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A Religious Thread
- Thread starter JustGeorge
- Start date
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
Yes, I am aware that many Christians do not 'like' religion. One reason some don't like it is because it puts restrictions on them, like having to follow God's laws, but I believe that following those laws is what sets us free, free of our lower material nature. I believe that God's laws are our greatest protection.
“Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. To this beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath revealed. Meditate upon this, O men of insight!…
Whenever My laws appear like the sun in the heaven of Mine utterance, they must be faithfully obeyed by all, though My decree be such as to cause the heaven of every religion to be cleft asunder. He doth what He pleaseth. He chooseth; and none may question His choice.”
I learned about Indian seasons yesterday(came up in the Mahabharata as I was reading through).
I was enthusiastic to see six; I've always felt the four seasons set up to be inaccurate for my area and had thought of there being six before I read such a thing.
Indian Seasons, Indian Ritus Start Date and Timings for Baltimore, Maryland, United States
This page provides start (and end) date and timings for Indian Seasons in year 2024 for Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Indian Seasons are also known as Indian Ritus.
www.drikpanchang.com
I was enthusiastic to see six; I've always felt the four seasons set up to be inaccurate for my area and had thought of there being six before I read such a thing.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
Well, I'm not going to go into too much detail but I've had a whirlwind of a year that has forced a lot of growth and changes for me, especially internal ones. I just don't need dogmatic, hierarchical, authoritarian religions. I don't need mediators, books or buildings. I feel more spiritual around animals or trees. I wasn't going to church when I had a chance to, anyway. Nothing against Jesus, but I think he left the building a long time ago.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
I'll second that, and I have plenty of animals and trees and animals in trees, birds in trees, etc. I can hear them the squirrels and birds chirping right now, and I can see them climbing all over the trees and bird-feeders which double as squirrel-feeders. These critters are eating me out of house and home, but they make me feel spiritual, so what can I do?
Truthseeker
Non-debating member when I can help myself
If you are mad about it, I don't think it is your spiritual side that is driving you. I think there is something else going on. A person that truly sacrifices gets joy out of it. A martyr for instance is not what people think it is. A martyr is not someone who suffers without feeling joy at the same time. A martyr may suffer materially, but not spiritually. Not that I know about martyrdom myself as a personal experience, because I'm sacrificing very little. I feel immersed in pleasuring myself. I feel banal right now. At this moment, anyway.And as a Baha'i you know we have two natures, the lower material nature and the higher spiritual nature, so maybe I have a conflict between my two natures. Maybe my lower material nature wants to enjoy itself and my higher spiritual nature wants to serve the Cause of God. Thus far my spiritual nature has won out. I guess that is a good thing but my material nature is spitting mad.
Here is how Baha'u'llah talks about His sufferings. It's beyond my understanding:
Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou beholdest my dwelling-place, and the prison into which I am cast, and the woes I suffer. By Thy might! No pen can recount them, nor can any tongue describe or number them. I know not, O my God, for what purpose Thou hast abandoned me to Thine adversaries. Thy glory beareth me witness! I sorrow not for the vexations I endure for love of Thee, nor feel perturbed by the calamities that overtake me in Thy path. My grief is rather because Thou delayest to fulfill what Thou hast determined in the Tablets of Thy Revelation, and ordained in the books of Thy decree and judgment.
My blood, at all times, addresseth me saying: "O Thou Who art the Image of the Most Merciful! How long will it be ere Thou riddest me of the captivity of this world, and deliverest me from the bondage of this life? Didst Thou not promise me that Thou shalt dye the earth with me, and sprinkle me on the faces of the inmates of Thy Paradise?" To this I make reply: "Be thou patient and quiet thyself. The things thou desirest can last but an hour. As to me, however, I quaff continually in the path of God the cup of His decree, and wish not that the ruling of His will should cease to operate, or that the woes I suffer for the sake of my Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, should be ended. Seek thou my wish and forsake thine own. Thy bondage is not for my protection, but to enable me to sustain successive tribulations, and to prepare me for the trials that must needs repeatedly assail me. Perish that lover who discerneth between the pleasant and the poisonous in his love for his beloved! Be thou satisfied with what God hath destined for thee. He, verily, ruleth over thee as He willeth and pleaseth. No God is there but Him, the Inaccessible, the Most High."
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 10)
I really relate to this. This has been one of the most 'restricted' years of my life, and I'm scrambling to find myself and stay spiritually afloat when things are chaotic, plans go unfulfilled, and I feel like the floor's been pulled out from under me. I find I enjoy books and buildings, but I don't need them. (Think I'm neutral on mediators.)
Nature tends to make me feel more spiritual, too. The Gods uninterrupted, it seems at times.
