Atheism Just A Necessary Step on the Path To God?

I wonder: does one have to renounce religion before one can "find God"? Does one have to first realize that organized religion is just a farce made by Man until we find our true path? The ONE path that unites us all?

I believe in God. I know that there is a Universal force that guides life and directs humans toward Love. You may call this force Allah, God, Yahweh, Buddah, The Force, etc. etc. The word we use "matters not", to quote a true master.

I have been distracted lately with spiritual matters. Internal ones.

I also have been fascinated by a Showtime show called, 'Sleeper Cell'. If you have Showtime, perhaps you have seen it. I know it is not new, but it is new to me.

There is a clip that shows the interchange between an Al-Qaeda cell leader and an American atheist who was raised by Christian extremists. I believe it is very telling.


The rest of the clip is unavailable by legal means. I highly recommend it. Any thoughts would be appreciated, as I think extremism only changes form, sort of like matter. Most of Western Civilization, thanks to our founding fathers and the constitution, has realized that spirituality is a matter for individuals, not the state. However, much of the globe still wants to impose their religious beliefs upon us using force.

Is it possible that Atheism is at its core just a rejection of human interpretation of God's word? Isn't this human interpretation inherently flawed? Is it possible that to find a true connection with God we first must relinquish many of the dogma's that we are faced with? Or at least question them? Of course, many original spititual texts point straight to God. I do not know the answers. These are just questions.

Any thoughts? Mine are that spirituality and religion are in general "good" for man. However, when they are hijacked by some men and used improperly to control and manipulate others they become extremely dangerous. I still believe salvation and peace are achieved one soul at a time. The sum of this will equal world peace some day. Until then, well.......................

FINALLY!!!!!

It is about time - people in Pakistan are beginning to stand up against extremism. Thank God. I know there are many moderate Muslims who detest the Taliban. It is nice to finally hear from them.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/01/pakistan.taliban/index.html

These are very brave women. I would like to support then spiritually and financially.

My Mom's Favorite Song

I love this song.

U.S. To Blame for Extremist Islamic Movement?

I got into a political/philosophical discussion with someone today. Their basic premise was this:

The U.S. is to blame for the increase in Islamic extremism around the globe because of our response to 9/11 and the subsequent invasion of Iraq. The U.S. is to blame for anti-U. S. sentiment in the Middle East because we have been oppressing Arabs, and other peoples in the Middle East since the 1950's. The person I was debating said he could see why Bin Laden would hate the U.S.

I remained calm. I try not to get emotionally involved when discussing such issues. When the person I was talking to said the U.S. has been oppressing people in the Middle East for decades I asked, "How?" "Can you give me some examples?" To which I got a stare that seemed to imply I was stupid if I did not know all the ways. Therefore, I would not be given an answer.

I was then told how many innocent civilians we have murdered in Iraq. On this point, I agree. I still do not see why we went in to Iraq instead of fighting the Taliban with full force in Afghanistan and going after Al-Qaeda in Pakistan. The implication the person I was debating with was making was that if I was not willing to condemn Bush and his policies, I agreed with, or supported the killing of innocent civilians in Iraq.

Then I said, "I have one question for you: Did 9/11 happen before of after the U.S invaded Iraq?" No answer, just a "Hmmmpf!"

"Well", I replied, "one could say that Anti-American sentiment was pretty high before 9/11. Isn't that why it happened?"

Back and forth, we went, on and on the debate went. America has done wrong. We have made mistakes. Our government has killed countless civilians needlessly. This sucks. It is terrible. I disagreed with Iraq from day one. However, am I willing to say Bush is a horrible guy who hates Muslims and caused Islamic extremism? Hell no. I have no idea what Bush's CIA briefing was like EVERY DAY OF HIS LIFE after 9/11. I do not know the reasons behind all the decisions he made. I am naive enough to believe he probably was trying to to his best to protect America under extremely difficult circumstances.

I still believe the reason we were attacked on 9/11 is because radical extremists see the U.S. as the biggest threat to their control over their people. Principally their women. (And yes, extremist Islamists consider women "theirs".)

I still believe man's right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is the reason Islamic extremists hate us so. Those ideas threaten everything they believe in. Does this mean we have never screwed up? No, I am sure we have.

I believe in calling a spade a spade. I believe that the awareness of evil (ego) in our midst (all of ours, myself included) is the only thing that will defeat it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362422088941893.html

Perhaps my debate opponent has a view closer to that of former President Carter. I tend to agree with Mr. Pearl.

I think that vilifying America is exactly the WRONG path to take if we want to defeat extremism around the globe. Instead, we should focus on her best; the principals of freedom and equality on which she was founded.

Still Trading

I really like Carter Worth of Oppenheimer. He is a great technician, who has been consistently right on about market direction over the last year and one half or so.

