Hi Jeanie,
I've been trying to figure out what a Zen Diest is... Pretty much a religion in and of itself. A religion formed so as not to have religion : )
And you say I am argumentative? Perhaps "argumentative" just means expressing a different opinion.
"Zen Deism" I would say, is a personal religion, one not dependent on anyone else or any kind of dogma or fixed belief. It is a journey of discovery, and as each person would be on a different journey, a different path, proselytizing is pointless ... for anyone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeismDeism is the belief that a supreme god exists and created the physical universe, but does not intervene in its normal operation. It is related to a religious philosophy and movement that derives the existence and nature of God from reason.
Deism became prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries during the Age of Enlightenment, especially in the United Kingdom, France and the United States, ...
... and it was influential for many of our founding fathers, it is the reason that the Declaration of Independence speaks of "Nature's God" and, I happen to believe, critical to founding a nation based on a separation of church and state, one that allows all citizens the freedom to pursue their personal faith, no matter what it is.
Zen I take as a modifier, a way of approaching thoughts, as in Zen Buddhism being an approach to Buddhism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZenThus, through Zen there developed a way which concentrated on direct experience rather than on rational creeds or revealed scriptures.
Personal experience becomes key, and you will note the deist-like rejection of creed and dogma.
I got really disillusioned myself a long time ago. I feel better now.
I am glad your path works for you.
So what is your explanation for how a clam got to the top of a mountain? I guess some mountain climber carried them up in his back pack.
Except that it is not just one, but a part of a mature community which is still complete, forming a layer on the mountains, and that community is but one layer among many, many layers.
The geological explanation is fairly simple: the ground rose, due to
plate tectonics, with one plate being forced under another and the collision zone buckling under the stress, resulting in uplift. This uplift can be measured on mountains today, and this is done regularly to keep survey information up to date now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics#Convergent_.28destructive.29_boundariesWhere two continental plates collide the plates either buckle and compress or one plate delves under or (in some cases) overrides the other. Either action will create extensive mountain ranges. The most dramatic effect seen is where the northern margin of the Indian Plate is being thrust under a portion of the Eurasian plate, lifting it and creating the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau beyond. It may have also pushed nearby parts of the Asian continent aside to the east.[19]
Which, if you will recall, includes Mt Everest.
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10k.htmlThe Earth's mountain ranges have various ages of formation. Parts of the Himalayas are relatively quite young. Mountain building in this region of the world began about 45 million years ago when the continental plates of India and Eurasia converged on each other. The Himalaya mountains are still actively being uplifted.
Note that this is after the (non-avian) dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago, and is relatively recent in the natural history of this planet.
With modern equipment and satellites we can now measure not only heights but the rate of change on mountain tops. We can also compare heights different ways:
http://geology.com/records/highest-mountain-in-the-world.shtmlDo you believe the earth was all in one land mass? Just curious.
Curiosity is good. I think it was possible, but there may have been islands or other continents that have since disappeared (completely subducted?). Certainly there is evidence that all the current land masses were at one time or another connected (common geological evidence).
Hope that helps
Enjoy.
