Spiritual Suicide

I came across these words in a journal entry I made: Spiritual Suicide. I'm not sure what the entry was about and I doubt that there was a real connection to the words and the entry. Those words still resonate with me though. What is a spiritual suicide? How can you commit spiritual suicide? Growing up in a religious household nurturing the spirit was important. I have to admit that I couldn't imagine not believing in the spirit within us. There is definitely this energy that runs through are body that is it's own entity.

spirit-(as defined by dictionary.com)

–noun
1.
the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul.
2.
the incorporeal part of humans: present in spirit though absent in body.
3.
the soul regarded as separating from the body at death.
4.
conscious, incorporeal being, as opposed to matter: the world of spirit.
5.
a supernatural, incorporeal being, esp. one inhabiting a place, object, etc., or having a particular character: evil spirits.


There are 25 definitions as to what a spirit is but the first five cover the basic sense in which I'm using it.

So how could you commit spiritual suicide if a spirit is of an alternate world?

Following Orders Ch.14

The Little Prince visits the planet where there is a lamplighter. Of all the people the Little Prince had met so far he felt that at least the lamplighter's life had some meaning.

This chapter kind of ties with the previous chapter. I mentioned how there are many new converts that are left ignorant because no one further nurtures them. All these new converts are merely told to do things and expected to do them, no questions asked. Sure now their lives have meaning, yet they really don't know what that is, they continue to do what they are told. This in unfair and leaves no room for spiritual growth. It could also lead to weariness and doubt over time when little or no results occur. It is sad to see all these lost people just doing what they are told because it sounds good, or what have you, but at least most of the time it's for the better.

Taking Inventory Ch.13

The business man, that the Little Prince encounters, is counting the stars. He says that he is counting to see how many stars he owns. The Little Prince tells the business man that he is of no use to the stars so how can he own them?


Some if not all religions can sometimes be consumed by the number of people they convert. One of my problems with this concept has been, are they really reaching out to these people or just dragging them along for the ride?

I have seen some concern for the well being for the new converts but there is much carelessness when getting the person to convert that the converter soon forgets about them and leaves them on their own to figure out the rest. This tactic leaves many among many of ignorant believers, not knowing all the ropes of the new religion they are involved in. This could also explain why many followers of religions have very little grasp of the big picture and can be easily offended without really knowing what they believe in. Much like the businessman they remain determined they own something yet they have never nurtured or done anything for these things they own.

Endless Cycle Ch. 12

"What are you doing?"
"I am drinking."
"Why are you drinking?"
"So that I may forget."
"Forget what?"
"Forget that I am ashamed."
"Ashamed of what?"
"Ashamed of drinking!"


The Little Prince finds it hard to understand the tippler's logic. The tippler continues this perpetuating cycle that really gets the tippler no where.

Sometimes people find themselves following the traditions of religion yet they don't really believe in many of the doctrines. It is usually because that was how they were raised and the one thing that lingers or pulls them back is the guilt. Which is also an unhealthy cycle and way to go about religion. Religion shouldn't make us feel ashamed of our humanity but rather make us aware of it and what we can do to make us feel better about our human nature.

Some may find themselves going to church every Sunday to feel better about the sins they've committed throughout the week. Others may go to confession to receive the proper penance.



What do these rituals really accomplish spiritually though? Do these become crutches to lean on when we feel like giving into our human nature? Creating the same perpetual cycle as the tippler's?

Get Over Yourself! Ch. 11

"Ah!Ah!I am about to receive a visit from an admirer!"

To all conceited men all other men are admirers. The conceited man will only hear words of praise.

Have you ever tried to converse with someone who was completely self involved? When I think of a conceited man I always look to one of my favorite Disney movies the Beauty and the Beast. Gaston is this narcissistic character who is completely full of himself,only hears what he wants, and expects to get what he wants because he is such a strapping young lad.



Religion can be narcissistic at times. There is this image displayed of such piety and self righteousness and these people believe that everyone should like or respect them because of this. In doing this most new believers or people on the brink of converting will see displays of such piety and become turned off to the religion. I know this has been the case for myself personally on several occasions.

Religions are supposed to be humble and gracious but instead people, most of the time the head figures within that religion, are self-righteous assholes. Pardon my french.



No one, I mean no one likes a self-righteous asshole.

You're a Ruler of What? Ch.10

The Little Prince makes his first stop on a planet where he met a king.

"...the entire planet was crammed and obstructed by the king's magnificent ermine robe."

The Little Prince inquires who the king rules over because there are no subjects in sight. The king claims to rule over the universe but really he rules nothing. He has a false sense of authority. The Little Prince found this quite odd and left.


Most times authority points their finger down at us and we can not question that authority. My favorite example of this is from Matilda.



