Learning about people’s faith & what they believe in, how they think about it & try to practice it

[Niatero]

I believe that God inspires me. I think about my faith regularly, like several times a day, and it's always about God and His mercy toward me. I am amazed that He loves me so much. I also talk to God on a regular basis, like every day and sometimes several times a day.

I'm amazed sometimes about His generosity. What do you think is the purpose, what is God aiming for, in what He inspires you to do?

 

[Niatero]

I try to practice mine in every aspect of my life:
Stewardship -- I do volunteer work and help my neighbors however I can. The World is changed by your example, not your opinion.
Peace -- I try to maintain calm and peaceful even in the most trying, frustrating times and situations. I even ride with my friend who has a big red Trump endorsement in her backglass.
Integrity -- I don't say everything that is true, but I do my best to make sure everything I say is true. And I'm very big on "doing the right thing" even when it doesn't appear to matter.
Community -- I mingle and pactice my faith throughout all my activities, striving to show empathy where appropriate but not judgement. A smile and a nod goes a long way in helping others.
Equality -- a crow doesn't have to be an eagle to share the skies, nor does an eagle need be a sparrow.
Simplicity -- I try to live a life I don't need a vacation from.
I practice my individual, unaffiliated faith my living with SPICES, thanks to the basic beliefs of the Society of Friends -- Quakers.

Regarding practice, there are three main things that I do. One of them is the practice of sāmānya dharma. It refers to duties and virtues common to people of all classes and ranks such as non-injury, truthfulness, cleanliness, giving, compassion, and forgiveness.

I have faith in the values and virtues.

Practicing virtues is a big part of my faith. My progress is agonizingly slow. I worked on purity for half of my life before I decided that I needed to work more on kindness and cheerfulness.

(later) What are some ways that you try to learn virtues?

 

[Spice]

Practicing virtues is a big part of my faith. My progress is agonizingly slow. I worked on purity for half of my life before I decided that I needed to work more on kindness and cheerfulness.

You should read The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield. It's written as a novel that introduces the first 8 Insights so the reader can see how the Insights are discovered, implemented, and build on each other. It's quite an enlightening read.

I should read it again and continue with the next in the series. I got side tracked.....nothing new. I get side tracked often! LOL

 

[Niatero]

@Psalm23 @Spice @Aupmanyav @mangalavara @JustGeorge @Vinayaka @idea @shunyadragon @Tomef @Kathryn @osgart @Nakosis

How has your faith evolved over the years? For example, your ways of thinking about it and practicing it. Did it have a beginning? If so, how did that happen?.

Also, what does your faith say to you about how to live your life, if I didn't ask you already.

 

[Vinayaka]

@Psalm23 @Spice @Aupmanyav @mangalavara @JustGeorge @Vinayaka @idea @shunyadragon @Tomef @Kathryn @osgart @Nakosis

How has your faith evolved over the years? For example, your ways of thinking about it and practicing it. Did it have a beginning? If so, how did that happen?.

Also, what does your faith say to you about how to live your life, if I didn't ask you already.

I'll ask again. What have you learned from all this asking?

 

[Niatero]

The armor of God includes the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes for the preparation of the gospel of peace , helmet of salvation , shield of faith and sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

I can see meaning in all of those, a connection between the piece of equipment and what it represents.

 

[Niatero]

I'll ask again. What have you learned from all this asking?

I've already answered that as well as I know how. Do you want me to go back through the thread and try to remember or guess what I learned from each post?

(later) I found an example. It's interesting to me that three people talked about virtues. I like that.

 

[Kenny]

NOTE: I intentionally posted this in the Interfaith forum, which I thought was a non-debate forum.

I’ll be inviting people here to ask them questions about their faith, not as representatives of their religion or other association, but about how they think about it personally and try to practice it. I have some specific people in mind, but if anyone would like to volunteer for it, I’m interested.

(later) It doesn’t have to be a religious faith. It can be any way of life a person believes in and tries to practice.

For me it is a journey of transformation. It is a uniting with God’s Spirit and then being transformed from the inside out versus my previous attempts to change from the outside in ( in a manner of speaking).

It is a good work that God begins and I finish by a cleansing of my previously “stinking thinking” mindset that will continue until I rest in peace.

Not an easy journey but definitely a rewarding journey

 

[Vinayaka]

I've already answered that as well as I know how. Do you want me to go back through the thread and try to remember or guess what I learned from each post?

