I like all of my Brothers and Sisters here on this post. They may not always believe me...but at least they are respectful of everyones opinions D

Peace Wakas!

I think that is were the inital problems came from. Back then, microbes
were unknown and handling meat was not an exact science. You can get pretty sick from infected undercooked meat. The microbes apparently like pork better too!

I have to tell you Idolfree! With all due respect to the porkers that have given their lives for some of us...porkchops, pork steak and ham is about the best tasting meat there is. I think even better than beef steak!

I've never had a rat or a maggot but I'll bet that they couldn't even come close!

Peace Too All

Any one else besides MZagree that pork actually is not forbidden? (that was even hard to type!!)

I think it is ridiculous to restrict pork as it is to eat beef,...or fish for that matter. It's irrelevant, and at the same time,...all the same.

If you feel guilt, You should to make it a matter of reverence to eat anything, as the American Indians did whenever they would kill for food. Thank the subject for it's life and show appreciation for it's sacrifice.

MazzyStar,
I agree with the focus on God alone. The rest is hyperbole. Wear what you want God doesn't care. He doesn't need for you to prostrate yourself to show your compassion. Just know that he love you!)

God is an Evolving God. Not a hate filled vengeful god as depicted in the old Testament.
He is a Benevolent, Loving, Father, Mother, God. A Creator, Perfector God. He can?t be any other way! His ways always work toward greater unity and synchronism .

We fail him. We punish ourselves... He doesn?t punish us. He only wishes our completeness through our learning and doing. He accepts our growth but ignores our shortcomings... until we learn and move forward. That?s why he doesn?t intervene. He knows that time is really irrelevant in our learning. But because of our own concepts of mortality time is not irrelevant to us. We must make the best, compassionate, use of our time. That is the way we move closer to God...Through our Compassion for others...and for Life!

Here's a link to a good video..

http//www.foxnews.com/video2/player.html?11205&DaySide&Vester%27s%20Choice&acc&U.S.%20%26%20World&0&wvx-300.

Hope it works! )

Peace Zlatan,
I beg to disagree Zlatan. I think sacrificing is reverting back to pagan ritual when men could not understand their position in relation to the universe and feared it...appealing to God by giving up something in hopes that he would hear their fears. A real God would not demand sacrifice in that manner. He would have no need of it. That is only man giving in to his fear of living. Life is something God gave us all to enjoy... Not to run cowering into the dark places of the mind, submissive, rolling over like some dog that doesn't understand his surroundings or the gift that has been presented to him.

God is not a God of fear! That is only for the clerics and religious fanatics to use with which to control others while pushing their personal beliefs and agendas.

God is a God of Love. He is not Insecure. He is Evolving Therefore he doesn't have a need to watch man waiting patiently with faith for his approval. I'm sure he wishes man would get on with the business of addressing the problems of the planet and spend less time on their knees asking for help. We should be using the brains that he gave us to do good for humanity and to care for the animals that have been put into our care. We need to put to rest all the religious dogma that has been perpetuated over the centuries (millennia ) by these men with agendas. This stuff is personally stagnating and largely responsible for mans lack of progress in important matters today. Worship God, personally, within your own minds and drop the collective subjugation.

God didn?t give us minds to disregard by longing for a time before we were. What a waste that is! He gave us these minds to explore and test. Forward, with adventure into the Universe that he has so generously provided for us. Onward and Upward! )

Idolfree! Peace and Happiness to You!

Thoughts are one thing ...and they may come to you as inspiration,...but if they happen to chose to appear as material beings (and there are many references in the Holy books written by man ) who is to say that they are not messengers of some sort? I would not say that.

My experience with God ...or Angels, that I would relate, would fall within your description but those that my Mother, Uncle, and other members of my family would relate could fall the other way. roll

Good Morning Someone!
I believe the Universe, physical and spiritual, as a whole, is a living Entity. God would have to be that Being. )

MythozD Here. Greetings Someone!

I think that is what I was saying. God is the Universe but the Universe has a sentient quality. That's why we exist as we do.

That is just one example...

However, I understand what you are saying, but take my definition of the universe. everything. that means everything including energy, substance, spiritual being... including god.

Consider that with the rest of the writing. You still will find, that god was something that came from nothing. No matter if you want to define or not define this god... what was before god?

