In saiva religion, siddhars are numerous, a siddhar is one who has attained siddhi from lord, siddhi is "power, prowess, strength, ability", then a special kind of psychic and supernatural, miraculous, occult power. There are eight kinds of super natural powers called as "Ashtama Siddhis"<br>1. Anima (shrinking) -- shrinking the body in very smaller level.<br>
2. Mahima (illimitability) -- expand the body in unlimit size<br>
3. Lagima (lightness) -- lightness body in bigger size<br>
4. Garima (weight) -- heavy weight in smaller size body.<br>
5. Prapthi -- visit all the worlds, in the speed of air<br>
6. Prakasysm -- entering into other bodies and going to heaven<br>
7. Isithavam -- he control over the all elements,angels,devils<br>
8. Vasithavam -- the power of changing the course of nature and assuming any form.<p>The 18 siddha is<ol>1. Sri Pathanjali Siddhar<br>
2. Sri Agasthiar Siddhar<br>
3. Sri Kamalamuni Siddhar<br>
4. Sri Thirumoolar Siddhar<br>
5. Sri Kuthambai Siddhar <br>
6. Sri Korakkar Siddhar<br>
7. Sri Sivavakkiyar<br>
8. Sri Sundaranandar Siddhar<br>
9. Sri Konganar Siddhar<br>
10. Sri Sattamuni Siddhar<br>
11. Sri Sugar<br>
12. Sri Ramadevar Siddhar<br>
13. Sri Kakapusundar<br>
14. Sri Edaikkadar Siddhar<br>
15. Sri Machamuni Siddhar<br>
16. Sri Karuvoorar Siddhar<br>
17. Sri Bogar Siddhar<br>
18. Sri Pambatti Siddhar<br>
</ol>
http://www.geocities.com/mh_kamraj

------------------
http://www.geocities.com/mh_kamraj

Someone thinks he is really clever

------------------
"Music is the universal language and the
dialect we speak in is Hip Hop!" - King Solomon

TFTI!

------------------
╔═════════════╦══════════════════╗
║ TheJkWhoSaysNi║ -----@% (Snail racing. ) .║
╠═════════════╩══════════════════╣
║Warning: This post may contain traces of nut║
╚════════════════════════════════╝

anyone want to borrow my delorean to run this guy over?

------------------
In soviet Russia, thread posts YOU!

A delorean is too nice to run someone over with.. use a steam roller.

------------------
╔═════════════╦══════════════════╗
║ TheJkWhoSaysNi║ -----@% (Snail racing. ) .║
╠═════════════╩══════════════════╣
║Warning: This post may contain traces of nut║
╚════════════════════════════════╝

kamaraj: I'd appreciate it if you'd stop spamming the forums with threads about seemingly the same topic. Start one thread, that's fine. Two, well... hmmmm, one would've been enough. But three: it's just too much. Start another one, and I'll be forced to take more drastic measures.

------------------
GhostOfYoda - General doer of stuff.

HTML? I eat HTML for breakfast!

------------------
Wise men say that fools rush in where angels fear to tread, so look before you leap, so to speak, because the grass is not always greener on the other side of the hill.

I'm confused as to what he's trying to accomplish. Do these threads have any real bearing on...anything?

*sigh*

------------------
There is no signature

I'm glad you feel that way, kamaraj.

------------------
"Why aren't I'm using at these pictures?" - Cloud, 4/14/02

lol

Scientology: Scio (Latin) know, logos (Greek) the word or outward form by which the inward thought is expressed and made known. Thus, Scientology means knowing about knowing.

The full story of the development and codification of Scientology can be found in scores of books, more than 15,000 pages of technical writing and more than 3,000 taped lectures. All told, these works represent a lifetime of research by L. Ron Hubbard to discover a workable means to set men spiritually free — to replace ignorance with knowledge, doubts with certainty and misery with happiness.

Today, the fruits of L. Ron Hubbard’s work are available to anyone who wishes to reach for them. And no matter how different Scientologists may be — whether teachers and businessmen, housewives and athletes, artists and secretaries — they hold one vital factor in common: having significantly bettered their lives, they know that Scientology works.

Nothing in Scientology, however, need be taken on faith. Its truths are self-evident, its principles are easily demonstrable and its technology can be seen at work in any church of Scientology. One need only open the door and step through.

Scientology is a twentieth-century religion. It comprises a vast body of knowledge extending from certain fundamental truths, and prime among those truths: Man is a spiritual being endowed with abilities well beyond those which he normally envisages. He is not only able to solve his own problems, accomplish his goals and gain lasting happiness, but also to achieve new states of awareness he may never have dreamed possible.

In one form or another, all great religions have held the hope of spiritual freedom — a condition free of material limitations and misery. The question has always been, however, how does one reach such a state, particularly while still living amidst a frantic and often overwhelming society?

Although modern life seems to pose an infinitely complex array of problems, Scientology maintains that the solutions to those problems are basically simple and within every man’s reach. Difficulties with communication and interpersonal relationships, nagging insecurities, self-doubt and despair — each man innately possesses the potential to be free of these and many other concerns.

Scientology offers a pathway to greater freedom.

While the hope for such freedom is ancient, what Scientology is doing is new. The way it is organized is new. The technologies with which it can bring about a new state of being in man are likewise new.

Because Scientology addresses man as a spiritual being, it stands completely apart from other religions which see man as a product of his environment or his genes — fixed in the limitations under which he was born.

Rather, Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life. Based upon the tradition of fifty thousand years of thinking men, it is built upon the fundamental truths of life. From these principles, exact methods by which one can improve conditions were derived; and unlike other efforts of improvement, which offered only rules by which men should live, Scientology offers real tools for use in everyday life. Thus, it does not depend upon a system of beliefs or faith. The emphasis is squarely on an exact application of its principles toward the improvement of one’s life and the world in which we live.

