Getting Rid of Demons

[Muffled]

For me, I started at an early age. Facing my demons.
The first one I recall was when I was 7.
The demon under the bed.
I was afraid that if I left any arm or leg hanging off the bed. The demon would reach up and drag me under.
One day I simply became angry at being afraid. So night I decided I would sleep under the bed the whole night, i.e. face the demon.
After that night, I was never bothered by that demon again.

I suppose that got me onto the path of confronting every demon I became aware of.
Wasn't always aware of them. So a lifetime of facing them.

I believe there was not a demon under your bed. It was a lie. Facing lies with the truth tends to work well

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I believe there was not a demon under your bed. It was a lie. Facing lies with the truth tends to work well

Well, that is only one version of demons.

 

[Trailblazer]

yet you worship the god Bahaullah

No, I do not worship Baha'u'llah. I worship only God.
Baha'u'llah is not God and He never claimed to be God. In fact He adamantly denied that He was God.

“Certain ones among you have said: “He it is Who hath laid claim to be God.” By God! This is a gross calumny. I am but a servant of God Who hath believed in Him and in His signs, and in His Prophets and in His angels. My tongue, and My heart, and My inner and My outer being testify that there is no God but Him, that all others have been created by His behest, and been fashioned through the operation of His Will. There is none other God but Him, the Creator, the Raiser from the dead, the Quickener, the Slayer. I am He that telleth abroad the favors with which God hath, through His bounty, favored Me.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 228

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

No, I do not worship Baha'u'llah. I worship only God.
Baha'u'llah is not God and He never claimed to be God. In fact He adamantly denied that He was God.

“Certain ones among you have said: “He it is Who hath laid claim to be God.” By God! This is a gross calumny. I am but a servant of God Who hath believed in Him and in His signs, and in His Prophets and in His angels. My tongue, and My heart, and My inner and My outer being testify that there is no God but Him, that all others have been created by His behest, and been fashioned through the operation of His Will. There is none other God but Him, the Creator, the Raiser from the dead, the Quickener, the Slayer. I am He that telleth abroad the favors with which God hath, through His bounty, favored Me.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 228

Yeah, fight the fight of all the wrong Gods under one God. And I still do it differently.

 

[Muffled]

I think differently.

I believe then you should reveal your logic. How does one rule out spiritual reality when it already has been spoken of by God?

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I believe then you should reveal your logic. How does one rule out spiritual reality when it already has been spoken of by God?

Because there are different version of how to do logic. Logic is in humans as a behaviour. But your logic says it comes from God. Mine is that it is unknown. Now one of them is illogical, yet we are both still in the everyday world.

 

[idea]

No battle, you mean. Good and evil are equal you mean. What a sad way to think, that people doing evil will never have to answer for their actions.

Natural consequences are real, please do not misrepresent what I said. I believe there is both good and bad in everyone and everything, just what I have observed.

 

[Wildswanderer]

Natural consequences are real, please do not misrepresent what I said. I believe there is both good and bad in everyone and everything, just what I have observed.

What is evil if God doesn't exist? It's whatever you think it is.
So it doesn't exist objectively.
So nothing can be considered wrong.

 

[Lekatt]

Demons and Devils oh my, I was so afraid to die, until I did.

 

[idea]

What is evil if God doesn't exist? It's whatever you think it is.
So it doesn't exist objectively.
So nothing can be considered wrong.

It's whatever you think it is. All anyone has is their opinion. No one follows "god", all anyone follows is their own mind - their own thoughts of what groups to agree with, their own opinion of what books to call scripture, their own biased limited beliefs of what is right and wrong (aka- what they believe is best for themselves). Everyone is only following their own opinions.

You say what you think it is.
I'll say what I think it is.
We all say what we think it is.

 

[idea]

Demons and Devils oh my, I was so afraid to die, until I did.

was this a spiritual death, or a physical death? and what can you tell us from the other side please?

 

[cataway]

No, I do not worship Baha'u'llah. I worship only God.
Baha'u'llah is not God and He never claimed to be God. In fact He adamantly denied that He was God.

“Certain ones among you have said: “He it is Who hath laid claim to be God.” By God! This is a gross calumny. I am but a servant of God Who hath believed in Him and in His signs, and in His Prophets and in His angels. My tongue, and My heart, and My inner and My outer being testify that there is no God but Him, that all others have been created by His behest, and been fashioned through the operation of His Will. There is none other God but Him, the Creator, the Raiser from the dead, the Quickener, the Slayer. I am He that telleth abroad the favors with which God hath, through His bounty, favored Me.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 228

Bahá’u’lláh,is he a saint ?

 

[syo]

You mean Socrates?
One of my idols.
Wait, having idols is evil right?
Oh well.

At what age? Before age 70. I don't think he did much after that.

Kinda late, I admit. I thought you were taught his idiocies at school. But still, the western civilization is based on him, that's why everything modern sucks.

 

[cataway]

strange thing about demons they attach themselves to things .pictures, clothing , ouia bord . heard of one that attached to a bird cage

 

[Trailblazer]

Bahá’u’lláh,is he a saint ?

No, He as a Messenger of God.