"Listen you little wiseacre: I'm smart, you're dumb; I'm big, you're little; I'm right, you're wrong, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
-Mr. Wormwood

The king on the planet wasn't as bad as Mr. Wormwood but my point here is why or where does this authority come from? Who are these people actually ruling? Truth is we are our own authority. Sure people will try to tell us what to do, use intimidation, money and power, but they really will never be able to control what we personally decide to do.


Like the good old saying:



You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

Saying Goodbye Ch.9

The Little Prince finishes a day of chores, leaving his planet in order before he decides to leave. He realizes how much he cares for the flower as he says goodbye and she tells him for the first time that she loves him too.


The Little Prince decides he needs to leave to find some answers.

Sometimes we all need to step outside of our daily routines to find answers.

Siddhartha leaves his kingdom in search of enlightenment.

Jesus wanders in the desert for 40 days.

It's not always the answer to run away from our current lives but sometimes it helps to get away from what you know to learn the things you haven't yet discovered.

The Importance of a Rose Ch.7&8

The aviator is working on his plane while the Little Prince continues to ask his never ending questions. Frustrated with the work at hand the aviator snaps at the Little Prince. The Little Prince upset and hurt with the aviators response points out that just because one person doesn't find the matter important doesn't mean it is not important at all.


This is probably one of the biggest problems in different religious views. Everyone finds their religion important thus nullifying the importance of any other religion outside of their own.

The Little Prince told the aviator of this beautiful flower unlike any of the other flowers on his planet. The flower became demanding of the Little Prince and he attended her every need but soon became frustrated with her demands.



"Flowers are so inconsistent! But I was far too young to know how to love her..."

Much like any relationship it requires nurturing and much attention in order for it to continue to grow. Sometimes relationships seem quite demanding and can become frustrating when nothing is reciprocated.

40 Sunsets to Happiness

In chapter six the Little Prince talks about he was able to watch 40 sunsets in one day on his planet just by moving his chair a few steps.


"You know--one loves the sunset, when one is so sad..."


When we are sad we always want something to look forward to. Sometimes our sadness causes is to fall into bad habits or addictions. Much like my previous post on good seeds vs. bad seeds, during sadness is one of the harder times to distinguish good from bad choices. We want instant gratification or comfort and will do most anything to feel better.

I think religion plays a big role into the decisions we make when sadness takes over. I have to say it's one of the better influences on one's decisions during a time of grief. People find comfort in their beliefs and have faith that during their time of difficulty everything will work out for the best because there is a bigger picture or divine purpose as to why things have happened.

Good Seeds Bad Seeds: LP Ch.5

"Children watch out for the baobabs!"

In chapter five the Little Prince describes treacherous plants called baobabs. He explains how good seeds and bad seeds are on his planet. The good seeds turn into good plants and the bad seeds turn into bad plants. If the bad plants continue to grow they can ruin and even destroy the planet.

There are always good and bad seeds being planted throughout our lives. It is our responsibility to weed out the bad seeds before they become treacherous to ourselves and others.



We all struggle with the good and the bad. Distinguishing between good and bad is always hard at first. The Little Prince describes how when the seeds first sprout up it is still hard to differentiate the good plants from the bad plants. So the first step to weeding out the bad plants is learning how to recognize them. Usually we have someone teaching us right from wrong, good from bad.

Of all the aspects of religion I truly respect the ethic/moral values it can instill in someone. Although these sometimes get lost or overrun by rules it is better to have some sort of moral values than none at all. These ethics or morals would be the good seeds and sin would be the bad seeds. Religions, not all but most, tend to focus on what the sins are instead of focusing on what good decisions to make. Although they do talk about what good deeds need to be done people end up worrying about what they shouldn't be doing.



"Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness... There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir."

This passage from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is one of my favorites to describe a universal moral code. Amir's father describes to him that regardless of what their cultural religion teaches theft is the only sin that we commit. I find this statement very true and useful in regards to my daily decisions. I constantly think about what I might be stealing from others. Sometimes depending on the decision you can even end up stealing from yourself.

Neglecting your health you steal time from yourself. Staying in an abusive relationship you steal your mental,physical, and emotional health from yourself.



Pulling weeds is one of my favorite things to do. Weed pulling is stress relieving and is great time to myself, not to mention a great workout. When it comes to pulling weeds within my life it's not very stress relieving at first and not very enjoyable. Making decisions as to what would be best for my mind, body, heart and soul is very difficult. I have to say I have made some super tough decisions. The hardest decisions I've made are deciding on whether certain people should be a part of my life. I have to say as hard as those decisions were they definitely have improved my life. So in the end making difficult decisions can be stress relieving.


So Watch Out For The Baobabs! Learn how to recognize the weeds in your life. Learn when and how to remove those weeds before they become too destructive.

Appearances are Everything: LP Ch. 3&4

The aviator/narrator in the Little Prince becomes more curious as to where the Little Prince came from. As he discovers that the Little Prince is definitely from another planet the aviator decides that the Little Prince is from asteroid B612.