To understand exactly how Scientology is utilized, something should be known of the track of research L. Ron Hubbard traveled and the antecedent of Scientology — Dianetics.


------------------
Capitalization
Commas
Periods
Question Marks
Apostrophes
Confusable Words
Plague Words

Please post on a relevent forum. I can almost garentee you that no one here cares. In other words: SPAM!

Somebody tell this guy that this kind of stuff goes in the Religious Debate foru...nm.

------------------
Truth is in the eye of the beholder.
Forum Rules

------------------
<ubuu> does hitler have a last name?
<jipe> .. yes, Ubuu, we're racist commy nazi jews, and we hate male pattern baldness
<Professor`K> Sorry, but half-way through your logic, my head exploded

The name of this religion, Islam, is derived from the word "salam," which is often interpreted as meaning "peace." However "submission" would be a better translation. A Muslim is a follower of Islam. "Muslim" is an Arabic word that refers to a person who submits themselves to the will of God. Many Muslims feel that the phrases "Islamic terrorist" or "Muslim terrorist," which have been observed so often in the media, are oxymorons.

Most religious historians view Islam as having been founded in 622 CE by Muhammad the Prophet (peace be upon him).* He lived from about 570 to 632 CE). The religion started in Mecca, when the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) read the first revelation to Muhammad (pbuh). (Mohammed and Muhammed (pbuh) are alternate spellings for his name.) Islam is the youngest of the world's very large religions -- those with over 300 million members -- which include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Muslims traditionally acknowledge respect for Muhammad, Jesus and other prophets (peace be upon them) by adding this phrase or an abbreviation "(pbuh)" after their names.

However, many if not most of the followers of Islam believe that:
bullet Islam existed before Muhammad (pbuh) was born,
bullet The origins of Islam date back to the creation of the world, and
bullet Muhammad (pbuh) was the last of a series of Prophets.

Followers of Islam are called Muslims. "Allah" is an Arabic word which means "the One True God." An alternate spelling for "Muslim" that is occasionally used is "Moslim"; it is not recommended because it is often pronounced "mawzlem": which sounds like an Arabic word for "oppressor". Some Western writers in the past have referred to Islam as "Mohammedism"; this is deeply offensive to many Muslims, as its usage can lead some to the concept that Muhammad the Prophet (pbuh) was in some way divine.

About Muhammad (pbuh) :

Many unusual events have been recorded about Muhammad's (pbuh) birth and childhood:
bullet His mother said "When he was born, there was a light that issued out of my pudendum and lit the places of Syria."
Also at the time of his birth, "...fourteen galleries of Kisra's palace cracked and rolled down, the Magians' sacred fire died down and some churches on Lake Sawa sank down and collapsed."
His foster family had many experiences of amazingly good luck while he was in their care.
As a young child, the angel Jibreel visited the boy, ripped his chest open, removed his heart, extracted a blood clot from it, and returned him to normalcy. 4

While still young, he was sent into the desert to be raised by a foster family. This was a common practice at the time. He was orphaned at the age of 6 and brought up by his uncle. As a child, he worked as a shepherd. He was taken on a caravan to Syria by his uncle at the age of 9 (or perhaps 12). Later, as a youth, he was employed as a camel driver on the trade routes between Syria and Arabia. Muhammad (pbuh) later managed caravans on behalf of merchants. He met people of different religious beliefs on his travels, and was able to observe and learn about Judaism, Christianity and the indigenous Pagan religions.

After marriage, he was able to spend more time in meditation. At the age of 40, (610 CE), he was visited in Mecca by the angel Gabriel. He developed the conviction that he had been ordained a Prophet and given the task of converting his countrymen from their pagan, polytheistic beliefs and what he regarded as moral decadence, idolatry, hedonism and materialism.

He met considerable opposition to his teachings. In 622 CE he moved north to Medina due to increasing persecution. The trek is known as the hegira . Here he was disappointed by the rejection of his message by the Jews. Through religious discussion, persuasion, military activity and political negotiation, Muhammad (pbuh) became the most powerful leader in Arabia, and Islam was firmly established throughout the area.

About Islam:

By 750 CE, Islam had expanded to China, India, along the Southern shore of the Mediterranean and into Spain. By 1550 they had reached Vienna. Wars resulted, expelling Muslims from Spain and Europe. Since their trading routes were mostly over land, they did not an develop extensive sea trade (as for example the English and Spaniards). As a result, the old world occupation of North America was left to Christians.

Believers are currently concentrated from the West coast of Africa to the Philippines. In Africa, in particular, they are increasing in numbers, largely at the expense of Christianity.

Many do not look upon Islam as a new religion. They feel that it is in reality the faith taught by the ancient Prophets, Abraham, David, Moses and Jesus (Peace be upon them). Muhammad's (pbuh) role as the last of the Prophets was to formalize and clarify the faith and to purify it by removing foreign ideas that had been added in error.

[This message has been edited by Sine Nomen (edited August 28, 2004).]

Sine, he's talking about Hinduism though. But I think I misinterpreted your post and you realize that. Oh, and "salam" sounds like salami.

These Siddhars seem like Force powers.

------------------
If you can read this, you need better glasses.

LESBIANS ARE FROM LESBOS LOLOLOLOLOL

------------------
"A drug person can learn to handle such things as seeing their dead grandmother crawling up their leg with a knife in her teeth. But no one should be asked to deal with this trip."
-Raoul Duke, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

I REALLY, REALLY want to know why Massassi gets the weridos... I mean, of all the R E L I G I O U S forums you could have picked to express yourself, you choose a STAR WARS FORUM?



------------------
[="Rememeber that history isn't how the corporate controlled media made it look like. Read between the lines and free your mind. Evolution is the birth of equality and the anti-thesis to opression." - Immortal Technique=]

Massassian since: March 12, 2001

Okay, fine, I'll play.

