Was this a personal attack?

I think he was sticking up for you Jeffrey.

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Reality Internet Personality

Was this a personal attack?

I think he was sticking up for you Jeffrey.

And it would have been appreciated if it wasn't ruined by the initial insult... ;)

Was this a personal attack?

I think he was sticking up for you Jeffrey.

First, quit changing your name, Excellent Woman.

Second, I have determined that it is pointless to say anything to Jeffrey. I wonder how long it will take you to figure that out. [outdoor voice]This is not a personal attack.[/outdoor voice]

Was this a personal attack?

I think he was sticking up for you Jeffrey.

So, what is your name now?

You should constantly change your name so that when people discuss your posts, everyone gets hopelessly confused :-)

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No animals were harmed in the making of the above post... much.

First, quit changing your name, Excellent Woman.

Sorry, I can't, I'm too evil.

Second, I have determined that it is pointless to say anything to Jeffrey. I wonder how long it will take you to figure that out.

I figured it out a long time ago, but it's fun trying. Rather like pulling the wings of insects.

[outdoor voice]This is not a personal attack.[/outdoor voice]

Shhh, keep your voice down or you'll get moderated. They're watching, they know everything.

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Reality Internet Personality

First, quit changing your name, Excellent Woman.

Enigma Woman is better. Amen.

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me@rescam.org

Tell me something I didn't already know... ;)

Was this a personal attack?

I think he was sticking up for you Jeffrey.

As Tom said, this thread is meant to discuss religion and religious issues, not pick on 98 pound (mental) weaklings. Tom has made some 'interesting' posts though.... from time to time.

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Belief gets in the way of learning

Was this a personal attack?

I think he was sticking up for you Jeffrey.

As Tom said, this thread is meant to discuss religion and religious issues, not pick on 98 pound (mental) weaklings. Tom has made some 'interesting' posts though.... from time to time.

Actually, all my posts are interesting . . . to me.

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Account frozen...

not pick on 98 pound (mental) weaklings.

If you must post this another dozen times at least get your facts straight...

It's 99.9992439574638459057463528 pounds... ;)

I went to see the Da Vinci Code today and I must say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. (I thought the book was ok, but I wasn’t particularly blown away by it.)

What I was wondering is what people think about the ideas contained within the film about the Holy Grail, Mary Magdelene and her descendents and the founding of the (Catholic) Church.

I am interested if anyone thinks that there could be a grain of truth in this (as per the research presented in the book “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail”) and that the grail is in fact the bloodline of Christ.

Or, do you think that the ideas are born from the collective unconscious in a desire to bring back the female side of spiritually and restore some balance to religion? Perhaps a positive reflection of our times?

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Reality Internet Personality

I went to see the Da Vinci Code today and I must say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. (I thought the book was ok, but I wasn’t particularly blown away by it.)

What I was wondering is what people think about the ideas contained within the film about the Holy Grail, Mary Magdelene and her descendents and the founding of the (Catholic) Church.

I am interested if anyone thinks that there could be a grain of truth in this (as per the research presented in the book “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail”) and that the grail is in fact the bloodline of Christ.

Or, do you think that the ideas are born from the collective unconscious in a desire to bring back the female side of spiritually and restore some balance to religion? Perhaps a positive reflection of our times?

There is Gaia, the Earth Godess. There is a hypothesis by her name that compares our planet to a living organism. Spiritually and science have some common ground.

I went to see the Da Vinci Code today and I must say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. (I thought the book was ok, but I wasn’t particularly blown away by it.)

What I was wondering is what people think about the ideas contained within the film about the Holy Grail, Mary Magdelene and her descendents and the founding of the (Catholic) Church.

I am interested if anyone thinks that there could be a grain of truth in this (as per the research presented in the book “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail”) and that the grail is in fact the bloodline of Christ.

Or, do you think that the ideas are born from the collective unconscious in a desire to bring back the female side of spiritually and restore some balance to religion? Perhaps a positive reflection of our times?

I haven't seen the movie nor do I plan to see it. That puts it in the same category as 99.9% of all movies :-)

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No animals were harmed in the making of the above post... much.

I haven't seen the movie nor do I plan to see it. That puts it in the same category as 99.9% of all movies :-)

Are you trying to tell me that you won't be seeing X-Men 3? OMG!!

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Reality Internet Personality

What I was wondering is what people think about the ideas contained within the film about the Holy Grail, Mary Magdelene and her descendents and the founding of the (Catholic) Church.

I am interested if anyone thinks that there could be a grain of truth in this (as per the research presented in the book “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail”) and that the grail is in fact the bloodline of Christ.

Or, do you think that the ideas are born from the collective unconscious in a desire to bring back the female side of spiritually and restore some balance to religion? Perhaps a positive reflection of our times?

I enjoyed the book and I may see the movie, but as far as your questions, the premise of the book is that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a child with her, and that blood line exists today. Could this have happened? It is possible, but highly unlikely.

