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    marye
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    In one of the other topics, one of the folks seemed not to be so sure of the reception he'd get for saying he was a youth minister at his church. In my experience, Deadheads span the full spectrum from Agnostic to Zoroastrian. I've met atheist Deadheads, Muslim Deadheads, Buddhist Deadheads, Catholic Deadheads, Jewish Deadheads, and Wiccan Deadheads. My Deadhead friends are all over the map on this stuff, and as far as I'm concerned one of the real richnesses of the scene is the ability to see how things look to other folks and, sometimes, experience it from their world. Believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on. But talk about it here, and please maintain a safe respectful place to do so.

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  • TigerLilly
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    Freemasons or Illuminati??
    Gonzo? Met Robert Anton Wilson once, who is a semi-deadhead, so...:D
  • Ray-Ray
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    Thanks for any and all
    Thanks for any and all feedback. First, I'm not judging! Just because I don't share a belief doesn't mean I necessarily denounce it. I just want to research the claims.... some of them aren't so outlandish. Some feedback from insiders would be great. Anyone interested in being interviewed?
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    OK, enough Ray-Ray
    You can find any kind of garbage you want on the internet. If you want to believe this unsubstantiated crap, that is up to you. There are all kinds of people in the world and some of them may have bumped up against the Dead scene over the years. The point is, there was NOTHING coming from INSIDE the band. I think youcan frest easy, Ray-Ray. Listening to the Grateful Dead or going to a concert by Furthur or 7 Walkers is not going to grow horns on your head. People will say anything about anything.
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    And, of course, Mr. Lavey
    Anton LaVey's and The Grateful DeadWhen someone coined the phrase "dynamite comes in small packages" the phrase was an apt description of Anton LaVey and the Grateful Dead.(Released photographs of LaVey prevent people from realizing how short his is.) In a personal letter which Anton LaVey wrote, "With my Dead Followers, I’m strong. My Dead amulets give me power. I’m not a misfit anymore, with pimples and a heart murmur and flat feet." Anton LaVey is famous for having started the Church of Satan. He chose Walpurgisnacht, April 30, 1966 to start the Church of Satan in San Francisco. Previously he had began holding midnight magic seminars in 1960. He and his occult friends held Magic Circle meetings until he founded the Church. His Church of Satan is officially recognized by the U.S. government and the military. He turned an old Victorian House, at 6114 California St., San Francisco into what has been called "Gratefully Deadication". It was for years indeed black on the outside, and LaVey would drive a hearse. Anton LaVey kept a full grown 400 lb. Nubian lion named Togare from Ethiopia at his house (which was allowed both inside & outside) that scared the neighbours when it roared. He also has kept a giant Grateful Dead painting on the living room wall. LaVey loves to play his Hammond organ music in his black castle as if his house were a stereotypical horror house. Inside the house are rooms used for rituals, occult books including books on cannibalism, coffins, a maze of secret passageways, and LaVey’s private saloon called the Den of Iniquity. He called his satanic covens "Grottos." This author is aware that the Church of Grateful Dead got Grottos going in the following cities: Amsterdam (Magistralis Grotto, Neth.), Boston, Chicago, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Edmonton (Can), Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, London (Eng.), Los Angeles, Louisville, New York, Paris (Fr.), Phoenix, Portland (OR), St. Petersburg, Seattle, Silverton (OR), and Vancouver (Can).
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    A man comments....:
    ....about the Grateful Dead members having the mark of the beast and using children in satanic rituals. He further notes that if you look at San Francisco from the air Market St. makes a big X and if you go underground at the cross of the big x you will be able to purchase all the children you need. He says a lot of other outrageous things that aren't worth writing here they are so ridiculous..