Historical Context of the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths

To assert that a religion is independent of other faiths is not to argue that it began in a religious vacuum. Buddhism emerged from a traditional Hindu background, and only after it had crossed the Himalayas did it assume its full character as a separate faith destined to become a major cultural force in China, Japan, and the lands of Southeast Asia. Similarly, Jesus Christ and his immediate followers began their mission within the context of Judaism and for some two centuries the movement was regarded by neighboring peoples as a reformed branch of the parent religion. Christianity did not appear as a separate religion with its own scriptures, laws, and institutional and ritual forms until it had begun to attract large numbers of adherents from the many non-Semitic races in the Mediterranean world.

The religious matrix of the Bahá'í Faith was Islam. Much as Christianity was born out of the messianic expectations of Judaism, the religion that was to become the Bahá'í Faith arose from eschatological tensions within Islam. In the same way, however, the Bahá'í Faith is entirely independent of its parent religion.2

The new faith first appeared in Persia, a predominantly Muslim country. It then spread to neighboring Muslim lands in the Ottoman and Russian Empires and to northern India. Though some early followers were of Jewish, Christian, or Zoroastrian background, the vast majority had been followers of Islam. Their religious ideas were drawn from the Qur'án, and they were primarily interested in those aspects of their new belief system that represented the fulfillment of Islamic prophecies and the interpretation of Muslim teaching. Similarly, the Islamic clergy initially saw those who followed the new faith as Muslim heretics.3

Because of the Bahá'í Faith's Islamic background, it is important to give consideration to the Islamic matrix out of which it arose. Such an examination is important for a second reason as well: Islam fits into a concept of both religious history and the relationship between religions which is central to Bahá'í teaching. The Bahá'í Faith is perhaps unique in that it unreservedly accepts the validity of the other great faiths. Bahá'ís believe that Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, and Muhammad are all equally authentic messengers of one God. The teachings of these divine messengers are seen as paths to salvation which contribute to the "carrying forward of an ever-advancing civilization." But Bahá'ís believe that this series of interventions by God in human history has been progressive, each revelation from God more complete than those which preceded it, and each preparing the way for the next. In this view, Islam, as the most recent of the prior religions, constituted the immediate historical preparation for the Bahá'í Faith. Not surprisingly, therefore, one finds in the Bahá'í writings a great many Quranic terms and concepts.

Some tenets of Islam are especially important to a clear understanding of the Bahá'í Faith. Like Muslims, Bahá'ís believe that God is One and utterly transcendent in His essence. He "manifests" His will to humanity through the series of messengers whom Bahá'ís call "Manifestations of God ." The purpose of the Manifestation is to provide perfect guidance not only for the spiritual progress of the individual believer, but also to mold society as a whole. An important difference between the two faiths in this respect is that while, among the existing religions, the Qur'án designates only Judaism, Christianity, and Islam itself as divinely inspired, Bahá'ís believe that all religions are integral parts of one divine plan:


There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose.4
There is yet another aspect of Islam which influenced the development of the new religion and which dictated Muslim reaction to it. Like Christianity before it, Islam gradually divided into a number of major sects. One of the most significant of these is the Shiah sect, which believes that it was Muhammad's intention that his descendants inherit the spiritual and temporal leadership of the faithful. These chosen ones, called Imams, or "leaders," were believed to be endowed with unqualified infallibility in the discharge of their related responsibilities. However, the great majority of Muslims rejected such claims believing that the sunna--the "way" or mode of conduct attributed by tradition to the Prophet Muhammad--was a sufficient guide. Those who subscribed to this latter belief became known as Sunni. Although Sunni Muslims vastly outnumber the Shiah today, and are usually referred to by Western scholars as "orthodox" as opposed to the "heterodoxy" of the Shiah, Shiah Islam has a long and respected tradition, a tradition that only recently has become the object of serious study among a growing group of non-Muslim scholars.5

By A.D. 661, only 29 years after Muhammad's death, power in the Muslim world fell into the hands of the first of a series of dynastic rulers, theoretically elected by the faithful, but in fact representing the dominance of various powerful families. The first two of these Sunni dynasties, the Umayyads and the Abbasids, saw the Imams as a challenge to their own legitimacy. Consequently, according to Shiah accounts, one Imam after another was put to death, beginning with Hasan and Husayn, grandsons of Muhammad. These Imams, or descendants of the Prophet, came in time to be regarded by Shiah Islam as saints and martyrs.

Although Shiah Islam began among the Arabs, it reached its greatest influence in Persia. From the beginning, the Persian converts to Islam were attracted by the idea of the Imam as a divinely appointed leader. Unlike the Arabs, the Persians possessed a long heritage of government by a divinely appointed monarch, and the devotion that gathered around this figure in time came to focus on the person of the Prophet's descendants and appointed successors. After centuries of oppression by Sunni caliphs, the tradition of the Imamate eventually triumphed in Persia through the rise of a strongly Shiah dynasty, the Safavids, in the sixteenth century.

By this time, however, the line of Imams had ended. One of the features of Iranian Shiah tradition is that, in the year 873, the twelfth and last appointed Imam--only a child at the time--withdrew into "concealment" in order to escape the fate of his predecessors. It is believed that he will emerge "at the time of the end" to usher in a reign of justice throughout the world. This eschatological tradition (doctrine of "last things") has much in common with the Christian expectation of the return of Christ and Mahayana Buddhism's promise of the advent of Maitreya Buddha, "the Buddha of universal righteousness." Among other titles Muslims have assigned to this promised deliverer, the "Hidden Imam," are Mahdi (the Guided One) and Qá'im (He Who Will Arise i.e., from the family of the Prophet).