Asteroid B612, as described by the aviator, was discovered by a Turkish astronomer.

With this discovery the Turkish astronomer made a great demonstration in his Turkish costume so no one took him seriously about his discovery.

In order for his discovery to be held substantial the Turkish astronomer decides to dress in European costume and gave his demonstration again. This time because of his change in appearance they took his discovery more seriously.


You have to admit that the importance of appearance very much applies to us today. The most common of these circumstances is when going to an interview. Looking professional for some reason betters your chances at acing the interview.


Now let us look to religion. Does religion use it's appearance to reel us in? What is it about the appearance of someone will intrigue us to follow their religion?

I've never really thought about this before...


Within this class I've learned how Eastern religions can seem appealing to Westerners, mostly who live in hustle and bustling cities, because of the more zen/simple lifestyles.

Christianity may be more appealing to those seeking structure,order, yet filled with beauty and passion. If you enter more traditional Roman Catholic churches everyone is in their best clothes, looking almost uniform to one another, and the church is adorned with beautiful art and passionate scenes.


Take for example La Pieta by Michelangelo

This grandiose scene,in St. Peter's Basilica, is one of the more extraordinary works of art found affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. This work of art alone is said to make an impression on ones faith by having viewed it.

Icons have also played a big role and the size of these icons doesn't hurt a bit either. Like the Tian Tan Buddha



Which leads to the next point the aviator addresses.

The aviator continues to tell the story and explain how grown ups won't believe anything you say based on your appearance and if you don't explain it to them in figures. The value of something depends on the number it is related to. For example he states that if you were to describe the beautiful house you just purchased in detail, like what materials it was made of, it wouldn't matter until you told them how much it cost. He continues how he wants to describe the Little Prince's story as best as possible so both grown-ups and children can see the truth in it. Then he goes on to explain that's why he posed that asteroid B612 was most likely the home planet of the Little Prince, to give figures we could understand and hold valid.

We do this to our faith/religion all the time. We try to present figures and facts to explain our faith to others. I said in the previous post that we can rationalize our faith but when I said that I did not mean through facts and figures. It truly would be impossible. You can only rationalize your faith for yourself and no one else. I think that is the whole gist of what faith is.

Inner Outer Vision: Little Prince Ch.1&2

What are the following images of?


In the Little Prince the narrator explains how when he was younger he wanted to become a painter/artist but when he would show his drawings to grown ups they never understood or would see what he felt he had drew.

vision
–noun
1.
the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.
2.
the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision; the vision of an entrepreneur.
3.
an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of a divine or other agency: a heavenly messenger appearing in a vision. Compare hallucination ( def. 1 ) .
4.
something seen or otherwise perceived during such an experience: The vision revealed its message.
5.
a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation: visions of wealth and glory.
6.
something seen; an object of sight.
7.
a scene, person, etc., of extraordinary beauty: The sky was a vision of red and pink.

There are many definitions alone for what vision is and in each of those definitions are different perspectives. We all have different visions. We see things in different ways through different eyes. Sure there are basic forms that we can recognize and agree on but other times we lack imagination to see that the images above are of a boa constrictor who swallowed an elephant.

In many instances we let our actual sense of sight get in the way of what is actually there.

Appearances can be deceiving.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Don't judge a book by it's cover.

These phrases all have to do with your vision.

My sight has always been one of my favorite senses. I love seeing colors, shapes and motion. I especially love my sight when it comes to art. There are many different forms and styles of art. Some of my favorite style of art is abstract expressionism. Any abstract art really. In abstract art you basically see what you want to see but sometimes the artists' intent is for you just to see what is simply there. For example Mark Rothko's work.


Rothko just paints block of colors.

As viewers of art when the composition is simple we tend to want to complicate it and uncover an underlying message. We tend to do this when someone tells us the truth. For some reason we need frivolous details and a climatic build-up to believe something really happened.

This brings me to my parallel in religion.


The parallel:

When things are visibly simple we tend to cast it aside. It's not worth paying attention to. We need things to be complicated to stay entertained. So as a result religions have created these unbelievable stories to entice us to believe, ironically. If we were told that Buddha was born just like we were his teachings for some reason would seem less relevant. If we found out that Jesus had a family of his own his sacrifice would seem less relevant. I can go on and on.


Why would religion seem less relevant if the stories were less exciting and extraordinary?


We have this perfect image of what religion/God is and we get lost in this vision that really doesn't exist. The moment someone tries to bring us back down to earth it either bursts our bubble or we go crazy defending our perfect vision.

Personally I don't think it should have to resort to either one of those things. I know that it has been said religion can't be rationalized, sure that is undeniable, but can't faith be rationalized?

We see what we see and just because others can't see what we see, doesn't change what we see or make it less relevant.

