Acceptable RoR

[Freightman]

I know Norm doesn't care for religious posts, but I will say this and I guess he can delete if he chooses. Looking back to a time when it felt as though my life was shattered, crumbling, or 25 years of hard work was being lost and out of my control, I can see now God was actually restoring my life. Ironic, my "Christian" friends that seem to have the right to sit in judgement told me I was everything that begins with the word "too" like driven, analytical, serious, humorous, worried about my kids future, etc. Now today I found that is exactly what people want. So I learned through it all to take life one day at make that day worthwhile and good.

So what does this have to do with blackjack? Speaking from experience, educate yourself the best you can, play every session with the idea to make it good. You won't always win - but you will survive, and profit if you can "keep your cheese firmly planted on your cracker."

Regardless of your religious background, faith provides a strong moral centre ( center for Americans)

[Oneoffthecount]

I am a recovering egnostic, but I have begun to question whether the events in my life are random or crafted. After being in a loveless marriage for a long time (at least whoever the loving was going to wasn't me), getting laid off and the heart attack, I begin to think (aside from raising my kids which was a done endeavor for the most part), my life wasn't really contributing much to anyone else and I wasn't really happy with where or what I was. I wonder if some force was behind the change.

I was initially really upset with losing my wife and in a way my own image which was locked into being a father and a husband. The way I look at it now, I should write the other man a thank you card. She's 40 lbs overweight, she's an alcoholic, she's a compulsive liar, she comes with the mother in law from hades and she is all yours!!!!

[ZenMaster_Flash]

Freightman,

you said:

" ... faith provides a strong moral center"

The above is slightly offensive, but more so, it is inappropriate on this forum.
If you want to imagine that morality is a product of organized religion do so
elsewhere.

[Freightman]

Freightman,

you said:

" ...[COLOR=#006400] faith provides a strong moral center"[/
The above is slightly offensive, but more so, it is inappropriate on this forum.
If you want to imagine that morality is a product of organized religion do so
elsewhere.

Faith is a product, among other things, of upbringing. I am as straight as an arrow, with a strong moral compass, not necessarily created from a religious background (though certainly traditional in terms of my background)

So, if we happen to meet , and you need a ride with a couple of individual close by, and your choice is the straight as an arrow moral upright citizen vs. the alcoholic drug addicted degenerate gambler, in need of a fix - who would you accept a ride from. Please don't tell me that morality is not relavent - and how could it not be.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

" ... faith provides a STRONG moral center"

"I beg to differ."

It provides a WEAK "moral center" because it is derivative of an external source;
that of religious notions that depend on "faith", the enemy of reason and logic.
I depend upon my internal thought structure should I need to think about my actions.
I do not cheat, steal, do violence, lie without cause, etc. I KNOW that certain actions
are wrong, completely irrespective of what anyone may think or say to the contrary.

[Three]

It provides a WEAK "moral center" because it is derivative of an external source;
that of religious notions that depend on "faith", the enemy of reason and logic.
I depend upon my internal thought structure should I need to think about my actions.
I do not cheat, steal, do violence, lie without cause, etc. I KNOW that certain actions
are wrong, completely irrespective of what anyone may think or say to the contrary.

Spoken like someone that has never known faith. It is not like you are worried your Dad won't approve. It is that you see the world differently and your priorities go from what is best for me in the agnostic world to what is best for others. You are at an inner peace that allows you to see things with different priorities. Strong faith is really rare but it causes people to do things that others rarely would. Here is an example.

A friend of mine died and left his widow caring for her 2 orphaned grandchildren in a tiny house on a meager income. She couldn't even afford decent food and had to buy budget food to get by. A friend of hers had a ex-husband that knew their house had water issues and would not pass inspection in extreme flooding. He waited until we had torrential rain and called social services knowing they would take her kids or she would have to move out until things were deemed habitable. His motives were only to screw with the things she loved. He did want anything to do with the kids. My friend's wife was the one that had the least ability to help her but nobody else would so she let her move into their tiny and already crowded house. She had no idea how they could afford it especially since all the lady in distress could do was put all her financial resources toward fixing the issue. She knew things would be okay if she did the right thing. Well the next day she goes to her mailbox. The electric company had reviewed their records and found they had neglected to send the deposit back a year after starting service 12 years prior to that. The IRS had reviewed her return and discovered an error that got her a big unexpected refund. And the state had overturned a ruling that got her another big check. Now many would have no problem helping the woman and her children if they could afford to. Most would look after their own and many would never open up their home to others for an indefinite period as was indicated by nobody else being willing to help. My friends wife helped even though she knew she couldn't afford it and had faith that doing good would not work out bad.

I know a few with this type of faith. They are constantly putting themselves out there and things always happen to keep them away from the apparent pitfalls that seem a given. If you even witness the endless series of bizarre "coincidences" that occur to take the pitfalls out of their way you would be in awe. These people don't do these things because of some external pressure. They do them because there is no grey in doing the right thing. You just do it because that is who you have become. You see the "miracles" that happen in conjunction with faith that doing the right thing will not work out bad. This gives them a kind of faith and ability to act on what is right that few have. This faith doesn't have to come from religion. If you see the miracles that accompany faith (a belief in an outcome) you get faith whether you credit it to a higher power or karma or coincidence.

Faith is even used in physical activities. The ability to believe you can do something is vital in actually doing it. I would jump tidal creeks rather than walk a long way around. If I truly believed I would make the jump I would make it every time even at impossible distances further than I had ever jumped before. If I had doubt no matter how easy the jump there was a good chance I would end up in the drink. The same is true with medical outcome. The mindset of the ill or injured has a lot to do with your recovery.

Studies have also shown that prayer increases recovery by 20%. These things have nothing to do with religion. The studies that prove the power of prayer are numerous and almost all are done in an attempt to prove prayer has no effect on recovery. These studies had everyone receiving proper medical care but various prayer situations were done. You had the patient praying for himself in some. You had the patient knowing others were paying for him in others and you had the patient clueless that anyone was praying for him. All the double blind studies showed the same improvement of results of about 20%. Prayer helped across the board even when nonbelievers were the ones doing the prayers or were the ones being prayed for. A doctor that won't admit the power of prayer should be avoided. He refuses to believe the medical studies and would likely have the opposite result if you used him.

I have never had a doctor deny the power of prayer. I have had many that were amazed I wasn't dead. I have been 3 times in situations where at least 99.9% in my risk group die. I just have faith that when it is my time I will die. I don't ever really ask for anything but I don't worry about anything either. I know I have had a lot of people praying for me. They don't know why but there are some individuals that tend to be survivors. I think they all have faith whether they are religious or their faith comes from another source.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

Spoken like someone that has never known faith

I have powerful FAITH. I am a humanist.

I have an abiding Faith in rational thought, in the power of truth,

and in the human potential to evolve beyond its current state.

[Cougfan]

There is only one correct answer to this question. It is also the correct answer for precisely 78.67% of the questions in the world.

It depends.

[Tarzan]

I know we're not supposed to talk religion but I sometimes question the effectiveness of my practice of praying to the goddess Fortuna while gently caressing her likeness emblazoned upon 24kt gold gently against my testicles prior to a playing session and it's potential positive effect on my game. Faith, hope, belief and morality have absolutely nothing to do with blackjack! Seems to me that doing it under my own steam is better and makes more sense than relying upon Fortuna (or anyone else for that matter) to look upon me favorably!