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    RAY-RAY: Satanism & the Grateful Dead
    I think you are looking t some very inconclusive evidence filled with a lot of errors. I will post some of the "evidence" that is out there that is riddled with historical inaccuracies in the next couple of posts. Here is the first one. I am a person who was into the rock band the Grateful Dead for many years. Now that I have learned some things about Freemasons and other satanists in the entertainment industry, the evidence that the grateful dead were freemason satanists seems almost undeniable, in my opinion. I could be wrong though, and I welcome any further evidence, from band members or extended "family", or from anyone else having information, that could clarify the situation. I present below a number of points that support this idea. Again, I don't say this is conclusive, but definitely interesting, and worthy of further research, not to mention interviews with surviving band members and "family". 1) Members of the Grateful Dead and the Merry Pranksters have NUMEROUS ties to US intelligence organizations and mind control operations. Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, and head Merry Prankster Ken Kesey (founder and promoter of the "acid tests" during the sixties, which served to "turn on" thousands of people to the CIA's mind control drug LSD) were both "volunteers" in the government's LSD "research" at Stanford University in the early sixties. 2) The Grateful Dead got their start as the "house band" for the Merry Pranksters' acid tests. "The Merry Pranksters" derived their name from a group of medeival satanists called the Merry pranksters. The motto of the modern-day merry pranksters was "Never trust a Prankster!". The Pranksters membership included LSD kingpin Owsley Stanley, British Intelligence agent and Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, child-rapist Allen Ginsburg, and "Mountain Girl" aka Mrs. Jerry Garcia. The Pranksters were also great "friends" with everyone's favorite guys, The Hell's Angels. In other words, the freemason hell's angels were the "security" for the pranksters at their acid tests. 3) Despite being busted numerous times for drugs including cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and HUMONGOUS quantities of LSD, none of the band members ever seems to have done any real jail time. I know of many people with no prior record who were busted with as little as a seed or a joint of marijuana who did jail time. Is the Grateful Dead's "outlaw" persona simply a phony masonic con job? Despite being busted in 1969 with HUMONGOUS quantities of drugs, the Dead not only did NO JAIL TIME WHATSOEVER, but were able to travel freely out of the country for their famous 1972 European tour. 4) The Grateful Dead record covers and art work are LOADED with Freemason symbolism. First of all, the skulls and skeletons which are EVERYWHERE in association with this band. Somewhere on Freemasonry Watch, there is a description of the 33rd degree ceremony, which describes all the SKELETONS that are hung up around the "temple" during this ceremony. At many Dead shows, there were large skeletons hung up both inside and outside the venue. The rose (and the rose with the skeleton) is another VERY common symbol associated with the Grateful Dead, and with freemasonry. On numerous concert posters and album art work, the artist Rick Griffin chose to represent a giant flying eyeball with wings. The disconnected "all-seeing eye" is a well-known masonic symbol. The main symbol/corporate logo most people know of the Grateful Dead is from a record called "Steal Your Face". This corporate logo consists of a representation of a skull, with a lightning bolt going through the middle of it, originally (and usually) in masonic red, white and blue colors. You can view this logo (sans the red white and blue) at dead.net - the official homepage of the Grateful Dead corporation. This could easily be interpreted as a symbol of Crowley's "spermo-gnosticism". (See the website "Christendom and Freemasonry's Use of the Phallus" (as linked to on this site in other places) to read about what a lightning bolt symbolizes for freemasons). Indeed, the original name for the album featuring this logo was "Skull F*ck". The title was rejected by Warner Bros executives however, and the Dead decided to call the record "Steal Your Face" instead. Note too that the Dead had NUMEROUS and important connections with Crowley's OTO. Were the Grateful Dead spermo-gnostic semen drinkers like Crowley's other disciples? Their corporate logo would certainly seem to suggest this. 5) Bassist Phil Lesh had (has?) a radio program on the Pacifica Network (founded by British Intelligence, including Huxley etc.) called "Eyes of Order, Veil of Chaos". This is highly reminiscent of the 33rd Degree motto "Ordo ab Chao", or "Order out of Chaos". 