A better question is, does it matter whether or not this happened? To me, the answer is clearly, no. For any religion, the most important aspect should be its spiritual message. Discussions about whether something happened the way it is reported in a religion's holy book are interesting and fun, but irrelevant to the religion's message. For example, think of the parables told by Jesus. It doesn't matter whether they happened or not, those parables were told to illustrate a point. Do we care, or should we care if there really was a good Samaritan? I believe we should care about the lesson that the parable teaches, not whether it is historically true.

Does it matter if Jesus was married and his blood line exists? Mohamed was married and had offspring; and Islam has many of the same good points and failings found in Christianity or any other religion. How would a bloodline that traces its way back to Jesus change His message?

On the other hand, the book does point out the anti-female bias that has been practiced by the Church for centuries. But many churches today are trying to reverse that bias, and they are doing so without turning to a belief that Mary Magdalene was a disciple who had special favor, and who was married to Jesus. It is not likely that all anti-female bias will ever be completely erased from Christian institutions, but I don't think that an unprovable theory about Mary Magdalene being Jesus' wife will make any difference to the debate.

Not related to your question, I liked the book, and will probably see the movie, because I enjoyed the interweaving of historical facts into the story. I also enjoyed the various puzzles and cryptic messages that had to be solved as the story progressed.

I am interested if anyone thinks that there could be a grain of truth in this

Nope! This book/movie is appropriately classified as 'fiction'...

Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper was painted in 1498...
Needlesss to say, he wasn't present at the event...

And to point out the obvious...
This painting represents the scene of The Last Supper as depicted in the Bible (John 13:21)...
If that was Mary Magdalene, where is the missing apostle?

The Roman Catholic Church understands The Last Supper better than any other religion... They have been reenacting it every Sunday for 2,000 years as described in the Bible... Jesus commanded all believers to 'Do this in remembrance of me' (Luke 22:19)(1 Corinthians 11:24)...

The only miraculous power in the 'Holy Grail' would be the bragging rights for being the proud owner of a 2,000 year old cup... ;)

What I was wondering is what people think about the ideas contained within the film about the Holy Grail, Mary Magdelene and her descendents and the founding of the (Catholic) Church.

I am interested if anyone thinks that there could be a grain of truth in this (as per the research presented in the book “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail”) and that the grail is in fact the bloodline of Christ.

Or, do you think that the ideas are born from the collective unconscious in a desire to bring back the female side of spiritually and restore some balance to religion? Perhaps a positive reflection of our times?

I enjoyed the book and I may see the movie, but as far as your questions, the premise of the book is that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a child with her, and that blood line exists today. Could this have happened? It is possible, but highly unlikely.

A better question is, does it matter whether or not this happened? To me, the answer is clearly, no. For any religion, the most important aspect should be its spiritual message. Discussions about whether something happened the way it is reported in a religion's holy book are interesting and fun, but irrelevant to the religion's message. For example, think of the parables told by Jesus. It doesn't matter whether they happened or not, those parables were told to illustrate a point. Do we care, or should we care if there really was a good Samaritan? I believe we should care about the lesson that the parable teaches, not whether it is historically true.

Does it matter if Jesus was married and his blood line exists? Mohamed was married and had offspring; and Islam has many of the same good points and failings found in Christianity or any other religion. How would a bloodline that traces its way back to Jesus change His message?

On the other hand, the book does point out the anti-female bias that has been practiced by the Church for centuries. But many churches today are trying to reverse that bias, and they are doing so without turning to a belief that Mary Magdalene was a disciple who had special favor, and who was married to Jesus. It is not likely that all anti-female bias will ever be completely erased from Christian institutions, but I don't think that an unprovable theory about Mary Magdalene being Jesus' wife will make any difference to the debate.

Not related to your question, I liked the book, and will probably see the movie, because I enjoyed the interweaving of historical facts into the story. I also enjoyed the various puzzles and cryptic messages that had to be solved as the story progressed.

I liked the movie. Seen it today. Never read the book.

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Red Bull Air Racing

Gas price by zip at Seti

I know I've posted this before, but it's always good for a laugh.

watch this

...and a new one...

then watch this

A better question is, does it matter whether or not this happened? To me, the answer is clearly, no. For any religion, the most important aspect should be its spiritual message. Discussions about whether something happened the way it is reported in a religion's holy book are interesting and fun, but irrelevant to the religion's message. For example, think of the parables told by Jesus. It doesn't matter whether they happened or not, those parables were told to illustrate a point. Do we care, or should we care if there really was a good Samaritan? I believe we should care about the lesson that the parable teaches, not whether it is historically true.

Um, to a devout Catholic, it might. The Pope has declared The DaVinci Code to be dangerous heresy. 500 years ago, people were burned at the stake for such heresy.

Today, the Church has no such power.

Many people think that this is a good thing.

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