I'm confused and searching!

[janni]

Sorry, I forgot to answer some of the questions asked of me. For Katzpur: I am dismayed that Joseph Smith was told to institute plural marriage, and he did! That is just too alien to me. Sorry.
Will work on other answers when I get back online.

 

[Dingbat]

Sorry, I forgot to answer some of the questions asked of me. For Katzpur: I am dismayed that Joseph Smith was told to institute plural marriage, and he did! That is just too alien to me. Sorry.
Will work on other answers when I get back online.

After he got caught with his maid Fanny Alger. Surprise, surprise.

 

[no-body]

Sorry, I forgot to answer some of the questions asked of me. For Katzpur: I am dismayed that Joseph Smith was told to institute plural marriage, and he did! That is just too alien to me. Sorry.
Will work on other answers when I get back online.

Doesn't seem that alien to the biblical God, at one time he was telling people to stone someone for wearing polyblend clothes or eating shellfish.

 

[janni]

To dyanaprajna2011 & Dingbat, Thank you, I feel most comfortable with Buddhism and will continue to study.
For Pegg, my son, who feels he has this direct line via the Bible, is ignoring me in my time of need. I sorely doubt that God would be instructing him so, but he seems able to find any answer he wants in the Bible. And I can feel the effects on my when he and his church do their praying. It's like blind archers, they just don't know what they do!

 

[Dingbat]

To dyanaprajna2011 & Dingbat, Thank you, I feel most comfortable with Buddhism and will continue to study.
For Pegg, my son, who feels he has this direct line via the Bible, is ignoring me in my time of need. I sorely doubt that God would be instructing him so, but he seems able to find any answer he wants in the Bible. And I can feel the effects on my when he and his church do their praying. It's like blind archers, they just don't know what they do!

Keep exploring and don't feel bad about it at all. Like just today I picked up a copy of Tao Te Ching to round out my ever growing library. I do enjoy many aspects of Buddhism though I would have to say the many Buddhists I ran into took the wind out of my sails with their self-rightous act. I would suggest reading the works of Thich Nhat Hanh, Shunryu Suzuki, and the translations by Red Pine. Everything I have read so far has given me something to chew on.

 

[Muffled]

I want to introduce myself and explain a bit about my search for the truth. I know most of you have your own beliefs, and I am not looking to be converted to them. I am one of many still seeking answers. I’d like to compare notes. I am curious about what things coming from the other side are really true. I am just looking for an honest discussion of communications from the unseen.
I was raised as a Christian Science child, and taught that Mary Baker Eddy was divinely inspired. I became disenchanted with that religion when I was 17 (I will explain about that later).
Next I married a Roman Catholic and joined that church. Divine enlightenment abounded in their teachings. I left them when I left my first husband.
Back in the 70s I dove into the New Age thing with all the psychic and metaphysical forms that it embodied. I did Reiki, visited mediums and all the rest.
Then I got caught up with Fundamentalist Christians. Had to pitch all my New Age books, etc. But they promoted a direct line to God via prayer. That’s all I’ve been seeking, a direct line to the other side so I can understand the real truths. I came to see these people as blind target shooters, throwing other people out of whack.
Buddah was divinely inspired. That is generally accepted. Native Americans communicate with their ancestors. Edgar Cayce communicated with the Universal Consciousness. Some of my family are now Mormons. I’ve just read some of their history and am a bit dismayed by their supposedly divine message.
Another of my children has become a radical fanatical Fundamentalist Christian, and claims to have a direct line to God. But some of the things that he thinks God tells him to do just don’t seem right to me.
Has anyone on this forum traveled a similar path to mine? What conclusions have your drawn? Let’s talk.

I don't believe I have.

I believe I may have travelled a similar path to your child in believing I heard from God but in many cases things got filtered through my own thinking and turned out to be incorrect. I believe I have a better link now so there is still hope for your child.

I beleive if it happens to me then it is likely to happen to others as well.

I believe that you will still find your answers this way and it helps that you are wary of the pitfalls.

