What is Spiritual?

[LuisDantas]

..... and to me, Jesus was 'deeply rational' by his logical reasoning on the old Hebrew Scriptures on which he based his teachings. That is why spiritual Jesus often prefaced his statements by saying, " it is written" or already recorded in the OT.

I have no idea of how that could be made to work. But if it does for you, then so much the better.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

What does it mean to be spiritual; if not mental?

Is not Spiritual a state of mind vs a materialistic, or worldly mind?

Spirit is an antiquated word (of, I believe, Latin origin; a translation of the Greek Pneuma). As such, the meanings given to the term today have practically nothing to do withe the original meaning, and in fact represent a myriad of dozens, often conflicting, meanings. As such, in today's terms, it's a meaningless terms unless it is used in extremely contextual senses.

In it's most ancient Greek forms, pneuma: wind, spirit, breath. From the Latin; also courage, vigor, soul.

These are the beginnings, everything since is a web of millions of different nuances. But the term has supplied me with one of my favorite paradigms of my life;

I am a very spiritual person! I just don't happen to believe in spirits!

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

Going by the definition of spiritual, i would say it's nothing but a delusion.

But spiritual has literally 1000's of definitions. By some of them i would say it's delusional as well.

 

[Tabu]

What does it mean to be spiritual; if not mental?

Is not Spiritual a state of mind vs a materialistic, or worldly mind?

Spiritual would mean
1. Realize that one is a Soul/Spirit which is inherently pure , peaceful and blissful. The body is a costume with which the soul interacts with the world around and performs actions.
2. That there is a Supreme Soul who is The Father with whom I can connect to and feel and empower myself with His Love, Mercy , Kindness ..
3. That the purpose of my life is to be Happy , blissful , loving and Peaceful and this is possible only when my soul has the controlling power over my senses and not the other way round.

 

[Jehu]

For me to be spiritual is to devote myself to the true God, to study His Word dayly and to meditate upon it, to draw close to Him by trying to do what makes Him happy (that makes me happy too), to focus on Jesus Gods son and to follow him, etcetera, etcetera.

It's not easy to focus on Jesus in this world that is ruled bij satan the devil.
A Christian is a special target of satan's attacks.

It's pretty much what happened to the apostle Peter when, full of faith, walking towards Jesus on water.
When he looked at the storm and the wild waves around him he went down, Jesus had to pull him out of the water.

If we do not focus on Jesus and look at the raging storms of the world we live in, we will drown and easily loose our faith.

To be spiritual in the right way makes me focus on what is realy important.

Have a good day all.

 

[Fool]

Spirit is an antiquated word (of, I believe, Latin origin; a translation of the Greek Pneuma). As such, the meanings given to the term today have practically nothing to do withe the original meaning, and in fact represent a myriad of dozens, often conflicting, meanings. As such, in today's terms, it's a meaningless terms unless it is used in extremely contextual senses.

In it's most ancient Greek forms, pneuma: wind, spirit, breath. From the Latin; also courage, vigor, soul.

These are the beginnings, everything since is a web of millions of different nuances. But the term has supplied me with one of my favorite paradigms of my life;

I am a very spiritual person! I just don't happen to believe in spirits!

if you then are a spiritual person, are you not then a spirit?

if you are a mindful person, are you not a mind?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

What does it mean to be spiritual; if not mental?

Is not Spiritual a state of mind vs a materialistic, or worldly mind?

I saw a Facebook post this morning that described "spiritual" in a way I thought was apt: "I hate religion, but I get lost in my own irony."

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Spirit is an antiquated word (of, I believe, Latin origin; a translation of the Greek Pneuma). As such, the meanings given to the term today have practically nothing to do with the original meaning, and in fact represent a myriad of dozens, often conflicting, meanings. As such, in today's terms, it's a meaningless terms unless it is used in extremely contextual senses.
In it's most ancient Greek forms, pneuma: wind, spirit, breath. From the Latin; also courage, vigor, soul.
These are the beginnings, everything since is a web of millions of different nuances. But the term has supplied me with one of my favorite paradigms of my life;
I am a very spiritual person! I just don't happen to believe in spirits!

Good points ^ above ^ about the meanings about the word ' spirit '.

Since Scripture teaches God is a Spirit, then if you don't believe in spirits, are you saying you don't believe in God.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

I take the word at face-value.