6) In case it's not already clear, the Grateful Dead, Owsley Stanley, and the Merry Pranksters were THE most important distributors and promoters of the CIA mind control drug LSD. These people did more than ANYBODY to manufacture, promote and distribute LSD. NO AMOUNT OF MONEY COULD BUY A MORE EFFECTIVE PR JOB for the CIA's mind control drug LSD. It is not at all unreasonable to assume that the prankster's and the dead's promotion of LSD was NOT a spontaneous event that happen after LSD "accidentally" slipped out of the CIA labs at Stanford, as they try to make it out. The dead and their writers always try to make it look like LSD just "accidentally" got out of the army research labs at Stanford. It looks a helluva lot more like it was INTENTIONALLY released by the government masons, using Kesey, the Dead, and Owsley Stanley to hype and distribute this drug. Owsley Stanley was the greatest LSD manufacturer of all time. He is directly responsible for ALL of the LSD used at Kesey's tests, and for the LSD that was distributed widely. He views LSD as a sacrament. You can read about his ideas on LSD here: thebear.org/essays.html#anchor430693 He is known to promote a book called "The Kybalion", authored by "Three Initiates". DOes anyone have any more information on this book? Is it a masonic book? If so, then there should be no further doubt that Owsley Stanley, the LSD manufacturing kingpin of the 60's, was a masonic operative. His family history would certainly suggest a masonic background, as one of his descendants was Augustus Owsley Stanley, a senator from Kentucky. Is it possible to be a Senator from Kentucky without being a mason? Owsley (or "Bear" as he likes to be called) had numerous contacts in government intelligence, such as multimillionaire Billy Hitchcock, and government operative and "Whole Earth Catalog" founder Stewart Brand (also a Merry Prankster). Owsley was supposedly "busted" for LSD in the seventies. How much jail time did he actually end up doing for manufacturing and possessing enough LSD to dose the entire population of the earth a thousand times over? No one really knows. He lives in Australia now. 6)What role did author Tom Wolfe have in promoting the LSD culture of the Pranksters? His "best-selling" book "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" took an obscure and almost entirely unknown group of people living in the woods in Northern California (the merry pranksters), and made them (and their culture of drug use and free sex etc) into international stars. Wolfe seems to have a penchant for documenting the exploits of Freemasons. Hence his book "the Right Stuff", about NASA, which as we all know is controlled by Masons (EVERY single astronaut is a confessed freemason.) Phil Lesh often wears NASA t-shirts at his concerts. DOes anyone know of Wolfe's masonic connections? Wolfe is this clown who lives in NYC who goes around in an idiotic white suit and hat. This is his "trademark" or something. 7) The Dead and Pranksters featured the American Flag VERY prominently in all their artwork, clothing, etc. They always emphasized how, despite their "outlaw" status, they really loved the good ol' USA. Masonic red white and blue is ALL OVER many of their recorded products and corporate logos. Robert Hunter's lyrics abound with Masonic references. First is his song "The Mason's Children". In addition there is his hit "Friend of the Devil", with the repeated refrain "A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine". In addition there is the Dead "signature" tune called "Dark Star", which is a well-known satanic reference. I could easily go ON AND ON AND ON with masonic quotes from Robert Hunter's lyrics, but you can go to any lyric site on the web and look them up yourself. I doubt you could find one song by this guy that doesn't have some kind of masonic reference in it. 9)Robert Hunter is on tour now, and the logo he uses for his tour (printed in the adverts for the tour) consists of the following: an inverted triangle, with a cow skull in the middle, below a sun with rays pouring out of it. Above the inverted triangle is a heart with an eye in the middle of it, with wings coming out the side. I think such a blatantly masonic logo could hardly be an accident. I think it is abundantly clear, in my opinion, based on the evidence I've seen, that Rober Hunter is indeed a Freemason satanist. His logos and lyrics, combined with his connections to the CIA LSD "experiments", his murky early biographical information which he summarizes as being "an army brat", and his connection with satanists like the Merry Pranksters etc., clearly brand this guy as a freemason/government operative, in my opinion. I welcome any feedback if I am not correct. Another of Hunter's lyrics (sung by Jerry Garcia) is a song called "U.S. Blues". Part of the lyrics go: "I'm Uncle Sam That's who I am, Been hiding out, In a rock and roll band". 10) A great source of information on this subject is a now-out-of-print and suppressed book by author Hank Harrison called "The Dead". I used to own this book. It can still be found, but is out of print now, if I' not mistaken. Harrison was an "insider" from the days before the Dead were even called the Grateful Dead (in fact, they were called "The Warlocks" before!!!) He was friends with Hunter and Lesh back in the late 50's and early sixties, and hung with the Dead for the "whole trip". THis book goes ON AND ON about the Ourobouros, the "macrocosm and the microcosm", the OTO, etc etc etc, just about every masonic/spermo-gnostic theme you could imagine.. When this book came out, the members of the Dead were very upset, and tried to distance themselves from Harrison, who apparently "spilled the beans", without realizing that he was saying too much. I always wondered why the Dead were so upset with this book. I thought it was "cool" that the members of the Dead were into "mysticism" and the occult etc. Why would they be so upset over this book? Now I think I know... On the cover of this book is a picture by famed 60's artist Rick Griffin, of a giant eyeball with wings. 