sari0009's Xanga

Atheism May Not Be a Religion But Nontheism Orthopraxy Is

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:55:53 GMT

Eg. Buddhism, some forms of Hinduism, some forms of Pantheism,..

Nontheism is often mistakenly thought to be irreligious (anti-religious) despite the fact that religions can be nontheistic-orthopraxic (orthopraxy involves correct practice including but not limited to ethics, functional virtues, and the arts and disciplines involved in Equality, hospitality).

A nontheist is neither a theist nor an atheist (nor, for that matter, an agnostic) and does not define reality through any black and white God vs. God or The Forces of Good™ vs. The Forces of Evil™ dualism.

The Buddha didn't deny that there were Gods, but he did briefly differ with the definition of deity and then went on to put a fierce focus on orthopraxy and personal and community excellence...and part of excellence is choice of foucs, so I like this:

The Buddha usually replied to questions about the existence of God(s) with silence but told the story of a man shot by a poisoned arrow.

As the doctor moved to pull the arrow out of the wound, the man grabbed his hand and asked:

"Before you treat me, tell me, who shot me with the arrow? Was he of a warrior or some other class, tall or short, young or old, dark skinned or light skinned?"

Ignoring the question, the doctor pulled the arrow out in answered the question in doing so -- the patient would have died without pulling the arrow out.

So, you can spend your time in endless speculation or get on with excellence, some mysticism, some pragmatism.

Or, as I'd like to say, where the focus goes, the energies flow, which ensures more of the same, and that is why, in part, I wrote Painting Pluralism the say I did, in reaction to an atheistic organization putting up billboards, and why my path is an orthopraxy, though I'm not exactly Buddhist.

Painting Pluralism

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:55:04 GMT

An atheist organization posted a billboard down in Fl. to let people atheism was another option and that the organization existed and was reaching out, so I replied:

Most atheists unwittingly obey God vs. Godless dualism, the dominant (monotheistic orthodoxy) paradigm they're rejecting. I do find that phenomenon interesting because...

Where the focus goes, the energy flows.

That and if you want to really challenge the dominant paradigm and broaden the scope of your fellow human beings, you have to name the paradigmm, name the alternatives and how they may differ on a functional, theological and/or philosophical basis, as well as how definitions for worship, Deity, Divine, and religion may vary.
So, besides monotheistic orthodoxy, there are other sorts of religion orthopraxic, polytheistic, non-theistic and so on.
For example, as an eclectic Wiccan-Druid, well, eclectic that acknowledges many influences, I practice an orthopraxy (correct practice, including but not limited to ethics, functional virtues, and the arts and disciplines of equality and hospitality) . I define worship as "to recognize the worth of," not to grovel before some cosmic hierarchy, and my definition of Deity includes both anthropomorphized ones as well as ones that are not.

It's not faith-based identity but people's demonstrable character, intelligence, and thought/behavioral patterns and **what they mean** and **how they touch the lives of others** that I pay attention to and and value because that type of focus is more functional and it tells me far more about the world around me. These are much more reliable indicators and that type of focus tends to have a very different directional force. They also tell me what power metaparadigm they're in (more on that in a moment).

If more people succinctly nail (explain) what their path is, whatever it is, the political-social landscape becomes an obvious pluralism rather than occult pluralism, occult meaning "hidden," making the Equality power paradigm more likely than the Power and Control (abuse) paradigm whose dysfunctional axis is about taking power from others at others' expense and suffering.

I like equality better because it's about the removal of the institutions of prejudice (creedism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, and so on) and about mutually earned and maintained courtesy and respect.

Spreading the word of atheism just isn't enough. I'm not against all forms of atheism but promoting it isn't quite the win many would hope it would be. It may not move things along in the direction they wanted.

Putting up a different road sign while not changing the landscape or direction does what?

An example of how little atheism can change if it doesn't challenge the dominant paradigm is how easily atheism and creedism flip flopped yet maintained dysfunction in Russia.

Designed beads, learned to make faux pewter, & made my 1st beaded chains!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:53:46 GMT

Does have a metallic look to it.

Crystal on body of Goddess matches color used in chain. This is a starter piece, not something I'd sell. The metalic colors look cheap together...but, you know, I was having fun learning. I'd been afraid to make wire chains for years, and it isn't easy. Not for me anyway.

Ah, and this has the red, green, and fire colors of Yule. Note the sun on the body of the Goddess. Yule welcomes back the sun.

With it's leaf bead, this one is perfect for fall. Couldn't resist adding a copper moon bead to dangle attractively on the back of the neck, from off the clasp.

Focal beads are about 1.5 to 1.66 inches long.

Not feeling well so not all the best pictures here.