It means either believing in or even knowing the existence of the spirit.
So it is all about the knowledge of life beyond physical death.
This reflects into our ethics. When one fully appreciates that we are not
just physical bodies defending our physical turf in a vain attempt to thwart off death,
then one's motives change substantially: from material to emotional goals.
Its not how long one lives that matters, but rather how poetically one lives that counts,
even if that means that one may die more rapidly.

It can also mean that one has contact with non-corporeal spirits, whether departed
from their once living bodies, or otherwise.

Both these ideas normally are part of the same phenomenon, but I suppose it
is feasible to believe in transcendence without actually engaging non-corporeal beings.

How is that face-value?

You have a meaning / definition which you already adhere to, and when you hear the term you use the meaning you ascribe to it

Good points ^ above ^ about the meanings about the word ' spirit '.

Since Scripture teaches God is a Spirit, then if you don't believe in spirits, are you saying you don't believe in God.

I've said I do not believe in god without reference to spirit in anyway. I don't believe the old hebrew actually used the concept of spirit, either in people or other wise. Spirit is a Roman interpretation of a Greek concept. In the original meaning, everything has a spirit; rocks, trees, rivers, water, etc. But it means nothing more than the essence of a thing. The spirit of a rock is hard, durable, heavey, etc. can be worked to be a weapon, sharp, hammer, beautiful piece of art.

The spirit of a man, is his character, his nature; "so-and-so has a kind spirit"
Beyond these original meanings, the term is useless in any discussion, unless you have an entire discussion of exactly what you mean when you use the term.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

if you then are a spiritual person, are you not then a spirit?
if you are a mindful person, are you not a mind?

Where there is a mind/brain, there is a person, where there is a person, there is a personality.
However, to me, can't spiritual apply to both: angelic spirit persons and physical fleshly persons ( us ) .
Angel Satan was a spiritual person before his downfall. Fleshly Adam was a spiritual person before his downfall.
They abandoned their spirituality and became un-spiritual persons.
Satan thus became a fallen angelic spirit person. Adam was physical but now lacking spiritual qualities.
Adam never became a spirit, but Adam simply ' returned ' to where he started the dust - Genesis 3:19
A person can Not ' return ' to a place he never was before.
Adam simply went from non-life, to life, and returned back to non-life.
Whereas, spirit-person Satan will be destroyed by Jesus according to Hebrews 2:14 B.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

How is that face-value?
You have a meaning / definition which you already adhere to, and when you hear the term you use the meaning you ascribe to it
I've said I do not believe in god without reference to spirit in anyway. I don't believe the old hebrew actually used the concept of spirit, either in people or other wise. Spirit is a Roman interpretation of a Greek concept. In the original meaning, everything has a spirit; rocks, trees, rivers, water, etc. But it means nothing more than the essence of a thing. The spirit of a rock is hard, durable, heavey, etc. can be worked to be a weapon, sharp, hammer, beautiful piece of art.
The spirit of a man, is his character, his nature; "so-and-so has a kind spirit"
Beyond these original meanings, the term is useless in any discussion, unless you have an entire discussion of exactly what you mean when you use the term.

I can agree that the spirit of man is his character, his nature, in that we can have a kind spirit or not.
Not that we are spirit beings, but that we have life's spirit while alive.
As a light bulb blows out, at death our spirit goes out just as a burnt-out light bulb goes out. Finished, done.
It was as if Adam unplugged himself from his Source ( his God ) when he broke God's Law.
As an un-plugged fan slowly winds down and stops. So did Adam wind down and stop ending in death.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

I can agree that the spirit of man is his character, his nature, in that we can have a kind spirit or not.
Not that we are spirit beings, but that we have life's spirit while alive.
As a light bulb blows out, at death our spirit goes out just as a burnt-out light bulb goes out. Finished, done.
It was as if Adam unplugged himself from his Source ( his God ) when he broke God's Law.
As an un-plugged fan slowly winds down and stops. So did Adam wind down and stop ending in death.

As I'm not a believer in gawd, adam, or eve, I can understand how you feel about him unplugging. But when a man dies, his spirit does not disappear. He now 'was' what he was, still has a nature that can be remembered, but now dead mass of rotting flesh is part of his spirit as well.

Now, when time has passed and no one remembers he ever existed, at that point his spirit may or may not still exist. If it does, it is merely the nature of a thing that once was. Or is spirit dependent on subjective interpretation? Must someone remember him for him to have any spirit at all?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Since Scripture teaches God is a Spirit, then if you don't believe in spirits, are you saying you don't believe in God.