Look at your Reflection

In worldreligions@yahoogroups.com, xtremebanter wrote:

I found another interesting book that may interest some of you. World Religions Through a Christian Worldview By Pat Zukeran Also, this booksis free on Google! Praise God for Google!

In worldreligions@yahoogroups.com, "asianxallen" wrote:

I think christians are pretty narcissistic because fanatics are always claiming that all other religions are wrong, and Jesus is the one and only. Just throwing it out there that they seem pretty ignorant, anyone agree?

In worldreligions@yahoogroups.com, "hot2chow" wrote:

isn't that the same for every fanatic of most religions? i mean, i don't see a Buddhist monk like that, but it seems to me that most other religions, dead or alive, the fanatics are always claiming that their god/gods/goddesses are the only one; which is why they would be the extremists and fanatics, yes?


I wrote:


I think fanatics is the wrong word ...zealots maybe? I think it's just frustrating, especially with Christianity in this country, how these people constantly make you aware of what they believe. This example is a bit extreme but Christians and even distinct churches remind me much of gangs or krews. They band together claiming they're the best, wearing t-shirts, distinct logos, and even have stickers/symbols on their cars. Some churches even use gang terminology in regards to reaching out to people. Yes Christians can be proud and they have every right to be but I think it turns more into an ego issue.

'Well how many members does you church have?'

'We've collected over 1 million dollars in tithes!'

'We've converted 1,000 people in one day!'

'You're going to hell if you don't believe in my homie G-O-D!'

I know this is a bit exaggerated in some cases not exaggerated enough but I've seen it. Christians most times come off as condescending and it becomes irritating. Yes we as humans are not perfect it is understandable but to act like you are perfect and without flaw(self- righteous) well come on. Christians fail to see the overall lesson that Christianity itself presents. We are not perfect, not one of us, we are not expected to live up to the ancient law (10 commandments) although it's a good starting point...Christ "teaches"(as far as we know) about accepting others:

"Let he without sin cast the first stone"

Isn't Christianity about grace, forgiveness, and second chances?

Where does ego come into all of this? Where does pride come in? Why do you need to wear your faith on your sleeve? Sure don't be ashamed of what you believe but do you really need to tattoo it on your neck that Jesus Loves You? Shouldn't your way of life reflect what you believe and not the license plate guard on your car?

I don't think Christians are ignorant I just think they forget to look in the mirror sometimes. Not to mention they forget what WWJD? stands for even though it's on the bracelet they're wearing.

Dedication

To Leon Werth

I ask the indulgence of the children who may read this book for dedicating it to a grown up. I have a serious reason: he is the best friend I have in the world. I have another reason: this grown-up understands everything, even books about children. I have a third reason: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. he needs cheering up. If all these reasons are not enough, I will dedicate the book to the child from whom this grown up grew. All grown-ups were once children -- although few of them remember it. And so I correct my dedication:

To Leon Werth
When he was a little boy.



Okay so I'm starting The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and this was his dedication in the beginning. It is a well beloved story by both children and adults alike. It can be compared to Peter Pan and the whole idea of not wanting to grow up but in a more level-headed fashion. Peter Pan endorses mischief and fun while The Little Prince has a wise way of maintaining the magic of your youth even as you take on responsibilities of an adult. This book explores the very basic philosophies of what is important to us, why is it important, and is it beneficial to hold this in such high regard?

The Little Prince

I have become highly interested in the world famous children story The Little Prince recently. I find that it has many parallels to reasons why we have different religions. I'm planning on exploring these parallels more and revealing why religion exists, the flaws of religion, and how it can even strengthen religion. All these points may change as I am doing my research and actually read the book for the first time ever. I have a feeling, with the little I have read and seen in regards to the message within The Little Prince, that I will discover some basic answers that we all look for at one point in time.

Jesus in the Bible Box

The Bible has suffered much ridicule over the centuries and why is this? We tend to put the gospels and the Word in a box leaving no room for exploration. In doing this we only scrape the tip of the iceberg. Not having the proper knowledge of how this book was put together and using it as an accurate historical reference is quite foolish. Besides being foolish you can be missing out on what really matters or defines your faith. You shouldn't put religion in a box it truly hinders your own faith. Personally I've learned that letting go and objectively reasoning what I was raised to believe has further reinforced my faith. Knowing that religious scriptures can or have been manipulated over time, or only made sense to a particular culture at a certain time in it's literal translation, hasn't turned me away but merely expanded its meaning. I recently came across this article by George Elerick Have Christians Sinned Against Jesus' Gospel? where he touches on how several Aramaic and Greek words could change the gospels meaning entirely. Each word has a special meaning used in a certain context. In recent posts I have been trying to touch on this but it was brushed off as if I was saying that what the Bible says has no relevance. Just because the Bible was poorly translated does not mean it is irrelevant but it is important to what message resonates through those poor translations. There are times when we are needed to read between the lines and other times when you just accept word for word but there are times we have to read in a three dimensional sense. The Bible is held in high regard, considered as the light, sword, or foundation of Christianity, but it's merely the outline to something greater. Using the Bible as a crutch to prove our faith is the wrong approach. Finding the right approach is really up to you.

