Most know I am a believer but don't follow a religion
which often puts me in the odd man out boat.
I have people who spread their word to me about religion
and I celebrate how they feel about that but will tell them
I am sorry I do not believe what you believe.
As far as being prayed for
I feel the love in that and know it benefits the heart of the one praying.
It is a form of reaching out and bonding.
In my twenties when I was not a believer
I remember keenly feeling this love though and knowing this to be the case,
that this fulfills the one praying.
I felt, at the time, I can do this for another human being ...
I can let them pray for me....
it really matters not who is right and who is wrong, whether you agree or disagree,
whether one believes or not
it comes down to how much you care for the other person
how much you care about the interaction and about making it positive and loving.
It is accepting another human being and what they have to give.
So In my opinion it comes down to how much you care for and about this aide.
If you are willing to accept this person for who they are and what they have to give...
if you are willing to accept them whether you agree with them or not
or if you cannot accept them because you do not share the same belief.
Those who believe in God generally don't like it if someone says that God is man made.
But there are quite a few posts on here by people who claim to believe in God, but just not the God of any particular religion.
They say they believe in God because they feel his love, his compassion...they can see God in the beaty & wonder of the universe...but is't that the biggest man made God there could be?! You're essentially selecting specific qualities and attributing them to 'your' God!
As for people who claim that they speak to God...what was it Sam Harris said about George W Bush peaking to God?!
"George W Bush says he speaks to God every day, and Americans are fine with that. But if he said he spoke to God through a hairdryer, people would say he's crazy. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes it any more absurd" !!!!
Cymru Am Byth
PJ albums, at the moment!! -
1,Vs 2,Vitalogy 3,No Code 4,Yield 5,Ten 6,Backspacer, 7Pearl Jam 8,Binaural 9,Riot Act.
but see then you're stuck dealing with the whole, "I must spread Gods word" thing. and it potentially won't stop. how do you deal with that?
I think you're doing a great job Blondie, keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine. :thumbup:
As for the preaching, I would just politely tell them to please don't preach to me. I've had numerous people say they pray for me, etc. and I let them say what they will, but when the preaching starts, it drives me to the point of having to actually say something so they'll stop. If put in a polite way, they should get the message.
i feel like this discussion is worthless unless everyone has taken LSD once or twice... no, I'm not joking. If you have, you know that there is something unexplainable beneath our everyday reality. A more fundamental yet mysterious story underlies everything, and we're all individually the center of the story. It is like a big riddle or test that we're here to figure out, and the people who've failed the test are those who provide the authoritarian structure and rules to life - the people who think they've got it all figured out. One thing you can be sure of; anyone who thinks they've got it all figured out and trumpet it the world through their ego - they have failed the test.
It seems we're all the center of our own mandala (the buddhists had this figured out) and the universe is ours, individually. You are the most important. It IS all about you. But, part of it being all about you is that it is also about everyone else individually, and in that way we are interconnected. We're all mirrors individually reflecting off of EVERY SINGLE other person in this world. The light of love should always be reflecting off of you and that is how you change the world, because it reflects off of everyone else infinitely.
The only way to prepare for death is to go through what death is like... and the safest way to do that is LSD. it allows you to shed your fear of death, and in that there is great liberation.
ok.... sorry bout that. back to my regularly scheduled programming.
Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
The only way to prepare for death is to go through what death is like... and the safest way to do that is LSD. it allows you to shed your fear of death, and in that there is great liberation.
ok.... sorry bout that. back to my regularly scheduled programming.
Hmmm. :think: I don't think you should generalize an acid trip to knowing what death is like. For someone who has tried it, I certainly cannot say the same. I've only shed my fear of death from actually coming close to it.
Sorry for the deterrence from the original thread topic.
The only way to prepare for death is to go through what death is like... and the safest way to do that is LSD. it allows you to shed your fear of death, and in that there is great liberation.
ok.... sorry bout that. back to my regularly scheduled programming.
Hmmm. :think: I don't think you should generalize an acid trip to knowing what death is like. For someone who has tried it, I certainly cannot say the same. I've only shed my fear of death from actually coming close to it.
