Gnostic Bishop wrote:I think democracy was invented to teach citizens how to behave and was not meant to be the total control system that it had turned into. Mind you, we are not living in democracies. We are all living in Oligarchies.

We should thus all hate our insulting control systems, be they political or religious, while recognizing that we must have some type of control system to deal with the less intelligent of us and unfortunately, we are creating many of those.

Gnosticism is elitist which can easily be seen here, and in other comments elsewhere about the illiterate masses who have not acquired the true Gnosis.
I think Bishop that you try to present your ideas as being tolerant,egalitarian and inclusive which they plainly are not.
So while you chafe at institutionalised control bodies which you advocate hatred of,what control systems do you recommend to "deal with the less intelligent of us."
And do the "less intelligent" get to vote on your proposals?

GB wrote:We should thus all hate our insulting control systems, be they political or religious, while recognizing that we must have some type of control system to deal with the less intelligent of us and unfortunately, we are creating many of those.

What do we do with the highly intelligent serial killers?

Interbane wrote:What do we do with the highly intelligent serial killers?

It seems that historically some who might fit this description have succeeded in gaining absolute power in some countries.

Whether people like Hitler or Stalin were highly intelligent is debatable but I suppose they were at least cunning.
It reminds me of a quote from a Leonard Cohen album cover; "They locked up a man who wanted to rule the world.The fools!,they locked up the wrong man."
I think criticisms of political and religious systems can be valid and it's difficult it seems to get a perfect system of governance due to human propensities towards self interest and powerful lobbies etc.
Religious extremism is a real problem too, so I don't completely discount all of what Bishop is saying.

Flann 5 wrote:

Gnostic Bishop wrote:I think democracy was invented to teach citizens how to behave and was not meant to be the total control system that it had turned into. Mind you, we are not living in democracies. We are all living in Oligarchies.

We should thus all hate our insulting control systems, be they political or religious, while recognizing that we must have some type of control system to deal with the less intelligent of us and unfortunately, we are creating many of those.

Gnosticism is elitist which can easily be seen here, and in other comments elsewhere about the illiterate masses who have not acquired the true Gnosis.
I think Bishop that you try to present your ideas as being tolerant,egalitarian and inclusive which they plainly are not.
So while you chafe at institutionalised control bodies which you advocate hatred of,what control systems do you recommend to "deal with the less intelligent of us."
And do the "less intelligent" get to vote on your proposals?

Absolutely.

I really don't get how 40% of people can think this ...

http://www.livescience.com/46123-many-a ... nists.html

Four in 10 Americans believe God created the Earth and anatomically modern[IMG] humans, less than 10,000 years ago, according to a new Gallup poll.

About half of Americans believe humans evolved over millions of years, with most of those people saying that God guided the process. Religious, less educated[IMG], and older respondents were likelier to espouse a young Earth creationist view — that life was created some 6,000 to 10,000 years ago — according to the poll.

As to being elitist. I guess that in a way I am as I look for an ideal man to elevate to the head of the Divine Council and dare to think that I can judge that man on my own.

If you cannot be elitist in that way then you are not much of a man and have likely settled for an absentee God who is not worth spit.

All the rest of us Gods would then have a decent God to follow.

Regards
DL

Interbane wrote:

GB wrote:We should thus all hate our insulting control systems, be they political or religious, while recognizing that we must have some type of control system to deal with the less intelligent of us and unfortunately, we are creating many of those.

What do we do with the highly intelligent serial killers?

Be they intelligent or not, all murderers should be jailed.

Regards
DL

Flann 5 wrote:

Interbane wrote:What do we do with the highly intelligent serial killers?

It seems that historically some who might fit this description have succeeded in gaining absolute power in some countries.

Whether people like Hitler or Stalin were highly intelligent is debatable but I suppose they were at least cunning.
It reminds me of a quote from a Leonard Cohen album cover; "They locked up a man who wanted to rule the world.The fools!,they locked up the wrong man."
I think criticisms of political and religious systems can be valid and it's difficult it seems to get a perfect system of governance due to human propensities towards self interest and powerful lobbies etc.
Religious extremism is a real problem too, so I don't completely discount all of what Bishop is saying.

Yet Christianity ushered in the Dark Ages, Inquisition and genocide against many groups yet many still stupidly follow their creed and fund even more harm to society.

For the evils of religion to grow, read any scripture literally.

