10-26-2008, 12:00 AM
Semantics is the study of not just the meaning of words , but , among other things , the emotional and mental effect , especially in a social context , that
words have. Just look at election campaigns and government propaganda. The word 'God' is loaded with all kinds of connotations which affect people
in various ways. Just something to consider.
As a mortal , I cannot deny all that is beyond my abilities or understanding. Also , I do not deny mystical or spiritual experience , that of prophecy, etc.
I have had a few of my own , while sober, by the way. But, the first thing that came to me , as to words, is that the term , 'supernatural' is an
oxymoron because everything is natural , if , or even if not, one believes in a creator. For instance , if I had landed among aboriginals , say 200 years ago
, in a Cadillac, surely I would have been seen as a god or supernatural. Heck , that was possible in some areas 50 years ago. There is no supernatural , only
the UNKNOWN.
So , you can call it God or whatever, but no human knows for sure. And , solidifying beliefs is dangerous in the extreme to the continuation of human life.
Don Juan also said that it's not about a moral code , but , and I agree , knowing what and how things work and behaving within those limits. Remember
that the definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again with the same result : failure.
words have. Just look at election campaigns and government propaganda. The word 'God' is loaded with all kinds of connotations which affect people
in various ways. Just something to consider.
As a mortal , I cannot deny all that is beyond my abilities or understanding. Also , I do not deny mystical or spiritual experience , that of prophecy, etc.
I have had a few of my own , while sober, by the way. But, the first thing that came to me , as to words, is that the term , 'supernatural' is an
oxymoron because everything is natural , if , or even if not, one believes in a creator. For instance , if I had landed among aboriginals , say 200 years ago
, in a Cadillac, surely I would have been seen as a god or supernatural. Heck , that was possible in some areas 50 years ago. There is no supernatural , only
the UNKNOWN.
So , you can call it God or whatever, but no human knows for sure. And , solidifying beliefs is dangerous in the extreme to the continuation of human life.
Don Juan also said that it's not about a moral code , but , and I agree , knowing what and how things work and behaving within those limits. Remember
that the definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again with the same result : failure.