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Journal Em Emalb's Journal: The more I think, the more questions I have 40

Journal by Em Emalb

Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)

Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

Do you think life has started on other planets?

Are your arms proportioned to your length? (Meaning stick your arms straight out even with your shoulders and measure from fingertip to fingertip. It should equal your height, if you are perfectly proportioned.)

Can you do a backflip into a pool?

When you were little, were you afraid of the high dive diving board?

Ever get bitten by a snake?

Ever get stung by a scorpion?

Ever kill an animal intentionally?

Ever dance with the Emalb in the pale moon light?

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The more I think, the more questions I have More

The more I think, the more questions I have

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  • Whatdayamean its not a poll? EM wrote a question, there IS a multiple choice!
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)

    I was told by someone who had fasted for a month when they were 15 (eating only broth at sundown and drinking water) that they did it because they were trying to find a new pastor and this would help them. I didn't know what to say. At 15 years of age, you need all the nutrition you can get. I also don't think fasting is helping you at all. If your body is strong
  • It's a matter of survival. I abstain from alchohol, because it's not a good choice for me. The only way that religion entered into it, if you're really stretching, what when I said "thank God when I got my DUI, it was not because of an accident"

    And killing an animal intentionally probably doesn't include insects, eh?

    ^_^

  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?

    Because sometimes everything is a religious choice, for some people. Feasting, fasting, cutting you off in traffic, picketing a clinic or feeding the hungry. Are religious choices more inherently morally correct than nonreligious choices? Is a good deed more valuable if nobody told you to do it, or is it more valuable if you do it not as a good deed but modestly and just because you were told to?

    __

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    N
  • 1) Good question-- I don't know but I am going to really think about it because it is so interesting and I should have an answer just a day or two after noone remembers this post any more and it's pointless to bring it up.
    2)I doubt it.
    3) See 2.
    4)No
    5)No
    6)Yes
    7)No
    8)No- killed a lot of them though.
    9)Many times
    10)It's on my list of life goals- still unchecked.

    What animals have I killed? well lots of doves- some quail, rabbits and that might be about it. I've been deer hunting a couple times but didn't get an
    • one thing you'll notice about me is I usually don't bother trying to change people's stance on anything.

      Only if I feel they are waffling in their stance will I even bother. ;)
      • Yeah I figured-- I was more concerned that someone else in the thread might decide to straighten me out. Evolution is pretty much considered a fact now and saying that you don't hold to it- here especially- tends to get people's dander up. And I don't have the energy for that discussion right now- just want to enjoy the thread.

        • Evolution is pretty much considered a fact now and saying that you don't hold to it- here especially- tends to get people's dander up.

          You're committing the same logical crime as atheist zealots.

          Evolution is "life changes." Archeological evoluation is "the fossil record says man evolved from lower life forms, and will continue to evolve."

          Neither one of those statements are contradictions of a literal interpretation of God's creation. (if WE can make things that adapt and grow, I'm sure HE can.)

          Anyway,
          • I'm not sure what you mean by logical crime. Sorry I'm not all that quick sometimes so you may have to spell it out more explicitly. But I'll tell you a little what of I think and maybe that will make it more clear. I am speaking about the origin of life- first causes all that.

            I believe what the Bible says to be true-- that Adam and Eve were created as human being just like us. That when they were created the world was without sin and nice and perfect- they sinned and this brought death into the world
            • All the wives came from the same place everybody else came from-- off spring of Adam and Eve. Yeah-- incest. Could God have created more people 'from scratch'? I guess- it's not mentioned so I don't worry about it too much.

              Ok, we disagree. This is a pretty fundamental difference.

              The bible doesn't say one way or the other where the wives came from. It also doesn't say where the power of Pharoh's magicians came from.

              Personally, I have no problem with believing that humanity was created along with the re
              • Yeah-- I would say that it is not really central enough that I get too worried about it. It is certainly not on my "would die for" list. If somebody put a gun to my head and said, "Say people evolved from monkeys" I'd say it all day. If they asked me to renounce my faith and say that Christ was a mere man or that God does not exist-- I pray that I would stand firm.