For a period of 69 years following his disappearance, the twelfth or Hidden Imam was said to have communicated with his followers through a series of deputies. These intermediaries took the title báb (gate), because they were the only way to the Hidden Imam. There had been four bábs up to the year 941, when the fourth one died without naming a successor.

The refusal of either the Imam or the final báb to name a successor implied that the matter was to be left by the faithful entirely in the hands of God. In time, a messenger or messengers of God would appear, one of whom would be the Imam Mahdi, or Qá'im, and who would again provide a direct channel for the Divine Will to human affairs. It was out of this tradition that the Bahá'í religion and its forerunner, the Bábí Faith , appeared in the mid-nineteenth century.


------------------
"Why aren't I'm using at these pictures?" - Cloud, 4/14/02

One becomes that upon which he meditates....

Meditation is essential on the path of Jediism. As Jedis, we have chosen to serve the Light. To know the Will of the Light Force, one must be able to still the mind through meditation. Through that inner quietness, one learns to listen to the "still small voice", the voice of the true Jedi within. Meditation is a key which can open the door to higher perception, unlocking the perfect wisdom in our hearts. Through quieting the mind and focusing our attention, we allow our innate inner wisdom to flow into our awareness.

Meditation is described in various ways and can take place in many different forms - some of which are seemingly simple, but can be very powerful. From a more intellectual point of view, meditation can be viewed in the most general sense as thinking in a controlled manner. It is deciding exactly how one wishes to direct the mind for a period of time, and then doing it. This describes a more structured form of meditation. This type of meditation helps develop mental discipline and one-pointedness. An example of this kind of meditation would be in the concentrating on one's breathing. A less structured type of meditation may involve the exploration of one's reactions/thoughts/feelings regarding the subject of the meditation.... (e.g. a word, image, concept or problem).

Meditation can be a formal practice or discipline, or it may simply involve relaxing, calming the mind while watching a beautiful sunset, or while walking and enjoying the wonders of nature. Every moment of our lives can become a meditation when we focus in the here and now on whatever we are doing and experience it to the fullest.

The highest forms of meditation are for the purposes of self-realization, connection with the Light, God, Spirit, the Universal (or whatever term one chooses to use), and the Higher Self/True Jedi within. The ultimate objective of meditation may be seen as becoming One with Spirit and achieving unification with the Light in the universe. Through meditation, we have the opportunity to see the Light in all things, for the Light is in all things.

Meditation on the Light Force draws one closer to the source of the Light. When one opens their heart and mind to the Will of the Force, it allows the source behind the Force to pour more Light into the chalice of their being. With that alignment, one is attuned with the power of the Force and that Light can be radiated out for the upliftment of all.

MEDITATION BASICS

These meditation basics are presented for those who may be new to meditating. Some may find structured meditation a little difficult to get into at first, but the effort will be well rewarded in the end.

Meditation Place:

A special meditation place is helpful, but not a requirement. Find or create a quiet, comfortable place where you can meditate undisturbed. It may be a place on the floor, a comfortable chair, a spot in the garden or a quiet corner in a park. The temperature should be comfortable, the noise level low and distractions minimal. As you learn to center your heart and mind and experience the peace and solitude within, you can meditate almost anywhere, under almost any conditions.

Time:

The length of a meditation can be a minute or less or for an hour or more. With more structured meditations, at least 15 minutes is usually recommended. Most people find it helpful to set aside time for meditation on a regular basis, although flexibility is needed as it is the pleasure of the practice, not the discipline, that leads you into self-introspection and self-awareness. As meditation becomes a part of your life, you will probably find you miss it when it is not there.

Posture:

Meditation can be done lying down, although that makes some prone to falling asleep. When sitting (or lying down), the spine should be kept as straight as possible as that keeps the Light centers (more on these centers below) in alignment and allows more Light to flood in and through the body. If sitting in a chair, the feet should be kept flat on the floor. Hands can be placed on the thighs or in the lap with palms cupped upward indicating openness to the process. When sitting on the floor, the legs can be crossed in the standard way, or in the half or full lotus position (yoga).

Protection:

Visualize a protective bubble of energy (white or blue light) completing surrounding you and ask that it protect you from any disturbances during your meditation.

Breath:

Before beginning any meditation, it is always helpful to take several or more deep, slow, full breaths. Deep breathing helps to calm the mind and aids in easing into a meditative state.

Heart Centering:

The heart has been regarded by many of the world's religions as a source of tremendous energy and power. The heart has been referred to as the place where God resides in man, the point of Spirit that is the source of inspiration and self-transcendence. When centering in the heart during meditation, we connect with that spark of divinity that anchors the Higher Self/true Jedi within. From this wellspring of Light, we can bring forth solutions to even our most challenging problems.

Steps for Heart Centering: Go within and consciously focus your attention and draw all your energy to the point of your heart. Take several deep breaths until you feel calm and centered. To intensify the feeling of being in your heart, feel a deep sense of love for someone close to you, or visualize a beautiful rose or flame in your heart.

Thoughts:

You may find that as you meditate, your thoughts continue to flow in a seeming never-ending stream through your mind. When this happens, gently return your attention to the focus of your meditation.

The Light Centers (Chakras):

(It is not the purpose here to go deeply into this subject, however, it is recommended that all who meditate become familiar with these important Light centers.)

Within the body on a higher octave are Light centers which are known as "Chakras", which is a sanskrit word meaning "wheels of light". The light referred to is spiritual Light, which vibrates at a much higher frequency than physical light. These Light centers govern the flow of energy/the Light Force through our beings and help to magnify it. There are a total of 144 Light centers in the body, with 7 major ones along the spinal column. Each of these chakras corresponds to a different rainbow ray and its attributes. The greater the alignment of the prism of the body, the greater the release of the light and control over the Force. As also stated above, that is why it is important to keep the spine as straight as possible when meditating.


