quote:

Originally posted by Phil Knox:
Doug, your thing about God and everyone's differing experience. Naw! Because then you are saying the people in India worshiping their gods, or the Buddist, or the Mayans centuries ago, are worshiping GOD! And that's not so.

Sure Friend Phil; God lives in the heart, mind and soul, regardless of what we call him/her!

Nonsense!

quote:

Originally posted by fjp451:
Try this:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=ray+bradbury

Much better. I thank you!

You obviously have come to that realization that it doesn't matter who your mother or father is. As long as they are a mother or father. I take it that is your kind of belief system? That it doesn't matter who God is, regardless what we call him/her?

quote:

Originally posted by Chapter 31:
Salutations, Doug,
Re. “Charlotte’s Web” and the best Bond films.

Yes, both versions of “Charlotte’s Web” were excellent. I don’t think I could choose either over the other.

Best three James Bond films:

1. “From Russia With Love”
2. “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”
3. “Casino Royal – 2006”

Salutations!

1. Casino Royale(2006)
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr No

Mind you, Sean is still the best Bond, I just think the new Casino Royale is the best Bond film.

1. Connery
2. Daniel Craig (on the strength of one film!)
3. Timothy Dalton (far too short a stay)

Brosnan was only adequate, and Roger Moore was a buffoon, all gadgets and no grit. Have you read Bond? The Bond of the novels is very like early Connery or Daniel Craig. Lazenby's film was one of the better ones, but his performance was too wooden. Not a terrible Bond, though.

Since they've finally made Casino Royale (the first novel), I would love to see them make all the novels in chronological order, but they won't.

Really looking forward to the next few 007 films!

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Knox:
You obviously have come to that realization that it doesn't matter who your mother or father is. As long as they are a mother or father. I take it that is your kind of belief system? That it doesn't matter who God is, regardless what we call him/her?

We can't explain God. We can't define God. We can only worship God.

Doug,
Yes, I’ve read all of the Bond novels and short stories, a number of them the week they were published and so am very critical of the films, some of which are outstanding and “Casino Royale (2006)” is the film that most closely captures the Bond of the books for me.

Veering away from the sub-sub thread of the original thread and back to the sub thread, here is a calming observation that came to my attention:

“There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion…It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the [butterflies]. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this [butterfly] is an extra. It’s [loveliness is] an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness that gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from [the butterflies].”

Doug Spaulding:

Are you starting to sound like Bradbury himself with that last comment to Phil Knox, or what? You know, it kinda sounds theologically correct and there is some truth in it, but...is there?

John 1, 1:
"...the 'Word'" (the title of Jesus before he became a man) "always was, and the 'Word' was always with God, and the 'Word' was God."

If Jesus is God, (both God and now man) what do you mean you cannot understand God? If Jesus is the unending understanding of God to us, and the Holy Spirit speaks to us of the eternal depths of God that a human mind 'cannot' understand, but is known to us by God's Spirit, how can you say we cannot know God? If Moses looked upon God, he would have been destroyed, so God permitted him to see his back-side. But we now have Christ, and the Holy Spirit has been given to us in order to know the Father.

So elaborate!

Can we change the name of this thread to "religion 101", or maybe "007 & God".

I believe everyone is right, that includes all religions, beliefs, gods, & spies. Maybe I should say that I don't believe anyone to be wrong if they are a good and decent person who practices love. I think the reason we are here is to love and be loved, period! I personally in my thoughts on it, use the word god in the broadest sense. I do not think that God is so narrow as to be focused on one religion that is the ultimate truth like a magnifying glass pinpointing the suns ray on an ant. God is diffuse and permeates everything from the macro to the vastness of deep space. He/She/It is as deeply imbedded in a drop of water or a snowflake, or the moist reflection in someones eye just as well as in the nano second before the big bang or maybe two massive galaxies colliding, merging and becoming something "different" after the cataclysm. A very devout priest relayed to me that the better a priest is, the more he questions every aspect and belief he has regarding God. Personally for him, he said that every question or doubt that he had, was answered and confirmed his belief in God. His faith was reinforced and made stronger by his constant questions and his mind being open. Regarding scriptures, it is obvious to me that the Bible is multi-authored by man. Whether or not it is a direct result of God to me remains to be seen. Don't get me wrong please, I love the Bible and have read it front to back twice in my life. It is full of wisdom, teaching, and situations to help with all crisis and attain peace within. Many other books have that capacity as well, couldn't they too be a result of "God"?

