Races Aren't Superior But Cultures Are

Testimony IS evidence. It's why I'm reticent to even attempt to discuss this with you. It's like we're speaking different languages.

 

What is 'scientific' evidence? Is it evidence that the material sense can perceive? Or is it evidence that the logic centers can perceive? Those 2 are different.

Prove to yourself that you love your mother. You can prove it to yourself through thinking. You can't use matter to prove it to yourself, or anyone else. You can give evidence that you love your mother by giving her flowers or compliments, but those can be faked.

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Hey, be patient with that guy. He's LIGHT YEARS ahead of most of the people in this thread (or Forum)

 

I have been saying this on here for years.

If the white race was superior, Europe would be far ahead of everyone else. They have been white the longest, and have the highest concentration of white people.

And even if you make the argument that America only succeeds on the backs of white ancestors...most of THEIR technology, in turn, came from Egypt or China or wherever anyway. Either way, the racial arguments fail.

 

The superior thing about Christianity is that it reveals that God is inifinite, therefore all. The material man is a lie, because man is idea in that infinite God, aka the one Mind.

No, most Christians don't know that. But their Master did 2000 years ago, and that's how he healed, by restoring at least SOME of the sense that being crippled isn't necessary (or real), blindness isn't necessary (or real).

Christians lost track of that knowledge and of its healing ability, through the overuse of materialism in trying to connect with God, who isn't even aware of matter, of course.

 

This thread offers some great opportunities for inquiry, discussion, and debate. A discussion of "culture" is more complex than simply pointing to "white culture", "western culture", "Asian culture", or "religious culture". One can easily find pros and cons when discussing any of these terms. None of these terms represents an homogenous culture in which all components within the culture are identical.

To assess the superiority of a culture, one must first identify what constitutes a superior culture. Among the elements of a superior culture, one must address technological superiority, moral superiority, standard of living, the equality of citizens under the law, the form of government, etc. Once such questions are answered, any culture, whether national, ethnic, geographical, religious, or whatever can be compared with the agreed-upon standards of superiority.

Any approach other than that expressed above, will probably lead to conflicts over the fact that no existing culture or past culture is or was perfect.

 

You'd prefer Buddhism because what you think Christianity is, is actually a horrible perversion of the one true religion, which doesn't actually HAVE a name, but was introduced by Christ Jesus.

And if the Big Bang was real, that would mean matter is real, and if matter is real then any divine being would be severely limited, and not much of a 'god' at all.

 

courts convict people on evidence they acquit them when there is no evidence...there is no evidence for a god, so god didn't do it...

 

You are very intelligent, patient, and civil.
Realize this- except for the 'moral superiority' thing, those elements don't define a superior culture. Those elements are the MANIFESTATIONS of those mental/spiritual qualities which enabled that culture to develop those elements you mention. And the 'morals' thing you mention is to be found in the list of causal qualities of a superior culture, not in the list of the manifestations of those qualities.

These qualities are love, confidence, morality, intelligence, etc. etc.- qualities which are most easily recognized by cultures whose God is best understood to be the Principle of those qualities.

I tip my hat to you for your circumspection. And your respectfulness.

 

Buddhism isn't a religion, it has no god/deity, it's philosophy/way of life...a catholic could also be Buddhist at the same time...

 

Evidence for God is mental, not physical, silly. Whaddya think God IS, an old physical guy with a beard? (like a lot of religions seem to)

Can your eyes give evidence of how a rose smells?

 

Thanks for the info.
Here's some more: that thing which fulfills an adherent of Buddhism is more fulfilling by the correct understanding of God and man. The calm, joy, etc. of any study like Buddhism, etc. in founded in the search for the Principle of those qualities, for only then can those qualities be perfectly demonstrated.

 

the smell of a rose is physical, there are actual molecules present that my nose can detect, can you smell god?...what you're saying now god is like Buddhism, there is no actual deity...

 

No you can't smell God, but that's the kind of proof that you are looking for, isn't it? To see God, or hear God or touch God??

Can your EYES smell a rose? No, because it is the wrong sense to use. Eyes are for looking, not smelling. You use the wrong senses when you ask for a physical proof of God.

The proof of God is mental. And would HAVE to be, unless god is an impotent, ridiculous god.