Any and all harmless beliefs are allowed by Gnostic Christians. We know that any myth can be internalized for good results and as esoteric ecumenists, we enjoy knowledge of all the myths that man has created about Gods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR02cia ... =PLCBF574D

When there is a victim is when that view changes. Then you see why Christianity annihilated Gnostic Christianity. We do not let the evils of forced literalism go unopposed. To a tyrant like Constantine, we were poison. One of his first commands to his new Church was to kill off the free thinkers and of course, his new tool, his Church, did as bid. It was quite a ride for free thought for the next 1,000 years.

How can a Gnostic Christian, --- and any other free thinking moral person, --- not judge other's morals when seeing someone hurt other because of the same Church's teachings today?

Can you ignore such things if you have decent morals? Impossible. Especially with Islam pulling the same murderous, freedom stifling ****.

We must discriminate and judge constantly. Every law is a compulsion on all of us to judge.

It is my view that all right wing literalists and fundamentals hurt all of us who are moral religionists, --- as well as those who do not believe. Literalists hurt their parent religions --- and everyone else, be he a believer or not. Literalists and the right wing of religions make us all into laughing stocks. Their God of talking animals, genocidal floods and retribution has got to go. So must beliefs in fantasy, miracles and magic. These are all evil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2zhlDbMfDg

They also do much harm to their own fellow adherents.

African witches and Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlRG9gXriVI

Jesus Camp 1of 3
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=48b_1185215493

Death to Gays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyuKLyGUHNE

For evil to grow my friend, all good people need do is nothing. Fight literalism when you can. It is your duty to our fellow man.

Regards
DL

It obviously bothers you that so many Americans believe what you think is scientifically false, and it is generally considered by scientists that this is the case.
The question is though, whether people have the freedom to hold views that are false, or whether they need to be "dealt with" in some controlling way.
Unless you want to claim infallibility, we all have erroneous views of one kind or another.
You are still a Bishop,and not yet Pope.

Gnostic Bishop wrote:

Flann 5 wrote:

Interbane wrote:What do we do with the highly intelligent serial killers?

It seems that historically some who might fit this description have succeeded in gaining absolute power in some countries.

Whether people like Hitler or Stalin were highly intelligent is debatable but I suppose they were at least cunning.
It reminds me of a quote from a Leonard Cohen album cover; "They locked up a man who wanted to rule the world.The fools!,they locked up the wrong man."
I think criticisms of political and religious systems can be valid and it's difficult it seems to get a perfect system of governance due to human propensities towards self interest and powerful lobbies etc.
Religious extremism is a real problem too, so I don't completely discount all of what Bishop is saying.

For evil to grow my friend, all good people need do is nothing. Fight literalism when you can. It is your duty to our fellow man.

Regards
DL

So now we know. The cause of all the evil in the world is literalism!
Unfortunately I can't take Bishop's statement here literally. I'm sure it has a hidden meaning to do with the age of Saggitarius and global warming!

Flann 5 wrote:It obviously bothers you that so many Americans believe what you think is scientifically false, and it is generally considered by scientists that this is the case.
The question is though, whether people have the freedom to hold views that are false, or whether they need to be "dealt with" in some controlling way.
Unless you want to claim infallibility, we all have erroneous views of one kind or another.
You are still a Bishop,and not yet Pope.

Only a fool would think a man infallible.

The state has a place in determining the level of stupidity it will live with.

They showed that level when they outlawed I.D. They will soon outlaw lying churches and mosques as well and demand that churches follow moral creeds and not those based on barbaric human sacrifice of the innocent instead of punishing the guilty as Christianity follows.

Christianity's days are numbered.

Regards
DL

Gnostic Bishop wrote:The state has a place in determining the level of stupidity it will live with.

They showed that level when they outlawed I.D. They will soon outlaw lying churches and mosques as well and demand that churches follow moral creeds and not those based on barbaric human sacrifice of the innocent instead of punishing the guilty as Christianity follows.

Christianity's days are numbered.

Do you mean like they did in the Soviet Union?
You complain about historic intolerance towards Gnosticism and claim it is more enlightened but you want to "outlaw" religions you don't agree with.
Are I.D. proponents hiding out in the badlands somewhere with Jesse James and Billy the Kid?
Thanks for clarifying that it's literalism that is the cause of all the evil in the world. For some strange reason,I was under the false impression that it was evolution.