Sorry for the deterrence from the original thread topic.
you apparently did street acid or didn't do enough. In my opinion. the ego-loss death trip is ubiquitous to the LSD experience. and yes, it is safe if you do it in a controlled environment.
Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
You see, I see more comments " we have turned off by listening overly righteous christian, muslim and or insert any zealot here______ mode." Your beliefs are to be freeing to one's mind not kill it.
The only way to prepare for death is to go through what death is like... and the safest way to do that is LSD. it allows you to shed your fear of death, and in that there is great liberation.
ok.... sorry bout that. back to my regularly scheduled programming.
Hmmm. :think: I don't think you should generalize an acid trip to knowing what death is like. For someone who has tried it, I certainly cannot say the same. I've only shed my fear of death from actually coming close to it. .
+1 though I have never feared death per se. Never feared about the 'unknown' or 'afterlife' as some believers may call it - an afterlife that stems from religious beliefs. I do not believe in god and I do not believe in religion (just in case there were any doubts about that ) and therefore do not believe that my conduct during my lifetime will have any impact on me after my death - so no worries there.
One thing I do notice on this thread (and others) is that a good number of people will believe in a god but not in religion (quite common thing, really) but the attributes of the god believed in stems squarely in the teachings of a christian religion. Preconditioned?
Blondie - a good aid (PAs here in the UK) are precious to have but in the end, you are the boss. If I understood correctly, you already mentioned the 'no religion' thing. Said nicely to her that she has her beliefs and you have hers and let's keep it at that shouldn't really cause a riff, should it?
My very best friend 'found god' about 15 years ago. Whilst we can have some interesting theological discussions (as I do with a priest friend of mine,etc.), we both know not to 'cross the line' and it's fine.
Those who believe in God generally don't like it if someone says that God is man made.
But there are quite a few posts on here by people who claim to believe in God, but just not the God of any particular religion.
They say they believe in God because they feel his love, his compassion...they can see God in the beaty & wonder of the universe...but is't that the biggest man made God there could be?! You're essentially selecting specific qualities and attributing them to 'your' God!
As for people who claim that they speak to God...what was it Sam Harris said about George W Bush peaking to God?!
"George W Bush says he speaks to God every day, and Americans are fine with that. But if he said he spoke to God through a hairdryer, people would say he's crazy. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes it any more absurd" !!!!
I will assume you are of little faith.
In my case, faith is not blind belief it is knowledge of the deepest kind ...
it comes from another place, it comes with proof
it is not selecting God qualities that suits my fancy or that is written
it is learning and experiencing that brings the concrete knowledge of God's existence
just as anything else is in this life
It could be described as a door that remains closed but you know what is on the other side
It could also be compared to love we learn here in our lifetime
some have little faith in love, this because of life experiences,
what they learned as a child from role models and for the lack of proof that love
exists and is lasting.
So love does not exist for them and therefore they do not believe in love.
As far as talking with God I'm not sure we really listen so how can we talk?
God in a Pill.
The Elders are calling, they say its a privilege to speak to the Joker.
There are so many religions. One is not conceivable truly correct. I always say it is your pathway for this lifetime a guide of your spiritual contracts. Atheism is a religion. Sorry. It is still your belief not to follow a God. It is still your belief about God even if this means of God's non-existence. The state Nothing is still something.
God in a Pill.
The Elders are calling, they say its a privilege to speak to the Joker.
There are so many religions. One is not conceivable truly correct. I always say it is your pathway for this lifetime a guide of your spiritual contracts. Atheism is a religion. Sorry. It is still your belief not to follow a God. It is still your belief about God even if this means of God's non-existence. The state Nothing is still something.
to an extent. certainly, there are FUNDAMENTAL atheists out there who are always telling us what they think about these sort of questions which puts them on par with fundamentalist christians, IMO.
agnostics (like me) ... THAT'S the way to go! I don't believe in god... but I also don't believe in "no god."
Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
I have faith, just not religious faith. I have faith in my girlfriend, family, friends...and I have faith that Pearl Jam will rock the house in Manchester in June!!
You say you don't 'select' God's qualities, does that mean you attribute the bad things to God just as equally as the good?
If all the beauty & love in the world reinforces your belief in God, what about suffering & destruction?!