Blaze

Maybe I am not understanding you but...You can't get "Something from Nothing" therefore God has always had to have existed...and I am refering to God as the Universe and all things both Spiritual and Material.

I believe God Is the Universe..but I believe the Universe is a Living Universe and a Sentient Universe and that matter has a sentience of it's own
through this connection with the Greater Sentience which is God! ?

Thanks for the translator Zenje!

Peace, Brothers and Sisters!

I agree with Andya. God is an evolving god himself. He created Evolution as a way for a species to grow toward higher intellect so that they may also eventually take part in what is the glory that is God.

It is man that thinks he is the Epitome of Intelligent Life in the Universe. Man has always been arrogant in that respect. I'm afraid he is in for a rude awakening one of these days.

Which argument makes the most sense?

I would have to agree with the disease senerio. We have come a long way in 2000 years. It's time to drop the old stigmas surrounding pigs and cook the pork until the trichinosis problem is no longer a concern.

Better yet, it would do man more spiritual good if man were to learn to use genetics to grow his meat... as opposed to the killing of animals to supplant his diet. We have done it in the lab. We are almost there.

actually we do know... we are given the knowledge.... the book of the God where the truth and who are it`s followers is clearly and detaily spelled out....

best wishes, Zlatan

Zlatan, Peace

I respectfully submit that the Holy Books were written by man.... "All of them.
The Bible...the Quran,...the Talmud." Smart men, but non-the-less "men". They say that they were inspired by God. Well, that is what they say... and that was a time ago. Currently, there are no witnesses!

You have to look for the hooks hidden in the messages that impart mans personal prejudices, as beliefs, into what they think God would want. All the judgmental and segregation stuff is just mans interpretation of morality. An Evolving God would not possess personal prejudices. Neither would he be so insecure that he would require constant worship and subjugation.

Abraham and Moses God was their interpretation of the one God... they called Jehovah. I'm not saying they are bad or wrong people,...just that their interpretations came into play when trying to realize this Being.

You have to ask these important questions, though, before drawing conclusions. Who was the God of Moses? This Jehovah?
Did he really demand sacrifice of Abraham. The act of sacrifice seems somewhat pagan and most likely mans idea ...not unlike the Aztecs sacrifices on blood alters.

That, it would be only with animals... is still in question? When a species such as man occupies a level of dominion, as man does over the animals, it give them an impression of self-importance, and because of it, they think they have the authority by divine birthright. They believe they can actually take a life in ceremony or ritual...and have it be alright... because God would have wanted them to do it! The sacrifice is for him...for the crops...for attonement ...etc,etc.etc???

The American Indians, on-the-other-hand believe that you should only take an animals life for sustenance and then you should thank the animal for it and tell the animal how much you appreciate it's life. They call God ...the Great Spirit.

Different perspectives on the one God or Spirit...Which one of these points of view is closer to the truth? Man should use the brain that God has given him and draw logical conclusions...keep the best of the great religions and discard the rest. And move on! This is the 21 Century. We have to step out of the Dark Ages with religion too.

Sidhartha said it best.

It is proper to doubt. Do not be led by holy scriptures, or by mere logic or inference, or by appearances, or by the authority of religious leaders. But when you realize that something is unwholesome an bad for you, give it up. And when you realize that something is wholesome and good for you, do it.

Peace be upon you mythdog,

The God does not ask for us to build buildings and keep certain people away, what is the LOGIC in that?

Idolfree,
I agree with you that there is no LOGIC to keeping select people out of a place of meditation unless they are causing deliberate disruption.
People should not judge other people based on their seperate beliefs in God. You never know who is closer to the Truth...or who might be an Angel unaware!

Zlatan Peace,
It's OK. You did well with your English. If I could only do equally as well with Arabic.
I do not fear God. I love God. There is no need to fear him. He is not a God of vengence but a God of Love. I don't accept a God that stands in judgment. All this is mans interpertation of God and it is usually done to instill fear and subjugation so that they are more easly influenced and controlled. God has no need to inject himself into mankinds trivialities. It is for us to work through. Us to figure out. That is our task and our mission. He knows, ultimatly, we will rise to the occasion and work through our misunderstandings and conflicts. D

There should be no criteria. Everyone should be welcome to a place of peace and reflection...as long as they are quiet. People build huge structures and theaters for no more than sports and entertainment.
A thing of beauty is always appreciated by God. I doubt that he would object if man should build a place to meditate or pray as long as it is open to all.