Do people have to be in your religion to understand your faiths book? And religious secrecy

[Leahpolitan_icecream]

Title question

And I found out sometimes religions keep parts of themselves secret from others does this happen in yours? Do you do this? Why?

 

[JustGeorge]

Hinduism's awfully vast. While most of it is very open, there are some studies that are kept somewhat secret(Tantra comes to mind.) This is basically because in order to practice it, it is best that one is directly taught, and doesn't attempt to practice on their own. This is for safety reasons, and not to boost anyone's ego that they are part of something 'secret'.

In my experience, that is usually why 'secretiveness' in religion exists. Safety. Either for the one practicing, or those already participating(in some societies, a person's religious path may not be accepted and can put them in danger).

 

[Lain]

Title question

And I found out sometimes religions keep parts of themselves secret from others does this happen in yours? Do you do this? Why?

Those who are outside may understand to a limited degree, but to understand the most one must have their intellect enlightened and opened by Christ, and receive the intellect of Christ. Some may be more advanced and pure in this way so even among those inside some understand far more. For instance, St. John the Apostle is one of the Apostles who understood more concerning the Lord in a more pure way. So even among those who rule in the Eternal Church there is this difference.

As for secrecy, the Lord Jesus said: "do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls in front of pigs, lest they trample them with their feet, and turn around and tear you to pieces." To do so is often fraught with misunderstandings and worse things. In my own life the areas on which I am willing to speak due to realizing such mishaps has gradually become less and less.

All said in my opinion.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Title question

And I found out sometimes religions keep parts of themselves secret from others does this happen in yours? Do you do this? Why?

In Sufism one do need a teacher to guide the practitioner so they dont make huge blunders in their practice yes.
So even a person who are not a sufi would be able to understand the words, it is not said they would truly understand the teaching.

 

[dybmh]

Some mystical concepts seem to either exacerbate or trigger mental illness in those predisposed to it. For this reason it's best to keep these concepts secret only to be taught one-on-one to those who have demonstrated mental and emotional fortitude and have a strong support system.

 

[Rival]

No.

Bu also yes.

 

[Vinayaka]

Title question

And I found out sometimes religions keep parts of themselves secret from others does this happen in yours? Do you do this? Why?

Not all faiths have a book, or put the same emphasis on a book.

 

[Vinayaka]

Hinduism's awfully vast. While most of it is very open, there are some studies that are kept somewhat secret(Tantra comes to mind.) This is basically because in order to practice it, it is best that one is directly taught, and doesn't attempt to practice on their own. This is for safety reasons, and not to boost anyone's ego that they are part of something 'secret'.

In my experience, that is usually why 'secretiveness' in religion exists. Safety. Either for the one practicing, or those already participating(in some societies, a person's religious path may not be accepted and can put them in danger).

Just to add ... there are 'secrets' in monasteries, teachings that apply only to monks. There is no need for the rest of us to know.

 

[JustGeorge]

Just to add ... there are 'secrets' in monasteries, teachings that apply only to monks. There is no need for the rest of us to know.

That is something I always found deeply meaningful... the path of the grihastha, and that of the sannyasi... God is available to all, and with a path that is appropriate to their own life situation. There is always a way. No one is excluded.

 

[sun rise]

In Sufism one do need a teacher to guide the practitioner so they dont make huge blunders in their practice yes.
So even a person who are not a sufi would be able to understand the words, it is not said they would truly understand the teaching.

And historically some dervish orders were secret because the fanatics of the time would have murdered them for apostasy

 

[Spirit of Light]

And historically some dervish orders were secret because the fanatics of the time would have murdered them for apostasy

Yes that is true. Still there are sufi teachers who only have one or two students at any time.

 

[SomeRandom]

Not really. Though I don’t really understand our books that well. And I was born into the faith. So…

 

[sun rise]

In Sufism one do need a teacher to guide the practitioner so they dont make huge blunders in their practice yes.
So even a person who are not a sufi would be able to understand the words, it is not said they would truly understand the teaching.

To add on to this post, it's not that something is kept deliberately secret. Taking science as an example, when I was studying physical chemistry, I learned about the second-order non-linear partial differential equation describing the shape of a water drop. It was not a secret, but it took years of study before I understood what a 2nd order non-linear PDE was all about.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Title question

And I found out sometimes religions keep parts of themselves secret from others does this happen in yours? Do you do this? Why?

Buddhism is buried in complex text and writing all the way from approachable to the vague and obscure.

In practical terms, just sitting and discovering what naturally comes out of the woodwork pretty much accomplishes what writing cannot do.

Short answer is no. You don't have to be a participant nor a scholar in order to become familiarized with the gist of things.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Title question

And I found out sometimes religions keep parts of themselves secret from others does this happen in yours? Do you do this? Why?

If there be secrets, they should be temporary and something that people penetrate at the right time, at the right age or stage of life. Secrets should benefit the student.

Secrets begin with parenting. Parents put children into 'Eggs' that they much hatch from: such as school and other rites of maturing, which is what religion is part of. There are often secrets from children.

A dangerous source of secrets are charismatic individuals who pretend great virtue and power. Take for example: someone who exaggerates their ability in war or in other skills such as Smith Wigglesworth the miracle worker: In his autobiography Smith Wigglesworth claimed that God always gave him the miraculous ability to finish his plumbing work faster than other plumbers. He would say that if you believed that God would also help you, so any time you couldn't get things done it was that you needed better faith. Seriously, God even helped him with his plumbing. There is always somebody claiming to believe harder, to experience the miraculous that you can't experience, to be able to sell more than you. They make you want to give up. They put on a show like they can do the hoodoo that nobody else can, like there is something wrong with you if you can't get God to say "Hello." They have the secret you need, and its like you're a horse with the carrot suspended in front of your nose. This can go on for a long time, but even a horse eventually must eat. Sometimes they make the student give up trying to learn to learn who can never learn to do miracles or to be as fast or to be as wise as certain individuals claim to be. I think these are the deadlier secret creators in religion.

Some of these charismatic people are politicians like the leader of N. Korea or Narmer of ancient Egypt. Some are just people who get you excited about network marketing. They are everywhere. They show up in churches as the strongest believers. They set the bar so high nobody can reach it and all training is pointless. They ruin religions, companies, departments, families and entire countries (such as N. Korea).

So the point is that in this case no matter how hard you try, sometimes it will seem like you can never arrive. You can read books, do jumping jacks every morning and eat the blue pancakes but still never really be in it. Or you can pretend, and everyone will believe you are super spiritual, pat you on the back and ask how you did it.

 

[Secret Chief]

Buddhism is buried in complex text and writing all the way from approachable to the vague and obscure.

In practical terms, just sitting and discovering what naturally comes out of the woodwork pretty much accomplishes what writing cannot do.

Short answer is no. You don't have to be a participant nor a scholar in order to become familiarized with the gist of things.

What he said.