If you don't believe in a God from a particular religion, then you are pretty much creating your own version of God.
Cymru Am Byth
PJ albums, at the moment!! -
1,Vs 2,Vitalogy 3,No Code 4,Yield 5,Ten 6,Backspacer, 7Pearl Jam 8,Binaural 9,Riot Act.
Oh how this thread and topic make my mind swirl around.
To the original post, I was raised Jewish (though as a kid, not quite sure I had a grasp on the whole deal). In my teens/early 20s, a spitfire atheist.
My dad and I had many conversations about this. In his early teens, he left Germany (and his parents) for America in the late 30s. He knew what was coming. His parents stayed and were eventually "transferred" to a concentration camp. My grandmother died at Thereisenstadt (in her husbands arms - small blessing) and my grandfather made it to freedom afterward. Short-lived, but he got to spend precious time with his son again.
I've felt an obligation to not break that chain - so much sacrificed in the name of beliefs...BELIEFS - but I also think one has to make an effort to have faith. It can't be forced. And, I just couldn't do it...couldn't make myself believe. I think my father understood and respected that.
I think our essence is about integrity, honor, kindness. That may come from some tenets of religion, but not from religion itself.
My father died in September 2008, and this past Hannukah, I lit the menorah that he brought with him from Germany and passed on to me. It wasn't about MY beliefs, but about honoring his.
Holy fuck, I miss him. Such a unique and decent man.
hmmm.....not sure where I'm going with this.
I guess that now, in my 40s, I consider myself agnostic. I know that I just don't know. I look at whatever god might be as nature - life. Like the line from Man of the Hour (also tied to my dad) - "nature has its own religion, gospel from the land". That's it for me.
Early mornings when I sit by our window, having a smoke, watching the city awake and the sky explode in color...or the times where this part of California becomes violent and shakes the complacency out of us...and so much more - everything that's bigger than tiny me...that's god.
I guess that now, in my 40s, I consider myself agnostic. I know that I just don't know. I look at whatever god might be as nature - life. Like the line from Man of the Hour (also tied to my dad) - "nature has its own religion, gospel from the land". That's it for me.
Early mornings when I sit by our window, having a smoke, watching the city awake and the sky explode in color...or the times where this part of California becomes violent and shakes the complacency out of us...and so much more - everything that's bigger than tiny me...that's god.
To me.
...
You and I are of kindred spirit. I have that same feeling when I'm sitting alone, on the beach or in the shadow of the Sierras. Or just walking out to the parking lot and seeing that tiny weed growing in the crack in the asphalt. We have wonder... not knowledge... or truth. We cannot say one way or the other, if there is a God or not. Just as the weed in the parking lot probably does not understand the complexity of our thought, reason or belief... we do not and cannot understand God. Not in the physical constraints of this existance... in this level of consciousness, in this specific time, in this specific space. And we know and accept that.
I do not believe those whom tell me they possess the truth to the question. I believe they hold a strong belief in their convictions, but belief is not knowledge nor truth. Life is a journey where we search for the truth... to gain knowledge and earn wisdom. The answers will be given, once we die. In the meantime, let's live.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
You and I are of kindred spirit. I have that same feeling when I'm sitting alone, on the beach or in the shadow of the Sierras. Or just walking out to the parking lot and seeing that tiny weed growing in the crack in the asphalt. We have wonder... not knowledge... or truth. We cannot say one way or the other, if there is a God or not. Just as the weed in the parking lot probably does not understand the complexity of our thought, reason or belief... we do not and cannot understand God. Not in the physical constraints of this existance... in this level of consciousness, in this specific time, in this specific space. And we know and accept that.
I do not believe those whom tell me they possess the truth to the question. I believe they hold a strong belief in their convictions, but belief is not knowledge nor truth. Life is a journey where we search for the truth... to gain knowledge and earn wisdom. The answers will be given, once we die. In the meantime, let's live.
Amen to that, my friend.
And your last two lines? Much agreed.
My mom told me that many years ago, after her father died, she dreamed of him and asked, "Where are you? What happened when you died? What happens when WE die?"
He put a finger to his lips and said "shhhh".
We can't know...actually, I think we shouldn't know. I think it would somehow sully the beauty and surprise this life holds.