 

[Muffled]

This discussion was my first post and I think I've gotten into the wrong area. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend all you Buddhists, as I've always felt more comfortable with Buddhism than most any other religion. I think I'll go mingle with the Seekers (and change my statement about Buddha). I'm just trying to find out what messages from the other side ring true. Thanx for your input here.
Janni

When it comes to extra-Biblical messages, there is no way to verify the veracity. For most things the Bible is a good measure to compare with what you are hearing.

 

[seeking4truth]

"since he then stated belief in a Supreme Being was a hindrance to nirvana"

Isn't the reason that he said this that so people, in order to understand what is beyond our concepts, create images of the Supreme Being that limits their comprehension and begins to 'humanise' Him.
In Islam this is called 'shirk' and can mean anything that distracts you from contemplation, meditation and prayer.

 

[Orias]

I want to introduce myself and explain a bit about my search for the truth. I know most of you have your own beliefs, and I am not looking to be converted to them. I am one of many still seeking answers. I’d like to compare notes. I am curious about what things coming from the other side are really true. I am just looking for an honest discussion of communications from the unseen.
I was raised as a Christian Science child, and taught that Mary Baker Eddy was divinely inspired. I became disenchanted with that religion when I was 17 (I will explain about that later).
Next I married a Roman Catholic and joined that church. Divine enlightenment abounded in their teachings. I left them when I left my first husband.
Back in the 70s I dove into the New Age thing with all the psychic and metaphysical forms that it embodied. I did Reiki, visited mediums and all the rest.
Then I got caught up with Fundamentalist Christians. Had to pitch all my New Age books, etc. But they promoted a direct line to God via prayer. That’s all I’ve been seeking, a direct line to the other side so I can understand the real truths. I came to see these people as blind target shooters, throwing other people out of whack.
Buddah was divinely inspired. That is generally accepted. Native Americans communicate with their ancestobrs. Edgar Cayce communicated with the Universal Consciousness. Some of my family are now Mormons. I’ve just read some of their history and am a bit dismayed by their supposedly divine message.
Another of my children has become a radical fanatical Fundamentalist Christian, and claims to have a direct line to God. But some of the things that he thinks God tells him to do just don’t seem right to me.
Has anyone on this forum traveled a similar path to mine? What conclusions have your drawn? Let’s talk.

Would it matter at all if I said I had a direct path or connection to God?

I can't say I've traveled a path similar to yours, though I definitely stumbled upon the forums through the desire to understand and gain knowledge of the world around me. But I have often observed that I speak a different language than anyone else here.

Enjoy your time in the forums

 

[idea]

This is how we see communication working, basically, every thought you have that prompts you to do something good, comes from God, and is communication with God.
[youtube]zDEXQ-GTYTs[/youtube]
Patterns of Light: Discerning Light - YouTube

 

[seeking4truth]

If God exists as I believe He does, then IF you appeal to Him to guide you and you sincerely seek to know Him then without any doubt He will guide you.
It doesn't matter which 'religion' you follow as long as your desire is for the truth and your mind and heart are open. The only rules are that you - as an individual - really do want to have a relationship with God. All religions teach that this is the purpose of our existance.
The next difficulty is to recognise the answer. Some people have guidance through new contacts, through TV programmes or other 'normal' ways; some have dreams, some visions, some hear things while others just find a deep feeling of what is right and are a peace with that thought.
Sincerity of intention and prayer- seeeking to know are the only requirements.

 

[1robin]

I want to introduce myself and explain a bit about my search for the truth. I know most of you have your own beliefs, and I am not looking to be converted to them. I am one of many still seeking answers. I’d like to compare notes. I am curious about what things coming from the other side are really true. I am just looking for an honest discussion of communications from the unseen.
I was raised as a Christian Science child, and taught that Mary Baker Eddy was divinely inspired. I became disenchanted with that religion when I was 17 (I will explain about that later).
Next I married a Roman Catholic and joined that church. Divine enlightenment abounded in their teachings. I left them when I left my first husband.
Back in the 70s I dove into the New Age thing with all the psychic and metaphysical forms that it embodied. I did Reiki, visited mediums and all the rest.
Then I got caught up with Fundamentalist Christians. Had to pitch all my New Age books, etc. But they promoted a direct line to God via prayer. That’s all I’ve been seeking, a direct line to the other side so I can understand the real truths. I came to see these people as blind target shooters, throwing other people out of whack.
Buddah was divinely inspired. That is generally accepted. Native Americans communicate with their ancestors. Edgar Cayce communicated with the Universal Consciousness. Some of my family are now Mormons. I’ve just read some of their history and am a bit dismayed by their supposedly divine message.
Another of my children has become a radical fanatical Fundamentalist Christian, and claims to have a direct line to God. But some of the things that he thinks God tells him to do just don’t seem right to me.
Has anyone on this forum traveled a similar path to mine? What conclusions have your drawn? Let’s talk.

