The Harm Done By Religion

[+Pettytalk]

10 hours ago, larryp said:

I believe in both Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) Scripture to make it clear. The Scripture teaches that idol worship is very gross to YHWH. So, I do not cherry-pick.

You are wise. Long standing alcoholics seldom, if ever, admit it. Alcoholics who are truly intent on sobering up from their bad addiction, will first admit to themselves that they are indeed alcoholics. Further, when they sober up to reality, truth, they also recognize the very likely possibility of recurrence. And many times all it takes is just one drink. And so is with all addictions, once we are hooked.

And what is sin? Indirectly, part of the harm done by religion, in one way or another, such as the drafting of religious laws, those laws that baseless, ineffective, illogical, not fully defined, and therefore subject to imaginative speculations, making them ambiguous and highly susceptible to many loopholes allowing easy evasion, and repetitive violations. Like an intoxicating beverage, if one sins in moderation, no great harm can result, as long as it can keep it to a minimum, and sinning only as the occasion warrants. Because the harm that religion can do, in some cases, is to sell the idea that atonement can be easily bought. Confession, again is key. Confessional booths I have seen many, like kiosks at shopping malls, where one can voluntarily admit to having drunk from the cup of sin, once or twice during the week, to an intermediary. The intermediary, sweetly accepts the confession, and before fixing the price, will usually, with familiar words, solicit for truth, and will begin with, "yes my son", if it's a male, "is that all?" Then the check comes to the table: Three Hail Marys, five Our Father, and a promise not to drink again. And there we have it, pay the check, and our past drinking will be forgiven. The confessor, having heard directly from the Big Boss above, echos the wise departing words; Go in peace and sin no more. However, every Sunday the process repeats itself, the number of repetitions change, but the promise is always the same one.

Larry, someone here, who shall remain nameless, has grossly overestimated you cherry-picking skills. But admission, no matter how long you have been at it, will go a long way towards your cure.

The Bible, the old as well as the new is full of it.... full of symbolism that is. Idol worship is just symbolism, correct? An an idol is the symbol of our adoration, because we love our idols. On the surface, the plain text we all see, the grossness to the Lord is meant as, that we have to love the Lord, and the Lord alone. On closer look under the surface, wearing our scuba gear, the Lord represents the Truth, the one and only, since truth is absolutely singular. The idols represent lies, or rather the false, since lies are false, and we can have many lies, but only one truth. 

And if you cannot see it, it's because you do not know how to scuba dive, or if you like, cherry-pick.

On another tree, we need to pick another variety of cherries, Bing Cherries. The reason that the NT is in Greek, apart from the superficial obvious reason, can also be found by scuba diving.

[+Pettytalk]

I like the new look, as we instantly get ready-gathered, unsolicited data right at our fingertips. Those stats details are very helpful, like looking at the instrumentation panels on an airplane. One picture is worth a thousand words. We instantly see who the participants are, who is the main contributor, thread historical data, popularity, and current activity status. What more could anyone want? Perhaps it would be helpful if we had another heading, showing the top participant on the ignore list of the other participants? One may reconsider further participation, and move on to better reception. 

[+Pettytalk]

9 hours ago, larryp said:

What's there to interpret? What part did you not understand, jmcc8? You read it for yourself. The truth hurts, doesn't it?

Lies hurt even more, in the long run. In the old days, one never really knew what the gods were telling us, and only through official interpreters would we get an idea. But sometimes it was a two-tier interpretation, as we needed interpreters for the first-line interpreters. The message gets more unclear as the tiers of interpreters increase, and by the time it gets to the ears of those who have need of it, it's just white-noise. I'm no fan.

[Crazy Horse]

16 hours ago, Sherapy said:

Oh dear, you got offended, well that was not the point. 
 

Ones subjective spin isn’t a one size fits all, nor represents meditation.
 

None the less, I took your suggestion and posted a new pic.

 

All the best to you.

 

There was no offence taken, in-fact I thought it was pretty funny, at the time..

But there seems to be no end of assumptions your ego wants to level at this one..

Whatever.

