Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Secularism


Guest Elizabeth K

Recommended Posts

Guest Elizabeth K

I found this while researching truisms - whadda ya think?

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." -Albert Einstein

I have posted many times in Spirituality, most people know. I feel I am a spiritual person, of course, and look to a working between me and the CREATOR - maybe best said as 'trying to follow the Will of the Creator.' As I see the Creator not as a deity, but just 'what is," I can best post here in non-deistic spirituality - duh... took me a while to figure that out.

However, I 'approach' the CREATOR through the aspects = God / The Goddess / the Spirit, so there is a kinship I feel toward the more organized religions.

Heaven vs. Hell

How does that work? OH MY - I see so much troubled discussion on all that! Many religions subscribe to a good and bad - essentially a placemnent of the immortal soul (you) on one side or the other after you return to your origins. Of course that is not universal in all religions and beliefs, but in the Western world it tends to be one of the main basis for faith.

So now? DANG

Another option? OH NO!

Secularism. You may want to look it up... no room to go into detail here - basically it is a matter of living your life based upon ethics, which I suppose I now need to explain... I mean why I get so 'antsy' thinking about all this!

DANG DANG DANG

Here goes: 'DEFINE ETHICS?"

I feel this is a really slippery slope! Maybe its this modern world we live in that has me upset. Just a simple example: remember when government was supposedly for the good of the people? You could trust the Federal government to enforce everyone to be on a level playing field. Government lands were set aside for conservation reasons. Government enforced the laws, which were supposedly the will of the people. We were under an umbrella of ethically reasoned-out law.

Does anyone believe in that now? I mean in my 2/3rds century, I have seen a huge shift in ethics... or have I?

Maybe I am just wiser- having been deceived and lied too so much... oh my ... so cynical.

But the point is again, 'DEFINE ETHICS?" My ethics or yours? Our ethics or the Federal Government, or State Government... or City Government... or...

Or what?

Are our ethics set by Judo/Christian morality? Is Taoist, Islam, Buddhist, et al - to be included? Well certainly we need to be ethical... BUT

Are we? That is the reason Secularism frightens me.

What do I do? I ask my CREATOR... when I want to know.

So what is heaven and what is hell? My opinion?

If I can be with the CREATOR, I have achieved 'heaven.' To not be there is 'hell."

But the CREATOR doesn't chose where we go - we do.

My opinions of course.

Lizzy

Link to comment
Guest April63

I view the Judgment (or Judgement Day) as more of a debriefing and assignment. We are not rewarded or punished, but rather, we reflect on what we have learned and how we have acted in this life to determine where we will best be able to serve our Creator. I also believe that heaven can be defined as being in the presence of our Creator. Our other option will be to be cast out, but ultimately, that is our decision. Not only do we choose how we live now, we will also choose when that final decision is made.

Our life here on earth is our mortal probation for us to learn and grow in ways that we couldn't do previously. After this life, many things will still be the same--we will still be able to make our own choices, but these choices may be very different than the ones we make now in mortality.

Whose ethics? The Creator's. Those are the ones that matter. When you are at work you don't act the way you want to act--you act the way your boss wants you to act. The same should apply to our lives. We won't be able to progress at all if we don't adhere to the standards set by He who has the power to advance us.

Link to comment
  • 5 months later...
Guest roxannemariska

Lizzy, thanks for this. I abandoned the god delusion a few years ago, so I don't even personify the random chaos that coalesced into life here on earth. I will say that the ethics of the gods I know of not only do not bear emulation, they bear condemnation. Both the godless and the godful have the same capacity for ethical and moral behavior. God bless you Albert Einstein. LOL

Link to comment
  • 7 months later...
Guest Weaver

Secularism is a good idea. It makes church and state separated. Simple as that.

I would not like to live in a country like Saudi-Arabia, it's in my opinion a theocratic toilet.

Neither would I like to live in the US, because of christians being a majority there.