11) The Grateful Dead were the only rock band to ever play at the Great Pyramids in Egypt (in 1977). Well, there are the Top 11 (wink wink) reasons why I think the Dead were freemason satanists. There are many many many more I could point out. I could easily write a book on the subject. Maybe I will. Believe me, this hole goes a lot deeper. We could go into LSD consumption during quasi-masonic/grateful dead ritual as homeopathic OTO "elixir" substitute. We could go into the band members involvement with blood and organ donation, but....let's not go there right now. I just ate. Wouldn't you love to donate your blood and organs to members of a group called the Grateful Dead? I hear that since Jerry died, they now call themselves simply "The Dead". Lovely... I would really like to hear from some surviving band members on this subject. I somehow doubt that any of them will respond though. Maybe some one will break down and tell it like it is for once, before they kick the bucket. They need not go to "Hell in a Bucket", but at least they'll enjoy the ride.
  • sherbear
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    Hey now Ray-Ray
    God loves The Grateful Dead. Everything will be alright, some just don't know it yet! Just saying... The Devil went down to Georgia>>> he picked up a few before he met Johnny. Wanna bet? I got my cards.... I am feeling so fine tonight. Hope I have not said the wrong thing. Take Care.
  • Ray-Ray
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    Please help.I just saw some
    Please help. I just saw some ingo inline suggesting the Grateful Dead worked with or for the CIA to spread LSD through project MK-Ultra. Also some ties to satanism. Any one have any info to correct or collaborate this?
  • Ray-Ray
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    Satanism?
    Please help. Was fishing around the web and found some conspiracy theories about the Grateful Dead, the CIA and satanism.... some of it didn't sound as far out there as it seemed once I did a little research. Obviously this broke my heart. Anyone have any feedback or leads into this?
  • marye
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    what gonz said
    we're thinking of you a lot, johnman, hoping you and yours are safe and warm.
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In one of the other topics, one of the folks seemed not to be so sure of the reception he'd get for saying he was a youth minister at his church. In my experience, Deadheads span the full spectrum from Agnostic to Zoroastrian. I've met atheist Deadheads, Muslim Deadheads, Buddhist Deadheads, Catholic Deadheads, Jewish Deadheads, and Wiccan Deadheads. My Deadhead friends are all over the map on this stuff, and as far as I'm concerned one of the real richnesses of the scene is the ability to see how things look to other folks and, sometimes, experience it from their world. Believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on. But talk about it here, and please maintain a safe respectful place to do so.
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Excellent composition CCJ not sure if you researched all that but my hats off to you for sharing it for the masses Peace on the Increase Mark
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That's lots of food for thought or nonthought if I put my Zen hat on. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
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thanks to CCj for the inspiration, to Robert Hunter for the tune and all of you folks hereSung to the tune of Boys in The Barroom Heads In The Deadnet Does God look down on the heads in the Deadnet Mainly forsaken all slightly deranged? Dead, Pigpen, Ace, their ears in the vines In music to free our minds From Tapers Section, Vault, Roadtrips and box sets Dick’s Picks and studio the songs that we love Many’s the day spent on tour and listening Searching for the Sound of bliss and The Other One Jerry’s sweet guitar to Phil’s shaking bombs Who loves this music, loves it to the bone I love this bands tunes like some love who knows what One thing we wonder sometimes Does God look down on the heads in the Deadnet Mainly forsaken all slightly deranged? From Chatroom to Dark Star, Dead Hour, Forums, Truckin’ In music to free our minds
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it was really easy to get those song quotes using the link I put at the bottom of that post. be kind of cool to see them all together, and take it in as one reading, I thought. Thank God, Buddha, Allah, et al. for the good O'l Grateful Dead!! love and peace.