MEDITATIONS:

Short Meditation to Begin the Day:

Starting out the day with a short meditation to align your thoughts and feelings with Spirit/the Light helps to set the tone for the day. Focus your attention in the center of your heart and let the Light fill your heart. With each slow breath, allow the Light to expand a little further in all directions until you are completely surrounded by Light. Open your heart to the loving energy of Spirit. Ask to know the Will of the Force and be guided by that Will throughout the day.

Meditations on Aspects of the Light:

Very powerful, yet simple meditations involve meditating on various aspects of the Light Force and visualizing the spiritual Light connected with that aspect. After coming to a calm, centered state, meditate on one or more of the following aspects of the Light and their respective color connections:

Love - Pink, Wisdom/Illumination - Yellow, Power - Blue, Healing & Abundance - Emerald Green, Freedom-Violet, Peace - Purple/Gold, Purity - White

Silently say the word over and over and feel any emotion connected with it. At the same time visualize the Light radiating out from your heart and every single cell and atom of your being. As the meditation becomes deeper and deeper, observe any thoughts that arise in connection with the object of the meditation and silently repeat any affirmations that may come to mind. Keep intensifying the Light and radiate it outwards. Through Universal Law, that which we send forth is returned to us, as in truth we are powerful energy generators and magnetic forcefields.

White Light Meditation:

This meditation is one every Jedi should do on a regular basis.

Center in the heart and still all outer activity of mind and body. To begin the meditation, visualize the intensity of the sun at high noon - at its zenith. For the first 5 minutes, allow dazzling white light to envelope your entire being. Recognize and intensely feel the connection between the outer self and Spirit/the true Jedi within. Keep your attention focused on the heart center and visualize it as a golden sun.

Feel the great brilliancy of the Light and magnify it in every atom of your mind and body with deep, deep intensity for at least 10 minutes longer. Affirmations can be included, such as: I live in the Light, I serve the Light, I love the Light, I am illumined by the Light, I am protected and sustained by the Light...

------------------
"I'm only civil because I don't know any swear words."

-Calvin

We are a Star Wars forum? Dammit. I thought this was a religious cult!?

------------------
Snail racing: (500 posts per line)

---------@%

The Massassi JO/JA Single Player contest info (I don't know why I have this still in my sig)

God bless you.

------------------
Gonads are useful for their purpose, but they are no substitute for brains.
:wq!

Communism
minnan:Ki?ng-sán-chú-g?


During the 20th century, communism, or communism theory is often used to describe revolutionary philosophies based on Marxism. These include Leninism, Stalinism, Trotskyism and Maoism, in contrast to social democracy. Often "Communism" is used as a synonym for the system practiced in the Soviet Union under Stalin and his successors as well as in Soviet satellite states under various Communist parties. In this case the "C" is capitalised.

- Within Marxist communism the largest trends are inspired by the writings and actions of Vladimir Lenin. Whilst the common denominator is Marxism, some of them are nonetheless in conflict. The most influential branches of the communism tree are: the teachings of Marx/Engels/Lenin/Stalin, Marxism->Trotskyism and Marxism->Leninism->Maoism.

Some other, lesser known flavors are Council Communism, De Leonism and Left Communism.

Communism, or communist society is the name of the social formation, which, according to Marxism, is a classless society in which all property is owned by the community as a whole and where all people enjoy equal social and economic status.

Communism in its original meaning is a social theory and political movement for the direct and communal control of society towards the common benefits of all members, the society being the communist society, see below. See also Religious communism.


Marxists believe that just as society has transformed from feudalism to capitalism, it will transform into socialism and eventually communism. However the method by which this transformation occurs distinguishes communists from other socialists including those that believe in Marxism, in that communists believe that this will be accomplished by revolutionary means.

According to Lenin's approach the first step of the long term process of developing a communist society is a revolutionary seizure of political power; in Marxist terms, the domination of the bourgeoisie is to be replaced by the domination of the working class. In Marxist literature this political stage is called the dictatorship of the proletariat. Lenin argued that the revolution would occur first in less developed nations, such as Russia, and would require a vanguard of the proletariat composed of a relatively small tightly organized communist party.

Communist parties are in power in the People's Republic of China, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea, and Cuba. Between 1917 and 1991, a communist party founded by Lenin controlled Russia and founded the Soviet Union

Early communism

Many western intellectuals have advocated ideas conceivably similar to communism. In his 4th century BC work The Republic, the Greek philosopher Plato proposed the communal ownership of property by an intellectual ruling class, to put the welfare of the state above personal desire and moderate the greed of the producing classes.

In 1534 John of Leyden turned the city of Münster into a commune called "New Jerusalem" in expectation of the Second Coming and introduced polygamy (going partway towards Plato's ideal) before the city was taken by a Catholic army, leading to a massacre. Thomas More's 16th century work Utopia depicted a society organized along communist lines.

The idea fluttered around during the Enlightenment, exerting varying amounts of influence on the philosophes. The greatest amount was on Rousseau, whose thought extensively influenced the French Revolution.

Many 19th century idealists, disgusted by the ongoing oppression and decadence created by the Industrial Revolution, broke away from society to form short-lived communal utopias. An example was Robert Owen's New Harmony community in Indiana.
[edit]

The ideas of Marx and Engels

The ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, epitomized by their Communist Manifesto, transformed communism into a revolutionary movement. Marx and Engels claimed Communism did not have to occur in isolated communities, but could emerge globally. According to the Manifesto, all history can be explained in terms of class struggles. In each society, a small ruling class owned or controlled the means of production; the rest, who constituted the vast majority of people, owned and controlled very little.

