Religious mathematics

[Eyes to See]

a question to this would be why do only some exhibit this appetite and others are oblivious...in fact most are rather blase' about the whole matter and have no interest or appetite at all, over their entire discernible lifetimes.... very odd if the theory that this is some god's playpen for his brood of brats...must have been some bad baby batter in the mix...oh well manifest a convenient scapegoat and blame it on that guy and give the kids guilt over being flawed from the outset as if it is their fault through the sharing of the parental guilt.....nice guy.what possible lesson could one derive from such a chaotic mess of a story?

There are many reasons. Many use false religion to satiate their spiritual hunger:

"Why do you keep paying out money for what is not bread,
And why spend your earnings for what brings no satisfaction?"
Isaiah 55:2.

There was a post I made yesterday as well that touches on the subject. There are three main things that distract a person from the road to life. And puts them into a spiritual slumber, a deathlike sleep as it were. I was trying to link to the post but really can't figure out how so I just copied it.

Here it is:

Jesus said "happy are those conscious of their spiritual need."-Matthew 5:3.

Man worships because it is an inborn, and innate need. When it is not filled he is left feeling empty and alone. Even atheistic societies seem to understand this very innate and basic human need. For example, if you were to go to the atheistic nation of North Korea, while religion is forbidden you will see worship taking place. Every household has to have the portrait of the Dictator and worship it every morning.

Now ask yourself does that false worship really take the place of true worship of the true God Jehovah? No. But it does act as a superficial filler for the void that people have a need for.


View attachment 43281

Satan has woven thick webs of deceit over the entire world of humankind. He has placed politics, false religion and the commercial system of things to mislead people away from God.

He seems to really want to stop the use of Jehovah's name. So he uses religion to try to blot out Jehovah's name, and give people a false sense of worship.

(Satan...is misleading the entire inhabited earth-Revelation 12:9.)

In fact Satan misleads sincere people that are looking to fill that spiritual need with false religion so that the people really worship demons and not the true God.

(Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light. It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness.-2 Corinthians 11:14, 15.)

He uses the commercial system of things to lure people away from being conscious of their spiritual need. Modern-day materialism teaches that true happiness and security can be found in obtaining wealth. So people may strive after it in vain their entire lives, yet never understanding why they don't achieve the happiness they are promised.

(The wealth of the rich is his fortified city; It is like a protective wall in his imagination.-Proverbs 18:11)

The bottom line is all you see are people who are unfulfilled, unhappy, and lonely. They are being starved, suffocated from true worship that comes from serving Jehovah the true God of all things.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Okay... sounds as if you were trying to be as confusing as possible then.

Only to some people thankfully not as a whole.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Coming in late to the thread so I read the context of the question in the OP. Why is there a greater purpose to our lives than the mundane? Something that is spiritual? Why is the search for spirituality or religion, greater than the mundane? I am trying to relate what I understand you to mean.

Jesus said this:

“Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need, since the Kingdom of the heavens belongs to them."-Matthew 5:3.

Here he indicates that there is a spiritual need that we have as humans. People who are searching to satiate that spiritual need are aware of it.

Why is it greater than the mundane? Jesus said those who are aware of that spiritual need are happy, because to them belong the kingdom of God.

A lot is involved in that statement. But it includes everlasting life. And that is worth far more than anything mundane or banal. It is of the greatest value!

Jesus likened finding the truth to several things because of the greater value of it. One such was that of a pearl of great value:

"Again the Kingdom of the heavens is like a traveling merchant seeking fine pearls. 46 Upon finding one pearl of high value, he went away and promptly sold all the things he had and bought it."-Matthew 13:45, 46.

Somewhat. A bit more vague. What's the logic of needing or being greater than equal?

For you, in other words, why does god need to be greater than humanity and not equal to?

Depends on how people see themselves in relation to those things or people they most value.

 

[stvdv]

We really want you to close the window but we may say "it's raining outside" hoping that you can read our minds (passive directness)

Wow that's even more cryptic than what I recently saw a YouTube. 2 American girls said something similar, here in Holland if we need to pee, we just say I need to pee, where is the toilet? But that was too much for the poor girls, in the US they ask "Where is the restroom".

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Why is "greater than" better than "equal to?"

I hope I have read your question right in relation to religion.

In creation God has to be greater than creation. Creation can show us of God, by creation can not become God.

Another way to put it is the Artist can paint their most perfect picture, but the picture will never be more than an emination of the mind of the artist.

Regards Tony

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Wow that's even more cryptic than what I recently saw a YouTube. 2 American girls said something similar, here in Holland if we need to pee, we just say I need to pee, where is the toilet? But that was too much for the poor girls, in the US they ask "Where is the restroom".

Haha. That's even a better example. Americans.

 

[MNoBody]

There are many reasons. Many use false religion to satiate their spiritual hunger:

"Why do you keep paying out money for what is not bread,
And why spend your earnings for what brings no satisfaction?"
Isaiah 55:2.

There was a post I made yesterday as well that touches on the subject. There are three main things that distract a person from the road to life. And puts them into a spiritual slumber, a deathlike sleep as it were. I was trying to link to the post but really can't figure out how so I just copied it.

Here it is:

Jesus said "happy are those conscious of their spiritual need."-Matthew 5:3.

Man worships because it is an inborn, and innate need. When it is not filled he is left feeling empty and alone. Even atheistic societies seem to understand this very innate and basic human need. For example, if you were to go to the atheistic nation of North Korea, while religion is forbidden you will see worship taking place. Every household has to have the portrait of the Dictator and worship it every morning.