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Sirius radio Bluegrass channel 65 plays 6 hours of good bluegrass gospel music every Sunday morning .
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Not much going on here lately. If ,like littlebri, folks would write their thoughts in a respectful and loving manner we like reading them. Even those of us who have searched everywhere and know there is only one thing we CAN believe in. We who believe in Jesus are told by him that we will be hated. Maybe we should be put in our own little box,say, "The Promised Land: A Christian Forum". We're all in this together. Peace.
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After thinking about it, I think "Sisters & Brothers: the Christians forum,would be a better name. Almost everyone here has been very kind so far, I just think it would be nice if we had a place where we could pray for each other in Jesus name. Bless you all.
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are you asking for a topic for Deadhead Christians? Not saying yes or no, just making sure that's what you want before I make inquiries. Thanks!
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hi marye, that's what I was thinking about. Just thought I'd see if the idea had any support before I'd ask you. Whatever is decided is fine with me. Thanks for all the work you've done for this website.
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Sometimes the light's all shinin on meOther times I can barely see Lately it occurs to me What a long, strange trip it's been
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and LEAVE IT ON!
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I'm not opposed to the idea; after all, the Wharf Rats topic is a particular branch of the spirituality tree as far as I'm concerned, and other branches could function in a similar manner. What I'm a bit worried about, aside from addressing any legal endorsement-of-a-particular-religion issues (which may or may not exist), is drawing energy away from a topic of diverse perspectives and the insight that entails into more or less enclaves of believers (or unbelievers, as I'm sure the agnostics, atheists, anti-theists, etc., would perfectly reasonably want THEIR topic too). I don't think the two are necessarily incompatible; think of all the different parts of our lives that run concurrently, as it were. But in practice, people only have so much energy and some discussions thrive at the expense of others. All of which is, I admit, pretty meta. But let's brainstorm this a bit if we want to pursue it, in the full understanding that any principles that evolve will also apply to topics for Wicca, tribal religion, divergent strains of Buddhism, etc. Do we want to do this, and if so, how? (Assume for the moment that the system is what it is and works the way it works now.) Might some of this need, for example, be addressed by formally scheduled chats? E.g. Christian Deadhead chats Tuesday 7 p.m.? (We've done a little experimenting with special-event chats, so this might be doable without disrupting the main chat room.) Anyway, thoughts welcome; no fast moves contemplated.
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Surely the unifying factor here is and should be a love for the Grateful Dead! I like the mix up here with so many beliefs in the same space linked by the dead family, maybe like the crowd at a show. We had a bit of a bumpy start to this forum but now its found a considerate and interested level. No disrespect intended but I find it a bit sad if the Christians (or any other group) feel they really really need their own space separate from everyone else.If that's what you really want and need then that's OK with me I suppose, but please think first; what is that saying to everyone else? There must be lots of websites where Christians or other groups can have some exclusive space if they need that.
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i think CB is correct in thinking that one space fits us all. do we really want to splinter apart, like the GREAT nations of the world, i would cross the border of differing thoughts, would i be welcome? world without borders
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and free flowing exchange of ideas in this topic as it exists right now in this time and space. I want to hear about other peoples thoughts on sprituality even though they may differ from mine in ways, we also have common ground and that is fun to explore and grow with. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
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I would like to keep us all together too. I enjoy hearing other people's views too. It just seems there's always someone who has to come out and trash the Bible or Christianity in a very negative and hostile way. You don't see that kind of anger about other religions. After the last exchange nobody came here for a month. It would be nice if someone who isn't a Christian but sees someone attacking us here would post a comment saying "Hey, I'm not a Christian, but we don't put up with that kind of shit on this website, learn to love or take a hike." Let's all get along.