Only, once you have managed to sit upon pure consciousness, with-out thought, with-out acceptance or non-acceptance, the middle ground of pure awareness, then you may have a point of connectivity to how this altered state actually feels. An awakened state of being. 

Just stop the thoughts, and GOD is there... 

 

[+Pettytalk]

11 hours ago, jmccr8 said:

Not saying your a bad guy 

Rather say he's a bad cherry-picker. Only Santa Clause knows who's been good or who's been bad. Nice or naughty? But for goodness' sake let's say that Larry is neither good, nor bad at this time. We'll wait to see what Santa Clause will bring him. Charcoal maybe? More symbolism inside symbolism? All I know is that if I want my meat well done, I have to fill my old Weber grill with lots of charcoal. 

[+Pettytalk]

5 minutes ago, Crazy Horse said:

Just stop the thoughts, and GOD is there... 

God wants us to be godlike as much as is humanly possible. When we stop thinking we become like animals, all instincts. Are you implying that God is just a carrot, there, just dangling in front of us?

[Crazy Horse]

2 minutes ago, Pettytalk said:

God wants us to be godlike as much as is humanly possible. When we stop thinking we become like animals, all instincts. Are you implying that God is just a carrot, there, just dangling in front of us?

Just try it, and you shall know for yourself.

 

[+Sherapy]

3 hours ago, Crazy Horse said:

There was no offence taken, in-fact I thought it was pretty funny, at the time..

But there seems to be no end of assumptions your ego wants to level at this one..

Whatever.

Only, once you have managed to sit upon pure consciousness, with-out thought, with-out acceptance or non-acceptance, the middle ground of pure awareness, then you may have a point of connectivity to how this altered state actually feels. An awakened state of being. 

Just stop the thoughts, and GOD is there... 

 

This is not intended to offend you, but, It sounds like you are trapped in a woo fantasy and trying to convince yourself it is other than a narrative that you have created.

 

The mind can and does hallucinate, it is prone to delusions at times and the point of meditation is to be able to distinguish the difference, which seems a big hurdle for you at this point for reasons only known to you. 

All the best.

 

 

[+Sherapy]

3 hours ago, Crazy Horse said:

Just try it, and you shall know for yourself.

 

 

[+Nuclear Wessel]

3 hours ago, Crazy Horse said:

Just stop the thoughts, and GOD is there... 

Sorry, but I'm not buying what you're selling.

[Crazy Horse]

1 hour ago, Sherapy said:

This is not intended to offend you, but, It sounds like you are trapped in a woo fantasy and trying to convince yourself it is other than a narrative that you have created.

 

The mind can and does hallucinate, it is prone to delusions at times and the point of meditation is to be able to distinguish the difference, which seems a big hurdle for you at this point for reasons only known to you. 

All the best.

 

 

I am trapped, in a sense, in a woo fantasy of illusion, that much is true, yet you seem to have a lot of difficulty in realising that its the narrative, any narrative, that is the actual issue here. When there are no thoughts and only pure awareness, then one is not only abiding in the present moment, but one is actually merging with the Real, and ones ego is dying a death until it has completely vanished for good.

And, the mind only does hallucinations and delusions. The actual point of meditation is to go beyond that, and merge with THAT.

And if one hasn't studied these ideas, then one will laugh, and mock, and belittle those who have.

 

[Crazy Horse]

30 minutes ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

Sorry, but I'm not buying what you're selling.

You don't have to buy anything, just try for oneself, and you shall know the truth..

Or not.

Your choice as always.

[+Nuclear Wessel]

1 hour ago, Crazy Horse said:

You don't have to buy anything, just try for oneself, and you shall know the truth..

Or not.

Your choice as always.

Your answer supposes that I haven't already tried, which would be incorrect. My meditative exercises have always been godless.

Seems like you enjoy being the conductor of the Woo-Woo Express.

Edited November 17, 2021 by Nuclear Wessel

[+Sherapy]

1 hour ago, Crazy Horse said:

I am trapped, in a sense, in a woo fantasy of illusion, that much is true, yet you seem to have a lot of difficulty in realising that its the narrative, any narrative, that is the actual issue here. When there are no thoughts and only pure awareness, then one is not only abiding in the present moment, but one is actually merging with the Real, and ones ego is dying a death until it has completely vanished for good.

