. This is why Sikhs typically do not attack people for religious purposes. Very few incidents in history compared to any other faith or country or ideology (there are some I admit). In most cases the wars have been strictly self defense.
Sikhism is AGNOSTIC, so relax.
Your comment is kind of funny though...since the person you replied to attracted your response with here comment (law of attraction applies).
guess these guys didn't get the message - republicans hate you.
He got paid, though, so he didn't care. Now he's trying to explain.
First it was that Republicans hated Gays ... Then a group of Gay Republicans over turned Don't Ask Don't Tell. Then it was that they hated Afrcian Americans, then ones such as Condelessa Rice and Colin Powell step forward.
Even the Gay and Lesbians are starting to get sick of the Dems. Try this, since Oba flip flopped on Gay Marriage.. what has he done to help advance it. Has he been to any Pride events? For African Americans, we had two big African American focused events this year and Obama did not show up for a single one.
Face it, the Dems do not care about minorities advancing. As ones move out of the stagnation that the Dems present them they start to see who is really holding them back.
Just again ask yourself. Since saying that he was now for Gay marriage ... what has Oba done. Or better, why did he wait until the weeks after Rom cleared the Primary to make that choice? Where was he for the LGBT community, the African American community for 3.5 years?
Keep a person dependent on you and he or she will vote for you to be their oppressor over and over.
This gave me the chortles. 😀
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OgAXbyzP5g
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
*+*
A is for the awful things they say here
T is for the torment that they spread
H is for the horrors that they swear by
E is for the easy lies they've said
I is for the innocence they've murdered
S is for the stupid lives they've led
T is for the thousands that they've hurt here
... with tortured murders no one did deserve
put them all together they spell atheist
the ones who made this world run red.
Yay it's either another sock puppet or a new troll. Either way, useless person with nothing better to do other than troll.
A very accurate depiction of an atheist. A little low on the murder rate but then there is poetic licence.
A is for adult
T tired of religion
H human progression
E elevated awareness
I is for the innocence religion has brainwashed
S sane
T typical christian nonsense
I'm sorry onehippypoet, but your assertions about atheism are incorrect. Since each one is incorrect, I may be able to help if you will itemize the reasons that led you to this misinformed understanding.
Also, onehippypoet, utilizing my recently updated pattern-matching modules, I've been able to determine that you have posted this same set of incorrect assertions on another topic using the alias "C H R I S T I A N". Shall I call you "C H R I S T I A N"?
Stalin trained to be a priest and Hitler was a catholic! They must have read the bible literally and wanted to be like god who in the bible was responsible for over 2 million deaths! Go count it chapter by verse in all the 66 books. The two million excludes the first born of the Egyptians and those he drowned in the flood – also leaving out the animals! Some bloody god!!
95 % of the prison population in the US says they are Christian.
@poliglot
And most of the so called atheists here have some sort of church in the background, that is why prison numbers are skewed. When an atheist hits prison it simply reverts to another time in its life and lies it is religious because the religious are more likely to be granted parole. Both hitler and stalin were atheists and please to not use the words of a liar to justify your position the truth of history speaks for itself.
President George H W Bush has said an atheist is not a patriot and should not be considered a citizen of the USA. We are one nation under God. God bless
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
+
+
Not only swiping "hippypoet's" name, but name-calling and lying. Belief in god has done you a lot of good, I'm sure. We can all see the love vibes emanating from you. I bet it took you an hour to write that; get a life.
"President George H W Bush has said an atheist is not a patriot" Even I don't care what old grampaw Bush said back in the 20th century to get votes. Yawn, snore.
@Bible clown
That is not hippypoets name, there is no name calling just statements of fact and other than the fact that it has been hundreds of thousands murdered there is nothing but absolute Truth. What is your problem? God bless
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
..+..++++
@ one hippydou.chepoet. Name one war caused by atheist. Name any era in which atheists tortured people. Xtians had the Crusades and the Inquistions. How are our lives stupid? Pot, meet kettle. You are the one that believes in a sky-fairy, a man who lived in the belly of a whale, and a big boat with all the animals in the world, by two, on board. Your delusions prove you to be a fool.
war caused by atheists like Vietnam, ho chi minh atheist or Korea, kim il sung atheist or WW 2, adolf hitler atheist
Joe Stalin atheist master of torture as well as chairman Mao atheist torturers and murderers.
Sikhism is AGNOSTIC.
Prayer changes things .
Hi Prayer-bot.
Actually as it turns out – that is not true.
It's really best for all people including children to have an agnostic approach to god, and an atheistic approach to all religion. It keeps things simple for kids, and let's them be all that they can be. They just need to be taught that some things, like all religion, are just made up by salesmen and politicians from long ago; and that other things, like god, we really don't know a damn thing about.