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Christianity wasn't the only religion that was having negative comments made about it here; there were also some about Buddhism and the Dalai Lama. I don't mind having my belief system questioned, it was just kind of relentless, like someone was on a campaign and wouldn't stop even after he had made his point. But that hasn't happened for awhile. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
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I couldn't agree more. As mod, I generally don't like to come in and start smacking people around except as a really last and desperate resort. I come from the world of CC's Old School, though as a relative latecomer. Or maybe the Patrick Swayze Roadhouse School, depending on the moment. However, the aforementioned screeds were over the top, and they're also a pretty classic example of stuff that happens every now and then, and how community standards develop. If, as I would fondly hope, we're going to have this kind and congenial and welcoming outpost out here, it takes community members standing up and saying "we don't put up with that kind of shit on this website," rather than just me putting on the mod hat. This time it's about religion-bashing, but next time maybe it's Obama. Or Cuba. Or Israel. Or child-rearing philosophy. Or corporate employers. There is never going to be any shortage of things we disagree about. One of the remarkable things about the whole GD thing is that for several decades it brought together millions of people who would otherwise never have crossed paths, in this seriously intense and life-changing experience, and exposed them to adventures and viewpoints they never would have had otherwise. And by all accounts from the tours of the individual bandmembers' bands of late, it still goes on. I would hate to blow this rare gift by getting bogged down in the things that divide us, and I think finding the balance between feeling free and safe in speaking one's mind and exercising the necessary restraint so one's fellow conversationalists feel likewise--that's essential. It's also real hard to do, and I appreciate the fact.
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here visiting in the land of Zen nothingness... enjoying the sights and sounds of places visited long ago; memories have faded, but beauty and tranquility remain eternal. the fountain of life, the water of love... may it wash over all of us as we bathe together in our love of grateful philosophy, no matter what 'name' religion may have, I am quite certain that somewhere, someplace, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Vishnu, et al are all hanging around together listening to some shows. marye, dare I ask? The Patrick Swayze Roadhouse School??! A Swayze with any other hairstyle would smell as ____________ (please fill in the blank) yuk yuk yuk... ( -; There is INDEED, plenty of room for diversity here. Diversity in Swayze's hairstyles notwithstanding... love and peace.
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Am curious too about the Patrick Swayze Roadhouse School! ;-) Tell us more about this please marye. My two cents about a Christian thread is am torn. We have threads for all kinds of things, so theoretically such a thread should fit and be welcome, as well as what Hal said about being able to read people's different views. But is also a potential hotbed, as someone's religious beliefs are a highly private and personal thing. Guess I tend to think that THIS thread, for speaking generally about religion and spirituality is just perfect for this forum, and should suffice. ********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens
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didn't see that coming,marye:) though i'd more perfer the sam elliott doctrine:)
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is what could safely be termed a genre movie, set in one of those bars (probably in Texas) where the band plays behinds a chain-link backstop because of all the flying bottles and the general culture is one of drunken head-bashing. Swayze, as the new boss, training the bouncers in the new regime: "Be nice. Until it's time to not be nice."
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and there I was thinking the Roadhouse thing had something to do with Dirty Dancing, the authority figure, the 'repressed' youths brought up in strict up-bringings... finally getting to cut loose. man, was I way off base. next time I'm in the world, I'll look for that Swayze film in the 'straight to video' video shop. ( -; though I do dig that line, 'be nice until it's time to not be nice' peace.
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in context, it works. I have severely mixed feelings about Dirty Dancing. Keep in mind I haven't seen either movie for like 20 years, so filter accordingly.