                My wife and I are entering into full time ministry with an organization that is completely focused on your outline of man's sin problem and
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?

    a: because denial of one's basic urges goes part and parcel with searching for a higher meaning.

    b: It isn't. Ever hear of the diet craze?

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    Yes.

    Do you think life has started on other planets?Are your arms proportioned to your length? (Meaning stick your arms straight out even with your shoulders and measure from fingertip to fingertip. It should equal your height, if you are perfectly proportione
  • As far as abstinance of whatever variety, it's making a sacrifice to show your devotion to your religion. Sexual abstinence probably has more behind it, but you'll have ta ask someone better informed than me. Besides, I think this stuff is becoming less about religion these days, what with all the fad diets out there.

    Though there probably is life on other planets, perhaps even intelligent life. I doubt that we will ever come face to face with it or even see any signs of it. Even if we were able to travel n

  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)
    Don't know. Not religious enough to answer the question.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?
    Assuming interstellar is possible, yes.

    Do you think life has started on other planets?
    Yes. Has it come here? I can only answer from my knowledge of the X-Files. Yes, and we would do best to avoid them.

    Are your arms proportioned to your leng
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?
    I don't think it is. I know plenty of people who don't drink, don't have sex, don't blah blah blah for reasons other than religion. Others just like to place the world into neat and tidy packages even though it don't fit.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?
    If we don't kill ourselves first.

    o you think life has started on other planets?
    If I was a betting man, I'd say yes. Probability is too great for us to be alone.

    Are your arms pr
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?

    Don't know. Or rather, I have a truly remarkable explanation, which this margin is too small to contain.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    Yes, assuming the human race doesn't destroy itself before then. Intelligent life is out there, of that I have no doubt. It's extremely unlikely to be found in this Solar system, but there are plenty more... It's therefore just a matter of time before contact is made.

    Do you think life has star

  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)
    I wrote this as a reply in TL's journal and I'm sticking to it!

    I think religious leaders/institutions don't want people to be happy with their lives so the church will have this cyclical purpose: 1) You "sin". 2) You feel guilty. 3) You come back to church and ask for forgiveness and donate money. 4) Go back to 1.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another
    • Can you do a backflip into a pool?
      I have no fucking clue.

      I know you have no clue, no answer the fucking question!

      "give me the keys, you fucking cock sucker!"

      perhaps one of the greatest movies of all time.

      I would be Soze. You know I would.

      Slashdot requires you wait two minutes between posting....THIS IS WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK! It's all a scam! It's really only 1minute 29 seconds! What is the significance of this?

      PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!!
      • Alriiight. Whatdafuck?

        It was really good on the first watching, but once you know the twist, it doesn't quite have the impact, no? And, yes, I figured out the twist halfway through the movie because Spacey was hamming it up so much! :) That's what I think about that all.....

        The Godfather, on the other hand...Hoochie mama!
    • then why do buddhist monks fast? they're not really after money.

      not that your reasoning isn't sometimes the case. i just think it's far from universal.
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?

    Because denying yourself pleasure proves that you love your god more yourself or something. I don't know. Not religious. Un-abstinent for 6 years and counting.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    Yes, but it will not be in the form of slimy green aliens with tentacles; more likely it will be simpler organisms. I also believe that in my lifetime, the definition of "life" will change.

    Do you think life has started on other planets
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?

    Some crap about God before pleasure...

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    We as in we here? Probably not. They're hiding from us and I can understand why.

    Do you think life has started on other planets?

    Yeah...

    Are your arms proportioned to your length?

    No clue

    Can you do a backflip into a pool?

    I used to be able to - back dive, back 1 1/2, inverse dive, front dive, front 1 1/2, all from the 3 m springboard and 5 m platform.

  • Yippee - it's a poll where we make up our own answers. (Umm, yeah.)

    Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?
    Because it is not in human nature to deliberately deny ourselves natural things (food, sex, whatever) without "good" reason. Those times people choose abstinence without a religious impetus are when there is an external reason - such as weight loss or fear of disease.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?
    Absolutely.

    Do you think life has started on other planets?
    Without
  • You will just make yourself unhappy. If you want to know what to do about something, just ask me and I will tell you.