I have nothing against the christians personal beliefs, I have something against

them taking Jesus into the booth with them, when voting.

Not that I think that matters anyway. Politicans in the US are bought and paid for by large, multi-national companies.

Ethics are personal, and they differ from person to person.

When the ethics are twisted by money, then that's where we have a problem.

Politicians all have a price.

The protective federal government you're talking about has been gone for a long time.

It's been replaced by puppets, and the people are just consumers.

It's not a problem of ethics, it's a problem of corruption.

The people who do this, have either very twisted ethics, or none.

Whose ethics? The Creator's. Those are the ones that matter.

And on the case of a creator or deity, I am a separate being.

No deity can demand of me that I behave in a certain way.

I behave certain ways when I am with people, because I desire

the effects of how I was behaving to them.

I have no obligations to any creator, be it a supreme deity that created this

universe or my parents. I may come off as an ungrateful and spoiled child, but with

all the things I've been through and all the pain and suffering I see in the world;

I would rather have not been born. I am honest when writing that.

"I am my own free spirirt, hence I will not rest."

And "Who so ever lays a hand on me to govern me is an usurper and a tyrant.".

The argument that I chose this before I was born can of course be made, but it's invalid.

I do not remember signing any such contract, and I am not that same being. Hence this

being that is "me" was condemned by its previous self, which was another separate entity.

But, I have faith in my fellow man. People are my friends and people are my enemies and

if they can be your friends, then we can make this world a better place.

An incredibly naive thought, but it's what's keeping me together right now.

Edited by Cynthia Rae
offensive language at the end of 2nd line removed.
Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...
Guest kelise

Ethics are very simple. It is not set by government, though sometimes, it is enforced by government. We don't have to vote on it, or debate about it. It just is.

If it causes harm, it is unethical.

Period. That's all there is too it. No God or religion is needed to explain it, interpret it, or enforce it. Religion didn't invent it. You can live your life by it, without need of the threat of post-death punishment in hell or reward in heaven.

If I harm someone, I will face consequences, here, on earth, while I'm alive. The consequences may be through legal punishment, or from retaliation from those I harmed, but I will be punished.

Conversely, if I help people, I will likely gain benefit from it.

Why is this so complicated a concept for people?

Link to comment
  • Admin

For every right a person has that is burdensom duty on his neighbor, there is an equally burdensome duty on the person toward the neighbor from whom he has been receieved his right. (not too many people get that one)

For every wrong, there is a remedy!!

Maxim's of U.S. Jurisprudence --

Link to comment
Guest LizMarie

"Sin lies only in hurting others unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is not sinful —just stupid.)" -- Robert Heinlein.

Link to comment

Sounds good LizMarie, though I presume there might be some debate as to what is meant by "unnecessarily", lol!

A friend boils it all down to "Do Good, Avoid Evil...". He was a priest in training who either strayed or regained his senses.

Michelle

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 103 Guests (See full list)

    • Timi
    • Susan R
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.6k
    • Total Posts
      768k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,014
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Quillian
    Newest Member
    Quillian
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Bowie Ellis
      Bowie Ellis
      (19 years old)
    2. Damien Mcknight
      Damien Mcknight
      (18 years old)
    3. JJ
      JJ
      (77 years old)
    4. KathyLauren
      KathyLauren
      (70 years old)
    5. memyselfandwe
      memyselfandwe
      (44 years old)
  • Posts

