Random Religious Person's Thread

[JustGeorge]

May i know the author of the 12 volume set? Is it Bibek Debroy? I would like to get his translation someday. Its not only unabridged but the English is lucid as well.

Its Ramesh Menon's translation.

Also, If its a casual read you're looking for then you can pick one volume and start reading it like a novel before going to bed or whenever you're free. But if you're into serious study and prefer taking notes of important verses or events like me, then i would suggest you to go through the scriptures atleast 2 to 3 days a week for atleast 2 hours, each time you dive into them.

Its better to take your time and go slowly, absorbing all the materials. :=)

2 hours at a time???

I'm a homeschooling mother of 3 boys(two of whom are on the autism spectrum). If I had two solid hours... well, I just wouldn't know what to do!

Everything I do is segmented into very small pieces. I study about the same, just because its how things are done here(out of necessity). When I was younger, I had more time for more concentrated study. For now, I study when I can, and let life teach my lessons the rest of the time.

 

[The Crimson Universe]

Its Ramesh Menon's translation.



2 hours at a time???

I'm a homeschooling mother of 3 boys(two of whom are on the autism spectrum). If I had two solid hours... well, I just wouldn't know what to do!

Everything I do is segmented into very small pieces. I study about the same, just because its how things are done here(out of necessity). When I was younger, I had more time for more concentrated study. For now, I study when I can, and let life teach my lessons the rest of the time.

I understand.
If you don't mind me asking, how old is your youngest son? Is he into bedtime stories?

 

[JustGeorge]

I understand.
If you don't mind me asking, how old is your youngest son? Is he into bedtime stories?

The youngest is three. He loves books at any time!

 

[The Crimson Universe]

The youngest is three. He loves books at any time!

Well there you have it. You can read it to him before bed, and both of you gets to know a little everyday. It will be fun.

 

[Neuropteron]

Teach about your religion. Learn about others. But at no time should anyone imply that one religion is superior to another. We're all equal in this thread.

Hi,

It's certainly true that all races are equal, in that sense we are equal on this thread.

However we cannot be equal in all things, for instance you might be taller than me, so in that sense we are not equal.

To imply that all religion are equal because we are -racially- equal is missleading.

We live in world filled with conflict, strife, and lies, this is especially true when it comes to religion and politics.

I contend, that sometimes it is impossible to speack about religion and not imply superiority.

Did Christ ever teach such a viewpoint?
On the contrary, he said "Do not think I came to put peace, but a sword, for I came to cause division...".
A follower of Jesus has a struggling against -not people- but against the lies -as the book of revelation points out- of false religion.

It might be possible to equate much of religions that are based on philosphy or social endeavors.
However the Bible and Jesus, makes a distinction between the true God and false ones, between true worship and a false one.
To ignore this fact is a lack of understanding of what Jesus taught about religion.

 

[JustGeorge]

Well there you have it. You can read it to him before bed, and both of you gets to know a little everyday. It will be fun.

That's a good idea! I actually bought the Amar Chitra Katha version for the kids a few years back. He'll probably like hearing his name in it(we chose his name from the Mahabharata).

Hi,

It's certainly true that all races are equal, in that sense we are equal on this thread.

However we cannot be equal in all things, for instance you might be taller than me, so in that sense we are not equal.

To imply that all religion are equal because we are -racially- equal is missleading.

We live in world filled with conflict, strife, and lies, this is especially true when it comes to religion and politics.

I contend, that sometimes it is impossible to speack about religion and not imply superiority.

Did Christ ever teach such a viewpoint?
On the contrary, he said "Do not think I came to put peace, but a sword, for I came to cause division...".
A follower of Jesus has a struggling against -not people- but against the lies -as the book of revelation points out- of false religion.

It might be possible to equate much of religions that are based on philosphy or social endeavors.
However the Bible and Jesus, makes a distinction between the true God and false ones, between true worship and a false one.
To ignore this fact is a lack of understanding of what Jesus taught about religion.

If you cannot put aside the 'my religion is better than yours' attitude temporarily, or from spewing things that could be construed as offensive to people of other faiths and that worship different Gods or in different ways, I invite you to see your way out of this particular thread.

Also of note, this isn't a debate section.

 

[stvdv]

I don't know much about Sai Baba. Can you share some basics on him, his views, and how his followers practice?