My mom told me that many years ago, after her father died, she dreamed of him and asked, "Where are you? What happened when you died? What happens when WE die?"
He put a finger to his lips and said "shhhh".
We can't know...actually, I think we shouldn't know. I think it would somehow sully the beauty and surprise this life holds.
...
Speaking of living... I heard that Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters is taking his little side band out for a spin out in the Valley in the near future. Would you be up to some '70s style dirt rock (Zeppelin, Who, Queen, Sabbath...)? They are really good. I'll give you the specifics as soon as I hear them.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
but see then you're stuck dealing with the whole, "I must spread Gods word" thing. and it potentially won't stop. how do you deal with that?
...
Back to this... I was thinking about this one... it is a common thread I run into from time to time.
I love your words of inclusion. I do not like the fact that you need to spread the word of inclusion and wish it was just part of our human nature.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
I have faith, just not religious faith. I have faith in my girlfriend, family, friends...and I have faith that Pearl Jam will rock the house in Manchester in June!!
You say you don't 'select' God's qualities, does that mean you attribute the bad things to God just as equally as the good? If all the beauty & love in the world reinforces your belief in God, what about suffering & destruction?!
If you don't believe in a God from a particular religion, then you are pretty much creating your own version of God.
Then you understand faith and how faith is learned and experienced
like that of love. These people of yours who you have faith in and PJ
have proven trustworthy through experience and lessons learned.
Perhaps you have no faith in God because you have not learned nor experienced God yet.
Perhaps this will change in your lifetime as it did mine.
what bad things? that is confusing and
are you quoting me when you say all the beauty and love reinforces my belief? :?
I disagree with you about what you think God is. You think I must believe in a God of a certain religion
So for you God = Religion and Religion= God
I believe only what I have proof of,
what I have learned and experienced as I said in my last post.
Like what you have learned and experienced of your friends, family and PJ.
It is good to embrace this analogy when speaking to people who have faith in God
because then perhaps an understanding of their faith can be felt
which I am sure would be a goal for you ... to understand others
I enjoy reading gnostic texts/belief as its blend of Christianity and Eastern traditions. Which is the melding to me anyway, the christ/krishna consciousness. It is also my belief that the dead sea scrolls are "thee" original writings gnostic text.
Also enjoy Buddhist, Hindu, Native American, Jewish and Muslim philosophies. Some stories are the same some are not... some philosophies are the same some are not. I"m always open to study what people have to say and interpretation of texts.
*Some religions beliefs include also believe when artifacts are found or returned it is time once again for them to be used. Hard to explain all of this in a few sentences.
Today ruminating from my mind is to eat from the tree of knowledge.... for memories are ingrained upon the soul life after life.... rather than eating from tree of life of one life as trying to be one immortal ... to live within the spiritual sense of self...makes much more sense to be the immortal soul rather than trying to live in the mortal flesh which keeps one bound to keep incarnating on earth. You will be pretty much be the same lifetime after lifetime.
I enjoy reading gnostic texts/belief as its blend of Christianity and Eastern traditions. Which is the melding to me anyway, the christ/krishna consciousness. It is also my belief that the dead sea scrolls are "thee" original writings gnostic text.
Also enjoy Buddhist, Hindu, Native American, Jewish and Muslim philosophies. Some stories are the same some are not... some philosophies are the same some are not. I"m always open to study what people have to say and interpretation of texts.
...
I have no quarrels with religions or Holy Texts. There are some beautiful passages and important lessons to be found there. I just tend to steer clear of religion because of its inate want to exclude those whom do not accept theirs as the only way to live.
I tend to lean more towards those religions that guide us through this life... as sheppards of this planet... rather than the ones that offer up heaven or hell at the end of the road. The God I believe in isn't a petty narcissist that demands our worship... He loves us... just because.
If a religion accepts me... because I don't believe... and does not find my disbelief as a negative or something to be fixed... just accepts me as I am... this fucked up human that doesn't know shit... I would accept that religion.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
Well of course, its called compassion for other humans and souls depending on their development on "becoming" regardless of your beliefs... thats what "good shepherds" herding are supposed to do. Religion or any power of some sort of mysticism/supernatural is just like any position of power given to the wrong or right people its all in the responsibility in how you use it.