Sorry for being cryptic but that's the thing about faith there is no specific formula on how it works so essentially there is no evidence to prove it exists. Having said that it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Where to Draw the Line

Art has played a major role in religious views and vice versa, but where do we draw the line as to what is depicted? A few years back there was a cartoonist who drew the prophet Muhammed for a satire that was published and he received many threats. There is this documentary called Bloody Cartoons which touches on censorship in regards to religious satire. I found this documentary quite amusing in many aspects. It just goes to show how personal religion becomes and how little the offense may seem to some can create such an uproar in others.

As some cartoonists use religious figures for satire there are also others that use their talent to convert and spread their gospel. Jack Chick is famous for his cartoon gospel tracts. These are basically like mini comic books that point out sins and try to convince you to convert to Christianity. For example Crazy Wolf displays a native american upset that another woman has turned away from their culture and puts a curse on her. Chick uses dark figures to convey their evil and evokes guilt and condemnation throughout many of his tracts. There is also a documentary on Jack Chick which includes interviews with people that have directly worked with him.God's Cartoonist:The Comic Crusade of Jack T. Chick

I really don't have much to say on either of these documentaries but I found them interesting and thought I'd share.

EGOmaniacs or Survivors?

I was watching The Believer with actor Ryan Gosling as the main character, an anti-semite who is a young jewish man himself.

I really enjoyed seeing the point of view of someone who is born and raised to believe one philosophy to one day feeling the need to completely destroy that very philosophy. Sure it's just a movie that I watched but how many people out there have really felt this way? I know many atheists that were once Christians. Sure they may despise Christianity and anything or anyone Christian affiliated but how many of them have grown to hate it so much that they would actually try to harm these people?


I also came across a quite terrible but amusing movie An American Carol who pokes fun at anti-American documentors, Muslim terrorists, along with many others, but what I found most amusing was them poking fun at Radical Christians here's the video:

Sure it's funny or highly offensive but in all seriousness what gives any people the right to enforce their beliefs/philosophies/ideals on others? What is it that triggers something to go of in someones head that it is the right thing to blow someones head off just because they don't believe, think, or feel the same way as them?

As Americans today we may automatically assume I'm referencing muslim terrorists. But what about the Crusades? The Holocaust? The Civil War?


So far I understand why religion came to be but where/how does death and destruction play into all this?

Is it all about ego? Or is it really a matter of survival?

Continue being a Skeptic Re: Cathar Religion

c1barkey Mar. 17,2010 7:21am

As I was talking to my boyfriend about how am I supposed to get out seven posts when I know absolutely nothing about religions and don't even know what to say...he mentioned how he studied Cathar. This is completely unknown to me and I definitely never heard of this religion. I am not sure if anyone else has heard of it, but I am going to focus my blogs and my website on this religion since he seems so versed on it and I can learn from him at home.
This class is going to be my biggest challenge, especially when it comes to posting. Religion is confusing to me and I really don't understand most of it. I guess growing up without religion gives me a different outlook on it and a different mindset coming into it. I seem to question religion more than believe or follow it. Sometimes, I feel like I need to see the proof in order to believe and understand.

thirteenaudrey Mar. 17, 2010 1:40pm

I think it's great that you know nothing of religion first hand but why stick toanalyzing one religion that is going to be introduced to you through one perspective?

I really think you should take the time to at least wikipedia the main religions we are studying in this class to at least have some knowledge of them and from there I think you should post all your questions that you have concerning these religions beliefs. I mean it is great to focus and learn many things about one religion but doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of taking this class?

Good luck with your blog/posts, just don't be afraid to explore outside the Cathar religion. There are everyday things that can be construed as religious and you'd be surprised that you know more about religion than you actually thought.

For one you should really watch the crop circle video post within our first weeks lesson plan. It should give you a great start as to learning how or why people are believers or skeptics.

In fact you are a skeptic and I really think you should question the hell out of believers. So don't sell yourself short.

BSelieverkeptic!

I watched the 'Do you believe in Crop Circles?' video and for some reason the very end caught my attention when the words Believer and Skeptic were juxtaposed with each other and the boldness of the first letters of the word make out BS of course. I'm sure this wasn't intentional but it made me laugh because what I had just finished hearing was well BS.