 

[cataway]

No, He as a Messenger of God.

he's dead

 

[Wildswanderer]

It's whatever you think it is. All anyone has is their opinion. No one follows "god", all anyone follows is their own mind - their own thoughts of what groups to agree with, their own opinion of what books to call scripture, their own biased limited beliefs of what is right and wrong (aka- what they believe is best for themselves). Everyone is only following their own opinions.

You say what you think it is.
I'll say what I think it is.
We all say what we think it is.

As I said.... then evil does not exist and I have no reason to be good.
If everything is just opinion, who cares what you do?
In the real world, there's a genuine war going on, but if you don't believe in it, you can't be doing any good.

 

[idea]

As I said.... then evil does not exist and I have no reason to be good.
If everything is just opinion, who cares what you do?
In the real world, there's a genuine war going on, but if you don't believe in it, you can't be doing any good.

We have a lot of students who start college with a binary mindset, part of the progression does involve recognizing ambiguity.

Perry's scheme outlines a student's nine-position progression from dualist thinking to relativist thinking and then to commitment.

Summary of Position Basic Example

1. The authorities know e.g. "the tutor knows what is right and wrong"
2. The true authorities are right, the others are frauds e.g. "my tutor doesn't know what is right and wrong but others do"
3. There are some uncertainties and the authorities are working on them to find the truth e.g. "my tutors don't know, but somebody out there is trying to find out"
4. (a) Everyone has right to their own opinion (b) The authorities don't want the right answers. They want us to think in a certain way e.g. "different tutors think different things" e.g. "there is an answer that the tutors want and we have to find it" e.g. "there is an answer that the tutors want and we have to find it"
5. Everything is relative but not equally valid e.g. "there are no right and wrong answers, it depends on the situation, but some answers might be better than others"
6. You have to make your own decisions e.g. "what is important is not what the tutor thinks but what I think"
7. First commitment e.g. "for this particular topic I think that...."
8. Several Commitments e.g. "for these topics I think that...."
9. Believe own values, respect others, be ready to learn e.g. "I know what I believe in and what I think is valid, others may think differently and I'm prepared to reconsider my views"

There is a similar progression for religious thought:
Description of the Fowler stages

Stage 0 Undifferentiated Faith 0–2 years Sensoric-motorical
Stage 1 Intuitive-Projective 2–7 years Pre-operational
Stage 2 Mythic-Literal 7–12 years Concrete operational
Stage 3 Synthetic-Conventional 12+ years Formal-operational
Stage 4 Individual-Reflective 21+ years
Stage 5 Conjunctive 35+ years
Stage 6 Universalizing 45+

Stage 0 – "Primal or Undifferentiated" faith (birth to 2 years), is characterized by an early learning of the safety of their environment (i.e. warm, safe and secure vs. hurt, neglect and abuse). If consistent nurture is experienced, one will develop a sense of trust and safety about the universe and the divine. Conversely, negative experiences will cause one to develop distrust about the universe and the divine. Transition to the next stage begins with integration of thought and language which facilitates the use of symbols in speech and play.
Stage 1 – "Intuitive-Projective" faith (ages of three to seven), is characterized by the psyche's unprotected exposure to the Unconscious, and marked by a relative fluidity of thought patterns.[8] Religion is learned mainly through experiences, stories, images, and the people that one comes in contact with.
Stage 2 – "Mythic-Literal" faith (mostly in school children), is characterized by persons have a strong belief in the justice and reciprocity of the universe, and their deities are almost always anthropomorphic. During this time metaphors and symbolic language are often misunderstood and are taken literally.
Stage 3 – "Synthetic-Conventional" faith (arising in adolescence; aged 12 to adulthood), is characterized by conformity to authority and the religious development of a personal identity. Any conflicts with one's beliefs are ignored at this stage due to the fear of threat from inconsistencies.
Stage 4 – "Individuative-Reflective" faith (usually mid-twenties to late thirties), is a stage of angst and struggle. The individual takes personal responsibility for his or her beliefs and feelings. As one is able to reflect on one's own beliefs, there is an openness to a new complexity of faith, but this also increases the awareness of conflicts in one's belief.
Stage 5 – "Conjunctive" faith (mid-life crisis), acknowledges paradox and transcendence relating reality behind the symbols of inherited systems. The individual resolves conflicts from previous stages by a complex understanding of a multidimensional, interdependent "truth" that cannot be explained by any particular statement.
Stage 6 – "Universalizing" faith, or what some might call "enlightenment". The individual would treat any person with compassion as he or she views people as from a universal community, and should be treated with universal principles of love and justice.

I'm in the over 45 crowd now, have made it past mid-life crisis. Good and bad in all of it, yin/yang, do not take sides any more - not politically affiliated, not religiously affiliated, agree with some things, and disagree with others. No war when you see both the good and bad in everyone and everything, a more peaceful way to experience life - to take everyone as they are, just people, no one perfect, everyone doing the best they can based on their upbringing / education / experiences. Trust the process for everyone, enjoy the journey, embrace the mysteries - no need to pretend to know everything, remain flexible, open to changing beliefs when new information is presented, no fixed dogmas, content with what life is, flexible to accept whatever comes - come what may.