My fake million dollar portfolio has suffered over the last two months, partly because I missed this bear market bounce, and partly because I was just too busy to trade during tax season, so I didn't pay as much attention to it as usual. I stayed short many big names like MASTERCARD, AUTOZONE, and LOWES because even though they did very well during this bounce, they are WAY overvalued. You could also buy the ultra short financials ETF at this point. (only for a short term trade though)

However, I COMPLETELY agree with Carter here for many reasons. If you have enjoyed profits in this uptrend take them now.



On another note, I reconnected with my old managerial accounting professor from Carlson. He has his own consulting firm and does fabulous web design. Check out his blog: http://speroconsulting.com/blog/
Much of the thought processes I apply to problems I encounter today I learned from him. He often used the Socratic method in his courses. It made many an MBA who thought they would sail right through without much thinking squirm in their seat! Great thinker!

Obama: New Friends and Apologies

Strange bedfellows? Is he a peacemaker, or the worst kind of appeaser? Is he an apologist? Is it right of him to be traveling the world confessing America's sins? Decide for yourself.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/13/chavez-jews-referendum-opinions-contributors_0215_rowan_schoen.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020402428.html

http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/09/democrats_and_the_antisemitism.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2007/01/2008525144836670455.html

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2009/04/01/chavez_in_iran_obama_still_leads_empire/


Now, I know he couldn't do much about Chavez coming up to hand him a book. I really think Obama believes he can change the minds of America haters. I really think he cannot see that many humans are blinded by their hatred.

Some people are afraid of freedom. Freedom requires an enormous amount of self-confidence, personal responsibility, resilience, and determination. To many, the idea that they are personally responsible for their state of mind, which is what ultimately determines their quality of consciousness, and for the most part their quality of life, is liberating. To others, it is terrifying.

If they are responsible for their own mental and physical creations, for the state of their life and relationships, for the impact they have on those around them, and more, then it must follow that if they are unhappy, unfulfilled, depressed, or otherwise living in a state of resistance, it is their own fault. Guilt creeps in and they conclude it is much easier to be told what to to. It is much easier to be controlled and manipulated. Then, they have someone to blame for their unhappiness. This is the mindset of people like Hugo Chavez. America, the Jews, and well just about everyone else is to blame for their own personal hell. Men like him use the power of the word to make their populations feel like victims. Then, they swoop in and offer to be the saviour. The populace buys the idea of collective victim hood and hands over their freedom willingly. Sound familiar?

Another characteristic of this type of man? Their downright FEAR of the feminine. Why? Because powerful, freedom loving women threaten to take away their greatest source of power.... physical force. Earning the love of a woman who is your equal is in my opinion, the scariest thing men have to face in their lives. Few have the courage to do it. In America, (which is feminine in and of herself) this masculine fear and domination which has plagued the Earth for so long has been greatly diminished. Women are protected as equals by the law. Women are provided the same opportunities as men. Women have a much greater influence on the direction our society takes than in any other county on earth. (That I know of at least.) Look at what suppression of the feminine has done to the Middle East. Look at what is has done to Africa.

America herself threatens the mindset of dictators like Chavez, Amenidinijad, & Kim Jong-Il. America inspires the fear of anti-Semitic, anti-American, and anti-feminine terrorist leaders like Osama Bin-Laden. They hate America because she possesses something they haven't the courage to find within themselves. They hate America because its very existence challenges the systems of power they keep in place to control others.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Very threatening indeed. Only to those who fear the dark side of themselves.

So, is it wrong, or bad of Obama to be kind and gracious to dictators? If it is done from a place of strength, (like Reagan with Gorbachev), the answer is no. If it is done as a penance for embracing freedom and defending freedom around the globe, I think it is a mistake. What and whom exactly is he apologizing for?

Oddly enough what got me thinking about all of this was a movie I happened to see on TV last night. It is called "Dangerous Beauty". A "courtesan" from Venice during the Inquisition is accused of sorcery and tried by fearful men. But some men, I believe the same kind of men who founded America, come to her defense. The fearful men who wish to kill her remind me of the modern day religious zealots that wish to destroy America. Her kind of confession is the only kind America should make.

Proud To Be An American

This guy is truly an American hero. What a great ending to a scary story. Cool. Americans, and their resilience, never cease to amaze me.

I have also noticed how hard regular Americans are working to turn this economy around. Doing taxes gave me the opportunity to meet so many resilient people. Many lost jobs, many had suffered through foreclosure, or divorce. Amazingly, even when they owed the government THOUSANDS of dollars in taxes because of reducing their withholding to pay the mortgage, they were kind. Resilient, brave, kind, hard working. They are doing different kinds of work to make ends meet. They are giving up material things in order to start over and start fresh. That is how most Americans are. Cool.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/17/maersk.captain.flight/index.html