I'm having a terrible time trimming and tucking in those wire tails on each wire wrapped segment. I think I need better wire cutters and a few tips. Maybe I'll hit a few youtube how-to videos and try again.

Later...wrapping the 28 gauge wire a few more times made it wide enough to use the micro crimper to tuck in the wire tails. Thanks for the tips!

Updated October 17, 2009.

Giving Chances vs. Legalism

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:35:33 GMT

Not going to make the whole argument but...

Kid, his brother and some friends break into a theater to vandalize it. Once inside, they were caught by the Theater's Artistic Director who gave them scripts, offered them parts, and one those kids became a well known movie star instead of another statistic.

The actor is Vin Diesel and the guy who gave him a chance is Crystal Field. Why this worked out was probably part gut instinct and part awareness that legalism is limited.

Vin Diesel was 7 at the time that his path in life was altered like that.

Perhaps it's not always in the best interests of society to put kids through the court system.

Updated One of My Favorite Entries Involving Virtues, Imagination, and Equality

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:46:49 GMT

http://sari0009.xanga.com/603410074/imagination-and-virtues-of-equality/

This after I read about Bush snubbing Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, for fear that giving her an award would equal a tacit approval of witchcraft.

Also see:

JK Forwling Lost Out on US Medal over Harry Potter 'Witchcraft' which mentions that Ted Kennedy was also snubbed because he was a liberal.

Compare that to recipients under President Obama's watch, so far: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Names-Medal-of-Freedom-Recipients/

Testing Pardo, a New Phthalate Free Polymer Clay

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:40:16 GMT

Note: No one Tests Polymer Clay Like Garie. A must read. He's tested the clays several different ways and documents well. Me? I have not received any products or encouragement in any form from anyone to do this apge. I just like testing clays because I care about my beads lasting a long time.

My Goddess Bead Says "Health" In English and Chinese
(Using "Bronze" Pardo Jewelry Clay)

Polymer Clay Experience

I have, gosh, something like 14 years of experience with polymer clay now? The first 8 years or so involved sporadic polymer clay use (making runes) followed by more frequent claying with different polymer clays (while making art dolls, beads, mosaic tiles). I've used many brands of polymer clay and followed some through several reformulations.

Why Testing Polymer Clays is One of my Passions

After taking so much time to create and perfect my prototype beads and then create molds of them for repeated use, like the Goddess bead mold that helped me create the above bead, or after putting time into a pure sculpt (sculpting without the use of molds), durability is a huge issue for me.

Dimensions Tested

Bead is 1/4 inch thick by 5/8 inch wide by 1 2/3 inches long.

Clay Tested

Pardo is a new phthalate free polymer clay that uses beeswax in their recipe yet it leaves no beeswax residue while curing, don't ask me how they do it. (Many exhisting polymer clays were already reformulated to be phthalate free. Some reformulations, Fimo's in particular, affected recommended curing temperatures, so always read your labels.)

Pardo is labelled as a jewelry clay, comes in some very attractive colors and was available at my local Hobby Lobby store, so I caved in. It is a little more expensive than some other polymer clays, so I got it on sale!

Pardo Color Tested Today

I picked Pardo in "Gold" and compared it to every "gold" polymer clay in the store and it looked very promising even before curing. After curing, Pardo has the most superior gold color and lustre by far of all the gold colors in all the polymer clays I've ever tried. Their "silver" clay is like that too. Since that's opinion, judge for yourself.

Pardo Durability Test

Always check your oven temperature. The Pardo beads did not break after being repeatedly dropped onto a hard cold cement floor, and the cured clay didn't scratch easily under normal wear, but it broke upon the first attempt to bend it slightly -- it was my oven's fault. After performing reliably for years, suddenly it wasn't getting up to temperature. So I tested it with a handy dandy oven thermometer, got it up to the desired temperature and found that Pardo performed among the best if baked at the recommended temperature. Now cured properly, the bead has quite a bit of bend to it.

Previously, Studio by Sculpey tested as superior in strength and flexibility but now with Pardo, I'm not sure which is better, this Pardo jewelry clay or Studio by Sculpey.

Conclusions

Again, always check even your tested and true appliances. I put in two different oven thermometers in my previously trusty oven and both indicated that the oven temperature was now not getting up to setting temperature indicated on the oven dial. The results were horrible.

I then readjusted the setting until the desired temperature was acheived and baked again and my conclusion is that this is one of the more durable polymer clays for jewelry use and due to Pardo's superior color, I'll probably be buying more Pardo. And again, the Pardo metallic clay looked even better after the cure.

Updated Oct. 12, 2009.