I loved how Lane argued that crop circles could be created by humans if those very same designs could be applied to paper with a compass and pencil. Right before Lane even mentioned the pencil I was thinking to myself that if we can master lifelike portrait paintings, build gravity defying architecture, then we most certainly can create crop circles. Just because crop circles are becoming more elaborate and larger in scale doesn't mean other life forms from out of this world are responsible. It only shows there are crop circle creators getting better at their trade like any other artist would

Lost in Tonation Re:Hinduism and Buddhism

paing_aung Mar. 11, 2010 5:13pm

Some Similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism are that both religions belive
that existence of a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by Karma. As I
am a buddhist, I agree upon that. Buddhism believes that birth, death, and
rebirth are cycling.The only way to cut off that cycle is to reach Nate-Ban
where there are no more birth, death, and rebirth. Moreover, Like Hinduism,
buddhism believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and
its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived.So,a
Buddhists who want to have a good life at next life must stay sinlessly in
present life. If they can not stay in a sinless life, the cycle of birth, death,
and rebirth will happen again and again by the form of as human beings or
animals.


bobamakesyoufat Mar.15, 2010 1:59am

What did you think about when you heard about the origins of Hinduism from
rigid/unchanging caste systems leading to Hinduism as a religion? That was the
most interesting part of the discussion that I heard of because all of these New
Age Religions which are based heavily on eastern-religions kind of originate
from Hinduism. It makes so much sense logically to me why someone would make a
religion and set of beliefs to counter-act like what society told them they
couldn't do. The cycle of life in Buddhism makes so much sense if you look at
the context of the culture it originated in because the cycle of never being
able to change castes and being locked in.

May I ask what made you believe in that you possibly would be resurrected as a
grass-hopper if you were bad in your life time? Like, I wasn't religious most
of my life at all, but I just can't seem to fathom why or how that makes sense.
Also, about enlightenment, why do you personally believe that when you become
enlightened in your life time, that your soul/body would cease to exist? Maybe
it is because I grew up in America and am naive, but I just can't fathom how
anyone could believe that. I am not bashing you, I am just very curious about
Buddhism in particular because it is having this crazy movement all across
Western Culture where it is the in-thing and the cool thing to be doing. In my
work place, all of this New-Age stuff is like the cool thing to be doing, but
when I heard about the origins of it all, it just still hasn't made sense to me
yet. If you would be kind enough to share with us why you believe in Buddhism,
I would love to hear all about it.


thirteenaudrey Mar.17,2010 4:45am

In regards to your confusion about the belief of reincarnation, not knowing much about hinduism/buddism myself but realizing religious scriptures/beliefs can be lost in translation, I want to say that the suggestion of reincarnating into a grasshopper was not meant to be taken literal. Ill translations are the main reason why religions are stigmatized and divided into different sects or new religions altogether.

In many religions stories,parables, or prophecies are taken literal, word for word. Problem with this is words in our own minds adhered together in our own understanding differs from that of another. Also another important factor in how a concept or idea is understood is the way it is taught. Intonation can play a big role in how an idea is received.

For example when having to sit in a class for lecture for most it is very difficult to sit through when the professor recites information in a monotone,dry manner much like the Clear Eyes guy.

Bueller,Bueller,Bueller...

On the other hand if given the same information from a more lively,animated professor we are more likely respond and retain that information. All of a sudden the information is believeable even if it doesn't make sense.

So as for the answer to your questions...I don't know but I hope this helps you understand why someone would believe in something that doesn't make sense to you.

Presentation: when, where, and how can determine what you will and won't believe.

If presented with an idea at a young age we are more likely susceptible to believing it to be true. Especially when it's coming from someone we trust or look up to. Anything presented in grandeur at this point in time is the concrete truth.

Santa Claus,Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy


Anyway there are many things we come to believe.
Whether they make sense or not, beats me.
Whether they are true, it's all a matter of interpretation.


Personally when I think of reincarnation I think of the natural cycle of life. We are conceived, born, we live, we die, our bodies decay into the earth to give life to something else.

The wHolly F'ing Trinity: 3 F's of Survival

There are three F's that are key factors to our survival. Of course we should all know Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. As animals our initial response to danger is either Fight or Flight. When danger approaches we are not going to sit around and expect some magical force field to protect us. Fear kicks in giving us fair notion as to whether we will fight our way our of danger or flee the peril altogether. Fight and flight are the first two keys to our survival. The third F is what gurantees our immortality by replicating ourselves through reproduction. Some may think fucking is a mortal sin but it's really the only way to having true eternal life. We were designed to replicate and make better reproductions of ourselves to sustain the existence of our species.

There is however one F that stands alone, and is argued whether it is an important factor to our survival, Faith.

Faith has united and torn our species apart. Is it relevant to our existence?

Yes and no.

Yes, faith gives us purpose to live and have meaning in this world.

No, we can still survive and reproduce much like those who have faith in something.


So with the three F's,Fight,Flight, and Fucking; We have one F that unites or shatters them all Faith.


Having faith in something greater than ourselves give us hope and added strength to fight when we need to.

Having faith gives us the wisdom to flee when we clearly will not win a fight.

