A couple months ago, I came across a book in my high school library entitled "Indian Mythology". Sure enough, it gave a detailed display of the various Hindu gods. But to over 900 million people, these are existing gods, not myths. By that logic, the stories in the stories of God's work in the Bible/Torah/Qur'an should be classified as Middle Eastern mythology. Would any anthropologists have the balls to say this?

A couple months ago, I came across a book in my high school library entitled "Indian Mythology". Sure enough, it gave a detailed display of the various Hindu gods. But to over 900 million people, these are existing gods, not myths. By that logic, the stories in the stories of God's work in the Bible/Torah/Qur'an should be classified as Middle Eastern mythology. Would any anthropologists have the balls to say this?

Many people do say this. People have been saying it for ages now.

People have lost carriers and lives saying this. Any belief in the supernatural is absurd.

All beliefs are absurd. All knowledge is belief.

All beliefs are absurd. All knowledge is belief.
It's really getting old, Obbe. Every thread on this forum pretty much has something to do with belief, and you want to take the topic down to a discussion on your Matrix world. All beliefs are not absurd. I believe that feeding my kid is not absurd. Believing that putting mercury drops in your kid's food is healthy is absurd. Stop hijacking every goddamn thread!

I don't get into discussions until people reply to me.

I am only voicing my opinion, in methods much, much less aggressive then your own.

If it makes you angry, then don't reply.

If it makes you angry, then don't reply.
No, if it makes me angry, I bring it up. I see nothing wrong with me pointing out breaches of message board etiquette, which is what you have been breaking by constantly pointing out that since we have to trust our senses, all beliefs are absurd.

It's getting old. Hopefully my bringing it up will make you think that maybe I have a point and you'll knock it off.

Obbe, I like you and I don't want to help incite a flame war, but please try to understand Scraff's point. I have only recently started posting here again and part of the reason I've been gone is because of the way discussions get derailed around here. Too many people are intent on discussing there pet belief, and alone there's nothing wrong with that. But when they try to interject those same old points in to every thread, it really does get old and is a form of thread-jacking. If the point is relevant to the conversation, that's fine.

You can say that you only get into discussions when people reply to you, but that doesn't make it fair for the OP and all involved when you get off topic. When you say something like, “All beliefs are absurd “ knowing that most people don't agree, how can you expect not to get a response that will surely derail the discussion?

I think the OP brought up a great point that deserves discussion. I hate to see it get derailed on a discussion of how there's no proof that are senses are accurate so having any belief is absurd. It's been done to death already.

No, if it makes me angry, I bring it up. I see nothing wrong with me pointing out...

So whats wrong with me 'pointing out' my opinion relating to the thread?

This is what everyone else does. And I usually only write a sentence or two.

...breaches of message board etiquette, which is what you have been breaking by constantly pointing out that since we have to trust our senses, all beliefs are absurd.

Constantly is it? I'm going to have to disagree with that.

And I don't get into long discussions until someone replies in the first place. Usually I try to continue posting short answers, and see if they can understand what I mean on their own. Lots of the time, this doesn't work, and I end up having to post larger, more complicated replies. Kinda like this.

In any case though, even if one were to argue that I am constantly hijacking threads, or constantly pointing anything out...how would that be any different then the rest of the posters?

The religion followers constantly citing the bible or telling other people only their beliefs are correct. The atheists constantly telling others that there is no evidence for God, and what the exact definition of atheism is.

Why should I be singled out?

It's getting old. Hopefully my bringing it up will make you think that maybe I have a point and you'll knock it off.

So is hearing why you don't believe in God(or anyones opinion). But has anything anyone said here made you want to change your mind?

What makes you think telling me that you believe you have to feed the kid you believe you have is going to change anything about what I believe?

When you say something like, “All beliefs are absurd “ knowing that most people don't agree, how can you expect not to get a response that will surely derail the discussion?

Perhaps someone will realize what I mean on their own?

Or, not care, and post their own opinion.

I think the OP brought up a great point that deserves discussion. I hate to see it get derailed on a discussion of how there's no proof that are senses are accurate so having any belief is absurd. It's been done to death already.

Then why comment on it?

