| Jul 26 @ 11:20 PM |
Why is the world a better a better place...
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uab_5
Posts: 2,371
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...because you believe the way you do?
I see a lot of biodegradable brown matter shoved in peoples faces from the ultra-pious, and our athesist friends here.
What I want to know is, how does the world benefit from your beliefs?
What tangible things have your beliefs lead you to do to make the world better than when you got here?
For me, I strongly believe in humble servitude, so I participate or lead multiple ministries around my church which I have time for since I don't have a job.
I've lead efforts to build a PC lab for a needy mission.
I've lead efforts to paint two needy folk's homes.
I regulatly feed the homeless.
I was a missionary to Costa Rica and engagd in ultiple charitable activities.
I've chaparoned my church's children and youth.
I've mentored a troubled youth at church.
Etc. in the last 2.5 year.
I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I want to know, espcially from the thumpers, why their rigid beliefs make them so much more superior to my beliefs. 
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| Jul 27 @ 6:58 AM |
Why is the world a better a better place... |
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Thor1960303
Posts: 1,887
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how does the world benefit from your beliefs?
Historically, the world has always benefited when science and reason replaced magical thinking and unquestioned faith in religious dogma. The Renassiance hapeened when enlightened people began questioning the dogma that had total control of all branches of government. Contrary to what the religious right would have you believe, many of the founding fathers of the USA were Freethinkers, Deists, Atheists and Humanists and separation of church and state has led to religious freedom, tolerance and helped create a haven for people of unpopular religious and cultural backgrounds, such as Jews who have had to flee from their home countries to avoid religious persecution.
What tangible things have your beliefs lead you to do to make the world better than when you got here?
I've been instrumental in blowing the whistle on corruption in a few "higher" places when most would've just turned a blind eye for the sake of comfort and status quo.
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| Jul 27 @ 11:40 AM |
Why is the world a better a better place...
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Loreli
Posts: 20,319
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I get involved in children's medical and educational struggles
I keep an open mind toward those that do not believe as I do.
But mostly, I'm in a learning stage, and not giving of myself as much as I'd like. My daughter has become a real handful. I guess here with her is where I'm meant to be for now.
(nice thread, uab! 
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| Jul 27 @ 12:22 PM |
Why is the world a better a better place... |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,154
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The Renassiance hapeened when enlightened people began questioning the dogma that had total control of all branches of government.
The Renaissance occurred when Christians believed that they could know and understand the laws of nature that God created. That was/is the foundation of science as we know it today.
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| Jul 27 @ 12:34 PM |
Why is the world a better a better place...
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hammertime
Posts: 14,071
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Now there goes stupidity. No clue whatsoever of the Renaissance.
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| Jul 27 @ 2:03 PM |
Why is the world a better a better place... |
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SensualGemini
Posts: 3,539
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Thor: The Renassiance hapeened when enlightened people began questioning the dogma that had total control of all branches of government.
...Sort of... but add political in front of dogma, as political dogma defined as for what it was and is; a philosophy in application.
...Personally, I see no benefit in the Renaissance as a defining moment in history, but rather a nostalgic remembrance, a rebirth of the Classical era, made popular by advances such as the printing press.
...Like any other period of history, it was man's continual learning from a variety of resources, the assimilation of world trade, although said learning was limited to the "snobs" of the era to further define the classes of people.
...The "peons" then had access to the bible, made available by the printing press, which did allow them to decipher preached word from actual biblical fact, but few were able to share in the philosophy or control of government, study classical Latin and Greek, etc.
Thor: Contrary to what the religious right would have you believe, many of the founding fathers of the USA were Freethinkers, Deists, Atheists and Humanists and separation of church and state has led to religious freedom, tolerance and helped create a haven for people of unpopular religious and cultural backgrounds, such as Jews who have had to flee from their home countries to avoid religious persecution.
...That is interesting; who were the Atheists in our founding fathers?
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OP: ...because you believe the way you do?
...Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. You help who you can, without concern of payback, or even a thanks. Family is the most important responsibility there is and of course, to protect those that are weak from the world.
...Selfless is a virtue, where selfish is a parasite that feeds on others for tangible, ego, or otherwise worthless accumulations.
...And the most important character, is to give whatever as privately as possible, in secret and no need for the world to know, as the only one that will judge you, already knows.
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| Jul 27 @ 5:33 PM |
Why is the world a better a better place...
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Thor1960303
Posts: 1,887
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..That is interesting; who were the Atheists in our founding fathers?
Maybe I should've said atheistic or less than theistic as looking them up, the only awowed atheist I find is Thomas Payne, though it's often argued as to whether or not he could really be called a founding father.
