Your beliefs

[branbran]

Everyone believes in something......

[Bella-Angelique]

My views are mine. Your views are yours. We may agree on some points and others we may disagree strongly. To expect a certain behavior out of each other is useless. The best course of action is to hold noone else to our standard than ourselves.

You're alright in my book Bella.

TY, I think you are alright also Rev. I have spotted you doing some orginal thinking in some of your posts and that always intrigues me.

[rev r]

TY, I think you are alright also Rev. I have spotted you doing some orginal thinking in some of your posts and that always intrigues me.

Thanks for the compliment.

[AriKiya]

The hole in the ground has a bottom. The sky on the other hand, is limitless.

God I love Chinese fortune cookies...

that made me giggle

I agree that not believing is in itself a belief. Even a faith, if you wanted to call it such - faith that there is nothing to believe in. People ARE biased though. This post reminded me of a conversation my hubby and I had a while back. We were watching "Prince of Egypt with our girls, and my hubby said something to the effect of "The parting of the Red Sea is one of the most well known myths..."

I was immediately offended. A MYTH? How can you call it a myth if it's in the bible? Ok, stop, rewind. That made me think. We refer to Greek Gods as "mythology," even though back then, that was the Greek's beliefs and "religion." I've even heard people refer to Buddha and Sheeva (sp?) as "mythological." People will basically refer to anything beyond THEIR OWN belief system as "mythology." As offended as I was by what my hubby had said, I tend to think twice now before discounting someone else's beliefs (whether I particularly agree with them or not), whether subconsciously or not. I've always considered myself pretty open minded and respectful of other people, and it really bothered me that even I fell into the "what I believe is right and everything else is fairy tales" mentality.

I think it would be awesome to be able to sit down and discuss different beliefs without an argument or that "what the heck are you talking about" look that people get when you say specific things. Faith and beliefs belong to each person individually, to get back to the point, and even if you DON'T believe in any higher being, I do think that IS a belief, and should be respected.

EDIT: I put quotations around the word "religion," because I don't like the concept. "Religious" people go to church every Sunday and pass business cards, spewing nonsense about how great and perfect and without sin they are, and telling about EVERYONE ELSE'S sins. IMO, Spiritual people are MUCH more pleasant to be around

Edited November 30, 2006 by AriKiya

[metalkannibal]

I'm a Christian/Gnostic and i only believe one other thing,"Harm ye none,(I think this should include God) Do what thou wilt"

[hyperactive]

People will basically refer to anything beyond THEIR OWN belief system as "mythology."

I refer to everything in the past as a mythology.

I look for the "human element". I look for the merit of the message. I welcome that which withstands scrutiny. I freely admit to what I do not know, and account for all possibilities within my own frameworks (which admitedly sound more "rational" than "mystical").

Most importanty, I must ask "does it matter"? People get hung up on their mythological views without questioning how the stories came to be or whether there is any relevance to said stories.

It is in understanding how the human functions we find the realities that bind. (in understanding how one thinks we can understand why one thinks something)

[+Sherapy]

I refer to everything in the past as a mythology.

I look for the "human element". I look for the merit of the message. I welcome that which withstands scrutiny. I freely admit to what I do not know, and account for all possibilities within my own frameworks (which admitedly sound more "rational" than "mystical").

Most importanty, I must ask "does it matter"? People get hung up on their mythological views without questioning how the stories came to be or whether there is any relevance to said stories.

It is in understanding how the human functions we find the realities that bind. (in understanding how one thinks we can understand why one thinks something)

Very good insightful post hyper, how are you using relevance in storys and what storys would you find relevent, and how would you determine this????

How do you measure merit???? I tend to go with that which can benefit the most, but then again how would i measure that, i often go with that which is for my highest good is most likely meritous...but still I don't know....

BM i would say there are infinite interpretation for one belief, this is a good iquiry because how would we form a base of universal value and benefit for the majority????? we know a tad about waht won't work but in and of itself to many that isn't enough to change things... I truly don't know as hyper often points out and I have to agree we jsut don't know in our current awarenss as a human being.....

[hyperactive]

good questions sheri.

How does one determine merit?

Everything has merit. How does it give an insight? How does it answer a question? How does it direct one to look at something differently? How does it help see oneself? How does it help one question critically both it and one's own thoughts?

Sometimes the highest merit is in helping the tiniest, most unnoticed aspect.

We could also ask, why does something need merit? Should things just be, and be understood? To see the common frequencies that run through humanity, to see beyond our nature to see difference. To find what we are, if we are?

[+Sherapy]

good questions sheri.

How does one determine merit?

Everything has merit. How does it give an insight? How does it answer a question? How does it direct one to look at something differently? How does it help see oneself? How does it help one question critically both it and one's own thoughts?

Sometimes the highest merit is in helping the tiniest, most unnoticed aspect.

We could also ask, why does something need merit? Should things just be, and be understood? To see the common frequencies that run through humanity, to see beyond our nature to see difference. To find what we are, if we are?