That is quite the adventure. I had a similar but more limited trip through the garbage that masquerades as truth. I was raised in the Christian church by my Christian mother. She got cancer and I believed that God would heal her. However the sicker she got the madder I got and when she died I not only did not believe in God I hated him. I then like you cast about looking into various stuff and never really got anywhere. Much later I ran into some of that rare group of Christians who lives are different and you can see the difference in their lives compared to others and over time I decided to at least consider the faith for real. I will spare you the details but I finally was born again by the Holy Spirit and have had several direct experiences with God's presence. Let me caution you though that many claims of a direct line to God are based on more enthusiasm than fact. As born again a Christian is unbreakably tied to God legally and spiritually but that relationship is only as productive as our obedience. I always describe it as the amount of static on the radio. I like 99% of Christians spend much of my time so distracted as to have so much static in the line as to make it less than productive as it should be. I believe there are people who have a static free line to God "so to speak" but they are few and far between.I however have made great progress in evaluating the academics behind comparative religions. I will share a few things I learned.

1. The Bible is the most textually reliable and attested text of any kind in ancient history. No other book is even close. I have never even seen a religous work outside the Bible on any list of ancient historie's most reliable works. For example Caesar’s Gallic wars are taught as fact in colleges across the world every day. They get that certainty from ten copies the earliest of which date to 900 years after the events and is less than 50% accurate approx. It contains the self grandizing accounts of one man about himself and was meant as propaganda. The Bible has 24,000 copies within begining within 100 years of it's events. Fragments within 50.
2. The records of Christ were recorded by honest men who even wrote of their unimaginable failings of God himself. They risked their lives and endured oppression and poverty in a lifetime of defending a truth they would have known was a lie if that was the case. Their accounts bear every single marker of sincerity and authenticity used to evaluate claims of their type. One (Paul) even underwent a transformation that was so radical as to be impossible to account for without God, and spent a lifetime of suffering defending what he said took place on the road to Damanscus.
3. The testimonies concerning him are said by the greatest experts on testimony and evidence in human history (Simon Greenleaf, who literally wrote the book on evidence and testimony in use today and Lord Lyndhurst who is the only man to hold every distinguished top legal position in England) to meet every standard of even modern law and the historical method.
4. The Bible has more 2000 detailed and perfectly fulfilled prophecies, with over 350 fulfilled by Christ alone. No other religion comes even close.
5. Christianity is the only major religion that not only offers but demands an experience with God from every single follower. Not what any false religion would ever require.
6. Christianity contains among many superlatives the greatest reliable account of perfect human behavior and the most benevolent act of compassion in human history.
7. Christ is the most textual attested character in ancient history. He has multiple independent eye witness testimonies to his life and is mentioned in more than 20 extra Biblical sources.

I can supply facts like this all day but don't want to overwhelm you.
Someone said in several places here that any religion will do and can lead you to God. I emphatically reject that:
1. If there is a benevolent God who is worth looking for it is far more consistent that he would give one true uncolored truth in one source than to bury bits of truth in mountains of garbage within all the religions.
2. The philosophical law of non-contradiction says that if there exists two or more contradictory claims to absolute truth then no more than one can be true. Religions all make contradictory claims to absolute truth. That being so there are only two options.
A. God is a liar.
B. That one religion is true and the others are false or half-truths.
3. Absolute truth is an exclusive category. It is not pluralistic. There is one truth and infinite possible false claims. There are grey area exceptions but not many that are applicable to religion.
4. Most religions claim exclusivity and so if all are true were created by liars or God lied.
5. Christianity without doubt claims absolute exclusivity and cannot be in anyway considered one way among many nor do I think any of the Abrahamic religions except some versions of Judaism. It may be wrong but it isn't one among many. Just as Jesus may be either a complete lunatic and one of the most evil and dishonest characters to ever live or the son of God sent to redeem the lost. What he can't be is just a good man and teacher. History has not left that option open to us.
I feel life as Isaac Newton said I have mentioned the pebble on the beach and left the ocean unaddressed but if you desire additional information I will be happy to help.