Atheists have strong minds, so you don't see them running and hiding their misdeeds within some religion (and by doing so, disserving society).
So instead of praying to make-believe people, get a good cup of tea and go on and sit down and collect your damn thoughts. My goodness.
mama kindless
@agnostic
nope
@Agnostic Atheism is Healthy for Kids and Grown-Ups Too!
Jesus told you he would give you reprobate minds. You have snakes in your belly. I use my ironing board as a buffet table. You athiests walk in the light of the the lies of satan, your father, who is the devil.
Amen.
@agnostic
yup
"esus told you he would give you reprobate minds. "
Have you spoken to jesus and has he spoken back, or are you referring to the words men wrote in the bible?
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
This is a much better piece than that by Valarie Kaur which was self-serving and a political hit piece against the Republican party: A party which extended its hand in unity and caring to their fellow Americans, the Sikhs.
If I were Mr. Singh I would tell the RNC to go f themselves. It was one of their lunatics that shot up the place.
white supremacist organizations like the KKK were founded by Democrats. Nazis were socialists. It stands to reason that the killer was a supporter of totalitarian ideologies such as those espoused by leftists like Hitler, Mussolini, or Stalin...
You're out of your mind if you think right-wing Christians will embrace you as you are. Why do you think Nikki Haley and Bobbi Jindal converted to Christianity before running on the republican ticket.
If you are an actual Sikh, I am actually George W. Bush.
"KKK were founded by Democrats. Nazis were socialists." You are barking mad. Nazis CALLED themselves socialists. There were no 'Democrats' when KKK was founded by Confederate losers. Nothing you say makes any sense.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
..+..+**
Free Will and Future are inherent to all the thinking beings in the Universe. This being the case, it is not possible to alter life with prayers. Statistically, your request might come true but it is simply the result of the variability/randomness of Nature..
So put down your rosaries and prayer beads and stop worshiping/revering cows or bowing to Mecca five times a day or saying your ntnem banis . Instead work hard at your job, take care of aging parents, volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate to charities and the poor and continue to follow the proper rules of your religion or any good rules of living as gracious and good human beings.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
Humans and Light Bulbs are different. Light bulbs do not have a conscience. A light bulb doesn't walk around helping other light bulbs.
I get your point overall.
However, light bulbs don't steal, murder, get arrogant, humble etc...
Our ACTIONS are what cause us grief and despair. Sikhism is agnostic and is more of a PHILOSOPHY than a religion. We do not need to be compare to other religions in anyway. I do believe there is a soul...not sure of its composition though. ALL THIS LOVE, ANGER and PAIN can't simply be chemical...free will can't just be chemical either.
SGGS Page 4 line 13
"Virtue and vice do not come by mere words; actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul."
John Hick, a noted British philosopher of religion, estimates that 95 percent of the people of the world owe their religious affiliation to an accident (the randomness) of birth. The faith of the vast majority of believers depends upon where they were born and when. Those born in Saudi Arabia will almost certainly be Moslems, and those born and raised in India will for the most part be Hindus. Nevertheless, the religion of millions of people can sometimes change abruptly in the face of major political and social upheavals. In the middle of the sixth century ce, virtually all the people of the Near East and Northern Africa, including Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt were Christian. By the end of the following century, the people in these lands were largely Moslem, as a result of the militant spread of Islam.
The Situation Today
Barring military conquest, conversion to a faith other than that of one’s birth is rare. Some Jews, Moslems, and Hindus do convert to Christianity, but not often. Similarly, it is not common for Christians to become Moslems or Jews. Most people are satisfied that their own faith is the true one or at least good enough to satisfy their religious and emotional needs. Had St. Augustine or St. Thomas Aquinas been born in Mecca at the start of the present century, the chances are that they would not have been Christians but loyal followers of the prophet Mohammed. “ J. Somerville
It is very disturbing that religious narrow- mindedness, intolerance, violence and hatred continues unabated due to randomness of birth. Maybe, just maybe if this fact would be published on the first page of every newspaper every day, that we would finally realize the significant stupidity of all.
(Sikhism is not excluded from narrow-mindedness and intolerance as noted by their history.)
Even though I despise Christianity and it's mythological founder with a passion, the Sikh religion is way more preferable.
Be fair; most of our Western philosophy is based on the Christ-driven notion that an individual matters. Christianity was the first faith to be personal and say that god wants to preserve not just your tribe but you, the individual. Helping others and working together for the common good is, or was, a Christian ideal. It's flawed and harsh and way too addicted to burning at the stake, but it's the glue that holds the plywood of humanity together. You might as well hate trees, dude, it ain't going anywhere. I want them to FIX it and stop lying all the time and burning crosses on our lawns and comparing us to Stalin when they know it's a dirty lie. What I hate is phony "christians" like the ones at the RNC, laying their plans to pretend not to notice the man in the ditch and hoping some good Samaritan who doesn't follow their god will save him. "Despising" stuff makes you worthy of despite, as a smart guy once said.
