A Religious Experiment

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   yoshi97posted 15 years ago

   What I find interesting is the many commonalities I am seeing ...
   
   Everyone seems to agree that we should be good to one another and that we become better thought these actions. It's not that I didn't expect that, but to hear others talk beliefs are all about oppressing others ... and other than one circus act that seems to have removed its tent, I have seen none of that.
   
   And I'm certain there are still many other beliefs that haven't been shared as of yet.
   
   I'll do my best to keep El Nino from striking the bay if others would like to share their beliefs, as I think it helps us realize that ... as much as we believe differently, many of the core fundamental beliefs are the same.
   
   To think ... I would need to travel the world to see this large a variety of interesting culture outside of this thread.

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2. 84

   Jewelsposted 15 years ago

   I often find it difficult to describe my own affiliations as I'd prefer not to be categorized by any isms or ists.  In my late 20's I decided/discovered that I would never be satisfied with the words of another in regard to spiritual experiences. If I was not able to experience those states of belief, or consciousness for myself then my Truth would be elusive.
   
   I take bits and pieces of different teachings and apply it to my life.  The adage See for Yourself, Know for Yourself is my mantra if I must use a term.  I meditate and do spiritual practices, some of which are taken from Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Agnostic teachings.  I do not believe in a personal God.  The concept of God or the Divine source or Christ Consciousness is something to aspire for and become.  A reunion back to the state of consciousness before the Fall.  This requires a transformation process which is often termed "the road less traveled."  Self awareness and awakening to my full potential is part of my journey.
   
   I do believe in a continuum of consciousness and reincarnation.  This is through personal experience I can see my transformation is part of the cycle of death and rebirth in order to attain higher and higher states of consciousness.
   
   Like in Buddhism, there is no God to worship, it's more that you align with this Divine state.  Along the road I am becoming a more virtuous human being by transforming the fallen nature within myself.
   
   Interestingly, Awakening is not necessarily a passive way to 'enlightenment' but the spiritual experiences are well worth it.

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      yoshi97posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I would see that as being responsible for one's own ascension in life. I can't see fault with that.

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   Shaul Steinposted 15 years ago

   maybe you can read your own question and pretend you are posting here.

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      yoshi97posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I do intend to, but not before allowing others a chance to do so. I never wanted this thread to be about my beliefs, but instead, to allow others to share their own and I felt sharing my thoughts early might make some believe I might think differently if they didn't think the same.
      
      Many of the different beliefs here fascinate me and I see a bit of my own in each one. Still, I won't taint the process as I see this as a great learning experience for myself (and I hope, for others), and I will present my views in time, though I won't comment on what I find intriguing about them afterwards as I would then be speaking to myself .. and they lock people up for that. haha!
      
      If there is one universal truth I have learned from this experiment, it's this ... that the common human being has a good heart and cares as much for others as they do themselves. In my eyes, that's a success story.

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   earnestshubposted 15 years ago

   Jewels has some interesting hubs on her subject. Very good stuff!

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   Shaul Steinposted 15 years ago

   reason i asked is because i read all the posts and you agree with an overwhelming amount of things that others posted and i am just wondering what your entire belief really is because some of the posts contradicted the other but you agreed with both.

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   1. 58

      yoshi97posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      My beliefs are tough to explain, but I'll try. I do believe there is a creator, though I'm not so certain he is as involved in our lives as others believe.
      
      In my eyes, this creator placed us here as a trial of sorts ... to see if we are worthy of ascension. Some might consider my view of Earth as Hell and ascension as dying and going to Heaven. However, I don't believe all that die go to Heaven. Those who don't do enough good in this lifetime (in my beliefs) are recycled on Earth to start over.
      
      By this line of thinking, we are all souls that didn't make it the last time, but we are being given another chance to advance forward.
      
      Evil doesn't exist for me, though people are capable of doing bad things. I don't believe temptation comes from an external source, but rather from our own being, making us solely responsible for everything we do.
      
      How much good must one do to ascend? I wish I could say, but I'm afraid those who make it to Heaven never want to return to tell us the score, and I doubt they know.
      
      As for our creator, I believe he is loving, nurturing, and wanting us to survive our ordeal on Earth. As such, he tries to lend us a hand, but with so many to care for he can't be there for every moment of need ... nor would he be ... as he does often want us to go it alone, so we can grow in spirit and become stronger.
      
      I'm not really sure what belief system this places me in, as it doesn't fit exactly in any of them. What I do know is that I don't fear what will happen in my afterlife, as I have grown to accept I will make it to Heaven or be asked to go another round on Earth until I get it right.
      
      Also, I see those that are the kindest as the oldest souls on Earth, as I believe they have cycled through the most rounds and learned from them. Those that are unfriendly are still young and need to be shown compassion, for they have many cycles ahead of them. For that reason, I try to feel sympathy for those I know must endure much more, as well as reverence for those who have already endured so much.
      
      It probably sounds kinda odd to everybody, but that's my beliefs and I think now many might understand why I see a little of myself in everyone else's beliefs, and why I see the need to keep peace where I can, as I see myself as helping others climb the ladder.

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         Jewelsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I can't see fault with that. 

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   SparklingJewelposted 15 years ago

   My "religion/spiritual path" is one that has sought the unity in the diversity. I have found and believe, right now at this point in time (and my beliefs could change as I get more information,
   that there is One God/Energy/Source/Infinite Intelligence/Highest Power. This Source Energy  created all that is and is in the Universe. Consciousness evolved and is continuing to evolve in all living things.
   
