What do you consider spiritual?

[Gyakuto]

I believe that mankind was created to worship. Virtually every previously undiscovered people, once discovered have been found to worship. We naturally look for the spiritual, whether it is in organized
religion, new age, the occult, ufo ology or even MAs. It sets us apart from the rest of creation.

Couldn’t that be because humanity was fearful? We feared crop failure, we feared pestilence and disease, we feared not finding food on the hunt, we feared adult/child mortality, we feared the sun permanently disappearing during an eclipse etc etc. Early human life was filled with frightening uncertainty. So we invented objects of worship in an attempt to pacify these potential calamities. We gain comfort from the idea of a ‘benevolent father’ (and male it usually was) watching over us with a kindly eye never once questioning the truly awful things that he let go on around us (poor little Sara Sharif, who is currently in the British news at the moment)

Humanity has lived in continual fear until relatively recently and that current safety seems to parallel the steady and rapid decline in organised religion. God is fading away and Taylor Swift/TikTok/mobile phones are replacing him.

Having said that, the recent rise is non-specific spirituality suggests a growing sophistication in the population’s ideas of spirituality and indeed a throw back to the ‘old gods’ where the ‘higher being’ is far more nuanced than the black and white god of Abrahamic religions.

 

[Buka]

Couldn’t that be because humanity was fearful? We feared crop failure, we feared pestilence and disease, we feared not finding food on the hunt, we feared adult/child mortality, we feared the sun permanently disappearing during an eclipse etc etc. Early human life was filled with frightening uncertainty. So we invented objects of worship in an attempt to pacify these potential calamities. We gain comfort from the idea of a ‘benevolent father’ (and male it usually was) watching over us with a kindly eye never once questioning the truly awful things that he let go on around us (poor little Sara Sharif, who is currently in the British news at the moment)

Humanity has lived in continual fear until relatively recently and that current safety seems to parallel the steady and rapid decline in organised religion. God is fading away and Taylor Swift/TikTok/mobile phones are replacing him.

Having said that, the recent rise is non-specific spirituality suggests a growing sophistication in the population’s ideas of spirituality and indeed a throw back to the ‘old gods’ where the ‘higher being’ is far more nuanced than the black and white god of Abrahamic religions.

We are indoctrinated as children to the great and powerful Oz. To be ruled by its manuscript, rules, its fire and brimstone.

Hallelujah and pass the collection plate.

 

[Gyakuto]

We are indoctrinated as children to the great and powerful Oz. To be ruled by its manuscript, rules, its fire and brimstone.

Hallelujah and pass the collection plate.

The message is generally good, but it’s the implementation that is very, very poor.

The decentralisation of non-organised spiritual practises is a very good thing.

Has anyone seen ‘Conclave’? Very enjoyable, indeed.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Couldn’t that be because humanity was fearful?

The most weakness of the human being is we always miss what we don't have, and we forget what we already have.

For some people, if their eyes can see and their legs can walk, they are happy. For other people, if they can't drive luxury car, they are not happy.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

I think there's a danger of focussing too much on what separates us and not enough on what binds us together. I won't attempt a definition as I suspect I'm as far as anybody else from understanding what spirituality is really about, but what I can tell you is that in Paul's letters, he continually reminds us that if we do not love our fellow men then 'christ is not in us', so to speak. He also tells us that loving each other- not just those who are easy to love who wish to do us good, but also those who are difficult to love, who wish to do us harm- and following christ's word as far as we are able, is the 'sacrifice' that is appreciated by the almighty. For me, it's about commonality, a shared spiritual ethos of striving to do as well as we can by one another and working towards shared ethical values. I sometimes come across people calling themselves Christians who seek to denigrate others, to deny them citizenship in the kingdom of god, and if that's christ's message then I don't want it. My bishop recently said in a sermon that he is sometimes asked why he wants the church to be inclusive and that he always answers, why because Christ is inclusive. I think that's worth bearing in mind.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I think there's a danger of focussing too much on what separates us and not enough on what binds us together.

I don't like those things. Examples of what binds us together:
1. ignorance
2. Fear
3. Hate
4. Hardships
5. Denial

I understand that there are positive aspects that connect individuals, unfortunately negative experiences are often more effective in this regard. Frequently, these negative factors that unite us lead to unwise decisions and actions.

I find it more comfortable to concentrate on the aspects that distinguish us, while recognizing that others are not bound to be like me. Knowledge and growth come from how we differ from each other. This distinction enriches my perspective on life. While individuals who share similarities with me are pleasant to be around, I do not gain much insight about life from those interactions.

I tend to prioritize the elements that highlight our differences over those that emphasize our similarities. The jails and prisoners are full of similarities.

All of us have probably heard or said this phrase or something like it. "Try something different, you may like it." It's mostly used when we want someone to "grow" as an individual.

It's kinda of strange that people who embrace the differences of others tend to get along better with people than those who want to only look for similarities.

I understand the phrase you are using. But there is no way a person can know me or get along with me without understanding the differences. Once they understand the differences then it's easier to learn the similarities.

I've had people in the past assume similarities. They assumed that I was as corrupt as they were, so they "stabbed me in the back" Their justification was "I'll do that to him because he would do it to me." Those were real similarities. Those were self-reflections about how they would treat someone who was the same as them.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

I don't like those things. Examples of what binds us together:
1. ignorance
2. Fear
3. Hate
4. Hardships
5. Denial

I understand that there are positive aspects that connect individuals, unfortunately negative experiences are often more effective in this regard. Frequently, these negative factors that unite us lead to unwise decisions and actions.

I find it more comfortable to concentrate on the aspects that distinguish us, while recognizing that others are not bound to be like me. Knowledge and growth come from how we differ from each other. This distinction enriches my perspective on life. While individuals who share similarities with me are pleasant to be around, I do not gain much insight about life from those interactions.

I tend to prioritize the elements that highlight our differences over those that emphasize our similarities. The jails and prisoners are full of similarities.

All of us have probably heard or said this phrase or something like it. "Try something different, you may like it." It's mostly used when we want someone to "grow" as an individual.

It's kinda of strange that people who embrace the differences of others tend to get along better with people than those who want to only look for similarities.

I understand the phrase you are using. But there is no way a person can know me or get along with me without understanding the differences. Once they understand the differences then it's easier to learn the similarities.

I've had people in the past assume similarities. They assumed that I was as corrupt as they were, so they "stabbed me in the back" Their justification was "I'll do that to him because he would do it to me." Those were real similarities. Those were self-reflections about how they would treat someone who was the same as them.

OK, well while I don't fully understand that I can respect it. I've encountered views in my bible study group, for example, that I'm uncomfortable with. Largely because they seem to have no conception of how very queer I am....