... or that you disagree with whatever "scripture" you're referring to.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

As I'm not a believer in gawd, adam, or eve, I can understand how you feel about him unplugging. But when a man dies, his spirit does not disappear. He now 'was' what he was, still has a nature that can be remembered, but now dead mass of rotting flesh is part of his spirit as well.
Now, when time has passed and no one remembers he ever existed, at that point his spirit may or may not still exist. If it does, it is merely the nature of a thing that once was. Or is spirit dependent on subjective interpretation?
Must someone remember him for him to have any spirit at all?

Scripturally to me yes, because 'the someone to remember him' to have any spirit at all is God.
God has a ' book of remembrance ' so whom God remembers as worthy of a resurrection back to life will live again.
In non-biblical teachings a separate spirit part is immortal, but in Scripture the spirit (life's force) goes back to God.
Goes back in the sense that a foreclosed house goes back to the owner.
Not that the house literally moves or goes anywhere, but the future of that house now lies with the owner.
Since the dead know nothing according to Ecclesiastes 9:5, then one's dead spirit (life force) knows nothing.

 

[wicketkeeper]

Its funny when a person claims to be 'spiritual.' Generally speaking these people talk the walk but don't but don't walk the walk ! I think it wise to not make such a claim and find or start a new project.

Obviously for forums we need to verbalize our beliefs and disagreements via our keyboard.

 

[David T]

Music especially guitars!!!

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

Scripturally to me yes, because 'the someone to remember him' to have any spirit at all is God.
God has a ' book of remembrance ' so whom God remembers as worthy of a resurrection back to life will live again.
In non-biblical teachings a separate spirit part is immortal, but in Scripture the spirit (life's force) goes back to God.
Goes back in the sense that a foreclosed house goes back to the owner.
Not that the house literally moves or goes anywhere, but the future of that house now lies with the owner.
Since the dead know nothing according to Ecclesiastes 9:5, then one's dead spirit (life force) knows nothing.

As it's late i'm exhausted this may seem overly lax, but if I understand....a spirit is eternal, if god chooses to remember the person?

 

[URAVIP2ME]

As it's late i'm exhausted this may seem overly lax, but if I understand....a spirit is eternal, if god chooses to remember the person?

Eternal, to me, in the sense that God can revive one's spirit.
Adam had No spirit of life until God breathed the ' breath of life ' into life-less Adam - Genesis 2:7
At death Adam lost life's spirit. No spark of life left for Adam. All of Adam became extinct.
We too at death loose life's spirit, so the only way one's spirit can be revived is via a resurrection back to life again.
So, between ' death and resurrection ' there is No life.
The dead know nothing but unconscious sleep. Just as we are Not aware of the passing of time while asleep the dead are Not aware of anything. The dead are Not conscious - Ecclesiastes 9:5
The thief who died next to Jesus asked to be remembered (future tense) when Jesus would get into his kingdom.
That kingdom time would be future. That is why the ' future tense ' would also be used at Acts of the Apostles 24:15 that there ' is going to be ' a resurrection....

As to who will Not be remembered are those who commit the unforgivable sin - Matthew 12:32; Hebrews 6:4-6.
Jesus' ransom covers MANY, so the majority of mankind will be remembered and resurrected - Matthew 20:28

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

Eternal, to me, in the sense that God can revive one's spirit.
Adam had No spirit of life until God breathed the ' breath of life ' into life-less Adam - Genesis 2:7
At death Adam lost life's spirit. No spark of life left for Adam. All of Adam became extinct.
We too at death loose life's spirit, so the only way one's spirit can be revived is via a resurrection back to life again.
So, between ' death and resurrection ' there is No life.
The dead know nothing but unconscious sleep. Just as we are Not aware of the passing of time while asleep the dead are Not aware of anything. The dead are Not conscious - Ecclesiastes 9:5
The thief who died next to Jesus asked to be remembered (future tense) when Jesus would get into his kingdom.
That kingdom time would be future. That is why the ' future tense ' would also be used at Acts of the Apostles 24:15 that there ' is going to be ' a resurrection....

As to who will Not be remembered are those who commit the unforgivable sin - Matthew 12:32; Hebrews 6:4-6.
Jesus' ransom covers MANY, so the majority of mankind will be remembered and resurrected - Matthew 20:28

This is my reading of the text as well. Although I hold no esteem for it (the book) beyond it's sparse pearls! Thanks for sharing your views.

 

[idea]

the letter of the law, vs. the "spirit" of the law... do laws have spirits?

spirited away - a crushed spirit - "that's the spirit" - spirit week - spirit animals -

quite a lot of things we like to use the word "spirit" for...