Are your beliefs healthy?

[Geoff-Allen]

Are your beliefs healthy?

I think I posed this question a year or so ago but couldn't find the thread ...

So off-the-top-of-my-head ... here goes -

A healthy belief system is one that helps you become a kinder & more compassionate human being.

An unhealthy belief system is one that tempts you into feeling superior to other people.

An unhealthy belief system is one that leads you to thinking that you and all those who share your belief are absolutely correct and everyone else is foolish or misguided or evil.

Yes, if you were wondering - I am aware that there IS a certain unavoidable irony in making such a statement.

May add more but that's a good enough start IMHO

"My opinions may have changed but not the fact that I am right."

~ Ashleigh Brilliant

There is also a quote I recall along these lines: The true test of a good religion is that you can make a joke about it. Something like that anyway ...

Makes an interesting Google search

Pema Chodron's thoughts:

"We have a lot of opinions, and we tend to take them as truth. But actually they aren't truth. They are just our opinions...All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things are. To have even a few seconds of doubt about the solidity and absolute truth of our own opinions, just to begin to see that we do have opinions, introduces to us the possibility of egolessness."

If you liked that - try clicking here

Are we addicted to our beliefs? - Martha Boesing seems to think so!

Quote from Tesla

Post a couple of these? -

Pinterest has several thoughts on the matter

"We can disagree with each other without attacking each other, and we can recognize that someone is attacking our beliefs and opinions without feeding into it. It’s not easy to step back and disengage, but it saves us all a lot of unnecessary drama."

Comes from the Tiny Buddha site - you could spend hours there checking out their menus.

Enjoy your day!

 

[Native]

IMO the most healthy religious belief is the one closely connected to Nature and it´s rhythms. Nature isn´t dogmatic and natural laws are equal for all people.

 

[stvdv]

My belief is summerized in 4 words "Hurt Never, Help Ever"

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Are your beliefs healthy?

I think I posed this question a year or so ago but couldn't find the thread ...

So off-the-top-of-my-head ... here goes -

A healthy belief system is one that helps you become a kinder & more compassionate human being.

An unhealthy belief system is one that tempts you into feeling superior to other people.

An unhealthy belief system is one that leads you to thinking that you and all those who share your belief are absolutely correct and everyone else is foolish or misguided or evil.

Yes, if you were wondering - I am aware that there IS a certain unavoidable irony in making such a statement.

May add more but that's a good enough start IMHO

"My opinions may have changed but not the fact that I am right."

~ Ashleigh Brilliant

There is also a quote I recall along these lines: The true test of a good religion is that you can make a joke about it. Something like that anyway ...

Makes an interesting Google search

Pema Chodron's thoughts:

"We have a lot of opinions, and we tend to take them as truth. But actually they aren't truth. They are just our opinions...All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things are. To have even a few seconds of doubt about the solidity and absolute truth of our own opinions, just to begin to see that we do have opinions, introduces to us the possibility of egolessness."

If you liked that - try clicking here

Are we addicted to our beliefs? - Martha Boesing seems to think so!

Quote from Tesla

Post a couple of these? -

Pinterest has several thoughts on the matter

"We can disagree with each other without attacking each other, and we can recognize that someone is attacking our beliefs and opinions without feeding into it. It’s not easy to step back and disengage, but it saves us all a lot of unnecessary drama."

Comes from the Tiny Buddha site - you could spend hours there checking out their menus.

Enjoy your day!

I like this

The true test of a good religion is that you can make a joke about it. Something like that anyway ...

I don't know if Buddhist laugh at their faith. That doesn't mean they, we are strict about our beliefs. The Buddhist I know are very humble. It's probably more out of respect since a lot of people's religions are interconnected with their family. So, I guess jokes maybe held within family, but like Hinduism, it depends on the person. It's an individualist religion in general. No one faults you for believing the Dharma on the wrong way.

So probably jokes around people close inside joke, but don't think so in general.

Ohh...forgot the question.

Of course each person will not admit the negativity of their religion and how it affects people. They speak about others but ignore the influence their faith has on others faulting the other party instead.

One Christian on here said that the way she talked was an example from god. If people can't handle that, that's on them.

The Buddha was humble about his instructions. It's healthy because he taught,well, humbleness, the purpose of silence, how to communicate with others, think of another person's well-being even before himself.

I honestly can't think of anything unhealthy. I've practiced around people who made his teachings evangelistic and literally not by coercion tell people they are believing in the wrong "True Dharma" but I honestly don't see that as a tenant of The Dharma itself.

 

[Frater Sisyphus]

IMO the most healthy religious belief is the one closely connected to Nature and it´s rhythms. Nature isn´t dogmatic and natural laws are equal for all people.

I wholeheartedly agree

 

[joe1776]

My belief is summerized in 4 words "Hurt Never, Help Ever"

Never? Not even in self-defense?

 

[Windwalker]

A healthy belief system is one that helps you become a kinder & more compassionate human being.

An unhealthy belief system is one that tempts you into feeling superior to other people.