My point being is, the early formation of the American government was based on a secular premise, not a religious one.
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| Jul 29 @ 11:20 AM |
Why is the world a better a better place... |
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yashaenka
Posts: 4,639
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Why is the world a better place than it used to be? Study the history of civilizations and human rights with particular attention to those in times past who had none, Women and Slaves.
Add to that the opening of freedoms (still occurring) in nations world wide where people actually have Free Choice and Free Will, something they never had before.
People celebrate the times of Christ but women and slaves had none in his time.The original concept of marriage was a legal document to show ones ownership of a female, she had no choice, none at all.
In olden times only those of royal blood actually could have a marriage ceremony and actually marry. The rest did not live in common law women were a mans property, just like his slaves were.
It was not until the last few centuries that rulers allowed the masses an education and the ability to read and write. Before that time it was thought dangerous for the masses to become educated.
So in our times the world is a better place simply because most nations offer some level of free choice and free will. Not to mention the advances in science and medicine to dispel the myths back to ancient times.
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| Jul 29 @ 11:36 AM |
Why is the world a better a better place...
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 15,360
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People celebrate the times of Christ but women and slaves had none in his time.The original concept of marriage was a legal document to show ones ownership of a female, she had no choice, none at all.
Yash, true enough in the Biblical areas, but in Egypt, women had the right to choose their own husbands, divorce them if they so chose, own property in their own right and even rule the country. That was until their 'enlightenment' by people of the book, Christian and Muslim. Egypt did have slaves, as did Jews, and as was approved in the bible.
As for what I believe - I believe we're all interconnected through our joint participation in all that there is. I believe that we create our own reality; what we give is usually what we get. If what we get isn't what we need, something needs to be changed, by me, as that's the only thing I can control. If someone is bringing negativity into my life that I really don't want there, I need to get them out of my life.
What have I done to make the world a better place? I don't know really, because I have no way of knowing the downstream effects of anything I've done. I've fostered a bunch of kids, and the ones I'm still in touch with are doing a lot better than they were when I took them in (more credit to them than to me, but I hope I helped foster the belief in themselves that made it possible). I'm a regular at fixing up shelters - battered women and their kids mostly. I contribute to a number of things that I believe in - especially those groups that help the supposedly helpless and handicapped to flind ways to help themselves. Sometimes I find myself 'enabling', and I try to keep a rein on that tendency.
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| Jul 29 @ 11:45 AM |
Why is the world a better a better place... |
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yashaenka
Posts: 4,639
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Women's Legal Rights in Ancient Egypt
by Janet H. Johnson
rom our earliest preserved records in the Old Kingdom on, the formal legal status of Egyptian women (whether unmarried, married, divorced or widowed) was nearly identical with that of Egyptian men. Differences in social status between individuals are evident in almost all products of this ancient culture: its art, its texts, its archaeological record. In the textual record, men were distinguished by the type of job they held, and from which they derived status, "clout," and income. But most women did not hold jobs outside the home and consequently were usually referred to by more generic titles such as "mistress of the house" or "citizeness." Women were also frequently identified by giving the name and titles of their husband or father, from whom, presumably, they derived their social status. Thus the New Kingdom literary text entitled "The Instructions of (a man named) Any" state, "A woman is asked about her husband, a man is asked about his rank."
Funerary statuettes of a husband and wife from the tomb of Nykauinpu from Giza (Dynasty 5, ca. 2477 B.C.).
But in the legal arena both women and men could act on their own and were responsible for their own actions. This is in sharp contrast with some other ancient societies, e.g., ancient Greece, where women did not have their own legal identity, were not allowed to own (real) property and, in order to participate in the legal system, always had to work through a male, usually their closest male relative (father, brother, husband, son) who was called their "lord." Egyptian women were able to acquire, to own, and to dispose of property (both real and personal) in their own name. They could enter into contracts in their own name; they could initiate civil court cases and could, likewise, be sued; they could serve as witnesses in court cases; they could serve on juries; and they could witness legal documents. That women very rarely did serve on juries or as witnesses to legal documents is a result of social factors, not legal ones.
The great disparity between the social and legal status of women can be observed in both documentary and literary materials. For instance, in the literary text entitled "The Instructions of the (Vizier) Ptahhotep," preserved in Middle Kingdom and later copies, a man's wife is seen basically as a dependent, of whom it behooves him to take good, and loving, care:
When you prosper and found your house and love your wife with ardor, fill her belly, clothe her back; ointment soothes her body. Gladden her heart as long as you live; she is a fertile field for her lord.
