How do you act..

[BucephalusBB]

How do you act when someone tells you something wich you just can't believe, but you don't want to 'hurt' the other?

For example, a collegue of me is pretty sure he lived in scotland in his past life. He is pretty certain about it too and he knows for sure that it isn't a dream or just feelings. He knows it's true.
Well, I don't even believe in the soul, let alone that it can travel.

I would like to be supportive and openminded and stuff. But for me it sounds as if somebody would tell me he fell of the edge of the world once.

 

[Engyo]

BB -

He knows it. So, for now it is true *for him*. However, it does nothing to change the need to earn a living, eat, sleep, and generally conduct one's daily life - in other words it doesn't really affect his life, or yours. Sounds pretty harmless to me........

 

[Phasmid]

I'm agnostic so I don't like to persuade people that they're right or wrong about religion. I may ask some tough questions, but that's only because I want answers for myself.

At work once, a colleague and I were talking (since there's little else to do except wish for the sweet embrace of death in a place like ASDA) about the existence of god. He's a few years younger than me (my colleague that is) and was spouting on about, "There has to be a god because... well... what other reason is there?" I was going to give a load of answers to his questions from an atheistic perspective, but at that time, I didn't want to risk causing him to burn in hell-fire for eternity to I simply shrugged.

With hindsight I should have explained all the various views I knew of and let him make up his own mind... you live and learn...

EDIT - Just realised my post is pretty much irrelevant... basically, I'd just change the subject and not go into detail with him on it. To each their own.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I'm agnostic so I don't like to persuade people that they're right or wrong about religion. I may ask some tough questions, but that's only because I want answers for myself.

At work once, a colleague and I were talking (since there's little else to do except wish for the sweet embrace of death in a place like ASDA) about the existence of god. He's a few years younger than me (my colleague that is) and was spouting on about, "There has to be a god because... well... what other reason is there?" I was going to give a load of answers to his questions from an atheistic perspective, but at that time, I didn't want to risk causing him to burn in hell-fire for eternity to I simply shrugged.

With hindsight I should have explained all the various views I knew of and let him make up his own mind... you live and learn...

EDIT - Just realised my post is pretty much irrelevant... basically, I'd just change the subject and not go into detail with him on it. To each their own.

Well, the huge difference between your collegue and min is that you were talking about theories. I like debating, so I could easilly go along with that, but there is no debating in feelings.

 

[BucephalusBB]

BB -

He knows it. So, for now it is true *for him*. However, it does nothing to change the need to earn a living, eat, sleep, and generally conduct one's daily life - in other words it doesn't really affect his life, or yours. Sounds pretty harmless to me........

I will never lie about what I think. If he would have asked me about him, I would have had to tell him that in my opinion he doesn't even have a soul. Something that could perhaps hurt, even though his life goes on or if I tell him I have no soul either.

 

[Engyo]

I don't lie about what I think either. I do sometimes choose not to answer, though.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I don't lie about what I think either. I do sometimes choose not to answer, though.

So do I, I don't work there anymore for quite some time, and he never knew.

But that's only because he never asked me...

 

[Willamena]

I fell off the edge of the world once, so I'd be sympathetic and kind whilst believing that anything is possible.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I don't lie about what I think either. I do sometimes choose not to answer, though.

You see, because of your answer I am unable to answer Willamena now

 

[Alceste]

This kind of situation is where an apophatic mystical approach really shines. Not bothering with the entire realm of belief and disbelief personally frees me to listen with genuine intrigue to any type of personal story from something as mundane as losing some luggage to something as incredible as alien abductions and past lives. The fact is that no matter how simple and inconsequential a memory is, it still could be false. So why believe a story about buying socks more than a story about a past life? Certainly the extraordinary stories make for more interesting listening experiences.

If asked to comment or commit to belief or disbelief, I can say "I have no idea, but that's a wonderful story" in sincerity.

 

[BucephalusBB]

so I'd be sympathetic and kind whilst believing that anything is possible.

As I am unable to answer to your first part

I don't.. I just don't believe anything is possible. If only.. that would be so much easier, but I just don't.

 

[Somkid]

I was a chaplain in a level 1 trauma center for many years and I have learned to keep a straight face. I think I have seen just about everything and heard just about everything, so I just listen to what someone has to say and if it way off the wall I suggest speaking to a specialist (psychiatrist).

 

[ayani]

i just tend to stay quiet, nod, and leave their beliefs to them, so long as they're not being insulting, derogatory, or suggesting we go hurt someone.

 

[3.14]

ask him what use his past life has, ones he realizes that his past life is in the past you can talk about better things like who will win in a fist fight hulk or superman

 

[lilithu]

How do you act when someone tells you something wich you just can't believe, but you don't want to 'hurt' the other?

For example, a collegue of me is pretty sure he lived in scotland in his past life. He is pretty certain about it too and he knows for sure that it isn't a dream or just feelings. He knows it's true.
Well, I don't even believe in the soul, let alone that it can travel.

I would like to be supportive and openminded and stuff. But for me it sounds as if somebody would tell me he fell of the edge of the world once.

How is this different from people telling you their views of God that you don't accept? What do you do then?

It can neither be proven nor disproven. As Engyo said, this belief is unlikely to hurt him. My inclination would be to nod and let him be. Unless the story is interesting: then I would ask questions. That would make both of us happy, as he gets to relate it and I get to hear it.

 

[lilithu]

I fell off the edge of the world once, so I'd be sympathetic and kind whilst believing that anything is possible.

See, Willamena tells a good story.

My first reaction isn't whether it's factually true or not, but What happened after that??! What led up to it? What did you experience?

 

[Rolling_Stone]

How do you act when someone tells you something wich you just can't believe, but you don't want to 'hurt' the other?

For example, a collegue of me is pretty sure he lived in scotland in his past life. He is pretty certain about it too and he knows for sure that it isn't a dream or just feelings. He knows it's true.
Well, I don't even believe in the soul, let alone that it can travel.

I would like to be supportive and openminded and stuff. But for me it sounds as if somebody would tell me he fell of the edge of the world once.

How do you know he does not know?

 

[Alceste]

There are a lot of possibilities even if you discount the existence of the soul. We know very little about the nature of time or the phenomenon of memory and awareness. Who's to say you can't pick up a memory as if it were a bit of pollen in the breeze? It happens often enough I am willing to keep an open mind. Either that or believe people are lying, psychotic or delusional. That would be very uncomfortable for me.

 

[PureX]

Hmmm ... how important is it to me that I tell someone else that I think they're wrong ...

Not that important, really. If there's a debate, I'll throw in my 2 cents. Otherwise, I'm usually more curious about why people believe what they believe than I care about the accuracy of what they believe. That's because I have long since come to feel that none of us has a clue, really. When we start talking about "Truth" it's a guarantee that none of us has anything more than opinions to contribute.

 

[whereismynotecard]

That kind of stuff happens to me all the time... Usually I just don't even tell people that I don't belive in that stuff... It depends on the person. Like when the creepy guy at KFC was going on and on about my name being in the bible, saying how I would have a son someday, just like Hannah from the bible, I just smiled and nodded. That guy was so scary.