Capitalism

The law of consecration

Capitalism: lobsters in a pot
Communism: elevating each other (stand where you are and lift)

Not to be selfish with our gifts and talents. Teach others and give freely of infomation and power. 

Elder Ballard stated "All competition is prideful" capitalism is bassed on the principles of competition. Therfore capitalism is prideful.  

Engaged in a posative persuit

Engaged in a positive pursuit

Can one be happy without a purpose in life? It is an aristocratic idea that all individuals can and will accomplish greatness. Every person wishes to elevate their current position. Did the janitor dream of being a janitor as a child?

There will always be a working class. There will always be haves and have nots and the haves will always want more just the same as the have nots want more. Whether the "more" that is wanted is esteem from colleagues and friends or a better quality of life the desire is there.

It's a question of motive. One can claim whatever motive they want but that claimed motive may be an attempt to gain esteem from others therefore can not be trusted. Discovery of true motive requires much inward meditation and exploration. Motive is not arbitrarily chosen, picked out in a whim. Motive runs deep and is nearly unchangeable.

Motive to survive.

What motivates me?

The esteem of others is a large contributor in all my actions. I want a successful career to tell mom and dad I have done good and can take care of them so that my friends and family will see that I am one of the greats. To feel a cut above the rest.

Why read the scriptures? Do I believe reading them will help my quality of life.

We only do things when we believe they will be of benefit to ourselves. Nothing we do is selfless. We may choose to do things because it is selfless but our motive in that case is esteem from others. We are selfless so others will see our selflessness.

Do we read our scriptures so others will see us read and see our spirituality.

Self preservation fear and pride. These are my motives. These are not moral motives.

Everyone has an angle

Motivation
Love is the only pure motive
Fear is not a virtuous motive
Guilt is not a virtuous motive
Pressure to please another is not a pure motive
The ease of the way is not a pure motive
Personal gain or acclamation is not a pure motive
What should I love?
All that is praiseworthy and good
All should be nurtured and preserved
I should love all natural life- all life
I should love humanity and work to preserve them
The things I want to express are too long too lengthy for a painting or series of paintings
I need to become more brevitous
Brevity
Intelligence is the most precious life
It should be preserved above all else
It is what I love and value most

god is not great

All the dictionaries i found had two main definitions for miracle.

1.	any amazing or wonderful occurrence
2.	a marvellous event manifesting a supernatural act of a divine agent

I hear more and more people denying the second definition and claiming all miracles described in scripture and by clergy fall within the realm of the first. That is, all miracles are amazing natural phenomena. This is what I also believe to be true. What is never clarified to me is why god is evoked when talking about these miracles. Natural phenomena have natural causes. A sky god would have to be supernatural to even exist in the form described by any mainstream religion. God doesn't seem to be as great as the hype would lead you to believe.

It seems that god is used as a drug to some. Something used to get artificial good feelings. A religious experience is a nice high but there are other, less destructive, ways to get it. If denying homosexuals equality, lying about the effectiveness of condoms, artificially linking religious dogma with charity (as many christian charities do), and any number of the other atrocities are what it takes to get that high i will gladly find alternatives.

I agree with Jon. Many times natural emotion or hallucination is mistaken for revelation and inspiration. And in these cases when the revelation turns out to be false or to bring about negative outcomes the revelation is written off as "a trial." The person thinks God wanted them to do the wrong thing to teach them a lesson. This is a false idea that religious people should put out of their minds. But it is not easy or pleasant for the person to admit that the alleged revelation was not valid in the beginning.
"Science is about seeking to explain the world around us. For him at least, it can co-exist with faith." Stated in Jon's first reference Last sentence last paragraph (see here).

This is what I believe as well. I maintain the idea all miracles fall within the natural laws of the universe.

But the sensation Jon posted about was not what I was referring to when I described my desire to have a "religious experience." I was referring to the unity one can feel with their peers. The experience could be had in many different non-religious settings. I use the term "religious experience" to describe a wide range of experiences that may be better associated with a different term.

One of the points I was making is that I do not need to wade through all the phony rehearsed dialogues at a church in order to have the feeling I am seeking.

A "religious" experience

This is hardly a subject with a whole lot of room for opinion. "Religious" experiences are actually biological reactions to external stimulus. (see here, here, here, and here. Wikipedia here) To claim otherwise is to put more importance on unfounded and religiously biased claims than on actual observations made through extensive research.

How many times do we have to discover the natural causes behind previously presumed supernatural phenomena? We must assume that unexplained phenomena have a natural cause. This is the only way to be intellectually honest with ourselves. There is no reason to believe that anything exists outside of the natural word.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck don't assume it's a unicorn.

A Religious Experience

While sitting in church a few Sundays ago I asked myself why I go. I have a bad attitude at times while listening to shallow whiteness being born with a lack of authenticity or convincing power. And while pondering this bad attitude I asked myself, 'Why do I come here?' I found myself composing a lengthy explanation in my head that I wrote down...

I come for a religious experience

Religion: a body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices

Experience: an accumulation of skills and knowledge as a result of participation in applicable activities.

Religious experience: betterment of ones self as well as true knowledge gained through the participation in and observation of group activities among persons sharing particular beliefs and practice.

One can participate in a religious experience in schools, among peers, at a concert, watching a film, reading any book, and even among atheist colleagues. God as a topic of discussion is not a prerequisite in the endeavour to have a stimulating religions experience. The only prerequisite is that one be open enough to the topic at hand to enable that individual to find common beliefs or practices with the other individuals involved.

Individual religious experience: to resolve in ones own mind a conflicting principal or principals that have never before been resolved in the persons mind. The person is finding common ground within their own mind. They have found truth or at least truth that is true in their own personal perception of the reality we all exist in.

There may be a more universal term for the experience described here. But for the purpose of my use of the term "religious experience" the explanation given here most clearly defines the term.

Time

The theory of general relativity tells us that time itself is relative. That is, time passes at different rates depending on the position of the observer (See Wikipedia entry). If we apply this, admittedly a bit inappropriately, to our everyday lives it puts things into an new perspective. From this perspective we find less importance in the speed with which we accomplish goals and can, instead, focus on the quality of those goals. We can focus on advancing our own intellect, and the overall intellect of humanity, instead of racing to jump through the hoops of a prescribed life. I think it's time to strive to be the proverbial tortoise, instead of the hare.

Time

Time is a temporal measurement of temporal activities that have no relevance in the eternal existence of our soles. The only activities that matter are the activities that contribute to the refinement and development of our intelligence. Our intelligence is the part of our existence that uniquely defines us as individuals. Intellectual, moral, and social development are the only worth while pursuits. The TIME it takes to progress in life's pursuits is bass and inconsequential in comparison to the actual progression. The question to focus on is not how fast we accomplish things but if we are purifying our beings at any rate at all. Location, activities, and acclamations developed and perpetuated by our own acknowledgment of self-acclaimed, unmerited, certificates of completion are not relevant. Are not real. Are below me and my existence.