Sai Baba said that 4 words are enough to know:
Help Ever, Hurt Never
OR
Love All, Serve All

This can be practiced by all in a way suitable to them

 

[stvdv]

Which Sai Baba? The one who lived in Shirdi?

Sathya Sai Babw who lived in Puttaparthi

 

[sun rise]

I have seen you mention Meher Baba before. Didn't I see you equate him with Kalki before?

How did you first come to hear of him?

Yes to Kalki.

I first heard of him by picking up a pamphlet Meher Baba's Universal Message at the 1967 Montreal World's Faire. I found it interesting enough to save but it did not go further at that time.

I don't remember what brought him back to my mind but at the time there was a lot of talk about Meher Baba vs LSD including on TV and by a few people traveling to college campuses speaking of their personal experiences of the limitations of drugs and why they accepted Meher Baba.

That led to my first challenge about how can someone be 100% honest in the world with several challenges - someone asking about if something was up when you were planning a surprise party for that person, answering "how do you like what I'm wearing" when your reaction was "it's totally hideous" and so forth.

The answer was that if you love someone, what you say has to be loving to be honest about how you feel - brutal frankness is not lovingly honest. And, not being in a court, you don't have to speak the "whole truth" but can distract a person, answer partially and so forth.

 

[sun rise]

Amar Chitra Katha

In my first trip to India in 1974, I bought a whole bunch of those to read while I was there which gave me a nice introduction to the history and notable figures of India.

 

[JustGeorge]

Yes to Kalki.

I first heard of him by picking up a pamphlet Meher Baba's Universal Message at the 1967 Montreal World's Faire. I found it interesting enough to save but it did not go further at that time.

I don't remember what brought him back to my mind but at the time there was a lot of talk about Meher Baba vs LSD including on TV and by a few people traveling to college campuses speaking of their personal experiences of the limitations of drugs and why they accepted Meher Baba.

That led to my first challenge about how can someone be 100% honest in the world with several challenges - someone asking about if something was up when you were planning a surprise party for that person, answering "how do you like what I'm wearing" when your reaction was "it's totally hideous" and so forth.

The answer was that if you love someone, what you say has to be loving to be honest about how you feel - brutal frankness is not lovingly honest. And, not being in a court, you don't have to speak the "whole truth" but can distract a person, answer partially and so forth.

Glancing at this, I can tell his teachings have very much influenced you.

Can you remind me of the connections of him and Kalki?

In my first trip to India in 1974, I bought a whole bunch of those to read while I was there which gave me a nice introduction to the history and notable figures of India.

They are fun. I first saw one at a used book store, and found how extensive they are. Out of my three kids, only the youngest really enjoys reading, so I'm happy to have one to share that love with.

 

[sun rise]

Can you remind me of the connections of him and Kalki?

I believe he is the Kalki Avatar My understanding of Kalki is this: The Kalki Avatar is traditionally described as the avatar who rejuvenates existence by bringing an end to the Kali Yuga – the darkest and most destructive period of the cosmic cycle. In Hinduism, he is the “long-awaited-one”, like the Messiah of Judaism, the Second Coming of Christ, the Saheb-e Zaman of Islam, and the Maitreya Buddha in Buddhism. He is depicted riding a white horse, brandishing the fiery sword of Truth. His charge is to usher in the Satya Yuga, the Golden Age of Knowledge and Purity.

The image of the white horse was familiar to me from a book, Treasury of Jewish Folklore that I read at a young age. The story has traditional Jewish elements but this is the key part: Messiah himself led his white horse out of the Heavenly Stable, to prepare for the descent.

Later on, I read this from Revelation 11 in the Bible:
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
...
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

So I had a background to recognize the claim of being Kalki.

 

[The Crimson Universe]

That's a good idea! I actually bought the Amar Chitra Katha version for the kids a few years back. He'll probably like hearing his name in it(we chose his name from the Mahabharata).

I find them really entertaining. Few years ago, i grabbed a bunch of free copies from the internet (a hundred or more titles. I didn't count). They're still sitting in my hard drive. Let me know if you're interested. I'll be happy to share the download link here :=)

 

[Sundance]

Yesterday, after a very lengthy internal discussion, I made the sad decision to leave the Bahá’í Faith officially. (I’m contemplating making a post on it later.)

BUT on the extremely positive note, I re-discovered my Traditional Stoic path!

