Can I pray to Satan in school?

Quote: terapined

I am very anti-$cientology.

It's a mind-control, money-sucking cult, based on made up nonsense that appeals to the gullible.

A true religion, in other words.

If they would just stop harassing those who write or say anything negative about them, I'd have no legal problem with their continued existence.

"Can I pray to Satan in School?"

Ask the question of your average high school student, and he will say "Pray to the Prince of Darkness in the heart of his domain? How can you not?" :)

Sorry, minor flashback to a certain professor J.M. at school. The man was a math genius, and a first class S.O.B. I'm sure he's the inspiration for the recent Facebook meme which goes something like "If you throw triangles out of a train and air resistance is a real thing, how many cupcakes can Pedro buy with a human soul?" about calculus problems given in tests.

Quote: Nareed

It's a mind-control, money-sucking cult, based on made up nonsense that appeals to the gullible.

A true religion, in other words.

I think you describing modern business not true religion. True religion is a mind opening, money giving community based on truths that appeal to all thinking people.

Quote: FrGamble

I think you describing modern business not true religion.

Some businesses may be like that. the vast majority, though, except perhaps most airlines (except Interjet), offer value, convenience, comfort, security, among other things, at a fair price in an open marketplace.

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True religion is a mind opening,

Dogma is not a way to open a mind. At least not an active mind.

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money giving

I know some monasteries make products or offer services for sale. Other than that, a church does not produce any money to give. All it might give is first gathered from other people.

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community based on truths that appeal to all thinking people.

I will not dispute it's a community.

Quote: Nareed

offer value, convenience, comfort, security, among other things, at a fair price in an open marketplace.

Aha, this sounds a little bit more like religion, except that all those things come for free.

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Dogma is not a way to open a mind. At least not an active mind.

Come on now we know that truths must first be accepted before any exploration or activity, whether it is the physical laws of science or the grammar rules for writing.

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I know some monasteries make products or offer services for sale. Other than that, a church does not produce any money to give. All it might give is first gathered from other people.

A Church gives services that money makes possible, such as health care, food, money for rent, utilities, and pharmacy, legal help, immigration services, grief counseling, employment help, school tuition assistance, shelter for the homeless, mission trips to help impoverished or devastated communities, just to name a few of the ministries we provide here.

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I will not dispute it's a community.

We always seem to find something we agree on, yeah!

Quote: AZDuffman

Freedom of religion means freedom of religion. Attempt to ban religion have always failed in the long term. Christian, Jewish, Scientology, or Global Warming, let them have their freedom to their message.

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion. But I agree, there's no point complaining about any group being active on campus. The difference and line should be avoiding religion being -part- of the lessons themselves (though even there, teaching about various religions and spiritual thoughts is no bad thing to give people -cultural- references to the rest of the world).

Government money should not be used for religious activities, and I am highly opposed to tax breaks for churches. And non-profits in general (as opposed to legitimate charities). Non-profit is a term ill-used. But that's another rant.

Quote: terapined

I am very anti-$cientology. Downtown Clearwater is so creepy, on a scale of 1 to 10, the creepiness level is up to 11.

Reading your report, sounds like the creepy
one in the area is you. If I saw somebody
sitting in a car all day watching my place
of business, I'd damn well call the cops
too. You stalk them yet they're the creepy
ones? Whatever you say..

Quote: FrGamble

Aha, this sounds a little bit more like religion, except that all those things come for free.

All I ever found in religion was the exact opposite, plus a great deal of boredom.

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Come on now we know that truths must first be accepted before any exploration or activity, whether it is the physical laws of science or the grammar rules for writing.

There are some assumptions and axioms understood to be self-evident, which form the foundation of everything else. but even these can be, over time, tested or verified. Dogma is not to be questioned or examined. It just is.

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A Church gives services that money makes possible, such as health care, food, money for rent, utilities, and pharmacy, legal help, immigration services, grief counseling, employment help, school tuition assistance, shelter for the homeless, mission trips to help impoverished or devastated communities, just to name a few of the ministries we provide here.

I don't dispute that. But all that money comes from elsewhere. The church makes not one penny of it. It does not give its money, but that of others. It's very easy to be generous with other people's money.

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We always seem to find something we agree on, yeah!

I will remain studiously quiet on this matter ;)

Quote: Nareed

I don't dispute that. But all that money comes from elsewhere. The church makes not one penny of it. It does not give its money, but that of others. It's very easy to be generous with other people's money.

Very true, and it's always been a vexation
to the Church. That was the point of the
Inquisitions, to steal money and property
from rich heathens. When they went into
a town, it was always the rich Jewish landlord
or store owner they went after. Even if he
did convert, they would take most of what
he owned for the Church. If they tortured
him to death, they took it anyway. This is
how the Church got so wealthy from about
1200 to the mid 19th century. They stole it..

http://books.google.com/books?id=FfgVZZueMy0C&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=inquisition+theft&source=bl&ots=-V8lp22pKz&sig=SDDYfyBjs10j48OY_zd5OQedGz4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LXdmVKOlLvPksASGzoEQ&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=inquisition%20theft&f=false

Quote: Nareed

There are some assumptions and axioms understood to be self-evident, which form the foundation of everything else. but even these can be, over time, tested or verified.

Yep, this is true in theology as well.

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Dogma is not to be questioned or examined. It just is.

This would be dogma is a stifling or negative sense. To use your example of the self-evident axioms, they can be questioned or examined, because they are truth these examinations only serve to strengthen the teachings that are based on such truths.