No. It's fine.

 

[Niatero]

No. It's fine.

I thought of one example, and I added it to that post.

(later) You inspired me to go back through the thread and ask more questions. Thanks!

 

[Aupmanyav]

How has your faith evolved over the years? For example, your ways of thinking about it and practicing it. Did it have a beginning? If so, how did that happen?.

Also, what does your faith say to you about how to live your life, if I didn't ask you already.

Yes, it had a beginning in doubting the Gods and Goddesses whom Hindus worship. Abandoned what did not have evidence, nearly everything.
So what to live by? Just try to fulfill my duties to family, society and country. Simple life, no conflicts, peace.

 

[shunyadragon]

I'll ask again. What have you learned from all this asking?

I for the most part would reference posts "41 1ne "43.

I was raised Christian and for the most part in the Roman Church. From my early teen years I seriously began to have an intense interest in science question things. actually everything. I began Martial Arts in my teens with an interest in Buddhism, Unitarians and th e Baha'i Faith.. I grew up in Central America, and went to school at Roman Church boot camp. My development of philosophy led to question cultural orientation of culture as an expression of tribalism. My interest in theology, philosophy then led me to a Universalist Philosophy

Time became an interest in terms of the human experience in time.

 

[Niatero]

I try to practice mine in every aspect of my life:
Stewardship -- I do volunteer work and help my neighbors however I can. The World is changed by your example, not your opinion.
Peace -- I try to maintain calm and peaceful even in the most trying, frustrating times and situations. I even ride with my friend who has a big red Trump endorsement in her backglass.
Integrity -- I don't say everything that is true, but I do my best to make sure everything I say is true. And I'm very big on "doing the right thing" even when it doesn't appear to matter.
Community -- I mingle and pactice my faith throughout all my activities, striving to show empathy where appropriate but not judgement. A smile and a nod goes a long way in helping others.
Equality -- a crow doesn't have to be an eagle to share the skies, nor does an eagle need be a sparrow.
Simplicity -- I try to live a life I don't need a vacation from.
I practice my individual, unaffiliated faith my living with SPICES, thanks to the basic beliefs of the Society of Friends -- Quakers.

All of those mean a lot to me.

Just now I noticed for the first time beliefs of the Society of Friends as part of your faith. I've always admired them and what they do. Do you associate with them and participate in their work and activities?

 

[idea]

@Psalm23 @Spice @Aupmanyav @mangalavara @JustGeorge @Vinayaka @idea @shunyadragon @Tomef @Kathryn @osgart @Nakosis

How has your faith evolved over the years? For example, your ways of thinking about it and practicing it. Did it have a beginning? If so, how did that happen?.

Also, what does your faith say to you about how to live your life, if I didn't ask you already.

No beginning that I can recall, but turning points. Travel, diverse friends, school, work, family, we are products of our environments. I've learned to live with uncertainty, to find peace through mindset "this too shall pass". Impermanence means no pain is eternal, nor bliss. Live in the present when things are well, and change when change is needed. I'm learning to let go - trust others to take care of themselves. I'm learning to let others let go, I'm content without need for attention. I appreciate nature more and more. Dust to dust. Dust in the wind.

 

[Niatero]

You should read The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield. It's written as a novel that introduces the first 8 Insights so the reader can see how the Insights are discovered, implemented, and build on each other. It's quite an enlightening read.

I should read it again and continue with the next in the series. I got side tracked.....nothing new. I get side tracked often! LOL

I read it and I loved it, especially the part about getting energy from beauty, and not draining it from other people.

 

[Spice]

@Psalm23 @Spice @Aupmanyav @mangalavara @JustGeorge @Vinayaka @idea @shunyadragon @Tomef @Kathryn @osgart @Nakosis

How has your faith evolved over the years? For example, your ways of thinking about it and practicing it. Did it have a beginning? If so, how did that happen?.

Also, what does your faith say to you about how to live your life, if I didn't ask you already.

I grew up in a Congregational Christian Church that joined with the United Church of Christ when I was an adolescent. In today's world it would have been considered conservative in doctrine but progressive in application. I still remember hearing from the pulpit that you have to have two things to understand scriptures: 1) common sense -- remember the times and cultures these words came from & 2) God leading your discernment -- pay attention to your intuition and your conscious, for that is how God speaks to you.