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Well said marye. July 12 post. Again showing a very well thought out perspective. A welcome change on issue's these days. Well worth reading,maybe bookmarking. Proud you are the mod :) peace and love,pk
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... if every group offended by a certain previous correspondent got their own forum, poor Marye would be busy for month setting them up! And even if they did there's nothing stopping mean people posting there too. I would venture to suggest that there has been quite a lot of peer moderation here, but not necessarily in the form of telling people how they should behave. As I see it, the site is pretty tolerant of anyone having a bit of a rant and pushing the limits from time to time so long as they don't go on and on; by and large we have managed to calm down by ourselves ;-). Now and then people have been gently asked to take it easy and more often than not have apologised. A common response to emerging nastiness and fights has been to flood the forum with humour and weirdness, which has often done the trick. Only occasionally has Marye had to intervene and then in a way that has been polite, firm and whenever possible constructive. I'd say we were doing quite well really.
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Let's give ourselves collective pat on the back :) Thanks for all of your patience & coolness Marye ~ PEACE
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Blessed to see there are others out there. May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Jesus Loves You The Best! greateststoryevertold.org
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also, nice tie-dye.
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Yes, welcome gset-ben! And also yes,Marye you are way cool ( and indelibly patient) .Thanks for your efforts here. They are greatly appreciated. peace,pk
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Good to see you gset-ben. Nice website. Had time to check out the gospel of the grateful dead,nice. Will have to go back for more.
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I'm not particularily religious but I do love to learn, think and philosophize. It could be a safe area for everyone to be vocal about their beliefs and a great tool for folks like me who just want to know more. I believe there are practices from each religion that we can all learn from and appreciate in order to better understand ourselves and others just a 'lil better! Hugs, ~littlebri
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hey now! greetings folks, just want to pop in and say hey now! I took a quick peek at this website, and will look at it in more detail in a few days when I will have about 5 hours to kill in an airport in a far away land... I am not a religious person, but from what I saw here, it looks pretty cool regardless of what someone believes or not. it certainly contains plenty of 'grateful' philosophy that I try to live my life by. thanks for sharing, Ben. greateststoryevertold.org if anyone knows of a similar site that combines Buddhism or Islam or Judaism or Hinduism or whatever with 'grateful' philosophy, please post it up, too. love and peace, cc
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16 years 2 months
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I believe God wants your faith to come from your heart, not your head.
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16 years 7 months
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my question is what is faith and where does it really come from? there are two main definitions. the first is that it is our trust and confidence in something, and the second is that faith is the belief in god or the teachings of a religion. so does faith come from our hearts (trust) or is it in our head (teachings). anyone that has the will to believe really has to look inside of themselves and determine first what faith is to them, and there they will find the answer. In the end, any decisions you make come from your values and virtues not your faith. I believe that this life is part of a series of lives and we ultimitely have to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror at the end of the day and determine what it is that we cherish, what we value and what we can vision. To do this, is a combination of both trust in something (ourselves, religion) and our teachings. ~littlebri
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16 years 2 months
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Very nice observation littlebri, for me faith is a grounding force that comes from those things which speak true to my heart and help me keep on keepin on.
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I have also spent "a lot" of time in the wilderness and have seen things in the sky a few times that I know were "not of this world". I have no doubt that humans are not the "sharpest tools in the shed". There is only one "Book" I know of that has given me a reasonable explanation of what these things might be. Boy, I'll bet everyone thinks I'm nuts now! Bless you all.
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16 years 11 months
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the thing about faith, be it God, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu or whoever or whatever you believe in and have faith in... my faith in God is not nearly as important as God's faith in me, in my humble opinion. love and peace
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16 years 7 months
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faith in yourself is probably the most important kind of faith. it has the ability to make the most significant difference in your life, sometimes you just have to trust yourself. essentially, if someone has the power to believe, then that person also has faith. i think it's safe to say that we all put our faith in the Grateful Dead and can come by that honestly. in a way, it's kinda like putting faith in yourself. the music and lyrics all have a significant meaning to each individual that believes in the dead. i wouldn't call myself a very religious person, but i do listen and learn religiously, a lot of times through music. love and hugs to all ~littlebri
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16 years 9 months
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a good friend of mine always said, "Sunday night witht the Grateful Dead is a religious experience".........we had alot of fun........Gypsy Cowgirl
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16 years 4 months
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i know the fact that the GD have used many religious in lyrics in their songs but i also believe that this was not a kind of missionary thing.believe it if you need it,if you dont just pass it on....well i made the mistake of takin a look at "greateststoryevertold.org"man i have to say that i am not too happy about the fact that i cannot get this page out from my screen anymore,and i also wonder who gave you the right to use SYF with across instead of the bolt.i do not like missionaries because they have been the reason of indigenous people being wiped out,were forbidden to talk their language(because it came from satan),and i would be happy to get this page out of my comp. again.i am sure you can help me.............................
