• Classical Music Pieces
    5 of your favorite pieces of classical music with a brief explanation of why you chose that piece.Brian

    first place is Samuel Barber's Adaigio for Strings (and Coral version) view them equal is first myself (thank you "Homeword" PC game for including the latter BTW).

    2nd.

    Prokofiev's 4th - i.e. prodical son theme (seems forgotten today sadly)

    3rd

    Musgorcksay(sp) pictures at an exibition.

    4th.

    Satie's work - forget the name - sorry.

    5th some of Bach's and Batoveen(sp) works..................though the norwegain;'s Hall of Mountian King is also equal.
  • Question for non-theists: What grounds your morality?
    But ultimately Buddhist ethics are grounded in the reality of karma - that all intentional actions have consequencesWayfarer

    Hindus also affirm this theology.
  • Question for non-theists: What grounds your morality?
    Well, Buddhists are 'non-theists'Wayfarer

    there are plenty of theist Buddhists.

    no, i don't know the percentages, but willing to assume than Siddartha - living 2500 yrs ago was a "theist" (Hindu for sure).

    as of course Jesus was a Jew.
  • The Fall & Free Will
    good thread BTW.

    I've read most of the bible - Atheist myself - some works i value, others not so much. I view all works as separate and within the lens of both the author's theme/agenda and the Time it was written.

    that means i ignore conventional Christian dogma - including 2000 yr old and counting dogma - and educate myself on both the time the work in question was written (Genesis - 900 yrs BC (from 400 yr older oral tales) and the agenda of the author (in Genesis' author - their (more than one - no Moses did not write the Torah (yes Judaic Dogma mandates this nonsense)) agenda was to fix the "god mandate" of Israel as a place for the Jews................there is no theological dogma outside of this one thing in that work..........all dogma outside of this one particular has been invented by subequent authors of both the old testement and new testament.

    fact is:

    1. Genesis story is taken from an older oral tale, which was in fact formed from an older written one from both the Akkadians and Summarians (Akkadians took thier tale from the Summarians - Eluma Elish anyone?).

    2, there was no "fall".........that Judiac/Christian theology is incorrect - it was placed upon the Genesis myth, but has no logical basis.

    3.i proper reading of Genesis was as a Polytheistic Summarian (place yourself in that time as a polytheistic believer)...............so no "Fall" - fact is Adam/Eve Rose to "godhood".............prior to eating of the Tree of Knowledge, Adam/Eve was just another dumb animal, after they became "as gods knowing good from evil" (its all there for anyone to read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - if you can remove your Christian dogmatic eyes and read the tale as a Summarian!).

    4. YHWH (God) became afraid (yes he became afraid that adam/eve would become his equal) - and so removed the other Tree - the one if immortality,

    5. so man become stuck in "limbo" - no longer an animal, with the mind of the Gods (yes Genesis is a Polytheistic work - i refer to the "us" and "we" throughout the account - this is the Cananite (and originally Summarian then Akkadian) Heavenly court, but the body of the "beasts of the field" since the God/s removed that other tree.

    6. Satan (Balial)......i.e. "The Devil" did not exist until the Jews adopted him (Ahraman) during their 2nd exile in 587 BC. The book of Genesis predates "The Devil" by 300 yrs.

    7. "the snake" spoke the truth,

    8. "the snake" was not "The Devil", he/it was just another god from the Heavenly Court.

    9. none of my interpretation will be affirmed by Christians and is blasphamy,

    10. I don't care about #9 above since their dogma is inaccurate, while - even if I do say so myself - mine is far more accurate and honest.

    11. understanding history and origin of myths is important, was well as ignoring any dogma one may have as an obstical toward objectivity, when understanding a written work.

    12. i had it easy in that i was never a Christian, so never had a dogma to overcome. others may not be like me and so may have to overcome.

    13, peace to all - i'm a new poster here - this is my third post - after 9 yrs over in "bible-discussions" forum.............agreeing and agreeing to dissagree with many honest folks there - that forum closed for good last week (breaks my heart - love to discuss - sad that me and other from that place have lost a "home" there.

    2-cents.