So let's say by using your "orange glowy charms to hustle chicks" and attracting them talent, it may not be using your spiritual talent responsibly.
...
Speaking of living... I heard that Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters is taking his little side band out for a spin out in the Valley in the near future. Would you be up to some '70s style dirt rock (Zeppelin, Who, Queen, Sabbath...)? They are really good. I'll give you the specifics as soon as I hear them.
Let me know! ...although I've been having some serious back issues as of late.
And, back to religion and some recent comments, shouldn't it be accepting of all? I can't imagine I would be turned away from a church, or temple, or mosque if I went there in need of help, comfort or guidance. I would hope not.
My "mother-in-law" was a very religious woman but never gave Danny and me shit for living together. Throughout his surgeries, she'd send us mass prayer cards, religious messages and holy water from the Vatican. The items themselves held no particular meaning for me, but the place of love from where they came?
Comments
Most know I am a believer but don't follow a religion
which often puts me in the odd man out boat.
I have people who spread their word to me about religion
and I celebrate how they feel about that but will tell them
I am sorry I do not believe what you believe.
As far as being prayed for
I feel the love in that and know it benefits the heart of the one praying.
It is a form of reaching out and bonding.
In my twenties when I was not a believer
I remember keenly feeling this love though and knowing this to be the case,
that this fulfills the one praying.
I felt, at the time, I can do this for another human being ...
I can let them pray for me....
it really matters not who is right and who is wrong, whether you agree or disagree,
whether one believes or not
it comes down to how much you care for the other person
how much you care about the interaction and about making it positive and loving.
It is accepting another human being and what they have to give.
So In my opinion it comes down to how much you care for and about this aide.
If you are willing to accept this person for who they are and what they have to give...
if you are willing to accept them whether you agree with them or not
or if you cannot accept them because you do not share the same belief.
But there are quite a few posts on here by people who claim to believe in God, but just not the God of any particular religion.
They say they believe in God because they feel his love, his compassion...they can see God in the beaty & wonder of the universe...but is't that the biggest man made God there could be?! You're essentially selecting specific qualities and attributing them to 'your' God!
As for people who claim that they speak to God...what was it Sam Harris said about George W Bush peaking to God?!
"George W Bush says he speaks to God every day, and Americans are fine with that. But if he said he spoke to God through a hairdryer, people would say he's crazy. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes it any more absurd" !!!!
PJ albums, at the moment!! -
1,Vs 2,Vitalogy 3,No Code 4,Yield 5,Ten 6,Backspacer, 7Pearl Jam 8,Binaural 9,Riot Act.
I think you're doing a great job Blondie, keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine. :thumbup:
As for the preaching, I would just politely tell them to please don't preach to me. I've had numerous people say they pray for me, etc. and I let them say what they will, but when the preaching starts, it drives me to the point of having to actually say something so they'll stop. If put in a polite way, they should get the message.
It seems we're all the center of our own mandala (the buddhists had this figured out) and the universe is ours, individually. You are the most important. It IS all about you. But, part of it being all about you is that it is also about everyone else individually, and in that way we are interconnected. We're all mirrors individually reflecting off of EVERY SINGLE other person in this world. The light of love should always be reflecting off of you and that is how you change the world, because it reflects off of everyone else infinitely.
The only way to prepare for death is to go through what death is like... and the safest way to do that is LSD. it allows you to shed your fear of death, and in that there is great liberation.
ok.... sorry bout that. back to my regularly scheduled programming.
I agree, even the military complex asserts the practice of using LSD.
Hmmm. :think: I don't think you should generalize an acid trip to knowing what death is like. For someone who has tried it, I certainly cannot say the same. I've only shed my fear of death from actually coming close to it.
Sorry for the deterrence from the original thread topic.
you apparently did street acid or didn't do enough. In my opinion.
+1 though I have never feared death per se. Never feared about the 'unknown' or 'afterlife' as some believers may call it - an afterlife that stems from religious beliefs. I do not believe in god and I do not believe in religion (just in case there were any doubts about that
One thing I do notice on this thread (and others) is that a good number of people will believe in a god but not in religion (quite common thing, really) but the attributes of the god believed in stems squarely in the teachings of a christian religion. Preconditioned?