By the way, you're a believer deep inside. That's what causes you to PURPOSEFULLY not capitalize God, like you purposely DO capitalize Buddhism.

To sense God, you have to THINK, not look or smell.
Hey, I'm on your side. Most religions have it largely dead wrong. But that doesn't mean that there is not an invisible God which works mentally.

Hey wyly, the universe is not physical. The universe is a concept. The 'physical thing' is just a misapprehension of the concept.

Take a look at quantum physics. They're getting there.

 

Thanks for your kind words. I try to be civil and respectful, though sometimes failing miserably. When I spoke of "moral superiority" I include in that term the qualities you listed and more; i.e., love, self-confidence, self-control, civility, objectivity, desire for knowledge, etc. Such qualities are often expressed in some form within the tenets of religions. Perhaps you've discovered as I have, however, that discussions of religion often devolve into arguments over the existence or lack thereof of God? I've found that by couching religious principles in terms of "philosophy" can often result in less argument and less verbal abuse. If a human being behaves in all ways in accordance with let's say "Christian principles" although he be an atheist, is he not behaving as God would have him behave? A rose by any other name is still a rose?

As for the other cultural considerations I listed, they too are important to a culture's superiority. Not all cultures in which God is supposedly paramount lead to technological superiority for instance. Without an exceptional educational system, even God fearing nations may produce ignorant citizens. In addition to possessing strong moral standards, citizens must have food to eat, means of communication, and a means of defense against those who'd destroy them.

 

Western Civilization is distinguishable enough that entire college courses are committed to it's study and analysis. There's a lot of ambiguity in the discussion because there were certainly excesses and atrocities. How was the forced relocation of American Indians beneficial? Or the unseating of the Hawaiian monarch? Or the many mass killings of the people I claim Western Civilization is supposed to help? The misconducts of Westerners are so egregious as to possibly cloud out the many acts of kindness and the overall benefit to people who embrace the evolution being offered and many have been trained to see only those misdeeds and nothing else.

My argument is simple. Because of Western civilization,

1. The New World was discovered and settled
2. Hawaii and the Pacific Islands are now paradises
3. We've achieved a degree of world peace unknown in human history
4. Slavery has now been abolished on most of the globe (the significance of this can't be overstated)
5. Modern medicine is found in every reach of the globe
6. Human rights are recognized and respected
7. Advanced farming techniques and technology have greatly reduced world hunger
8. International trade brings every invention and advance to every corner of the world
9. Things like clean water, plumbing, air conditioning, vaccinations, music, literature, and every type of food imaginable is made available all over the world
10. And at last, and most of all, the saving gospel of Jesus Christ is known everywhere and church bells ring in Korea, India, Israel, South America, Polynesia, etc etc.

And this has been the plan all along, that the message of the cross and the good news of salvation be not confined to any one region or people, but be sent and shared with all people everywhere, along with the blessings that the gospel brings, tangible things that make our lives better, longer, and more fulfilling. "For God so loved the WORLD that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

All is going according to His plan.

 

You're right and I got sucked into that with the goading. But no more. I'll proclaim God and Christ crucified for sinners and do so unapologetically and avoid getting into useless arguments with materialists.

 

if you're talking about faith that's fine I don't object to people having faith without evidence...

na I'm a lifelong non deist... I just have little regard for formal writing skills(my personal revenge/revolt against all my anal english teachers)...capitalizing, proper punctuation, grammar, spelling sentence structure they all come an go...

 

Hmmm because nowhere in your OP was there discussion of the 'rights of man'?

Frankly I am not certain what you are trying to demonstrate 'superiority of culture' by- you have made a bunch of incredibly inaccurate claims about so called 'inferior societies' all with the seeming intent to pump up Western societies.

But this is not a 'zero-sum' game.

China contributed to the West and India contributed to China, etc, etc. for thousands of years. Every society in contact with another has things it can be proud of- and has histories it should be ashamed of. European ascendency in the last 500 years has resulted in a great many very good things- but it brought along with it some tragedies and horrors.

I am very proud of European culture and advancements(and happy to be a modern American) but they didn't happen in a vacuum, nor do I have to pretend that other societies were 'inferior' because they didn't achieve this or achieve that.