 

[seeking4truth]

" Religions all make contradictory claims to absolute truth."
Do they? Are you sure that it is not your interpretation of the words that makes you think this?

As far as I know all religions teach 2 basic things 1. There is one God and you can have a relationship with Him 2. Be good to one another.

Details of how to do this are what constitute religious books. Each book is revealed at a point in history and at the point of its revelation it was the best way. Human nature being what it is, over time misunderstandings developed or the text just became distorted or lost hence a new revelation through another prophet was provided.
My opinion is that all religions and all religious texts contain both revealed words and human interpretations of them. The differences and opposition is caused by those who concentrate on the latter.

 

[1robin]

" Religions all make contradictory claims to absolute truth."
Do they? Are you sure that it is not your interpretation of the words that makes you think this?

Yes they claim different things continuouslyl I will just cover the big three and one issue for now. To get to heaven in Judaism you must obey the law, in Christianity you must be born again. In Islam you must obey a a completely different law from Judaism.

As far as I know all religions teach 2 basic things 1. There is one God and you can have a relationship with Him 2. Be good to one another.

That is not the case. India alone has over 300 million Gods. Egypt had hundreds and both the Romans and Greeks had dozens. Monotheism is a minority among religions (I do not mean in followers). Even within Monothism Judaism has Yahweh alone. Christians have a Trinity. And Islam has Alahh which is not Yahweh.

Details of how to do this are what constitute religious books. Each book is revealed at a point in history and at the point of its revelation it was the best way. Human nature being what it is, over time misunderstandings developed or the text just became distorted or lost hence a new revelation through another prophet was provided.

My opinion is that all religions and all religious texts contain both revealed words and human interpretations of them. The differences and opposition is caused by those who concentrate on the latter.

The fact is that they are all inconsistent and make countless contradictory claims continuously. Are you a Baha'i by chance? Either they are all not from a God or they are from a schozophrenic God not worth bothering with.

 

[seeking4truth]

"That is not the case. India alone has over 300 million Gods. Egypt had hundreds and both the Romans and Greeks had dozens."

Are you sure that India has 3 million gods? I think you might find that they have many many idols that are used to help them understand God or they think can be an intermediary for them with God. Even the catholic church uses idols to aid prayer.

Behind all these so called 'gods' you will find there is a deeper/higher concept of one great power but idols are the attempt by humans to express what is really incomprehensible to them. So it was with Roman/Egyptian or any other polytheistic religion.

I am not a Ba'hai nor is God schizophrenic. Look carefully at the teachings of each religion, or listen carefully to the Aborigines of Australia or the Native Americans and you will find all have a concept of God but express it in different ways.

 

[Ingledsva]

I want to introduce myself and explain a bit about my search for the truth. I know most of you have your own beliefs, and I am not looking to be converted to them. I am one of many still seeking answers. I’d like to compare notes. I am curious about what things coming from the other side are really true. I am just looking for an honest discussion of communications from the unseen.
I was raised as a Christian Science child, and taught that Mary Baker Eddy was divinely inspired. I became disenchanted with that religion when I was 17 (I will explain about that later).
Next I married a Roman Catholic and joined that church. Divine enlightenment abounded in their teachings. I left them when I left my first husband.
Back in the 70s I dove into the New Age thing with all the psychic and metaphysical forms that it embodied. I did Reiki, visited mediums and all the rest.
Then I got caught up with Fundamentalist Christians. Had to pitch all my New Age books, etc. But they promoted a direct line to God via prayer. That’s all I’ve been seeking, a direct line to the other side so I can understand the real truths. I came to see these people as blind target shooters, throwing other people out of whack.
Buddah was divinely inspired. That is generally accepted. Native Americans communicate with their ancestors. Edgar Cayce communicated with the Universal Consciousness. Some of my family are now Mormons. I’ve just read some of their history and am a bit dismayed by their supposedly divine message.
Another of my children has become a radical fanatical Fundamentalist Christian, and claims to have a direct line to God. But some of the things that he thinks God tells him to do just don’t seem right to me.
Has anyone on this forum traveled a similar path to mine? What conclusions have your drawn? Let’s talk.