InChrist
Free4ever
Thanks for your perspective. I believe Jesus fulfilled all God’s laws perfectly, as no human being is able to, certainly not me. Trusting in Christ’s perfect righteousness sets me free from living a life controlled by rules. Rather, I desire to respond to God in love, live for Him, and let Him transform my life through the power of Jesus Christ.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
The might work for you personally but how do you think it is going to work for society to have no rules?
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
I think you are being too black and white about this. Not everyone who truly sacrifices gets joy out of it. That is overly simplistic and does not take other factors of a person's life into consideration.
Even if I am mad about it, that doesn't mean it is not my spiritual side that is driving me. Moreover, I do not suffer without feeling joy at the same time. I suffer materially, but not spiritually, but suffering is suffering!
"O Thou Who art the Image of the Most Merciful! How long will it be ere Thou riddest me of the captivity of this world, and deliverest me from the bondage of this life?"
It sure doesn't sound like Baha'u'llah was 'joyful' in His sacrifice. That's how I feel. As I have told you before, if it was not for the cats there would be nothing I would want to keep living for, but I have to go on living anyway since I don't believe that committing suicide is the right thing to do and I don't believe it is a way out, since I might take my anguish with me.
Sgt. Pepper
All you need is love.
I never liked the religion of Christianity when I was a Christian, but I felt trapped in it, so I was shackled in emotional bondage to it for the majority of my life. I feel like I was imprisoned, but only my cell door was always open, and it took me a long time to realize that I could leave whenever I wanted to. I never once felt "freedom in Christ" or genuine peace in my life, as other Christians claimed to experience in theirs. Christianity was a prison for me, but I'm now free of it. I finally freed myself from Christian indoctrination (emotional manipulation and psychological bondage) after spending the majority of my life trapped in it. I feel no more shame for allegedly sinning against God or allow myself to be guilt-tripped by Christians accusing me of sinning against God or accusing me of being a sinner, and I no longer fear any alleged future wrath or judgment from the biblical God or going to hell either. I've been practicing Wicca for awhile now, and more recently, Druidry, and it has been a liberating and positive experience for me. I don't feel pressured to obey or appease any particular god, nor do I feel threatened by any god. Other than saving myself from abuse when I was a teenager, I cannot think of anything more empowering than finally understanding that I don't have to believe in the biblical God or follow Christianity or any other deity or religion in order to feel emotionally whole or make moral decisions in my life. I don't want to make these same mistakes with my current spiritual beliefs, so I keep them in a rational perspective. I'm well aware of the potential emotional downfalls I could face from being overly trusting in spiritual beliefs or in any god (or other deities). My beliefs are important to me, but not to the extent that I rely on them or that I feel like I can't make a decision about something without them.
ppp
Well-Known Member
I don't recall saying that.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
That's interesting. That is how I feel about life in this world, but I don't attribute that feeling to being a Baha'i.
My trapped-ness is related to my general life situation, a situation I cannot just snap my fingers and waft away.
I felt that way when my husband was still alive but feel more that way now that I am alone.
However, I can surely relate to what you said about "freedom in Christ" because lots of Baha'is feel like they have "freedom in Baha'u'llah" but I don't feel that way. Most of those Baha'i still have spouses and I wonder if they would still feel that way if they found themselves suddenly in my situation.
metis
aged ecumenical anthropologist
You are two of the classiest posters here at RF, and that also is a "sincere compliment".
Sgt. Pepper
All you need is love.
That's interesting. That is how I feel about life in this world, but I don't attribute that feeling to being a Baha'i.
My trapped-ness is related to my general life situation, a situation I cannot just snap my fingers and waft away.
I felt that way when my husband was still alive but feel more that way now that I am alone.
However, I can surely relate to what you said about "freedom in Christ" because lots of Baha'is feel like they have "freedom in Baha'u'llah" but I don't feel that way. Most of those Baha'i still have spouses and I wonder if they would still feel that way if they found themselves suddenly in my situation.
I experienced peace in my life and freedom from emotional bondage after I renounced my belief in God and left Christianity. I never felt either one during the thirty years I was a devout Christian, despite years of sincere prayers, genuine devotion to serving God, and serving God in church ministries and as an evangelism team leader. I merely went through the motions and played church. I appeared to be a joyful Christian on the outside, but on the inside, I was bereft of hope, joy, and inner peace. I was deeply hurting and suffering emotional turmoil, and no one knew about my misery other than my husband. I'm not exaggerating when I say that being a Christian was a nightmare for me. I'm genuinely relieved to be free of it, and I have no desire to ever return to it.
InChrist
Free4ever
I’m not suggesting society should not have rules. I’m just saying that my relationship with God is based on love, not rules. I believe God desires a relationship with each person, rather than religion.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
You and millions of other people all over the world.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
That is also a Baha'i belief. Just as Christians relate to God through Jesus, Baha'is relate to God through Baha'u'llah.
3: O SON OF MAN! Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.
4: O SON OF MAN! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.”
5: O SON OF BEING! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 4