tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post5626457198357266371..comments2023-11-28T01:07:04.107+02:00Comments on The Devil's Pleasure Garden: Some Notes on GodRobert MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05720124605199903710noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-57593214554797615922012-06-15T21:41:00.855+03:002012-06-15T21:41:00.855+03:00Good to hear from you, poet George.Good to hear from you, poet George.Robert MacLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720124605199903710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-10310247421786420712012-06-15T05:44:47.316+03:002012-06-15T05:44:47.316+03:00It's easy to get lost in questions of the ethe...It's easy to get lost in questions of the ethereal and they can be quite fascinating, but like you said, Bob, "...don’t think about that now, you’ve got the rent to pay." If we don't keep our feet on the ground then fantasy will mislead us! Great article!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-91847768897237396092012-06-07T02:41:51.649+03:002012-06-07T02:41:51.649+03:00Nice to have you look at it, Mark.Nice to have you look at it, Mark.Robert MacLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720124605199903710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-7471499156758142872012-06-07T02:13:20.746+03:002012-06-07T02:13:20.746+03:00Very interesting blog Richard, thanks for giving m...Very interesting blog Richard, thanks for giving me something to think about. Well done.Mark Ellsworthhttp://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1084961/mb_ellsworth.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-62317127554244212132012-06-07T02:11:37.279+03:002012-06-07T02:11:37.279+03:00OK, North York guy. (I've traveled your terra...OK, North York guy. (I've traveled your terrain in more ways than one.) I don't say no to any of this, but it doesn't penetrate the mystery; which is ONE of the things, at least, that we want.Robert MacLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720124605199903710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-86132373941566635702012-06-06T22:27:28.654+03:002012-06-06T22:27:28.654+03:00Maslow's needs. People with resources don'...Maslow's needs. People with resources don't worry about paying the rent, either - and have trouble connecting with what financial duress really feels like.<br /><br />They GET more stuff for the social positioning it gives them. We don't tend to think of it this way, but there's a genetic rationale for that. Mates with physical fitness (looks), social position (dominance) and resource access (wealth) will produce stronger offspring that will have a greater chance of success going forward.<br /><br />The more social we become, the more sense it makes to download responsibility, specialize and collaborate, etc, so that we can worry less about the fundamentals. When genetically it's all about individual superiority, though, what motivates socialization? There's a genetic answer for that, too. It's about neurochemistry. Worth noting, there's a correlation between religion and the development of civilization and between mental health (think maniacs who talk a lot to strangers) and ecstatic religious states. The question gets asked, who did people with bipolar disorder think they were before Jesus?<br /><br />Consider this - God is two things; one, existence (we're all part of the same ecosystem - if God is everything, we're God too) and two, a pro-social state of mind. A state of mind that drives us to love our neighbours and collaborate to increasing degrees, creating a social organism that's more than the sum of its parts.<br /><br />This dichotomy between limbic reactiveness and pre-frontal consciousness, then, could be the sleep/awake methaphor that repeats itself through time and across cultures.<br /><br />Something to think about, at least...Craig C-Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04497351002357692661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-4526672851811943052012-06-06T16:47:23.053+03:002012-06-06T16:47:23.053+03:00There's a lot here, Seema, but I think I basic...There's a lot here, Seema, but I think I basically agree.Robert MacLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720124605199903710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-10447215351227418742012-06-06T16:46:21.186+03:002012-06-06T16:46:21.186+03:00It's a puzzle, all right. Beats me.It's a puzzle, all right. Beats me.Robert MacLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720124605199903710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-4519541869945046092012-06-06T07:51:06.561+03:002012-06-06T07:51:06.561+03:00I follow a very basic thinking about GOD & tha...I follow a very basic thinking about GOD & that is - during their times, all GODs were Human beings. Was Christ not a human being and then due to his sacrifice and dedication to humanity and suffering, all other human beings of the time gave Christ a place where everyone worships him.<br /><br />Likewise even in Hindu Mythology, all the Gods worshiped by generations, were human beings and got the place of worship due to the struggle, life pattern and dedication to the community that they were termed as GOD.<br /><br />However balance approach could be GOD exists in every one and its more of a Behavior, approach & attitude and not the Material benefits or belongings or liabilities which decide the status.<br /><br />We should believe that element of GOD (Good) does exist in everyone. Its only the circumstances which make people behave in a particular manner, which again is termed as GOOD or BAD by all of us.<br /><br />This is my take and understanding about the GOD. I do categories the Natural SUPER POWERES such as Sun, Moon, Earth, Sky, Water and Air as something very different, which is not created by anyone. They are all the forms of SUPER POWERS, ruling our lives.Seema Singhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-35059769810781896092012-06-06T03:52:00.249+03:002012-06-06T03:52:00.249+03:00If you were God you wouldn't have to worry abo...If you were God you wouldn't have to worry about paying the rent or anything else for that matter... unless of course you forgot who you were. in which case you wouldn't be a very omniscient god.Monteirohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00167316316571039642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-92210454990774408572012-06-05T18:54:35.038+03:002012-06-05T18:54:35.038+03:00Good! Thank you for that, Nigel. There's so mu...Good! Thank you for that, Nigel. There's so much to read!Robert MacLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720124605199903710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7508216806840488452.post-10813867704278474472012-06-05T18:48:10.705+03:002012-06-05T18:48:10.705+03:00Interesting. Fun. But: not all Gnostics believe in...Interesting. Fun. But: not all Gnostics believe in the demiurge – and you forgot to mention Sophia. Also, Gnosticism was the basis of the Islamic Sufi tradition. After reading Rumi, try St John of the Cross. Aside from the homoerotic poetry (which the Vatican still insists is purely allegorical; or a mistranslation; or both) the metaphysics are Gnostic, not Western Christianity.nigel fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05046677097308427320noreply@blogger.com