I did a lot of searching and this is the conclusion that I reached.

I am not “religious,” I am SPIRITUAL.
***
TO DEFINE SPIRITUALITY I think we have to understand the difference between Spirituality and Religion.

SPIRITUALITY – An INDIVIDUAL’S understanding that there is something greater then "self."

RELIGION – Groups of individuals with like “realization” getting together and writing down their “perceived” experience with Deity, and – formulating RULES to belong to the group.

THE PROBLEM is when we reach the religion level and form a group. Group THUG mentality “usually” takes over and the religion-thugs try to force THEIR understanding of Deity onto everyone else!

SPIRITUALITY is like a river flowing from the SOURCE.

RELIGIONS are like dams on the river. They impede its pure flow with their set ideas (dogma) about what the SOURCE is.

EVENTUALLY the dam will ALWAYS break. This is the case throughout history.

THE SOURCE is meant to flow to each individually.

TAKE A DIP IN THE RIVER!
***
“WE” are in “reality” like a Planck Field. Points in a plane of streamed consciousness, which without reference to another, do not exist (don’t have separate existence.)
***
As for right and wrong, humanity, etc;

Do what is RIGHT, and eventually it will circle around to BLESS you!
Do what is WRONG, and eventually it will circle around to BITE you on the BUTT!

 

[somethingNiftyhere]

I know what it's like.
Simply said, believe in yourself.

Let your life be your religion. Your faith in yourself be your aspiration for god. Your dreams your prayers. And your accomplishments the answer to them.

Take pride in what you accomplish, because you earned the success. Open your heart to the ministry that is the world filled with fellow seekers like yourself and learn from their ministry, which is their leading their lives and by their example teaching you something new. Give when you feel inspired to charity. Cry when you feel sorrow. Laugh when you feel joy. Love when you feel passion. Dance when you feel the rhythm move your essence to show you're excited for feeling alive.

And regret nothing.

Because regret does not serve to change a thing that's happened that makes one feel they should regret those things that are over and done.


Instead, recall and learn what you shouldn't do again. Resolve to do better next time. And share what you've learned with others when opportunity arrives. Because wisdom is gained having survived what's come before you, and strength is gleaned through that which you've overcome. Compassion is fostered from the pains of experience and empathy is born from surviving them.

Leave this life better for your having been here. Cultivate a legacy that inspires others to miss you when you are gone. Dismiss philosophies that tell you you are worthless as you are because you exist. Live as a master not as a slave.

And when you are about to close your eyes on this life, fear not. Rejoice for what you experienced in leaving your impression upon the world.Live your life as if it is your one and only chance to be you. For there will never be another once you're gone. Because when you die you'll not be taking anything there that is able to comprehend in the manner you do here.Soul is a myth. Life isn't. Enjoy! While you still have time.

I want to introduce myself and explain a bit about my search for the truth. I know most of you have your own beliefs, and I am not looking to be converted to them. I am one of many still seeking answers. I’d like to compare notes. I am curious about what things coming from the other side are really true. I am just looking for an honest discussion of communications from the unseen.
I was raised as a Christian Science child, and taught that Mary Baker Eddy was divinely inspired. I became disenchanted with that religion when I was 17 (I will explain about that later).
Next I married a Roman Catholic and joined that church. Divine enlightenment abounded in their teachings. I left them when I left my first husband.
Back in the 70s I dove into the New Age thing with all the psychic and metaphysical forms that it embodied. I did Reiki, visited mediums and all the rest.
Then I got caught up with Fundamentalist Christians. Had to pitch all my New Age books, etc. But they promoted a direct line to God via prayer. That’s all I’ve been seeking, a direct line to the other side so I can understand the real truths. I came to see these people as blind target shooters, throwing other people out of whack.
Buddah was divinely inspired. That is generally accepted. Native Americans communicate with their ancestors. Edgar Cayce communicated with the Universal Consciousness. Some of my family are now Mormons. I’ve just read some of their history and am a bit dismayed by their supposedly divine message.
Another of my children has become a radical fanatical Fundamentalist Christian, and claims to have a direct line to God. But some of the things that he thinks God tells him to do just don’t seem right to me.
Has anyone on this forum traveled a similar path to mine? What conclusions have your drawn? Let’s talk.