To explain briefly, Stoicism is a philosophical school (one with a very religious nature) that emerged from Ancient Greece in the 3rd century BCE that became very popular with Ancient Romans during the Imperial days. It teaches that the goal of life is inner peace and equanimity through living in accordance with Divine Reason or Nature and the cultivation of virtue (arete) — Wisdom, Justice, Courage, and Moderation by practicing three core disciplines: the Discipline of Assent, the Discipline of Judgment, and the Discipline of Desire.

Stoicism had developed down through the centuries into various different forms: Neostoicism in the 16th century (which combined it with Christianity), Modern Stoicism (the more atheistic or agnostic path that puts less of an emphasis on Stoic physics and more on ethics), and Traditional Stoicism (the revival of Ancient Stoicism in modern times).

 

[JustGeorge]

Yesterday, after a very lengthy internal discussion, I made the sad decision to leave the Bahá’í Faith officially. (I’m contemplating making a post on it later.)

BUT on the extremely positive note, I re-discovered my Traditional Stoic path!

To explain briefly, Stoicism is a philosophical school (one with a very religious nature) that emerged from Ancient Greece in the 3rd century BCE that became very popular with Ancient Romans during the Imperial days. It teaches that the goal of life is inner peace and equanimity through living in accordance with Divine Reason or Nature and the cultivation of virtue (arete) — Wisdom, Justice, Courage, and Moderation by practicing three core disciplines: the Discipline of Assent, the Discipline of Judgment, and the Discipline of Desire.

Stoicism had developed down through the centuries into various different forms: Neostoicism in the 16th century (which combined it with Christianity), Modern Stoicism (the more atheistic or agnostic path that puts less of an emphasis on Stoic physics and more on ethics), and Traditional Stoicism (the revival of Ancient Stoicism in modern times).

Can you further explain the Disciplines?

 

[Sundance]

Can you further explain the Disciplines?

Sure, JG! As a bit of neophyte, I’ll do my best! The Discipline of Assent involves the prokopton (Stoic practitioner) becoming aware of their own sense perceptions and, upon considering whether or not they align with the realities of situations, choosing to either to assent to those perceptions, reject them or withhold judgment altogether.

To correct my own misstatements earlier, the other two Disciplines are that of Desire and that of Action.

The Discipline of Desire involves the Stoic aligning their desires with Universal Reason, learning to not merely resign themselves to Fate, but cherishing it (amor fati).

The Discipline of Action involves acting with the understanding that other human beings are going to be hard to associate with, but they are also part of the city of gods and humans, the collective whole of the Universe.

 

[JustGeorge]

Sure, JG! As a bit of neophyte, I’ll do my best! The Discipline of Assent involves the prokopton (Stoic practitioner) becoming aware of their own sense perceptions and, upon considering whether or not they align with the realities of situations, choosing to either to assent to those perceptions, reject them or withhold judgment altogether.

To correct my own misstatements earlier, the other two Disciplines are that of Desire and that of Action.

The Discipline of Desire involves the Stoic aligning their desires with Universal Reason, learning to not merely resign themselves to Fate, but cherishing it (amor fati).

The Discipline of Action involves acting with the understanding that other human beings are going to be hard to associate with, but they are also part of the city of gods and humans, the collective whole of the Universe.

That all sounds very interesting!

 

[stanberger]

Do the JWs celebrate the same holidays as other Christians?

no they support passover. purim hannnukah

 

[stanberger]

Hi,

It's certainly true that all races are equal, in that sense we are equal on this thread.

However we cannot be equal in all things, for instance you might be taller than me, so in that sense we are not equal.

To imply that all religion are equal because we are -racially- equal is missleading.

We live in world filled with conflict, strife, and lies, this is especially true when it comes to religion and politics.

I contend, that sometimes it is impossible to speack about religion and not imply superiority.

Did Christ ever teach such a viewpoint?
On the contrary, he said "Do not think I came to put peace, but a sword, for I came to cause division...".
A follower of Jesus has a struggling against -not people- but against the lies -as the book of revelation points out- of false religion.

It might be possible to equate much of religions that are based on philosphy or social endeavors.
However the Bible and Jesus, makes a distinction between the true God and false ones, between true worship and a false one.
To ignore this fact is a lack of understanding of what Jesus taught about religion.

 

[stanberger]

jesus ' greatest command is to worship our lord the one god only ' today only muslims obey Jesus greatest command