Having faith gives us the hope and wisdom to raise our offspring into becoming even better survivors.


Without faith we still will have that one F to unite or shatter the Wholly F'ing Trinity, Fear.

Fearing for your life you will fight your fear.

Fearing that you will not have the strength to fight you will flee.

Fearing that you will be forgotten you spread your seed to make your mark in this world.


As David Lane mentioned in his lecture our religions stem from two common ideologies:

Life and Death.

We either have faith in a Life everlasting.

Or fear a dreadful dishonorable Death.

Which F should tie the trinity together? It's all a matter of opinion.

Is your glass half empty or is it half full?

Do you want to live or are you afraid of dying?

No matter what you choose you will still have to fight, flee, and fuck in order to survive.

Opinion Not Fact: Sacred Reading/Beyond Belief PART 2

Bobamakesyoufat Mar.15,2010 2:14pm
(wrote in response to my first entry dated Mar. 9,1:53am)

I found one statement that you made to be very interesting when you stated that
Mrs. Lane offers a totally unbiased view of how religions sprouted out from
Animism. I agree that looking at religions through a lens of Evolution is
interesting, but I find that statement to be wholeheartedly untrue because if
you research more into the thought of evolution being the supreme answer to
everything, you would realize and see that most religions historically in their
roots don't and haven't "evolved" as simply as some people believe today. I
think it is very biased in the sense that it is tainted with the idea that it
comes into the presupposition that all religions evolved from one another
essentially. It is okay to start with that hypothesis, but the problem is that
you need to find evidence from the religious documents/historicity of each
religion to see if that hypothesis is true. Unfortunately, this is where the
evolutionary idea of religion ultimately ending up in Monotheism completely
falls apart because the historical descent of nearly every religion in the world
doesn't even come close to fitting into any workable time-table/theory. One
comparison of this train of thought being "unbiased" is that they are
social-Darwinist in sociology who do the same thing ultimately, as well as in
Biology, psychology, and just about every field, but I can assure you that it
isn't unbiased by any means. Evolution is the prevailing thought of the day,
and so to say it is unbiased is in my opinion, a very inaccurate statement.

Thirteenaudrey Mar.17,2010 2:11am

What I meant by unbias was that Diem-Lane didn't describe the religion from a
believer perspective nor a non-believer perspective but merely a
spectator,enthusiast, and researcher. She by no means glorifies nor puts down
any religion mentioned. Overall this discussion should not be about grammatical
errors also by saying my statement is wholeheartedly untrue is a matter of
(bias) perspective. That is your opinion but that doesn't make my opinion any
less true. Same thing happens in religion,politics,art,etc. Each religion is
different, ends up with different sects/denominations because of difference in
opinions. Now whether who is right and who is wrong, which god is real or not
real once again matter of opinion. So for you to tell me my opinion is untrue
nullifies your opinion as fact. I am totally yanking your chain by the way and
just making a point that you should never state that anothers opinion is not a
fact or untrue. An opinion is just that, not a fact ever.

Sacred Reading/Beyond Belief PART 1

thirteenaudrey Mar.9,2010 1:53 am

I really enjoyed reading When Scholars Study the Sacred by Andrea Diem-Lane.
Having a religious background,and having been apart of what some consider a
cult, to claiming I'm agnostic, I was able to relate to many of the evolutionary
cycles of religion. Reading When Scholars Study the Sacred I was able to see
where I was then and why or how I ended up where I am now. The way Diem-Lane
breaks the many theories on the origin/development of religions/cults has made
it simple and clear to understand religion from an entirely fresh unbias
viewpoint. The only topic, within religion that was slightly touched on, that I
wanted to hear more about was spiritual experiences or happenings.

Diem-Lane mentions animism displayed in many different religions but I'm still
left with questions about how real these happenings are.

As I was spending time at a friend's house they had the series Beyond Belief
on and I would tune in and out of listening to the different stories that were
being played out. One of the stories was of some young guy and his girlfriend
coming across an abandoned motorcycle. The young man decided to take it for a
joy ride and as he came across a bridge he saw a young girl appear in the middle
of the road which caused him to crash. The girlfriend saw the same little girl
as well which was believed to be a ghost from some terrible accident years
before involving that very motorcycle that was never found at the initial scene
of the accident.

What I'm trying to get at is is it possible for two people to see the same
spiritual happening and does it make it real? Or is it that these two people
start putting ideas in the others head that they both start believing in
something that really isn't right in front of them?

I've also noticed that many spiritual occurences tend to happen in small rural
towns or somewhat desolated areas. The population of these areas are usually
highly superstitious if not religious. I would like to say that because of their
cultural demographic these people are just making these occurences up for their
own entertainment but there is something that still has me wanting to believe it
is possible that maybe ghosts/spirits do exist.


How can someone see/experience something spiritual...

...without having to get high?