Polynesians colonized virtually all of the Pacific without having any metal- reading about how the Polynesians accomplished this amazes me. The Inca, isolated from virtually every group outside of South America, devised intricate and unique record keeping devices using knots- and built incredible bridges out of rope. The MesoAmericans had amazingly advanced math and astronomical skills.

There is no reason to pretend that these societies were inferior. We can instead acknowledge our own achievements- Michaelangelo's David, underwater concrete, the jet engine, pennicilin.

I think claiming superiority is the road to a nationalism that serves no one.

 

Responding to Saint's post

My argument is simple. Because of Western civilization,

1. The New World was discovered and settled- The New World was already 'discovered and settled'
2. Hawaii and the Pacific Islands are now paradises - Hawaii and the Pacific Islands before the coming of Westerners had no mosquitos- they were paradises before too.
3. We've achieved a degree of world peace unknown in human history. I agree- we also were responsible for war on a scale never before imagined.
4. Slavery has now been abolished on most of the globe (the significance of this can't be overstated).
5. Modern medicine is found in every reach of the globe- I agree
6. Human rights are recognized and respected- Hmmmmm not in a way that we Americans would recognize them in most of the world.
7. Advanced farming techniques and technology have greatly reduced world hunger I am not certain that is actually true. Before the advent of Western medicine, population tended to balance out with farming- famines happened but most people didn't go hungry.
8. International trade brings every invention and advance to every corner of the world International trade was happening before Western Europe was even part of it.
9. Things like clean water, plumbing, air conditioning, vaccinations, music, literature, and every type of food imaginable is made available all over the world. Clean water is not an entirely Western concept, nor is plumbing and of cousre music, literature existed everywhere.
10. And at last, and most of all, the saving gospel of Jesus Christ is known everywhere and church bells ring in Korea, India, Israel, South America, Polynesia, etc etc.

And this has been the plan all along, that the message of the cross and the good news of salvation be not confined to any one region or people, but be sent and shared with all people everywhere, along with the blessings that the gospel brings, tangible things that make our lives better, longer, and more fulfilling. "For God so loved the WORLD that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

All is going according to His plan.

I don't really want to get into a religious discussion- so I will just not comment on that.

 

Western Civilization is not a nation nor has it ever been, so saying it's celebration is a path to nationalism is just your paranoia. But hey, I'm not hating. Sane is boring, and people have the right to be just a little nuts. I know I am.

And I'm not claiming the various cultures are devoid of accomplishments, but even the ones you mentioned were done by civilizations more advanced than others who never unified to achieve something great. The Great Wall of China is a human endeavor that continues to astound me, for instance

But there are some civilizations that would simply never ever evolve apart from an intervention. I am descended from such a civilization. Even the ancient Egyptians were more advanced than my people. We were very primitive, given to ceaseless wars, and almost never lived long enough to see our own grandchildren. We built no walls, no pyramids, no temples, no cities. We contributed no literature, art, or science.

You see, I can be proud of my heritage because I come from a family of fierce and brave warriors. But I can also acknowledge the sad reality that we were never going to evolve beyond primitive tribalism. My culture was inferior and would not advance without help, even if we went on for a thousand more years.

So yes, there are superior cultures, the kind that advance, and share those advancements with the whole world; the kind that contribute art, science, and literature for everyone's benefit, and the kind that make the world a better place far beyond their own national boundaries.

 

There are problems within any community you care to mention. Tell us what it is about black culture that you believe is any different to white culture in America.

 

Nobody has been around for billions of years and there was no 'creation'. In your belief system nobody has yet managed to tell us what happens after death, so it's all simply conjecture really. But if it makes you feel better that you believe you're going to go and sit on a cloud and play a harp for eternity, knock yourself out. Just make siure you know more than one tune or it could get kinda monotonous...anyway the Devil has better tunes, hot women and a burgeoning party scene. Guess where I'm headed...

 

Well, for one almost 1/2 of gun violence is in the black community and they comprise 13% or so of the population. Much of the rest is in other minority communities with the smallest percentage to percent population in white communities.

 

How is that related to culture? Are you suggesting that, culturally, the black man is more predisposed to violence than the white man?

 

Absolutely, as opposed to race. It is culture that defines what is acceptable behavior.