Search Terms That Reach my Autism as Wrong, Disease, Demonic, Criminal Page

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:37:46 GMT

Typical search terms that reach my Autism as Wrong/Disease/Demonic/Criminal page include:

autism demonic, autism possession, autism demonic possession

Today someone reached my page with the search term "autistic violent retard."

I doubt they read my page with attentive interest and a willingness to learn...but you never know.

Egosim, It's Not an E Pluribus Unum United We Stand Thing

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:17:18 GMT

News clip after news clip and article after article have to do with poor or even criminal behavior but what about all the every day bravery out there, the genius, the talent, the tortoise wins the race despite adversity stories?

Egoism is the habit of valuing people, places and events mainly/only in reference to one's world view, so let's mention a dominant one.

The Forces of Good™ vs. The Forces of Evil™

A guy went on a shooting spree affecting multiple victims, two of which died, but articles and blogs overwhelmingly exhibited a focused polarized abortion debate response and glorification of the anti-abortionist victim, although his son described his anti-abortionist activist father as a very misogynistic sociopath in the anti-abortion movement just to piss people off and hopefully die a martyr. Habitually, only the briefest of mentions is made of the other murder victim and near murder victim, if any mention of them is made at all, and the contrast serves to marginalize/dehumanize the second victim, those grieving him, and those who recognize motivations and reasoning behind the phenomena.

Example: http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story/Anti-Abortion-Activist-and-Business-Owner-Slain/yq8ITw9R7kSYM8oMBMQPNQ.cspx?rss=785
The article is summarized so: "Anti-Abortionist Activist and Business Owner Slain; 63 year-old James Pouillon was known as 'the sign guy.'"

Rampant egoism: The clinically-depressed-totally-really-stocked-up-on-ammo murderer thought he'd punish according to his angry world view, the journalists thought they'd marginalize one victim and martyr the other along the lines of The Forces of Good™ vs. The Forces of Evil dualism, and the public generally, if you look at various comments to articles/blogs/message boards, went for the polarized abortion debate under the same (generally not so bluntly stated) equation and conclusions.

Shooting sprees at universities, schools, business, on the street or in churches are only the tip of the rampant egoism iceberg.

Some, monotheists included, don't let their social and/or religious indoctrination get so unbalanced that "Love thy neighbor" (ethics of reciprocity) turns into martyring one at the expense of the other.

And what else do I see featured in news today? People misbehaving. Kayne West, because he grabbed the microphone away from someone accepting a music video award, and then the professional tennis player chick...what's her name (goes and looks)...oh yes, that Serena Williams, now persona non grata because she blew up on the court in a most monstrous way.

Our culture makes it too easy to devalue and rip into others and the very fabric of courtesy and respect in society.

I'm more interested in how people view adversities as opportunities in disguise, see difficult changes as constructive change to be imagineered, and teach their kids compassion, dignity, and functional values by living them. I'm more interested in the student that applies themself, the teachers who go that little extra step to make a huge difference, and those who tweak people's minds when they see things are way out of balance, dysfunction.

So, today I reached out (with my karrie9 comments here and here) and tweaked people's minds about journalism's and the public's response to a multiple tragedy.

I think I'll go immerse myself in something constructive, followed by hours of duty in the extended family. That's refreshing.

Autism Awareness and Optimism

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:18:53 GMT

Which is better, an optimist that's always disappointed or realist who is grudgingly justified?

And optimist wouldn't be limited by only two choices.

Related

Autism as Wrong/Disease/Demonic/Criminal About dualism, the habit of dividing anything, even people and things autism, into two supposedly opposite forces/choices. Confronting and educating about dualism is part of the autism awareness movement, emotional intelligence, and better use of all human intelligences.

Either Winning Legal Case or...There's Nothing of Import?

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:19:43 GMT

Wisconsin Court Dismisses Muslim Employee's Bias Claim

Court of Appeals Decision

A public school hall monitor, an adult employee, was told by the principal that he shouldn't wear his minority religious garb, including his ring, because the students can't...on the grounds that minority religious garb is used by gangs. Can you smell the bull roar? The school repeatedly admitted to it, even in court (see above court filing).

Craftily, they didn't enforce it. But they did fire him. Not for wearing his religious garb, of course. This particular Muslim former employee did not have a good case, represented himself, and is a bit dumb.

Even if the school didn't directly enforce the dress code, officially (enforcing creedist dress codes) or officially-unofficially (choosing not to enforce creedist dress codes...but they're still posted) discouraging minority religious wear (common in Wisconsin) does contribute to a climate of religious prejudice and often does sneak as close as possible to appearances of establishment of religion.

Which goes to show you:

Being legal, our lowest common denomintor/expectations, doesn't mean there isn't a climate of prejudice.