But next comes a jarring statement,
Do not contend with her in court. Keep her from power, restrain her--her eye is her storm when she gazes. Thus will you make her stay in your house.
This reference to contending with one's wife in court clearly indicates that women had legal rights and were willing to fight for them. This distinction between the legal status of women in ancient Egypt and their public or social status is of major importance in understanding how the Egyptian system actually worked.
http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190170/ In practice women had no status because they were not allowed to work although they had specific and defined legal rights.
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| Jul 29 @ 12:00 PM |
Why is the world a better a better place...
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 15,360
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The great disparity between the social and legal status of women can be observed in both documentary and literary materials. For instance, in the literary text entitled "The Instructions of the (Vizier) Ptahhotep," preserved in Middle Kingdom and later copies, a man's wife is seen basically as a dependent, of whom it behooves him to take good, and loving, care:
When you prosper and found your house and love your wife with ardor, fill her belly, clothe her back; ointment soothes her body. Gladden her heart as long as you live; she is a fertile field for her lord.
But next comes a jarring statement,
Do not contend with her in court. Keep her from power, restrain her--her eye is her storm when she gazes. Thus will you make her stay in your house.
Women had the right to own property, and even their own businesses. As indicated in your link, serial polygamy was pretty common, and in fact women were (as indicated in the quote) considered valuable assets with the right to take property along with her in the event of a divorce (alimony, ancient style). I'm simply stating that women DID have rights in ancient Egyptian society, and in some respects more than they have today - men were exhorted to treat their wives well, in order to keep them, rather than women being instructed to obey their husbands as if they were their gods (as they were in the OT).
I
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| Jul 29 @ 4:15 PM |
Why is the world a better a better place... |
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uab_5
Posts: 2,371
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Good answers, guys. Thank you.
Funny, the thumpers that I was hoping to answer never answered my thread.
I guess they're too busy spewing their hate to make the world a better place.
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| Jul 29 @ 4:44 PM |
Why is the world a better a better place...
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eastham
Posts: 6,354
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...Personally, I see no benefit in the Renaissance as a defining moment in history, but rather a nostalgic remembrance, a rebirth of the Classical era, made popular by advances such as the printing press.
Are you kidding me? What of the Protestant Reformation, Columbus, Copernicus and Gallileo? What of Shakespeare, Marlowe and Spencer? What of Francis Bacon? What of Rabelais, Descartes and Voltaire? Montesquieu? Harvey and Galen? The list can go on and on.
The Enlightenment produced profound changes in the way people practiced their religion, thought about their government, the workings of the solar system and the human body. It changed expository literature -- the novel didn't exist prior to the Renaissance -- drama and poetry.
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| Jul 31 @ 8:40 AM |
Why is the world a better a better place... |
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LaughTillYaPuke
Posts: 1,822
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What I want to know is, how does the world benefit from your beliefs?
I have many friends but focus myself more on children. I find their inoccence and inner beauty astounding. And when I am unable to see their beauty through their hurt, I look for their potential.
From pre-teens through high school, I see so many adults who just don't know how to talk to kids. Or worse, they see "trouble", negative attitudes and look at these kids as if they are about to jump up and do something naughty without any provocation.
Or maybe that is not it at all. I look at them and see endless possabilities and I honestly feel that one person...one moment in time...a few well placed words, a meal purchased, can alter the course of their life.
It is a humbling moment to have a Marine, a young mother, a mechanic, a college student to walk into your classroom or seek you out on bleachers at a football game with flowers and tell you that their life was changed with just a few words and a kind touch.
And when they try to thank you...you learn that that is the time to whisper in their ear that with knowledge comes power and responsability. And that it is now their turn to seek out the loney, the lost and the needy. And that it is a never ending job. That while it may cost them a fair bit of change to buy winter coats, buy school lunches, class pictures, etc....it is the gift of love that will last forever.
What tangible things have your beliefs lead you to do to make the world better than when you got here?
Yikes. Well I pretty much covered that in the first question. There is much more involved, and you DO get emotionally vested in these kids. But I feel that they are a worthy cause. What and how we treat them now with affect generations to come. Success breeds success. And once a child has been taught how to fly, they will carry that lesson with them. No matter how many times they may fall, they will find a way to struggle back to excellence.
It is an awesome thing to watch.
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| Jul 31 @ 10:14 AM |
Why is the world a better a better place...
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Thor1960303
Posts: 1,887
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That was/is the foundation of science as we know it today.
Unbelievable!  No clue as to what really IS the foundation for science either.
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