...without having the desire to make such nonsensical things up?

Cleo Mar. 9,2010 1:37pm

To me, it depends. If they both saw the spiritual happening on their own, then
I think it would make it real. Not necessarily "real" as in tangible, but "real"
as in something is there. Now if the first person sees something and tells the
second, then I would say it was just the mind of the second seeing what it wants
to.

I also think that 2 people can see the same thing and interpret it in their own
way. I believe being able to do this is all part of one's freewill. (Some
philosophers would like to argue that there is no such thing as freewill, but I
don't feel like going into that). Anyway, I also believe that everyone's
imagination is just that: their own imagination. Everyone has the ability to
twist what they see into what they WANT to see with the help of the
subconscious. This also adds to my previous post about the complexity of the
mind. It acts without us knowing. An example would be the classic use of the ink
spots on a piece of paper. If any number of people were asked what the same
random spots looked like, they would all see something that their mind WANTS
them to see. For example, if you think your spouse is cheating on you, you will
see your spouse having sex with another person in the picture.

Also, I believe it is more than possible for a person to see/experience
something spiritual without having to get high. I hate to keep repeating, but
the mind sees what it wants to. It doesn't always need an additional substance
to aid what it is seeing. Just think about your dreams. People usually aren't
high when they sleep, therefore, the crazy things you see are there as a
combination of recent experiences, past experiences, past dreams, random
encounters, and anything else that you may have every thought of. That's why
you'll dream about the steak you had for dinner served to you by a man that held
the door open for you at the office of your elementary school. Also, if there is
something on your mind, it usually tends to pop up as well. I know I've had
plenty of "night before class registration" dreams.

As for trying to withhold making nonsensical things up, I don't know if the
mind can. With the example of the game of telephone brought up in, "When
Scholars Study the Sacred", I don't think that something can be passed on
without adding our own little twist to it. Think about it, a story always sounds
better if something more interesting than what actually happened is told.
Saying, "Jimmy got into a fight last night," is far more interesting than,
"Jimmy bummed into some guy last night and then apologized for it". I think this
falls under the want to impress, which I believe is also part of human nature.

Thirteenaudrey Mar. 9,2010 3:43 pm

So you are still sticking with spiritual visions being a figment of our
imagination?

Is it only real if more than one person sees/experiences a spiritual vision
then?

I know people don't need to be under some sort of influence to see things.

Yes I agree the mind sees what it wants to see and we are embellishers by nature
but does that make our spiritual experiences any less relevant or void even?

I have had many vivid dreams that I thought were very real until I woke up and
realized I was dreaming. But who is to say what I experienced within my dream
wasn't real?


Basically in conjunction with what you are saying how the mind sees what it
wants but how do explain a non-believer(of any religion) who has a vision of
"God(s)" or spiritual entities? How is it possible for this non-believer to make
a vision up, very much like those visions of "believers", without any previous
knowledge of such things?

These questions will bring me to another topic but I will leave it at that for
now.

Cleo Mar.10, 2010 9:58pm

I think that it needs to be seen by more than one person to declare it "real".
So if the spirit was only seen by one person, then I would call that a figment
of their imagination.

As for the dreams being real part, I'm not exactly sure what to say. There have
been many philosophers that questioned whether our dreams were real or not but I
truly don't believe there is any way of confirming or denying either side. I
have never thought of dreams as reality even though I'm sure everyone could say
they have experienced a number of extremely vivid dreams. I believe that only
because that is what I have always thought of my dreams. I have never
experienced anything that has made me think that perhaps our dreams our the
actual reality. And seeing as how our dreams are made up of events and
encounters that have happened in our known reality, I have never seen a reason
to question it.

What I have always wondered was how déjà vu worked. How is it that we are able
to have a dream about something that hasn't happened yet and the only way we
know it was a real event was when it actually did happen? Is it all a part of a
"past life" sort of thing?

But back to what you were asking about the "non-believers" seeing "God" or
something like it. The I way I see it is, since they are "non-believers" I
wouldn't expect them to think anything of the event. I assume they would merely
think it was a ghost. But also, saying they are "non-believer" merely means that
they don't believe in any religion out there (that they know of anyway). So
couldn't they see the a spiritual whatever and create something out of it? Isn't
that how most religions started?

Divine Divide

I have always been intrigued by higher powers and curiousities of the unknown and unexplained. Where do we come from? Who is our creator? Do we have purpose? If there is no God how and why do we exist? These questions are merely the tip of the iceberg to how religion, spirituality, and self awareness came to be. Our self awareness created a divine divide within our, once animalistic, minds to hunger for knowledge of the unseen and unknown. This cognitive concious has allowed our species to survive, given our species purpose by furthering asking questions and seeking answers of the unknown. In skepticism we found belief, we found our spirits(purpose), we found religion.

Here I will discuss how theories, religions,and our subconcious divides and unites us.