.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Hey Bible Clown, fu*k your christ-driven nation and ram a bible up your ass.
"Notion," dude, focus yer tiny brain. No previous religion ever dared to say that an individual mattered. If there's a grain of truth, they killed Yeshua bin Yusuf for saying it. That idea of individual worth, even of a peasant or woman, is what dragged us out of the swamp of ignorance, not any shred of truth. I'm no Christian, but I live in the real world. And really, hating people is what THEY do. They can't take disagreement, so they get mad. Don't be doing the same thing, ok?
Oh, and I do agree about Sikhs, although it seems onerous to have to grow your hair down to the ground and wrap it in a turban. What if you go bald?
I am saddened by all those who cling to religion and continue to endorse it as reality and insist that it somehow should govern morality and law-making. One can lay out all the evidence and build (and have built) an airtight case against every single religion on Earth past and present, but still believers will not budge from their point of view, even when presented with the lies and contradictions in the very scriptures they base their beliefs on.
Understand, I am not talking about a belief in God. I do understand that. I am talking about religion. Every one of which has been empirically proven false but yet clings like moss to ancient rocks.
I believe the single most important factor in this inability to see through the foolishness of religion is fear. Children’s stories of heaven and hell. The initial indoctrination for many, simply cannot be undone.
Secondly, there is a feeling of community that comes with any “club” Naturally this is not relegated to religion so it does not qualify as an excuse.
Lastly some minds are unable to think creatively enough to imagine the more plausible alternatives. What are those alternatives? Well we have to turn to science, but also we have to accept what we don’t know and keep looking. And in truth, we don’t really know anything about how the universe came to be, what came before and where it is going. If there are multiple universes and time lines through which we move, these would be marvelous discoveries. There is a wonderful article in Scientific American this month regarding a new spin on the Quantum theory. That being the quantum universe could have foamlike fluctuations that rule spacetime, not unlike the 0’s and 1’s that are the foundation of computing and storing information.
If we wish to believe in the supernatural, we have to make things up. Hence religion. It doesn’t mean there is no god, or gods, or aliens, but it does mean that we don’t have the answers and most likely never will.
Now we arrive back at fear. What will happen to me when I die? For me, I look forward to an eternity of nothing. Others fear this prospect and prefer to believe in fairies and fantasies and are not even ashamed that their mental description of an after life is akin to that of a 5-year-old’s picture book.
I believe the Universe and the “everything” are FAR more bizarre than we could ever imagine with the faculties we have thus far obtained via evolution on this planet. And I wonder how many millions of civilizations across the vastness of space and time have pondered likewise.
Finally, the entire planet is affected by the irrational belief systems of the various mainstream religions. It affects the global economy, it affects world peace, it affects our secular life style in the United States. These ancient belief systems are based on superst.ition and mythology. One would think humans would have moved forward by now but instead we as a species behave in the same self-destructive manner now as we did thousands of years ago with more at stake then at any other time in history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXImzT2XtBM
Stupid Squirrels.
Stupid video as usual on the useless emotional plea for god.
Funny too.. quoting that a vast number of people believe so why can it be wrong? LOL
Ah, sorry kids. It explains why it's so hard for stupid believers to give it up.
AO, that looks to be a thoughtful post there. Very nice.
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http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
"What will happen to me when I die? For me, I look forward to an eternity of nothing." I assume that as the acetylcholine fades from my dying body, increasing resistance will stop the nerve impulses from traveling through my body, and I will flicker and turn off like a light bulb. Unless light bulbs also go to heaven, which would be a really weird-looking heaven, that will be the end of my brain's electrical activity in this or any other dimension. I look forward to being resurrected in a million years when humanity reaches the Omega Point of controlling all power and information; that's going to be fun.
The misinformed teaching the misinformed.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
@ Bible Clown.
Humans and Light Bulbs are different. Light bulbs do not have a conscience. A light bulb doesn't walk around helping other light bulbs.
I get your point overall.
However, light bulbs don't steal, murder, get arrogant, humble etc...
Our ACTIONS are what cause us grief and despair. Sikhism is agnostic and is more of a PHILOSOPHY than a religion. We do not need to be compare to other religions in anyway. I do believe there is a soul...not sure of its composition though. ALL THIS LOVE, ANGER and PAIN can't simply be chemical...free will can't just be chemical either.
SGGS Page 4 line 13
"Virtue and vice do not come by mere words; actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul."
Well said.