    • Willow
      good evening   good day at work today.  I did do some things a little out of normal but everything was completed successfully.  As I said earlier, the Asst Mgr was my second today.  I don’t think she was too happy about that.  Several customers asked her where Richard was her answer was the manager cut his hours.  Well that is only part of the story,  his hours were cut just like mine were and several others but in his case he made demands about his hours that couldn’t be met.  But instead of making some non complaining remark about it she made sure to lay it all on the manager, thus throwing the manager under the bus.  Similarly when asked why she hadn’t been at work early mornings, she said she was being punished by the manager.  Well that’s partly true, she wouldn’t do what the manager told her to do so she took her off opening.  But secondarily she didn’t have a car to drive temporarily.  You can’t open the store without a car because who ever opens has tasks that require them to leave the store, so it was  at least partly her own fault.  But she chose to throw the manager under the bus for that.  I think she is asking to be fired for insubordination.  And if the manager gets these conversations off the security tape tomorrow she just might get her wish.   im pretty close to being ready to take the asst position but there isn’t anyone ready to take over my job, at least not at our store.  I suppose the other shift lead could if she is able to work earlier shifts and if the other closers were just a bit more reliable.   Ive been wanting some homefried chicken.  We found a BBQ place not far away that had such a chicken but I is made fresh when ordered so it has a 30 minute wait.  It was worth the wait and the other things we tried were also good.  Another restaurant on the list.  At least half of what we ordered came home for another meal.   i get to sleep in tomorrow, I go to work at 1:30!   Willow
    • Abigail Genevieve
      It was nine thirty.  Saturday morning had rolled around more quickly than Taylor could believe.  She groaned, whined, thought of a million excuses why she should just stay in bed and knock the alarm across the room.  But it would still be going on, and so would the promise to Bob: when the gi came in, she would be in. There it was in its nice package, out where she could not miss it.  Why didn't she hide it?  She shook her head.   Up she got.  Sometimes you just do.  Her hair was a wreck. She patted it down and went to the bathroom.  Nine forty five. Shower later. No make up. She hated kara-tay especially at an ungodly early hour on a Saturday morning. Bagel. Instant coffee.  She was five minutes away when she realized she had forgotten the gi.  Back she went.   Into the dojo.  She had about five minutes to get the gi on.  She attempted to slip in unnoticed and go to the little restroom. Someone barked something out in Japanese or something, and there was a dead silence.  She turned to see what was going on. Both classes were getting into their lines, but everyone, including Bob, was bowing slightly. To her. Bob nodded, and she returned the bow.  Life started again. She was touched.   Bowing three times. Oath. Kata.  She was facing off with Judy as her partner.  Judy looked worried.   "Sometimes you just gotta pick yourself up and try again," Taylor told her. She nodded. "Let's do this."   Lunge punch and lower block.  They traded off like nothing had happened the last weekend.  Lunge punch and middle block. Lunge punch and upper block.  It was kind of like dancing. Taylor enjoyed it.  She wanted to learn more.  Brown-belt Maggie adjusted position of limbs and hips for both Taylor and Judy, telling them when she was about to do something: elbow up a bit".    "How'd you do?" Bob asked her later.  They had both gone home and showered. Now they were in a booth at a fast food place.   "I was kind of disappointed class ended. I was ready for more."   "That's my trooper."   "I'm not allowing you in my apartment until we are married," she said suddenly.   "You think I am a problem?"   "No.  I think you are safe. You passed the test  I am the problem here."   "Okay."   "What did the doctor tell you?"   "It's complicated.  More tests coming.  Like getting into college.  I got a letter back.  It seems there is this big fat M on my transcript and my current picture is not an M type picture.  I have to write a letter and send them notarized proofs and stuff. Just delays. This is a pain. Nothing cut and dried."   "I will say.  I'm glad I'm not transgender."   "Hah. You are pulled into my world.  You are involved in this stuff as much as I am, and, as you put it, of your own free will."   "You are worth it."   "I hope so."   "I know so."      
    • Abigail Genevieve