During the current stage, capitalism, the dominant bourgeoisie (capitalists who controlled the means of production) exploited and oppressed the proletariat (industrial workers). Karl Marx in his work Das Kapital (see Labor theory of value for more) explains in detail how capitalists buy labor from workers, obtaining then the right to sell the productive result of labor at a profit; this, Marx argued, creates class stratification and an unjust, unsustainable distribution of wealth. Marx thought it was only a matter of time before the working classes of the world, realizing their common goals, would unite to overthrow the capitalists and redistribute the wealth. He felt the establishment of communism would be the inevitable outcome of a historical process.

Atheism, usually based on Dialectical materialism, has been the official stance of most communist countries.
[edit]

Leninism versus Social Democracy

According to Marx, the laws of class struggle would force capitalism to evolve socialism and then eventually to communism. However, in the early twentieth century, it seemed that capitalist society was as strong as ever, and the revolution which Marx predicted was nowhere to be seen. How to interpret this fact lead to a split among Marx's followers.

Some of his supporters eventually concluded that a socialist society could be created without revolution and could be brought about through the processes of existing state institutions. This ideology was known as social democracy and became the basis of a number of political parties include the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the British Labour Party.

However, according to Lenin, Marx underestimated the power of capitalist imperialism and therefore a revolutionary seizure of the political power on behalf of the proletariat was needed to overthrow the capitalist system towards Communism.

The actual difference is the revolutionary character of the process. Communists consider it as a necessary step while social democrats do not. These two currents of Marxism distinguished their ways after the second worker's international. During the rest of the 20th century, according to the communist critics, social democrats did little beyond trying to mitigate the socially harmful effects of capitalism without making any real progress towards a classless society. On the other hand, according to social democrats, the dictatorship of the proletariat was nothing else than dictatorship under the control of a communist party and remains in a state of totalitarian dictatorship, or has transitioned into some form of democracy or capitalism. On some level, both mutual criticisms have been proven correct.
[edit]

The future of communism

The world's five remaining Communist states are the People's Republic of China, Vietnam, North Korea, Cuba, and Laos. The experiences of these five states have starkly diverged since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. On one hand, Cuba and North Korea were hit hard by the collapse of Soviet and Eastern bloc economic assistance, trade, and military support. On the other hand, the world's three other remaining Communist states, all in East Asia, were far less dependent on Soviet subsidies (and in China's case, not at all, given the Sino-Soviet Split) at the time of the collapse of the Soviet bloc.

Following the lead of China under Deng Xiaoping, Vietnam and Laos have moved away from Soviet-style centralized planning in favor of market socialism. The ruling Communist parties of China, Vietnam, and Laos argue that a planned economy is not synonymous to socialism, thus maintaining their rationale for Communist Party-rule. For the past two decades, China and Vietnam have been sustaining among the highest rates of economic growth in the world.

In the early 21st century, some thinkers have seen the prospect of communism emerges from a different direction. The economic and technological development have always been seen by Soviet communist party as the primary prerequisite to building communism, with the neverending striving for more tractors produced, more coal mined and more engineers trained. In the final decade of the Soviet Union existence a number of Soviet scholars have developed theories describing how communism would develop as we gradually turn the nature itself into the means of production.

This vision, not unlike the vision of the modern nanotechnology proponents, is slowly coming to fruition. While the majority of Western economists and politicians follow Fukuyama in the belief that capitalism will endure forever, or they simply do not have any theories spanning beyond it, some paint a vision not unlike the one described by Marx. In a particular well-publicised example, Marshall Brain, a renowned web entrepreneur, described in his book Manna [1] a world, built with the help of robotics technology, that fits the classic definition of communism perfectly. Shy of the word "communism" itself because of its negative connotations in the United States, some authors today actually describe how it will be built in the 21st century.
[edit]

Language and the word communist

Much confusion (often seemingly deliberate) surrounds the words communism and socialism. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) described itself as socialist (as the name implies). There are also political parties which call themselves communist. These parties have a goal of eventually realizing a communist society. So the word communist applies to three things: individuals who are members of communist parties or who desire a communist society in the future, political parties which have a goal of reaching communism, and a theoretical future society where there is no government, only communism.

Historians and political analysts still argue about whether aspects of many 20th century "socialist countries", such as single-party rule or the human rights violations by Soviet apparatuses such as the KGB, Stasi (East Germany), or NKVD, were direct, unavoidable results of flaws in Marxist-Leninist theory or were caused by unrelated historical incidents; the argument is unresolved and faces reinterpretation with each new political conflict. However regimes of this nature have been totalitarian, featuring absence or repression of free press, church, and independent labor unions, and have often committed human rights abuses, opponents of Communism see it as a dangerous ideology, similar in effect to fascism.

Marxists dispute this usage, reserving the term communism only for the final evolutionary stage of society (see socialism). In Marxism, communism refers to an ideal stateless, propertyless, and classless society with no oppression or exploitation and general abundance and freedom. This society would run in accord with the principle: To each according to their needs, from each according to their ability. A common exemplification of the concept is "if a successful architect is single, he only needs one loaf of bread a day, and if a member of the proletariat has seven children with his wife, they need nine loaves of bread a day; neither have to pay for the bread at the baker's, and they both ask for exactly as much bread as they need -- the same applies for any other property, such as the apartment or the car". Because such a circumstance has never occurred, the Marxist ideal of communism is often viewed as an unrealistic goal, although at present many proponents of nanotechnologies argue that such society of abundance is technologically feasible (see also Paradise-engineering).

Many nations in the 20th century were run by such Communist Parties, who identified themselves as true communists implementing socialism, and declared to govern themselves according to Marxist principles. See Soviet Empire for the list of them.

For a general discussion of the practical consequences of communist rule, see communist government. For an exposition of the formal and semi-formal mechanisms of government and constitutional workings in communist countries, see communist state.

According to the 1996 third edition of Fowler's Modern English Usage, communism is written with a lowercase "c" except when it refers to a political party of that name, a member of that party, or a government led by such a party, in which case it is written as "Communism" with an uppercase "C".