   Humanity chooses to rediscover that Oneness with God. God Source has already created all, so cannot not be One with it/us already. It is the free will of humanity/the individual that chooses to find God within self and all others and all things.
   
   Infinite Intelligence gave everyone, in every culture the same message(s). The individual(s) interpreted in their unique ways and passed the messages on the best they could, through the generations.
   
   Prophets, sages, saints, etc...have continued throughout history to try and keep humanity on track toward that rediscovery of Unity with Source/God. The message continued to be carnally distorted.
   
   Through progressive revelation, God had to give up on the instant karma personified in the Old Testament and had to eventually have the Soul/Son that was eventually Jesus, live through other lifetimes, coming to know his own Christ Self so that he could overcome carnal humanity, to show the way to become one with the Christ...the mediator between God and each human. We each have a Christ Self to accept, and Jesus was showing us how to do that, and through Jesus only can we understand that concept of the Christ as part of our Unity with God.
   
   Every step of Jesus' life was personifying for us how to do it for ourselves through coming to know the Christ...and because he was crucified (sacrificed himself to show the ultimate way of overcoming the human/lower/carnal self), literally, we don't have to be...but instead go through trials and tribulations of life until we get to the point of knowing and accepting our individual path of Christhood which is heading toward the ultimate goal of re-Unity with the Creator-the Ascension.

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   1. 58

      yoshi97posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Very interesting! I'll need to read over this one a few times, as it was a bit confusing (for me), but it meshes on several levels with things I have myself perceived.

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   Make Moneyposted 15 years ago

   I am a member of the Catholic faith passed down from Jesus Christ just about 2,000 years ago.
   
   Catholic means Universal in Greek.
   
   I believe the 7 Sacraments that Jesus gave us are the way to eternal salvation, especially these 3.
   
   The Sacrament of Baptism as seen in the Bible.
   Matthew 28:19 "Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
   
   The Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession as seen in the Bible.
   John 20:21-23 "21 He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. 23 Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."
   
   The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist as seen in the Bible.  The above two Sacraments are needed before receiving the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
   John 6:54-55 "54 Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. 55 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day."
   
   God bless
   Mike

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      yoshi97posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I have many friends who are Catholic and - though many Catholics get a bad rap for being self-serving and self-righteous - I do not see this inside any of them. If anything, they are kind, courteous, and very helpful ... which brings me to the opinion that all religions and belief systems have a few bad apples that can make them look bad as a whole, whereas 95% of the people practicing a belief out there are good, honest, hard-working people with a soul worthy of being known. From what I've read, you're part of the good 98%, Make Money.

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         Make Moneyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Well thank you very much yoshi97.  I don't get that much around here so your words are much appreciated.

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8. 59

   Hunting Videosposted 15 years ago

   I'm a Christian. What concerns me with some others that claim they are Christians, is that they use parts of the bible as truth and others parts as myths. It's either all truth (God inspired) or not.
   How can you pick some parts of the Bible and say that is truth. How would you know what is truth.
   Many people choose to beleive parts of the bible based upon their life style. If the Bible says not to do something, but it will affect their lifestyle that they are not willing to give up, then they decide not to beleive that portion.
   
   My belief it's all or nothing!

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   1. 58

      yoshi97posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Interestingly enough ... I have also seen the opposite, where the Bible is applies to things that (if one reads carefully) it was never meant to say. I think people often miss the symbolism in the Bible, for if it were all taken literally we would be 'eating the flesh of man' and 'drinking their blood', which is spoken of during one point. No God (that I'm aware of) wants us to eat anyone, but he does want us to ceremonially remember the death of Christ and that he died for our sins.
      
      So, while I agree that one should not chose what is truth and what is fiction in any book professed to be the truth to them, they should also realize what is truth and what is symbolism, as it is often over these issues that troubles can brew.
      
      Let us remember ... the words of revelations have been used by quite a few over the centuries to predict the end of days, and those charismatic leaders led their people to suicide, as they saw the truth of the end coming (which, by the way, it says 'no man will know when the last day will be ...'), and sought to spare their people the pain of it all.
      
      Truth is not everything we are told, lest we accept everything given to us, lest we lose the ability to think for ourselves and allow Man, not God, to be responsible for where we wind up.
      
      As much as we might go to here another preach and interpret the word to us, we must also do our own research, so as we can confirm the words given to us are true.
      
      By example, I offer the People's Temple, founded by Jim Jones. These people followed God fervently and listened to a passionate man who preached the truth to them, though they might have discovered he was a false prophet, if they had only done a little bit of reading for themselves.
      
      Believing the words given to them were all truth, he convinced them to kill themselves in God's name, when in fact, he was acting upon his own.
      
      That's why I say religion can never be blind faith ... at least when it comes to following the words of another man. All beliefs have a scripture, whether it be Hindu, Christian, Muslim, or something we claim for ourselves. As such, the burden is on us to thoroughly understand understand our beliefs and interpret them for ourselves - and question anyone who would try to twist, convolute, or otherwise misinterpret what our beliefs were founded upon - and yet - profess to teach them to us.
      
      Faith should never be blind ... or should be an opening of one's eyes where they take in their beliefs by their own interpretation, lest another man like Jim Jones convince another 918 souls to commit suicide, denying themselves an afterlife.

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