Blatant attempt to hijack a thread and move it here, because I think it is a valid question, and a woo woo question.
I do believe, and that is a radical change from three years ago. I believe there is divinity within us, that heaven is within, and that we have the opportunity to live in heaven on earth through enlightenment.
I read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda and he makes a similar argument to what the Sikhs believe, all roads lead to the same god.
Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks of us all coming from the same cosmic dust, and entanglement theory - weāre all connected, and that resonates with me as well.
The idea is that the way to heaven is through enlightenment. For Paramahansa that is through the crown chakra, Christ consciousness, or Buddha consciousness.
So, according to him, the Christians have it right. The way to heaven is through the son of god - but through a similar consciousness as Christ, or Buddha. The understanding that we are all connected, and if you love your brother, you love yourself. Raise others up and you raise yourself up.
Oh damn, lol. I didnāt realize until now that itās YOU who actually created this thread.
Anyway, letās talk. I pretty much said a lot about my beliefs in that other thread. Tell me whatever you wanna say. Believe me, itāll take a lot for me to run out of things to say on this subject.
Hey, I just appreciate everyoneās take on spirituality.
In particular, I appreciate the idea that the bible is a coded guide for the initiated, that it isnāt literal, and that it contains many self evident truths that allow you to live in heaven while still on earth.
Watch the documentary - it may stretch plausibility, but it makes a lot of sense.
Youāre seriously not gonna discuss things with me until I sit on a 40+ minute video?
Sighā¦ Nevermind. I spend FOUR HOURS a day studying philosophy and other things. I just donāt have the mental endurance to add another 40 minutes to that.
Why donāt you just summarize to me the important points?
I donāt tackle the generic life-lesson self-help kind of wisdom. Philosophy includes things like theology and ethics and even evolutionary biology. They are far more important than whatever someone like Tony Robbins would say.
I was being slightly facetious. The point being that if he studies 4 hours + a day on one subject, which is admirable, why would another subject be āeasily summarisedā
You should check out Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Heās passed, but was a pretty smart cat and had some good takes on the similarities between Hinduism and Christianity.
But, if youāre not willing to spend 45 minutes on a BBC production about the 16 years Christ went missing, then I suspect you arenāt open to any information that doesnāt confirm beliefs you already have.
Easy dude, like I said I love talking about this stuff. You make it sound like you donāt wanna talk about it anymore. lol
To clarify, itās not that I donāt wanna hear or read about opposing viewpoints. Itās just that my time is limited. With my daily studies and rote learning style reading, I also study bodybuilding/powerlifting/nutrition stuff. Essentially Iām doing some type of purposeless cramming. Of course I have my own purpose for it, but itās nothing officially academic. This is for a bigger purpose.
Look, I can check out that BBC video if you like. But perhaps not todayā¦ How about tomorrow?
And the Christ-aināt-divine-and-is-a-fraud-Buddhist thing is not the first time unbelievers attempted to defame and slander him. lol. Wanna know whatās funny? People have been trying to disprove God before Rome existed. lol
I guess itās only fair to spill the reason why Iām such a devoted Christian. Many reasons. But the one reason Iāll share with you is this. HOPE. The Promised Landā¦ I said it in a different thread and Iāll say it again. Buddha promises a better life by forgoing worldly pursuits. Jesus promises a better life by improving the world. Psychologically, you can clearly see which is the healthier belief.
Well of course. āTruth, by definition, is exclusive.ā -Ravi Zacharias.
At the same time, only ONE thing can be true. In the works of the prophet Isaiah, he predicted the miracles to be performed by Christ, in which Christ fulfilled. His miracles are historical.
Depends what god youāre talking about. There were plenty of gods that you donāt believe in that existed well before Rome, and plenty after as well.
Iām not a liberal. As far as Iām concerned, any god outside of the Singular God of the Bible is pagan.
I think the real difficulty of those who are arguing FOR God is the issue of proof of His Existence. Itās an incredibly tough subject and I only have an elementary understanding of the main ones. But Iām not afraid to present what I know.
No worries Bruh. I just donāt think you actually like talking about this stuff - I think you like to pontificate what you have swallowed, hook, line, and sinker.
Itās not that you donāt want to hear, you just donāt have time or inclination. Because of that, any discussion is going to fall on deaf ears.
Yes, much too big for me or anybody else to comprehend, so donāt bother trying to explain it because itās too complex for us peons.
So, any possible alternative narrative is defamation and slander?
Inaccurate portrayal of Buddhism, but to be expected from a myopic and parochial christian.
No, the issue is faith is a gift from G-d. A person has faith or they donāt. Nazarenes such as yourself, especially good and faithful ones, donāt get that. Jews, being rather infamously chosen, generally understand.
Sure, some can rebel against the still small voice and intentionally ignore it. They are obviously in need of help, and you should give it to them.
But most are not given the gift.
There is no use explaining color to someone who is blind.
People (Jewish, non-Jewish, whatever) are chosen by G-d to be with Him. Or they are not.
No point in banging your head against an immovable wall.
Note, this is no judgment on those who are not given faith. I certainly did nothing to have faith. I was just born that way. Faith alone doesnāt remotely make me a better person. (Although what one does as a result of such faith can.)