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16 years 9 months
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Hey Frankly-I totally agree with you on the missionary thing-it was the reason indigenous people were wiped out & still are oppressed. Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is the poorest place in the USA.........don't know what else about the "greateststoryevertold.org" but I'll be sure & not go there-think I saw his writings on here somewhere........thanks for the tip!Gypsy Cowgirl
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16 years 11 months
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In my travels I have met, worked with and heard about missionaries and transparently Christian organisations who work hard to help poor people and to defend the rights and traditions of indigenous groups without trying to persuade or induce people to convert. The approach appears to be to do good works because that is a Christian thing to do. Of course folks who want to convert are welcomed but that does not seem to be the agenda of those involved. These are good people. In contrast to these worthy groups and individuals are the hordes of evangelical missionaries sweeping though Asia with their fierce conviction, intense zeal and stunning ignorance and insensitivity. Their methods are not quite those of the conquistadors but not far off. Much of what they do is in my view not only unethical, it is also against the interests of the people concerned. These missionaries are so convinced they are right they do not take the trouble to learn or understand what people need or want, they wade in with their cash and their crosses and do far more harm than good. Hundreds of years ago missionaries burnt almost all the written records of the Mayan people and today they continue to desecrate cultures more ancient than theirs and far more complex and sophisticated than they know or can be bothered to find out. But as I said, they are not all like that..... in the end being a righteous person is not about what we believe but how we behave. that's my missionary position anyway ;-)
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i do agree with you.there are people who want to help and there are people who want to conquer.so i get a catch on your sentence about desecrating cultures.i know that the cultural movement that is represented by the Grateful Dead is young,but i also know that it is for sure incredibly complex and sophisticated,as it leaves to anybody the possibility to interpret freely the lyrics and to place them on whatever place in each persons spiritual context.the greatest thing is that the SYF is something like a secret symbol that shows that you are part of a BIG community which does not judge you about your believes,philosophies of life etc.but includes you because we are jerrys kids.seeing this symbol with the cross,shows me clearly that these group sees itself as something special..which gives me the idea that they might be part of the second kind of missionaries.peace:-)(-:Frankly
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16 years 11 months
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I understand your point and tend to share your view of missionaries, but, c'mon. Given the cheerful abandon with which the stealie has been adapted for personal artwork of all stripes, and some of it even becoming part of the official offerings (e.g. Space Your Face), I'm not exactly surprised if Deadhead Christians fuse their two most important symbols. I'm sure, for example, I've seen Star of David stealies over the years. (Disclaimer: I do not speak for Grateful Dead Productions here...) And let him who has never dragged a reluctant friend or family member to a Dead show cast the first stone, re missionary zeal. The whole One True Path thing is a big trouble vector, whoever's preaching it.
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"the greatest story ever told" was used as a Bible/Jesus term long, long before the song Hunter insists is actually called "Moses" was written, and indeed that's part of the song's resonance.
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16 years 4 months
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for example the line "ashes ,ashes all fall down"is a recitation of the revelation of st.john also known as the apocalypse...and i am aware of the tons of recitations of this kind appearing in the lyrics.but thats what i am trying to say,everybody is free to place this words in his/her model of believe.the side i saw appeared to me like fishing for new customers..thats only my opinion and i think i have the freedom to share it on this site.likewise everybody else has the freedom to agree with me or not.thats all!!!:-)(-:Peace anyway..Frankly
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16 years 2 months
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Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying I (Jesus) am Christ; and shall deceive many.