  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)

    Suffering builds character. Suffering teaches. Suffering lets you understand, more fully, what you were missing, and lets you embrace it to a much greater extent. Unfortunately, "the church" (meaning many large religions globbed into one) largely forgot that, now they just push it as stupid, ritiualistic behavior. Some people didn't forget that, and they choose that p

  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?

    Because by abstaining from something human (like sex and other pleasures), you can prove yourself better than animals. There must be a logic to this statement, but it seems to escape me at the moment.

    And, as Sol said, sometimes everything is a religious choice. Some people (i actually believe such people exist) live day by day in the knowledge that everything they do is only by the grace of Deity.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    • Not that i can remember.

      I just remembered. Not counting insects and fish (whom i didn't consider animals when writing this reply), I've killed several rats and mice. And i've taken shots at pigeons and magpies with a BB gun (never hit any, though, as the sights were way off). I've also tried to shoot (shoot to kill) a fox (with a BB gun), but didn't hit it, either.

  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)

    I have also wondered about this. Now, my own religion doesn't hold abstinence as some holy matter, yet (for now) I have chosen to abstain from sex. I always wonder if it's remnants of a conscience brought about by uber-religious extended family members, a fear of all of the diseases, a fear of getting pregnant (hey, with my luck on these sort of things...) or just be

  • IHBP (Score:1)

    by Sloppy ( 14984 )

    Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)

    Because abstinence tends (obviously this is over-general) to be behavior that is contrary to short-term self-interest. Payoff-beyond-the-grave is one of the most popular motivations for working against one's own short-term interest.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    We, as in humanity? Yes, I think we will. We as in Slashdotters who ar

  • Abstinence: That's easy - abstinence is based on guilt.
    People abstain because the feeling of being pure/free/not guilty is more important to them than the feeling they get from performing the action that has been designated to be bad.

    Organized religion specializes in guilt - therefore they have a good percentage of the abstinence business.

    The health & fitness industry is not far behind.

    Perfect Proportions: Wingspan == Height is perfectly proportioned, according to whom?

    Ever Intentionally Killed
  • that was a lie. you don't get a prize. i just thought em might read this if i wrote that.

    Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)

    signal to noise ratio improvement. urges for short term pleasures can be so overwhelming that they overpower thought in other directions, some of which could lead to long term pleasure. when these things are put aside, it allows thought to focus on other things. for the abst
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)

    Interesting question.
    And it isn't just the Abrahamic religions that do this. Regardless of religion it usually has something to do with purification, and what does that mean? Detatchment from the human world.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    I won't hold my breath. I'll believe it when I see it.

    Do you think life has started on othe
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice? (Note: I am not strictly referring to sexual abstinence. Fasting, stuff like that is included)

    Because it is an exercise in denial of things of the body to focus one's attention on things not of the body, not of this world.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    We as people? You and I? I think we will find electromagnetically encoded signals that did not originate on earth in our lifetimes.

    Do you think life has started on other pla

  • Truth (Score:2)

    by JVert ( 578547 )
    When you hear truth you will know it. Because you are being told what you already know. Anything else requires personal investigation. This is troublesome for those who learn this at an older age because they can't renember if what they know is truth or just something they were told.

    for example:
    Dude1>> "Is weed a vegtable or a plant?"
    Dude2>> "Dude, weed is a weed"
    Dude1>> "Whoa, how did they think of that?"

    Remember, you are reading this but I am still just *telling* you. You will have to
  • Abstinence is an effective way for religion to perpetuate its market monopoly over people's lives. Religions compete directly with food gathering/consumption, sex soliciting/having, and money acquisition over time and emotion invested.

    By encouraging maximal abstinence from food, sex, and money, religions ensure that people invest the majority of their time and their mind into religion rather than worthwhile causes.;)
  • Why is abstinence a mostly religious choice?

    Dunno, never tried it.

    Do you think we will ever see signs of life on another planet?

    I'm still looking for signs of life on ours.

    Do you think life has started on other planets?

    Yep. And they're laughing their asses off at us.

    Are your arms proportioned to your length?

    Hmmm...well, my knuckles scrape the ground. Does that count?

    Can you do a backflip into a pool?

    The pool backflips into me.

    When you were little, were you afraid of the high dive di

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