Some things though never quite set right we me, so I was a questioner from a very young age. Some questions I've since realized came from my mother's death, and some from my father's attitude and practice in the community. Though the questions were not asked if anyone.

When I left home as a young adult I ended up joining a Southern Baptist Church. There was a completely different feel about "church" so I thought I'd give it a shot. It soon cured me of just about all of it. LOL I find it extremely difficult to sit through a SB funeral service filled with fire and brimstone, which I find I must do from time to time.

I also went through a period of 8 years that I pulled "a Siddhartha." I turned to the opposite of religion and tasted a good mouthful of human suffering beyond what life had handed me thus far. I pushed God away, but He kept close anyway. I watched all my "new friends" fall to the new and yet unknown monster called Crack. I never touched it, only by the Grace of God. . .or that common sense, intuition, and conscious I had been made aware of while young. He speaks!

But eventually I did fall back on the open-minded teachings of my youth in UCC, and though I have not sat in a Sunday Service, in any church, in 40 years, I continued to study, pray, meditate, and think for myself. I had learned to truly SEE the world around me. In this practice I found my spiritual way to peace with no affiliated boundaries. And I still travel that road.

 

[Vinayaka]

I thought of one example, and I added it to that post.

(later) You inspired me to go back through the thread and ask more questions. Thanks!

The reason I asked is that as I stated before, I don't think learning has taken place unless it is retained. I taught school for 30 years, and a student could reiterate what I had said that afternoon, but if you asked them a week later, or a year later, it might not be there at all. So psychologically there is an entire part of educational psychology put into practice by reteaching concepts at certain intervals, so that it is retained.

Here on this forum, I've occasionally expounded on things about my faith either because I was asked to, or because I felt it worthwhile to clear up the misconceptions. Then the other person would indicate they understood, but then 2 weeks later they would just reiterate the same misconception that had me explaining in the first place, proving they didn't learn it at all. So I discontinued saying much about my faith at all, and became more of a watcher. If you have no actual audience, what's the point?

If I was going about learning here using the same methodology you're using, I know I wouldn't retain anything, due to information overload. I wouldn't remember who said what, so the exercise would be useless ... for me. That's not to say that you're not retaining anything, as we all learn differently.

 

[Niatero]

My positive attitude can be maximally challenged by some people so it's important to have alone time, reset, and heal.

That happens to me too sometimes. After years of effort, I think I've finally started to make some progress.

Yeah I actually work on my moral senses that way. I have my own dictionary where I've defined my virtues in detail. I do visualize often.

One way I have visualized is by thinking of people I know who seem to me like good examples of the virtue I'm working on.

The biggest challenge is not to let people exhaust my emotions. The hardest thing is to handle dysfunctional people and bring about the best available outcomes.

Bring about the best available outcomes. I like that.

 

[Spice]

All of those mean a lot to me.

Just now I noticed for the first time beliefs of the Society of Friends as part of your faith. I've always admired them and what they do. Do you associate with them and participate in their work and activities?

The local Meeting is Conservative, so I don't participate, but I do know an elder and his wife. Wonderful people, as is many people, of various religions, I've met in this community that I moved to 12 years ago. Unfortunately they recently moved to an assisted living community quite some miles away, so I won't be seeing them often. Thank goodness for email and fb! They "get me" better than anyone else.

 

[Niatero]

The reason I asked is that as I stated before, I don't think learning has taken place unless it is retained. I taught school for 30 years, and a student could reiterate what I had said that afternoon, but if you asked them a week later, or a year later, it might not be there at all. So psychologically there is an entire part of educational psychology put into practice by reteaching concepts at certain intervals, so that it is retained.

Here on this forum, I've occasionally expounded on things about my faith either because I was asked to, or because I felt it worthwhile to clear up the misconceptions. Then the other person would indicate they understood, but then 2 weeks later they would just reiterate the same misconception that had me explaining in the first place, proving they didn't learn it at all. So I discontinued saying much about my faith at all, and became more of a watcher. If you have no actual audience, what's the point?

If I was going about learning here using the same methodology you're using, I know I wouldn't retain anything, due to information overload. I wouldn't remember who said what, so the exercise would be useless ... for me. That's not to say that you're not retaining anything, as we all learn differently.

That's why I went back through the thread again. Originally my goal was to help diversify people's images of followers of different faiths. When you asked me that question, I thought that I would also like it to help me get to know each person better individually. I'm going back through the thread now, with that purpose in mind.