Blondie - a good aid (PAs here in the UK) are precious to have but in the end, you are the boss. If I understood correctly, you already mentioned the 'no religion' thing. Said nicely to her that she has her beliefs and you have hers and let's keep it at that shouldn't really cause a riff, should it?
My very best friend 'found god' about 15 years ago. Whilst we can have some interesting theological discussions (as I do with a priest friend of mine,etc.), we both know not to 'cross the line' and it's fine.
In my case, faith is not blind belief it is knowledge of the deepest kind ...
it comes from another place, it comes with proof
it is not selecting God qualities that suits my fancy or that is written
it is learning and experiencing that brings the concrete knowledge of God's existence
just as anything else is in this life
It could be described as a door that remains closed but you know what is on the other side
It could also be compared to love we learn here in our lifetime
some have little faith in love, this because of life experiences,
what they learned as a child from role models and for the lack of proof that love
exists and is lasting.
So love does not exist for them and therefore they do not believe in love.
As far as talking with God I'm not sure we really listen so how can we talk?
Entheogens. It's the only way I know how to relate to this concept of "god."
God in a Pill.
The Elders are calling, they say its a privilege to speak to the Joker.
There are so many religions. One is not conceivable truly correct. I always say it is your pathway for this lifetime a guide of your spiritual contracts. Atheism is a religion. Sorry. It is still your belief not to follow a God. It is still your belief about God even if this means of God's non-existence. The state Nothing is still something.
to an extent. certainly, there are FUNDAMENTAL atheists out there who are always telling us what they think about these sort of questions which puts them on par with fundamentalist christians, IMO.
agnostics (like me) ... THAT'S the way to go!
I have faith, just not religious faith. I have faith in my girlfriend, family, friends...and I have faith that Pearl Jam will rock the house in Manchester in June!!
You say you don't 'select' God's qualities, does that mean you attribute the bad things to God just as equally as the good?
If all the beauty & love in the world reinforces your belief in God, what about suffering & destruction?!
If you don't believe in a God from a particular religion, then you are pretty much creating your own version of God.
PJ albums, at the moment!! -
1,Vs 2,Vitalogy 3,No Code 4,Yield 5,Ten 6,Backspacer, 7Pearl Jam 8,Binaural 9,Riot Act.
To the original post, I was raised Jewish (though as a kid, not quite sure I had a grasp on the whole deal). In my teens/early 20s, a spitfire atheist.
My dad and I had many conversations about this. In his early teens, he left Germany (and his parents) for America in the late 30s. He knew what was coming. His parents stayed and were eventually "transferred" to a concentration camp. My grandmother died at Thereisenstadt (in her husbands arms - small blessing) and my grandfather made it to freedom afterward. Short-lived, but he got to spend precious time with his son again.
I've felt an obligation to not break that chain - so much sacrificed in the name of beliefs...BELIEFS - but I also think one has to make an effort to have faith. It can't be forced. And, I just couldn't do it...couldn't make myself believe. I think my father understood and respected that.
I think our essence is about integrity, honor, kindness. That may come from some tenets of religion, but not from religion itself.
My father died in September 2008, and this past Hannukah, I lit the menorah that he brought with him from Germany and passed on to me. It wasn't about MY beliefs, but about honoring his.
Holy fuck, I miss him. Such a unique and decent man.
hmmm.....not sure where I'm going with this.
I guess that now, in my 40s, I consider myself agnostic. I know that I just don't know. I look at whatever god might be as nature - life. Like the line from Man of the Hour (also tied to my dad) - "nature has its own religion, gospel from the land". That's it for me.
Early mornings when I sit by our window, having a smoke, watching the city awake and the sky explode in color...or the times where this part of California becomes violent and shakes the complacency out of us...and so much more - everything that's bigger than tiny me...that's god.
To me.
