FALUN GONG/Falun Dafa

[David Jamieson]

the problem i have with most monotheistic religions is that for the most part none of thir flock actually believe in what they are doing

think about it when u r little ur parents take you to church where you are told that you are a christian
u havnt decided this for yourself
so in reality all you are doing is trying to convince yourself that you believe not actually believing

well, getting baptized and going to church does not by default make you christian.
It is your entry into the community.

Children are incapable of making moralistic and ethical decisions and so the initiative process is the foundation for learning. Obviously the parents want the same connections with the child and so the child can be no other than who s/he is by being with their parents.

It is the parent's responsibility to nurture the child in every aspect and what they have as a belief system will only naturally be transmitted to teh child as well. When the child comes to understanding of what's going on, it is up to them to choose to either continue or find another path or leave a path entirely.

Whatever you are initiated in becomes a matter of choice eventually. If even a modicum of self examination is employed in one's life. Pretty much most of us have a stop and think about what's what and how and where we fit with it. That's life. Letting children choose for themselves would be disasterous.

ibid: lord of the flies

[golden arhat]

its pretty hard to make your own mind up
when u are brought up accepting christianity (or islam or whatever) as fact rather than belief
its hard to make your own mind up with out something else to compare it to

[lunghushan]

Well if you are to believe history, the religion that people practiced was often times a state religion, and in order to be a member of that state and not be shunned, you had to follow that religion. At least in Christian countries, Greek times, Roman times, etc., there was a state religion.

So there wasn't really a choice, even for adults.

The thing that I don't understand is how most people never examine what they believe and just take it as it is. This is the thing that I do not understand. Most people are raised in a religion and stay in that religion unless there are some outside influences on them otherwise.

The ironic thing is my parents accuse me of not respecting their religion, but I never tried to disrespect it -- I just tried to explain to them why I personally didn't buy into it. If they want to accept those things I have no real problem with that.

I have no problem with kids being brought up in a particular religion except that it seems like at that point they are basically brainwashed for life in most cases.

[lunghushan]

Anyways I don't think you can really have discussions about religion without most people getting angry or upset. I've only met a few people who could talk things over rationally.

[SPJ]

religion and culture are 2 separate things.

If you live in a Buddha land/nation, you grew up knowing it culturally. And yet you may not believe in it. There are many buddhist temples in China. Most of them were destroyed during infamous culture revolution from 1966 to 1976. However, some are rebuilt since then. And yet less than 10% of population are actually buddhists in PR China.

Altho everyone would go to a temple one way or the other.

If you live in a Christian land/nation, you may grow up and associate with a church. And yet you may not be a true believer, either.

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[scholar]

For me, my researches have gotten me to the point of respecting personal responsibility. A person's religion should be reflected in their lives, and not projected onto others. When a religionist doesn't speak or act the way they say you should, then something is wrong.

In Buddhism they say "How can you argue about how the universe works until you know how you actually work yourself?"

The 10 Commandments are another good example. I don't believe they were meant to be impositions from the outside, but a way that you could tell if you were on the right path. If you were stealing, coveting, murdering, etc., chances are you wouldn't be a pleasant person to be around.

The 1st Commandment (Thou shalt have no other god but God) can be off-putting to people who don't get the idiom the late-bronze-age Moses was using. Martin Luther said "Your God is that which you are most afraid to lose" which is another way of saying that if money, sex, drugs, whatever, is most important in your life, then they are your god. If you are kind enough to forgive and care about the people you deal with, even your enemies, then you are fulfilling the 1st Commandment no matter what "religion" you are.

As time goes on, the original intent of the teachers who founded the great religions is less and less understood, so that unscrupulous types can start to rewrite the rules a little bit here and there to their advantage. Eventually, you get fundamentalists from just about any religion around the world parroting completely misunderstood teachings as "magic spells" and excommunicating, torturing, burning or even crucifying people who call them on it. They have completely replaced a personal ethic of good will with ritual coercive power.

So don't be content with believeing every nutjob who tells you how God will only save members of their sect. Don't even believe me. Everyone has to do this math for themselves. "By their fruits shall ye know them."

[AJM]

To answer the original question. The thread reached enlightenment, became a Buddi and went to Nirvana.

[bodhitree]

moderator PWND!

f***in right, that was me.

[Juna]

The divine beauty of the east is brought to magnificent life in this breathtaking journey into the ancient world of mythical dragons, heavenly beauties, and exhilarating drummers. Featuring an outstanding cast of international vocalists, musicians, and dancers, this is a cross-cultural experience not to be missed

http://shows.ntdtv.com/

Those who are interested in real Chinese culture, this is a great chance.

[golden arhat]

hahahah we owned your sorry ass juna
hahahahhahahahhahahahahahaah
the wheel of law rolled away
god thats still funny

[SPJ]

http://shows.ntdtv.com/

Those who are interested in real Chinese culture, this is a great chance.

thanx for posting the link.

as far as faith or belief system, you either have faith or believe in it or dun.

you can not force feed or convince by force or by ways of reasoning or arguing.

other wise it will be a fact and not a religion.

believe it or not. FLG will be accepted in PR China in the future. And that day will come.

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[Juna]

believe it or not. FLG will be accepted in PR China in the future. And that day will come.

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The whole world(include China) will welcome Falun Dafa soon, I am sure of that.

[golden arhat]

yes everyone will give up their much better taiji and qi gong practises for a a half baked science religion


im sure of that

[Juna]

HOLLYWOOD―Extraordinarily unique, the Chinese New Year Spectacular is true to its title, transporting audiences through a dazzling cultural journey filled with music, song, and beautifully choreographed dance performances.

Two Spectacular evening shows were performed January 9 and 10 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was established by New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) in 2004 as a show entitled Chinese New Year Global Gala celebrating the Chinese New Year that is "rich in Chinese culture and expresses the essence of ancient Chinese traditions and values" explains Michael Ye, NTDTV Public Relations Representative, adding that "in the past 3 years audience feedback was that the shows were really wonderful and suggested that the name should be Chinese New Year Spectacular!"


http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-1-13/50368.html

great!

[SPJ]

Just the other day;

there was a new research article saying the fall of the great Tang was due to global warming.

there was a slight rise of temperature and drought.

the farmers may not produce food.

they rose up and Tang fell.

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http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2007/01..._dynasty_s.php