Now ask yourself does that false worship really take the place of true worship of the true God Jehovah? No. But it does act as a superficial filler for the void that people have a need for.


View attachment 43281

Satan has woven thick webs of deceit over the entire world of humankind. He has placed politics, false religion and the commercial system of things to mislead people away from God.

He seems to really want to stop the use of Jehovah's name. So he uses religion to try to blot out Jehovah's name, and give people a false sense of worship.

(Satan...is misleading the entire inhabited earth-Revelation 12:9.)

In fact Satan misleads sincere people that are looking to fill that spiritual need with false religion so that the people really worship demons and not the true God.

(Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light. It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness.-2 Corinthians 11:14, 15.)

He uses the commercial system of things to lure people away from being conscious of their spiritual need. Modern-day materialism teaches that true happiness and security can be found in obtaining wealth. So people may strive after it in vain their entire lives, yet never understanding why they don't achieve the happiness they are promised.

(The wealth of the rich is his fortified city; It is like a protective wall in his imagination.-Proverbs 18:11)

The bottom line is all you see are people who are unfulfilled, unhappy, and lonely. They are being starved, suffocated from true worship that comes from serving Jehovah the true God of all things.

well, you didn't really address the thing I touched on, i see a true/false dichotomy with standard servitude/rebellion ideology presented though. thanks for explaining it, and it is kind of a reiteration of what I posed as the apparent situation.
so what lessons could be learned [as humans are ostensibly supposed to be doing] taking that story as being credible?
[basically the question i posed at the end of the original post that started this discussion]

 

[blü 2]

Why is "greater than" better than "equal to?"

Mathematics is morally neutral, and > is neither better nor worse than =. < or ≡.

As for why modern Western humans like to think like Gordon Gekko, perhaps one place to start is Max Weber's classic set of essays (1905) which became The Protestant Ethic when translated into English early in the Great Depression.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Mathematics is morally neutral, and > is neither better nor worse than =. < or ≡.

As for why modern Western humans like to think like Gordon Gekko, perhaps one place to start is Max Weber's classic set of essays (1905) which became The Protestant Ethic when translated into English early in the Great Depression.

In religion?

 

[Samantha Rinne]

Why is "greater than" better than "equal to?"

Because who decides what is equal?

The problem of equality is that life is not fair. People being treated equal is how our society works. All men are created equal, but they have they right to make good or bad choices. The equality picture makes it seem as though differences are set in stone though, which is not the case. Just as the child grows up, a person can gain or lose money. Situtations change, so picture 1 is not accurate. It's fatalism and victim mentality.

But what's wrong with making things equal? Shouldn't everyone get to see the game? What's wrong with making sure the minorities get a small boost?

Equity typically is in theory about making things equal, but socialist and other egalitarian movements tend to be run by petty people less interested in improving their own lot than they are in dragging other people down. Worse, even if you legitimately tried to build things up for one person to bring it up to the level of another, sooner or later the hard working person looks around at the free handouts given to "unequal" people, and just up and quits.

There we go (NSFW for gore)

Spoiler

I fixed it.

When we work to be greater than we are, things get closer to equal.

 

[blü 2]

In religion?

I can't claim to answer for believers. My focus is on reality.

 

[Brian2]

I tried doing it in religious context without giving too much away to ruin the meaning behind it. It's vague intentionally. The theme is heirarchy versus equality

So someone can be equal to another in respect of what he is, (eg a human being.) but at the same time can be greater or lesser than that other in respect of authority or some other measure.

 

[Clara Tea]

You apparently meant "when."

Harris wants free education and health care for illegal aliens. While the US is racking up huge debt, it is spending money where it doesn't have to.

America grates (nerves), due to COVID.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I can't claim to answer for believers. My focus is on reality.

Religion rather than the religious.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

So someone can be equal to another in respect of what he is, (eg a human being.) but at the same time can be greater or lesser than that other in respect of authority or some other measure.

No. It's comparison and contrast between the two views.

 

[firedragon]

Why is "greater than" better than "equal to?"

So someone has told you that he is sure "greater than" is better than "equal to"?

If not, the why question based on a false premise. Its like someone asking you "why did you steal from me" when they have not even known you or done any investigation whatsoever.

 

[blü 2]

Religion rather than the religious.

So what's the question exactly?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

So what's the question exactly?

Why is hierarchy in religion better than equality?
(What is seeing something "greater" than than, say humanity, opposed to seeing someone equal than oneself?)

 

[blü 2]

Why is hierarchy in religion better than equality?
(What is seeing something "greater" than than, say humanity, opposed to seeing someone equal than oneself?)

H sap sap is tribal and hierarchical, as are our cousins the chimps and bonobos. We have our alpha males and females and so do they.

To go with that, our evolved morality includes respect for authority and loyalty to the group. All our institutions reflect that in some way or another - families, businesses, corporations, the law, the military, professional associations, labor unions, sports teams ...

And all the cultures we know of include supernatural beings of one kind or another, some benevolent, some malevolent, some indifferent. (As someone remarked, the rabbit's foot didn't bring much luck to the rabbit.) So perhaps it's little wonder that some of our gods are seen as leaders, protectors, guardians, sources of authority ─ the Abrahamic god, who begins as one of the tribal gods of the Canaanite pantheon, and is later promoted to Sole God, being a clear example.

So hierarchy in religion, like hierarchy throughout society, is 'good' because that's the way humans have evolved to think. And we can work backwards from that to the idea that we wouldn't have evolved that way and be where we now are, if that tendency to hierarchies was not a successful strategy for survival and breeding.