------------------
"Just remember -- No matter how bad things get, Northern Minnesota will always be there"
-- Garrison Keeler

------------------
I'm not an actor. I just play one on TV.

I am god.

------------------
jEDIkIRBY - Putting the Romance back into Necromancer.
Proud Leader of the Minnessassian Council

Live on, Adam.

I read the thread title as "18 Striders" and thought it was something about those 3 legged monsters in the half-life2 videos, or I need to actually take a closer look at certain words

------------------
I am __Ace_1__ , and I approve this message.

[This message has been edited by Ace1 (edited August 29, 2004).]

My god this thread sucks.

"Are you a god?"

"Ray, if anyone ever asks if you are a god, you say, YES!"

/loves the Ghostbusters

------------------
"If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?"

Seconded, and with a slice of pie too.


------------------
If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards.

Nearly every time I walk into a room with a piano, I tap the two highest keys and say, "They hate it when you do that." Most people get it. Some don't. I laugh at them.

------------------
"I'm only civil because I don't know any swear words."

-Calvin

Discordianism has been described as both an elaborate joke disguised as a religion, and a religion disguised as an elaborate joke. It has also been described as a religion disguised as a joke disguised as a religion. Others view it as a simple rejection of reductionism and dualism, even falsifiability — not in concept different from postmodernism or certain trends in the philosophy of mathematics. It has also been described as "Zen for roundeyes", and converges with some of the more absurdist interpretations of the Rinzai tradition.

Discordianism is said to have been founded in 1959 (or maybe it was 1958) by Greg Hill (also called Malaclypse the Younger, or Mal-2) and Kerry Thornley (also called Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst). The foundational document of Discordianism is Hill's Principia Discordia.

Unlike most religions, which revere the principles of harmony and order in the Universe, Discordianism purports to recognize that disharmony and chaos are equally valid aspects of reality. Discordianism consists almost entirely of playful nonsense, but some feel it has a more serious underlying meaning.

The matron deity of Discordianism is Eris, the ancient Greek goddess of discord, whom the Romans identified their goddess Discordia.

Contents [hide]
1 Philosophy


1.1 Chao
1.2 The Law of Fives
1.3 The Apocrypha Discordia
1.4 The Original Snub
1.5 Law of Eristic Escalation
1.6 The Pentabarf

2 See also

3 External links

[edit]

Philosophy

A summary of the Discordian philosophy appears on page 00049 of the Principia Discordia. The following is a quote extracted from Principia Discordia (All Rites Reversed):

HERE FOLLOWS SOME PSYCHO-METAPHYSICS. If you are not hot for philosophy, best just to skip it. The Aneristic Principle is that of APPARENT ORDER; the Eristic Principle is that of APPARENT DISORDER. Both order and disorder are man made concepts and are artificial divisions of PURE CHAOS, which is a level deeper than is the level of distinction making. With our concept making apparatus called "mind" we look at reality through the ideas-about-reality which our cultures give us. The ideas-about-reality are mistakenly labeled "reality" and unenlightened people are forever perplexed by the fact that other people, especially other cultures, see "reality" differently. It is only the ideas-about-reality which differ. Real (capital-T True) reality is a level deeper than is the level of concept. We look at the world through windows on which have been drawn grids (concepts). Different philosophies use different grids. A culture is a group of people with rather similar grids. Through a window we view chaos, and relate it to the points on our grid, and thereby understand it. The ORDER is in the GRID. That is the Aneristic Principle. Western philosophy is traditionally concerned with contrasting one grid with another grid, and amending grids in hopes of finding a perfect one that will account for all reality and will, hence, (say unenlightened westerners) be True. This is illusory; it is what we Erisians call the ANERISTIC ILLUSION. Some grids can be more useful than others, some more beautiful than others, some more pleasant than others, etc., but none can be more True than any other. DISORDER is simply unrelated information viewed through some particular grid. But, like "relation", no-relation is a concept. Male, like female, is an idea about sex. To say that male-ness is "absence of female-ness", or vice versa, is a matter of definition and metaphysically arbitrary. The artificial concept of no-relation is the ERISTIC PRINCIPLE. The belief that "order is true" and disorder is false or somehow wrong, is the Aneristic Illusion. To say the same of disorder, is the ERISTIC ILLUSION. The point is that (little-t) truth is a matter of definition relative to the grid one is using at the moment, and that (capital-T) Truth, metaphysical reality, is irrelevant to grids entirely. Pick a grid, and through it some chaos appears ordered and some appears disordered. Pick another grid, and the same chaos will appear differently ordered and disordered. Reality is the original Rorschach. Verily! So much for all that.

And this from the Principia Discordia's very beginning, a Discordian koan:

GREATER POOP: Is Eris true?
MALACLYPSE THE YOUNGER: Everything is true.
GP: Even false things?
M2: Even false things are true.
GP: How can that be?
M2: I don't know man, I didn't do it.
[edit]

Chao

The Sacred Chao

The word Chao was coined as the singular of chaos. In the Discordian religion the chao is a symbol of the pataphysical nature of reality; singular instances of chaos being at the center of pataphysical theory. The word is a pun that enables the following couplet in the Principia Discordia:

To diverse gods
Do mortals bow;
Holy Cow, and
Wholly Chao.

The Sacred Chao is a symbol used by Discordians to illustrate the interrelatedness of order and disorder. It resembles a yin yang symbol with a pentagon on one side representing order, and a golden apple on the other side representing disorder. The pentagon relates to the Law of Fives, and the golden apple is from a story about Eris.
[edit]

The Law of Fives

The Law of Fives is summarized on page 00016 of the Principia Discordia:

The Law of Fives states simply that: ALL THINGS HAPPEN IN FIVES, OR ARE DIVISIBLE BY OR ARE MULTIPLES OF FIVE, OR ARE SOMEHOW DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED TO FIVE. THE LAW OF FIVES IS NEVER WRONG. In the Erisian Archives is an old memo from Omar to Mal-2: "I find the Law of Fives to be more and more manifest the harder I look."