 

[Ingledsva]

When it comes to extra-Biblical messages, there is no way to verify the veracity. For most things the Bible is a good measure to compare with what you are hearing.

You realize, don't you, that others might say the same thing about the veracity of the Bible?

 

[1robin]

"That is not the case. India alone has over 300 million Gods. Egypt had hundreds and both the Romans and Greeks had dozens."

Are you sure that India has 3 million gods? I think you might find that they have many many idols that are used to help them understand God or they think can be an intermediary for them with God. Even the catholic church uses idols to aid prayer.

Even if I was incorrect and it was only 300,000 Gods would that make any difference. It is an irrelevant equivocation.

It is said that Hindus believe there are 330 million deities. In the Vedas, Thirty-three gods are listed. This is followed by the Sanskrit word koti, which is used for "class"[15] but can also be used for a number equal to 10 million. According to one view, some scholars misinterpreted the word koti - which is meant to mean "class", claiming that there are 330 million gods within Hinduism.[10] Another view contends that 330 million is a figure symbolizing infinity, indicating infinite forms of God.[16][17][18]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_deities

Keep in mind this is addressing only Hinduism which I did not claim. I said India. The point was that the three big monotheistic religions that stress one God vehemently, are not consistent with oriental pluralistic theologies and any attempt to claim they are is desperate in the extreme.

Behind all these so called 'gods' you will find there is a deeper/higher concept of one great power but idols are the attempt by humans to express what is really incomprehensible to them. So it was with Roman/Egyptian or any other polytheistic religion.

Without getting too detailed there is no way that paganism, oriental pluralism, animism, taoism, Egyptology, etc.. are from one source. They are irreconcilable. Attempts to do so any way are driven by preference not evidence. In fact many of the oriental religions were created as a protest against other religions and meant specifically to counter them. The reason they might have common claims at times is they are dealing with the same issues, however they are in general contradictory in the extreme.

I am not a Ba'hai nor is God schizophrenic. Look carefully at the teachings of each religion, or listen carefully to the Aborigines of Australia or the Native Americans and you will find all have a concept of God but express it in different ways.

If you are attempting to equate the Native Americans concept of being created below ground and emerging from a hole in the Earth along with the great Parrot and the almighty jaguar, the Egyptians claims that the universe was made of water until a hill of land rose up from it and various Gods chopped each other into pieces in between creating man, or there are several Indigenous Australian myths to chose from about the origins of the universe. Many Aboriginal people believed the Earth was ultimately made by the Sun Mother upon the urging of the Father of All Spirits, the first humans were thought to have grown out of lizards, which had originally grown out of magical ancestors is schizophrenic.

I believe my God could make one consistent, accurate, and rational revelation concerning the origin of all things and communicate it effectively in one source. I would not worship a God that gave hundreds of conflicting, irrational, and just plain silly revelations concerning origin or anything else. How in the world is any other religion compatable with either Jesus who said "There is no other name under heaven by which man may be saved" or Muhammad who said " There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet". They are both absolutely exclusive claims. Individual religions say to get to heaven it is a either a matter of grace, or faith, or magic, or the law, or ceremony, or knowledge of self etc....and are all mutually exclusive.

 

[seeking4truth]

" " There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet"."

Nowhere does the Quran say that Muhammad was the ONLY prophet. Muslims accept Jesus and his teachings as the way to God in his time. What they do not accept is that Jesus was more than a man, but was like all other prophets.
The reason for the proclamation There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His servant and messenger is to prevent any misunderstandings about Muhammad's status - as happened to Jesus.