I posted my opinion. That was my intended full discussion on the matter.

Now, other people have derailed the thread to be about me.

So whats wrong with me 'pointing out' my opinion relating to the thread?
It doesn't relate to the thread or anything anyone in the thread has said. Do you actually believe it does? If so, why bother bringing it up since that belief is absurd?

It doesn't relate to the thread or anything anyone in the thread has said. Do you actually believe it does? If so, why bother bringing it up since that belief is absurd?

Yes, it does.

Why bring it up? Why do any of us bring up our beliefs?

Because we enjoy doing so.

Perhaps someone will realize what I mean on their own?
Yes, we realize what you mean.


Then why comment on it?
In the hopes that awareness will help us all keep on topic in the future.


I posted my opinion. That was my intended full discussion on the matter.
But the opinion really had nothing to do with the OP. Let's all forget it, okay? Peace.

Yes, it does.
No, it doesn't. The topic was supposed to be about why the Bible/Torah/Qur'an is never written about as mythology but other religions and gods are. Writing "All beliefs are absurd. All knowledge is belief." has nothing to do with that. I wouldn't have even mentioned it if this wasn't the same topic you bring up inappropriately in so many threads.

Why bring it up? Why do any of us bring up our beliefs?
We don't bring up beliefs that aren't relevant to anything anyone has said.


Why do any of us bring up our beliefs? That question is better asked to you. Why bring up your beliefs if you believe they're absurd?



My apologies to shitty wok and all interested parties. I'll knock it off now. If Obbe doesn't get it by now I doubt he ever will.

Here's all the relevance to the thread, and OP.

All beliefs are absurd. All knowledge is belief.

First off, I chose to use the word absurd (usually I use illusion) because to me, it seemed to have a good effect coming after the previous post:

Any belief in the supernatural is absurd.

It also means that everything is a belief. The way you see your world is completely influenced by belief.

The author of the "Indian Mythology" book apparently did not believe what he was writing to be anything more then someone else's silly, unfounded beliefs. Which most of us have a habit of immediately believing to be false.

But, as shitty wok pointed out, many people believe those stories to be true. Just like other religions. Who's to say who's correct, if anyone? What more is the opinion of an anthropologist then another version of the truth, another belief?

Scraff...as I said, I enjoy it.

If the author doesn't believe in Hindu gods, he has every right to call it mythology. If one were righting a book on Christianity and wasn't Christian, he could call it The Christian Mythology or something else of that nature.

Would any anthropologists have the balls to say this?

I graduated with a degree in anthropology, and I made that point in a paper I wrote senior year. I said that belief systems that were at one time the mainstream religions of the day are now referred to as mythology. I posed the question, 'how long will it be before christian theology becomes christian mythology?'

To view another cultures religion as mythology is to take a very ethnocentric viewpoint of things.

All beliefs are absurd. All knowledge is belief.

Obbe stfu, Scraff is right. Jesus, give it a rest. If it means that much to you just make a thread about it.

Don't worry about it too much, Obbe, the internet is the playground of egos and the unconscious. Not much ever really gets said.

The origin of the word comes from the Greek "mythos," originally meaning narrative or discourse but now common means tale or legend. I personally do not view the word as imparting any sense of falsehood. I view myths instead as stories (however badly embellished) which serve to impart a commonly understood truth or explain a shared world view. In other words, while the details might be fabricated or exaggerated, the message is not always so.

What makes you think telling me that you believe you have to feed the kid you believe you have is going to change anything about what I believe?

Why are you bothering trying to tell people what you believe, if you are saying that you won't change your mind at all? It seems hypocritical.

Mythology is any faith or supernatural explination that is out of fashion or seen as an ancient false belief but was used to explain occurances at the time of which it was popular.

For example, Olympus and all its Roman gods were fact 2000 years ago, that faith explained nature, how we came to be, why we live like we do, and what happens after we die. but now it is mythology. Ancient beliefs that are not the current trend.

2000 years from now Christianity will be Mythology.

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www.oddspot.org

Why are you bothering trying to tell people what you believe, if you are saying that you won't change your mind at all? It seems hypocritical.

Who ever said I wanted to change other peoples minds?