rocala
Well-Known Member
Yes, I think so. Having a rather eclectic spirituality makes me appreciative of diversity. I feel that any study of the humanities will help to develop that understanding.
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How much education or practice do you have within religion?
- Thread starter Spirit of Light
- Start date
Secret Chief
Veteran Member
At school I had to have 2 years of Religious Education before dropping it when I picked my subjects to be examined in. Back then, RE in State Comprehensive essentially meant loaves, fishes, water, wine, Bethlehem, crucifixion. Other religions hadn't been invented yet.
Years later I started on my investigation into Buddhism. I remember my first meeting I had with a senior Buddhist monk because as soon as we sat down to talk he simply said "What do you want to ask?" No pussyfooting I thought!
Years later I started on my investigation into Buddhism. I remember my first meeting I had with a senior Buddhist monk because as soon as we sat down to talk he simply said "What do you want to ask?" No pussyfooting I thought!
I've no education in atheism whatsoever.
Practice....I religiously avoid church.
Practice....I religiously avoid church.
Secret Chief
Veteran Member
What about a free swap? You can have a Transcendent Cosmic Order Certificate authorised by Golden Illuminati University.
I didn't know there was a university in Golden.
Secret Chief
Veteran Member
That's cos it's secret. Duh!
firedragon
Veteran Member
I hope this can be a OP that inspire people to say a bit about if they have any form of formal education within their own religious faith, or if their knowledge and understanding purly comes from a long life within their own religious life and practice
Personally i do not have any formal education within the field of religion, so what i do speak out of is my personal understanding and experience through religious practice. And now when i do have a spirtual teacher who guides me, i have realized that i did actually have very little knowledge about deeper topic of religion. i kind of only scratched the surface
Everyone is welcome to speak in this thread. and if you are a non believer but have a lot of education or experience within religion please share your story too
Formal education? Brother, this is an Internet forum. No one knows who people are. The disadvantage of that is, people can lie.
The advantage is, you will get a platform to get ideas from people without having any banking on education qualifications other than what people present as evidence and analysis. So you cannot hide behind a Phd, neither do you have to fear one. Also you dont have to accept or reject things based on someones name or his doctorate.
So that's the beauty of an Internet forum like this.
Having said that, I have seen people who say "I am a MA in theology" but does not some elementary ABC's. I mean, they lied. I have seen several people who claimed to have "STUDIED" all the scriptures available to mankind, but actually had not even read a single chapter. Its easy to spot. There were some people who claimed to have "STUDIED" the Buddhist scripture (as an example), but didnt even know which language it was written in, or where you could get a copy of it, or characters in it, or head or tail of it. So they were lying.
Yet, I have seen people who say "I have no education" and actually are uneducated in the subject matter formally, but have some profound thoughts that could blow your mind. And there are some who don't claim anything but seem to have some formal education in some criticism.
Interesting thread.
You ever wonder what goes on in those strange looking buildings? (As a kid, I did wonder, and I went to my first service with my aunt when I was 15 or so. All she did was complain about the length of the student minister's shorts.)
I do know a little.
I was once employed as a sexton (not what
you think, @columbus) at a Methodist church.
I'm gonna drive around next time I go through there. Golden, British Columbia I bet it's on the road to the top of the mountain. Up where you can get a mountaintop perspective.That's cos it's secret. Duh!
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They paid you? By what method?
It must've been by check.
(The early 1970s are hard to remember.)
Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
Tits.......
Thanks. I fixed it. These eyes need fixin'.Tits.......
Gargovic Malkav
Well-Known Member
I hope this can be a OP that inspire people to say a bit about if they have any form of formal education within their own religious faith, or if their knowledge and understanding purly comes from a long life within their own religious life and practice
Personally i do not have any formal education within the field of religion, so what i do speak out of is my personal understanding and experience through religious practice. And now when i do have a spirtual teacher who guides me, i have realized that i did actually have very little knowledge about deeper topic of religion. i kind of only scratched the surface
Everyone is welcome to speak in this thread. and if you are a non believer but have a lot of education or experience within religion please share your story too
No formal education, except perhaps some education about religion in general as part of philosophy class back in high school.
