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SpiritMan
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« on: January 30, 2005, 12:48:55 PM » |
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I'm hoping to revive the kind of dialog about religions that we had with our friend Rick on the other forums. There is so much wisdom and knowledge to be had when one expands beyond the dogma and prejudices that separate the stories of spiritual journeys.
"It is an infantile superstition of the human spirit that virginity would be thought a virtue and not the barrier that separates ignorance from knowledge"
Voltaire
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From the opium of custom...To the ledges of extremes..Don't believe it till you've held it..Life is seldom what it seems..But lay your heart upon the table..And in the shuffling of dreams..Remember who on earth you are.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer
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sincere
Newbie
Posts: 27
She's so sincere!
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« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2005, 04:39:15 PM » |
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I had hoped this topic would have had more activity. Oh well...
I am at a crossroads in my spiritual life and am looking for answers. I feel like I am losing my faith... I had always considered myself a Christian and I grew up in a Baptist church. As I got older, I also grew wiser and sought out those hard to answer questions. Ones I still haven't found the answer to and hope that some of you can enlighten me. Both Pro and Con.
I don't want to get too much into it right now, but maybe someone has been in my shoes and can talk to me from experience.
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Guardian Angel
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« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2005, 05:07:27 PM » |
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I had hoped this topic would have had more activity. Oh well...
I am at a crossroads in my spiritual life and am looking for answers. I feel like I am losing my faith... I had always considered myself a Christian and I grew up in a Baptist church. As I got older, I also grew wiser and sought out those hard to answer questions. Ones I still haven't found the answer to and hope that some of you can enlighten me. Both Pro and Con.
I don't want to get too much into it right now, but maybe someone has been in my shoes and can talk to me from experience.
I think the reason there wasn't more activity here is because there wasn't much activity on this forum except for the Padded Cell. Now that we have more members maybe we can have some discussion on this thread...Hope so....  |
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Be an angel, fly with God's flock.
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SpiritMan
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« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2005, 08:11:41 PM » |
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The best thing I would suggest for anyone at a crossraods in their spiritual development is to watch Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth. It's a six hour PBS documentary with the most unbiased overview of the world's religions and spiritual teachings.
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From the opium of custom...To the ledges of extremes..Don't believe it till you've held it..Life is seldom what it seems..But lay your heart upon the table..And in the shuffling of dreams..Remember who on earth you are.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer
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Guardian Angel
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« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2005, 08:21:02 PM » |
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I am always getting emails from people who proclaim to be Christian. When I read some of the stuff they send I send it back with a message "What would Jesus do." if for no other reason than to make them think and really read what they have sent. Some of it is filled with hate and racism. I have never had any of them email me back about what I have said.....makes me say hmmmmmm. In Sunday School class I am continually stiring things up because of remarks like "pray for the people in New Orleans, although some of them don't deserve it" WHAT! kind of a Christian attitude is that  It is frustrating to say the least. |
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Be an angel, fly with God's flock.
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Bingo
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« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2005, 11:19:17 PM » |
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In a church someone says that someone else does not deserve prayers in their behalf?
How sad.
I think the biggest turnaround for me was discovering that God is love. Growing up in a small Southern Baptist Church, I was afraid of doing or saying many things because I had been told at church it was wrong and that I would burn in hell if I did those things. Many of the things we were taught I look back now and find to be unChristian. Such as being told Catholics would burn in hell. Our minister would not perform a marriage ceremony for my Sunday School teacher, a fantastic woman, because she was divorced from her first (abusive, alcoholic) husband.
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The Idealist decries the way things are and dreams of a perfect world.
The Realist examines the way things are and strives to improve this imperfect world (unknown)
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Guardian Angel
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« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2005, 11:27:57 PM » |
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Sad but true, Bingo. It was my Sunday School teacher who said it. He still makes remarks about Catholics and I take him to task for it.
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Be an angel, fly with God's flock.
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Pat Testa
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« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2005, 11:41:19 AM » |
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I'm hoping to revive the kind of dialog about religions that we had with our friend Rick on the other forums. There is so much wisdom and knowledge to be had when one expands beyond the dogma and prejudices that separate the stories of spiritual journeys.
"It is an infantile superstition of the human spirit that virginity would be thought a virtue and not the barrier that separates ignorance from knowledge"
Voltaire
I enjoyed the postings of Rick and would welcome any stories of actual life experiences from people who don't base their whole life on the interpretations of only one source. Too many people close their minds to anything that is new or different from what they were taught. There are so many different religions and we can all learn from each of them as long as our minds are open to accepting that no one is perfect and we can all learn from each other....does this make sense...? Sometimes I ramble.... Anyway....I am not a religious person...but I consider myself to be a very Spiritual person. I went through the years of trying different organized religions and decided that they were not for me. I saw too many hypocrits and too many people preaching love but sending messages of hate for anyone who didn't believe what they were preaching. I'm anxious to hear from others. |
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Today is the first day of the rest of my life...
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pesoto74
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« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2005, 03:10:59 PM » |
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Sad but true, Bingo. It was my Sunday School teacher who said it. He still makes remarks about Catholics and I take him to task for it.
When I was in Catholic School the nuns would say that for Catholics getting to heaven was like crossing the ocean in an oceanliner and for Protestants it was like crossing in a rowboat. So at least the Catholics said the Protestants had a chance even if it wasn't a good one. I would also say that I am a spiritual person and not a religious one. To me a religion is where one person or a group of people take their experience of their relationship with the spiritual and say that is the truth for everyone else. And a lot of people go along with it for various reasons. And it can be scary, depressing and just hard work to work out your own relationship with the ultimate reality. And I think a lot of people get into organized religion to avoid that struggle. |
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Butterfly
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« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2005, 03:14:53 PM » |
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Inside every older lady is a younger lady --wondering what the hell happened. Cora Harvey Armstrong
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Guardian Angel
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« Reply #10 on: October 08, 2005, 04:29:42 PM » |
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He is right on the mark..... |
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Be an angel, fly with God's flock.
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pesoto74
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« Reply #11 on: October 09, 2005, 09:20:36 AM » |
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I found an online version of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus, was born in 121, was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161, (as joint emperor with adoptive brother Lucius Verus). He ruled alone from 169. He spent much of his reign in putting down variou rebellions, and was a persecutor of Christians. His fame rest, above all, on his Meditations, a series of reflections, strongly influenced by Epictetus, which represent a Stoic outlook on life. He died in 180 and was succeed by his natural son, thus ending the period of the adoptive emperors.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/marcuaurelius1.html |
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Bingo
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« Reply #12 on: October 09, 2005, 10:56:10 PM » |
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Do you think Rick is Mr. Grumpiest1 Alexander's brother?
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The Idealist decries the way things are and dreams of a perfect world.
The Realist examines the way things are and strives to improve this imperfect world (unknown)
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Guardian Angel
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« Reply #13 on: October 09, 2005, 10:59:51 PM » |
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No Rick is a very intelligent poster and I enjoy his posts about Wicca. They were on the CN site. He hasn't posted much lately but I wish he would.
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Be an angel, fly with God's flock.
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Bingo
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« Reply #14 on: October 09, 2005, 11:21:24 PM » |
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Mr. A. also has a brother named Rick and since Mr. A. and several of his friends are on the forum I was wondering if Rick was one and the same
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The Idealist decries the way things are and dreams of a perfect world.
The Realist examines the way things are and strives to improve this imperfect world (unknown)
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