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape

No demons to be scared of, no angels to be jealous of either, just a bunch of imperfect spirits who all have good days and bad days, none better than any other.

 

[Wildswanderer]

We have a lot of students who start college with a binary mindset, part of the progression does involve recognizing ambiguity.

Perry's scheme outlines a student's nine-position progression from dualist thinking to relativist thinking and then to commitment.

Summary of Position Basic Example

1. The authorities know e.g. "the tutor knows what is right and wrong"
2. The true authorities are right, the others are frauds e.g. "my tutor doesn't know what is right and wrong but others do"
3. There are some uncertainties and the authorities are working on them to find the truth e.g. "my tutors don't know, but somebody out there is trying to find out"
4. (a) Everyone has right to their own opinion (b) The authorities don't want the right answers. They want us to think in a certain way e.g. "different tutors think different things" e.g. "there is an answer that the tutors want and we have to find it" e.g. "there is an answer that the tutors want and we have to find it"
5. Everything is relative but not equally valid e.g. "there are no right and wrong answers, it depends on the situation, but some answers might be better than others"
6. You have to make your own decisions e.g. "what is important is not what the tutor thinks but what I think"
7. First commitment e.g. "for this particular topic I think that...."
8. Several Commitments e.g. "for these topics I think that...."
9. Believe own values, respect others, be ready to learn e.g. "I know what I believe in and what I think is valid, others may think differently and I'm prepared to reconsider my views"

There is a similar progression for religious thought:
Description of the Fowler stages

Stage 0 Undifferentiated Faith 0–2 years Sensoric-motorical
Stage 1 Intuitive-Projective 2–7 years Pre-operational
Stage 2 Mythic-Literal 7–12 years Concrete operational
Stage 3 Synthetic-Conventional 12+ years Formal-operational
Stage 4 Individual-Reflective 21+ years
Stage 5 Conjunctive 35+ years
Stage 6 Universalizing 45+

Stage 0 – "Primal or Undifferentiated" faith (birth to 2 years), is characterized by an early learning of the safety of their environment (i.e. warm, safe and secure vs. hurt, neglect and abuse). If consistent nurture is experienced, one will develop a sense of trust and safety about the universe and the divine. Conversely, negative experiences will cause one to develop distrust about the universe and the divine. Transition to the next stage begins with integration of thought and language which facilitates the use of symbols in speech and play.
Stage 1 – "Intuitive-Projective" faith (ages of three to seven), is characterized by the psyche's unprotected exposure to the Unconscious, and marked by a relative fluidity of thought patterns.[8] Religion is learned mainly through experiences, stories, images, and the people that one comes in contact with.
Stage 2 – "Mythic-Literal" faith (mostly in school children), is characterized by persons have a strong belief in the justice and reciprocity of the universe, and their deities are almost always anthropomorphic. During this time metaphors and symbolic language are often misunderstood and are taken literally.
Stage 3 – "Synthetic-Conventional" faith (arising in adolescence; aged 12 to adulthood), is characterized by conformity to authority and the religious development of a personal identity. Any conflicts with one's beliefs are ignored at this stage due to the fear of threat from inconsistencies.
Stage 4 – "Individuative-Reflective" faith (usually mid-twenties to late thirties), is a stage of angst and struggle. The individual takes personal responsibility for his or her beliefs and feelings. As one is able to reflect on one's own beliefs, there is an openness to a new complexity of faith, but this also increases the awareness of conflicts in one's belief.
Stage 5 – "Conjunctive" faith (mid-life crisis), acknowledges paradox and transcendence relating reality behind the symbols of inherited systems. The individual resolves conflicts from previous stages by a complex understanding of a multidimensional, interdependent "truth" that cannot be explained by any particular statement.
Stage 6 – "Universalizing" faith, or what some might call "enlightenment". The individual would treat any person with compassion as he or she views people as from a universal community, and should be treated with universal principles of love and justice.

I'm in the over 45 crowd now, have made it past mid-life crisis. Good and bad in all of it, yin/yang, do not take sides any more - not politically affiliated, not religiously affiliated, agree with some things, and disagree with others. No war when you see both the good and bad in everyone and everything, a more peaceful way to experience life - to take everyone as they are, just people, no one perfect, everyone doing the best they can based on their upbringing / education / experiences. Trust the process for everyone, enjoy the journey, embrace the mysteries - no need to pretend to know everything, remain flexible, open to changing beliefs when new information is presented, no fixed dogmas, content with what life is, flexible to accept whatever comes - come what may.

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape

No demons to be scared of, no angels to be jealous of either, just a bunch of imperfect spirits who all have good days and bad days, none better than any other.

Is that the crap they teach at college now? No right, no wrong, just opinions?
No reason to live, nothing worth dying for, just bland boring existence..no wonder most people end up hooked on drugs and wasting their lives... No wonder we have so many 30-year-old adolescents.

 

[Trailblazer]

he's dead

His body is dead but so what? The body of Jesus is also dead.
But the souls of both Baha'u'llah and Jesus are alive in heaven, in a spiritual body, where they will live forever.