I didn't care about religion until I was 23 or 24.
This changed when I began to study the bible out of curiosity because I wanted to know if those "bible-bashing" atheists really knew what they were talking about, because I felt they were just parroting any opinion that would confirm their prejudice without a critical thought to feel smart and superior (which made them a lot like the people they judged, ironically).
Also, I found it intriguing how ballsy, and yet peaceful and happy some believers could be because of their faith.
I thought I could use some of that, as depression was always breathing down my neck and had a tendency to hold a grudge against mankind, or even all life(including myself).
While I was studying the bible, I also grew curious about the scriptures of other religions, so I studied some of them too.
Long story short, I'm a self-taught believer.
Though now that I believe, I'd like to give credit to God for opening my mind to the Faith and filling my heart with all the goodness I gain from it!
Hmm. This depends somewhat on perspective.
The story that most would accept is that I have had formal training through the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids; before that I didn't feel comfortable claiming the title "Druid" even though my practice has been in the Druidic spectrum for quite some time. However, much work I've done on this path has been through my own study, and the OBOD courses are essentially a map for such studies.
Then there is my undergraduate and graduate studies, which I personally consider religious education given the nature of my tradition. Science is the study of the gods, and I would not have bothered with a graduate program if it was not connected to my religion. My focus is life science, but I have studied other aspects of the gods through the lens of science on my own time for Druid studies as well.
More valuable than all the formal training or bookish self-study has been direct experience of the gods, though. It is one thing to study the science of ecology, and another to experience it viscerally through honoring the changing seasons, spontaneous weather events, appearances of local flora and fauna, and so on.
The story that most would accept is that I have had formal training through the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids; before that I didn't feel comfortable claiming the title "Druid" even though my practice has been in the Druidic spectrum for quite some time. However, much work I've done on this path has been through my own study, and the OBOD courses are essentially a map for such studies.
Then there is my undergraduate and graduate studies, which I personally consider religious education given the nature of my tradition. Science is the study of the gods, and I would not have bothered with a graduate program if it was not connected to my religion. My focus is life science, but I have studied other aspects of the gods through the lens of science on my own time for Druid studies as well.
More valuable than all the formal training or bookish self-study has been direct experience of the gods, though. It is one thing to study the science of ecology, and another to experience it viscerally through honoring the changing seasons, spontaneous weather events, appearances of local flora and fauna, and so on.
I completed up to including Ruhi Book 3 in Baha'i faith, read all volumes of the revelation of Baha'u'llah by Adib Taherzadeh, the dawnbreakers , all of the collection of books sold at the time as the revelation of Baha'u'llah (so all the major books such as seven valleys, Kitabiqan, Kitab-i-Aqdas etc) Also some answered questions by Abdul-Baha, secret of divine civilisation, and a couple of books by Shoghi Effendi.
In addition from other Abrahamic religions I have read the yusuf ali translation of the Quran, King James Version of the Bible, and outside of the abrahamics perused the Bhagavad Ghita and I think something like the fourfold path of the Buddha.
So I'm no expert and have no formal training, but I feel I know the Baha'i Faith pretty well having both studied (informally), and practiced it, and also probably know enough about other major texts to have the general impression that those religions are not the best fit for me personally.
In addition from other Abrahamic religions I have read the yusuf ali translation of the Quran, King James Version of the Bible, and outside of the abrahamics perused the Bhagavad Ghita and I think something like the fourfold path of the Buddha.
So I'm no expert and have no formal training, but I feel I know the Baha'i Faith pretty well having both studied (informally), and practiced it, and also probably know enough about other major texts to have the general impression that those religions are not the best fit for me personally.
Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
Honestly that is impressive