      On the way back to her desk she was interrupted by six short, urgent conversations that had to be attended to. Then she slipped into the women's room and locked the stall door.  She took a deep breath, then another, and allowed herself to shake for five minutes,  Then deep breathing, ten in and ten out, stretch up, touch the floor, neck rolls and she was fine. She used the toilet and a woman knocked and said, "Taylor, are you okay?"   "Ready to conquer the world!"  on her way out she found her makeup was fine.  Three stalls, two sinks.  If she ever designed a women's room with three stalls, there would be four sinks, with plenty of space to plunk your stuff down between them.   She met a deferential Karen.  "Here is the branding I came up with," she said.  And she went back to working as hard as Brenda and Mary, who looked up worriedly and then went back to the proposal.   Shortly before 5:00 she received an email with the title Consolidation and Compensation.  In it she learned that the position of office manager was eliminated, and the current office manager was to become the chief executive officer. The former CEO, along with the CFO, the chief legal officer, and sundry staff, had been terminated, per the Board of Directors.  Effective immediately everyone would receive a base salary of $20,000 with a commission to be set by the individual's supervisor.  Each supervisor would be given a certain percentage to distribute.  Most functions they had been handled would be outsourced as needed.   "The question of what profit was made last year is frequent enough to be answered.  The company lost over 500,000 in fiscal 2023.  At this point further cuts are not anticipated.  We will be strategically adding positions that will enhance our profits. Hard work is expected of everyone."   Her two web guys had been complaining because their games had been remotely uninstalled.  After the memo came out they were absolutely silent.  That gave her an idea, and after an exchange of emails they were reassigned to maintenance out at the plant, effective tomorrow morning.  There were lots of weeds that needed pulling, if nothing else. That email went out after they left early, for the day.  The maintenance foreman was a no-nonsense type who did not tolerate slacking, and they would learn a thing or two.  This also freed up two spaces for her to put new people.
    • MaeBe
      So…I didn’t know your Facebook avatar was public. So, on my birthday, a couple people used a group avatar message to wish me a happy birthday…and now my Facebook friends can see a short video of my female avatar dancing with an old friend’s and another with my uncle’s avatars. So am I “Facebook out” now? 😬
    • Davie
      No, they are not. Truth wins in the end and this report is full of lies that poison the whole thing: see this: "Dr. Cass Backpedals From Review: HRT, Blockers Should Be Made Available it's said. Dr. Cass's latest statements are likely to cast more doubt on the validity of the study, which has come under fire for disregarding substantial evidence on trans care." https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/dr-cass-backpedals-from-review-hrt?publication_id=994764&post_id=143743897&isFreemail=true&r=rebf4&triedRedirect=true I hope Dr. Cass wins The Mengele Award for it.
    • Adrianna Danielle
      Boyfriend and I went to a support group for spouses dating or married to a transgender person on Tuesday night for the first time.It was amazing meeting other couples like us.One was a genetic woman whom has been dating a transgender male for the first time and she is supporting his transition.Us,they were amazed by us agreeing on something we said,love and acceptance have brought us together
    • Abigail Genevieve
      By which I mean there is a cultural stereotype of what a man is, and one of what a woman is.  Even worse, of what a transgender person is.   You be you.   I read of a boy who thought he was a girl because he did not adhere to some (rather toxic) conceptions of what it means to be a man, so he decided he was a girl.  He was told he didn't have to conform to stereotype and got happy. "You mean I don't have to transition?" He didn't want to, and was relieved.   Once upon a time if you were transgender they told you either you transition or die.   Incorporate the best of what it means to be a man and the best of what it means to be a woman as much as you possibly can, and let the rest go.  Be fully human. Be alive. Don't conform to some cultural crud.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      On the way back to her desk she was interrupted by six short, urgent conversations that had to be attended to. Then she slipped into the women's room and locked the stall door.  She took a deep breath, then another, and allowed herself to shake for five minutes,  Then deep breathing, ten in and ten out, stretch up, touch the floor, neck rolls and she was fine. She used the toilet and a woman knocked and said, "Taylor, are you okay?"   "Ready to conquer the world!"  on her way out she found her makeup was fine.  Three stalls, two sinks.  If she ever designed a women's room with three stalls, there would be four sinks, with plenty of space to plunk your stuff down between them.   She met a deferential Karen.  "Here is the branding I came up with," she said.  And she went back to working as hard as Brenda and Mary, who looked up worriedly and then went back to the proposal.   Shortly before 5:00 she received an email with the title Consolidation and Compensation.  In it she learned that the position of office manager was eliminated, and the current office manager was to become the chief executive officer. The former CEO, along with the CFO, the chief legal officer, and sundry staff, had been terminated, per the Board of Directors.  Effective immediately everyone would receive a base salary of $20,000 with a commission to be set by the individual's supervisor.  Each supervisor would be given a certain percentage to distribute.  Most functions they had been handled would be outsourced as needed.   "The question of what profit was made last year is frequent enough to be answered.  The company lost over 500,000 in fiscal 2023.  At this point further cuts are not anticipated.  We will be strategically adding positions that will enhance our profits. Hard work is expected of everyone."   Her two web guys had been complaining because their games had been remotely uninstalled.  After the memo came out they were absolutely silent.  That gave her an idea, and after an exchange of emails they were reassigned to maintenance out at the plant, effective tomorrow morning.  There were lots of weeds that needed pulling, if nothing else. That email went out after they left early, for the day.  The maintenance foreman was a no-nonsense type who did not tolerate slacking, and they would learn a thing or two.  This also freed up two spaces for her to put new people.
    • Davie
      Except for this thung thwister: Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles, thrust three-thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb. Now if, Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of of unsifted thistles, thrust three-thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb, how many thistles can'st thou thrust through the thick of thy thumb . . . in sifting a sieve-full of unsifted thistles? Success to the successful thistle sifter!
    • VickySGV
      You have given you and us a big clue right there.  I hope you have shared this observation with your Endocrinologist and are willing to take their advice about changing that behavior.    Non prescribed herbal or animal supplements can have a negative effect on your body's use of your available hormones.  Also, your genetics are going to be controlling what your body is going to do with your hormones, and again, that is for you to consult with your Endocrinologists.  On this site none of us are licensed medical personnel and we cannot give you advice on your health more than what your doctor can.  We have rules that we enforce against our members advising about "Folk Remedies" because we have had members who have gone that route and badly damaged their health and quality of life.  Only thing I can go anywhere on, is that maybe if you change your expectations of what should happen, you will at least not be in danger of harming yourself from anxiety.
    • Timi
      Hi @violet r!    Thank you so much for sharing. I'm so glad you found this place. I hope you find as much comfort and support here as I have.    -Timi    
    • marysssia
      Hi lovely people,   I'm a 25 yo MtF woman, and I've been suffering from low estrogen issues since October 2023. I completely lost my feminine libido, my breast completely stopped growing, my estrogen levels dropped by a lot (despite NOT decreasing my E dosage) and thus my dysphoria drastically increased. I think it is worth mentioning that, for my health issues, I had been taking ----- Lamotrigine for months & had been on ketogenic diet, and these things seem to be a culprit of my current issue. I weaned off Lamotrigine some time ago and gave up on keto diet, but it still doesn't seem to help. My estrogen is still low (44 ng/ml) and my libido hasn't come back yet. In general, I struggle with my dysphoria so much because of that and, to be honest, I don't know what to do. I've tried so many dietary supplements, yet I didn't get any effects from them. My endocrinologist didn't know how to help me. She only suggested to increase my daily estrogen dose (to 3x per day ------sublingual estrogen tablets and 3x per day ------ estrogen gel applied to armpits or thighs), which I did, without any effect.   Please, help me. Prior to keto diet & Lamotrigine treatment, I'd never had experience like that. I'm basically helpless and have no clue what to do. Having to deal with low estrogen is a horrible experience to me and it affects my life severely.   BTW, my T levels are always within female range.   Do you have any clue what exactly I should do?
    • April Marie
      I love wearing a jeans skirt!! That looks like airport carpet. Safe travels if you're flying!!
    • Maddee
      Flight faraway forthcoming Fabulous forum friends 😊😊🎸🦂
    • Maddee
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...