Fav Bond movies directly attributed to a higher authority:

1. Dr. No
2. Goldfinger
3. Diamonds are forever

Can't wait to see the new one.

quote:

Can we change the name of this thread to "religion 101", or maybe "007 & God".

You know, Robo, I almost got sucked into posting something last nite that I surely would have regretted. Every remark, however, just seems to go better unsaid. As for all of you with your Bible-based religions... nevermind. Better unsaid.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama recommends that we frequently remind ourselves that WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.
It's liberating, try it sometime.

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"I don't know anything."

rocket, our Me generation carries that message, where everyone is right! That's why I believe The Rules of The Road, such as stop signs and no right turns, etc. shouldn't be enforced because everyone has the right to choose what's right for them. I like to drive on sidewalks. I enjoy it. I watch out for everyone else. Others may want to speed down the street with that 25 mph sign and go 75. I have a friend who pays no attention to those goofy red lights at intersectrions. He is careful of others when he goes thru. Who am I to say that's wrong? I am not afraid to love that person and that's what we should all be doing instead of judging others. I see this corelation with religion as well. Thanks, rocket!

"I don't know anything."

quote:

rocket, our Me generation carries that message, where everyone is right! That's why I believe The Rules of The Road, such as stop signs and no right turns, etc. shouldn't be enforced because everyone has the right to choose what's right for them. I like to drive on sidewalks. I enjoy it. I watch out for everyone else. Others may want to speed down the street with that 25 mph sign and go 75. I have a friend who pays no attention to those goofy red lights at intersectrions. He is careful of others when he goes thru. Who am I to say that's wrong? I am not afraid to love that person and that's what we should all be doing instead of judging others. I see this corelation with religion as well. Thanks, rocket!

Yeah, Phil Knox actually wrote that. Perhaps THAT would have been better left unsaid.

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I'm really starting to miss the old place.
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"I don't know anything."

Thanks y'all. I forgot to mention one of the most prominent and obvious to me displays of God is in the beaming innocent beautiful face of a smiling child. That is God looking at me and saying, "it's all going to be okay because I love you always". What do I know? Nuthin, .

Phil Knox:
I understand your sarcasm. I like driving on sidewalks myself!
Always seem to get in trouble for that however. Phooey!

grasstains:
Don't take it seriously, now. That was supposed to be.. (I'm certain) ...poking funny stuff like, dark humor style stuff, you know?

rocket:
Generally speaking, people dislike it when pinned down to specific biblical statements. Often they don't know how defend themselves.

You ever see the movie BARTON FINK? There's a scene from that Cohen Brothers movie where that lonely, broken elevator man in that broken, ghostly hotel, is taking a single passenger down to the lobby. The elevator guy is asked, "Hey, do you ever read the Bible?" And he answers, "Yeah, I've heard of it, the Bible." I recall this scene giving you the idea that there is something authoritive of even simply having heard of the Bible, a sort of glimpse of something valuable even tho it's so distant from the elevator man's life that he barely has heard of it. At the same time you feel sorry for the guy that his life is so mishmashed that he only barely recalls he's heard of it...

That priest friend of yours that said that the longer he lives the more questions he has...that's darn good! God is going to take you into the depths of Himself. And everytime He does that, 'You' have to move out and give up something about yourself where sin stands in the way. And as to being good as possible...scripture warns against it: being good is never enough. Never! You say, "WHA? Well, read it for yourself, for instance, in the first few chapters of the book of Ephesians.

Let me explain:
My struggle most of my life was not knowing how to give up certain sins. I tried holding my breath on many occasions, you know, sort of, I'll beat this." I'll be good!! But then the weakness comes back in such force you think you were like heaving your shoulders against a closed door and the waters of temptation were filling up the room on the other side of the shut door, and no matter how hard you tried to keep that door shut, it eventually just...overpowered you...and you drowned.

Later in lif,e I began to understand I had nothing to do with being good. It's too big, too wide, too large, too 'more intelligent than myself'. I had to learn how to trust God, who loved me, and was willing to put obstacles in my path that prevented my failure to be good. Oh, it's never a non-painful process. Looking at success in those areas, I had to say, God did this, or that.

By the way, If you read my earlier recent post on my path to discovering Bradbury, you'll catch the 'whys' of my religious talk...