Well with the recent things going on in my life it does sound weird but I have been thinking about religion and pretty much the existence of an afterlife
( Read more... )
The overriding response I kept having while reading that, though, is that organized, man-run religion and true, personal, meaningful religious faith are definately NOT one and the same thing :) That's not to say that all people are un-trustworthy when it comes to spiritual advice, and not to say all people twist scripture to suit their own agendas...unfortuantely many people do, and cause confusion for others in the process.
So while it can be helpful to talk to people about faith (provided you know who you can talk to--some people are great sources of wisdom and inspiration, while others will only leave you feeling more confused and upset)...ultimately your spiritual journey has nothing to do with other people. It's your own adventure :)
And just for the record, I don't believe that a religion's success at keeping people enslaved is any measure of its worth. A lot of it has come to be un-necessarily based on fear, which I don't believe God ever intended. I believe He wants us to make life choices based on love, not fear.
Just my insomniac's two cents :) interesting post, though!
err, part of that was unclear, sorry. When I said that stuff about *talking to* people in the hopes of trying to figure out spiritual things, I meant, more so, *looking at* people, or at the seeming majority of a religion's followers, and judging the religion itself based on people. Because obviously, people put their own spin on things and half the time things are done out of man-made rules that really don't have anything to do with the original teachings or scriptures.
That's where the adventure part comes in. Reading the original teachings of a religion that intrigues you can be an interesting experience.
It is definitely more important for the individual spirituality to be clear. The enslavement is not a measure of its worth but the fact that its voluntary and tolerated in the name of God shows a persons devotion which does show a matter of personal worth to them. Not that I think its right but it does lead you to think about it
The overriding response I kept having while reading that, though, is that organized, man-run religion and true, personal, meaningful religious faith are definately NOT one and the same thing :) That's not to say that all people are un-trustworthy when it comes to spiritual advice, and not to say all people twist scripture to suit their own agendas...unfortuantely many people do, and cause confusion for others in the process.
So while it can be helpful to talk to people about faith (provided you know who you can talk to--some people are great sources of wisdom and inspiration, while others will only leave you feeling more confused and upset)...ultimately your spiritual journey has nothing to do with other people. It's your own adventure :)
And just for the record, I don't believe that a religion's success at keeping people enslaved is any measure of its worth. A lot of it has come to be un-necessarily based on fear, which I don't believe God ever intended. I believe He wants us to make life choices based on love, not fear.
Just my insomniac's two cents :) interesting post, though!
Reply
That's where the adventure part comes in. Reading the original teachings of a religion that intrigues you can be an interesting experience.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment