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Judaism

0 (0%)

Christianity

17 (23.3%)

Islam

1 (1.4%)

Hinduism

0 (0%)

Taoism

0 (0%)

Buddhism

0 (0%)

Scientology

2 (2.7%)

Other (please tell)

7 (9.6%)

Athiest

35 (47.9%)

Undecided

1 (1.4%)

Agnostic

10 (13.7%)

Total Members Voted: 70

[USEC_OFFICER]

Random religious fact of the day: Several passages in the New Testament talk about the brothers of Jesus a lot. So when the concept of the 'Eternal Virgin Mary' became popular, these passages were a little embarassing. The Catholic Church explains these away by saying they're Jesus's cousins. The Orthodox Church, having a better understanding of the passages in their native Greek, says that they're Jesus's half-brothers from an earlier marriage of Joesph. The Protestants, not buying into the eternal virgin thing, say that the texts are straightforward and that these people are Jesus's literal brothers and sisters. <sub>Or at least came from the union of Joesph and Mary, depending on how you factor in the divine conception.

The history of the Bible is some pretty interesting stuff, like how the Gospels are different based on the different authors/writers and their beliefs or how the Christian community tries to fit Christ's crucifixion into the Messianic prophecies where it really doesn't belong.</sub>

[Dunamisdeos]

Those of us over here in nondenominational land don't really care about Jesus' brothers or cousins or half-sister's-cousin-on-his-mother's-side-twice-removed-from-baggins aside from an academic interest, because they are not considered special for being related to Jesus any more than Obama's third cousins are also considered former Presidents.

If I'm not mistaken things like "eternal" and "mother of god" etc etc was added in by various sects as a way to elevate to her to the level of some form of additional deity. I think her only actual title in the bible was "Mary". She didn't even have a surname/family/parental linage attributed to her (Though Mark refers to her as mother of Jesus, IIRC). Even "Virgin Mary" is just a way to differentiate her from the other Marys in the bible. What staying a virgin her whole life would have accomplished in context is beyond me. She was a married lady, I'm sure she behaved like one after Jesus was born.

Do you want crusades? Because embellishment is how we get crusades. No. *newspaper bap*

[TD1]

She was a married lady, I'm sure she behaved like one after Jesus was born.

I hate to raise the point, but I suspect that she behaved like one before Jesus was born as well.

"An angel did it!" has always struck me as a funny way to explain an unplanned pregnancy.

Which raises the question of how many women have since claimed that their children were divine miracles and nothing to do with that man over there, nope. I suspect quite a few, and some may even have believed it.

[Dunamisdeos]

He actually did not believe her and was preparing for a quiet divorce before an angel showed and said nah man, that's actually a thing this time.

So as postulated she is indeed probably not in fact the first woman in history to make that claim. Probably not even the first time Joseph had heard it.

[Teneb]

He actually did not believe her and was preparing for a quiet divorce before an angel showed and said nah man, that's actually a thing this time.

So as postulated she is indeed probably not in fact the first woman in history to make that claim. Probably not even the first time Joseph had heard it.

Always remember all the stories in which Zeus knocks up some woman. Sometimes without consent. Sometimes while the husband is forced to watch.

[hector13]

Then turns them into a cow to hide them from his wife, who is also his sister.

[Dunamisdeos]

Don't forget that time Loki turned into a girl horse and gave birth to the best horse ever.

...Sleipnir is Odin's steed, is the child of Loki and Svađilfari, is described as the best of all horses...

[Svađilfari] is a stallion that fathered the eight-legged horse Sleipnir with Loki (in the form of a mare).

Wonder why they left this out of the MCU. I guess there's one more movie. Plenty of room left for Odin to charge in, riding his grandchild adopted grandhorse into battle to save the day.

By the by, this was a plot by Loki to avoid paying a mason for the cost of construction. But the mason turned out to be bad, anyway.

[hector13]

Wasn’t the mason a giant? Or am I thinking of a different legend?

[Dunamisdeos]

He was a secret giant, and therefore they just had him killed instead of paying him. I believe it is insinuated that if they had known all along they'd have gone with this plan from the beginning.

[Grim Portent]

The Norse gods were often pretty hostile towards giants. Even ones who had done nothing to harm them or others.

Somewhat strange seeing as many married, had children with or were children of giants.

[Starver]

As sort of requested, below (from AmeriPol), this is maybe interesting here.

Non-religious churches, how does that work? Religion without the dogma would just be philosophy wouldn't it?

I suppose offramp this tangent to the religion thread, dunno.

The one I've been hearing a lot of (have no connection to them myself, but I like what I've heard) is https://www.sundayassembly.com/story

[Dunamisdeos]

I actually wanted to weigh in on this but missed the Ameripol tangent

I don't think you can have a non-religious church...? I think it's not a church at that point, not that I mind them naming themselves whatever they please. Sort of like if I named my 100% secular reading club the Book Mosque.

Sounds like a philosophy meeting (whatever that is generally called) and that sounds cool to me. People who aren't religious need a place to gather and form communities. I think we have a unique branding opportunity here, and should push for such things to have a cool name like "Philosopher's Conclave" or "Council of Smartypants" etc.

[Trekkin]

I actually wanted to weigh in on this but missed the Ameripol tangent

I don't think you can have a non-religious church...? I think it's not a church at that point, not that I mind them naming themselves whatever they please. Sort of like if I named my 100% secular reading club the Book Mosque.

Sounds like a philosophy meeting (whatever that is generally called) and that sounds cool to me. People who aren't religious need a place to gather and form communities. I think we have a unique branding opportunity here, and should push for such things to have a cool name like "Philosopher's Conclave" or "Council of Smartypants" etc.

Good grief, actually advertising a philosophical society as an alternative to church? Just call it the Conclave of Ten Thousand Schisms A Day Between Basically Identical Armchair Intellectuals Too Smart For Religion Or Faith Or Agreement With Anyone Or Anything (But Really Want To Tell You About Why) and have done with it.

[Dunamisdeos]

I actually wanted to weigh in on this but missed the Ameripol tangent

I don't think you can have a non-religious church...? I think it's not a church at that point, not that I mind them naming themselves whatever they please. Sort of like if I named my 100% secular reading club the Book Mosque.

Sounds like a philosophy meeting (whatever that is generally called) and that sounds cool to me. People who aren't religious need a place to gather and form communities. I think we have a unique branding opportunity here, and should push for such things to have a cool name like "Philosopher's Conclave" or "Council of Smartypants" etc.

Good grief, actually advertising a philosophical society as an alternative to church? Just call it the Conclave of Ten Thousand Schisms A Day Between Basically Identical Armchair Intellectuals Too Smart For Religion Or Faith Or Agreement With Anyone Or Anything (But Really Want To Tell You About Why) and have done with it.

It's true that I have also found that people who identify primarily as Philosophers to be the Vocal Vegans of intellectuals, this is true, but they can still meet and disagree with each other in an organized fashion if they please :3

Jokes aside it's totally cool for people to form community centers around things other than religion.

[Trekkin]

Oh, absolutely it's cool. I just think this particular thing would be especially contentious, and I wonder if a church-type group would work as well for it as for something with more unified canon.