And great questions back, indeed everything does have merit, everything , So the merit can be said to be the insight am i understanding this???? and taking relgion as the example i find the merit to be in that it shows us what we arent' and it gives one back to themselves, becasuse the contrast is so glaring. so exaggerated....

why is it important how one sees themselves, why care, why figure it in???? Is nature universal or individual????

[hyperactive]

it is important how one sees oneself because religions are social contracts, not paths to enlightenment/salvation/what-have-you.

If you see your reflection in the water, but know not what you appear as, then how does the reflection aid you?

[+Sherapy]

it is important how one sees oneself because religions are social contracts, not paths to enlightenment/salvation/what-have-you.

If you see your reflection in the water, but know not what you appear as, then how does the reflection aid you?

It seems you are inferring its important to know yourself, why????

[hyperactive]

there has to be a foundation.

[+Sherapy]

there has to be a foundation.

Why????

[IamsSon]

there has to be a foundation.

Do you need something to compare yourself to to understand who you are and what it means? Is it possible to know yourself if you do not have some standard to compare to? In some ways this is what the whole concept of goal setting in industry and leadership is all about, if you don't have something to compare to how do you know whether you are doing what you should be doing and whether whatever it is you are doing is having any impact.

[hyperactive]

why has there to be a foundation?

a single point of reference allows one to see change in a jouney.

If we use perceptual processes to explain this, we can reference that perception is defined by changes (change in stimuli over time, or change in qualities within a stimuli at one time).

If we use goal setting methods, we could ask how does a person with no long term memory define himself.

[GoddessWhispers]

The act of the affirmation, I believe , creates a whole dynamic of personal commitment. Simply because the first predisposition is the living affirmation, "I Am".

So for one to say they believe in god, they are first coming from a model that abides a belief in a succinct definition of self. In adopting an affirmation of a progenitor of that self, i.e. a creator god, one is assuming onto that personal model an unreasonable ideology, to reason consciousness. So then to accept there is a god is to augment one's personal sense of sovereignty as a sentient, conscious, willful state of be-ingness.

Therefore, the declaration of faith in a creator makes for an eccentric declination of personal character.

[IamsSon]

why has there to be a foundation?

a single point of reference allows one to see change in a jouney.

If we use perceptual processes to explain this, we can reference that perception is defined by changes (change in stimuli over time, or change in qualities within a stimuli at one time).

If we use goal setting methods, we could ask how does a person with no long term memory define himself.

That's a very good question! When I put those question together I was thinking about all the kids who have been found after being "raised" by animals and how they are never able to reintegrate into human society, they have lost the ability to grasp what the human standard is, and yet they also seem to be quite aware of the fact that they are not actually one of he animals they have been imitating, I was also thinking of those babies that were experimented on by the Nazis, babies who did not receive any nurturing attention or even a human touch or human facial gesture and how they all died. All of that makes me think that despite the wide variety of human beliefs and the broad scope of human experience, there is a basic standard that must be present for one to achieve the status of "human."

[hyperactive]

humans are not the only animals to have a critical socialization period.

[IamsSon]

humans are not the only animals to have a critical socialization period.

I never said they were.

[+Sherapy]

That's a very good question! When I put those question together I was thinking about all the kids who have been found after being "raised" by animals and how they are never able to reintegrate into human society, they have lost the ability to grasp what the human standard is, and yet they also seem to be quite aware of the fact that they are not actually one of he animals they have been imitating, I was also thinking of those babies that were experimented on by the Nazis, babies who did not receive any nurturing attention or even a human touch or human facial gesture and how they all died. All of that makes me think that despite the wide variety of human beliefs and the broad scope of human experience, there is a basic standard that must be present for one to achieve the status of "human."

Are you familiar with 'Monkey love the harry harlow' experiment Son????

[IamsSon]

Are you familiar with 'Monkey love the harry harlow' experiment Son????

No, I'm not. What was the experiment about?

[+Sherapy]

No, I'm not. What was the experiment about?

along the lines of what you are dialoging about a study done that for a time mistakenly changed the importance of the mothers role and the outcome, read it its is very interesting...... It sounded as if you were aware of it is all...

[+Sherapy]

The act of the affirmation, I believe , creates a whole dynamic of personal commitment. Simply because the first predisposition is the living affirmation, "I Am".

So for one to say they believe in god, they are first coming from a model that abides a belief in a succinct definition of self. In adopting an affirmation of a progenitor of that self, i.e. a creator god, one is assuming onto that personal model an unreasonable ideology, to reason consciousness. So then to accept there is a god is to augment one's personal sense of sovereignty as a sentient, conscious, willful state of be-ingness.

Therefore, the declaration of faith in a creator makes for an eccentric declination of personal character.

Especially since religon teaches to believe in a tiny limited self....GW this is a very interesting post.....Self is all that is any self that is , (tools) the greatest understanding is in knowing that you are all of it, but so is everyone else...

son are you familiar with the parable of whiteness?????