And, the mind only does hallucinations and delusions. The actual point of meditation is to go beyond that, and merge with THAT.

And if one hasn't studied these ideas, then one will laugh, and mock, and belittle those who have.

 

CH is your journey in large part Google cherry pick cut and paste? Not a judgement just a question for clarity. 
Again not intending or seeking to offend you, but I am not gleaning the typical staples ( understandings) that come from meditation or a mindful lifestyle that one gets from professional guidance or a serious consistent practice. 
 

I would love to have a conversation but, I am not interested in entertaining grandiose egotistical “empty” claims of enlightenment. The elephant in the room is you are not enlightened.   If you were I would be the first to say so. An enlightened person doesn’t know they are enlightened, think about this very deeply and let me know when you get it, if one is claiming this they are a charlatan at best, even if it is in ignorance. 
 

 

[+Sherapy]

27 minutes ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

Your answer supposes that I haven't already tried, which would be incorrect. My meditative exercises have always been godless.

Seems like you enjoy being the conductor of the Woo-Woo 

CH needs to get some rest he has gone off the woo deep end, I say this with compassion. 
 

 

[+DanL]

Religion is all about people. Faith is about a belief in a higher power. Religion is inevitably run for the benefit and enrichment of a few. Faith have nothing to do with money or wealth of any sort. Religion is about a MAN telling you what to think and do. Faith is about the individual finding their way based on a personal belief and in the best cases a personal relationship wit those beliefs.

It isn't that you can't find faith in a religion, BUT it takes a lot of work, and a constant effort, to resist the push to follow a human path rather than  spiritual path. A religion is a group human activity. If you aren't careful you will lose all real connection between you and your faith.

[Crazy Horse]

8 hours ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

Your answer supposes that I haven't already tried, which would be incorrect. My meditative exercises have always been godless.

Seems like you enjoy being the conductor of the Woo-Woo Express.

How exactly does one meditate without GOD?

[Crazy Horse]

7 hours ago, Sherapy said:

CH is your journey in large part Google cherry pick cut and paste? Not a judgement just a question for clarity. 
Again not intending or seeking to offend you, but I am not gleaning the typical staples ( understandings) that come from meditation or a mindful lifestyle that one gets from professional guidance or a serious consistent practice. 
 

I would love to have a conversation but, I am not interested in entertaining grandiose egotistical “empty” claims of enlightenment. The elephant in the room is you are not enlightened.   If you were I would be the first to say so. An enlightened person doesn’t know they are enlightened, think about this very deeply and let me know when you get it, if one is claiming this they are a charlatan at best, even if it is in ignorance. 
 

 

What exactly is "Google cherry pick cut and paste"?

If you really want clarity, then please speak clearly.

And please, point to the posts where I have stated that I am enlightened?

[+Nuclear Wessel]

20 minutes ago, Crazy Horse said:

How exactly does one meditate without GOD?

You close your eyes and empty your mind… no god required. Not sure why a god would be. 

[Crazy Horse]

30 minutes ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

You close your eyes and empty your mind… no god required. Not sure why a god would be. 

And what is left after one has cleared their mind?

[Crazy Horse]

8 hours ago, Sherapy said:

CH needs to get some rest he has gone off the woo deep end, I say this with compassion. 
 

 

Some rest?

I have only just begun, Sheri.

[jmccr8]

 

[SHaYap]

4 hours ago, Crazy Horse said:

And what is left after one has cleared their mind?

"nothingness"

~

[Will Due]

[Crazy Horse]

30 minutes ago, SHaYap said:

"nothingness"

~

Its very far from nothingness.

An awakened state of oneness, is one way of describing it. Or sometimes its the whole skull that feels like there is a mighty whirlwind rearranging the neurons. At other times the crown chakra opens up, and one actually feels the download. Sometimes its the whole spine that tingles. In fact, THAT, shows up in different places and in different ways, every time it is different. One can only wait, in the present moment, to see, feel, for ones self.

Its really a beautiful thing, and yet "nothingness", it is not.