You and I are of kindred spirit. I have that same feeling when I'm sitting alone, on the beach or in the shadow of the Sierras. Or just walking out to the parking lot and seeing that tiny weed growing in the crack in the asphalt. We have wonder... not knowledge... or truth. We cannot say one way or the other, if there is a God or not. Just as the weed in the parking lot probably does not understand the complexity of our thought, reason or belief... we do not and cannot understand God. Not in the physical constraints of this existance... in this level of consciousness, in this specific time, in this specific space. And we know and accept that.
I do not believe those whom tell me they possess the truth to the question. I believe they hold a strong belief in their convictions, but belief is not knowledge nor truth. Life is a journey where we search for the truth... to gain knowledge and earn wisdom. The answers will be given, once we die. In the meantime, let's live.
Hail, Hail!!!
Amen to that, my friend.
And your last two lines? Much agreed.
My mom told me that many years ago, after her father died, she dreamed of him and asked, "Where are you? What happened when you died? What happens when WE die?"
He put a finger to his lips and said "shhhh".
We can't know...actually, I think we shouldn't know. I think it would somehow sully the beauty and surprise this life holds.
Speaking of living... I heard that Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters is taking his little side band out for a spin out in the Valley in the near future. Would you be up to some '70s style dirt rock (Zeppelin, Who, Queen, Sabbath...)? They are really good. I'll give you the specifics as soon as I hear them.
Hail, Hail!!!
Back to this... I was thinking about this one... it is a common thread I run into from time to time.
I love your words of inclusion. I do not like the fact that you need to spread the word of inclusion and wish it was just part of our human nature.
Hail, Hail!!!
like that of love. These people of yours who you have faith in and PJ
have proven trustworthy through experience and lessons learned.
Perhaps you have no faith in God because you have not learned nor experienced God yet.
Perhaps this will change in your lifetime as it did mine.
what bad things? that is confusing and
are you quoting me when you say all the beauty and love reinforces my belief? :?
I disagree with you about what you think God is.
You think I must believe in a God of a certain religion
So for you God = Religion and Religion= God
I believe only what I have proof of,
what I have learned and experienced as I said in my last post.
Like what you have learned and experienced of your friends, family and PJ.
It is good to embrace this analogy when speaking to people who have faith in God
because then perhaps an understanding of their faith can be felt
which I am sure would be a goal for you ... to understand others
I don't know about schism... but some good ol' 70s rock and roll does the soul good. Right?
Hail, Hail!!!
Also enjoy Buddhist, Hindu, Native American, Jewish and Muslim philosophies. Some stories are the same some are not... some philosophies are the same some are not. I"m always open to study what people have to say and interpretation of texts.
*Some religions beliefs include also believe when artifacts are found or returned it is time once again for them to be used. Hard to explain all of this in a few sentences.
for some good reading and links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism
ties to alot of sects, societies and religions
Today ruminating from my mind is to eat from the tree of knowledge.... for memories are ingrained upon the soul life after life.... rather than eating from tree of life of one life as trying to be one immortal ... to live within the spiritual sense of self...makes much more sense to be the immortal soul rather than trying to live in the mortal flesh which keeps one bound to keep incarnating on earth. You will be pretty much be the same lifetime after lifetime.
I have no quarrels with religions or Holy Texts. There are some beautiful passages and important lessons to be found there. I just tend to steer clear of religion because of its inate want to exclude those whom do not accept theirs as the only way to live.
I tend to lean more towards those religions that guide us through this life... as sheppards of this planet... rather than the ones that offer up heaven or hell at the end of the road. The God I believe in isn't a petty narcissist that demands our worship... He loves us... just because.
If a religion accepts me... because I don't believe... and does not find my disbelief as a negative or something to be fixed... just accepts me as I am... this fucked up human that doesn't know shit... I would accept that religion.
Hail, Hail!!!
So let's say by using your "orange glowy charms to hustle chicks" and attracting them talent, it may not be using your spiritual talent responsibly.
And, back to religion and some recent comments, shouldn't it be accepting of all? I can't imagine I would be turned away from a church, or temple, or mosque if I went there in need of help, comfort or guidance. I would hope not.
My "mother-in-law" was a very religious woman but never gave Danny and me shit for living together. Throughout his surgeries, she'd send us mass prayer cards, religious messages and holy water from the Vatican. The items themselves held no particular meaning for me, but the place of love from where they came?
Oh hell yes.