An unhealthy belief system is one that leads you to thinking that you and all those who share your belief are absolutely correct and everyone else is foolish or misguided or evil.

I think it may be helpful to not look at it as a matter of a healthy or unhealthy belief system, but rather how any belief system is held. The same belief system can be both healthy or unhealthy, depending on how the person approaches it. If they hold it as a reflection of their egos, where they need to be right about it, then it serves the wrong purpose. If they hold it as a way to help them be kinder and more compassionate to others, then it functionally is healthy for them. Same belief system, two entirely different motives making it either healthy or unhealthy.

 

[stvdv]

My belief is summerized in 4 words "Hurt Never, Help Ever"

Never? Not even in self-defense?

"Hurt Never, Help Ever"

3 possible explanations[So "never" is possible in option 3]:
1) (duality) Obviously (I thought) this has to do with "not initiate hurting the other"
2) (duality) Also implies that you don't let your self get hurt
3) (non-duality) Highest level. "Self" not "self". "Who Am I"..."to defend"?

 

[Revoltingest]

My beliefs are fit as a fiddle.
Their foundation.....
My right to swing my arms ends where my neighbor's nose begins.

 

[joe1776]

"Hurt Never, Help Ever"

3 possible explanations[So "never" is possible in option 3]:
1) (duality) Obviously (I thought) this has to do with "not initiate hurting the other"
2) (duality) Also implies that you don't let your self get hurt
3) (non-duality) Highest level. "Self" not "self". "Who Am I"..."to defend"?

If all good people were to live by "Hurt Never, Help Ever" and choose Option Three, all good people would be enslaved by bad people. So, for practical purposes, your advice has a fifty-fifty chance of misleading others. Doesn't it?

 

[stvdv]

"Hurt Never, Help Ever"

3 possible explanations[So "never" is possible in option 3]:
1) (duality) Obviously (I thought) this has to do with "not initiate hurting the other"
2) (duality) Also implies that you don't let your self get hurt
3) (non-duality) Highest level. "Self" not "self". "Who Am I"..."to defend"?

If all good people were to live by "Hurt Never, Help Ever" and choose Option Three, all good people would be enslaved by bad people. So, for practical purposes, your advice has a fifty-fifty chance of misleading others. Doesn't it?

Not really.

No need to worry about option 3. As long as you are still calculating chances you are not there. Anyway My Master once told that only 1 in a billion succeed in option 3.

And once you are in that level you are free anyway. Being enslaved is only for the people who are in duality.

 

[joe1776]

Not really.

No need to worry about option 3. As long as you are still calculating chances you are not there. Anyway My Master once told that only 1 in a billion succeed in option 3.

And once you are in that level you are free anyway. Being enslaved is only for the people who are in duality.

So, your advice obviously is not intended for the one in a billion. Yet, you use the word "never" which to most people would mean never -- an absolute rule.

If hurting others in self-defense is okay with you (as it seems to be okay with the human conscience), I think your advice is deceptive.

 

[stvdv]

So, your advice obviously is not intended for the one in a billion. Yet, you use the word "never" which to most people would mean never -- an absolute rule.

If hurting others in self-defense is okay with you (as it seems to be okay with the human conscience), I think your advice is deceptive.

The Question in this thread was "are your beliefs healthy?"

My open answer: My belief is summerized in 4 words "Hurt Never, Help Ever"

Others follow the 10 commandment, my goal is to follow the above commandment

1) I never gave advice.
2) I used the word "never" correct, you read it wrong. "My belief ", my aim
3) I did not evangelize nor proselytize. So again "My belief" NOT others
4) I didn't say "hurting others in self-defense is okay with me"
5) My advice is not deceptive, because I never gave advice in the first place

I am perfectly fine with my commandment. Nothing wrong with it
I am not a Christian, so I don't proselytize. If you don't like it, leave it
I am not interested in debating my commandment. So I leave it at that

 

[Liu]

I would say my beliefs are healthy, but not fully according to your definitions of healthy.

A healthy belief system is one that helps you become a kinder & more compassionate human being.

An unhealthy belief system is one that tempts you into feeling superior to other people.

Can't it make you kinder and simultaneously make you feel superior? Because that kinda applies.

An unhealthy belief system is one that leads you to thinking that you and all those who share your belief are absolutely correct and everyone else is foolish or misguided or evil.

Okay, in regards to that my beliefs are very healthy.

 

[joe1776]

5) My advice is not deceptive, because I never gave advice in the first place

I misunderstood. I assumed that when someone posts words they live by on the Internet that they are of the opinion that others would benefit by living by them as well -- leaving them open to being questioned.

 

[syo]

An unhealthy belief system is one that tempts you into feeling superior to other people.

This belief is indeed unhealthy, and is the most popular belief. Will it change?

 

[stvdv]

An unhealthy belief system is one that tempts you into feeling superior to other people.

This belief is indeed unhealthy, and is the most popular belief. Will it change?

feeling superior = arrogant = per definition "someone who thinks he knows best", hence difficult to change.
I read a scripture warning for `spiritual ego/arrogance`, being the biggest obstacle on the spiritual path.