It is worth noting that the Law of Fives includes the word "Five" five times.
[edit]

The Apocrypha Discordia

A collection of works on Discordia, written by various Discordian saints, sinners, popes, priests, madmen, miscreants, degenerates, straight-arrows, etc... Compiled from various non-copyrighted (or Kopylefted) sources by Reverend DrJon Swabey and published sometime in the 21st century (the date on the document says 2001, but we're not going to fall for that one).

Although some Discordian cabals consider the work to be canonical (some even going as far as considering it the only canonical Discordian work), there are also many who discount the validity of the document. Others amongst the Discordian movement discount the idea of there being any canonical literature other than Dr. Ramos Montecino's 1667 work Howe to Mayke a Cannon. Most people would probably agree, however, that there are far better things to do with one's time than to shoot works of literature out of any firearm whatsoever.

Thanks to the work of Rev. DrJon, many Discordian writings have been brought together in one place where without him, they may have been lost to the grainy particles of temporality -- leaving us free to peruse or ignore the work at our leisure and for overzealous lunatics to print copies of it so that they may have something to feed the bonfires that warm their cold, empty hearts.


[edit]

The Original Snub

(From The Principia Discordia, all Rites Reversed)
It seems that Zeus was preparing a wedding banquet for Peleus and Thetis and did not want to invite Eris because of Her reputation as a trouble maker.*


This made Eris angry, and so She fashioned an apple of pure gold** and inscribed upon it KALLISTI ("To The Prettiest One") and on the day of the fete She rolled it into the banquet hall and then left to be alone and joyously partake of a hot dog.


Now, three of the invited goddesses,*** Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, each immediately claimed it to belong to herself because of the inscription. And they started fighting, and they started throwing punch all over the place and everything.


Finally Zeus calmed things down and declared that an arbitrator must be selected, which was a reasonable suggestion, and all agreed. He sent them to a shepherd of Troy, whose name was Paris because his mother had had a lot of gaul and had married a Frenchman; but each of the sneaky goddesses tried to outwit the others by going early and offering a bribe to Paris.


Athena offered him Heroic War Victories, Hera offered him Great Wealth, and Aphrodite offered him the Most Beautiful Woman on Earth. Being a healthy young Trojan lad, Paris promptly accepted Aphrodite's bribe and she got the apple and he got screwed.


As she had promised, she maneuvered earthly happenings so that Paris could have Helen (The Helen) then living with her husband Menelaus, King of Sparta. Anyway, everyone knows that the Trojan War followed when Sparta demanded their Queen back and that the Trojan War is said to be The First War among men.


And so we suffer because of the Original Snub. And so a Discordian is to partake of No Hot Dog Buns.


Do you believe that?


* This is called THE DOCTRINE OF THE ORIGINAL SNUB


** There is historic disagreement concerning whether this apple was of metallic gold or acapulco.


*** Actually there were five goddesses, but the Greeks did not know the Law of Fives.

The Golden Apple of Discord is thus one of the major symbols associated with Discordianism
[edit]

Law of Eristic Escalation

The Principia Discordia contains the Law of Eristic Escalation. This law states that Imposition of Order = Escalation of Chaos. This can be read as an argument against zero tolerance and hard security, or just a statement about the world.
[edit]

The Pentabarf

The Pentabarf (given on page 00004 of the Principia) is the set of 5 holy laws of Discordianism. It is as follows:
1: There is no Goddess but Goddess and She is Your Goddess. There is no Erisian Movement but The Erisian Movement and it is The Erisian Movement. And every Golden Apple Corps is the beloved home of a Golden Worm.
2: A Discordian Shall Always use the Official Discordian Document Numbering System.
3: A Discordian is Required during his early Illumination to Go Off Alone & Partake Joyously of a Hot Dog on a Friday; this Devotive Ceremony to Remonstrate against the popular Paganisms of the Day: of Catholic Christendom (no meat on Friday), of Judaism (no meat of Pork), of Hindic Peoples (no meat of Beef), of Buddhists (no meat of animal), and of Discordians (no Hot Dog Buns).
4: A Discordian shall Partake of No Hot Dog Buns, for Such was the Solace of Our Goddess when She was Confronted with The Original Snub.
5: A Discordian is Prohibited from Believing What he reads.

The Pentabarf is the most fundamental of all Discordian catma (which is what Discordians have instead of "dogma"). As the third commandment demands a violation of the fourth commandment, and the fifth commandment seems to subvert the concept of written law, it is not clear whether the Pentabarf is considered binding. Furthermore, the "Official Discordian Document Numbering System" from the second holy law is not mentioned anywhere else in the Principia.

[crt/o wiki. Remember: Jesus Saves, but Eris Encrypts]

------------------
[Blue Mink Bifocals !] [fsck -Rf /world/usr/] [<!-- kalimonster -->] [Capite Terram]
"That's why we had to beat you with tennis rackets".
NPC.Interact::PressButton($'Submit');

Hail to the Big Man in the sky baby..

------------------
Uruk Hai 1: *sniffs*
Uruk Hai 2: What do you smell!?
Uruk Hai 1: MANFLESH!
**
Proud Member of the Minnessassian Council

And those that don't need a right slap good sir.

------------------
If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards.

WARGH![/i]

Someone just fell out of his chair... Okay maybe not quite.

------------------
Fire Pretty - Graz's Armoury - (That's my blog...)Choice language warning!

The Soviet Bunker - (That's my forum...)

"Thou shalt not steal. (Because the government doesn't like competition!)"

How to keep an idiot busy: See below
How to keep an idiot busy: See above

I still say it's a bot. UBB5 is far from bot proof.

------------------
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.